Since its inception, the anime "GATE Fantasy Self-Defense Force", which is based on an online novel, has attracted much attention because of its sensitive subject matter, and there have been many discussions about whether this work deliberately inciting right-leaning thoughts.

Iida: This time, we're talking about the anime "GATE," which is about the Self-Defense Forces traveling to another world to fight, and it's exactly the same as everyone guessed before they relaxed, and the atmosphere of the discussion is very lively now.

Fujita: Although there are many parts that have been criticized as "right-leaning entertainment works", I thought it was quite interesting when I watched it myself. The supervisor of the anime is the big hit work "Lovelive! The superintendent of Kyogoku Naohiko. Although the setting of the work is the kind of "world of the game = Dragon Quest + modern Japan" that everyone would fantasize about when they were bear children, it is still very interesting to restore it from the current mature animation technology.

Crushing an opponent with a modern weapon that is inferior to one's own technology has a refreshing feeling in itself. For example, the original work of Hanmura Ryo "Sengoku Self-Defense Force", the protagonist of "The Commandment of the Heroes" directed by Sam Raimi with a chainsaw and the battle of the necromantic army, etc., the sense of superiority brought by modern technology is reflected in "GATE".

But on the other hand, if it is really a description of modern warfare, it will become necessary to depict elements including "unmanned reconnaissance aircraft", "nuclear weapons", "bombing" and so on, and these pictures do not reflect the protagonists' appearance well, and the army, that is, the battle based on tanks and infantry, can better portray the activity of the characters, so the choice of the imaginary enemy as the relatively backward technological level of the medieval fantasy world may also be due to this consideration.

Some of the chilling death scenes in the work are also very sensory. The protagonist of the Self-Defense Forces is a dead house, and the setting is also deliberately catering to the current generation.,Imagine that the death house on the battlefield may also feel like this.。 And the scene where the protagonist drives while singing the theme song of the magical girl animation is also similar to the theme song of American soldiers singing Mickey Mouse in the Vietnam War in the movie "Full Metal Bullet Case". And the middle-aged team members compared the opposite world to a monster movie, which is also very comedic.

Iida: The original work was actually serialized nine years ago, and I didn't expect the world to have changed so dramatically.

Fujita: Animation was also a time when the right to collective self-defense was being discussed, so I guess this project came about.

Iida: The anime project was discussed three or four years ago, when Abenomics was proposed, and the constitutional amendment to the right to collective self-defense had not yet begun, so it was probably just an accident. The release date was also not determined until the last minute. There are almost no dialogues from some Internet rightists, and the actor in the original work, Itami, also said that "I have never been to the Yasukuni Shrine", and the setting is a person who does not ask about politics.

Fujita: By the way, the first Abe Cabinet was already preparing for a national referendum in 2006 on the so-called Defense Agency Establishment Act and constitutional amendments.

Iida: During the first Abe cabinet, the original work didn't even have the length of a single book.

Fujita: The period of the original work coincided with the first Abe administration, and since then, the idea of amending the Constitution and the Self-Defense Forces has been active. There is some resonance between the two. By 2007, the Abe cabinet had made clear its proposals for amending the Constitution.

Iida: The staff of the anime probably didn't want to be involved with the Abe administration. When it comes to the Self-Defense Forces, both the left and the right will criticize it, and this is already a topic that is hard to avoid.

Fujita: I think that since you are going to use the theme of the Self-Defense Forces at this time, people will naturally have their first impression when they see it, and these should be the ones who made this work.

Iida: A few days ago, I also interviewed the original author, Mr. Yanuchi, and the staff of the anime asked them, "If you make this work at this time, you will definitely be treated like that, right?" The other person replied, "It's just for entertainment, and I don't think about anything else." It expresses the position that only the work itself is discussed, and does not express the intention of the government.

Fujita: There's no such thing as a "pure entertainment work", so it's not political, but you can't ignore it completely.

Iida: If you want to talk about the relationship with the original work, there was an earthquake in the original work before the Great East Japan Earthquake, and when it was supposed to be finished, an earthquake occurred, and the author thought that "you can't escape this topic", so I still wrote about what to do after the earthquake, and I think it's a very honest expression.

In the animated version, there are a lot of depictions of girls using weapons, but since this is the setting, some necessary explanations are still reflected in the original work. But the anime doesn't mention much for some other reason.

For another example, after coming to another world, many people have died, and they still shout "Elves are so good!!" "The protagonist also seems very strange. But the setting of Itami has also been mentioned many times in the original work, including Itami's teammate Kurata has also been portrayed with an obvious dead house temperament.

Fujita: The guilt of killing each other is very weak. But in reality, soldiers often have a strong psychological shadow after killing people. There is still some concern about this.

Iida: When I was reading a novel, I saw that the word "Self-Defense Forces" was at most "Ah, that's the setting," but once it became an anime, I thought it would definitely be said, and my impression was completely different. The "weapon worship" that didn't feel anything in the original work is very obvious in the anime.

Iida: Compared to the original work, the anime is closer to what the current Self-Defense Forces look like. Even if you don't want to, you have to make it correspond to the real Self-Defense Forces. Recently, there have been people who have retired from the Self-Defense Forces to check the military settings of the anime. Even if it's really a so-called "pure entertainment work", it's not impossible to portray the Self-Defense Forces as something that has nothing to do with reality and say, "This is all fantasy." But in the end, I chose to get closer to reality. So it's all come to this point.,It's really hard to judge whether it's really wrong when people watch the animation...

Fujita: I see, I like this chaotic state of "reality level" at the same time, and this is exactly what it is very interesting. Of course, depending on its specific direction, it is indeed possible to be severely criticized. After all, it is the "political zhì" element of "reality" that is used in fantasy works.

Iida:In the original novel, everyone said that the beautiful girl liked this kind of thing the most, and the Self-Defense Forces were also greatly active, and it was indeed a fictional work, and it was very entertaining. But what the Self-Defense Forces should react to when they really encounter such a situation is explained in the original work, but the anime deviates somewhat. Online novels have a tendency to satisfy everyone's desires. So after the animation removes some of the content that explains the reasonableness, it will make people feel very abrupt.

Fujita: If you want to say whether the political zhì is correct, it's not surprising that this work is seen as a projection of the country's desire to invade to another world, but I think that's what happened.

Iida: It's still different. If it were to be portrayed in this way, it would be portrayed as closer to some specific country, such as China or other countries.

Does it need to be explained?

Fujita: If you omit the "explanation" part, it will become a work that satisfies everyone's sensual desires, and I guess there will be something interesting about it......

Iida: As a writer who is a former member of the Self-Defense Forces, I don't want to omit the question of what should be done about the meaning of the Self-Defense Forces. On the contrary, some people who do not know the truth prefer to vent the pressure to their own desires.

Fujita: But animation is an entertainment industry. As long as the audience is happy, isn't it necessary for the industry to make works that everyone is happy to see?

Iida: How do you unify your previous statements? Isn't that what you say?

Fujita: Even if it is necessary for the structure of the industry, people who watch anime are affected by the work, so I wanted to analyze the effect of this content. I want to analyze whether it has come to the time of people who accept such works and those who make them. If there's a problem with this, I'll still criticize it. What do you think of Iida?

Iida: I think it's important to depict how the Self-Defense Forces react when there is a conflict between the military and the Self-Defense Forces from another world, how they communicate with neighboring countries, and what criteria they use to judge when something happens. If there are these descriptions, the connotation must be deeper than the original, and this is my position.

Fujita: That's amazing. It makes me think it's like a pro-defender

Iida: I'd like to see a film about "fantasy" that would lead to the fact that the Self-Defense Forces deal with issues from a positive perspective when they encounter a situation, neither left nor right. Of course, even if it's a choice in the anime, the Self-Defense Forces will become the object of discussion in reality. But I just hope that the work can have an attitude towards these things, not that I don't support them.

How is it different from other moe military works?

Fujita: This sense of deviation is the same feeling when I watch "Strike Witch" and "Ship Girl".

And there is a tendency for this reaction to grow. Unlike in the 90s, when I was nervous at the mention of the Self-Defense Forces, I was able to feel the thrill of releasing pressure, but I also had a sense of crisis that it would be terrible if it went on like this.

Iida: I don't think anyone who would be angry with a work called "Idol Defense Force" in the 90s would be able to compare it to the real Self-Defense Force. Earlier, the same was true of the "Sengoku Self-Defense Forces". Now it's sensitive in every sense of the word.

Fujita: I feel like I've seen an increase in similar works.

Iida: It seems like the Self-Defense Forces haven't been featured in the anime for a long time. There are a lot of Meng military works.,It's like "Library Wars".,It's not the Self-Defense Forces.。

Fujita: It turns out that there aren't many works by the Self-Defense Forces. There are also TV series "Flying Intelligence Room", and "Idol Defense Team" does not seem to form a group because it is OVA.

Iida: The old OVA and the current late-night anime are actually pretty much the same. And late-night animation isn't much of a syndicate either.

Hayao Miyazaki is typical in this regard, he likes weapons but hates war. Few people would want to make a work that clearly depicts the war between the Self-Defense Forces and other countries.,Although the ship girl is based on historical facts, the enemies are also some unknown existences.,And they're all beautiful girls.。 But "GATE" did that, and compared to other cute military animations, it has a stronger connection with reality, so the discussion is becoming more and more intense.

It may be a bit contradictory to what I said before, but I also have the idea of watching the work in a relaxed and enjoyable way.

Fujita: Crushing the opponent with technology, being able to take over the harem, and by the way, adding a reason of "this is protecting you" can be said to be an excellent work that allows the audience to enjoy the "thrill of aggression". Although the integration of desire into fantasy is something that everyone usually does, the form of desire embodiment in this work is somewhat special. How this "twisted" content can land softly is what I want to focus on.

The Second World War was also followed by liberation in the name of aggression in various sheep's clothing. Expressing these cruel contents in a malicious way is also a form of self-reflection. Recognize the cruelty in your heart, recognize it positively, and reflect on it, which is also the connotation that this animation wants to express.

PS: It's a long ...... After flipping through for a long time, there is a place where you want to read the original text here:

http://www.excite.co.jp/News/reviewmov/20150820/E1439867935066.html

This article is translated and edited by Shunwang Animation, please indicate the source for reprinting.