Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (GATE)

Off-duty Japan Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) officer and otaku Youji Itami is on his way to attend a doujin convention in Ginza, Tokyo when a mysterious portal in the shape of a large gate suddenly appears. From this gate, supernatural creatures and warriors clad in medieval armor emerge, charging through the city, killing and destroying everything in their path. With swift actions, Youji saves as many lives as he can while the rest of the JSDF direct their efforts toward stopping the invasion.

Three months after the attack, Youji has been tasked with leading a special recon team, as part of a JSDF task force, that will be sent to the world beyond the gate—now being referred to as the "Special Region." They must travel into this unknown world in order to learn more about what they are dealing with and attempt to befriend the locals in hopes of creating peaceful ties with the ruling empire. But if they fail, they face the consequence of participating in a devastating war that will engulf both sides of the gate.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

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Adaptation:	Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
Sequel:	Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri Part 2

Kusuda, Aina
Japanese

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Nakayama, Nobuhiro

Producer

Oosawa, Nobuhiro

Producer

Kyougoku, Takahiko

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Nagasaki, Yukio

Sound Director

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Opening Theme

"GATE: Sore wa Akatsuki no you ni (GATE～それは暁のように～)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (eps 1-11)

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Ending Theme

	1: "Prism Communicate (ぷりずむコミュニケート)" by Rory (Risa Taneda), Tuka (Hisako Kanemoto), Lelei (Nao Touyama) (eps 1-11)
	2: "GATE: Sore wa Akatsuki no you ni (GATE～それは暁のように～)" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets (eps 12)

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Oct 7, 2015

TheDeedsOfMen

Not Recommended

A gate to a medieval fantasy land opens up in Japan, and this can only mean one thing: sword-wielding troops get mowed down by the glorious Japanese military in their attack copters with Wagner playing. And I mean that in-universe; the soldiers are literally playing a CD of Wagner in their copters.

Why, you ask? Because Japan needs more technology and minerals and such because nationalism says so. Oh, and some humanitarian reasons, but those aren't as important.

The plot kicks off when out of nowhere a gate appears and from it come a bunch of orcs and medieval troops that indiscriminately kill civilians, wreck the ...

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Sep 18, 2015

Stark700

Recommended

GATE, a simple 4 letter word that can release so much potential with its premise. The idea behind GATE is that of a series about modernized humans clashing with fantasy (warriors wielding ancient armor, elves, dwarves, dragons, etc). By clashing, it doesn’t entirely mean a total war between the two sides. After a while, both sides begins to establish a diplomatic relationship with one another. Sounds strange right? It also kind of goes in a two-fold. Fantasy enters reality and reality enters fantasy. Both worlds are separated by a gate and at the center of it, there’s a man named Youji Itami.

Gate - Jieitai ... Kare no Chi nite Kaku Tatakaeri (Gate - Thus the JSDF Fought There) or simply known as GATE is a television series that adapts the light novel of the same name. It was originally serialized online on a novel website called “Arcadia” but later got published as a book in 2010. The series also has a manga that is based on the story with the same main characters. Speaking of which, Itami is the main male protagonist of the show and it’s easy for us to get familiarized with him. Despite being a soldier, he’s actually quite more like an otaku with his fascination for fantasy. This lands him in a position where he happily investigates the fantasy world beyond the GATE. Little does he know that is more than what he can bite off.

The show itself adapts many elements that blurs between lines of fiction and reality. The fiction part obviously comes with the fantasy creatures like elves, dragons, and even a demi-god. JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Forces) has more of the reality role. Their military is equipped with high level technology and hence were able to fight against the fantasy world in the beginning. There was even an infamous event known as the “Ginza Incident” when monsters appeared in the Ginza, a real world location and made a memorable massacre. Of course, JSDF responded fiercely and showed that humanity is a doorknob to absolutely nobody. By establishing such a premise, it’s no wonder that the show has a lot of potential. Think about it really, when you have a war that is more than just about imperialism, it shows how much it can evolve. Throughout the story of GATE, we see much of that with cultural, political, and military themes.

GATE’s characters are highly diverse not just because of personalities but by races. No, I’m not just talking about nationalities but also non-humans. The main core consists of three girls – Tuka Luna Mareau (a 165 year old elf), Lelei La Rellena (a 15 year old human from the fantasy world), and Rory Mercury (a demi-goddess who is apparently over 900 years old). These characters have different personalities but also creates fascination as they enter the real world. What we witness throughout the story is how they adapt with real world concepts such as modern life technology and politics. Additionally, a plus side about the show is that the human characters are fairly mature. Itami is an older male (as opposed to the high school teenagers you’d commonly see these days) and has a strong interest in otaku. His military experience also gives him an edge when negotiating with certain parties and we see a lot of what he is capable of throughout the story. His relationship with co-workers from the Third Recon unit also gives us a firm idea of his personality – a casual guy who is kind at heart and easily able to make friends with others.

From the fantasy world, there are also other regions that establishes the clever creativity of this how. For instance, there’s the special region that is composed of an empire with a diverse cast of characters. Pina, the princess of that empire, hopes to establish peace with Japan. There are obvious reasons for this but the show also affirms her personality as a proud princess who is caring towards her people. Furthermore, the show has a strong emphasis of its world fiction. Landscapes and towns are built with resourceful elements of fantasy to make the other world look legitimate. Similarly, there’s a creatures that show their menacing presence while establishing dominance in their world.

An interesting idea about the show also comes from the political affairs of the story. In the second half of GATE, we get politics as there’s some strong indication that not everyone is in favor of the “special region” idea. So in essence, the show plays its part with conflicting affairs that argues about political principles. The show also has some sense of nationalism although is vaguely portrayed and restrained to Japan, as other countries are pursuing their own interest. To say the least, GATE knows its principles and invests time to show ideologies from various parties.

On a more military aspect, I think the show is also aware of its modern technological capabilities. The military reveals a strong degree of realism with its arsenal of weapons throughout the show. We have aircraft such as the Kawasaki OH-1, AH-1 Cobra, and other artillery that makes its presence well known. Soldiers (known to some in the fantasy world as “Green Men”) also demonstrate their degree of professionalism and ethnics. While the series isn’t entirely built about military, it certainly has an appeal to this side. I will also say that GATE’s author did a fairly decent job at demonstrating the firepower and capabilities of the JSDF’s military. The battles have cinematic sequences and is well animated on most parts especially during mid-season.

While the show has lighthearted comedy from all sorts of angles, it also should be realized that its intentions isn’t a parody. Sure, the series makes a bit of fun at otaku culture such as Itami’s knowledge or the character designs of the main girls. However, there’s legitimacy with the war. The first episode easily establishes that JSDF is serious about their counterattack. Furthermore, Itami knows the stakes of war as lives are lost. Unfortunately, it doesn’t capture all the violence and more mature content of the original story. Certain contents are omitted from TV that are deemed controversial and violent. Fan service is also shortened although still exists in a few forms such as with Rory’s teasing and the bath scenes. However, the adaptation does expand on certain parts of the story, especially with events from the manga.

Impressively, A-1 Pictures actually manages to capture the art style of the story. Their work can be a bit of hit or miss in terms of fantasy shows but I do give them some praise for adapting GATE. The character designs of characters from both the real world and fantasy world evokes interest. Military technology looks and feels real with their modern looks. Japan also has a good degree of realism with its modern cities and technology. From the fantasy world, the main female characters are distinctive with their design ranging from Rory’s goth dress to Pina’s medieval style battle gear. And like I mentioned before, the world fiction of GATE stands out as a fantastic feature with what is shown. To further enhance the experience, we get epic battles that almost always reveal the potential of certain characters and weapons.

Soundtrack is powerful but not the type of mind-blowing you may expect. The OP and ED theme song has a catchy tone to it with a modest style of storytelling. What makes GATE perhaps more noticeable is the dialogues that are spoken with sharp tones. And by sharp, I mean the type that clearly defines what kind of characters’ personalities are capable of. Rory’s sarcastic and curious voice is perhaps one of the most noticeable while Pina’s voice shows a sense of her patriotism. On most parts, the OST works well enough to match the intense atmosphere of the action and lighthearted moments.

When it comes down to it, GATE is a show that opens a gate with wealth of interests. There’s the certain “it” factor that makes this show stand out with both sides of the world. It blurs between the lines of fiction and reality with what it has to offer. And to be quite honest, GATE does it quite well on most parts with its creativity. This show is definitely not one that matches anyone’s tastes though. Certain audiences such as those interested in political or military affairs may find this more enjoyable than others. For action junkies, GATE can appeal to that side as well although it’s not a main investment of the story. When it comes to characters, there’s a colorful range of them and by the end of the season, there’s likely one or more that you may like to find out more. The first season is set as 12 episodes but many of the ideas and concepts opens up potentially for more.

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Nov 17, 2015

Markezzo

Not Recommended

GATE is a story about the pursuit of peace, a brave tale about setting our differences aside and to work for the common good. That common good is the Japanese military and cute girls, which are the greatest pillars of holiness that humanity has to offer. By pitting modern day Japan against a medieval fantasy-setting, GATE manages to contrast two incredibly different worlds with each other, showing how peace can be achieved by ignoring all complex questions. Just relax, turn off your brain, and worship the power of cute girls.

SPOILERS

Let’s compare how religion works in the two worlds. The god(s) that we know are usually ... silent, leaving us with highly complex spiritual lives, inner lives that require us to think about our morals and to question our faith at times. In the fantasy world we have a goth-lolita, a demigod who is immortal and blessed with regeneration that won’t allow her to die. Worshipping war and darkness has given her literal super-powers. If our gods took such physical manifestations, how would our society look today? If these demigods came to our world and saw how our religions impact our lives, how would they react? All of these questions are skillfully evaded by the fact that the goth-lolita is very old yet looks like a child, making her excellent fap-material devoid of any deeper meaning.

Let’s also examine how GATE teaches us to deal with culture-shocks, and how to deal with such a multifaceted subject. Our main character is an otaku, which usually carries a bit of a social stigma. Otakus can however also be considered nerds, people who love to immerse themselves in certain subjects, be it science, history, or fiction. No doubt an otaku who loves fantasy would be ideal to send to a fantasy-world. Their genuine interest in the land’s complex history and customs would be valuable for the sake of embracing our differences. The protagonist however quickly finds his true calling, in the form of a big cast of beautiful girls that he must protect. Truly, when it comes to appreciating other cultures and countries, what else is more important than looking at how beautiful the women are?

Never fear, the other side also encounters culture shocks. A female knight visits Japan, and we learn that she wishes to completely embrace Japanese culture. You might wonder what made it possible for a medieval knight to love our world so much, and the answer is yaoi. When she sees some gay porn, she realizes what true art is. In fact, when she has to go to an ordinary library and see classic Greek sculptures and pieces of our history, she comes back exhausted and bored with life. This illustrates that learning about history and different customs is not the true path to understanding, all we ever needed to find true peace was porn. GATE is in many ways ahead of its time, showing how someone from a medieval European-inspired culture can immediately accept yaoi manga. By never even mentioning how homosexuality is looked upon in her world, we also see how insignificant discussions about sexuality is in this show about contrasting worlds.

The most masterful moment of avoiding conflict is when several of the otherworldly cute girls are about to exit Japan. The story reminds the viewer of the memorial dedicated to everyone who died during the first attack when the portal was opened. Naturally, since the ambassadors of the people that slaughtered so many are cute girls, everyone just cheers for them. Why would anyone be upset over the death of their loved ones? Clearly terrorist-organizations of today could have gained fan-clubs if they simply were more attractive.

In all honesty though, GATE is a harmless show with good animation and sound, but it’s also a series that gets more irritating the more one actually thinks back on it. It likes to meander, stopping to pander to the otakus and prolong things with needless misunderstandings, which is most apparent in the last two episodes when there’s a dragon just around the corner, yet nothing is done to get to the point. If one can see past the tired tropes and slow pacing in the latter half, this show can count as mindless entertainment. A second season is coming, and I can only hope it improves.

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