Dark Gathering – Season 1 Episode 21 Recap & Review

The Old I Watergate: Resplendence

Episode 21 of Dark Gathering begins with the boy spirit eating meatballs (made of Shami’s remains). Yayoi tells the others to keep their guards up since the boy spirit is an S-rank. She also explains how his powers work to Keitaro and Eiko and warns them about his curse. While they’ve been cursed, Yayoi says the dolls they possess should hold it off for a little while. Yayoi says they must eliminate that sketchbook if they hope to prevail in this battle. 

Before Yayoi whips up a plan to steal the sketchbook, several ghostly hands grab and pull her to a railing. Keitaro attempts to assist Yayoi but more hands put him down. Keitaro tells Eiko to save Yayoi and to worry about him later. Eiko heads to Yayoi’s location and hands her a tool to use to free herself. The two set their sights on saving Keitaro. Suddenly, Eiko finds herself in an enclosed area with a man and woman spirit. Yayoi breaks into the domain and thankfully the spirit within Eiko’s doll saves her from these ones. 

The two spirits retreat to the boy’s spirit, making Yayoi realize they work for him. Yayoi saves Keitaro from his predicament while Eiko manages to knock the sketchbook out of the boy’s spirit’s hands. Yayoi taunts the boy’s spirit, enabling him to attack Otogiri Oiran, the Courtesan Graduate. Yayoi summons Otogiri to fight the boy’s spirit. After sharing some background intel about how she attained Otogiri, the two spirits clash for a bit. 

Yayoi realizes the boy’s spirit’s new armored form might be more troublesome than she anticipated. Disheveled by the boy spirit’s attack, Otogiri summons butterflies on the battlefield. Yayoi tells Eiko and Keitaro to avoid the butterflies and feels things will get ugly soon. Yayoi explains the butterfly’s functionalities to the two as Otogiri regains her beauty and discusses matters with the boy’s spirit. Otogiri’s second curse activates inside the boy’s spirit. Yayoi explains how she plans to drain the boy of his essence.

Angered, the boy grabs ahold of the dead bodies on the field, turns them into meatballs, and consumes them to gain more strength. He lunges at Otogiri and pummels her. Otogiri retaliates by summoning more butterflies to drain his life force with. To push Otogiri into her third phase, Yayoi tosses a mirror in front of her to show her how “ugly” she’s become. Then, we delve into Otogiri’s past life and her relationship with her apprentice Kurenai, and how she ruined her chance to be free with her lover Ito. 

Kurenai reveals her scheme to Otogiri and why she did it. She shows Otogiri how ugly she’s become via her mirror. Later, Otogiri ambushes Kurenai, spills oil on the ground, and lights the place up in flames. The episode closes with Otogiri’s curse’s flame-themed third stage activating in the present.

The Episode Review

After introducing and losing Shami in the previous chapter, fans wondered what would happen next between the boy spirit and our heroes. After receiving a lengthy and much-needed breakdown of his abilities from Yayoi, it appears viewers will be in for a “heated” battle between him and Otogiri (the Courtesan Graduate).

By and large, this episode was enjoyable for multiple reasons. From seeing Yayoi struggle against the spirit to receiving Otogiri’s life history, this episode contained a pleasant mix of action, backstory, and suspense to keep viewers invested in the narrative it presented. Witnessing Yayoi stumble when fighting a spirit or graduate adds to the series’s tension while seeing her prevail over one can sometimes feel bland or expected. 

Moreover, it gives our other two heroes, Eiko and Keitaro, chances to shine in the narrative. As for Otogiri, fans will appreciate this episode for exploring her background more. It indicates that she’ll be a major player in future arcs, especially against Ai’s godly spirit or the Spectre of Death.

In addition to having compelling nightmarish imagery to complement the episode’s creepy vibes, this was a fun episode to sit through. I’m excited to see what transpires once this battle inevitably concludes.