Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri

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 ... place and interrupt the otaku event the protagonist was planning to visit. As so it happens, the protagonist is not only an otaku but also a member of the SDF (Japanese military), and once the initial attack has been dealt with, he joins the force sent through the gate.

This fantasy land is declared a part of Japan, named the Special Region, because why not? (Nice name, by the way; that's what I'd call a fantasy land too if I ever occupied one.) The Japanese constitution forbids (at the moment, anyway) deploying the SDF abroad, but I guess that's one way around it: just annex territory arbitrarily and suddenly it's all Japanese soil. Some fighting ensues, but no worries: their enemies are so outgunned they might as well be throwing rocks at them. Aside from the technology gap, these feudal lords also come from the Zapp Brannigan school of tactics with plans like:
1. Suicidal charge,
2. Suicidal charge, and
3. Suicidal charge under the cover of night (worth a shot, I guess?)

Actually, that was kind of the idea behind the original invasion into Japan: go to an unknown land without any intel or recon and slaughter everything for fun and profit. ...Yeah.

Soon enough our merry band can venture further into this land while talking about their waifus and singing magical girl theme songs, eager to meet the local catgirls. In the process they recruit mages, elves and goth lolis. The writers thought the SDF wasn't overpowered enough, so the goth loli happens to be an invincible demigod priestess who effortlessly crushes everything in her path. The tone of the show is what you might expect, with slaughter and fanservice taking turns. What is a hot bath scene without people's arms flying off afterwards?

There is also a cultural clash going on, which is used for dialogue like:
"I had no idea our world had [insert everyday thing here]."
"Princess, this is another world!"
"Oh, right!"
Repeat it a few times and you have comedy gold.

Some of the cultural misunderstandings actually make sense, such as the different interests of a feudal society and a modern country, the treatment of prisoners or the idea of throwing a half-naked woman at the protagonist to earn his favor. Actually, the last one just might have worked if he hadn't been distracted by all the animal girl maids already. And who can blame him for being distracted? Barely dressed girls keep throwing themselves at him out of coincidence or because he's just that awesome.

If it isn't obvious by now, the operation beyond the Gate is a one-country effort. Sharing resources with others? Don't be ridiculous. The US, Russia and China (the rest of the world doesn't exist) don't deserve their slice of the cake. Especially America. "A sky with no civilian or US planes in it is a dream come true" for Japanese fighters.

Of course, this is all run by the SDF. Civilian personnel? Media presence? Dream on. All we need is the SDF. Who else would defend Japanese interests? The Japanese government is corrupt and easily swayed. The parliament is a bunch of idiots who want to mess with the SDF's business for no reason. How dare they ask questions about civilian casualties under a media blackout? Eventually there is an entire town for the locals, with shops and everything. Would now be a time to bring in civilians? No, that could get in the way of the runaway militarism we have going on. To maintain order, some of the locals are actually given armbands with "Military Police" on them.

The visuals include machine guns, missiles, tanks, artillery, copters and fighters, which is nice. Sadly most of the soundtrack is not Wagner, which is a shame because that would be poetic justice.

By the way, it is never explained how the Gate was built. Did the Empire build it (which I kind of doubt) or just find it? Are there more of them? If you are after fantasy tech, shouldn't this be near the top of your list? Think about it: you could discover a Stargate network and explore even more worlds for even more glorious nationalism! But nope, never mentioned.

Now let's all take a moment and salute the Japanese flag flying in the distance.

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.

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.

The show opens with some loser otaku in his twenties named Itami doing his loser otaku things before a mysterious portal opens in the middle of the city, causing a bunch of fantasy soldiers to enter the real world and slaughter everyone in sight because they’re dirty racist foreigners who hate Japanese despite having just met them or something. No really, that’s it. We never get an explanation for why this portal even exists, let alone why these soldiers have a beef with Japan other than “because there’d be no story otherwise”. Also because they wanted to show that nerdy losers can kick ass too, ... because it turns out that said loser otaku is actually in the military - and I never got the backlash for this by the way because we have a fujoshi in the military running a fairly popular anime blog right now, so it’s not that much of a stretch.

After that admittedly exciting conflict, the show proceeds to dump a whole lot of boring plot on us by deciding the best response to this act of aggression is for Japan to send their own military into the portal and weed out the foreigners before they come back to weed-whack them. And any sympathy you may feel for the country due to the “innocent slaughtering” in the show’s opening act will quickly dissolve when every character seems to forget about the first act long before the audience does. In fact, Itami forgot about it as soon as it was over. No, I’m not exaggerating here. After all the killing that happened in front of him, he just thought about the anime event he was supposed to attend rather than helping civilians in the aftermath. You literally could have just had the otherworldly portal appear out of nowhere, send the military in for no good reason other than “human curiosity”, and it would have made no difference to the story. For a fictional product centered on soldiers, death is really cheap in Gate.

And by god does it get even cheaper as it goes on, with a good helping of one-sidedness to go along with it. Most of the battles that happen in this anime have very little purpose other than to show how outclassed magic and dragons are compared to machine guns and tanks, and whenever a powerful fantasy creature who can go toe-to-toe with the military does show up, they’re always on the protagonists’ side so there’s no tension to follow our heroes. Itami’s group literally gains three fan-pandering fantasy “anime” girls within the span of a single episode, and one of them is a demi-god who is immortal, far superior in terms of fighting prowess to everyone else to the point that she resembles a cheat code, and joins because the plot says so - along with the fact that it wouldn’t be a light novel adaptation if we didn’t have physically fit females falling in love with clueless male leads. They didn’t even try to explain anything regarding why she finds him or helping the Japanese interesting. It’s just a masturbatory power fantasy that gets in the way of the plausibility and the excitement of the scenario.

And this may just be me, but am I the only one who thinks "Japanese Adam Sandler" whenver Itami is on-screen? I know most light novel anime feel like they were produced by Happy Madison, but Itami in particular really comes off to me like someone who'd be played by Sandler in the live-action Hollywood adaptation. The show just can't seem to decide whether or not they want to portray him as a bumbling loser or a heroic badass, so one minute he's a highly trained advanced special forces guy who's undergone rigorous training and the next minute he's getting pussy-whipped by princesses who always assume the worst. This unlikely scenario is brought to attention by some of the characters, but the show never gives a good reason for it, and he's not even put in situations where his special training would be of any use, so he might as well not have it.

Literally, the only reason he's the focus character is because the show needed a male protagonist to suck dick on since it'd have no idea how to progress anything otherwise. Gate has the usual light novel problem of going from act to act without much of a clear end goal in mind, and thus the only way to proceed is to put our leads in situations where they make things happen without undergoing any personal arcs of their own in the process. A small town is raided by bandits for the sole purpose of having the military show off their superior strength without suffering any losses on their side. Soldiers from other countries are massacred by the demi-god girl just to show how deus ex she is whilst also carrying the usual anti-American themes we've come to expect from most anime that involve government in one way or another. There's this court debate involving the elf girl that I can't be bothered to describe. And assuming you can get past the Japanese nationalism in all those scenarios, most of the credit for everything good always seems to go to Itami and no one else, even though all he did was get important women to fall for his charms.

Are you seriously telling me that no other military unit accomplished anything significant in some other part of this world, let alone did more than this dude? No one else bothered to learn the fantasy peoples' language at all? I mean Japan eventually claims part of the other world as its own territory and instills its own customs on the local residents with no backlash whatsoever unless you count the occasional bandit, and yet only Itami can help out when a woman seeks "the green people" in order to hunt down a dragon? At least put him in scenarios where he actually has to work for his respect if you're going to go that far in rewarding him.

But of course, whilst I could go on and on regarding these issues, the truth of the matter is that Gate's scenario writing is so fatally flawed that you could have made James Bond the main character and it wouldn't have upped the quality to any significant degree. Its "evil" end goals regarding the Japanese military and the obnoxious fan-wanking are just supplementary reasons to hate it compared to how unimportant and phoned-in everything plays out due to a lack of a convincing reason to care for the conflict, along with a lack of a compelling antagonistic force. If anything, they at least add flavor to pay attention to, even if it's for the wrong reasons. I mean what's left if you strip that all away? A really bland product with no clear sense of progression, no clear end goal, no tension, and ridiculous-looking animation that isn't very exciting to the eye.

Even its fucking sequel hook is just to setup a random adventure that has virtually no bearing on the conflict between modern and magic. I guess I can credit it for being honest with the audience that there's nothing to look forward to come next Winter, but why don't you go the extra mile, A-1, and put up a disclaimer whilst you're at it?

This is one of the worst anime I've ever seen.
(And I've seen a lot)

If this was some cheap production, with recycled scenes, it'd be easy to see why it's bad. After all, "look! They reused the same animation for the umpteenth time!"

But that's not why GATE is bad. Gate is bad because of really, really terrible story. The plot is horrible and the characters worse.

The plot is essentially: A stargate like portal to another world opens in downtown Tokyo. A hoard of a marauding medieval army and monsters comes out and starts attacking civilians.

But! The Japanese Self Defense Force steps in to ... save the day! Then they launch an invasion of the other side of the gate, and set up a full military base there, and begin to basically occupy and slaughter hundreds of thousands of iron age level people.

What makes this horrible is is not just that GATE is a completely one-sided massacre. It's that the JSDF is celebrated as these great people with wonderful personalities who switch effortlessly between mass killing and affable, likeable people at a moment's notice.

Then, to top it all off, their invasion is shown to be celebrated by some of the local people.

The whole thing feels profane. There's one scene where you are shown in this pristine, undisturbed ecosystem that fighter jets have been brought into this other world, and while people are riding around on horseback, the JSDF is flying practice maneuvers overhead.

There's even a scene in one episode where they mimic the "Ride of the Valkyries" scene from Apocalypse Now, complete with music blaring from the helicopters as the JSDF essentially murders masses of people with the sheer one-sided slaughter, just mowing them down.

The entire anime, is essentially unabashed Japanese military propaganda.
But whereas most military propaganda, likes to portray troops as hero's and rescuers, this show portrays the JSDF as unabashed mass murderers who are perfectly okay, and completely unfazed with mass one-sided slaughter.

It's like watching an army recruitment commercial, only one that after showing the troops spilling out of the landing craft, with patriotic music, then shows them lining up 2000 people and executing them on site, and then afterwards laughing and smiling, while the patriotic music still plays.

It's sickening. And completely absurd. And the characters are just as shallow. They have no morals, feel no sense of wrong about what they are doing, just continue to follow orders and act like what they are doing is a-ok.

I wouldn't be surprised if the production itself was backed by money from the JSDF. It's pretty unabashed propaganda.

But what makes this really horrible to watch, is how unashamed they are at the horrible things they are doing, and how it's portrayed as completely normal with no sense of irony.

The sound design is pretty poor, the characters are poor, the plot is terrible. The animation? It's not bad, but most of it is simply showing off guns and military vehicles so is essentially gun otaku porn.

I kept watching, hoping it might get better, and that the glorification of one-sided mass killing was really supposed to be flipped around at some point and show the JSDF as the bad guys they really are in this anime. Nope. It just keeps acting like they are the good guys, in the most absurd way.

Very creepy, and extremely unintelligent, shallow, and hollow show with one-sided characters, and very obviously being Japanese Military propaganda.

"Look! We don't just slaughter people, we laugh and have a beer afterwards too!"

Gate is propaganda, and based on how high it scores here it's damn effective but as an anime series it fails on the most basic of principles and just isn't any good once you realize it was built solely around being pro-military media fodder.

So let's break this down into the grading criteria itself:

Story: 3/10

Gate's surprisingly strong opening and base concept is the only reason I didn't rate it any lower as in the right hands they could have been the building blocks for a genuinely good show.

Shortly after the JSDF enters the titular gate things take a turn for the worse ... and the originally unique and interesting concept of an otaku turned local hero being forced to serve his country in a high fantasy setting who's ruling country had previously attacked Japan turns into generic otaku harem fodder all to sell a 100% pro-militaristic, pro-Japanese message.

Even barring how annoyingly obvious the propaganda is it's a failing in story telling as our main characters stumble through situations that are generally resolved one of two ways:

1. Japan/Pro Japanese characters win because they are 100% good and right all the time (See: Propaganda)

2. The even more annoying: Time skips that show none of the resolution and we are told through literal dialogue breaking the most fundamental of writing rules: Show don't tell.

The plot get's weak quickly, though attempting to add a level of court intrigue and political drama it is mired down in it's inability to make the issues subtle or nuanced as it paints literally every other country, either fictional or real, as bad guys to the bone. Even going so far as casting the US as a country intent on kidnapping members of the main cast for no reason beyond it makes Japan look better by comparison.

Most the world mechanics inside the gate are glossed over or never addressed, there is literally no world building.

Art: 7/10

The best part of this show by a landslide Gate is undeniably pleasing to look at, the style breaks slightly from the current popular style with the people beyond the gate having a distinct look to them compared to those of modern day Japan.

The people beyond the gate are the most visually interesting though not always in a good way. Their outlines are thicker, instead of clean tonal shading there are shading lines reminiscent of manga and western comics. Their eyes are drawn in a distinctly different style, or at least they are if they are female.
It's the men of the gate who tend to look a lot worse than their female characters.

It should be noted that Itami and his team are not ugly by any means, though design wise the male members of the team while distinguishable from each other are not as interesting as the two girls on his team. That is a running theme throughout the show with the female characters being more interesting visually to appeal to the otaku crowd.

The backgrounds are basic pastel pretty but uninteresting fare, however the Japanese's military equipment is oddly and jarringly gorgeous. Several scenes feature nothing more than military porn, which I have a feeling are the reason the story time skips from time to time, gotta make time for gorgeously animated helicopters, tanks and troops in them.

Sound: 6/10

Pretty basic fare here, nothing is amiss here scene wise but the soundtrack will likely only be decorating the shelves of those who are fanatics for the show it's music is wholly forgettable though the guns are satisfying in their clicking and rattling. The opening song while catchy is nearly identical to that of the second season and indeed anything else that band has produced.

Character 3/10

Gate's other biggest failing. Itami is interesting at first but after entering the gate he stagnates and refuses to develop, he never suffers from real struggles and when faced with dilemmas pulls the most stupid solutions out of his ass that just somehow, breaking all logic, work out. His character goes from reluctant hero otaku to idiot wearing a military uniform.
And no one calls him out on his horrible decision making processes.

The girls while cute and basically different from each other are boring at best. There's the quiet and studious but powerful one, the sexually liberated one, the broken but alluring one who will probably end up with Itami if any one member of his harem becomes a steady love interest. That's a creepy trope by the way, and it only gets worse in the second season but that's another discussion for another time.

Oh and who can forget the totally unique and not a prebuilt, no effort required, cliche headstrong, Tsundere, strong in a fight but naive to the real workings of the world princess with (red) pink hair. That was sarcasm by the way, Pina is the most color by the numbers member of the cast and unfortunately the one with the most actual personalty.

Itami's actual military team is forgettable, it's male characters blending together and it's female characters one note characters who are quickly sidelined by Itami's new harem.

Any interesting characters are not part of the main cast and forget so quickly by the narrative that I can't even remember their names despite wishing the show was about them instead because they'd be less boring.

The antagonists are one note, hating on the JSDF simply because it makes for better propaganda and either are killed or humiliated into submission or join the Japanese side for no reason at all.


Final thoughts:

On the surface this is an okay if not somewhat enjoyable show but once you think about it, Gate fails. It's mindless otaku fodder and if that's what your watching it for then go for it but if you're looking for something less intellectually insulting and with more substance skip this.

The pretty art style and cute girls are a trap.

This show has so much potential, so while I did enjoy it (perhaps simply because there are not much similarly-themed anime to compare with) don't expect too much from this harem comedy anime. Quick review below:

STORY = 6/10

While having so much to offer, sadly GATE resorts to generic comedy harem theme every time it hints serious development to the main plot. I mean, we rarely have a chance to explore a situation where modern world clashes with fantasy world, and everytime I expect a progress after those "serious scene", all i get are filler-like episodes that took main plot almost nowhere. By the time I ... finished this series, I still have no idea WHY the empire attacks Japan (an otherworld they know nothing about), HOW they build the dimensional GATE - IF they build it at all.

+ Genuine, refreshing idea
- Wasted its potential despite serious atmosphere hinted in early episodes
- Some plotholes and illogical actions taken by the power players that I cannot discuss without spoilers

ART = 6/10

+ Main points goes to detailed render of war vehicles & weapons
- Char and background are so-so, and it's pretty weird if you notice how the male and female eyes are in very different style, i mean i can understand if it was used intentionally to highlight the difference of real and fantasy world, but that is obviously not the case.

SOUND = 7/10

Similar to art, main points goes to detailed modern warfare sounds : engines, gunshots, etc. OP is pretty generic and ED is less than mediocre. Not that it matters much. Seiyuus did their job perfectly for characters they represent, but then again this is a standard we should expect from today's anime , so.. what else can i say?

CHARACTER = 4/10

Main screen time are spent on these main protagonists: Itami, Rory, Lelei, Pina Co Lada (in order of appearance), each represents a stereotypical harem casts in a slightly diferrent, original seting. It means they base their actions on harem logic. WISH I KNEW IT FROM THE START. That way i can prepare my mind by setting my expectation as low as possible.

Wait, what is harem logic? Let me illustrate by a few samples without spoiling it too much :

- Instead of asking the enemy "why did you attack us", or asking ANYONE that might have the answers.. you hang around with her and her harem army to get into harem situations as much as you could.

- Almost every main girls the main protagonist met succumb to his "charm" , by default or nice coincidence, whichever is more convenient. Also, the story at some point completely disregards plot logic and progress it has built.. to get main protagonist into harem situations. Again.

As for the other side characters.. they don't have much screen time. Even if a few of them have any, it's because they happened to be together with those main casts I mentioned above - and are used as "dolls" to complement whatever Itami's doing.

ENJOYMENT 6 / 10

Reflecting on how GATE treats the gate as a tool to build a comedy harem situations around it, instead of exploring its full potential and develop realistic / serious plot using up-to-date "modern warfare" know-how (yes it was being hinted in a few conversations, but they never develop it), I hereby judge GATE as "guilty pleasure" anime of this year

.. the pleasure mainly comes from a few action worthy moments & serious/ logical conversations in the first 2 episodes, which steadily drop as the series progress. I give it a 6 anyway, considering that some people may still enjoy it by adjusting their expectation or just because they like comedy harem theme.

----------SPOILER FREE--------------
TL;DR below for the lazy ones ;)

Ever wondered what's it like when an ancient army clashes with modern military? GATE is unique in the way that it presents to us a variety of idea; the clash of armies, the blending of cultures, the true melting pot of Anime.

Do you love Fantasy? Action? Captivating music? Well-crafted and diverse characters?

If you said "Yes" to any of these questions, this gem of an anime is one that you should DEFINITELY catch. (If you said yes to all, you won't fail to orgasm every episode)

Moving on~
...
Story: 9
The potential in the concept itself already warrants an 8.
However, potential alone is nothing.
Delicate execution and engaging plot propels this to a solid 9, further supported by the intensity of the developments that leave you begging for more.
Despite the Fantasy theme, GATE attempts inject Reality back into the plot as well. The focus of the show is occasionally shifted back from the"Special Region" to Japan, and sequences that occur back in Japan can affect the main plot happening beyond the Gate, adding to the realism of this series.

While there are arguably certain flaws in the plot, they shouldn't stop you from enjoying the show at all.

Art: 7
While the art isn't exactly magnificent, it's far from bad.
Just don't expect it to be at Kotonoha no Niwa standard.

Despite the animation (which is fine, really), the characters are really well illustrated (up close) and the vehicles of the JSDF (Eg helicopter, trucks) were well drawn and very detailed.

The only fault in the art is that the backgrounds were not taken care of properly. Eg if a character was in the background of a certain scene, details could be missing from her in general.

Sound: 10
Both the OP and ED were beautiful.
OSTs as realistic as they could get: the gunshots, clashing of swords, the helicopters; an experience that shouldn't be missed.
The Seiyuus were amazing too! (Especially Rory's one)
Every time I hear her moan I moan as well (It's normal I swear!; Watch it and see for yourself)

Characters: 10
Often said to be the most attractive aspect of this show: The Characters
Main Character Itami Youji is an otaku (and First Lieutenant) that most of us can associate with. He's funny and surprisingly caring, a character whom you will absolutely love. Having an MC that viewers can understand, relate to and empathise with is evidence of a great Anime.

Lelei is a smart 15 year old sorceress apprentice that has taken a particular interest in the Japanese language, often acting as a translator for the Japanese soldiers. Her curiosity and cuteness just makes her a lovable character in the series.

Tuka Luna is a elf teen (that isn't as young as she looks) that lost her family and ends up in the care of the JSDF.

Last and definitely not least, Rory Mercury is a (horny) gothic loli demigod that carries around a giant halberd. Her alluring voice and tantalizing demeanor makes you wish that the one she was teasing was you. Yet, she can be unusually deep at times. (If you know what I mean ;)
Of course, there are many other notable characters that all have their own good points, but for the purpose of the review I won't be mentioning all.

What constitutes aesthetics? What is true aesthetics? Philosophers can debate for years on the true manifestation of aestheticism. Is it Art? Is it Music? Little do they know that the answer lies in an Anime TV series. A series called GATE. The true embodiment of aesthetics is in characterisation.

Overall/Enjoyment: 9
Sadly, the next 3-4 months is going to be a period of hardship that I will gladly endure; the wait for Season 2!

There are so many reasons why I just love this series; the Fate references during the Special Forces mission, the Ride of the Valkyries Helicopter scene;

TL;DR? Gate presents an unprecedented concept to the fantasy genre. If you enjoy shows like NGNL, SAO, Overlord, or fantasy in general, then this is a show that you will certainly adore. Thank me later :)

To sum up Gate you only need one phrase, DAMN that was a lot of wasted potential! Godfricking DAMMIT, get your shit together Japan!

On the other hand it was totally expected.

Otaku pandering powerfantasy #militarypropaganda/brainwashing - Gate

Story, Character - 3, 2 (potential 7, 7)
Worlds and culture collide isn't a new idea, disney did it, James Cameron did it, warhammer did it, toaru did it. So really Gate isn't that original on this front, no matter how many times it is done, it is still interesting. A clash of technology and magic, two different worlds, guns vs magic, it makes my inner 10 year old very excited. ... And if you treat it maturely, the change in culture, the advancement of technology, the political intrigue and all that stuff paired together with a competent MC on a journey and a quest. OH I'm getting excited just thinking about it, imagine all the awesome...

Wait...what? This sack of unoriginal otaku self-insert is our MC...Well, Sh*t

That's right all potential poof went up the air, when the show showed its hand in the opening 5 minutes, a otaku soldier talking about otaku sh*t. You know I remember long time ago, there were MC's with so much charisma and character that you can't help but love them where papers could be written about their development. These days I wish I could just take up a chainsaw hammer and smash the MC's face in, but they are so flat I doubt there is anything to smash.

Our MC Youji is an current JSDF soldier who also happen to be an otaku, and while fulfilling his hobby, another world attack. Our MC "bravely" dealt with it like a soldier. Afterwards we are told that a gate leading to a magic world appeared in Japan and the JSDF is sent in, and etc. (which you can just see the anime to learn about)

Back to ranting about wasted potential. Why was the military sent in like that? Aren't the JSDF about defending Japanese territory not invading someone elses? Where are all the other countries armies? You would think that the knowledge that another world exist would send the world into a frenzy with every country scrambling to get in, but nope only japan goes. (And have any succeed with the locals but this part is spoiler for the anime) Seeing this basically convinced me that the author is jerking off to his otaku patriotism at this point.

And through the gate we reach a generic fantasy world which is even more obvious pandering. I mean loli-gothic-catgirl(?)-wielding a halberd who is attracted to the MC and turned on by killing? Big tities blonde elf? When you have seen a lot of fantasy you know this is elementary stuff that is overused every where, for once I would like to see a fantasy world that is more fantasy, something like Monster hunter, giant mountain like monsters, creepy forest that suck out your soul, terrible extradimensional diseases that turns people into abomination. You know the kind of stuff you expect military man to face in a hostile unknown world and die by droves as mankind struggle with both the benefit and terrible cost of accessing an unknown world.

But that would make too good of a story, instead of that have some more none PTSD soldier MC having hijinks with hot fantasy waifu. There are some actions, the helicopter bits were good, and there were some good military tactics and things. But it could have been so much MORE, having soldiers as a MC is suppose to take us out of the otaku comfort zone and show some real hardcore things, like killing alien abominations, tragic lose of human lives during wars, people unable to get over their PTSD as memories of their died comrades hunt them for decades of their life, and scientists around the world using knowledge from this new world to make discoveries that are both beneficial and terrible. World in a frenzy as countries tear each other to shreds to get a piece of the pie or to get as far away as possible.

But nope, it is the same old pandering thing, I mean we have an otaku MC, waifus, "JSDF is never wrong" mentality, light-hearted fun mixed with pointless edgy (which have no effect on our MC's mentality). This is an author jerking off to his patriotism and fetishes and I'm so sick of it!

Go watch log horizon or western media if you want to watch a better clash of culture.

Art - 7
Clean, it is okay, nothing bad, but nothing awe-inspiring either, but that is just what A-1 is like.

Sound - 8
Okay, but it doesn't make the show any more suffer able.

Enjoyment - 2
Every second I spend on this show was a reminder that Japan couldn't get its sh*t together and how the medium is pandering more and more to the lowest denominator. With the tide of adaptation moving more and more to the WN shows like Overlord and Gate, I fear for the future of anime that is going down the toilet right now.

Now I'm going to play Witcher and Touhou for a while to wash this bad taste of fantasy from my mouth.

To start off... I really enjoyed this anime.

Story:
i always wanted to see a story like this whether it be anime or not. a story where a medieval time like world comes across the present time in war. The story is very straight forward. It's no the same as Oda Nobuna no Yabou or Outbreak Company, but if you enjoyed either of them you will find this one interesting.

Character:
I really like how the characters are presented. Simply said all the main characters are badass in their own way.

Sound:
The SFX is good. i actually found this anime while listening to one of favorite ... classical songs (if you watch it you will know which song i am talking about). The sounds doing the action scenes are not bad. They have some detail put into them so you can hear the difference between the guns.

I am in the Spanish army, also I have been on mission abroad with the United Nations. Many are very detailed modern approaches to how to act in foreign territory, local our mutual cooperation, the escalating use of force, all these details are present in the anime.

Also at the level of use of military material is very detailed, always wearing a bulletproof vest with collars (It seems silly, but they are very unpleasant to wear), including the disposition of weapon down during transport (avoid damage to the face in an accident) not using night vision goggles for day to avoid damaging them, the elastic strap ... ... For me as a military is like watching peers from another country during an operation factly, beating all warlike animes I've seen so far in realism. There are also some concessions as a work of fiction, but everything is on the edge between realism and entertainment work.

The mix of fantasy and realism is exquisite and is a fantastic "what if ..."

Modern VS Ancient Fantasy warfare? I don't know about you but that sounded mighty appealing to me. So I was delighted the moment my friend recommended Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri.

Story: Clashing modern warfare vs an ancient one (with bits of fantasy elements in them) is the main point of this anime. Modern Japan being attacked by all sort of monsters and magicked creatures form another realm was what they first presented. One would expect a very long and bloody back and forth rally between the two factions as most war related titles are, but how this anime deviated from that cliche is ... one of the series' charm. Anyone who has a love for war themed titles will love this for its unique and realistic approach.

Art: The art isn't what I would call awe inspiring but it isn't bad either. The overall is just average, but what I like about this anime are the designs and the thought that's been put to them. That means no outrageous appearances for the normal humans while the Special Region characters are well designed. from the human race to the dragons. And lets not forget about the non living parts of the anime. The world at the Special Region was well designed, as well as the war machines. Tanks, choppers, guns. Name them.

Sound: The sound is one of the nicest points of the anime. They've got a quite well rounded seiyuu roster, each perfectly brings out the characters colors. The OP theme is suited for the anime's exciting feel (totally unrelated but fun tip: If you want a more intense feel, play the opening video of this anime and mute the sound, playing SNK's opening Guren no Yumiya instead. IT FITS!) and the ED theme sounds really lighthearted and I think it suits the other side of the series. The effects are not lacking, what with all the gunshots and bombs and everything else that's been used.

Character: Now comes my favorite part. Characters are always important to me whenever I watch anything. You can give me a total let down with good, relatable characters and I will enjoy it. For this series though, I am very please with almost everyone. I'm not really into harem types so I was quite wary of what the character might be like before I started watching this, but to my surprise, Itami is a very realistic character. Easy going, lazy otaku who is actually a very fine soldier. Some might think that this is cliche, but how Itami faces everything is very refreshing. Then you have your mighty Goddess type gothic lolita, a smart, cool mage, a coping elf, and a feisty but worrisome princess. Everyone has got a lot of potential and I'm more pleased to say that they're not annoying. The supporting characters are also intriguing enough not to be set aside.

Enjoyment: I first watched this series expecting a lot of deaths and angst and all those dark stuffs (which I really like) and one might think that I must be disappointed as this series is not any of those, but nope. This is one of my most enjoyed animes for the year so far. Realistic in its approach without being a drag. My only con point here is that it is too short. As I've mentioned, the series has many good points, including its wide array of interesting characters and the limited episodes doesn't do much justice to that. It's good that it has a confirmed new season for next year and I'm definitely looking out for that one.

When I was young(er), my favorite day dream was time travel. The exploits of my journey are outlined as follows: A) Time travel to a feudal era of crude weaponry. B) Bring automatic weapons/explosives. C) Wipe out a nation's army. D) Plunder hot women and treasures.

C’mon guys, don’t act like this dream hasn’t crossed your minds?! ARMY OF DARKNESS –movie plug! If this scenario tickles your fancy/fetish, then GATE just might be the anime for you.

Story: 7. Perhaps imaginative is singularly the best word to describe GATE. The story is basically about a time/space traveling gate that links two worlds together – a fantastical ... feudal world with elves, demigods, dragons, and wizards, and modern day Japan and their interactions. Extremely helpful is the succinct recap that precedes most episodes. Story is also very pro-Japan, as if it were the epicenter of the universe. Even made the US look like bumbling clowns at times :). Enough of the overview.

One major gripe: more action! I repeat, I demand DOMINATION! In all seriousness, the first couple episodes were satisfying to watch modern technology go tet-a-tet with swords and spears. Oh man, thousands of people mowed down in an instant with superior weaponry*cue evil grin*. In one memorable scene, combat helicopters laid the smack down and decimated shield bearing knights. MUHAHHAAH! That’s my kind of fan-service! Alas, mid-series, the warfare settles down and the impetus of the narrative focuses on the “other-world foreigners” being acquainted with modern Japanese culture and vice-versa. I must admit, it was sorta fascinating to live vicariously through the eyes of a pre-modern person. The first subway ride, the first fast food, the first clothes shopping experience… But wasn't this supposed to be a gun show?

Second major gripe: there isn’t one identifiable climax, and the denouement is WAY too long. I feel like the anime could have easily ended at episode 10. The last 2 episodes, excuse my french, were BORING.

Art: 7. You’re typical garden-variety animation. I think the most memorable artwork revolves around Rory Mercury’s action sequences. My love, Rory! She is not only Waifu material, but sick nasty in combat. That Lolita-gothic theme brings all the boyz to yard! The attention to detail on the Hummers, tanks, and helicopters are noted as well. Sadly, other action sequences were not as thoughtfully realized. Some sequences were merely static pictures that violently shook and had people screaming. Can we say 80’s anime? Budget-cutz. Overall, art was acceptable.

Music: 7. Typical fare music, meaning that it neither got in the away of the story or was outstanding. I usually always skip the beginning and ending music sequences.

Characters: 7. Rory Mercury! My Waifu 4 Life-fu! Okay, I’ll stop. Characters are flat, 2D and static. Anime is much more plot driven than character driven. Not a bad thing for an action/adventure anime. Most character were not as engaging, except my true love Rory!

Enjoyment: 8. Did anyone mention that GATE is funny? For instance, a fansub translated a phrase, “The invading army fires explosives that look like giant iron cocks!” Hilarious. A queen called Pina Co Lada? I rest my case. While the MAL genre tag of action, adv, fantasy, military is absolutely correct, I’d say this is equally comical.

Overall, while GATE isn’t high on my rewatchable list, it was mindless fun. Actually, real fun. If you need to decompress and watch a relatively clean anime with some genuine humor and imagination, this just might be the anime for you.

I, for one, was drawn into the intriguing world that Gate drops us in, but the real question is what else does Gate manage to do besides having an interesting premise?

The premise and the mystery surrounding the so called "Special Realm" are the strongest points of the show by far, however the execution felt a little lacking in the story department. The battle scenes show how ridiculously one sided this war is between the two realms, which detracts from the suspense of the story as the outcome of any battle is never in doubt. Coupled by the fact that one of the protagonist is literary ... invincible make the SDF and their friends virtually unbeatable.
Despite this, the moments showcasing the might of the SDF still manage to be engaging as it really made me think of the morality of the war, or rather, the slaughter that takes place. Also the rampant nationalism gets old real quick in this show, as Japan is the best at everything, everything they make is amazing, basically all I can picture is Japanese Big Brother nodding in approval after seeing how the might of Japan is mentioned once again. Another point of annoyance for myself were the constant mentioning to otaku, and how it felt at times that moments had been crafted to fulfill some otaku fantasy checklist rather than advance the plot. At times it felt like the creator was thinking more along these lines: I know you like cat girls, so here's one and a bunch of fanservice to go with it, and just to sweeten the deal, here's a bath scene, you can thank me later, you otaku you.

The plot isn't really anything to call home about, but gets the job done and sets up some questions about the realm from both sides, and kind of surprisingly focuses on the political aspect of the situation from both sides. As I mentioned before at times it certainly heads down the path of the cliche , but at the same time does manage to patch in some engaging actions scenes at the same time, as well as humor from time to time. Nice guy Itami is the typical male lead who only works to supplement his otaku tendencies, and at times it feels like his character and his skill are just a little too convenient for someone of his background. Most of the other characters are pretty much husks, besides Rory who provides some of the more interesting moments, but also hinders some moments due to her immense power. I found that one character introduced later in the series really added a lot of depth to Itami and his character, but unfortunately she only stuck around for a short time.
I found the music to fit in well with the action scenes and the series, and think that the OP of the series really stands out. The art is visually pleasing as well, I can't even complain about the CGI, which is used minimally and fits in without being too intrusive.
Overall, Gate has a strong concept that will initially get you hooked, but the pieces of the story aren't nearly as strong as its premise, and I felt that at times the narrative fell into some of the usual anime cliches. The constant mentioning of the Japan's might and otaku culture also result in some weird alienating moments from the narrative, taking me out of the immersive world. I would say that Gate is definitely worth checking out, but if the world itself is not able to keep you occupied than you may find yourself tuning out earlier than expected.

Finally! An anime series with modern military that I can actually call good because it is very hard to find a great modern military anime this days. Plus, it's a modern military vs medieval army so that's an added bonus considering the fact that I'm a fan of both sides.


[Story]: (8/10)
In August of 20XX, a portal to a parallel world, known as the "Gate" suddenly appeared in Ginza, Tokyo. Monsters and troops poured out of the portal, turning the shopping district into a bloody inferno. The JGSDF (Japan Ground-Self Defence Force) took action and pushed back the creatures into the Gate. The JGSDF has ... dispatched the Third Reconnaissance Team to the "Special Region" at the other side of the Gate.

You don't know how happy I am right now to finally find an anime series with modern military that actually uses tanks, jets, helicopter and artillery. Most animes today uses mechas which pisses me off because I like to see modern and historical battles. None of this fake-ass flying robots bullshit.

Anyways..just like the synopsis, a "Gate" appeared out of nowhere and the military has been sent to investigate the other side. On the other side, they found out that the beings we believe as fantasy exists on the other side of the gate. Magic, mages, elves, dragons, and etc..they're there.

The show is mainly focused on Itami, a 33 year old otaku who prefers his hobby than his work. He and his platoon saved a bunch of refugees along with 3 girls who is a mage, an elf and a demi-god. That's what happened on the first 3 or 4 episodes. Later on, some politics stuff happened and they even showed that the US, China and Russia are a bunch of greedy officials who would take the "mysterious" land for their own. How ironic.. Then more plot points appear but revealing more of the plot points will lead to spoilers. In short, it's one problem to another that would get eventually solved by Itami's platoon or other characters.

The only part I didn't like about the show is the pacing.. There's a bunch of time skips in the show and the first few episodes were slightly rushed. A-1 adapted this anime so I'm not really surprised that there would be time-skips and rushed pacing. In the 2nd half of the series, the pacing does slow down so I got a break from the fast mindless action.

I'm just a bit irritated that they decided to split the show into 2 seasons instead of a 25 episode continuous run (Yes..show ends on a cliffhanger) but if you look at shows like Akame Ga Kill and Soul Eater, you'd be glad that they decided to continue the rest of the episodes next year. I'd rather wait than get a shitty rushed original anime plot that's not even in the manga.
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[Art/Animation]: (9/10)
If you've seen some A-1 adapted animes before then you should be familiar with the animation at first glance. It's looks the same as their previously worked animes. The environment does look great, especially the the other world. The action scenes are very smooth. Especially the scenes were the 2 sides are fighting and the scene where Rory is fighting with her giant-ass sword.
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[Sound]: (9.4/10)
One word...Awesome! The soundtrack used for the battle scenes are amazing, even the themes used for conversations/fooling around scenes are great. Also, the Ride of the Valkyrie scene. Oh, How I love that classic theme.

The OP theme song is GATE: Sore wa Akatsuki no you ni" by Kishida Kyoudan & The Akeboshi Rockets and the ED theme song is Prism Communicate" by Rory VA, Tuka VA, and Lelei VA. I am now in love with both the OP and ED theme song. The OP has this rock-type version accompanied with action scenes that fits the song. I love how the opening makes me want to join the JSDF. Showing off their military power and might. Ahh, propaganda at its finest. The ED is more like a cutesy song that was sung by the VA of 3 main female characters.
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[Character]: (9/10)
When I first read the synopsis and saw the cover, I thought that this was going to be a harem because Itami is an otaku and he is surrounded by 3 fantasy girls. Thank god, it didn't turn out that way. A harem consists of at least 3 girls who is in love with the same guy. The thing is only 2 girls have feelings for Itami. So basically, it's a love triangle but not a serious one. Anyways...

Itami is a 33 year old otaku who works for the JSDF..At the first episode, I thought Itami is going to be full of BS..I mean, how can an otaku fight like that (as demonstrated in the first episode) then you find out he's with the JSDF. That figures...Guess what, he's also a first lieutenant and he's with the goddamn Special Forces (equivalent to US Delta Force). He's an otaku and he's also a near-top military official? Yep, I official like this character.

Then there's the 3 main female character which was saved by Itami's platoon. Lelei la Lalena is a 15 year old human (from the other world) training to be a mage. She loves books and she's a very intelligent and smart teenager. She quickly learned Japanese so she became an interpreter for the JGSDF. You know what I love about her? Her calm looks. She looks calm all the time, literally. You barely see her smiling. Tuka Marceau is a 165 year old elf who is considered a teenager in their race's standards. Something tragic happened to her before she got rescued and I don't really want to spoil it. The final main female character is Rory Mercury. She is over 900 years old and is a demi-god. I don't get how some people like her? I don't like her. Her voice is goddamn annoying and her sex noises are also irritating. I do like it when she goes out and fight using that sword of hers.

Besides Rory, none of the characters were annoying. Hell, even Itami who I expected to be the most annoying when he's around girls is not an annoying MC. He can get a little pervy around girls sometimes but he doesn't drool all the time around those 3 girls that he saved. He also tends to be funny when he shows his otaku side.
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[Military and Weaponry accuracy]: (9.5/10) (This does not count towards my OVERALL rating)
As a military and war fanatic, I felt like I have to review this section too. I'm going to make this as short as possible.

Did they portray the JSDF right? Yes, they portrayed them almost perfectly. From tactics to the guns they're using, they got it. They're using a Type-64 Assault Rifle which is not the most modern weaponry and they got that right because Japan has cut back on their military costs. They also used a Panzerfaust 3 to fight off the Red Dragon.

Were the military vehicles and weaponry accurate? Yes..They got the Hind right which is an AH-1 Cobra which is used by the JGSDF today. They also got the choppers right which is a Huey. A chopper with gun emplacements on both sides. It is currently used by the JGSDF today. As for the tanks. They were using a Type-74 MBT which is currently used by the JGSDF today. Lastly, the jets. It was shown that they were using a F-4EJ Phantom.

I'm impressed with the show's military and weaponry accuracy. They really did their research or the director probably had greater knowledge when it comes to JGSDF and their military.
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[Enjoyment]: (10/10)
This has now become my most favorite anime of the year. I never got bored with the show and I was always on the edge of my seat. It's also nice to see that they portrayed the military almost perfectly because as a war and military fanatic, that's what I'd like to see. Not some fake-ass shit
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[OVERALL]: (9/10)
"Gate: And so the Special Defense Force Fought Back" is one of the best modern military anime I have ever seen. It also has fantasy stuff like magic, elfs, mages, etc that is sure to please the fans who likes Fantasy era. If you're a fan of military genre or the fantasy genre then you might want to give this show a try. I'm warning you though..Once you start watching the show, it will be very hard to stop watching. It's very addicting


Pros:
+Story is Very Well Done
+Great Animation
+Great Soundtrack, especially the "Ride of the Valkyrie" theme.
+Great Characters
+Show almost perfectly portrayed the JSDF and their weaponry/military vehicles

Cons:
-Pacing issues

This is the worst anime of all time. This is not being hyperbolic. There are some horrible anime in terms of production or story before but this series has a unique way of being repulsive. It is not even a pleasantly bad anime it is simply bad. The first thing that comes to mind is squandered potential.

The series gives the false impression of having a plot that has the potential to be a fun exploration of our present world and a foreign magical world crossing paths leading to fun adventures, an engaging plot, or at least a thoughtful presentation of what the implications of ... such an event would be. The art quality looks alright but instead of salvaging this series in fact makes this more repugnant as it becomes evident that it is being blatantly squandered on this series. In the same manner that someone takes the effort to cook a delicious stake and then proceeds to cover it in fecal matter. It doesn't matter if it was well done if the end result is that it can't be consumed.

For starters, the series makes the mistake of creating a boring and generic main character. From there it only goes further downhill. At no single point is the other world presented as a credible threat but as merely a boring cannon fodder for the good guys. There are no stakes set and there is no characters to drive the story. There isn't much of a diplomatic attempt to really be peaceful it's more of just them showing the inhabitants be amazed at Japanese culture and the ability to blow up people with swords. The animation enhances the pain of all of this since it drives forward the point that this is squandered potential.

Though plenty of anime have had boring characters and no stakes. What makes this the worst anime of all time is that it is blatant Japanese nationalist propaganda done in a poor fashion by even the standards of propaganda itself. The series features mainly the Japanese military shooting people armed with spears and effectively colonizing the other world. The supposed diplomatic ties being made to this other world are solely designed to give the Japanese state more power over this world. Every battle plays the same with them flawlessly gunning down lazy cannon fodder. The enemy is ridiculously evil and boring. The series mine as well just be the Japanese military blowing up and shooting paper targets with how little thought was given into them. There are no characters that are fun to follow even in an ironic fashion. They are all hollow and boring with the only unifying feature to either go off about how they think Japan or the generic main character are the best. In trying to showcase how great Japan is they forgot to actually show the Japanese military overcoming any actual threat. There is no struggle and furthermore the military shows a lack of restraint on a clearly weak enemy that would make even American war hawks blush. It fails even at trying to make the military look good since it is just showing them shooting people with swords while giving soulless smiles and expecting the viewer to be cheering them on.

For comparison, look at the series Stargate which shares the same plot while still being a form of propaganda specifically serving the United States Airforce and was still able to be engaging. It had lovable characters, had a challenging foe to overcome, and an actual plot. Even when dealing with the locals they are actually working with them. They demonstrate how their weapons are better but do not go off about how the American way is the best compared to the culture of the locals. They are not trying to take over other worlds they are trying to actually work with the people they meet. In doing so it also accomplishes the goal of being propaganda for American militarism. People watched that series and wanted to join the airforce. Gate accomplishes the ability of showing that Japanese nationalists are very eager to commit war crimes on barely armed forces.

Both as a series and as a piece of propaganda it fails beyond expectations. Seeing good animation wasted on this enhances just how bad it is. It drives home that it was not a failure of production it was the execution of the plot and characters. There is no point of actual tension or really a plot to follow besides just going from point to point to mow down a generic enemy. It slaps the viewer in the face with the show going out of its way to brag about how great and superior Japanese culture and military is to a fantasy world that isn't really explored at all because it is just there for the Japanese to invade. The only positive thing that can be said about this series is that if someone went back in time and showed this to Unit 731 they would have all lost faith in their cause and committed suppuku at the mere sight of seeing that Japanese nationalism would ever lead to this.

It needs to be further stressed that it is truly the worst series of all time by performing bad in every area. It is not unique, engaging, or interesting. In fact it goes out of its way to be repugnant with the poorly done propaganda smeared over above average animation that doesn't give any redeeming quality but instead helps drive home that it is a solidly horrible piece. It actively makes the real world worse by blindly promoting war crimes and jingoism. As if the past nationalist government going on a killing spree of their neighbors numbering in the millions and doing stuff that made even the Nazis say they've gone too far then getting entirely destroyed by the allies to a point of mass suffering for the Japanese was not enough of a lesson learned from the mistake of promoting this nonsense.

It is even more ironic that the bland enemy in the show resembles the very nationalism it promotes. They force their poorly equipped soldiers to die as cannon fodder, terorize their own population, attack their neighbors, and pick a fight with a superior force but refuse to surrender leading to the suffering of innocent lives. Yet somehow even with this caricature the Japanese military in this show is shown to be psychopaths going out of their way to commit mass slaughter with no actual attempt to appear defensive or diplomatic. They are effectively using a brief attack on their own soil to justify the invasion and colonization of another world. This is basically the American invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan but the enemy is even less of an actual threat. This series is so bad it provokes a discussion on the issues of nationalism and war to explain why it is bad.

It is a horrid series that fails as an anime and goes beyond to fail as a form of propaganda. Other very awful anime are often bad because of stuff like poor animation, bad plot, and unlikeable characters. Some are awful because there was clearly no care put into them or they just become boring. This piece however contains a unique way of being so repugnant that where an anime may be bad if it has poor animation it at least can be redeemed by the story or characters. The fact the animation is fair and the plot is squandered potential helps laser focus the glaring issues. It is as if the stars correctly aligned to show something truly god awful.

Every character is one dimensional and there to praise the Japanese or the main character. Even the main character who I do not remember their name because of how boring they are is just not notable. The story does not give a challenge or impact on the characters themselves. Nothing is really learned from anything. The characters do not drive the story they are just railroaded from point A to point B to shoot targets or talk up the greatness of Japan. As if to insult the viewer the fan service is not even that good it is just the most lazy bottom of the barrel fan service. Even worse if the viewer is not into fan service it then appears as if a sad attempt to bribe the viewer into still watching.

The plot had every right to take off in a fun and exciting direction. The other world could have been an actual threat to Earth or some complex navigation of the politics and culture of the other world compared to Earth. One could speculate the various implications that two different worlds crossing would create. The differences in technology compared to the magic of the other world could have been showcased in actual fun clever manners. Not once do they really do anything clever or overcome a challenge in an interesting or engaging manner. There just was no thought put into it.

This series needs to be studied for future reference in truly awful anime, propaganda, and wasted potential.

Hatred is not the correct word expressed against this anime. There may not even exist a word for it in the English language. One would think since this is the worst anime of all time that this review would not recommend it be watched. However, the point is not to say no one can watch it but simply that it is bad. Watching it with the issues raised in mind may be neccessary to better understand. Some anime are unwatchable because they are bad. Some are watchable to enjoy because they are bad. It is not watchable but could still be watched not to enjoy but to truly understand what squandered potential and an actually bad anime looks like. This is reinforced by the fact it is not attempting to be bad and actively attempts to fool the average person just looking to enjoy anime. What is being watched may be an anime but look between the lines to see that it is competent animation wasted over a bland story with boring characters meant to serve as propaganda. There is not a single other anime out there filled with the same insufferable tone, awful implications, and wastefulness. It needs to be stressed it does not even matter the political orientation or inclinations of the person watching it because it is just so poorly executed all around.

It does not only serve as a horrible anime solely due to itself but how the existence of it insults the production of other past anime that have explored themes of war, imperialism, and nationalism. They were born out of a shared history with lessons and well thought out forms of expression laid out in animated form. This comes in to disregard what previous works have taken the careful time to express the pain and devestation that came out of the same ideas this show promotes. Even worse this is done in a boring and uninteresting manner to the point that it fails at even that. The average takeaway is more on the lines of people who rightfully that a story about a fantasy world clashing with modern military technology is a truly interesting premise. The lack of visibility in similar works means there is less of an ability for the viewer to compare it to a competently done version of the same premise. Which is yet another case for why this is the worst anime of all time since it sets the bar so low by making it just mowing down troops with melee weapons running forward mindlessly. There is so much more that could be done with such an interesting premise and it was squandered and leaves a feeling of betrayal. As a form of propaganda it insults the intelligence of viewers into just seeing a boring main character with anime girls and buying into the ideals they are trying to push onto them. Others who just wanted to explore an interesting premise are both fooled into watching propaganda or are given the worst possible presentation of such a premise.

It is not bad in a way that people could put it on to point and laugh about. It is bad in the sense that it provokes a discussion of various issues of imperialism and nationalism in the context of an anime that attempts to promote these ideas concealed as any other anime involving fantasy worlds and waifus but poorly done and boring. It insults art as a form of entertainment and as an exploration of humanity. Even in a parallel world where Japan rules the world after WWII would this piece would be seen as somehow both infuriating and boring to watch.

This is the worst anime of all time.

Truly if there is a god he has forsaken humanity. If there is a heaven we have turned a blind eye to it. This is the progeny of the many evils of humanity hidden under a mask of pure deception. A promotion of murderous ideals that have plagued human nature and history while expressing the very same repugnance and banality that comes as a result. Instead of seeking the better angels of our nature this piece makes one forget why we cry over death and love when we are alive.

One of my ambitious dreams ever since I was a kid was to see what would happen if the future battles against the past. Up until now, I'm still quite intrigued to see what would actually happen. Though the result of the battle would be pretty obvious. It'll still fulfill one of my childish desires.

Providentially, my dream had been fulfilled today by an anime that goes by the name of "Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri". It was exactly what I wanted. An anime resolving around a conflict between the future and the past after both worlds had been connected together by some kind ... of portal that popped out of nowhere.. Cliche! Still. Guns vs Swords. The one-sided, unfair battle...Cliche! but still fulfills one of my dreams.

Story : 10/10

First half of the show, it was pretty much Japan flexing their future technologies on the idiots who brought swords to a gunfight. The other half of the show was more political heavy, where Donald Trump, Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin joins the battle in order to claim the catgirls ( and elves ).

The story overall was pretty good in my opinion. I didn't mind the political craps because it's a pretty logical and realistic plot in which is pretty much what they'd do anyways if it actually happens in real life. And plus. There's a second season so complaining about the second half of the show wouldn't do jack balls.

I also didn't mind the idiots who brought 100,000+ men to a war against dudes who pretty much could end their lives in a matter of seconds. Seeing the people with swords and shields getting pierced by countless of leads was never this satisfying. It's like watching a history teacher battling against a science teacher who's ultimately the head of the school.

Art : 10/10

A-1 Pictures.

Sound : 9/10

Mediocre OP. Don't know about the ED, but I'd probably listen to it later. Other than that, the soundtracks definitely suits the scenarios.

The voice acting was also ok.

Character: 9/10

The characters are great! Especially Itami. He's likable and seems like a good person who'd be a great uncle.

Enjoyment : 10/10

F u n.

Overall : 10/10

Haha. It's actually not really 10/10. But more of around 9.5. Might drop to 8-9 tomorrow, who knows. Anyways, I still enjoyed this anime nevertheless and I can't wait to just speedrun the second season. Oh yes. I'm comin' for ya, S2!

P.S. This is one of the best isekais out there imo. So if you like isekais, you might like this.

I can't get enough of this. I have to say that this is by far the best anime collision of Fantasy and RL I've ever see so far.

First off Itami, this Otaku of otaku's, this guy who acts as the single largest blight on society; who's only care is his single passion in the world, his absolute adoration of all things anime. This guy somehow ends up becoming the biggest hero in all of Japan for single handedly turning the tide of what starts out as a complete disaster into a well maintained defense in the center of Tokyo by an invasion from ... another world. Then as time goes on you learn that this always aloof person, actually has the training and experience that is the equivalent of a Green Brae, Navy Seal, Special Ops, Black Ops soldier; and his best friend in the army is the guy with the animal girl fetish!

Then you add in your Demi-god of Darkness, Young Genius Mage, and traumatized Forest Elf characters (all who happen to be girls) into the mix of his echelon that forms as he is forced back into the army to go through this gate to another world and fight back against the initial invasion. Then if this hodge-podge, mismatched, unorthodox group doesn't get you interested the number and scale of inconveniences that get dropped in their laps most certainly will. It is completely outrageous, and I mean that in the best ways.

And in episode 6 you have a scene with what looks to be fully decked out AH-64 Apache, and Blackhawk helicopters flying in a criss-crossing formation; While, playing "Flight of the Valkyrie" on exterior mounted loudspeakers approaching their target which is a castle at siege. If this doesn't get your inner evil genius to make you laugh maniacally I don't know what will.

GATE, I could've sworn I saw this at 24 episodes and when I finished the 12th episode I could not believe what I saw. I was really let down by that, but onto the review. And I can't stress this enough, if you're an anime apologist, don't even bother reading this review or any of my reviews. If you're open minded, welcome.

A gate appears OUTTA NOWHERE, and came rushing the empire's army, indiscriminately slaughtering the citizens of Japan. And now, our otaku military genius protagonist, Itami, swoops in and saves the day and meets cute fantasy girls that any anime/manga fan dreams of. There, begins ... the story of GATE. It's an interesting plot that'll have you coming back out of curiosity and quite honestly, enjoyment.

The world beyond the gate and it's citizens aren't anything inspiring or unique, to say. It's about a fairly above average fantasy setting. But it's good that way, otherwise modern technology, being one of the key elements in the series, to be underwhelmed by unlimited magical powers. The art and animation is consistent throughout the series. It's nothing special but it proves itself to be a great effort. And I applause it for that.

The way the show ended, I can't find myself to say the show is anything other than just good. Not amazing, not horrendous, but good. The voice acting is good enough to keep you entertained throughout the watch. The soundtrack is okay, I never really noticed it as there were plenty of scenes that didn't actually have background music, or either that, it was too low. Additionally, the opening and ending songs are quite good. I enjoyed listening to them. As well as the opening and ending themselves, they convey what the series is about, helping others and creating peace between the two world.

Itami is yet another brown hair protagonist archetype, but unlike the rest of the shitty characters I've seen like that, Itami offers a a lot more scope and range to him. We learn that he's more than what he seems, but more subtle, and not too exaggerated that it would've killed the mood. While I don't feel like he puts up anything new to the table, he definitely is a well crafted main protagonist. And for the three girls that accompany him, Lelei is simply a young magician, Rory is a demi-god, and Tuka is an elf that lost her clan to a fire dragon. That's as deep as those characters get. For the rest of the cast like the other green people and fantasy characters, they are alright. They do their part and it moves right back to Itami and co.. It's interesting to see the fantasy characters interact with the modern world, and it shows the better parts of the three girls that follow Itami, as well as, yes, Pina Co Lada.

Did I enjoy this show? Yes, I did, but I just feel like 12 episodes and how the series left on a cliff hanger, kind of thing, weakened the show very much. I hear it's getting a season 2 but it leaves a conflict waiting to be resolved that was introduced as a sort of new arc. And that is not a good thing to do, even though I understand why not a lot of series can get a full 24 episode show right then and there, having to wait another season or two to get a continuation.

To sum everything up, overall, this show barely misses a recommendation and bad ass seal of approval (Angry Joe!!!). Though it wouldn't hurt to check it out if you have time but not something I will say you must watch NOW.

This is perhaps one of the most realism anime about how military works when their dealing with foreign presence or (unknown presence). This also features element of what the world would respond because as you watch you find that Japan must face two decision however since i can't put spoiler i won't say it. Also i find that Gate is very interesting as it takes the aspect of monster coming out of the "gate". Instead of fighting and getting rid of the "monster" then proceeding to close the gate, they instead enter the other dimension and proceed to somewhat occupied it. As you watch ... this you find that they are somewhat immortal however that's not where the true strong point of this anime. Also note that i say somewhat immortal as they can easily still die if their not careful. However the strong point of this anime i would say is how a military would proceed when facing such unknown. I would strongly recommend this to people who are interested in realism and a bit of fantasy. Also as you watch this anime you find that Japan can't send their entire military force to occupied it.