English Dub Review: Dark Gathering “Old Old F Tunnel”

Overview (Spoilers Below):
The Imprisoned Martyr is dead, but he cannot die. He longs for someone to grant him the death he desperately yearns for, and the F Tunnel ghost could be one such opponent.

Our Take:
Unsurprisingly, the Old F Tunnel is just as dangerous as the Castle H ruins, especially when it’s haunted by the ghost of a masked killer. This was proven in the previous episode when Eika fell victim to the tunnel’s curse, resulting in the ghostly slaughterer taking her to the Old Old F Tunnel. So now it’s up to Keitaro and Yayoi to save her skin again, but as expected, the Old Old F Tunnel makes the Old F Tunnel look like the “It’s the Small World” attraction at Disneyland.
The reason is that the murderous ghost seeks more than just a person’s face. The tunnel’s spirit also aims to crush their eyeballs, including Keitaro’s. If that doesn’t convince you how threatening that ghost is, I’m unsure what will. Fortunately, Yayoi has a special Graduate that’s perfect for taking down the axe-wielding, supernatural maniac: The Imprisoned Martyr. The Martyr’s curse of immortality and desire to be killed is the ideal way of subduing the tunnel’s spirit, but it can also be incredibly harmful if one gets caught in its circle. Regardless, the Martyr accomplished its mission, and Yayoi added another S-rank spirit to her new collection, along with the ghosts of its victims.
“Old Old F Tunnel” maintains the tension and terrifying thrills from its previous episode to deliver another consistently intense S-rank mini-adventure. This includes the trio’s escape from the Old Old F Tunnel and the Pokemon-like battle between the Imprisoned Martyr and the tunnel’s spirit. Of course, there’s also the surprise appearance of Anna’s spirit, who tried to kill the trio near the end of the episode. With two S-rank areas in the books, it’s still possible that the second half of Dark Gathering would be a stellar improvement over its first half. However, I’m still withholding my judgment until the season concludes to ensure my theory is correct.