Last Post: 10:45:26pm, 09/15/2017
Hmm, I see. That's totally fair, yes.
I'm not saying that Gate's story is that good, of course. The main story itself is mediocre in my opinion, but it has merits in a number of inspanidual characters and sense of humor. And by humor I don't mean just the jokes, but also absurd things can get in some points.
I was hooked because I want to see more of the characters I like, essentially. And to my luck, a few of my favorites do get a good amount of screentime and key roles. But only a few.
The magic of this fantasy world is on a pretty mediocre level, obviously. And it does baffle me that the empire's got an army of dragon riders but don't seem to have any magic-specialized units. Still, can't have them be too strong or we won't see fighter jets vs giant dragons, eh?
But the human world's science actually contributes to the fantasy world's advance in magic, which is one of the points I personally like.
The political issue isn't really from the in-story capable ruler, but rather from a certain idiot who comes up and threatens to ruin everything both sides have been working towards. That and Japan's own political issues with other countries making the prime minister worry for their own reputation and foreign relations. It's indecisiveness on the government's part, essentially. There's also a minor plot point that the JSDF are presented in a negative light by Japan's media, which hinders their scope of action.
As for the nationalism, well, it is indeed overglorified in parts. It's actually a good thing that they weren't showcased too much, and that those overglorified things don't actually play key roles in the main plot.
But still, nationalism is something that I tend to overlook in stories, and that's not limited to Japan or Thai nationalism. I've been around and stuff so I experience nationalism pretty much everywhere I've been to, which I guess makes me more "tolerant," for lack of better word. If the work isn't literally created for the sole purpose of glorifying a specific thing (whether it's a person, nation, ideology, etc.) all throughout, I can usually overlook those aspects and take in the rest.
I probably won't read novel version of Gate though, unless I find out that the rest of the story is actually super good, which is highly unlikely.
And well... Thai nationalism is probably the worst I've seen in any form of entertainment I've consumed, and that's what I spent a good part of my life with. It's to the point of embarrassment, really. Thankfully, I was enrolled in a private school with an "English Program," which exposed me more to the cultures of other countries. Thing is, I don't hate my country and all, but I can clearly see it regressing more and more if this keeps up. (Sorry for the kinda unrelated rant here)