Gate 2 | Not too shabby

Is it worth? Who knows! I’ll let you decide, but first, you’ll need to give it a watch 🙂

The conflict continues into GATE Season 2. The first few episodes also sets up for quite a bit of events for the reminder course of the story. Characters such as Zorzal El Caesar and Tyuule are just a few that causes controversy. The emperor of the Empire also seems to be planning for big things while Pina still tries to maintain a state of peace between the two worlds. Then, there’s also characters like Sherry Tyueli, a young girl who has a surprisingly crafty mind. GATE Season 2 introduces a variety of characters to instill the purpose of role diversity. It also goes to show that characters of any age, gender, or race can potentially influence a great deal in the story.

Of course, Itami is still the main guy along with the three girls that we fondly adores from the first season. Furthermore, Itami’s relationship in particular with Tuka seems to have grown much deeper in one of the later episodes. Lelei development as a mage is also evident as we witness her skills against even an almighty dragon during the Red Dragon Arc. And who can forget about Rory? The ever so cunning demi-god also develops a special connection with Itami as she gets involved with an old rival. In essence, every main girl shines in their way while Itami still plays the role of being the leader of the squad. In the meantime, there’s a lot of political tension building up that really makes the second season darker than it seems.

These include attempted assassinations, human slavery, and a plot to overthrow the empire within its own forces. If you remember Pina, she also becomes entrenched with controversial affairs that takes unexpected dark turns. It goes to say that GATE still maintains what it tries to do – developing story episode by episode while feeding a lot of its ideas towards a climax. It works out quite well once we realize the purpose of its intent. And while it’s at it, GATE isn’t afraid to show death and make it into a reality.

Unlike the first season, the sequel has less comedy and much more on plot emphasis. By the third or fourth episode, I think it’s easy to adapt with the style as the show has already introduced enough concepts. But like most adaptations, the show does omit some material although nothing too crucial. Some of the more controversial content like sexual slavery and abuse is subtly hinted at while there’s less gore. In addition, pacing becomes somewhat rushed in a few episodes. With the story that introduces new characters, it’s not always easy to like them. Zorzal is likely to become one of the most hated characters for his cruel actions. In addition, some of the content such as sex may be uncomfortable to sink into your mind.

The art style of GATE generally remains the same. As I mentioned before, the world building is one of the strongest aspects of the show and we get a good amount of quality of the fantasy world. From powerful looking dragons to artistically decorated structures, the show knows where to go for when it comes to fantasy content. This also extends to character designs that really shows their distinctive appearances. From bunny warriors to apostles, you can expect a lot of unique ways the show does to make characters look different.

Similar to the first season, there’s also some realistic content like with Japan’s military. From impressive fighter jets to heavy duty mortars, the show demonstrates what military is really capable of. Supplementing its impressive technical features, the soundtrack of season 2 retains its style that fans are used to. The OP song has a familiar tune while the majority of the action choreography is nicely performed with its stellar OST.

So is the second season of GATE worth watching? I do think so. Especially if you enjoyed the first season. However, if you do feel compelled enough to get into GATE and all it has to offer; then I highly suggest starting from the beginning because like I said in this blog today, it’s a continuation. Often times with sequels to Anime, you can kind of jump in wherever (especially with the newer Anime) and you won’t miss a whole lot because of how the pacing and progression is.

However, for this Anime. Without a doubt, it would be beneficial to start from the first season, that way, when you move onto the second season you won’t spend your time trying to piece together how certain events came to be.

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