I'm normally not the rewatching type so I thought to myself, "Will I still get the same satisfaction as the first time?" With the current oversaturation of isekai anime, we've seen everything from grade A waifus and high fantasy, to self-aware parodies and gritty deconstructions. Does GATE offer anything else on the table for the hungry anime enthusiast?
Four years later, my verdict as well as my fondness for GATE hasn't changed. It takes a tired premise and eagerly works with what it has, proving that 'serious' and 'fun' can be used in the same sentence.
STORY - 9
Usually when we go to another world, the trip only offers limited seats. Either you're the chosen one to six people temporarily (or permanently) whizzed off to Wonderland for an extended period of time with no way back. Many more can join the fray but ultimately the objective remains the same. How do I get back? How do I survive until then?
GATE gives us... well, an open gate between two worlds. Anyone can get in and out. So what plays out? Curiosity grows to expansion. Expansion explodes into war. And war makes way for attempts at peace. Pretty much human nature in a nutshell. Instead of supernatural hijinks or a grand fantasy adventure, GATE revolves around the interdimensional relations that ensue if a rift existed between Japan and a generic RPG world. For one thing, it isn't any prettier than what history taught us about colonization, showing us that the road to peace is paved with political, economic, and martial turmoil.
We view the whole gate phenomenon through the eyes of an otaku and closet army man, Youji Itami. And while the events are a dream come true for him, it soon gets real when the Japanese military is involved. What follows is a series of expeditions by the Japanese Self-Defense Force (JSDF) led by Itami's squad to expand into this so-called "special region."
Before we drop the bomb and assume the show's going to be another dark ride on the edge of Angstville, it never goes there. Many people will criticize the glorification of the Japanese military, the ego-stroking that comes with an otaku protagonist, and completely forgettable characters compensated by gore, violence, and explosions. I beg to differ.
What makes the premise so interesting is the other world it portrays; a world of knights, princesses, elves, mages, and beastkin. How does such a fairytale setting wage war with the modern world? Scenarios like this often make our military appear obsolete with our clunky helicopers, sluggish tanks, and lackluster guns battling alien weaponry, mysterious powers, and fantastic beasts.
GATE turns this showdown on its head by portraying just how far we've gone in the science of war. While the fantasy world is stuck with shields and swords, bows and arrows, and horsemen and lances, our advances in technology seem to mirror the enigma of magic in their eyes. Imagine staffs that shoot metal with pinpoint accuracy at terrifying speeds from an untouchable distance. And that's just how they they view your basic rifle. Think about the fear our grenades, jets, and artillery strike into their hearts. If there's one thing GATE does well, it's making us feel the sheer shock and awe from the losing side. The juxtaposition just works.
Here we are, appearing like gods of war raining hell after coming from the other side of the gate, when we're really just defending ourselves on what seems like a simple scouting mission. Our fantastic counterparts, on the other hand, wage a full scale attack throwing men by the thousands on horseback flanked by orcs and wyverns despite wielding inefficient spells, arms, and tactics. Sure, it just so happens the Japanese military takes full jurisdiction with unrealistic competency, but it serves as a quirky reminder that we take our own strength as a species for granted. We are the very invaders we imagine others outside our world to be.
Besides the militarized twist on isekai and fantasy tropes overall, it delivers an action-heavy plot with wonderfully choreographed sequences. GATE excels in building up grandiose scenes. From depicting the amount of explosives it would take to slay a dragon to demonstrating how potent proper military training really is, GATE knows its premise enough to have fun with it.
Despite the characters taking a backseat in all this merrymaking, the show owes its substance to subtle world-building. For starters, the world beyond the gate itself seems like the average fantasy world. Looking into the history of the mysterious gate, we discover that it turns out to be a randomly occurring portal bridging numerous dimensions. Goblins, kobolds, and dragons coexist with elvenkind, knights, and our kind of humans because the gate has collected them into a pocket dimension. The medieval nature of humans residing here also means that at some point in time, we have wandered here, only to attack ourselves in the future. War never changes.
As for the generic otherworlders, their stereotypes are granted practical application. Most of their actions are even rooted in their species' respective social class. Beastkin (or furries), for instance, are often the bane of fanservice and twisted fetishes. Here, they are akin to marginalized tribesmen, relegated to prostitutes and slaves if not fortunate enough to serve as maids or servants under a royal house. Elves, on the other hand, are a peaceful kind relying on basic magic and hunting skills to survive outside the Empire walls. Meanwhile, Dark Elves, their tanner counterparts, behave more like warriors and templars who suffer discrimination from their intimidating appearance. The education system is also touched on where being a mage and its resulting occupations are also similar to pursuing a degree, given you can prove the sun is the center of our solar system without it sounding like a joke.
Sadly though, the anime adaptation is surpassed by its manga and light novel counterparts. Though we only get a brief mention of the aforementioned pantheon of gods and demigods, some lore on the gate's origins, and a glimpse of the fight against rebels of the Empire, we know enough about war and human nature to know where GATE is going. 24 episodes for me are just right before the action fantasy overstays its welcome.
ART - 8
With GATE's high stakes comes high contrast, high color, and high detail. Vivid is the best word for it. Traumatic shell-shock scenes, mass slaughter, political assassinations, and organized coups, all brought to you in warm technicolor. It's like the art is still stuck in its own fantasy despite the dire circumstances. Despite the clear irony with the lively visuals against the violent content, it makes sense given that GATE views war and politics as the daily grind. Nothing is new and dramatic about taking names and taking lives. The day job then becomes more colorful when there's a prospect of a new world ripe for the taking. So in this regard, the blissfully unaware art actually adds a layer of character by viewing it from the eyes of a geek in the army sent to the battlefront of his wildest dreams; enchanted yet unfazed by the fantastic expedition.
Continuing the clever applications of established anime design tropes, GATE applies this to its characters as well. For once we have straightforward designs for the human world. No excessive hair dye, no googly, multicolored eyes, no awesomely impractical costumes, and no gender and age ambiguity, just regular average people with appropriate builds sporting black or brown hair with some even looking slightly alike.
The exact opposite is then applied to the show's fantastic counterparts. Underappreciated genius right there. The logic behind all of the aforementioned anime tropes suddenly make sense given another dimension that still shares similarities to our own.
Lastly, GATE's art has a definite sense of scope. The world of GATE is huge. With thousands of participants in the entirety of the gate dispute, giving due attention to weapons, vehicles, and beasts alike is an outstanding feat. Instead of being mere props and setpieces, all these helicopters, jets, mortars, and tanks are given weight, size, and solid movement. Bigger objects on-screen are also animated in a detailed, cell-shaded look, making them stand out while still keeping to the bright, toony spirit of the show.
The only downside to GATE's smart application of familiar techniques is that they're too familiar. Though clear-cut, attractive, and brimming with life, it doesn't look any more different from your standard fantasy anime. It also doesn't evoke its own style enough to visually set itself apart from other isekai anime at face value... other than the glaring humvee and the JSDF uniforms, of course. I'd argue though that it's exactly because it appears banal which enhances the deconstruction it does on the "portal to a fantasy world" scenario.
There is also one clever bit of scene transition GATE is fond of. With most sequences building up to the real action consisting of setting, dialogue, and plotting, GATE transitions between different people and points of interest through quick scene cuts akin to comic book panels. Not only does it keep scenes brief and direct, but it also maintains movement and intensity during the slower paced scenes.
Whether it would be a cunning re-envisioning of its genre or to make it an accessible entry for today's anime standards, the art and animation of GATE is a prime example of how to establish an immersive world of size and diversity.
SOUND - 9
With how well the show is faring so far in this review, I won't be stopping anytime soon. GATE's sound sits just right; composed of awesome SFX, fitting BGM, and a stellar dub teetering between anime fun and Hollywood urgency.
Sound effects are abundant especially with the numerous distinct-sounding weapons in Japan's arsenal. Mortar fire, sidearm sounds, and minigun rattles to name a few, give everything that added level of dread and excitement.
Surprisingly, the BGM isn't too over the top to draw away from the show itself while still adding to the mood of any scene that demands it. Orchestras dominate the soundtrack that complement the faux-medieval, war-driven setting. It can sound tense one moment, grand in the next. While the OPs for both seasons scream 'mainstream hype' as do the more boppy EDs, they nevertheless do their job and fit the casual undertones of the show.
The English dub, being one of the main reasons why I picked up this show again, definitely did not disappoint. David Wald gives Youji Itami the right blend of gruff and dorky key to his character. There are also notable mentions in his squad. Stephanie Wittels transforms Kuribayashi into an aggressive warfreak as opposed to her genki girl persona. And there's Tomita played by Ty Mahany, coming out as the gentle giant foil to the former. Allison Sumrall grants Kurokawa a motherly touch while Tyler Galindo's Kurata has a spot-on rookie voice as opposed to Josh Morrison's Kuwahara acting as the seasoned veteran. All these performances working with the military-apt script changes in the dub culminates in a truly entertaining army-centric experience.
Let's not forget the leading ladies beyond the gate. Tuuka voiced by Juliet Simmons plays the daddy's girl very well with a voice that just cries innocence. Molly Searcy's Rori, on the other hand, gives an appropriate range for her appearance but with a delivery that completely smashes the illusion of her youth, not afraid to reach cougar levels of intimacy. Brittney Karbowski's Lelei balances out the two with an eerie calmness both warm and devoid of emotion; a job she does masterfully despite her usual ditzy roles. Lastly, Princess Pina Co Lada by Jessica Boone plays her role of forthright successor with such passion and grit that it draws away from her randomly comical name.
The only fault to be found is the clunky way of presenting language in the gateworld. With gateworlders already speaking our language for the viewer's convenience, we only get glimpses of their native tongue during initial efforts at establishing contact. It slightly detracts from the immersion a fully developed language system could achieve, but I digress. GATE's sound department is nonetheless a grand effort that consistently makes a scene.
CHARACTERS - 7
I admit GATE's characters aren't the most fleshed out bunch out there. But despite characterization giving in to more focus on the plot, each character isn't wasted.
I mentioned earlier that GATE is a show of scale. With a full-blown war on their hands, the cast is as large as it is functional. The main protagonists could be Itami's underdog squad with enough elements to make an A Team. It could also be the waifus on the other plane of existence with how main character-ish they look. But remember we're talking about a show of scale. With assaults, assassinations, courtroom decisions, negotiations, and peace talks happening left and right, there is no one person steering the plot. There's the Empire, the nomads, the military, the government, the media, China, and the US, trying their best to further their own goals. Even Japan is a fearsome and formidable character as demonstrated by their sheer might and edge on and off the battlefield.
But looking into the characters, as flat as their stereotypes make them out to be, there's still an underlying duality in all of them. Youji Itami, overglorified otaku yet a MacGuyver working a life-threatening job to fund his hobbies. Tuuka, most ladylike in appearance yet a traumatized war child searching for a father figure. Rori the Reaper, epitome of a cosplaying goth-loli gag yet a weary soul-searcher enjoying her last few years of existence. Lelei, quiet and stoic student yet a low-key ambitious prodigy and innovator. Pina Co Lada, a refreshing cocktail by name, yet a badass princess who would do anything for the glory and well-being of the Empire. And don't get me started with the dragons. These standard fantasy minibosses whose only gimmick was flight and fire become nothing short of superweapons in GATE; gigantic creatures that rival jets in maneuverability, tanks in armor, and guns with an endless supply of literal firepower, capable of incinerating fully-armed settlements as well as wiping out entire species off the map. Exactly what dragons are and what they deserve to be.
Bottom-line, with a show like GATE, action is character. It's about the collective actions these characters do in the greater scheme of things, communicating time spent on exposition, backstory and needless infodump into an efficient and enjoyable scene.
ENJOYMENT - 10
With all of my objective statements earlier, GATE is far from a masterpiece. It isn't that deep, reeks of stereotypes, oversimplifies foreign affairs, and doesn't give us the full story (yet). Despite these glaring shortcomings and its unwavering seriousness in what could've been another isekai, GATE manages to avert them simply by being fun.
While it shows no reprieve in hiding the atrocities of war, it does so in such a fantastic and epic scale, inciting more thrill than tragedy; making the awful awesome, and the terrible terrific. Almost like a sky of fireworks or the latest Marvel movie, serious fun is the name of the game.
Adult fears also pop up to keep things refreshing. Maintaining an otaku lifestyle into your 30s, career ethics, media manipulations, incompetent bosses, etc. Itami and company have the most action and screentime sure, but plot movement is ultimately decided by the upper brass, with the pacing purposefully being either too fast or decisively slow. You know that one glaringly obvious thing to do at work your boss just can't let you do until you show him a million reasons worth of paperwork on why it should be done? Get ready to feel that again in GATE.
But hey, you have an escort mission cleverly disguised as a hot spring episode, a volatile civil war quelled by a lolicon pairing, and a bunny girl tribe leader playing Mata Hari as her ultimate vengeance against the empire. The outlandish premises on paper just click in GATE giving generic tropes the extra layer it needs to enthrall viewers once again. With a potential war of the worlds plot acted out by your every-anime characters that blend political drama and battlefield strategy consistently, it strikes the perfect middle ground among analytical viewers, thrill-seekers, and popcorn-eaters. And with all try-hard attempts at being dark, recycled jabs at comedy, and half-baked efforts in fantasy world-building present in any given medium, there are shows like GATE. Shows that don't care about the expectations set by bigger players on the industry, but rather focus on milking every ounce of fun out of its material for what its worth. Yes it has guns, girls, dragons, and explosions... and it's proud of them. If Michael Bay ever made a fantasy anime, look no further.
OVERALL - 9
