Rather than writing a complete review of the anime, I wanted to write an analysis of one of the scenes in it and base the review from there. The scene in question would be the famous Ride of the Valkyries scene.
The anime copies from the movie, Apocalypse Now, the scene in which Colonel Kilgore leads a regiment of helicopters to attack a village during the Vietnam war. In Apocalypse Now its the US military against the vietcong, and in Gate, its the JSDF against bandits who have occupied the town of Italica.
In Gate, the JSDF are completely justified in their assault against their opponent who have terrorized the town and its inhabitants.They are the saviors, the heroes, and the song that they play during their actions, Ride of the Valkyries, brings to mind gallantry and heroism. We see the light of the sun shining behind on them as their two front helicopters dance together going side by side each other. We see and hear the leader of the bandits declaring, "Kill them all" to further emphasize that they are the savages, whereas the JSDF is shown to be professionals who can shoot firearms properly and work together as a team. They are the heroes fighting evil.
In Apocalypse Now, the US attacks a Vietnamese village with one large ulterior motive. A reward. Kilgore was reluctant at first to do the attack, but once he heard there would be a good surf spot, he's immediately for it. The soldiers even get beer if they do well enough and praise from the commanding officer, Kilgore, that they all look up to and admire. The song that plays during their assault juxtaposes what they believe they are, and what they really are. During the start, with the song playing and the helicopters blaring they are shown heroically going to battle, but we then cut to their adversary. The song is stopped short and we see schoolchildren being led to safety after their teacher hears the helicopters and whats to come with it. They aren't the good fighting the evil, they're bringing the evil.
This is what Gate misses from the Apocalypse now in its copy of the Ride of the Valkyries scene. Art copying from other art is completely fine, but when it is done improperly to the point where stealing is a better term, then there's something wrong. Gate is as pro-war as it can get while it copies from a movie that's completely anti-war. Apocalypse Now shows us a glimpse of the human mind descending into madness during war, while Gate tells us that going to war is fun and can get girls to like you. Gate's version of the Ride of the Valkyries scene is an insult to its original.
This scene alone encapsulates what Gate is. A story about the JSDF bringing justice to this new fantasy world that they've found. In the wars to come, they are the good guys triumphing against evil, with barely any loses with their superior firepower and advanced technology. Their fight isn't difficult or hard, its a simple game where they are always winning. There's no real conflict because we as the audience know for sure that they are going to end up on top. There's no in-depth portrayal of medieval fantasy vs modern military technology, there's only massacre and one-sided victories.
