The New Gate

The New Gate is a pretty average isekai with its main draw being the unique setting. Imagine the beginning of Sword Art Online, where Kirito and thousands of other players are trapped in a game for real stakes. Here, we start at the end where our "Kirito," named Shin, defeats the final boss, allowing everyone else to log out — except him. Stuck in the game and catapulted 500 years into the future, Shin finds himself in a world where his exploits have become mere legends. Poor guy, Asuna is nowhere to be found, his companions are long gone, and only NPCs remain, including the ones he created, who have gone their own ways over the centuries. Interesting premise, right? Unfortunately, the execution didn't live up to my expectations. There were moments where I was genuinely bored. Even the big twists, especially the one in the final episode, felt underwhelming. SPOILER: The reveal that other players are still around didn’t mesh well with the world-building that painted them as mere legends. It's hard to buy that these players, with their super abilities, stayed hidden all this time. END OF SPOILER. It's clear where the story is heading, and the romantic subplots are predictable. It’s obvious Shin’s "Asuna" isn’t as lost as it seems, but it won’t matter much because it’s pretty clear how the romance will play out. The show doesn't maximize its potential; the plotlines are transparent, laden with clichés, and the animation quality is subpar. The fight scenes rely too much on quick cuts and flashy effects instead of actual movement. If you look closely, especially in the final episode, you'll notice animation errors like Shin's distorted face — how did that pass quality control? The whole last episode felt pretty half-baked. Maybe they ran out of time or money — stuff like that happens in production. But honestly, the fight scenes throughout the series were never that impressive, and the background animation was always pretty basic. Now, for some positives: Shin, as a character, is actually quite likable and has more charisma than, say, Kirito. Unfortunately, the rest of the cast doesn't stand out much, not even Schnee or Tiera. Among the female characters, I found the second princess the most interesting because she at least had some depth. Overall, my favorite character was Wilhelm. In summary, The New Gate is a run-of-the-mill isekai, good for a one-time watch but not much more. I'd rather have a second season of the classic Gate than more episodes of this. That said, if more episodes did come out, I'd probably watch them, as it’s an okay way to kill time. 5/10 (30/06/2024)