Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 6 Review

Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts

Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 6 Review – Quick Summary

In Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There episode 6, “Ride of the Valkyries,” Piña Co Lada looked on what seemed to her to be the fall of Italica. The bandits had broken through the gate. Her knight Norma had fallen to the bandits’ swords. The militia urgently begged for reinforcements, but she had none to send. As Hamilton stood beside her in horror, they could only watch the scene unfold. What she didn’t know was that Rory Mercury had ideas of her own, and where Rory went, Itami and the recon patrol wouldn’t be far behind. Will they be able to turn the tide of that battle? And what what was Itami talking to HQ about?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Favorite Quote from Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 6

Well, on a positive note, Shino Kuribayashi shows considerable enthusiasm for her mission! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

This episode had several contenders for my favorite quote. I don’t think it’s cheating if I mention thta the runner up was 401st Company Lieutenant Colonel Yoga when he said, “We have a loudspeaker, a stereo system, and Wagner’s music on CD!”

Being prepared is good.

My favorite quote goes to Akira Tomita (I think; the 3rd Recon has several soldiers that look too similar for me to tell them apart when their helmets on). He, Itami, and Shino Kuribayashi, in their vehicle, raced after Rory as she headed for the battle. They arrived at the battle’s front line moments after Rory. After affixing her bayonet to the end of her rifle, Kuribayashi screamed to psyche herself up, then dashed straight into the fight.

“That dumbass!” Tomita said (10:03). That translation was from the Blu Ray release.

It’s one thing to be fired up. It’s quite another to dash into close-quarters combat before your back up team is set and ready. Well, I can’t fault Kuribayashi for her enthusiasm!

Best in Show Moment for Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 6

Piña now knows what Duran had tried to tell her. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Duran Tried to Tell Piña

The first several times I watched this series, the spectacle of the JSDF’s assault on the bandits drowned out character nuances. In terms of showing just what happens when a medieval army goes up against attack helicopters, the episode did its job. Was it too similar to a similar scene in Apocalypse Now? Did it cross the line between homage and mimicry? Well, I think I’ll just say this: Whoever animated the sequence was obviously a fan of Francis Ford Coppola. Let’s just leave it at that.

But dramatically, the scene setup something important: It showed Piña that Duran wasn’t kidding back in episode 4. Piña hadn’t listened to what he was trying to tell her. She was too busy trying to get intel about the Men in Green. Duran telling her his real enemy had been the empire came as a shock, too, and probably prevented her from taking a good look at Duran. Not only that, but I don’t think the scope of the loss had sunk in. She’s a princess, so losses in the field were still abstract to her.

Not anymore.

Of all of them, Rory might had understood war and death the most intimately. As much can’t be said for the bandit leader. He thought war was some game of honor. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

She had a horrifying few minutes of watching the bandits slaughter swaths of the remaining militia. She had no reserves to throw into battle. All she could do was witness the deaths.

I’m not sure how Piña reacted to Rory’s arrival. Maybe it gave her a little hope? Maybe she feared that Rory’s arrival meant the JSDF were coming, and not to help her? She knew that Itami had to have figured out why she had sent him to the south gate. She had to think he wouldn’t be happy about it.

Delivery: Now, Piña Learned to Listen

But she didn’t have much time to think about it. Outside of her direct vision but well within earshot, all hell broke loose outside the walls. Can you imagine what had to be going through her mind as Rory went on a rampage, joined shortly by Kuribayashi, while an unknown power roared just out of vision? Whatever Piña thought, she got her glimpse of Kuribayashi’s rifle and pistol, and that had to seem magical to her.

Then came the cleanup operation. The commander on the scene gave Itami 10 seconds to clear the good guys out from in front of the bulwarks, so Itami and Tomita grabbed Rory and Kuribayashi and ran for it. The attack helicopter took up position and counted down. Then it opened fire with its rotary heavy machine gun.

The point of war is not to play fair. The point of war is to kill your enemy. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Piña could never have witnessed death on such a scale. Every living enemy between the walls, maybe fifty bandits, died in the space of seconds. It’s become cliche to say that someone’s life changed after witnessing something. But in this case, it was literally true. Upon witnessing what the JSDF could do (12:29), Piña’s view of the world changed. She had been an imperial princess near the the pinnacle of power. Now, she had no idea of where she fit in — or even if she fit in. Everything she had done, including establishing her own knightly order, suddenly felt very, very small.

Character changing moments are a lot of fun to watch — but not as much fun to live through.

What did you think of how the Knights of the Rose greeted Itami? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 6: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

• Reddit: Gate: [Spoilers] Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri – Episode 6 [Discussion]
• RABUJOI: GATE – 06
• Chibi Reviews: Gate Jieitai Kanochi nite Kaku Tatakaeri Episode 6 Anime Review – Hulk 2003 is That You?

This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)

• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 1: The Self-Defense Force Goes to Another World
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 2: The Two Armies
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 3: Fire Dragon
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 4: To Unknown Lands
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 5: The Battle of Italica
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 6: Ride of the Valkyries
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 7: The Princess’ Decision
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 8: Japan, Beyond the Gate
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 9: The Hakone Mountain Night Battle
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 10: Despair and Hope
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 11: Visitor
• Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There Episode 12: What Would Itami Do?