Otaku Digest: Gateway Gangsta Secrets
Where are the weeks going? One minute we are enjoying the spoils of the winter anime season and suddenly we are well and truly diving deep into the summer season, not to mention having sped through the spring. Welcome anime fans far and wide to Otaku Digest! If you are new to what we do here, we take the first episode of all the new series of that given season and see if they are worth sticking with for an entire season; first impressions are everything here.
Now let’s dive into the next three anime which are: Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri, Gangsta and Jitsu wa Watashi wa.
Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri
First up to bat is the action, military, fantasy and adventure anime Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku 
Tatakaeri or just GATE in English, which originally aired on July 4. This anime series takes us to a time within the 21st century where a gate appears in Tokyo’s Ginza district; from this gate pours out all kinds of fantastical creatures like knights of the middle ages of Europe and fantasy-like creatures including monsters. They pour out and kill many citizens of Tokyo, which is an event forever after known as the Ginza Incident. In retaliation, the government sends a small group of soldiers from the Japanese Self-Defence Forces, these being a replacement for the military to the world beyond the gate; this is where they encounter many new creatures and beings while they continue their dangerous mission across this new world.
Hands down one of the best opening themes I have heard this season; it’s beyond catchy and suits the series theme down to the ground. This seems to be an ongoing trend in anime now, where a gate to a new world opens and spills out monsters, so I was proceeding with caution when it came to this anime. The anime actually exceeded my expectations in terms of being original. The fact the whole team is led by an otaku makes the story quite surreal and yet hilarious because his aims are completely warped in priority. The episode jumps straight into the action, however, making it an exciting start with no unneeded exposition, only of the main character. Something I found well executed is the shifting timeline; unlike other anime that jump straight in and shove characters into the other world, this kept a more realistic timeline with showing the passing of time. It even showed the political aspect behind it all, which makes it sound boring, but it really showed the devastation to the people there who were affected by the incident and how the human race could further prepare to combat such an invasion. The episode held its own and definitely kept my attention and made me want to know what happens to the special defence forces, not to mention what lies beyond the game.
Will I continue to watch? Yes! This anime is the perfect blend of reality and fantasy.
Gangsta
Next to the plate is Gangsta, a seinen, action and drama anime which began airing on July 2. This anime is set in the shady and less than safe city of Ergastulum which is full to the brim of made men and petty thievery, cops on the take and ladies of the night on the prowl for a buck. Even with the level of scum in the city, there are still certain tasks too murky for them to take on. We are introduced to the Handymen, Worick and Nic, who take on those jobs that no one else will or could handle. Just like any other work day for the Handymen, when a cop they are familiar with requests them to help and take down a gang who are encroaching on the territory of one of the powerful Mafia families, the Handymen soon find out this job is more than business as usual and way more than they ever bargained to take on.
These animators know how to draw sculpted abs. I mean, you could cut things with those. Following my previous statement of GATE having the best opening theme, they have lost this title to Gangsta. As if this needs to be said but this anime is not for kids, it’s very much not for kids. Hence it being one of the best first episodes I have seen in a very long time. The two main characters, although we spend the majority of the episode with them, we actually know very little about them except they are more than what they seem, one being deaf but deadly, for example. There is so much going on in this episode between the prostitutes, the all-around killing sprees and then the organised crime aspect, that it got a little hard to follow if you do not pay very close attention, which is the only thing I can critique it on. The animation is sophisticated, with a stellar soundtrack going on during every moment of the episode. If you are missing an adult themed anime, then this series is for you.
Will I continue to watch? This episode hooked and reeled me in. I need more.
Jitsu wa Watashi wa
Bringing us to an end this week is Jitsu wa Watashi wa or Actually, I am is a shounen, comedy, fantasy, 
school and romance anime that originally aired on July 7 and is an adaptation from the romantic comedy manga of the same name. What would you do for love? Die, kill or keep a deep dark secret? Now, imagine being someone who cannot lie. Enter Asahi Kuromine, a seemingly regular student who finds it impossible to keep a secret. Like any other guy, he has a crush on a pretty girl called Yōko Shiragami, who has a secret. Asahi happens upon this information while walking home, and is determined to keep Shiragami’s secret, but will he spill the beans and become lunch?
Vampires. I swear, this is another trope that needs to die in pop culture altogether. It is overdone and needless watch-bait but needless to say, like all anime we watch here on Otaku Digest, it gets a chance to redeem itself for using these tropes (everyone knows I mean slice of life). Something that actually really annoyed me about this anime was the animation; it was a very cliché and childish type of animation. Maybe this is just because I watched it after Gangsta, which has a very mature type of animation. Other than perhaps my nit-picking about the animation, the episode actually moved very slowly until the big reveal of the vampire secret which, as a scene, was genuinely comedic. However, the rest of the episode did not hold up compared to it. It felt like it was dragged out and the characters, bar maybe the vampire character and main protagonist, are very cliché high school tropes. I would love to give this anime more of a chance, but so many cliché aspects makes it hard to believe that the series would get any better.
Will I continue to watch? Unlikely. A very cliché romantic comedy anime that moved too slowly.
What anime are you watching this season? Any suggestions for what we need to see? Let us know in the comments!
