I watched Gate 24 in one sitting. I didn’t plan to, it just happened. And I absolutely loved it.
Machi
What really pulled me in was Machi. She’s such a curious soul. She notices things everyone else just walks past, and she pays attention to the tiniest details. I could relate to her way more than I expected. That habit of looking twice at something everyone’s already written off felt very familiar to me.
And Machi’s love for objects is second to none. It’s such a dear thing about her that she cares for objects as much as one does for people. That observational streak, and the tenderness behind it, is what I loved most about the show. It’s not a gimmick. It’s just who she is.
Two times four
Their counsellor explains the name at one point, and I liked it more than I expected. Gate 24 is two kinds of things looked at through four lenses: people and objects, through immigration, customs, quarantine and police. Two times four. It sums up how the show thinks, and it’s exactly how Machi works. Nothing gets looked at just once.
The cases
The cases were genuinely interesting too. I got completely pulled into each one and kept trying to figure things out along with her. There are so many little details you don’t really catch at first. Then everything comes together and you’re like, “Ah, of course.” The show doesn’t spoon-feed you, and it rewards you for paying attention.
The episode with the veteran police officer has really stayed with me. That bit where she holds onto the pin of the gun was so good. It’s such a small detail, easy to miss even, but it says everything. That’s exactly what this show does well. It lets tiny moments carry a lot of weight.
Pace, and the one complaint
I’ve watched enough Japanese shows by now that the pacing didn’t bother me at all. I’m pretty used to how they tell stories. If anything, it worked really well here. The slower rhythm gives you room to notice things, and that’s kind of the whole point of a show like this.
My only complaint is the ending. It just felt incomplete, like they stopped right when things were getting good. There’s so much more they could do with Machi and this world, and I really hope we get more seasons.
If you liked Taskaree
If you’ve watched Taskaree here in India, you might really enjoy this one. Both are set around customs, but the stories are quite different. Taskaree is more about the bigger smuggling drama. Gate 24 has these unique, self-contained cases in every episode, which makes it super immersive.
I’d recommend it to anyone who enjoys Japanese or Korean dramas, especially if you like shows where observation and attention to detail actually matter. So yes, a very pleasant surprise.
9/10.
Cleared for entry. 😉