August 21, 2015

GATE -- ep 8

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And so the girls testify before the Diet. This version was better than the one in the Manga; Rory's part went on longer and it filled in a lot of holes that the manga just left.

Also, there's this guy:

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They changed his art rather radically, and I can understand why. The manga version is positively demonic. Anyway, his name is Komakado and he's from "Public Services", purportedly the Japanese equivalent of the CIA. His first conversation with Itami is straight character building, but it's brief and very enlightening.

Anyway, Komakado is aware that the CIA and the Russian and Chinese equivalents are all trying to capture the girls. Presumably it would give them a huge bargaining chip with the Japanese, who might have to cede full partnership rights to exploit the Special Territory in order to get them back again. Komakado's job is to prevent that, so he identifies himself to Itami and starts revealing decoy plans and so on.

But that isn't in this episode. If this series ends where I think it will, then we'll be in Japan for another three episodes -- and it doesn't seem like there's going to be enough material in the manga for that. This episode ended about halfway through chapter 19, and my guess was that the series ends in chapter 24. There's no way four chapters become four episodes, so either they're going to add some anime-only material, or else it isn't going to end where I think it is.

That's assuming it's one cour. If it's actually two cours, then all bets are off. Chapter 46 would be a perfect ending point for a 2-cour series.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste in General Anime at 03:24 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1

But that isn't in this episode. If this series ends where I think it will, then we'll be in Japan for another three episodes -- and it doesn't seem like there's going to be enough material in the manga for that.

I think the series is actually following the pacing of the light novel series it is based on, rather than the manga that is also based on the novels.

Komakado also seems to be part of the National Public Safety Commission, which is not really equivalent to the CIA.  Although the way it is presented, I would say 'Public Safety' in Gate is closer to the Bundesrepublik's Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, which is Germany's domestic intelligence agency.

Rory channeling Kipling with her reply of the Diet member questioning her was classic.  A lot of people in Japan and the West would not approve, but it is a sentiment that is held by a lot of military personnel and veterans (Though not exclusively to either.).

Itami is certainly lazy by JSDF standards but: "Laziness in a special ops soldier might be considered mad industry anywhere else, but every unit has its "get over" artist who always tries for the job that can be done sitting down" - From GURPS Special Ops (2nd Edition), by Greg Rose.  He is also very lucky too.

The annoying part is how the series is setting up the 'evil foreigners' in every stereotype you find in Japan.

And we get to meet Itami's ex-wife, much to everyone's shock.

C.T.

Posted by: cxt217 at August 21, 2015 05:26 PM (gbKL5)

2 So Rory's silly pole arm is massive.  Yet, she still wields it as if it were a toy.  Thus, 'magic' from trans-Gate works in our world.  Presumably for Lelei and Tuka this is true, as well.  Interesting.  Can cis-Gate humans become mages?  Would Rory 'process' the souls of those who die in battle in proximity to her?  The world wonders.

Posted by: Clayton Barnett at August 22, 2015 01:46 AM (lU4ZJ)

3 Was going to comment about the silly geopolitics involved but, really, it's all better suited for next week's episode. I did look up the text of the US-Japan Security Treaty; let us just say that Japan declaring the other side of the gate as Japanese territory would definitely bite them in the ass, in any scenario where the US wanted to horn in on the action. You don't need a bargaining chip when you're the house, right?

All Clayton's questions turn up next week too, so I'll bide for now. Lots of interesting and scary implications to worry about...

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at August 22, 2015 02:15 AM (qxzj1)

4

Whoa.  Just got this from a friend overseas (Singapore).  Still cannot get bleeding html to work.  This would seem to be a continental map of trans-Gate.  I cannot confirm if it is canonical as I cannot read Japanese.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-N4aAaJqHj_o/Uk44tzbDNNI/AAAAAAAAXwA/jq9D7rb_iso/s16000/036.jpg

Avatar:  you've me looking forward to next week, even more than usual! 

Posted by: Clayton Barnett at August 22, 2015 03:02 AM (lU4ZJ)

5 The invading forces in the first episode had dragons with them, not huge ones like we see later, but still infeasibly large for normal flying animals.  And the dragon scales don't change when they're brought through the gate.  Have to wait and see how the details work.

Wikipedia lists the series as 24 episodes, but no-one else seems to have anything definitive.  Hope that's true, because I'm really enjoying it.

Posted by: Pixy Misa at August 22, 2015 04:46 AM (PiXy!)

6 I had missed it in the manga, but it's a nice touch that Pina and Bozes eat with a spoon, while the other three visitors have apparently gotten used to chopsticks.

There was one minor correction that made some sense. In the anime, Kuribayashi and Tomita come through the gate in uniform, rather than civilian clothes, and only change between the diplomatic meeting and the subway. In the manga, they came through in civilian clothes, acquired and changed into uniform before the diplomatic meeting, and then changed back.

I also appreciated seeing the cellphone photographs in the Diet session, the anime addition of hashtags in the chat room sections, and

Posted by: Civilis at August 22, 2015 08:37 AM (KlrGc)

7

The foreigners trying to seize the Gate refugees by force is probably the biggest complaint I have.  I don't doubt that, say, the US would put pressure on the Japanese government to put us at an advantage for resources from the Gate--providing equipment as shown is exactly what I'd expect--but direct violent action on an ally's territory?  That could spin out of control in too many ways to pass a cost-benefit analysis.  It's one thing for us to do something like that in Pakistan (which has only loose control of large swaths of its territory, dysfunctional government, already not a big fan of the US) to get bin Laden (a very, very politically important goal).  It's another to risk it in a country like Japan, (with an effective government, independent 1st world economy, already an ally) for some very speculative benefits (there's a lot of territory through the Gate, but it's not apparent how much value there'll be there--for example, Afghanistan has mineral resources, but the political situation is so fucked up its difficult to mine them.)

No, showing the president saying to give them equipment and let Japan take most of the risk is pretty reasonable, but sending teams to set fires and sabotage trains to try to kidnap people is a little out there.

Posted by: CatCube at August 22, 2015 08:39 AM (fa4fh)

8

Avatar,

I looked up the Wikipedia summary of the treaty, but I didn't understand what you mean.  I know we have an obligation to defend Japan from external attack, but how would them declaring another country territory of Japan change our obligations?  (Declaring another country theirs by right of conquest would start an epic diplomatic storm in the UN and probably with China and Korea, but that's another conversation.)

Posted by: CatCube at August 22, 2015 08:47 AM (fa4fh)

9 Komakado reminds me of somebody, but I'm not sure who. The only person that comes to mind is Tom Baker, but Komakado is not as nonchalant or as resourceful as the Doctor.

Rory's testimony is a model of sanity.

Posted by: 50srefugee at August 22, 2015 10:35 AM (OoOF7)

10 Cat, Article V refers specifically to "territories under the administration of Japan". It then goes on to mention that all parties "shall" refer any such matters to the Security Council and that the response shall be terminated when the Security Council "has taken the measures necessary to restore and maintain international peace and security."

So once conflict starts, the treaty directs the US to get the Security Council on board, and then it continues until everything is peaceful again. But if you consider the entire world on the other side of the gate as the "Special Region of Japan", then obviously things aren't peaceful there - which means Japan either has to let the Security Council in if they ask, or abrogate (not merely withdraw from) the Security Treaty. The latter, with hungry hungry China right off the coast, would be really daft.

In practice the US could easily use that as a lever to get themselves alone in. "Either accept our participation or we will go ask the Security Council, who is full of countries who will want a piece and who you like a lot less well than us."

This makes the US's participation in the foolery to come really damned stupid - there's nothing they can gain by it that they couldn't get just by asking not-very-nicely.

I guess I can see why someone who is, to all accounts, a pretty strident nationalist like the author would not want to come out and mention this in his power-fantasy escapist fiction. Doesn't make it better, but I understand, right?

Posted by: Avatar_exADV at August 22, 2015 11:39 AM (qxzj1)

11

If you ever get a chance to watch through episodes of Remington Steele, there is an episode where Tom Baker guest stars as a crooked Interpol officer, chasing after Doris Roberts' character (Before Roberts became a regular of the series.).  He actually wears a trench coat like Komakado does.

Christopher Lloyd or better, Geoffrey Rush would be close stand-ins for Komakado.

Posted by: cxt217 at August 22, 2015 11:44 AM (gbKL5)

12

Avatar, "The United States is Evil, Greedy, and Rapacious" is nearly a trope in some kinds of anime. Gasaraki is the canonical example but it comes up all the time in certain kinds of shows.

Other times Americans are seen as kind, generous, and forgiving.

But it has to be remembered that the US is the only country in a thousand years to invade and conquer Japanese territory (since the Japanese people themselves showed up and beat up the Emishi). Some people won't ever forgive us for that.

(I don't forget that the UK, Australia, and New Zealand all helped quite a lot, especially the UK, but they still represented at best about 10% of the forces which eventually were intended to be arrayed against Japan, not including the nukes.)

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 22, 2015 12:00 PM (+rSRq)

13 Remember that in KanColle they refought Midway and this time the Japanese won!

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 22, 2015 01:59 PM (+rSRq)

14

The foreigners trying to seize the Gate refugees by force is probably the biggest complaint I have.

That ends in chapter 24 of the manga with the foreigners all getting their noses pushed in, and we never see it again after that, through chapter 48 which is the last that's been translated.

I wish there were more. The last frame of chapter 48 is a pretty big "Wham" moment.

Posted by: Steven Den Beste at August 22, 2015 02:03 PM (+rSRq)

15 Manga-Komakado reminds me very much of Ghoda from Ghost in the Shell:Stand Alone Complex:2nd GIG (whew!  talk about sequel inflation!), at least, before he got his scars.  Definitely gone out of the way to be drawn creepy.

But it has to be remembered that the US is the only country in a thousand years to invade and conquer Japanese territory (since the Japanese people themselves showed up and beat up the Emishi). Some people won't ever forgive us for that.

I just knowingly smirk every time the Japanese representatives remark that they treat prisoners humanely or demand the Empire do the same.  For all the somewhat understandable resentment, we did change Japan for the better, even if they won't admit it.

Posted by: Civilis at August 22, 2015 02:14 PM (KlrGc)

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