Not long ago I said that I had started reading some more Manga. My wife and I went to one of our local comic book, board game, and generally all around nerdy stuff stores. They have a massive manga section there, and while a lot of the series are missing the first book, because people, like us, buy one to try it, there were some series that we’ve grabbed a chunk of. One of them being The New Gate. And I only bought a book there, let’s just say, now I own nine of the ones out.

The Plot – The New Gate

The story actually starts out a whole lot like SAO (Sword Art Online), there is a death game and all the players are trapped in it. But instead of starting at level one, we follow the player in the midst of the final battle against the boss. Shin, the hero, defeats the final boss and the log out button is enabled for the players. He watches as the world empties out and then sees a portal open.

He goes through that and wakes up in a new world, but not really a new world, just the video game world, 500 years later. Things are different, and while some of the world rules are the same, much has also changed. What has happened, how will he cope in The New Gate and maybe, eventually, get back to the real world, if that is even possible.

General Thoughts

Let’s just start out with some general thoughts on this, this won’t be my final opinion. But I think it’s worth chatting about because this might seem like a pretty standard Isekai manga, and well, it is. Now, I say that but also it’s a trope that is used a lot because it isn’t always a bad trope. And in this case, I would say it is a trope that works. This is not a manga that promises deep surprises and decisions. It is one where it’s meant to be fun action adventure reading and it is that.

Also, because it is for action and adventure and generally written for a male audience, it does have some fan service. It’s less of a put someone in a compromising position or someone walking in on them. It just is going to be images drawn where cleavage is very prominent, things like that. It is over the top at times and could be done less without affecting the story at all. But compared to some it is not that egregious either. It’s just more of the trope than anything.

What Doesn’t Work?

The writing or story is a bit like a Dungeons and Dragons campaign. And for me this is not a major complaint to it. Generally you get one session or one arc in one of the manga collections, so about five chapters. Some chapters do more to set-up future chapters. And other collections generally stand on their own. But the cohesive story that is being told isn’t that cohesive. It’s more vignettes that make some sense, but often times don’t as much. It might all come together, but I’m not caught up yet.

I also will say that while I don’t mind the tropes and that The New Gate is what I’d qualify as summer reading, it is not deep. This ties in some with that Dungeons and Dragons campaign feel, I wish I could see more of the story developing. I think I know some ways it might go, I’d just like to know more of them or to see some more plot lines being weaved through everything.

What Works?

The main character is likeable and the side characters work. Some of the side characters are even more interesting than the main character. I think that the writing, as a whole, is solid, and I don’t really have a complaint about it. Which, I think is a mark for this manga. It could lean into some levels of absurdity that it doesn’t. It could spend more time on the male gaze than it does easily, but instead it creates nice characters that you enjoy reading about.

I also think it matches up it’s tone well. I just talked about how it isn’t that deep, but I picked it up not because I wanted something deep. You know what you are getting into with this manga. So while I do have it as a negative that I’d like the through storyline to be a bit more visible or even for there to be one, I don’t mind that it isn’t trying to deal with weighty topics. The manga is what it sets out to be and is what it advertised itself as which is why I picked it up.

Who Is It For?

I don’t think that I’d recommend it as an Isekai that someone starts out with, but it could be one that you grab shortly there after. I have no reason to say that except that I think it leans so heavily on the tropes and knowledge of them, that it might need that tiny bit of explaining. But if you like Isekai, you’ll likely enjoy this one, knowing that it takes a genre of manga that is already fairly popcorn and makes it more so.

Final Thoughts – The New Gate

This is a fun series. I own nine books now and I know I will get more. Sometimes I read a manga and I enjoy it, I enjoy most that I read, but I don’t care enough to continue. In fact, I am almost caught up, book 10 of The New Gate came out in June of this year, so as far as I can tell it’ll be continuing.

This is what I wanted to read when I got the book. And that is really the main thing about it. It is not the best Isekai that I’ve came across. I prefer Sword Art Online to it, though that is more an story with Isekai elements. Or The Devil is a Part-Timer is better as well. But I wanted to read a story that is just a fun adventure romp. That is what I got, and that is why I will continue reading it.

Have you read The New Gate?

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