Dark Gathering is an ongoing anime based on a very popular manga series. Is it being overlooked by the viewers?
As a horror anime, Dark Gathering can be considered a niche genre. Not everyone is going to be interested in a horror anime, and that is fine. But what about horror fans? Are they overlooking Dark Gathering for whatever reason?
Dark Gathering is undoubtedly a horror anime. It has not one but two characters that are capable of attracting spirits and ghosts and all sorts of scary things. One of those characters, Keitarou Gentouga, suffered a lot because of that gift, and he has spent a lot of time alone, refusing to leave his home.
Fortunately, his friend decided to help, and Keitarou even landed a job as a tutor, with his friend's cousin Yayoi Houzuki as his first customer. And it turns out that Yayoi also sees spirits, and she wants to see them because it looks like they took away her mother. In the end, Keitarou and Yayoi deliberately go to haunted places and hope to gather enough cues to help Yayoi's mother.
Dark Gathering has decent, if not very high, ratings; for example, it has a score of 7.2 on IMDB. On MyAnimeList, its score is 7.38. The same resource shows that the majority of watchers enjoyed their time with Dark Gathering, but certain complaints have been stated as well.
One of the major issues appears being some unexpected comedy scenes, which feel forced and out of place. That could be one of the things that push away horror fans.
It might also be argued that Dark Gathering could have used a different drawing style, especially when it comes to Yayoi's design. Viewers have argued that the character design is not easy to reconcile with horror themes. As a result, it is rather difficult to believe what is happening on the screen enough to be scared.
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To be fair, comedy in non-comedy anime is not unusual.
Dark mysteries like Black Butler (Kuroshitsuji), for example, use comedy in certain instances, mostly to help the viewer feel for the characters and also as an opportunity to take a break from all the horror.
However, the balance is delicate, and it is entirely possible to overdo the comedy in your horror show.
Note, however, that Dark Gathering is not a completely overlooked title. On MyAnimeList, it has tens of thousands of viewers, and even more people have probably at least tried to watch Dark Gathering. It is entirely possible that it was not their cup of tea, but in the end, the anime is being watched, and even if it might be underrated, it is still airing. Perhaps, we will see a surge in its popularity in the future.