GATE: Season 1 – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)
Episode 7: The Princess’ Decision Overview After Pina’s knights nearly ruin a newly forged treaty, she now is ready to do almost anything to keep peace between the empire and Japan, even at the cost of her, or her knight’s, dignity. Characters & Story (with Commentary) Topic 1: YOU IDIOTS! – Princess Pina & Itami With…
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Episode 7: The Princess’ Decision
Overview
After Pina’s knights nearly ruin a newly forged treaty, she now is ready to do almost anything to keep peace between the empire and Japan, even at the cost of her, or her knight’s, dignity.
Characters & Story (with Commentary)
Topic 1: YOU IDIOTS! – Princess Pina & Itami
With Princess Pina learning that her knights, Bozes and Panache, have assaulted, and really beat the hell out of, Itami, she is scared as hell of how the SDF may retaliate. After all, not only are they more advanced in weaponry, but they also just signed a treaty. So, due to what happened, she tells her blonde knight to give her body to Itami in order to try to smooth things over. Low and behold though, thanks to Countess Myui’s maids [1], Itami seems to be doing just fine. Add in the fact his subordinates arrive and are quickly welcomed, and Princess Pina’s knight finds herself in lingerie around a bunch of strangers, quickly leading her to smacking Itami for she feels he not only is ignoring her but embarrassing her [2].
Thankfully though, Itami is a very forgiving person. However, with Princess Pina learning that Itami is to report to his supervisors, she quickly tries to make amends and ends up finding her way onto Itami’s convoy to speak with Itami’s supervisors. Thus making her the unofficial representative for the empire.
Topic 2: Meetings and Agreements – Princess Pina & Lelei
The return to Arnus is met with a high amount of bewilderment for Princess Pina and her blonde associate. They are amazed by the tanks, the guns and rifles, and it overwhelms Pina to the point of knowing she needs to beg and plead for forgiveness unless she wants all she knows wiped out. Luckily for her though, Itami’s superior officers, Lieutenant General Hazama, as well as the familiar butt face of Lieutenant Yanagida, don’t take offense to what Pina’s Knight Order did. Especially Yanagida since messing with Itami is sort of his thing.
But while Princess Pina worries about the state of her empire, which she learns through Lelei doesn’t have much in the way of loyalty, Lelei is working her butt off. For while there strangely seems to be quite a few who understand the language of the empire, it seems there still remains a few stragglers who Lelei has to help. Thus leading to near total exhaustion and her sleeping in the SDF area since she collapses near Itami.
Topic 3: A Whole New World – Itami & Princess Pina
After a handful of meetings at the Arnus base, it seems Itami’s superiors originally wanted to have him, Chuka, and Leila go to Japan for additional meetings. However, Rory ends up talking her way into going to Japan, as well as Pina and her associate. The old man, Kato, seemingly wanted to go as well, but there was no sign of him as Itami was preparing to depart.
Though with leaving her realm comes a lot of anxiety on Pina’s part. After all, she is now journeying across the gate to a foreign world. One which will have more nations which can wipe her off the face of the map, and then with her guide being Itami, who she hasn’t the best record with, life has become so difficult for a bastard princess trying to prove herself.
Final Thoughts
Being that Lelei, Chuka, and Rory are going to an entirely different realm, a part of me wonders if they’ll still have access to magic? Alongside that, I do wonder what is going to happen once they arrive in Japan? For with us already knowing the US is getting anxious to see what is on the other side, and have access to those resources, who knows what may happen if Pina lets it slip how behind in technology they are.
Things To Note
[1]: Of the maids, one is a warrior bunny, Mamina; the other a neko type, Persia; then there is Aurea who is a type of medusa.
[2]: Which is a hit to her ego for she is a princess herself.
I really wish there was another season of GATE for the simple reason that I’d like them to actually bring the conflict to a conclusion. I know there are issues with the story, but I was enjoying it and it just kind of left me hanging and that kind of takes the rewatch fun out of it.
There needs to at least be a ova, if not a full movie. This was the first show I saw go past 12 episodes and I honestly could have been cool with it going on forever.
The first season kind of reminded me of Stargate and realisatically, I’d have happily sat through 10 seasons of this. It is just kind easy watching.
And, in retrospect, it strangely was able to balance all the genres it touched on. Yes, there was a bit of ecchi, but the sci-fi/ fantasy elements were on point. Also, it had these rather epic action scenes, especially with the Red Dragon. Not to forget quality character interaction, relationships, and growth.
I also loved the soundtrack at times. But yeah, the character interactions were what made the show really enjoyable. Even when the story didn’t quite word as well as it should the characters carried it for me.