Today: Gate!

So… Gate is a relatively recent release from Sentai Filmworks and as such it’s available separately on DVD and Blu-Ray. I went with Blu-Ray here due to the minimal price difference, but I’m betting the DVD video quality will be effectively the same.

This is an “ordinary people” (all be it, soldiers) go to a fantasy world sort of story that mixes a bunch of things up… there’s a harem element (though the fan service is minimal). There’s a good bit of adventure mixed in with some military geeking-out, and unfortunately there’s political intrigue.

Some reviews will point out the very heavy bias toward the JSDF (Japanese Self-Defense Force). Basically, every other organization (from foreign governments to various parts of the Japanese government and media) are dis-honorable louts, but you can ignore a good bit of it and pretend it’s an idealization.

Still… I think the series is at it’s best in the first half… where they’re exploring the fantasy world. The second half gets bogged down in political machinations and a civil war. These things are all reasonable extensions of the events that proceeded them, but really didn’t do it for me. I would have much preferred seeing Itami and his crew continue to explore either the fantasy world or Japan.

The combination of Itami’s professional soldiers and the eclectic array of local inhabitants makes for an interesting dynamic that I’d really like to see put through more situations and adventures. There’s a second season (half the length) so I can only hope that reproduces the first half rather than the second half of this series.

All in all, the current price for this series if pretty high for what you get. I was bored and looking for something new and different, and don’t regret this one… but if you’re not itching for it, I’d suggest holding off… I can’t see how they can justify the list price of $99 for the BD ($69 for DVD)… The BD is under $60 at present… which is still a bit high to me… I would expect in a couple of years it’ll be in the $40 range (which would be totally appropriate).

Anyway, in spite of the less enjoyable second half… when (if) the second season becomes available I’ll probably buy it if only in the hope that it’ll continue the first half formula. Check it out if you like reality meets fantasy stuff.