Dark Gathering anime gets its first look as the trailer confirms the release date!
Horror and anime historically don’t have a very good relationship since Horror animes are very hard to pull off, considering fear is subjective, especially when portrayed through an animated medium.
Additionally, translating the black and white pages of mangas or light novels is a double-edged sword for most creators, which in turn leads to uninspiring adaption and poor production.
There are a few horror anime series that have superseded this perception in this genre, namely Higurashi When They Cry, Perfect Blue, and Theatre of Darkness: Yamishibai.
Although horror animes aren’t the most popular or sought after, there is always a buzz and expectation when a new series is on the cards, which is also the case with the anime adaption of Kenichi Kondō s’ manga series Dark Gathering.
Dark Gathering has been a popular horror series for quite some time, and readers of the Dark Gathering manga would have wondered whether Dark Gathering anime would happen.
Luckily, not only the Dark Gathering anime became a reality, but there is also official information available regarding the Dark Gathering anime trailer and Dark Gathering Season 1 release date.
Are you a fan of the Dark Gathering manga series and excited about its anime adaptation? If so, keep scrolling to find out all the latest news and update on Dark Gathering anime.
Dark Gathering anime adaption was announced in July 2022, confirming Dark Gathering Season 1 was under development.
On 10th November 2022, the show’s official Twitter account released the Dark Gathering anime trailer alongside key visuals, and the voice cast of the main characters was also revealed.
Dark Gathering Season 1 release date is scheduled to debut in the backend of 2023, but the creators have not confirmed an exact premiere date.
The series is developed by Studio OLM, the team behind Pokemon, Komi Can’t Communicate, Odd Taxi, Cardfight Vanguard, and the original Berserk anime.
Following the announcement, the author of the Dark Gathering manga series Kenichi Kondo spoke to the show s’ official website and expressed his gratitude to the readers for supporting his story. Read below:
As for the main points of the anime, we wanted to do something in the original story but couldn’t because of the length of the story, but we were able to incorporate it into the script. The additional elements are faithful to the original work and are fully supervised by the original author. The storyboards, art settings, and audio elements, which were not included in the manga, are all done with the utmost care and attention to detail. We hope you will look forward to the broadcast’s start as we await further news.
You can watch the Dark Gathering anime trailer below:
Dark Gathering manga is written and illustrated by Kenichi Kondo. It began serialization in Jump Square magazine on 4th March 2019. The manga has been collected into 11 volumes, with the latest issue out on 4th August 2022. Volume 11 of the Dark Gathering manga is scheduled to release on 2nd December 2022.
You can find the details of Dark Gathering manga volumes and release date below:
| VOLUME | RELEASE DATE |
| Dark Gathering Volume 1 | 4th June 2019 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 2 | 4th October 2019 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 3 | 4th February 2020 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 4 | 4th June 2020 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 5 | 2nd October 2020 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 6 | 4th February 2021 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 7 | 4th June 2021 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 8 | 4th November 2021 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 9 | 4th March 2022 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 10 | 4th August 2022 |
| Dark Gathering Volume 11 | 2nd December 2022 |
Dark Gathering follows the story of a college freshman Keitarou Gentouga doesn’t like ghosts. Despite his hatred for spirits, Keitarou attracts them as a spiritual constitution, due to which he injures his right hand during a crossfire.
This accident resulted in a change in Keitarou, who became a complete shut-in with no social skills, but with the help of his friend Eiko Houzuki, he slowly gathered himself back to normal.
He starts taking private tuition, and Eiko s’ cousin Yayoi Houzuki becomes his first student. Houzuki is a child prodigy who is obsessed with the spiritual realm and occult as she seeks revenge on the ghostly spirits which took her mother away.
With Keitarou accompanying Eiko and Yayoi on these supernatural side missions, he begins to untangle the mystery surrounding his affiliation with spirits and the truth behind the incident from a few years ago.
Dark Gathering anime will be directed by Hiroshi Ikehata and scripted by Shigeru Murakoshi. Characters are designed by Shinya Segawa, while the music is composed by Kohta Yamamoto and Shun Narita. Animation is developed by OLM studios.
Director Hiroshi Ikehata spoke to the show s’ official website and told the fans to look forward to the series as it will be unique and unlike any other previous horror works. Read below:
This is my first attempt at a horror anime, and I am very excited about it. Looking back on the history of anime, there have been very few occult/horror works like this, and I am groping my way through the process, but I am sure that this will be an exciting and scary anime, so please look forward to it.
Finally, OLM anime producer Masuda commented on bringing the interesting story and characters of Dark Gathering to the big screen. Read below:
We are working diligently to create a film that is a condensed version of the original work and director Ikehata’s passion. We hope that you will pay attention to the terrifying images that were created through trial and error by utilizing the experience and terror that each staff member has cultivated over the years.
You can find the list of Dark Gathering characters and voice cast below:
| CHARACTER | VOICED BY |
| Eiko Hо̄zuki | Kana Hanazawa |
| Keitarо̄ Gentо̄ga | Nobunaga Shimazaki |
| Yayoi Hо̄zuki | Yū Sasahara |
Dark Gathering anime will be a perfect gift to horror fans for Halloween 2023.