Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri

Gate in a Nutshell: Overhyped military anime with anime tropes thrown in. Starts off epic and interesting but later devolves into some rather uninteresting story points. Some of the focus isn't where it needed to be. Kind of lost itself to the anime tropes later on, focusing less on the military side. Has art that gets the job done, a couple memorable moments, characters that are kind of forgettable, and a "meh" soundtrack. Should you Watch? Depends. If you like anime, go for it. If you want something epic, don't. If you want something to watch when you're bored this is perfect.

25.09.2015 THIS IS NOT THE FINAL REVIEW! AS I CONTINUE WATCHING THE SERIES THIS REVIEW WILL CHANGE - It only shows my impressions so far. I will rework it after I finished the Anime First review by the way. Epicness = Extra Points (Obviously I am joking, with those points, usually there are other smaller elements, or just a feeling that make me increase the points - Kidding about that last thing here) Well, lets start with the story. By the way. I watched the show with German Subs. -Story- I was really excited when I first read the description of the Anime. 21 century meets medieval age. The idea and potential of this anime is amazing. Tbh, I was so interested that I watched the series to episode 10 and couldnt hold myself from spoilering myself by reading through the manga. But don't you worry, this review will only tell you if the >Anime< is worth to watch, or not... The storyline till now was on an average level. Until now (hehe) the Anime didn't really have a complex plot, as things just continued without any big consequences. But, watching the series still gives you the excitement you wish to have and you are always curious about what happens next, and if you are interested in what happens, then you are interested in how the story continues. If you want to continue watching an anime, because you actually WANT it, then in my opinion it is a good Anime. Maybe not a masterpiece but good and enjoyable. 8/10 for the story. -Atr- The Art of the anime is not something that kicks you off your chair once you start watching it. It is quite good. Anything else to say..? OH YES. BATTLE SCENES. Wow. As you can imagine, when the 21. century military has to fight against medieval Military, things become... obvious. It was amazing how the animators managed to give the battles scenes this taste of EPICNESS. Oh and who didn't notice the smooth fighting style of Rory. That was very good. Pushing the Art to 8 -Sound- The intro was quite good. It is one of those intros you don't skip at the beginning because they annoy you. You start the anime, sit down and listen how the drums introduce you to the next episode. The sound in the series itself was nothing remarkable. Could have been more though as the series sometimes has moments, where people talk and around them everything is mute. Little thing to mention, "Walkürenritt eng: Ride of the Valkyries". I didn't believe my ears (yep, not the eyes this time.) when I heard that music combined with that scene. But the sound of the vehicles, weapons, fights and other stuff were really damn good. Its a good 7/10 -Character- The characters... One might say "Oh this is so fanservice and omg ofc the leader of the squad is an otaku, oh what a coincidence he is involved in all those stuff and suddenly a super cool person with a stupid attidude waffle waffle". Yes the characters, especially those from the special region, are designed to fit to the majority of Anime watching people. We got an elve, a gothlike dressed demigod, and a young sorceress. We also got the squad of Itami (our protagonist), which doesn't have any special members, besides a woman who uses to talk about the background stuff sometimes. The character development of Itamis isn't really present, they are good educated soldiers, they know what to do, nothing "that dangerous" to face. On the other hand we got the "Special-Regioners" (lets just call them like that) who have to watch a might, so powerful, that it could eliminate them all within a blink, wanting nothing more than peace and friendship and at the same time, they have to fear them, because if they wanted to, they could, as stated above, eliminate them in one turn. We see princess Pina with the ton pressure shes under, witnessing this might from a first person view. I think this is what we should look at. The other side. If we were to face what the Special-Regioners see currently, we would be like "Oh thats cool, lets explore it." While our SRs (Special Regioners) are used to medieval standards. They are facing something completly different. A godlike might, which doesn't care if you are a honorable soldier. If it wants to, it eliminates you. A world, ruled by a people, not only by Kings and Queens. A world that aims for peace but at the same time does everything for ressources. They have to face that fact, that they need to negotiate with a world, they don't know, but at the same time, is ruled by a race they know. This isn't like some ET wants to destroy earth, it is different. And this is the place where the character development shows itself. As I said before, I did read the Manga so I know that Character Development will happen, pretty good development though. But this rating is for the anime thus a fair 6/10. -Enjoyment- Enjoyment. Well. I really... really enjoy watching this series. It is just great and interesting to witness this clash of ages. Of course you have episodes where (felt) nothing happens. But you still want to know what exactly happens even if it is nothing special. It is a sign of a good Anime to make the viewer curious, (best tool in this Anime is the good old Cliffhanger). I like to watch this series and I will continue watching it. A strong and outstanding 10/10 In the last version of my review, I called this Anime already one of the best Animes this year. This of course is just an expectation, as I don't know the exact full story. It has a lot of potencial, very much. From what I've seen so far, this is a very good anime and I hope it gets better as it continues. TL;DR or SL;WTRM (So long; want to read more). You sometimes need these setups, that look too random, for a good story (this setup is the perfect example). This is not a bad thing, this is what makes something interesting. This Anime is worth to watch and is enjoyable, even for people who have nothing much to do with the militaristic scene of Animes. Recommended.

Throughout history, the concept of discovering new lands has ended with one of two possibilities. One, the invaders take over the natives and make the lands for themselves, or two, the natives push back the invaders and keep the lands for themselves. So, with Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri, or Gate: and so the JSDF fought there, alluding to that concept with Japan and another world, what are we to expect from this story? Story: Yoji Itami is your everyday average Otaku. He likes Doujinshi, he has his own personal fetishes, and he likes online novels. On the way to go buy some Doujinshi, a Gate reminiscent to a roman structure opens up in the middle of the city, and all kinds of people, monsters, dragons, and militia barge in and begin slaughtering the innocent civilians. With quick thinking, and the help of the military he contacted, Itami rushes to help with the situation where we discover that this guy is actually a pretty damn good soldier reaching the rank of First Lieutenant. And so, with a mysterious gate that spawned creatures of fantasy existing in the middle of Japan, the government dispatches the JSDF to go in and discover what is on the other side of the Gate. Gate's story is very similar to the ideas of conquering a new land. We have the invaders and the natives played by the JSDF and the Empire respectively, and we have to opposing sides that go to war (to some degree) and battle for control over certain areas. However, rather than a full-on takeover, Gate focuses more on peaceful resolutions and a mix of cultures and knowledge amongst the two different peoples. Rather than focusing more on the war side of politics, Gate puts most of its effort towards the idea of peace as throughout the entire anime there are talks of peace, sharing cultures and goods, as well as other political acts such as Diets, shifts of power, and well, war. Because you can't have two opposing sides go against each other without war. Aside from the peace treaties, occasional war, and trade that goes on in the series, there's honestly not much to say beyond that. Character development doesn't particularly exist in this anime as it is very much story-driven, and any sort of thing that seems like character development really only equates to "Itami is a good guy." Hell, those are the closing lines for the show. In addition, some of the politics does get a bit messy halfway through the series. A lot of things happen around the halfway to 2/3 mark of the series and it isn't...really all that clear. A lot of events can happen in Gate at one time, and it ends up becoming rather confusing to watch simply because there is just so much going on. In the end, Gate did succeed in what it wanted to tell, which was a story that focused on two different sides now coming together since there was a gate that allowed them to come in contact with one another. What it didn't really do well on was the specifics on what it wanted to do. Its somewhat poor execution was only heightened by the lackluster ending. In all fairness, it was a very anticlimactic ending. Nothing...really happened there and the luster of the series just sort of faded away. Overview: + Good base story idea + Decent plot and progression - Lackluster ending - Poor execution sometimes by jumbling a lot of stuff together at once Characters: In addition, characters in Gate are good when looked at from face value, but they don't really hold much value in the long run. Up first, there's Yoji Itami, the main protagonist of the series. As a First Lieutenant of the JDSF army, Itami is a man who has control over an entire little squadron of characters. Throughout the series, Itami is shown to be a rather lax man, wishing only to be one with his Otaku goods and not worrying about the going ons in politics and what have you. But contrary to that, he is a very kind person, seeing that everyone who asks for help should get help and unwilling to back down whenever there is any immediate threat to the people he knows and loves. But really, that's about it. There isn't really any character development for Itami throughout the entire series. He stays rather static with the role that he's given and really doesn't change at all. In most cases, he acts a bit like a plot device because he's the one giving orders and the one that influences most of the characters in the series, while not really changing much as a character himself. And then we have the three title girls of the series. Tuka, Lelei, and Rory. Similar to Itami, these three girls don't really change much as the series goes on. Static in their roles as sort of "the last girl" due to how Tuka comes in the series, "the knowledgeable one" on account of Lelei's will for knowledge and ability to become a mediator/translator between the other world and Japan, and the "fan favorite" on account of Rory's rather...interesting personality. (I relate her to Tokisaki Kurumi as a comparison, and a bit sad that Sanada Asami didn't get the role for Rory. The parallels!!!) They also don't show up as much as you would think, since there are times where we can basically go an entire episode without either one of these three saying any significant lines. As for side characters, Gate has a very expansive cast featuring characters from both sides that add to the complexity on the views on what is going on in the other world. However, like always, there are some characters that get more screentime than most. Most notably is the third princess of the empire, Pina Co Lada (I'm sorry, but...that name is hilarious. She's a drink.), who spends the series learning about Japan and, like the JDSF, is shooting for peace. Aside from her though, many other characters get shelved off into two separate categories. Characters who actually involve themselves with the main characters on an episode by episode basis, such as Itami's unit, or just story fodder who serve to do nothing but try and build up the way the story works or what kind of people live in the world. (Cause there are a surprising amount of non-humans.) As a result, the story fodder is chock full of characters you really only meet once and is just a complicated way of saying that they're plot devices. Overview: + Rory + Some interesting characters - Little to none character progression - Expansive and completely forgettable side cast. (They even had random operatives from the US, China, and Russia one time. Come on, Gate.) Art: Produced by A-1 pictures, Gate has a rather high quality style of animation. The colors that they use for the series features a rather bright color palette that gives off a very whimsical feel to the series, reminiscent of a magical world. (Well, we are in a magical world.) In addition, the animation is very fluid and nicely detailed. Any sort of action sequence that does not involve just complete modern warfare is very fluid in its motions (Particularly Rory and her massive halberd badassery), and the backgrounds and characters are very nicely detailed. While there aren't any completely stunning scenes to make note of, the animation does stay very consistent throughout the whole runtime and doesn't fail to look good in any way. Overview: + High quality animation + Fluid fight scenes - No real memorable moments in art Sound: Gate's OP is a very peculiar piece to listen to. It's unique in the sense that you can't really pin it down as a specific kind of track. It's not heavy metal, it's not your general cutesy music, nor is it any sort of epic war song. It's a sort of mixture of rock music with a little whimsy, and some war song-like attributes, particularly one that sort of boosts morale. Oddly enough though, it doesn't go to the extent of being memorable. That being said though, it is still a decent track and one worth listening to. The ending on the other hand is similar to a very cutesy song. The three VA's who voice Tuka, Lelei, and Rory sing the song, and it honestly isn't really all th…

This Anime was like a wonderful desert that was rotten on the inside, deeply deeply rotten. The premise of a modern military up against a fantasy military, is rock solid fun, If you like fiction like Turtledoves road not taken, Mary Gentle's Grunts, Stirling's March Up Country. or Anderson's High Crusade. You will really enjoy the first 6 episodes. It's really great military/violence porn. Even while the story is at it's best you can still see problems. In the opening episode you have Roman type cavalry and infantry mounting a mass attack on downtown Tokyo. If you think about it, it's completely ridiculous. It improves after that but then goes way down hill. As the author tries to bring in real world geopolitics he handles it very poorly. The other nations are little more than straw men. You also start to see the lazy writing that characterizes the 2nd season. The last big problem with the first season is that it ends not on a cliff hanger, but just suddenly without resolving anything. This also happens with the second season but it's not as big a problem as you just don't GAF anymore. Final Verdict: The first season on it's own is about 5 and disappointing because it could have been better. But there is a second season that you pretty much will be sucked into , and that brings it all down to a 3.

Gate: Jietai has been on my list for a while since last year, and I have the thought of thinking, "Anything that has another season should be pretty good", though, there was that one time it failed me, but I digress. Gate: Jietai offers an interesting premise from the get go - clash of modern and fantasy-medieval, and the main character is not some teenager. Be warned: this review is very, very long. The plot of the anime is not expanded enough in season 1. While all of the episodes are linked towards each other (and a cliffhanger at the end of episode 12 for season 2 to follow up), it does not show a clear way towards the determined plot, and most of the time Gate: Jietai sinks into comedy amidst its seriousness. The unique story of modern world versus fantasy-medieval piqued my interest all the time, though apart from that, it does not do well. The episodes are well laid out with parts that have slow pacing. There is a fanservice episode at episode 9 along with an unrealistic event, to my opinion, and what amuses me is the use of Fate references in that episode. I believe certain parts of the anime, especially regarding the interference of other countries, are exaggerated. This will be said more in the characters part next. They have portrayed no sexism in army, which gives a plus point in my book. I applaud Gate: Jietai for making the other world speaking in another language apart of Japanese in the other world, though that quickly falls apart as they only make one sentence out of it, and the rest of the words are replaced with Japanese. It was amusing to see that a character was clearly speaking Japanese yet the soldiers have no clue what they were speaking of (despite their main language is Japanese itself) as they alter between the "other language" and Japanese. It would be nice to see them forming a new language and use it often, and not altering between one and another once a while. Another thing I find weird is the fact that almost every relevant characters hails MC (Yoji Itami) as the "savior of the other side", which will also be expanded at the character part. Kindness and trust seems to be an overused thing in Gate: Jietai despite taking place in war. What are the odds for a fearsome army to gain trust without the villagers or townsfolk shaking in fear to their request? Why are most seemingly important characters female? I should keep it in mind that it is only an anime. Most characters in Gate: Jietai have a rather realistic approach (each to their own worlds), but some of their actions are over-exaggerated, particularly the other countries' responses to the appearance of Gate in Japan. The antagonists of the anime, leaders of three different countries, wants a piece of the Gate of themselves, but what they do to have that piece is seemingly exaggerated and poor planning, making their character plain and a foil for Japan. Propaganda? Perhaps, but I am rather lacking to the topic. Then we have Yoji Itami who might seem plain, but he has the main character status. He has the girls, the skills, the brains, and he is also an Otaku. What a coincidence that he is also lazy! Gate: Jietai seems to glorify Otaku for having the MC and someone important to the country an Otaku, but I digress. Yoji Itami is perhaps the weirdest MC I have seen. I quote from him, "I work to support my hobby. So if you ask which I'd choose, my job or my hobby, my hobby takes priority." We know that he is a part of the Self Defense Force (SDF) and his hobby is... anime, manga, doujinshi, I suppose. Why would an Otaku pick to be in the army to support their hobby? They have a higher chance of getting injured, needs a lot of work to be fit for the job, and usually don't have the time off for anything else. Maybe it was the pay that attracted him to be in SDF. That was a lot about him, so we'll move forward. None of the characters have actually grown, but there are a mutual understanding between the two worlds, though the language barrier remains standing, an odd thing to have since the residence of the other world can speak more Japanese than them speaking more of their "other language", but that might be due to Japan being the main control for having modern technology than them. The other supposedly "main characters" of the other world are a part of the harem of Yoji Itami. Supposedly SDF is a fearsome army, yet most other world characters are not afraid of them because they are "kind", "strong" and "trustworthy". The only characters that correctly portrays how they should react to Japan's soldiers are the Princess and her knights, but towards the end of the season they are okay with each other. I am surprise that they praise a lot to SDF and not wondering of the consequences if the soldiers were to make a move and conquer them, especially when they have little to no knowledge of the other world. I understand that they have helped them, but there wasn't any people, or a small group, that despises their existence out of fear of their power. This is too good to be at a war ground where blood spills as easily as to knock over a glass of water at the edge of a counter. The amount of trust and kindness in the anime is too high. The art style of the anime is well done. I like the portrayal of wrinkles in the character's faces wherever applicable. Sometimes the anime slips into 3D animation, to which I still am not too fond of. They are easy to spot but it is decently made. It is extremely easy to detect moderate to important characters of the other world as their hair color, clothing, and distinct appearance traits would give away. The important character designs seems to appeal more towards fantasy lovers (e.g. elves and cat ears) and males with the showing of cleavage in some of the female armors and maid outfits. I would like to take the advantage to say that a priestess's clothes should not be what it is shown in Gate: Jietai. It is impractical, unrealistic, and too influence to the modern world they have yet to be influenced. But it's an anime, right? The background of the anime seems rather flat with colors. It is not the best, but it is good enough. Gate: Jietai's OP does not fit to the tone of the anime as they are flat, and the singer's voice seem to drown in the sounds of instruments. They are not catchy enough to my taste. I skipped the ED so I have no comments about that. It is odd to find Japanese seiyuu voicing over other countrymen, but apart of that they are fine. Reaper's voice does not seem to fit her well in portrayal of a child-like appearance to my opinion. I am unsure of the presence of soundtracks inside the anime as I have a tendency to ignore them, but there is a cue to a soundtrack in episode 6, which I think they have done a great job with, though it does feel off as the soldiers require songs to be pumped up. I have no experience in military, so that is solely my opinion. My enjoyment with Gate: Jietai is decent, though sometimes it does bug me regarding the main character who seems to be almost perfect to be real (an irony, I realize) yet the only negative thing about him seems to be being an Otaku. While there are things here and there I could relate to, but some of its exaggeration, whether for drama purposes or heighten up the show, that quickly follows after it detaches me from feeling the same as before. The first episode gave a good impression along with its half-hearted comedy that more or less gave me a smile. The anime have, whether purposely or accidentally, glorify the soldiers of Japan and justify killing of others (though they are enemies, even so there was no clear purpose of their attacks, for "plot purposes" again I suppose. It was shown that they could have a peace talk against one another, though when it faces the seemingly antagonistic characters that are just there for a moment, they don't have any discussions). The exaggeration of the other countries' reactions towards the Gate slightly downgraded their appearance wh…

added to list and complete watched Season 1 12/12 Season 2 12/12 Review for the series : what a nice anime, the plot is yeah like a roller coaster when it's came to up happiness then kaboom it's drop down to the tight plot the military and politic element in the first make me meehhh and planned to drop it but while in every episode i'm watched (because of the plot and character development), it's make me moreee ah wanted to continuing watch,as i know this series has a comedy and adventure genre Youji Itami, claiming him self and claimed as otaku, a member of military JSDF or Japan Self-Defense Forces (Jietai), is wanted to attend a doujin convention in Ginza,Tokyo. but when he's on way,there an a mysterious large gate appeared in the city,that supernatural creature and warrior suddenly appear from the gate. feel annoyed by that and have a motto "i have to work because of my hobby,if i have to choose between my job or hobby,i'll choose my hobby" he then saving every people from the monster in the city and back to his job the military JSDF. after 3 month from the attack,he later tasking a mission to explore the gate that connected to another world (fantasy world) beyond the gate that referred as "Special Region". on the way,he with his teammate meet some villager,elf,magician,princess also demigoddess that also joined his team Tuka Luna Marceau, a superior race of elves from the Special Region that survive from Fire Dragon attack on her village, The whole village was destroyed by the attack of an ancient fire dragon and she was the only survivor. Lelei La Lallena, a Nomaden Human Sage and Sorceress from Coda Village that also saved by Itami's team from Mad-Horse and Fire Dragon,The second disciple of Cato the elder sage. Although being a knowledgeable person with outstanding talents, she rarely shows emotion. Due to her petite frame, she looks younger than she actually is. (P.S. she is my fav chara in this series) Rory Mercury, a demigoddess and an apostle of Emroy, the god of war, violence, and death. Despite her antediluvian age, she has the appearance of a 13-year-old, Her gothic lolita dress is an outfit for priestesses. Rory has a friendly personality as seen when she immediately became friends with Yōji Itami and started sitting on his lap. However she shows no mercy to her enemies as seen when she slaughtered a gang of bandits without any remorse. In battle, she is shown to have a violent, sadistic personality, however, she is not without a sense of justice, often targeting bandits and criminals, while generally friendly towards the common people. the Itami's Group must survive the Special Region and later they involved in a complex political situation between the Kingdom in the Special Region and the Japan Government the doki-doki situation will appear in the war between them soo this series will serve a easygoing plot in the beginning of the series,then when the watcher know the situation and plot,they (watcher) will given a complex plot which the only understood watcher will enjoying this series i'm just enjoy the itami's character development,he is a person which faith on a order,but when his friend on a trouble he will break the order in order to save his friend,also comment of his teammate in JSDF "I just can't break the order,but what will Itami did for this ?" overall i'm enjoy with this series include the plot,character,comedy 10/10 also positive points for the Opening Soundtrack XD

THIS IS NOT A CLICHE STORY ABOUT AN OTAKU!!! This is a master-level anime couples with a great animation and soundtrack. If you are looking for an anime that blends military and fantasy almost PERFECTLY, this is it. yet it have its own flaws and greatness. (just finished the second season) Lets take a look at this VERY SHORT review. Let's start with MC.. He is skilful. Not the usual laidback personality and not simply a manifestation of brute force. He act when needed and does thing correctly yet he is not a serious person and NOT THE USUAL PERVERT MC. Soundtrack: A good try I said. But there is still room. Especially when there is an air raid and they use Raid of Valkyrie as a background music.. A common classical piece. They try to copy that one movie but I forgot its name. Scenery: A1 studio really put their effort into this anime cause we can see the glittering atmosphere, shiny sky, yet vast and empty world consume in the darkness blend splendidly together to create a truly magical atmosphere. Story line: Put it simply, you might have that feeling of Log horizon. There is character development and stuff. and the most important thing: PLOT. Yes, they have it. You can see the story shifting smoothly one arc after another with a logical continuation inserted with light humour now and then. Despite the existence of many women(Girls, elf, demigod loli, whatev) There is not an obvious smell of harem going on. Every character fit in into the party very well and have their own role and part in the anime unlike many anime that inserted a loli, oppai, osanajimi and others just to make a harem atmosphere and their fanservice duty.

(This review has been adapted from my blog/reddit thread. Spoilers ahead!) The progression of weaponry is pretty astounding. As Neanderthals, we started off with nothing more than blunt sticks and sharp stones. Eventually we learned about the oddity called the “bow and arrow.” From there, we melted iron to make knives, swords, and javelins. Then came the gun. Then the tank. Then the jet, the submarine, and the almighty nuke. In a relatively short amount of time, humanity has proven their penchant for new ways of killing each other. GATE: Thus the JSDF Fought There!, while not really about the weapons, showcases a wide range of them, from the bow to the gun to the fighter jet. Of course, given the mythical setting, other forms of weaponry exist, such as magic and massive death axes. And so this makes me wonder something: where will our weaponry be ten years from now? Or in one hundred years? Will we go the Star Wars route, with light-sabers and laser-blasters? Or will we instead come up with a piece of technology that we currently cannot comprehend? At the minimum, I hope there is not an alien species out there looking to invade us with such technology, because as GATE depicts, an assault rifle beats a sword any day of the week. STORY GATE is Japanese propaganda incarnate. The Japanese army is intelligent, strong, and merciful. At every possible turn, the Japanese army is placed in a supremely positive light. One second they are creating a brand new village for the other-worldly denizens to inhabit, and the next second has them defeating the American CIA and other foreign intelligence agencies simultaneously.GATE even has blatant examples: at one point, Bozes exclaims (conveniently enough, at the camera), “Splendid! How does Japan elevate even the smallest dishes into works of art?” One does not get more patriotic than that. Do not be mistaken. This is not a negative. In fact, this is quite the positive. Part of what GATE wants to accomplish is highlighting the disparity between Japan (who represents the normal world) and the Empire (the new world). So, the anime does what one calls “hitting two birds with one stone.” By placing Japan on a pedestal, not only does the show makes its own country look nice but it also achieves the stark contrast it had in mind from the beginning. Not looking at the more meta aspect of the show, narratively GATE is pretty simple, cliché even. A portal – a gate – opens up to a world filled with cat people, medieval governments, and dragons. People exploring an untapped world is nothing new, though the way in which GATE approaches the concept is slightly different. The narrative has some focus on conquering and murder. A giant, fire-breathing dragon decimating an entire clan of elves and the prospect of rape should the battle be lost are parts of war that are definitely present. But what the narrative mainly focuses on is the “gentler”, the more civil side of war. Saving civilians, diplomatic exchanges, summits between the warring states, the formation of alliances, and paying respects to the dead. Again, the anime does this partly to put Japan in a favorable light but also partly to showcase that war is not constant death, destruction, and despair. That despite the atrocities war brings, people still try to find the silver linings. Interestingly, one of the anime’s weakest aspects is the world-building. Yes, the show gives small details in regards to Rory’s religion, how their senate works, and the names of various locations. Yet, the Empire, this brand new and almost unbelievable world, never feels like a world. Civilian interaction is rarely shown. Magic is hardly talked about. The differences between a regular elf and a dark elf are not discussed. These and other details are admittedly small, but they add up quickly. So quickly, in fact, that the show seems to (once again) favor showing the normal world more so than the new world. In a show about this new world and the differences between it and what people are used to, ignoring the world-building is a blunder. Though there is a trade-off: GATE regularly shows its new world characters – Tuka Luna, Piña, Rory, and so on – in the normal world. Rory getting scared on the subway or Piña appreciating “art” get back at the disparity that the anime had always been striving for. A problem that GATE has that is difficult to explain away is its tendency for sexual content. For instance, the show relies one-too-many times on the “a female should offer her body as payment or apology” card. This prevalence of sex – be it Rory’s advances or dressing up the women at a local mall – does not fit among the war, politics, and action taking place, no matter how appealing Tuka Luna looks in fashionable clothes. But to be fair, GATE is not that concerned about anything else other than the cute, otherworldly women and the Japanese propaganda motif. In other words, the anime does not have much of a thematic presence. And for what the show is – an action anime blending the old and the new, the regular and the magical – it does not have to be much more than that. ANIMATION GATE does this weird, but welcome, thing with the presentation of some of its scenes. Usually when a pair of characters are speaking or the show wants to depict multiple, previous scenes simultaneously, the anime goes into panel mode. Four square panels, two rectangular ones, etcetera. This accomplishes a lot at once. One, the audience gets a clear view of the speakers talking to one another, giving the anime more chances to show off its art. Two, the presentation feels like a newspaper sharing today’s news. Given the military motif, presenting the anime as if it were some daily news feels right at home. Three, lastly, and most importantly, the paneling creates that sense of disparity. Seeing Itami and Piña on opposite sides of the screen at the same time is a nice and easy way to showcase the contrast between the normal and the new worlds. As for the rest of the art, the anime – due to focusing more on the normal world – has lush scenery replaced with skyscrapers and military outposts. Besides a castle, a makeshift town, and some country roads, the Empire is not shown all that much, contributing to that missing world-building feel. Where GATE shines brightest are its character designs which do feel as if they come from an alternate world. Yao Ha Ducy’s caramel-colored skin, white hair, and yellow eyes make her out to be the exotic beauty that she is. The elvish Tuka Luna in modern clothes achieves more disparity. Rory dons her signature black-and-magenta dress. Lelei’s blue and pale-green design match her cool, unemotional approach to life. In (nice) contrast, Itami, Shino, and the other JSDF members are given seemingly plain designs. Though in this context, “normal” works better than “plain” because the whole point is that the new world is different. So, though normal, these designs contrast with the gaudier ones, continuing GATE’s focus on disparity. Actual animation remains relatively high throughout the season. Eye and hair movement is present, as are subtler animated sequences such as a floating water bubble and slaps to the face. Given the constant military action involving tanks, guns, and jets, the characters moving around in a believable manner was a nice sight to see. CHARACTERS The cast of GATE is huge, but that is somewhat to be expected when two contrasting countries go to war with one another. At the forefront is Itami who, unfortunately, is handled poorly. In the beginning, he is characterized as a hobbyist, or colloquially an “otaku.” He loves anime, manga, and doing as little as possible. Circumstances force his hand, earning him a promotion and, consequently, some loathing for the situation he is placed in. So at the start, Itami is not a man with a mission but instead a man looking to avoid as many missions as possible. Then the show starts to get underway. At this point, Itami becom…

Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri is one heck of an anime and manga. Having read and watched both I can say the series is quite interesting and for those of you just watching the anime, the series will have more big story defining events happen in the future. However for the show's plot itself at least at present (cause it could always pick up in the future) is rather dull, a lack of a clear and threatening enemy grinds the concept of the show to quite a halt. Yes there are plenty of times where the JSDF finds a purpose to use its overwhelming firepower over its mid-evil enemies and environment and at times finding themselves wanting to go out and shoot up a dragon that's burning villages to the ground. But politics loves nothing more than getting in the way of such actions. But concerning the plot, it does evolve, but over the past few episodes nothing overly significant in terms of progression towards what people could call an "End" to the story. The story seems to find excuses to perpetuate the story further with small but not always insignificant events. Such as Itami and company's visit to Japan due to a summoning by the Japanese DIET, or their prolonged political battle for a peace process with an empire that takes much of the same mentality as the Roman Empire. Not an easy or quick task to say the least. However despite the dullness of the story thus far it has HUGE potential. (and don't get me wrong I love watching political debates, political blackmail, and black op events stir up emotional results but when that's the most tense action you see it's difficult to keep excited about the story). Japan at present is the only country with access to this world at least at present, it's always possible that other countries including but not limited to the US, Russia and China could also find access to this world through their countries. Or possibly other worlds with similar, or even much more advanced technology or magical abilities could also open up. But getting outside the big "What ifs" of this story's potential, the world called the "Special Region" of Japan so far has only 1 outpost for the JSDF and their exploration of this world is so far quite limited only operating within one country the Empire that attacked Japan through that Gate that appeared in Ginza (creating the "Ginza Incident"). Thus the JSDF is rather reluctant to go outside the Empire's borders and many other countries and races exist beyond the empire. So in short there is still a huge world out there that has yet to be explored. The political side to the story takes a very dark turn turning into what others have also criticized the story on being a purely "Good vs. Evil" with no in between. Having the JSDF being the unbending and ever noble good guys while every other entity has proven themselves to be sketchy at least or out right obnoxious at worst. Even the Big 3 countries US China and Russia also earn their place in this with the Chinese expressing that they want to take the special region so they can relocate millions of people there. The US president wanting to annex the region for its resources potential. Russia hasn't expressed anything directly yet but has participated in trying under handed tactics much like the US and China. But the US earned a special place in this story by resorting to Blackmailing the Japanese Prime Minister to try and abduct the Emissaries from the "Special Region". China and Russia tried the same thing at the same time minus the black mail which ended up the special agents from all three countries wiping each other out with Rory's help. Not much can be said about artwork other than it's AMAZING. Beautiful and vibrant colours and not short in detail when designing either world. While Japan does take a slightly more dull environment colouring and brightness unlike the fantasy world I'm willing to bet that's because they want the attention and interest to be on the fantasy world rather than becoming invested in 'our' world. Sound has been slightly disappointing to me at times. It's not that they get the wrong sounds or ignore important sounds. They just seem to like to tone the volume down on many sounds and events that would bring some extra excitement to me. Maybe it's because I'm a big movie theater guy and love nothing more than having the sound of a tank firing or a helicopter AT missile explode that can not only be heard but also felt. The music on the other hand is excellent nothing short in helping define the nature of the plot along with the op and ed videos. Characters in this story is rather mixed for me. I'm loving the HUGE variety of characters in both design and personality. There is no shortage of characters, you will find a character type you love, or would love to strangle with a corded phone, whether it's a strong minded female who seems to enjoy nothing more than close range combat, a military nurse with a heart of gold, a princess who loves her country but isn't above making tough decisions for her country's benefit and using others to do so, or a Prince who's arrogance, and abuses of slaves/prisoners (both physically and sexually) need to have him learn humility in the most painful way possible. GATE doesn't disappoint with character variety. However character development is somewhat lacking, while some characters do develop with their struggles and learning how to operate in this new and alien world, the struggles they have to endure or overcome haven't yet proven to be detrimental to the plot or create events that would put the main character or the JSDF's mission in peril. Overall I'm enjoying this series and hope that it continues into a long running series which includes other countries becoming involved in this "Special Region" but hopefully not in conflict with each other, nothing ruins a story for me than pointless conflict between nations.

Gate is one of my favorite anime to re-watch since it's short and has an enjoyable allure. I love the aspect of science versus fantasy in the series. I enjoyed the art style and the characters are memorable. The story is clear and each major event that occurs is completed within 2 or 3 episodes. However, I was disappointed to find out that the series was being separated into 2 seasons instead of 1 season comprised of 24 episodes. There is plenty of action and comedy thrown together along with a decent plot. Overall, if you want to see what would happen if science versus fantasy occurs, then this is great for you. If not, then give it a shot.

Okay, so from what I've seen I believe this was supposed to be 25 episodes, and the ending of the last episode seems to support this. It's a hook for a second season that I hope happens, because this is a very interesting concept that I want to see explored further. So, basic premise of the story (that you can find above mostly) is that the Japanese military is sent through a Gate to a fantasy world after the fantasy world attacks ours. From here the military save a few people, and our otaku protagonist i sent through. This anime doesn't try to hid the fact that it's partly a harem between three fantasy girls, but it does not focus on that like Monster Musume (not bagging it, just don't compare them). However, the story goes a lot deeper. It goes into the politics and some interesting ideas like how Japan deals with other countries who are greedy and want their share of the other world. Sounds boring, but anyone who has watched either Spice and Wolf or Maoyuu Maou Yuusha would know that it's not. Anyway, art. It's not anything groundbreaking but there is something about it that feels more mature, other than the fact that the MC isn't a teenager in high-school like most anime of this kind. I don't know, but they got a lot right in the visuals that I don't know how to describe, it's not awkwardly bright like some anime, and it's nothing unique like Zankyou no Terror, but there is the polish that just works. Okay, so the sound is something that I've began to take notice of recently a lot more since the aforementioned Zankyou no Terror, as well as Code Geass and (don't shoot me for saying this) Fairy Tail. I used to only pay attention to the OP and ED for this section, but there wasn't anything that stood out for me during the show. The music was great at setting the mood, but there was nothing like Is or Von from ZnT or The Dark Guild Theme from FT. (Andi realised after this that I didn't mention Cowboy Bebop or Baccano, but I haven't actually watched them even if I love the soundtracks, plus they are on a different planet entirely). The characters are what really make this anime shine. Sure, you have your standard fantasy staples like magicians, elves, humans and various human animal cross-breeds, but they are unique characters in their own right. And god help me if I don't praise this anime for having MCs that AREN'T TEENAGERS!!! Sure the guy is still an otaku, as are some of his friends (and this one old guy) and the audience can relate to him when he talks about waifus and memorizing OPs, but he ISN'T a dumb teenager. And stemming off this not all the characters in the faux-harem are generic. The mage is interested in our society (and she becomes freaking awesome because of chemistry), the elf has some interesting PTSD, and Rory... well... Rory is... So, the other side characters all have their own unique charm. Princess Pina Co Lada (I legit replayed that scene to check I didn't hear that wrong) isn't your standard princess, especially when she discovers... well... And then you have the other military characters, specifically Takeo and Shino. Takeo is a fellow otaku to Itami who provides some much needed otaku banter between the characters. Meanwhile Shino is the strong headed one who provides some really great banter as well as well as ideas. There is one more character (who I won't spoil) who is adorable and awesome. Finally, how i enjoyed it. It was bloody great, but I was lead to believe there would be 25 eps, not twelve. And the final episode shows that. the last lines are legitimately (spoilers I think, but not really) "It's only been half a year..." Yea... even the show acknowledges that... I wish there was more because there were some plotlines developing in the last episode that I'm just praying for a season 2. Anyway, I think this show is a great show in the Fantasy genre, and instead of going in pretending it's not a harem (*cough* SAO *cough), it makes you think it's a harem when it's not really. I give it an almost killing a dragon with a rocket launcher but not quite/10 because of that ending that just feels unsatisfying.

This is my first review so I think I'll just keep to the basics and cover what I thought about each categories, quickly, in a few paragraphs. This anime, while having a similar feel to a lot of other anime out there about other worlds, comes at it in a completely different way. It was refreshing to see a lot of connections to our daily lives as well as new things that not all of us experience combined into a fantasy/new world story line. It throws small chips of comedy into some of the harsher realities of military work (obviously not all are correct but you get what I mean). The art was very well done with scenes ranging from lush new scenery to old, down-to-earth human lifestyle art. The music was a nice combination of emotion-evoking but not quite as strong as certain anime. However thanks to the plot not being a drama, strong music isn't quite as necessary anyways (I'm pretty sure saying that isn't a spoiler lol). The characters introduced were superbly well crafted, bringing a blend of new personalities along with the generic, run-of-the-mill ones. Overall I enjoyed watching this anime. It was plain enough to understand and enjoy but offered some in-depth ideas. With new characters, an interesting plot-line and simply eye-catching art, this anime left me wanted a second season. I hope you watch it and enjoy!

There's going to be a second season......right? PLEASE, SOMEONE TELL ME THAT THERE'S A SECOND SEASON!!!!! Short Summary: A portal to another whole new world opened in Ginza, Tokyo. From the portal an army of monsters invade the place but due to the advanced machinery in Japan the monsters are overthrown. The military then enter the portal to investigate the world beyond the portal. There, they build a base and try to communicate with the locals in that world. The plot sounds VERY familiar doesn't it? (If you're not sure what I am referring to you can ask me) So if you know what I meant by the plot sounding familiar you can kind of see why my score for the story is not really high. Other than that, the series itself was pretty decent. The characters had were unique in there own way and it was fun to see how the natives of the other world reacted to the soldiers. The one thing I hated was the ending. What is that supposed to mean?? Is it hinting on a second season? or is it telling me to look up the adaptation of the series?? The ending was very abrupt and unsatisfying. Unless the producers plan on making a second season then my ratings for this anime will go even lower than what I have given it.

I think this is one of the anime with the best combination of military and fantasy of all time. Until now I haven't found an anime that has a similar and good story to this anime. For people who like the military, then this anime is a recommendation, and do you also like fantasy world magic? Then this anime is also the answer. The interesting storyline begins with an Otaku who is caught in a war between other worlds and suddenly gets a title he doesn't want. The differences in culture and weapons make the story even more interesting, because these vast differences made the invaders successful in being repelled and instead being invaded. Good, cute, beautiful characters, maybe this is one of the advantages of this anime, especially Rory Mercury quite famous in its time, and maybe even now there are people who like this character as a favorite. The story structure is good, even though there are still many mysteries that have not been revealed, I hope this anime will soon get another season for a more complete story until the end.

Well that was weird. There's no pacing whatsoever with the story. There's very little transition between plot points so it just feels like you get dropped into a major arc of the story and you're like "wait, why is this happening?". The story isn't complex though so you won't feel lost – just bored, frustrated, and a little confused. The show tries to have its own in-universe politics but none of it is logical or engaging. You can't have political drama if there are zero consequences for the main characters. The only thing that's political about the show is that it's blatant nationalistic propaganda. I don't fault it just because it's propaganda, I fault it for being so bad at it. It's strange to have a story where none of your main characters can actually impact the story. The story just moves along regardless of what the main characters do. (Again, probably because the show is too focused on the whole lazy propaganda thing.) Almost all of the women characters only exist to react to the dudes in the show, the protagonist is a gary stu, and one time a horse sounded like a human baby and then they shot it...so that was a thing. And I hate the pedophilia. An immortal death demi-god loli that has an orgasm anytime nearby soldiers die is weird, boring, and gross. The score for this show is very strange. Even within its own genre and tropes it's bad. I'm mad that this was the top recommendation for anime similar to World Trigger. They aren't remotely similar. Their similarity starts and stops at a single plot device. It's like saying Shrek and Game of Thrones are similar because they both have misfits that are ostracized by royalty in a medieval setting.

Gate is anime where a gate between japan and a fantasy world complete magic, elves, bunny people and dragon are real the fantasy world launches an invasion that turn back my the MC an officer the JSDF that otaku and lazy. the MC thank to his heroic action (just to same a comicon event) he put into the the scout force sent to explore and come to make peace with the medieval human kingdom that invade. he lead a reconnaissance force trailblazing into this unexplored lands meeting elves, cat and bunny girls along with human from the kingdom that invade japan and ruined the comicon event. the anime had action, drama, political intrigue and the MC get a harem

Let's take a look at the concept for this show. A gate opens and connects the modern world with a fantastical medieval one. It doesn't look like there's any way to make this boring. Somehow they did. They squandered the ridiculous amount of potential the setting allowed in exchange for two things Harem and Fan-service: these two are not necessarily bad as they do sell, however it was not done in an innovative way and does not benefit from the setting the way other fan-service shows with monsters girls and the like. Though the overall storyline is new, the arcs and subplots are generic and overdone with no additional creativity. Japanese Nationalism: The show takes every opportunity to show how not only is the japanese defense force incredibly strong, but every single person in the army is a complete humanitarian. Reporters and general citizens who criticise the force are demonised along with basically the rest of the world. I apologise for not including specific examples.

In france, where I live, if you ask someone to describe Japan, he or she will usually answer the following sentence : "A country mixing tradition and modernity". Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri tends to perfectly fit to this description. Indeed, it brings a contemporary Japan with all its armament, to travel a Gate leading to another world. As you can guess, this world is based on a fantasy Middle-age (even Antiquity I think) with a bit of magic. And the whole show was either directed by Michael Bay or written under LSD. The whole point of this anime appears - at first - to be a great battlefield opposing our world with its tanks, assault rifles, machineguns, choppers and even fighter jets ; and soldiers wearing bronze or steel armor and having only spears or shields. Quite an unfair outcome obviously ! But what could be positive (or not, say the blood thirsty watchers) is that our humanity is mostly shown as merciful, understanding and willing to create a peace climate. I might disappoint some people but... you won't get to see a whole show of poor soldiers being slaughtered under Richard Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries song". Yes you read it correctly : they dared using this glorious (meme) military song to accompany a fight where brigands get literally blew up under attack choppers and their soldiers. I rarely watched such joyful, even orgasmic miltary anime... However, do not get distracted by the global warfare atmosphere that might appear in your head, reading my previous lines. Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri introduces a lot of characters (one might say too many on some point and he or she would not be wrong) and many of them are catchy, attractive and pleasant to follow on their adventures. You actually get to discover many profiles, going from the classic heartwarmed soldier, the elf, the dark loli or the military superior being overwhelmed by his subordinate's low behaviour. The global story line cannot be completed by season one and in fact, season starts with episode 13 instead of a complete new episode 1. I highly recommend this show for both military thema lovers and fantasy fans. And if you are none, maybe watching a fire dragon being killed by kilos of C4, Rocket launchers will catch your attention. Same goes with her kids getting shot by both fighter jets and artilery. Edit : after reading every chapters of the manga that concerned season 1's events, I have now a second point of view to share. Indeed, surprisingly, the anime is extremely loyal to its written parent, covering everything shown on the paper. It even added a better introduction, episode 1 covering more of Gate's first battle which was quite eluded in the manga. Otherwise, I think almost everything looked alike if we were to compare both versions. However I noticed season 2 received a lot of cuts contrary to the original chapters. Easy to figure out they faced a lack of available screentime, so it was obvious some tiny parts (or not so tiny) had to be removed. Anyway, if you appreciated Gate's animated version, you should get along with the written version ! It is still on 'Publishing' status by the way.

Before, I start talking about this anime, Know that there Might be spoilers ahead . Depending on how I go from here. Okay, Where do I start? For Story I'll give it an 8 due to the fact that it mashes together the seriousness and reality of the military yet giving it it's own unique Vibe. Other than that, the story of Kingdom Politics and the waning powers of Empires speaks volumes about The History of Some European Countries (*Cough *Cough Holy Roman Empire *Cough *Cough) and when faced with Modernization it rejects it and stays true to it's tradition, which albeit is a good thing, Some Modernization is always Required. And when an enemy which is much more advance than them comes and manages to smash their armies in battle after battle. They still continue to fight on, which is quite admirable sometimes, but this is just an unnecessary slaughter. Now, We have the main story of the MC which is interlocks stories with an Elf, Priestess, and a Human Mage, as well as the CIA and many other Secret organizations. For Art It's an 8, Not much could be said really. Soundtrack is quite good so it's a 9 Characters are very good and unique though it could do a bit more development and polishing. Enjoyment is a matter of Opinion really, For it I'll give it 10. I enjoyed the Mainly funny moments it gives and also the seriousness that is secretly going behind those funny moments. Overall, I would say that it's a 9 (BTW, This is my first review so forgive me if it may seem really confusing and unpolished.)

Story: A big gate appears in the middle of Tokyo and an Army of Fantasy attacks. The JSDF stops them and pushes into the gate. They plan on using the foot hold they have on the other side of gate (dubbed "The Special Region") to find resources, while also trying to handle the aggressive Empire on the other side.(though the Empire is like a Chihuahua, small, not dangerous, very annoying, and easily kicked out of the way) Art: Generic 2010's anime art style with a wide color pallet used. The military vehicles are very well modeled (They had a Japanese Type 74 MBT and it looked spot on) Sounds; From the yells of the people to the explosion of a 81mm mortar hitting the ground are all done well and the dub is great. They even used Ride of the Valkyrie, in easily one of the best scenes in the first season. Characters: Rather Generic with a twist Yōji Itami - That dude who's appearently in the Army/Rangers/Special Forces Because he's so great at avoiding work while being a Otaku he was able to get into these positions(somehow) He is a gental guy who looks after not only his own but the people in the special region. Rory Mercury - A Demi god blah blah blah, she looks like a 12 year old goth Lolita in a maid outfit, who has a thing for death and Itami. (nuff said) Lelei La Lalena - A wizard girl in training and she grips the Japanese language and how to use modern tech extremely quickly. Shes on the quiet side, though she is not shy or afraid to voice her opinions. Tuka Luna Marceau - An elf girl who was brought in to Itami's care after an unfortunate incident. Shes very nice and a blonde with big boobs. (with a few problems because of the incident) Piña Co Lada - Yes. Piña Co Lada her name is a bloody drink. Whoever made her name must have been drinking heavily when naming her. She's the Princess of the empire and a proud warrior who hasn't actually fought. (till now) Enjoyment: I loved this anime for one reason. Watching Attack Choppers mow down bandits who are using bows and swords. The reactions from the people on the other side of the gate is hilarious. Every time it JSDF vs well anything they just annihilate. Its amazing, funny, the lol's go everywhere. The only things that really let down the anime is the focus of the evil foreign nations wanting access to the gate and how it pops up far to often. (like who gives a crap i wanna see tanks roll up into an enemy position and blast them away.) I honestly couldn't get enough of the power difference. However by the mid point of the anime it starts to decline and we see less and less JSDF in action. Overall: If you like the military this anime will have you laughing and you'll love it. If you dont like the military and want to see more adventure look else where.(though there is some adventuring its in an APC and only on the first few episodes) This is a Must Watch.