Audience reviews
20 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
DizzyingHeights
Do you like power fantasies? Do you like those YT shorts talking about how cool the military is? Do you like power fantasies where a random assortment of characters (mostly girls) awe at sheer power? Do you like when snarky and arrogant royalty gets curb stomped? Well this is just for you, come on down to mickey mouse's playhouse where they brushed off the original gritty and dark themes for a neat coat of cutesy action-fantasy. If you're a original fan of the manga/light novel you probably won't like it but by itself the story isn't atrocious. Most of the characters are basic but the real substance comes from their interactions with the modern world so whatever. That being said I lwky like power fantasies and planes shooting down dragons is cool sooooooo 6/10.
Read at the sourceDerek17Th
A lot of wasted potential.
The anime has a great premise—which is exactly what gives it so much potential—but that is lost after the first few episodes. It shifts its focus toward a harem style, abandoning the promising concept it initially presented. So, if you are hoping to see overwhelming battles that utilize modern military might, let me tell you: while such battles do occur, they are few and far between.
I wouldn't recommend it to anyone expecting action, heroism, and warfare in every episode, as the anime completely veers away from that.
However, if you don't mind a somewhat generic story and just want to pass the time watching an anime, this could be a good choice.
Read at the sourceANGELWITHANAR15
If you love the idea of modern military tactics clashing with a magical, medieval world, Gate is a match made in heaven. As someone who usually does not write reviews, I felt compelled to share how much I enjoyed this series because it executes its unique premise so well. Characters like Rory (occasionally when she isn't blood-lusting, but nonetheless a very pleasant character) and Itami (loved his care-free attitude and him being a weeb) are amazing. I love their nonchalant, carefree attitude. They are incredibly cool and calm, even when everything around them is chaotic. This anime was the first Isekai to get me into the military anime scene and it still holds a place in my heart.
8/10, the anime had intense, sad, beautiful, and funny moments in it and would watch again someday. It com…
Read at the sourceEnshourT_
Fantasy has always been an escape from reality a place where magic is stronger than science, dragons rule the skies, and kingdoms have remained unchanged for centuries. But when that world collides with the modern age, where helicopters replace wyverns, hospitals outperform healing magic, and an entire medieval civilization is forced to confront the modern world, the result isn't just an action anime but one of the most compelling culture clashes anime has to offer.
- STORY: COLLISION OF TWO CIVILIZATIONS
The story begins when a mysterious gate suddenly opens in Tokyo, connecting Earth to a fantasy world known as the Special Region. From the other side comes an army of knights, monsters, and mythical creatures, believing they have found a weak civilization they can easily conquer. Instead…
Read at the sourceRaidenSteiner
Gate answers the old debated question, who would win in a fight between a whole isekai world full of magic, dragons and literal gods vs humanity's modern warfare, and the answer is way more one sided that it seems. The anime is in a way, a reverse isekai, that starts with the premise that some fools decided to invade our world through a gate and been instantly humbled and captured, now the Japan army is adventuring through the Gate in order to assert the situation and better understand the threats and civilisation beyond that. The anime obviously have a lot of troupes and such, but it's more on the par of a fantasy world than an standard isekai. The fights and just the way medieval people interpret the japanese army is also very entertaining.
Read at the sourcerzhxd
GATE was genuinely a breath of fresh air for me. For some reason, this anime succeeds in being an entertaining fantasy for all sorts of people, at least in my opinion.
The thing I can point out in GATE right away is that it doesn't try to be overwhelmingly cruel, sarcastic or depressing. It feels like a good action series, but as an anime. It reminds me of older action films, like Pirates of the Caribbean - GATE has serious premise, but episodically shifts more towards tactic, comedy, tragedy or something else. At the same time, it doesn't feel "too much" in any of the moments - on the contrary, it feels very refreshing.
Currently, media leans towards very serious pieces. If you're making a plot, it should of course revolve around some concrete, very important theme heavily, and it of co…
Read at the sourceJoe_Devaney
Note: This will be a review of both seasons.
Overview:
The isekai genre, or at least what we know it as today, is often criticized as being highly monotonous, with many such anime telling more-or-less the same story with only a few superficial differences. "Gate: Thus the Japanese Self-Defence Force Fought in Their Land", usually known only as "Gate", is one of the most original and interesting takes on the genre in recent years, and that originality most definitely works in its favour, even considering the over-idealization of its subject matter and some questionable plot points in its otherwise engaging story.
Story (7.5/10):
"Gate" opens in modern-day Tokyo, during what initially appears to be just any other day for 33-year-old Yoji Itami, an otaku who is making his way to a nearby do…
Read at the sourceConnoisseur5910
Alright, let’s get this out of the way — Gate is pure fun from start to finish.
The premise is simple but ridiculously entertaining: a mysterious Gate opens in the middle of Tokyo’s Ginza district, fantasy creatures and an empire from another world come pouring through, and Japan sends the JSDF (Japan Self-Defense Force) to handle the situation. What follows is a clever mix of modern military action and classic fantasy world adventures. Guns versus swords, tanks versus dragons, helicopters versus wyverns — the culture clash and power imbalance never get old.
What I loved most is how the show balances serious moments with light-hearted ones. The action sequences are satisfying and well-animated, especially when modern weaponry shows its overwhelming advantage. At the same time, there’s plen…
Read at the sourceWhyislifesuffer
Its really just a standard power fantasy where a modern army mows down a bunch of medieval knights and stuff. The protagonists are easy enough to like and the villains are appropriately evil and pathetic. The enemy is pretty bog standard, with run of the mill royal household conflict, and a stupid leader who does dumb things and gets their comeuppance. The plot is exactly what you'd think of after watching the first episode, so don't expect much in the way of interesting twists and turns. It starts with our heros being blameless and thats how it stays for the entire show. The bad guys are just so incompetent that we get consistant action of spearmen facing off against attack helicopters and stuff like that. Predictably they get annihilated, but they are always written to be evil enough you…
Read at the source50Fiftillididee
✒ Stud Sunshine & The Hot Alien Chicks 🐉 He's Our Dumb@$ °7.9° °excellent fun° 💯%🔍 only minor spoilers
What do you get when you mix C4 with a cache of ancient magic swords?! The best dragon showdown battle EVER! Gate is FUN by the megaton.
Meet Youji, My-Otaku-life-always-comes-first, Itami. (Per Wiki, Otaku is a Japanese word that describes people with consuming interests, particularly in anime, manga, video games, or computers.) Hopeless fanboy is his tag. He's blissfully oblivious. His name is not merely verbal syllables: When spoken, it's usually accompanied by an eye-roll. He's the one they don't get. They wonder how he got /here/. There's NO WAY he really passed special forces training, right? They do not take him seriously. It's all level - he doesn't pay them any mind either.…
Read at the sourceHOLOADDICT
Presenting a surprisingly good blend between modern and fantasy elements, GATE manages to introduce two worlds with massively different views and manages to convey the strength of both of them while maintaining a coherent plot that effectively strings the characters along.
The fantasy elements are a strong part of the story, whether it's a new resource, an incredibly strong material or a person so powerful they shift the balance of the battle, there is no one clear side that's at an advantage. I expected to see a clear difference in power between each side, but there actually are compelling arguments that point to the special region being strong enough to make the dynamic interesting rather than one-sided.
Beyond that, the story takes the opportunity to have internationally political di…
Read at the sourceharionago
The story is highly distinctive, revolving around the sudden appearance of a gate in the middle of Tokyo's Ginza district, from which a medieval army emerges, marking the start of the narrative.
The writing takes a unique turn, focusing on Japan's response and the military's venture through the gate, alongside political conflicts with other nations.
Beyond the gate, in the other world, the struggle with the Empire begins, showcasing how the military deals with magic, different races, and other creatures.
The story's pacing is excellent, and the incorporation of politics and the portrayal of leaders' vulnerabilities add a compelling layer, illustrating how nations pressure each other, even as allies.
The standout characters include the protagonist, Itami, a lazy, otaku, and seemingly unse…
Read at the sourceMe_Mario
A Decent concept but... a mediocre execution.
It was initially fairly promising considering they didn't seem to just make guns or modern weaponry completely ineffective for no reason like many series like this do. However they did kind of slowly end up moving more and more towards that direction. And basically still ended up under representing the power of modern weaponry. Even though they did pretty okay. Then as for world building and politics it's kind of a mess that doesn't make a lot of sense. I wont go into details you'll just have to read episode reviews in that case but basically I don't think it'd go down like this at all. It'd likely have turned into a global issue, from episode 1 and there'd be some sort of agreement formed between the world's super powers and Japan would likely…
Read at the sourceTurtezin
Two worlds collide—our modern one with advanced technology and a medieval fantasy realm full of magic, elves, demons, and political intrigue. Sounds amazing on paper, right? The problem is the anime tries to juggle too much in just 12 episodes. Instead of diving deep into either world-building or character development, it spreads itself thin, giving the impression of depth while showing very little. The potential is definitely there, but the execution feels rushed.
Artstyle and animation are serviceable—mediocre at best. Still, considering it’s nearly a decade old, it holds up fine if you’re not expecting anything groundbreaking.
Overall, the show would have benefitted from fewer side plots and more focus on either building Youji’s character arc or fleshing out the Special Region. As it…
Read at the sourceSquare_Eyed
One of the most unique isekai premises out there. Instead of the usual setup where the main character is reincarnated into a fantasy world, Gate asks: What if a portal suddenly connected our modern, high-tech world with a medieval fantasy one?
The anime tries to explore the military and political consequences of this scenario, with scenes of negotiations, diplomatic meetings, and armed conflicts between the two worlds. It draws inspiration from real-world geopolitics and is surprisingly well-researched in that regard. The premise is incredibly interesting—but sadly, the execution falls short.
The biggest issue? The characters. They’re shallow and lack meaningful development. The protagonist is your typical “nice guy” otaku who constantly reminds everyone he loves anime (seriously, he nev…
Read at the sourceniconico_86
If you are a boy that loves Isekai Harem and modern army forces then this is for you.
A satisfying two-season-length anime to watch, the MC is always surrounded and helped by cute and beautiful girls. There are two cute lolis: Rory Mercury (the most famous one) and Lelei. Also a beautiful elf lady in addition with two nice looking female soldiers that is under MC team.
There are many jokes and some fanservices here although not to the degree of Ecchi genre.
In this S1, it is focused on slice of life and some degree of battles but not much into boring politics.
Compare to Manga: the manga drawing is amazing. Also manga version has many more fanservices and nudity than the anime version.
Read at the sourceTrashWaifuHater
Fresh off a full season binge, spoiler free review.
This anime is Japan Self-Defense Forces propaganda; it makes a better viewing if you simply accept that as its purpose before you start watching. There's nothing wrong with that, it is what it is, and that's fine.
I'd say it does a pretty good job of letting the audience suspend disbelief and immerse themselves in the story. It's a "what if" scenario, of what would happen if you rolled a modern army into a low-magic medieval style fantasy world, and it meets that expectation well. Then it mixes in your standard cute harem type tropes because the target audience (Japanese males of military age) like that, and it's not terrible at that part either, and both foreshadows and lampshades the hell out of that part so you know it's not an accid…
Read at the sourceSushiRoe
This review will cover both season 1 and season 2 of Gate but will only be posted on the season 1 listing. This review is also for the anime as a standalone with no consideration to the fidelity of the source material. In discussing the aspects of this show it should be noted that many aspects are split between two different settings, the Special Region and Japan with intermingling of characters from both settings. Before the actual review begins I will list some aspects and themes of the anime that may be upsetting for some people so consider them before watching or reading this review.
Cautions:
Before reading the entirety of this review consider the below themes and aspects that are depicted in Gate. If these topics or characteristics are something that make you uncomfortable then this…
Read at the sourceRemmy_4k
Gate is a mixed bag of fantasy and military action. When a mysterious portal opens in Tokyo, medieval warriors and monsters invade, only to be crushed by the modern Japanese Self-Defense Force. The JSDF then ventures through the gate into a fantasy world filled with empires, dragons, and magic. The protagonist, Youji Itami, an otaku soldier, leads the charge while balancing diplomacy, combat, and his love for all things nerdy.
While the premise is intriguing and the action scenes are entertaining, the story often feels uneven. It leans heavily into JSDF propaganda, and the characters, while likable, lack depth. The fantasy world is underdeveloped, and the plot sometimes meanders between serious political drama and lighthearted fan service. It’s fun but flawed.
Watch while high for an add…
Read at the sourceGamefreak924
GATE as a whole (let this be a review to cover both seasons) is a very neat show that fills this feeling of yearning I had after having watched the likes of Zero no Tsukaima (Familiar of Zero) and Black Lagoon. For the most part, the presence of guns has been a bit lacking when it comes to anime and manga as a whole. As a red, white, and blue-blooded American, this is unacceptable. GATE can be accurately summarized to "show where modern weaponry completely obliterates medieval society repeatedly while magical girls of questionable age and appearance affectionately join you". While to an outsider, this may seem like an unfair battle, the JSDF (Japanese military force to be reckoned with here) only acts in retaliation and for the best interest of their and the gate world's citizens. The narr…
Read at the source
