Isekai – the anime subgenre about
people from our world getting transported to a fantasy world – often involves the
trope of how the main character, who is typically just an ordinary person, makes
use of a mundane piece of modern
technology or knowledge in order to put himself in a position of advantage over
the antagonism he faces. But what if, instead
of just one ordinary person, it’s an entire army of well-trained modern
soldiers, and instead of just some gadget or trivia, it’s the might of modern
war equipment and tactics? That is the fascinating
premise that Gate: Jieitai Kano Chi nite,
Kaku Tatakaeri (translated into English as Gate: Thus the Japanese Self-Defense Force Fought There) explores. It’s what intrigued me to watch this anime series,
which ran two years ago.
It starts off with a magical gate
suddenly popping out in the middle of the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo,
and out of it comes an Imperial army from a fantasy world, which begins
attacking the civilians on its path before Japanese police and soldiers arrive
at the scene and neutralize them. As
response, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JSDF) are sent to the other side of
the Gate into the other world, which they have begun calling the “Special
Region.” After JSDF effortlessly declare
their superiority to the Empire by establishing a firm foothold on the area and
warding off waves of attacks, they then proceed to initiate peace talks, explore
the region, and win the affection of the locals.
The central character of the
story is 33-year-old otaku Yōji Itami, who also happens to be a JSDF first lieutenant
who is sent to the Special Region.
Despite being a proficient soldier, he doesn’t come off as such because
of his slacking, geeky personality.
Hence, when it’s revealed that he’s actually an elite Ranger as well as a
part of the Special Forces Group, it hilariously shocks one of his subordinates,
Sergeant First Class Shino Kuribayashi, who can’t take him seriously. Itami insists that he prioritizes his hobby over
his work, and laments when the latter gets in the way of him enjoying the
former. Nevertheless, he’s courageous,
smart, kind-hearted, and compassionate, and would certainly jump into doing the right
thing – especially for the sake of his friends.
That’s why his peers respect him, and would often wonder when in the
face of a dilemma, “What would Itami do?”
It’s also through Itami’s efforts
and personality why the JSDF won the friendship of several special individuals
in the Special Region, like: Rory Mercury, a 961-year-old demigoddess of death
who wears a Gothic Lolita dress and wields a giant halberd; Tuka Luna Marceau,
a 165-year-old High Elf whose village is annihilated by a dragon; Lelei La Lelena,
a 15-year-old mage prodigy who becomes an interpreter for Itami and the JSDF; Yao
Haa Dushi, a 300-year-old Dark Elf who seeks the JSDF’s help in saving her
village from the same dragon that destroyed Tuka’s village; and Piña Co Lada,
the 19-year-old princess of the Empire and the leader of the Rose Knights.
Again, what made me decide to
watch this anime as soon as I learned of its existence is its original,
exciting Isekai premise. In fact, I think
it would really make a perfect premise for a Hollywood blockbuster film. It’s just so fun to see modern military
forces having to deal with the type of Medieval-inspired armies and fantastical
creatures inherently found in fantasy settings, and routing or impressing them
to submission. But more than that, also
embedded in its narrative is an engaging Game of Thrones-esque fantasy political thriller, and a solid
emotional core supplied by appealing characterizations, specifically on Itami’s
party and their circles.
In other words, Gate is an utterly gratifying watch.
Gate ran for two seasons from 2015 to 2016 for 24 total episodes. No season three has been announced yet, and
the 24th episode is packaged in a way that could serve as series
finale. Still, there’s still a lot of
the story from its light novel source material to be covered, and hopefully, a
new season arrives sooner than later – or, much more importantly, a new season
actually happens. It’s already bad
enough to live with one void by a worthwhile Isekai, No Game No Life, whose hiatus’ end is nowhere in sight.
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