Another of HIDIVE's series premieres at Anime Expo was the anime Dark Gathering. I have been reading Dark Gathering since its inception and when I saw it on the schedule, I quickly slotted it into my list of things to see.

Dark Gathering's manga began in 2019 and is authored by Kenichi Kondou. The anime version is spearheaded by studio OLM (who you may know for their work on Komi Can't Communicate, Summer Time Rendering, and Don't Toy with Me Miss Nagatoro). Dark Gathering follows protagonist Keitarou (voiced by Nobunaga Shiamzaki, his childhood friend Eiko (voiced by Kana Hanazawa), and Eiko's cousin, Yayoi (voiced by Yuu Sasahara). Keitaro happens to be a magnet for the supernatural be they ghosts or spirits. Yayoi, who was also touched by the supernatural, naturally becomes interested in him for his ability.

Yayoi has two pupils in each eye (and skull-shaped whites to go with them). Her two pupils allow her to see both the real and the supernatural. She gained these unique eyes after a car accident when she was younger. Her long-term plan is to reclaim the soul of her mother, who was snatched away by an evil god after the accident.

Keitarou initially becomes Yayoi's educational tutor but, given that Yayoi is already quite intelligent, gets roped into a lot of supernatural hijinks. I say hijinks but it's more like "constant near-death experiences."

It was listed as 18+ which I suppose makes sense due to the occult and horror aspects to it, and the copious amounts of death. I never really thought of that way while reading the manga. The manga itself isn't very scary, but transitioning to an animated medium really does help establish the mood.

As part of the abovementioned near death experiences, Yayoi utilizes a variety of captured ghosts to more or less fight fire with fire. These ghosts are all ones she has vanquished and, in exchange for not extinguishing them, work under her (albeit in a very tenuous relationship where some of them are barely under control).  Yayoi also uses more kinetic persuasion when necessary.  

Yayoi's captured ghosts all inhabit stuffed animals, and the hyperactive jerkiness of these possessed animals in the anime lends itself to a sense of unease. Combine that with the foley (sound effects), the voices of the seiyuu, and color grading, the anime brings Dark Gathering to a new level.

By the end of episode one, we also see that Eiko is not quite as normal as she seems, and has a yandere side to her when it comes to Keitaro. Eiko's seiyuu Kana Hanazawa switches gears between the normal, cheerful Eiko, and the crazy, obsessive Eiko as just one more way to heighten the tension.

If the anime follows the path of the manga, I expect it to be a monster-of-the-week show, not like that's a bad thing. Japan has a multitude of ghost stories and legends and I looked up a few of them after reading Dark Gathering. There's a lot of interesting stuff out there and Dark Gathering utilizes those pre-existing legends to help lend a bit of authenticity to it. There is an overarching story that the plot should follow but I won't spoil it here. The monster-of-the-week format does have a point to it.

If you're a fan of the occult, Japanese ghost stories, or ghost stories in general, do check out Dark Gathering. It'll be aired on HIDIVE soon enough, with the first episode being aired on July 10, just a few days away.  If you would like to read it, volume one of the manga was released by Viz earlier this year.  Volume two will be coming out near the middle of the month.