Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 9 Review

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

Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 9 Review – Quick Summary

In Gate Thus the JSDF Fought There episode 9, “The Hakone Mountain Night Battle,” Itami had taken his team to the apartment of Risa, his ex-wife. After getting past his team’s shock that anyone would actually have married him, they made their plans: If they’re being tailed, then the more people they can surround themselves with, the better. That works well until the Ministry of Defense regroups and sends them to a safe hot-springs hotel. It turns out that “safe” is relative. Can Itami survive the foreign soldiers gunning for them? More importantly, can he survive Rory?

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

Favorite Quote from Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 9

The Princess knows what the Princess likes, and she’s serious about finding more! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Itami’s idea to hide everyone in plain sight during the day made perfect sense to me. At the same time, it gave everyone from the other side of the gate a chance to get to know Japan a little. That also made sense to me.

While Risa took Rory, Tuka, and Lelei shopping, Tomita took Piña and Bozes in search of… Well, before I get to that, I just have to comment on the Risa’s shopping trip. Tuka absolutely rocked the dress she tried on. I mean, seriously. The Fairy Elf could have made an absolute mint had she become a model.

Anyway.

Tomita did his best to acquaint his charges with the best Japan could offer. He took them to a prestigious library and asked what they wanted to see.

I am a big fan of someone discovering something they absolutely love, then following where that leads them. So when Bozes and Piña held a comic they’d borrowed from Risa, I took notice.

“Art!” Piña said (06:13).

It wouldn’t’ve have been the genre I would have picked, but I wish Piña and Bozes the best of luck in pursuing their dreams!

Best in Show Moment for Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 9

Risa and Itami both had a hard time expressing their feelings. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Setup: Bozes and Piña Set the Tone

Hot springs are a time-honored staple of anime. I have no idea how realistic these scenes are, never having visited a hot springs. But I’ve often wondered if, in some cases, writers use a hot springs to symbolize a greater level of intimacy, where characters can be a little more open about their feelings with the folks around them.

That certainly was the case here. Risa, maybe trying to gather material for her manga/doujins, kicked things off by asking Shino Kuribayashi, of all people, if she had any interesting romance stories. I didn’t think Shino would give that kind of thing a second thought, but apparently she had. She immediately noted that Tomita found Bozes quite attractive, and the sergeant wondered how Bozes felt about him. In the background, Lelei floated a sphere of hot springs water above her head, just to keep in practice.

Shino wasted no time getting right to the point. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I figured Bozes would shrug it off, but the knight who had confidently beat up Itami and who even agreed, because of matters of state, to use her own body to try to make amends, suddenly got very, very shy. Stammering something about knights being forbidden to have such relationships, she eventually ran out of words and tried to hide her mouth under water.

Piña got all fired up. She really wanted to know what kind of man Bozes was into, and she wasn’t above nuzzling Bozes’ ear to convince her to answer. Risa, ever vigilant for material for her craft, said (13:27), “I can use this in my doujins!”

So now everyone is having fun. They’re nice and relaxed. Rory decided it was time to address the gorilla in the room.

Delivery: Rory Asked What Everyone Wanted to Know

Rory Breaks the Ice

“By the way, Risa,” Rory said. “How are things between you and Itami now?”

She was asking about the divorce, of course. That question caught Shino’s attention, and she seconded the question, adding one of her own: “Why’d you marry a guy like that?”

Risa tried to laugh it off as she explained she’d known Itami and his family since middle school. Still mystified, Shino asked again why she had decided to marry Itami, who Shino can in no way shape or form acknowledge as anything but an otaku, and a lazy one at that. The way Risa explained it, she was hungry and had no income, and Itami was in the military with a steady paycheck. She was the one who brought up the marriage idea. In the background, Lelei still had her water sphere balanced in the air above her head.

Risa had brought up the idea of marriage. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Shino seemed to accept that answer, but she was still confused on the divorce aspect. Rory listened on intently. Saying that the initial invasion through the gate had been dangerous, Risa had asked Itami why he’d volunteer to go to the other side of the gate — which had to be even more dangerous. Risa said that Itami had told her (14:14), “If something happens to me, you’ll get the insurance money, so you’ll be set for life.”

Risa Didn’t Like The Answer, Not One Little Bit

Going on to say that Itami didn’t understand how she felt, she decided to divorce him to get a fresh start. That got so much of Lelei’s attention that the water splashed down over her head.

The older I get, the more sad this scene feels. Risa and Itami talked right past each other. I can see him thinking that providing for her financial well-being was being a courteous partner. I can see that because that’s pretty much what I would do! I might even have said the same thing he did. Risa, though, felt hurt that he hadn’t considered her feelings. I get that, but at the same time, shouldn’t she have known that Itami was like that? He’s Itami! How else could he be? Someone had to be the emotionally intelligent partner, and it certainly wasn’t going to be Itami.

Hmmm. I wonder why Lelei lost concentration when Risa said she had wanted to start over? Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

This scene probably feels so melancholy because of how well I understand where Itami is coming from. The two clearly feel affection for each other, even it they don’t know how to express it or even receive it. It’s my favorite scene because it evoked a feeling and a state of mind that lingered, and I recognize the skill that went into it.

Also, I’ll also be glad for the next episode.

What did you think of Taro Kano and Itami bonding over manga? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

Gate Thus The JSDF Fought There Episode 9: Other Posts

Other Anime Sites

• Reddit: [Spoilers] Gate: Jieitai Kanochi nite, Kaku Tatakaeri – Episode 9 [Discussion]
• RABUJOI: GATE – 09
• Chibi Reviews: Gate Jieitai Kanochi nite Kaku Tatakaeri Episode 9 Anime Review – Dat Ending

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?