Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri Part 2

In my review of season 1, I suggested saluting the Japanese flag. Well, it looks like the writers decided to give me a hand because the ending now contains a Japanese flag flying gloriously. Plus fantasy girls in military gear in various military activities, having tons of fun. In fact, the military is portrayed as so fun we should all join. Play around in the bath and get the complimentary harem. Sounds legit to me.

...Anyway, season 2 picks up where the last one left off. Beyond the titular gate is a fantasy land with elves, dragons, catgirls and whatnot. The place has been annexed by ... Japan and with much creativity and sensitivity named the Special Region. Now the virtuous Japanese Self-Defence Force (SDF) proceeds to help the local population against tyranny and oppression. And they carry it out honorably despite being hindered by incompetent politicians, propaganda-spewing journalists, and other countries such as the US who like to mess with Japan's business.

What? The Japanese constitution forbids using the SDF abroad? Don't be silly. If you annex the place, it counts as part of Japan, duh. Or maybe since the gate is inside Japan, they decided all its contents are too. If they have a team of lawyers, I'd like to hire them too.

Plus they loot, err I mean procure, whatever natural resources there are in the area. That's right; Japan strikes oil. Get rekt, Middle East. The local lords had no idea oil is even valuable when they signed the mining deal. Suckers.

As you might expect, the SDF wrecks the natives with ease. Again. Which is not really surprising because the local royalty and feudal lords have not learned much in the ways of warfare or diplomacy. Actually, forget the guns; they can't even match the SDF in a fistfight. And when the SDF isn't overpowered enough, the otaku protagonist's harem of mages and demigod lolis swoops in and wins in a few seconds. There is also a CGI dragon that is thankfully at least a bit more challenging, and that is probably the reason why it exists in the plot to begin with.

Also, the best cure for psychological trauma is apparently revenge, best achieved by having a traumatized person operate a bazooka. What could possibly go wrong?

The timing of the comedy and drama is brilliant, with random fanservice right next to slavery and war crimes (not committed by the SDF, don't worry). Just the way I like it. Romance is also handled with subtlety: near the end we even get a montage of all the latest crack pairings.

So if you are looking for lots of fanservice, explosions and nationalistic right-wing sentiment, this is the anime for you. Season 3 hype?

Every so and often, we come across a series where there’s some controversy. Anime isn’t shy to take risks and so we have stories that involves the military, politics, prostitution, and slavery. Putting that aside, a show is also capable of capitalizing on these risks and turn it into something of a blessing in disguise. Gate Jieitai Kanochi nite Kaku Tatakaeri 2nd Season is one of these shows.

Returning for a second season, GATE focuses on two major arcs. A few things first though. The series has already build a lot with the first season as we were introduced to Itami Youji, a lieutenant from the ... Ground Self-Defense Force. Also known for his otaku characteristics, Itami’s encounter on the other side of the world (beyond the GATE as I’d like to call it) leads to extraordinary discoveries. Elves, mages, dragons, and even demi-gods. These are just a few of the otherworldly that Itami encounters. Of course, between the two worlds, there’s also a lot of conflict.

The conflict continues into GATE Season 2. The first few episodes also sets up for quite a bit of events for the reminder course of the story. Characters such as Zorzal El Caesar (first prince of the Empire) and Tyuule (ruler of the warrior bunnies) are just a few that causes controversy. The emperor of the Empire also seems to be planning for big things while Pina still tries to maintain a state of peace between the two worlds. Then, there’s also characters like Sherry Tyueli, a young girl who has a surprisingly crafty mind. GATE Season 2 introduces a variety of characters to instill the purpose of role diversity. It also goes to show that characters of any age, gender, or race can potentially influence a great deal in the story.

Of course, Itami is still the main guy along with the three girls that we fondly adores from the first season. Furthermore, Itami’s relationship in particular with Tuka seems to have grown much deeper in one of the later episodes. Lelei development as a mage is also evident as we witness her skills against even an almighty dragon during the Red Dragon Arc. And who can forget about Rory? The ever so cunning demi-god also develops a special connection with Itami as she gets involved with an old rival. In essence, every main girl shines in their way while Itami still plays the role of being the leader of the squad. In the meantime, there’s a lot of political tension building up that really makes the second season darker than it seems.

These include attempted assassinations, human slavery, and a plot to overthrow the empire within its own forces. If you remember Pina, she also becomes entrenched with controversial affairs that takes unexpected dark turns. It goes to say that GATE still maintains what it tries to do – developing story episode by episode while feeding a lot of its ideas towards a climax. It works out quite well once we realize the purpose of its intent. And while it’s at it, GATE isn’t afraid to show death and make it into a reality. War exists – both in the fantasy and real world with GATE still developing on that throughout the season. Also, don’t forget that the show has a lot of military themes and we can easily see how Japan adapts its propaganda fueled by its technological arsenal. Also, it’s noticeable that GATE continuously maintain a high level of world building. It’s easily recognized and has always been one of the show’s stronger points.

Unlike the first season, the sequel has less comedy and much more on plot emphasis. By the third or fourth episode, I think it’s easy to adapt with the style as the show has already introduced enough concepts. But like most adaptations, the show does omit some material although nothing too crucial. Some of the more controversial content like sexual slavery and abuse is subtly hinted at while there’s less gore. In addition, pacing becomes somewhat rushed in a few episodes. With the story that introduces new characters, it’s not always easy to like them. Zorzal is likely to become one of the most hated characters for his cruel actions. In addition, some of the content such as sex may be uncomfortable to sink into your mind.

The art style of GATE generally remains the same. As I mentioned before, the world building is one of the strongest aspects of the show and we get a good amount of quality of the fantasy world. From powerful looking dragons to artistically decorated structures, the show knows where to go for when it comes to fantasy content. This also extends to character designs that really shows their distinctive appearances. From bunny warriors to apostles, you can expect a lot of unique ways the show does to make characters look different. Similar to the first season, there’s also some realistic content like with Japan’s military. From impressive fighter jets to heavy duty mortars, the show demonstrates what military is really capable of. Supplementing its impressive technical features, the soundtrack of season 2 retains its style that fans are used to. The OP song has a familiar tune while the majority of the action choreography is nicely performed with its stellar OST. Character voice mannerism is also noticeable with Zorzal’s egoistic nature, Tyueli’s manipulative personality, or Noriko’s innocence.

Well, I can’t say that season 2 of GATE is miles better than what the first season offered. However, what it does have is concrete storytelling that builds more and more. It makes viewers anticipate what’s to happen next while skillfully adapt with some of its controversial content. I am a bit disappointed that it does omit certain content though. (read the LN and manga for more details) And to add on to the fire, GATE still has characters that can make people pull their hairs out. That aside, GATE Season 2 maintains a nice balance of storytelling and characters. With less comedy and more serious business picking up, it’s a show that just keeps on giving.

"Gate: And So the Second Round of Propaganda begins"
^^ is honestly a fitting title for this show.

Why? 'Cuz there's more JSDF propaganda in this season. However, that doesn't mean I love this show less.
Also, when I say JSDF propaganda, I don't mean that in a bad way. It's Japan's show so they can do whatever the hell they want with it. People who criticize this show for having "too much JSDF Propaganda" are a bunch of hypocrites anyways because I can bet you, they're the same people who watches American films that contains a ton of "F*ck Yea! America!".

(There will be some ... SPOILERS in my review)


[Story]: (7.6/10)
Ever since first season of GATE wrapped up, I became a big fan of this show and despite the issues that the first season had, I still ended up loving it.
When they decided to split the show into 2 cour, I patiently waited for the 2nd Season every single day for 2-3 months before it aired. I was like one of those fanboys screaming like a girl...I was just so excited. Now that the series has finished airing, is it better than the first season and did my hype die down? You'll find out soon enough.

The 2nd Season of GATE continues right from where the 1st Season left off and is picked up from there. The show is separated into two arcs and adapts the "Fire Dragon" arc and the "Douran" arc. Let's focus on my most anticipated "Fire Dragon" arc.

I was really hyped for this arc ever since they teased it during the last season. Mostly because I wanted to see how Itami, his harem and his platoon will handle the Fire Dragon. However, the 2nd Season didn't really start off with the "Fire Dragon" arc just yet. It starts off with the Japanese Senators and the JSDF holding a peace talks with the Empire. This part of the show was a bit slow but also appreciated because it shows us how the JSDF aren't just there to cause mayhem and destruction. They're also there to help out the mysterious world's citizens. Their first step was to try and improve the lives of the civilians by setting up a Healthcare System. After the setup, this is where the actual arc begins.

Ahh, the "Fire Dragon" arc..So what did I think about this arc? For the most part, I enjoyed it but I don't think it was great. In the previous season, Tuka's father died and we all knew that except her. When a certain someone decided to open Tuka's eyes and forced her to face the reality, she entered into a horrible state of PTSD. This is actually the first time this show made me feel sympathetic for someone else. Let alone, a female character who I thought was just some member of Itami's harem and nothing more. He then decided to do the unthinkable so she doesn't have to face the reality which is a horrible way of dealing with someone's PTSD. I gotta give props to Itami though for being a badass but sooner or later, people need to face the reality so I'm going to have to side with Yao on this one. I think he kind of did the right thing. Here's the part that I don't like. I didn't really like the way they handled Itami's past to try and relate to Tuka losing her father. Appearantly, something similar happened to Itami's parents and that's the whole reason why Itami helped Tuka kill the Fire Dragon. It felt like it was shoehorned in and it was done really poorly. Itami's backstory wasn't properly explored, it wasn't expanded and they only spent a short amount of time on it which made his backstory seem like an asspull. The arc got a nice payoff though so I can sort-of let it slide. How the arc ended is what I always wanted to see from this show and I got it. The JASDF (Japanese Air Self Defence Force) raining down democracy and freedom and the JGSDF (Japanese Ground Self Defence Force) going there and showing us what happens if you mess with the JSDF

The next arc is the "Douran" arc. I was actually surprised that they adapted this arc. I mean, when they advertised the second season, they only showed the Fire Dragon arc on the trailers so I thought it the entire season was just the FD arc. Anyways, this arc focuses on two events. The first event is Itami accompanying Lelei to a town that looks so futuristic but it's not. To be more specific, it's an Academy City that trains mages. The second event is a coup inside the Empire in an attempt to destroy the peace between the Empire and Japan. Honestly, this arc is slightly better than the first arc because a lot more things happened here than the Fire Dragon arc and also a lot of politics are involved in this arc, which plays a huge role in everything that's been going on so far. For example, we get to see why the JSDF wasn't deployed earlier to save the Japanese Senators and why they didn't liberate the Empire sooner.

I talked about the pacing issues in my first season's review and I want to talk about the pacing issues in this review again. Just like the first season, this season's first arc was rushed and the 2nd half was still somewhat rushed but not by much. They shouldn't have rushed the 1st half because that's the whole reason why I didn't like the Fire Dragon arc that much, despite its nice payoff at the end. Instead of rushing the arc, they should have spend more time on Tuka's PTSD and Itami's backstory which would have made a huge impact at the end of the FD arc if those 2 aspects weren't so rushed through. I have no issues with the 2nd half's pacing because it was mostly politics and Itami's journey to a mage town and what he and the girls did in that town.

I'm sure you noticed this when you watched the first episode but Gate Season 2's atmosphere is a lot darker than the previous season. I actually never expected this show to touch on subjects like Rape, Abuse, and etc. They're obviously censored but they're still somewhat disturbing as shit.

So my first issue with this season was the pacing and now, to the second issue that I have with this season. The side characters DON'T getting enough screentime and by side characters, I mean the soldiers in Itami's platoon. I really liked their character interactions and their personalities from the first season but in this season, their screentime was gutted in half in favour of developing Tuka and Lelei's character...which wouldn't have been a big issue if the main characters' development weren't so rushed either. The final issue that I have is with the ending. It was cheesy as hell and it made it look like an ad saying "Join the JSDF and you'll get a waifu for your war efforts". I have no problem with JSDF Propaganda but that scene was really cringey as f*ck.
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[Art/Animation]: (9/10)
The 2nd Season’s art and visuals looks exactly the same as the first season and no surprise there, as the show was originally intended to be 24 episodes. So because of that, my rating for this section will be the same. I don't know if this is just me though but the background looks a bit weird. Remember when you used to colour those colouring books and no matter how hard you colour, there's always a few remaining white small dots? That’s what the background looked like which made it seem like A-1 Pictures’ budget was running dry or they ran out of time.
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[Sound]: (9/10)
Just like the Animation, every soundtrack was re-used from the first season. Although, I don’t have any complaints with the soundtrack since they weren’t bad to begin with. In fact, I preferred they kept the soundtrack because they’re goddamn amazing and it gives me goosebumps all the time. Especially that soundtrack that plays when the JSDF shows up and gives those Empire bastards and the Fire Dragons a sweet taste of democracy and freedom that we all take for granted. Now the OP and ED theme song(s)

The OP theme song is “GATE II: Sekai wo Koete “ by the Akeboshi Rockets. Ok, I gotta give the Akeboshi Rockets some credit for changing how their latest song plays out. There’s still the usual drumbeats at the beginning but at least it didn't sound the same as HOTD’s first 5 sec of the OP. Overall, I liked this song and I thought it was good but I want to talk about the OP Animation. 90% of the scenes were re-used scenes from the first season, 5% were ripped off from the opening of one of their shows called “The Asterisk War”, and the last 5% are a bunch of character’s face shots. Talk about being lazy...

The ED theme song is “Itsu Datte Communication” by Lelei, Tuka and Rory. I really love Gate's 2nd ED theme song. It sounds so much better than that funky 1st ED theme song. It's not like I hated the 1st ED theme song. In fact, I loved it but I prefer the 2nd ED. I just love it when the main heroines of a show sings the ED of a show. Hell, I wouldn't mind if they form an idol group. Now, in terms of the ED Animation. Hands down, their best ED Animation yet. In the 1st ED, it's just a simple Humvee riding through a tunnel with glowing lights. In here, the ED Animation is simple, yet hilarious. Call it a propaganda shots or whatever the hell you want but I really don't care what you think.
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[Characters]: (8/10)
In the previous season, a new character was introduced almost at the end of the first season. All we knew about her is that she ventured out in search of the "Green People" (She was talking about the JSDF) in order to ask them for help killing the Fire Dragon. In here, we get to know more about her personality during the Fire Dragon arc like how she's an asshole and how she doesn't have sympathy towards another person's feeling. It seems like she does but the way she's handling it makes her look like a bitchy, selfish, insensitive person by telling Tuka the whole truth about the fate of his father. This, however, makes Itami look like a badass by pretending to be Tuka's father. Even though he "puts his hobby over work any day", he did his duty as a JSDF soldier to help out Tuka. Itami felt empathy towards Tuka because he knows what it feels like to lose a parent. Like I said earlier though, Itami's backstory about his parents seems like an asspull and for that reason, Itami's empathy towards Tuka didn't leave that much of an impact for me....Just a little bit, actually xD

While Tuka got much of a spotlight in the Fire Dragon arc, the show also focused on Lelei during the "Douran" arc. We learned that Lelei has a sister who fails at everything in every conceivable way. Though, I kinda understand now why Lelei's teacher (from S1, Ep. 3) would rather "mount a curvy woman like her". She has the hots but she's one of those typical dumb blondes.
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[Enjoyment]: (8/10)
I still enjoyed the 2nd Season of Gate but compared to the first season, not by much. Just like the previous season though, I did enjoy the military aspect of the show because military in anime are portrayed as an incompetent unit who can't stand for themselves whereas in Gate, it's vice versa. I'm also a big military enthusiast so I have a bit of bias towards this show.
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[VERDICT]
"Gate: And So the Special Defence Force Fought There - Season 2" is an enjoyable-but flawed sequel that finally concludes the story of Gate. I am aware that the Light Novel still has some stories to be told like "The Civil War" arc but I'm satisfied with how the anime version ended. I'm also happy that they finally explained how the "Gate" works which I thought would never happen. If you watched the 1st Season of Gate and you enjoyed it then I can still recommend that you watch this season. Don't expect it to be better than the first season though.


Pros:
+Show's atmosphere is darker than the previous season
+Good story, despite some flaws
+Great Animation
+A-1 Pictures kept the amazing soundtrack
+Tuka and Lelei's much-needed character development
+Just like the last season, portrayal of JSDF and their weaponry/military vehicles are almost realistic.
+They finally explained how the "Gate" works

Cons:
-Pacing issues
-Itami's backstory seemed like an asspull
-Side characters didn't get enough screentime


[OVERALL]: (7.8/10)

what can i say? good? not that great? mediocre? wait, it's not mediocre but not that good

this anime should have label "FOR MILITER-OTAKU" see that little strip between those words. that has meaning too.

first, if you don't know and don't enjoy explosives and guns. this anime had typical story that offers you. so, it should be hard to enjoy this anime

second, "japs propaganda is so strong with this one" is not an exaggerate statement. but wait, it's still using accurate military tactic and strategy. so, if you enjoy that. this anime should be fine

this anime has not much too offer except guns, military tactic, propaganda ... and fanservice. well, the story isn't so bad that it hurts your brain. it's not good but no bad either. predictable situation, with predictable outcome sparkled with sweet propaganda of JSDF. but still it pleases your eyes and your ear

i recommend this anime for those who "immune" to propaganda and those who loved guns and military tactic. well, there's not much anime that gives you accurate military tactic besides this one

so, 8/10 is the most high score i can stretch for this anime. based on my opinion

Dude. This anime is such garbage, oh my god.

So, at first, I didn't realize that this was psychotically upbeat right-wing fascist, nationalist, militaristic propaganda set as a harem comedy rife with the slaughter of hundreds (if not thousands). Unfortunately, it also kind of got me hooked.

I got pretty into season one, laughing hysterically about the insane murder sprees that this "JSDF" (apparently what the Japanese Military is called?) got into. They mowed down legions of iron-age soldiers and... nobody seems to mind? Where are their families? I also had some fun with the classic trope: "they're actually hundreds of years old, so ... it's okay that they look like 15 year olds!" with the harem characters. Cute.


Story: 2/10

Like I said, it's a harem anime. Whatever. It's very paint-by-numbers. All the girls are obsessed with our hero, Itami, who can do absolutely no wrong. This doesn't change in the second season, and, in fact, his little harem gets even bigger! Also, the blonde one calls him daddy. Isn't that adorable? Unfortunately, our harem anime is also set to a backdrop of wanton murder and destruction, including battles that cost the lives of thousands of civilians, destroy entire cities, obliterate a much less developed people and paint the invaders as... the good guys?

They don't seem to lose a single soldier, but have no qualms with mowing down thousands. This is fucking terrifying. At first it was kind of... almost justified... but we're fuck deep in season two. This kind of murder and militaristic psychosis is absolutely disgusting at this point. I keep thinking it will slow down... and it doesn't...

Also, what the shit is wrong with everyone in fantasy land? None of their decisions make a lick of sense! They have to be practically force fed peace negotiations with a nation that crushes them like ants. The goal is obviously to make the JSDF look smart and generous by comparison, but it ends up just looking like a bunch of Japanese diplomats discussing foreign policy with toddlers.

Toddlers that they're threatening to kill.


Art: 7/10

It's pretty enough, most of the time, if boring. Then we get the tech porn.

Absolutely beautiful designs, faithful, true-to-life reproductions, gorgeous cells and flawless animation of tanks, helicopters, bazookas, machine guns, humvees, fighter jets and more. Honestly? This anime would be a thousand times better if they just cut all the pretty military porn out and set it to a good song. I'd watch that.


Sound: 4/10

Forgettable, but fairly satisfying. They also re-use the same tracks over and over again. The intro and outro songs are boring and skippable. Nothing worth buying, that's for sure.


Character: 1/10

This is what finally stopped me being able to watch it.

I was invested. In the characters. I'll be honest, I'm spoiled rotten. Magical girl anime like PMMM and genre-changing hero anime like OPM have got me expecting a LOT from modern anime. Characters that break molds, situations that go from fun to dire in moments, expansive worlds and interesting art styles... this is what anime has been giving us over the past decade or so.

The characters in anime have risen above their tropes in a multitude of ways. I kept expecting that to happen here. I kept waiting. And waiting. And WAITING. And I finally realized.

None of them were going to get a single modicum of growth.

It's disappointing. I can imagine so many ways in which all of these characters could have broken their chains.

SPOILERS BELOW (but please read, before you have to see it with your eyes)

I realized this, at the end of episode eight, when a 12 year old girl is begging for her adult crush to save her from what is insinuated as sexual slavery and possibly death.

He does so... not because she is a tiny child and needs his help, but because she has a crush on him. He finally says that, when she's sixteen, he'll marry her. He is painted as a hero for doing so, and he even almost gives her a kiss. Their relationship is exceptionally pedophilic and disturbing, and it is portrayed as absolute perfection and heroism. I am thoroughly disgusted, and that's what made me realize that this anime was incapable of showing character growth.

If they can make an adult (I'm talking in his thirties) man seem like a hero for deciding to fuck a twelve-year-old... then this anime has no idea what a decent person even looks like.

(And to counter the "but when she's sixteen!!!11" argument, *why* make her twelve, then? Why not just make her sixteen and cut out the middle man? I'll tell you why. It's to insinuate that sexualizing a twelve-year-old is okie-dokie as long as you wait to hump until she hits the age of consent... sorta. EUGH! Inexcusable.)

This anime CANNOT show a truly good person, or even a truly complex person, because it is written by pedophilic, nationalistic otakus who masturbate to pictures of guns and drawings of little girls.

I am mentally scarred by seeing that with my own two eyeballs. I don't even want to see any more. I don't think I can take it. At least with the other fanservice lolitas they made an ATTEMPT to portray them as "older". Nine hundred years old, my ass. But with this one!? She's a literal, physical baby! She might not even have hit puberty! I *still* taste vomit.

END SPOILERS


Enjoyment: 1/10

Honestly? The first two episodes of season one are almost worth the watch.

However, the pedophilia, militarism, genocide and nationalism shown in the rest of the anime absolutely outweigh any enjoyment I got from this.

The anime is not interesting. It is not groundbreaking. It is barely functional. It is completely disgusting in every possible way. I was sucked in by a premise which never delivers.

I hate all the characters so much, at one point I was rooting for them all to be outright decimated by a fucking dragon. I regret everything I have done that led to me watching this pos anime.


Overall: 2/10

Awful. The two points are for the decent animation and good premise. The story, characters and all the things that make anime interesting and fun were missing or perverted.

I should have quit at season one. I should have quit before I started! Don't make my mistake, you sweet, innocent creatures. Fly! Fly, you fools!

This review is for the first season and the second season of GATE.

For a while, I had a habit of watching an episode or two of anime before I went to sleep, especially when I did not have something early to do the next day. Since GATE came out every Friday, I decided that it was the best show to fill the pre-sleep role. There would be no chance of accidentally binge watching fifty episodes because there would only be one episode available each day.

That was the worst decision I ever made.

GATE has one of the suckiest stories I have ever watched. ... However, the way in which it sucks is surprising. It has good scenario writing. It also integrates political intrigue and military strategy masterfully, thus creating a story that is smarter than most anime out there. So what failed?

I think the fundamental premise is what fails. GATE follows the story of Itami a Lieutenant in the Japanese army. A hole in space-time in Tokyo opens to another world, one with magic, elves, dragons, and most importantly, undeveloped technology. The Japanese army proceeds to subjugate the other side (both militarily and culturally) to “help the natives”, fighting against swords with helicopters.

While all that is going on, GATE tries its best to portray the realities of war, never shying away from gore, prostitution, slavery, and slaughter. However, in order to make it palatable to the anime audience, GATE also sets out to incorporate harem and slice of life elements into it. So one moment, people’s heads are getting blown off. The next moment, Itami is getting doted on by a bunch of cute girls (this part is especially weird; GATE seems to want to fulfill every fetish there is).

This conflict between light and dark subjects is something that GATE had to resolve with the premise that it had. It chose to solve this conflict by making the tone of the show light-hearted.

As an example, here’s a minor spoiler. The JSDF (the fictional section of the Japanese military Itami is in) swoop into a city to rescue a princess from a siege, and they do this by mowing down an entire regiment of the opposing army with helicopters and machine guns, all while “Ride of the Valkyries” is playing in the background. If you’re curious what that is, it goes da-da-da DUN DUN…ok that doesn’t help, but it’s that song that plays in every movie when something triumphant happens.

There are tons of other scenes like this in the show.

At first, we might find it fun to watch. It’s kind of like a video game, right? The targets are getting mowed down, and after a few more kills, we might get a killstreak prize (a tactical nuke! Brag about it to your friends). It’s textbook wish fulfillment. However, if we think about it, it’s actually messed up. Helpless soldiers on the other side are seen as justifiably stomped on, while the JSDF is seen as the benevolent civilizer. But shouldn’t it be the other way around? Shouldn’t the strong be condemned for bullying the weak? Shouldn’t the JSDF be portrayed as evil, not the opposing army?

Of course, these are just fictional characters and no one is actually dying. However, consider this: GATE was written by a person who used to be in the Japanese military, and is sometimes shown to Japanese military recruits. When viewed in that light, the choice to employ a light tone in GATE feels rather manipulative. The show tries to make us feel as if basic human rights violations are OK, using cute girls, a bright color palette, and some clever villain characterization. In other words, GATE uses wish fulfillment to justify the unethical things that happen inside it.

In doing so, GATE is manipulating the minds of its audience. The show tries to get us to turn a blind eye to military transgressions, passing them off as “oh, the enemy king is EEEVIL” or “there was no helping it”. Eventually this leads to “the army can do no wrong”. That’s dangerous. If you’re not convinced that media can influence thinking, just look at North Korea. Somehow, the media there has convinced its people that The Fearless Leader doesn’t poop.

Something about all this doesn’t sit well with me. Part of the assumption that GATE makes in its propaganda campaign is that as long as there’s cute girls, violence, and an interesting story, anime viewers are fine with whatever goes on. No way that’s true. At least, I hope that it’s not true.

This show’s problem lies not in its quality. It lies in its ethics. If you’re going to watch, you’ll have to make a decision. You can equip critical thinking glasses, and in doing so realize that you hate being manipulated. Or you can watch brainlessly. Just understand the risks if you choose the latter option.

tl;dr: Entertaining show with likeable characters and impressive art and animation, but with a very questionable agenda.

Though I enjoyed the first season overall, while watching I was wondering if the messages conveyed were just artifacts of the setting and the plot or by design. Well, this coeur proceeded to quickly erase any doubts on my part: This anime has an agenda, and it's not pretty:

- The mc impersonates the classic from the recruitment center: Joining the AF means an easy job with a respectable income, social securities and best of all, some adventure abroad on top. Military accomplishment is an sure-fire way to attract potencial ... mates.
- Blatant adoration for military might and technology: Miltech will save the day, always.
- Endorsement of violating other people's souvereignity to further Japan's agenda. We're the good guys!
- Journalists are men and women of business, not integrity. Generally a hindrance when it's about doing what has to be done, namely The Right Thing (TM). The same goes for politicians.
- Elitism: Confronted with the achievements of Japan, other people lose all ingenuity to deal with the overwhelming cultural and military might of JP.
- Other nations are to be trusted to plunge a dagger in your nations spine as soon as it's back is turned.
- Any action regardless of how questionable it may be, can be justified with the mission/mandate.

In concert with the recent real political agenda of Shinzo Abe to expand activities of the military beyond Japan's border, well... connect the dots and you get the picture, or rather, the propaganda.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to miltary themes per se, I love Girls und Panzer. But this totally lacks any ironic twist. I find the manipulative trait of this show seriously offensive.

EDIT: typo

This is my first review on MyAnimeList. Typically I refrain from writing reviews simply because there are many more experienced users to do so. Here I felt compelled to write my own review to clarify a very annoying assumption about this show. I've seen several people allude to or directly state that Gate is promoting right wing Nationalism and Imoerialism, as well as theorizing that it is made as propaganda to support the reinterpretation of article 9 in Japan. This notion is simply irritating. here are some facts: Gate started in 2010, the reinterpretation was proposed and enforced in 2014, this anime is an adaptation ... of the light novel series, as such one would presume it would follow the same plot. So to say that this anime was made as propaganda is drawing a connection where one isn't neccessary when no one asked for it. War is literally the point of the story, if there wasn't an enemy or a conflict then there wouldn't be a novel series or show. Saying that this show is propaganda is as ridiculous as saying that The Hunger Games is propaganda encouraging kids to kill each other. Just chill and watch the show for what it is, a fun and thrilling story.
Story:10
so now let's talk about the story. It continues where the first season left off. Itami is alerted that Tuka is wandering around town in search of her late father. He decides to go in searcg if the dragon to slay it in hopes of snapping Tuka back to reality. The show's main plot here is pretty simple: hit the road and go on a quest to stay a dragon. The premise is simple but the execution is absolutely thrilling.
What really stands out in terms of plot is the sub story that has been happening behind the scenes. The Empire is destabilizing and some clear power struggles are emerging between the candidates for king and those close to them. The way this involves the Japanese Defense Force is extremely interesting to watch play out. As Japan tries to reach peace treaties, the Empire reaches another setback preventing the talks from progressing. I'lol leave it at that so as not to spoil any details.
Art: 8.5
A-1 has done very well with the animation for this show. Nearly all the character designs are visually appealing. The color pallete is bright bringing out the adventurous side of this fantasy world. The backgrounds are usually inc dinky animated. Where Gate falls short probably stems from budget and or time constraints. It is not particularly uncommon to see an off model character or a stoic expression from background characters. This is what holds the art back from being great. Otherwise the art is very modern and enjoyable, so as long as you can stand the weekly off model background character for a few seconds, the time when the art shines will most definitely make up for it (especially those fight scenes).
Sound: 9
The soundtrack for Gate is very enjoyable, however, It is slightly underwhelming when compared to the first season. This is not because the second season lacks good music, it's simply because you cannot beat the incredible music of the first season: the original op, and the insert sing from the heli raid. That said the music is still very fitting for the show and never ceases to aide whatever tone the show is demonstrating. The voice actors are also all solid and Rory's seiyuu particular does a phenomenal job.
Character: 9
It's hard to rate the characters of Gate. Gate has a very large cast of characters, some of which are very well developed, some of which are underwhelming. One thing that is certain is that all,the characters in Gate are in an upward trend of development.
Itami: a very interesting main character who continues to be laid back but never falls short when it comes to protecting those he cares about
Rory: a very fun amd provocative character constantly teasing Itami. Not much development but still a very fun character.
Tuka: a character You WANT to love, but seems slightly out of place until this season. I'm Season one she never contributed anything notable. And in the beginning of this season it seemed as though she was going to maintain an annoying trend, however in the finale of the dragon arc she finally proved her worth and gets a pass the inconvenience she caused.
Lelei: a character who once was very boring and stereotypical, that recently became a temporary badass. It will be interesting to see how events in the finale of the dragon arc will impact her character progressing throughout the show.
The last thing I will mention is the diverse and very exciting cast if side characters. I've never been as invested in every individual character nearly as much as Gate has made me care about it's side characters with the exception of two wild cards, Zolzal and Tyuule. So far each has the potential to be great characters if the team continues to maintain the current trend, I just hope we don't see them turn into stereotypical throwaway antagonists. But alas I have faith in A-1 yet.
Enjoyment: 10
This show is an incredibly fun watch and will have you waiting for the next episode each weak. Never short of drama and action this show still knows when to be lighthearted without the use of slapstick gags or piss poor humor. This season Gate continues to hit the mark of being an extremely fun show to watch. It may not be nearly as complex or well written as Fate/Zero or Steins; Gate, but its damn good at what it does and that's the simple fun of the show for that reason I rate it a 10. It is not a masterpiece in comparison to some of the classics. But for what it has tried to accomplished, it has exceeded any and all expectations Incould have had so far for this series.
Conclusion
Ignore the conspiracy theorists. This shows politics are not meant to be taken seriously, they are a very small but neccessary plot device to keep the show going. It IS NOT PROPOGANDA. the empire is a fictitious land, they are. It colonizing it. Sure they are searching for resources and taking advantage of trade but such is the reality of the world we live in regardless, the show never tried to convince anyone that these things are okay or that they aren't, it simply is not important. The show is a fantasy/action/military/adventure. If you came into this expecting 100% peaceful relations or a show where violence is not the response, ,aube you should try reading the tags or description of a show before you watch it. And if a show is not trying to make a point about anything, stop drawing unnecessary conclusions about simple plot devices. The real world has enough conspiracies as it is, stick to stuff that isn't completely fictional or fantasy, at the point is it really a problem with the show or the viewer? Amyways 99% of you out there will enjoy this show and some of you may love it like I do! I hope this review was helpful, I would love feedback, thank you

Gate is quite the fantasy journey. It is also maybe one of the most controversial anime to come out in recent years due to it's propaganda. With the tone of "Japan is super awesome", it's no wonder that many people can't stomach it, but that's just the surface level. The other side of the coin is the fantasy. The other world that Gate displays is very alive and basically fun to immerse oneself in. While the setting had a lot going for it, the sequence of storytelling may be the downfall of what could be great instead of good. It was like a double edged ... sword with it's pacing and which characters to focus on. I believed that the first season of gate was a show with good elements that didn't take the next or extra step. It tinkled with what it had and was ultimately somewhat of a let down. This second season manages to pick up where it left and continually build the world, but it suffers the same problems the first season did. Yet again, it manages to display some positive story telling but it doesn't go the next step, instead suffers from some fan service and awful arcs.

Now we know Gate was incredibly controversial due to it taking a nationalistic approach. All the butthurt people watching it immediately put it out as one of those government pandering and that xenophobic mindset is hindered them from witnessing a good piece of fiction. The story is incredibly more rewarding in the second season compared to the first because it takes on a more political level, albeit simple in nature. We get more perspectives of the different factions involved, the nature of the government if one decision is made and all that jazz. It's quite cringey in some moments due to some of the cast of characters, but its fun to watch. One thing that may have been it's downfall however is the lack of screentime the main characters get. Gate's drastic change in story direction is hit or miss, with a few plot holes and pacing issues especially towards the end. And the end is quite the disappointment, not really concluding nor foreshadowing anything in the future. It's a fun story to follow, but don't expect ghost in the shell 2nd gig.

Characters are not as interesting as they were in the first season. As previously stated, the screen time Itami and his gang got was diminished. They were pretty much the backbone of the show and without them, it was a lot of political jargon and more war. However, even with the little screen time they get, each of the characters get more depth to them and more meaningful. A lot of internal conflict drives the main characters, except rory who seems to be one of those characters that is there to appeal to the fans. Side characters even get some depth to them, although the half assed villains were quite the letdown. That might contribute to the poor conclusion. The storytelling may have been too ambitious because many side characters are still unknown and seem to play a key role in the main conflict. I liked following Itami and gang more so than the other political junkies because they have fun interactions, more meaningful relationships, especially because their bond is what the story is basically trying to replicate. Character direction could've been improved, but a twelve episode season was just too little for something as big as gate was.

Animation and sound is cool. The SFX for the guns and explosions were well placed, making the action scenes more inducing to the viewer. Expect lots of killing so even if you weren't a fan of what gate brought to the table in terms of story telling, you can enjoy the slaughterfest. Less emphasis on the sound, especially with that Apocalypse Now reference last season, this one was quite the letdown in terms of OST. Needed another epic battle scene with that kind of atmosphere, but hey it was there.

Gate once again could've been great but it just settled for good. Also PSA, people really need to look past the propaganda and pandering because in the end it's just fiction. Why would Japanese writers and studios want to do a project with something that undermines them? Had to get that off my chest because people will bash the series just because of that. Now the otaku pandering is a reasonable reason, but thankfully there's a lot less of that in this season. Gate is a really good fantasy, perhaps one of the better fantasy entries in the anime industry. It's handling of characters is good, the story is enthralling sometimes, and the animation is decent. It was a fun journey to be a part of and it's setting is good enough to immerse oneself in.

For the most part we would like to dismiss this as another fantasy adventure based anime where people find themselves in an alternate world, where everything is like an RPG game. But unlike the usual where the main character is a young boy, here it involves an adult...........or a group of adults who were cast in this kind of anime, which is unusual since author Takumi Yanai is targeting young adults, so it wouldn't be a surprise if this anime has violence, prostitution and vice in it so:

Storywise, the theme of the anime was simply based upon the metaphor of what history education that ... Japan teaches to their youngsters about Japan's involvement during world war 2. Were to them, Japan's intention was to liberate the whole Asian region of foreign domination but made no acknowledgement that they plan to only to replace it with their own domination, so frankly I really don't like how the metaphor of the anime or manga implying. Also, the plot has that geopolitical theme in it where it imply that Japan should no longer follow it's pacifistic stance and should take an active role for their military , which, by the way is something that their PM, Shinzo Abe is campaigning for. Now I don't about you, but IMO I think Japan should remain within its Pacifistic stand.

Artwise, well we don't see a lot of fanservices around, I don't, know if them girls being in the onsen counts, but quiet frankly only the angle prostitute is the only one whom we get to see some panty service. So, when watching, don't expect any full melons in this anime, but overall the background works are very good, thought they're still the usual things one would see in any similar anime with a fantasy and adventure genre. But what I really like was the uniforms of them JSDF, but it seems that somebody didn't tell the background designer MacDonald Scott, that the JSDF Air Force's McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom is colored in camouflage green and it is always manned by two person, one is the pilot and the other is a Radar Interception Officer who sits at the back.

Soundwise, well I'd say for Risa Taneda to voice Rory Mercury was pretty amazing and also the gun shot and all that KABOOM where realistic in a sense. But it really nice that the seiyu who did Itami's voice, Swabe Junichi it relly felt natural, at least he doesn't have to pretend to be a teen . The open song fit well with the anime and so as the ending song, but I just don't like them. Also , Tomasu Haruka to play a teenage princess Pina Colada, doesn't have that young intonation anymore and should have been the one to play Aoi Risa, instead of being Pina Colada...I think I'll have another one, the drink I mean.

On the character, well, if we're to take notice of some of the character name, we counld surmise that it probabaly has something to do with the author, Takumi Yanai's like the Pina Colada, why he name the Italica Princess from a rum based cocktail we'd never know, but we can conclude that he or she, probably like that kind of drink of course there is also a certain character called "Beef eater" now I don't know if he or she got that from those sissy royal guards from Buckingham palace or from a brand of Gin with the same name, but if she or he did, then they probably drink lots of it. Now, there is that Gothic Lolita Rory Mercury, did Takumi Yanai got that name from Freddie Mercury??????WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS MY FRIENDS...AND WE'LL KEEP FIGHTING TILL THE END, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, WEEE ARE THE CHAMPIONS, NO TIME FOR LOSERS..........Oh dear sorry about the troll, well we can assume that Rory's name was based from that guy. and there is Tuka Marceau where Mr. Takumi got that character's name we also never know, but as I see it Itami was still the usual harem dude except that he's more adult like than a teenager and the harem member are just limited to Lelei, Rory and Tuka, however I don't the idea that he was made to be this lolicon, in fact most of the character here were made to focus on the lolicon theme like Sugawara and Sherry which to me is kinda disgusting for the author to do. Despite of of the flaws the characters were still able to provide some entertainment for us audience. So......

How entertaining is this anime from it;s 1st and 2nd sequel? It entertaining enough....to a certain point.

But, in its overall I give it a "4" as in decent enough to watch, since I can't forgive this anime's geopolitical metaphor and the lolicon theme applied to some character.

Review Text
I'm going to review both the first and second season, so I'll just put my review here. The second season is pretty much the same as the first in terms of content and quality, if even less.

Story - 2

Assault rifles going against man in bronze armour armed with shield and pikes, and making a big deal out of it. Yup. Animated JSDF go on an absolute slaughterfest in an alternate world in the bronze age, and made out to be the good guys... and it's not propaganda... nope nope nope. =_=

Art - 5

Art is alright, not great, nothing to boast about.
...
Sound - 4

very realistic weapon sound, music timed well but mundane.

Character - 3

Of character developments there were... none. Every supporting character sound like JSDF recruitment officers. Even the MCs only bobs up and down on the waves of the plot, taking no initiatives, The villain was actually the most developed character

Enjoyment - 2

It's not all that bad, Japanese right winged nationalism notwithstanding. There was some GGRM-esque sprouts of political intrigue in the manga original, and fewer in the first anime season, but they were quickly snipped in the bud in favour of scenes of outright massacre.

The "good" guys completely slaughters the "bad" guys from the get-go. The enjoyment derives from the same kind of satisfaction you'd feel after swatting a gnat. It's basically the whole story.

All the enemy commanders are idiots, all your allies are geniuses with a heart of gold and nerves of steel, even the lolis (on your side) are mastermind diplomats, and the Japanese army is nothing if not the very definition of humanitarianism.

Anyway, one little plus for the continued reference to the fate/stay night series, a pleasant surprise. Bumping the score from 1 to 2 for me.

Overall - 3.5

3 is poor and 4 is decent, and this is almost decent, thus 3.5.

[As per wikipedia: Propaganda is a form of biased communication, aimed at promoting or demoting certain views, perceptions or agendas.]

Had the Chinese made an anime (ignore for a moment the fact that non-indie Chinese animes are pure shit) depicting a Chinese army going into an alternate universe and saving people of a Tibetan-esque theocracy from its bloody thirsty ruler... Oh just imagine the uproar... but this is literally the same thing.

As a history major, watching this is almost unnerving. It's almost comedic watching the almost fictional Japanese invasion force taking an opponent with Roman era technology as seriously as they'd would the Russians.

It's hard not to draw parallels between this anime and the reality of the current Japanese politics, now that the Japanese military is free to invade other countries again.

---

Anyway, off topic, sorry for being conscious that history does in fact, repeats. Anyway, if you have no mind for history and have a few hours to waste on a well animated Japanese right wing propaganda, you've found the right show.

I find it remarkable how salty anime morans get when confronted by realistic scenarios inside a make-believe construct. Almost every negative review of Gate revolves around "muh JSDF propaganda" or "muh fascism" or "muh waifus don't mix with this shiiiit muh muh muh." Unfortunately, I now see why normies hate anime culture so much: it easily ferments stupidity from ill-founded notions.

Try this: an unknown, alien, and hostile force appears in the middle of a major city. They proceed to slaughter civilians by the thousands until being forced back. In response to the incursion and as a result of a stargate being present in the middle ... of a street downtown, the military sends expeditionary recon-in-force units through to ascertain where these people came from. After setting up camp they are attacked by hundreds of thousands of enemies with medieval-era technology. They defend themselves, annihilating almost all of the enemy because machine guns and artillery > wooden shields and steel swords.

There is nothing unrealistic or "fascist" about this. In fact, I found the JSDF to be incredibly restrained almost to the point of being unrealistic the other way. If this scenario were to be placed in New York City, Beijing, or Moscow, what would have happened? The recon-in-force would be several corps-size field armies with weapons far more sophisticated than 'Nam-era F-4s, 81mm mortars, and Type-74 tanks. The Empire would have been totally destroyed and a fake puppet government set up within weeks. Because that happened in reality against enemies with their own tanks, jets, and machine guns. Against horseback cavalry and pikemen it might even have been days.

Moreover, the same reviews bawling about "muh fascism" also complain about "muh prominent Japanese flag all the time waaaaaaahhh" because having pride in one's nation is now considered "waah right wing boo hoooooo mommy." I'm actually astounded morans like this are capable of writing in complete sentences. But I'll leave that alone beyond this because apparently having different opinions is also fascist.

In any case, Gate S1 and S2 are fantastic representations of two cultures clashing while one maintains dominant technological and moral superiority over the other. The main characters have a great range of personalities and objectives, and the dub cast voiced every single one perfectly. There are two issues I have outside of all the social commentary; first, S1 concludes with no ending, and S2 barely has one at all; second, S2 is weighed down with subplots buried within subplots. This is often the case with epic-level series--anime or live-action: subsequent seasons introduce too many narrative strings that can't be deftly handled within the runtime allotted. It doesn't prevent enjoyment in Gate's case, but it's certainly noticeable. I hope that if a third season ever gets produced it will return to the breezy charm of the first.

Both seasons of Gate are well worth your time. There's deep drama (that never, ever falls into the pit of melodrama) and hilarious hijinks weaved delicately through a meta-level story. There's something here for any mature adult.

The second part of GATE is much more interesting than its first season.

The story is darker and explains many things that were not even mentioned in the first season. We get to know new interesting and fresh characters, keeping the high standards of the show. The way this season brings a lot of problems to our protagonists and how they suffer to get over them is amazingly executed. I have to say I was feeling really nervous while watching most if the intense scenes this season has, which again shows us how well developed the story is.
Story: 10.

The animations is still outstanding. Excellent quality of ... image and an incredible screenplay. I would say the animation is better in this season that the previous one, and that's something we don't get from any anime. Although I don't like CGI, I have to say this show has an intelligent way to use it, which is exclusively for the JSDF's vehicles and weaponry. It's the perfect contrast between modern warfar and medieval armament.
Art: 10.

There isn't much variaton in music in this season even though it was released one year later, which is kind of disapointing. Nevertheless, the soundtrack is still amazing and makes the action scenes more enjoyable. I still have complains with the SFX quality, but that doesn't mean it's bad. We hear new sound effects related to magic and combat situations. We can hear new voices between the JSDF troops and some other are a bit familiar.
Sound: 9. High quality but poor variaton.

Characters are as amazing as always. As I said before, we get to know new faces during the season, being Zorzal the most notorius of them all. Unfortunately, character development is really poor and slow most of the cases. I think the character who grew the most is Lelei La Lelena since she becomes a really important piece of the story.
Characters: 9. Interesting characters but poor development in most of them.

The action scenes are more dynamic and, in some cases, "mature" than in the first season. The obvious advantage of the JSDF over their enemies is taken with a well made black humour. Itami shows us his Ranger and S capabilities without forgetting his kindness. We get to see some magic duels and medieval battles too, so the pack for me is complete.
Enjoyment: 10.

Overall, the second season of GATE is way better than its first counterpart. More enjoyable with better story and development of the trama. Please do not drop GATE in its first season or you'll be missing and incredible season two.

Cliche, grotesque, and absurd. Gate Season 2 is more bland than my uncle's rice. Although overall the second season is reasonably good as the series's finisher. The ending makes me feel like I'm being forced to feel concerned over a melting ice.

The problem with Gate Season 2 is that the ending is the literal definition of satisfactory. It feels very cliche and concerning. Lacking so much realism that I just can't accept the ending although it does seem like a rational way to end the series. The ending leaves off an incomplete feeling inside of me. And that makes me feel insanely uncomfortable.

[MIGHT ... CONTAIN SPOILERS] The ending I expected was to see Japan make peace with the Empire. Then leaving the fantasy world and shutting the portal. Whilst princess Pina becomes a crown princess and rules over the empire, the other world goes back to continuing their normal lives and Itami finally gets to buy his doujinshis.
^ That is what I wanted. But the anime did not fulfill my desires and instead made it a generic happy ending like that one smartphone isekai. Ahhh! It's so shit! [MIGHT CONTAIN SPOILERS]

Anyways. The ending aside, the rest of the series was very fun. With the only bad thing about it being retarded characters which were introduced into the series. Other than that, every else is as great or probably even better than S1s.

Overall, I'd say that GATE was one of the most nice isekai adventure I've ever had. Though it isn't perfect, I still treasure the time I spent on this anime. Not treating it as a McDonald's products but a bowl of ramen.

There are no spoilers in this review. My rating system counts story for 30% of the total, characters as 30%, art as 20%, and 20% for the sound.

I give this anime a 7.5 and I'll tell you why. For those looking for a brief summary, skip to the “Overall” at the bottom of this review.

Story: 7

The story of a new challenges arising as a result of a portal to another world opening up is not new. I’ve seen it in World Trigger and I’ve seen it in Zero no Tsukaima. What this anime did differently is make the other world technologically ... inferior to Japan, which I have never seen done before, and also delved into the politics of Japan as well as the new world. If not for this spin on the usual plot, I would have given the story a 6, but no matter it was not the story that carried this anime.

Characters: 8

The characters and relationship between the characters were the best parts of this anime.

Itami is a brilliant commander and leader but dense when it comes to matters of love – the classic formula for the main character and center of a harem anime. For the first time, I actually didn’t mind this stereotype. His lovable personality and refreshing decision to put his hobbies before work covered for his flaws. It is also nice that this anime didn’t make his inability to detect romance the main focus of his screen time.

Even though I include this in the sound rating, Rory’s voice actor. Enough said.

Art: 7

The character design was fantastic. I love how they drew the different characters, but aside from that, the art wasn’t anything special.

Sound: 8

It is rare that I actually enjoy the theme music for an anime but this is a rare exception. The fact that the theme music was so epic, combined with Rory’s voice actor, was enough to score this anime an 8 in sound. Lelei’s voice actor had the perfect amount of innocence as well.

Overall: 7.5

What makes this anime so enjoyable to watch and gives it an even higher score than Erased and Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku wo! is its ability to add original twists to an already proven formula. The classic invasion story was made more interesting by portraying the enemy to be clearly inferior to Japan and delving into the political intrigue of the new world. The main character of this harem anime acted as a fool when love was involved but rather than focusing on that minor detail, the anime focused on his reliability and general badassness. The art and sound worked well together to bring out the charm and humor of the characters. A solid anime all around and I look forward to the next season.

Let me just start off with the fact that I usually see the bright side in an anime series, and hence am usually pretty generous in regards to scoring. With that said, it's no surprise that I view this anime series as one of my favorites.

Story is 8!
Gate Season 2 isn't really a new season. It's just a continuation of season 1. The main synopsis in this "season" revolve around Itami and crew vs the fire dragon, and the uprising and sudden takeover of the empire by Prince Zorzal. There were more fighting scenes compared to season 1, which was my main issue with ... the S1, so I was pleased. While the story itself is fine, it's the way the story is executed that brings down the score. Throughout the anime, the JSDF and the empire claim to be in a war, and both regard each other as enemies. However, it doesn't really seem to be like a war, but rather something similar to a cold war. There's no true fighting until the near end, whereas in season 1, there was the great battle of Alnus. Even if they are in a war, it just doesn't seem like it.
The ending of Gate S2 is perfect as well. I won't spoil it, but I will just say the Gate S1 ended on a massive cliffhanger. Nothing was given. With Gate S2, at least there is some sort of closure.

Art is 9!
The art is the exact same as season 1. If you're like me and really don't pay attention to the art unless it's horribly bad, then the art will please you.

Sound is 10!
If you loved the opening for season 1, then you'll love the opening here! It's by the same artist as the first, with a tad more rock. The closing is sung by the voice actors of Lelei, Rory, and Tuka, just like the first season. In my opinion, this closing is MUCH better than the first. Not as silly.

Character is 8!
The series mostly followed Itami and his crew. However, quite a few of the characters in season 1 were put off for the majority of this season to focus on Itami and his party and Zorzal, until the end, when they return and join Itami. While you come to understand and know some of the new characters, there are others who aren't as developed, which makkes sense, as there's such a huge cast.

Overall, if you liked Gate S1, you'll love Gate S2. It fulfills the expectation many of us have had ever since it was announced. I can honestly say waiting until only 3 days ago to watch all 11 episodes, plus the last one today, was totally worth it. Here's hoping for Gate S3.

I'm a little too busy following the presidential campaign and Tokyo earthquakes and my own career to pay attention to Japan's military situation, but from what I can gather, they're starting to recover from choosing the wrong side in WWII and they have a bit of a hissy fit when China enters their eye. So I couldn't really tell you how accurate Gate is in representing their defense forces or if it's all that successful at recruiting otaku to join the JSDF, but speaking as someone who refuses to join the military on account of how I wouldn't survive ten seconds in a Full Metal ... Jacket camp, I can safely say that if the show had been about Americans overpowering Middle-Earth with nukes, I'd think "how fucking stupid do you think I am?". It's the fact that I never feel the soldiers are in any danger that's always gotten to me about Gate. There's nothing fun about conflicts when either side has an advantage over each other so large it makes the San Andreas fault look like a housefly. I make fun of Harry Potter for never introducing guns in the war against Voldemort, but let's be honest with ourselves. It wouldn't have made good fiction, and it would have made things a lot more tediously complicated.

Having said that, is there really no person equivalent to Rory's fighting abilities and status on the fantasy people's side? If a foreign country can recruit a demon without too much trouble, I'm sure the homeland country can interest her sister with something.

So Gate 2 pretty much picks off where Gate 1 left off, except not really because I remember the first half ending with the characters agreeing to fight some dragons and that doesn't happen until a few episodes into this cour. There's not really much in here that's changed between halves either. It's still a bunch of military propaganda saying "join us now. We have cute girls and we are the most powerful force in the world, so you don't have to worry about getting killed and you can do your otaku hobbies during break". The fantasy people are pretty much just a bunch of idiots who couldn't put up a good fight against a machine gun to save their lives. And the production is still fine, although I'm getting annoyed at how all A-1 Pictures' character designs have the same flatness to their style like they hired the Sword Art Online character designer for every single thing they work on.

The show doesn't really do a whole lot to ramp things up in this cour either. As expected from light novel land, the plot is pretty much just a bunch of interchangeable conflicts that are supposed to give off a sense of progression, but I call it a desperate attempt to cover up the fact that you're not going to change the status quo. Occasionally, one of the three female fantasy characters on Itami's side will face a personal conflict, but it's always for the character's sake and never for the story's. I don't really understand how the elf girl's amnesia plotline really added to anything, nor do I understand what Rory contributes being an overpowered being on a side that's already overpowered. In fact, I don't think Itami goes through any sort of character arc either in this show, despite being the main character. The story ends with him resuming his daily life, only to get annoyed when the fantasy girls tag along, which is an ending that would get laughed at if any military movie in the States pulled that shit.

Anyways, whilst I've sort of accepted Gate's stupidity by the time I got to watching the series, it still fails without the nationalism angle because it's just boring and uncreative with the conflicts in general. As I said before regarding Marvel stuff, as well as critically acclaimed action films like Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol and The Nice Guys to a lesser extent, I don't like conflicts where the villains the good guys have to face are something I could have scraped off a first draft for a Silver Age comic book or a Ubisoft game. Not a single person that Itami's crew has to face are the least bit memorable, and they're so ill-equipped to fight them anyways that it doesn't really make much of a difference. Plus, when you're basically making dragons extinct with fighter jets, there's really not a whole lot you can do to raise the stakes any higher.

This is particularly true during the final fight, where I don't think the opposing side put a scratch on any of our heroes. Itami and his mini-harem pretty much slaughter the giants, walk out with the princess, and then the show just ends with what I assume is the main villain swearing revenge. I know the novel series is still going, but I wouldn't have known that if I didn't look it up, because that finale sure seemed to assume that there was nothing left to say. And before you ask, no I don't remember who the main villain was and I don't care to look him up. I can't even remember if he was the guy who was raping princesses with bunny ears or not. That's how little an impact that guy had.

I guess Gate will be your thing if you like the idea of meshing fantasy and military together in the same way that most people like Space Jam because they like the idea of NBA Basketball and the Looney Tunes coexisting with each other, in which case fuck you guys because that movie was terrible and I have no idea why we're getting a sequel or roping the director of the good Fast & Furious movies into the thing. Also, given how much Rory fan art I see out there - a good chunk from people who haven't seen the show no less - I think it's pretty clear who's the heart of this thing. But in all seriousness, the idea does have potential for exploring the dangers of technological gaps in the same vein that the Tales of Symphonia sequel attempted to do between its wildly different lands, and if Gate had focused on that, I might have been interested. Hell, if there was a scene where one of these cat-eared girls discovers the existence of a flamethrower and tests it out, that would have been cute enough. Instead, we just get military propaganda within the realm of a fantasy setting, and neither side really does much to stand out from the rest of the pack by themselves, let alone with each other.

Considering I don't like fantasy stories or military stuff, I'm not even sure why I'm still dwelling on Gate. Might as well just wrap things up and go watch something on Netflix. I heard Lady Dynamite is pretty decent, although these post-modern comedies are getting kinda same-y to me.

Simp author as always. One of the ministers or whatever decided to break a treaty just to save a little girl, threatening the credibility and safety of the whole nation, pedophile author. MC and friends killed hundreds of the raiders yet decided to let the bird girl or whatever she was live, why? because she's a girl duh. Really threw me off there. She was literally raiding a town, trying to kill and pillage a town yet MC and friends let her live while all the others were massacred. Dumb story, all revolve around saving girls. Just a really bad one, if you were going ... to have your theme revolve around military world, then at least stick with it. Would've been 100 times better if instead of having simp characters, author decided to give a really realistic militaristic way on dealing with the whole problems happening.

Part 2 was a disappointment, whereas Part 1 started strong, Part 2 dropped the ball.

Itami our slacker Lieutenant, who is also apparently a highly trained elite, had now gone from being the problematic type to being the base hero, as everyone keeps repeating the mantra "What would Itami do?"

It is frustratingly annoying to watch because if you saw Part 1, you know that his Commanding Officer is the one who gave him sufficiently vaguely worded orders to get things done, and expected those things of him. Which then begs the question, is Itami really the only person who can get things done?
For all those complaining ... that this is a JSDF flag waving piece, they have missed the subtext here that the JSDF apparently has no free thinking officers that can act, or are capable, beyond Itami, as it seems that he's the only one able to get things done.

So, Itami is mostly isolated in Part 2 and away from the action, he's also mostly away from his squad, and while they weren't really given any character before, here they have less chance to get any characterisation, depth or background, instead they are still limited to being the 'role' that they have, Doctor, Close Quarter Combat specialist, Fellow Otaku, Chef, and 'old man', that is the extent of their characters and nothing more.

Itami is given a brief flashback of a backstory that is very tacked on, in the Fire Dragon Arc
Tuka is given severe PTSD which she has to overcome, and it's so superficial and lacking of any real understanding, that how she instantly overcomes it is just insulting to people who have PTSD
And Lelei wants to now, out of nowhere, become a Master, and apparently there is a place for that, and oh, she also has a sister

- So many of these things either come out of nowhere, or are an extreme escalation that makes little to no sense.

And that is the problem with Part 2, in so many cases, in so many situations it goes from 0-100 without the logical progression.
To say the pacing is bad is an understatement, it feels like vast chunks were cut out or skipped over, the world building and character growth is not there.
It is so shallow and so superficial, that the depth that Part 2 needs is no where to be found.
As for plot holes, I'm not sure if that is down to the poor pacing skipping over what should have been key details, but there are so many issues with Part 2 involving the story, that to say the writing is poor is an understatement.

Because this is Part 2, and people will watch this as a whole, it is easy to miss the issues in Part 2, as it's easy to be caught in the moment, and carried away with what is still a fairly enjoyable trash anime

So upon researching.

Manga and Novel are apparently late and the anime was further ahead.

I do recommend reading the Manga instead because a lot of cool scenes cut-off from the anime ( It is rush? ), well if that is the case it is fine by me.


Story 9/10

The story was great and i know some says it is mediocre, but it is appealing and quite enjoyable for all parts of the story, i would call this a reverse-isekai and i love the scenes where the JSDF fought with helicopters and overpowering the medieval nation ( a.k.a Empire ) and Japan is just obeying laws and such.
...
Art 8/10

It was normal to me, no problem all characters are cute

Sound 8/10

It was fine, but i like the part in season 1 where the helicopters turns on the music.

Character 9/10

The script and slapstick comedy for characters are just very good and of course Rory Mercury was the aim for the anime ( debatable ) but i like Lelei more.

For the last episode, i was really happy
Did you know Bozes has a child.

Enjoyment 10/10

This 'reverse isekai' show ( that is i want to call it ), was outstanding with the most parts, also in the manga.

Since Anime and Manga has big difference and some cutted parts, but still the story was not trash

I really enjoy Modern Military strength versus the Fiction Post Medieval strength yet gets defeated by jets and tanks

Overall 9/10

Yes, i do recommend this show.

Rory best girl? i would say yes

Lelei best girl? i think i would wait 3 more years before i can say yes