Dark Gathering, Vol. 4

ダークギャザリング [Dark Gathering] #4

by Kenichi Kondō

After a dangerous encounter with a malevolent spirit, Keitaro Gentoga wants nothing to do with the supernatural. Unfortunately for this reluctant ghost magnet, he’s stuck helping Yayoi Hozuki, a strange young girl who’s intent on capturing Japan’s most terrifying ghosts and ghouls.

The encounter with Ai’s ghastly groom may have devastated Yayoi’s defenses, but it also triggered the birth of a terrifyingly powerful new spirit. With this “graduate” in hand, Yayoi unveils her plan to capture the god. The only question is whether Keitaro can handle a whirlwind tour of Japan’s deadliest haunted sites.

Genres: Manga, Horror, Fantasy, Paranormal, Graphic Novels

200 pages, Paperback

First published June 4, 2020

Reviews

[BlaireReadsTheThings · Rating 3 out of 5]

Looks like the adventure is beginning. The first 3 volumes introduced the concept and characters. This one has the beginning of the mission.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 4 starts getting into some of the bigger encounters. The "graduate" level spirits are cool. Their stories and designs are a lot of fun. It also creates opportunities to see some real growth in the protagonists. Seeing Yayoi shift the dynamic of her connection with Keitaro is satisfying, and Keitaro starts to be less whiny (though he still has a long way to go). This volume marks a shift in focus, and the path the story is heading in is intriguing.

[Joshua Jonah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A few things about this volume really stood out. Aside from it being one of the darkest ones so far, the mangaka admitted to actually visiting these haunted spots they wrote about / illustrated in this volume and so forth. Next, I enjoyed the introduction of some new characters at the end who I hope end up being a formidable antithesis to our main cast of Yayoi, Ai, and Keitaro. Up until this point they’ve been just generally been running around without being challenged beyond the ghosts they come across. It could add an interesting dynamic to the story we haven’t gotten yet.

[The Book Dragon · Rating 4 out of 5]

The preliminary skirmish with a god has upset the power balance within Yayoi's ghostly army which leads to an all out brawl until only one remains... one extra powerful spirit called a graduate.

So the new plan is to visit a bunch of really haunted sites and collect more uber-powerful ghosts to take down the god, save Ai, and gain a strong weapon to take down the spirit that 'ate' Yayoi's mom. (We're calling it Kubo).

[Standard Guy · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's supernatural pokemon!
Loving the progression of the story. The mangaka does a really great job of both portraying Yayoi as a badass but also making it feel like she's walking a knife's edge while hunting spirits and keeping them as fighters. Eiko doesn't play much of a part in this volume, but she's just as creepy as ever and has Keitaro firmly in the palm of her hand.
Favorite volume yet. Feels like the story is really coming into its own now.

[Kayleigh Wiebe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this dark little horror manga series. Every volume has been so engaging with a super fast-paced plot, tons of action, and scary art. If you enjoy ghost hunting books or are nurturing a Mob Psycho 100 hangover then you have to check out this series!

[ReadingFrog · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars.

[Brianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The guy at the end reminds me of the shriveled-up fish in the wheelchair from SpongeBob.