What would happen if a gate opened up to another world?

That is of course the plot to the anime GATE.

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Itami is in Akihabara for a Doujinishi expo when there's an attack from another world. Dragons and orcs and soldiers oh my! But Itami just wants to buy his doujinishi! (self published works, often manga and novels) Somehow he becomes a hero, just trying to deal with the situation in front of him. Afterwards, he gets commendations for his actions, and control of his own squadron of trucks in the new world, where he once again just tried to deal with the situations he's thrust into, and ends up saving a small little harem of magical girls. Well...one's an elf, one's a magician, one doesn't need saving, but is a demi-god of war...you get the picture.

I've seen a lot of people rag on Gate over the years. It's true that it has it's flaws, but it's everything an anime fan could want! It's got another world with elves and magic and dragons! How cool is that?! And demi-goddesses that dress in cute gothic lolita fashion!

There's a sort of silent narrative of reflection that I go through as I watch this anime and see the soldiers fire countless rounds through the helpless soldiers of the native people on the other side of the gate. They have swords and shields...and the JSDF has guns and attack helicopters. Even a fire breathing dragon isn't a match for them. It's like a reflection of life in a fantasy, where you constantly choose what you can live with, but still have to commit so much evil, and perhaps even if you made the right choice, you're still damned.

How many lives fell at the hands of the JSDF like ants frying under a magnifying glass? So insignificant. Forgotten. Just ink on a page.

Life is fleeting...and we're all expendable...

One thing that always gets to me when I watch GATE is that it feels like it's not over. And yet there still isn't a sequel yet. The last episode tries to wrap it up a bit, but it feels like just a sort of hasty wrapping. What will happen? Will the gate close? Will certain people leave while others choose to stay and perhaps risk being left on the other side of the gate? Would you choose to live in a magical world with elves and magic?

GATE is a fun anime with all the things that anime fans should love...yet it does have this realistic tone that may just make your heart sink. I personally think it's a really well made anime that's well worth a watch...but I don't even know if I like it really. I like the cute silly characters...and I kinda like the main character, Itami, the bumbling idiot itaku that always seems to save the day...but I don't think I like the world where we live in, where we would so easily blast away hundreds or thousands of enemies as if their lives were nothing...