Anime Review - Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri (S1, S2) - An Enlightening Take on Isekai and Military genre

Isekai, or essentially "different world" have been getting very popular recently and this makes sense. Most people who watch anime usually want to immerse themselves into fictional worlds where they can do anything they want, and I find the Isekai genre generally interesting to watch. I think the modern iconic anime that propelled Isekai anime into popularity is Konosuba. GATE is probably not a suitable anime for kids, but is more suited for teenagers or adults due to the topics in this anime.

Story (8/10):

I'll give a basic overview of the story. The first season starts off with the other world invading our world, and killing a lot of people. As a result, the army of our world (Japan) enters the gate to the other world, and war ensues. The victor was obvious in this case, as the gun is always mightier than the sword. The story is from the perspective of one of the high ranking soldiers who seek to create good relations with the locals. The story can be both very serious and jovial at the same time. The second season also is like this, but there were more serious events like invading the main castle, etc.

I'm really not sure how to describe this anime. It has a loose plot - the main plot is revolving the new evil king who was forced to leave his castle (as we can see in the last episode of Season 2). A flaw I found about the story was how the evil king planned to infiltrate the army's established town with goblins, but we never see that happen. Kinda a disappointment, and as a result, it made Season 2 seem more rushed. That's probably why I liked Season 1 more than Season 2, but Season 2 wasn't terrible at all.

Characters (9/10):

You got a lot of iconic and unique characters - you got your loli - Rory Mercury, deredere? - Lelei, elf - Tuka, and even a DARK ELF - Yao. Oh man, this is turning into a harem LUL. Anyway, all of these characters have their backstory of why they joined forces with Itami. My favourite character was probably Lelei, since she's cute but yet brings magical power to the party. The most popular member of the crew is most likely Rory Mercury and it's pretty obvious why. Every loli character in anime have always been cherished by the community. I personally don't really know why, but Rory Mercury is a cool character too. 

Art (8/10):

The art is pretty good for a heavy action anime. Since this is not suitable for young children due to the blood and gore, I have to say that the anime didn't back down on the blood. The other world is also drawn extremely beautifully, and there is attention to detail alright. My favourite scenes involved the massacre of the other world soldiers, when the JSDF comes out of the gate for the first time, and the scene where we see Tuka being thrown into the well from the red dragon destroying her village.

Sound (8/10):

The OP for both Season 1 and Season 2 were goddamn catchy. I never skipped through these when I watched the anime. I think what makes it so good is the visuals that go alongside the song. Just make the OP so much more enjoyable to listen to. The voice acting for characters are good and suits their characters. My favourite character is Lelei, since she is all nonchalant and composed. The voice actor (Nao Touyama) really did a good job voicing her, and showing what the character really is.

Enjoyment (9/10):

I really loved watching this series - I probably finished this anime in about 5 days (24 episodes). I never found a similar anime such as GATE, so that's probably why. For people who love the Isekai and action genre, this anime is really suited for those viewers.

Overall (9/10 for S1; 8.5/10 for S2):

I highly recommend this anime due to uniqueness. It definitely will not disappoint. I kinda hope that there will be a sequel to this series since the light novel is already completed. However, it's been a while since there is any news about it, but the least we can do is hope for it.