Reviews for Steins;Gate (8.46) 572y5d

Steins;Gate (SG) is based on a visual novel by Nitroplus, which some years ago had also adapted into anime their Chaos;Head work and the result was plain horrible. Seems like since then they learned from their mistakes and improved the pacing and the character interactions; yet it’s still not masterpiece level as it is full of dead time and otaku jokes. I understand it is based on something of which 99% of the players are hardcore anime fans who demand some fan catering, but that is also what makes it rather hard to be liked by anyone who is not into that. I for example am a hardcore fan as well but the constant otaku jokes annoyed me. This is no Genshiken to excuse them in-story; they are there as plain fan catering and I find that to be a cheap method of attracting one’s interest. It’s not like the story can’t work without it; it is very interesting and I consider all the humor as nothing but an excuse to stall time and sell more to otakus. It takes away from the show instead of adding.

The production values are standard in artwork and animation but very good in aesthetics, combining various cinematics that really build up in atmosphere.
- The use of darkness, dementia backgrounds, cryptic dialogues and smart camera angles make it very eye-captivating.
- Voice acting is better described as perky (TUTURU!); the characters all sound like they have mental disorders and that gives them a colorful tone. The context of the dialogues is also semi-smart as it involves a lot of pseudo-science that needs attention to get the terminology; I must say it is very interesting.
- The soundtrack is also a weird blend of electronic music with guitar, pop, and trance, and again I find myself attracted to it even more. WHY COULDN’T CHAOS;HEAD BE SO GOOD?
- There are also many cute girls and otaku culture gags if you dig that but as I said I found them to be an unnecessary extra. What I mostly like about the girls is not them cosplaying or blushing but the way their eyes are drawn that makes them look like they escaped from some asylum, which is awesome.

The concept of story is also very interesting; it is about time travel in quite an unorthodox way. Or at least it was at first before they screw it up with a more commonplace type of method later in the story.
- You don’t travel physically; only your data does in the form of microwaves or memories. The application is very unstable with solid objects and thus it is safe to be used only for cell phone messages or transferring your memories. The protagonist spends half the show experimenting and learning how to link with himself in the past in an attempt to prevent future events.
- There are various twists to this as, for example, there are myriads of different timelines and thus each time-related event creates a different timeline (or as they call it, a world line). Every time they change something, according to the basic principle of time paradoxes you don’t making the change unless you have a supernatural ability to do so. Practically only the protagonist retains the memories while all the rest look at you without having a clue of what just changed; a very interesting concept. It even goes beyond that by stating that some events are destined to happen no matter what you do, unless you go back and do something world shaking, which will automatically rewrite history entirely.
- All these are amazing concepts, never used in such an elaborate way in an anime before. I mean, ok, Higurashi and Madoka are famous examples of anime that did something similar but not in such an elaborate way, thus Steins;Gate wins hands down. And mind how I still don’t consider it the best in using the concept properly; just the most complicating and seemingly plausible. I preferred the way Noein and Tatami Galaxy went with it; it wasn’t as cool there but they definitely used the concept in a more balanced and thought provoking manner.

The show also manages to do something very hard for most anime: To have interesting and memorable characters (TUTURU!).
- The protagonist is an interesting character, as he practically has the power to alter time and be the only one ing the change. Being rather insane who constantly thinks he is being followed by a sinister agency and makes various weird actions in his lab as means of so-called protection , adds to his appeal to see how he will react to each situation. Having events he can’t prevent without rewriting history also offers a sort of heavy price to his awesome power.
- The secondary characters (all of which are conveniently cute girls) are also not just decorations. Despite seemingly being nothing than harem material at first, many of them end up having hidden agendas and gain roles which are crucial to the storyline. Meaning, they all eventually get some nice backdrops and are fleshed out.
- Of course eventually not all of them are plot-relevant as many viewers believe. That cat maid and the transvestite priestess are still nothing more but colorful side-stories, proof of which is how they aren’t even shown in the final episodes. And although some will say that they are still important for the protagonist to have someone to experiment time alteration upon, they still end up being closer to lab rats and harem flavoring rather than crucial peons to the main conflict. To put it in a different way, it is like all those random people the protagonists in Death Note or Code Geass experimented their powers on. They may have learned how they can use them but otherwise did not offer anything to the plot. And it’s not as if all that couldn’t be shown “during” the main storyline either (and this is why I mentioned those other anime earlier).

A problem with the show is that many of its parts are uneven; some episodes are way too light and others are way too heavy. Although this may help to maintain the interest from the viewer instead of making him feel bored by the constant same style, it still doesn’t do it in a great way.
- It takes for the show to reach midway before you even realize there is an actual conflict going on in there. Up to then it is mostly otaku comedy, light sci-fi, and it gets really stupid at times. At one time he tries to change the gender of a boy to a girl with a most improbable method. Another is spent at eradicating a life style from an entire area of Japan. Although these episodes are meant to be a steady build up for darker things that come along midway through the series, I was eye-rolling half the time. You could of course see them as means to get to know the characters as well as smoke screen for the darker twist later on.
- His fat guy assistant is a computer nerd and an otaku, existing to reveal stuff about the internet conspiracy, to provide with lots of otaku jokes and to appeal to a “certain” group of viewers. I could really do without him.
- The girls also seem to be there at first as nothing more than eye candy, as well as excuses for the hero to alter the past. It’s just like a date sim; they tell you their problems and you try to solve them as means to get into their pants.
- Although a few episodes would be ok to be used as nothing but introduction in the beginning, later on entire episodes are spent on changing the past just for kicks. It can be seen as plot-relevant, as experimenting on the d-mails and having an excuse for what to try to change is part of a trial-and-error procedure in doing it right. The problem comes when later on they use up another bunch of episodes just to undo what was already established. These constant changes are not even done with the mindset to benefit the world or prevent evil masterminds from accomplishing a catastrophe; they are just performed on a whim of cute girls rubbing it on the protagonist to help them, so again you get the feeling they are stalling time.
- One could even wonder more opaque issues, such as “What kind of a pervert would alter history just to please a chick?” And seriously why do they all have issues regarding ONLY their fathers? In fact, mothers don’t even exist; this is a completely chauvinistic story with lots of Freud psychology.

Eventually, despite the very interesting idea of the story the presentation remains quite light, even if one does not count the constant otaku jokes. Meaning, do not try to take the show too seriously.
- Just like any other conventional story with time travel or wishes coming true, SG is also using the trope as magic panacea to any problem and eventually exists as nothing but superficial entertainment that nullifies all sort of responsibility for one’s actions. [/b] It is overused to the point it makes everything feel possible yet unimportant for being undone so easily. It degrades to just a shallow plot armor devise and nothing more. I have heard how some excuse this as if the hero makes mistakes and learns from them in order to undo them, but let’s be honest, he doesn’t. The whole purpose of the story towards the end turns to how you will make yourself forget everything that happened, as if they never happened at all. How irrespincible is that and what kind of a morale message does it leave behind? “You have regrets about something in the past? Just change it with no cost at all. You don’t like the change? Go back and simply undo it. You don’t like the bad memories of it? Simply forget them. And don’t worry if you mess up a few times because you have infinite attempts and nobody else shares your power to try to stop you.”
This lack of actual danger killed my interest, since I know there is no way the hero won’t win in the end.
- Also, it is more than obvious that any alteration in the past is only changing a few details when in theory it should be rewriting everything. So it is hard to accept the characters still have the same hairstyle, the same clothes, and the same life experiences or are still the same team and in the same room no matter what change takes place. Shouldn’t they all look different every time he changes something? Shouldn’t there be different people in the room, talking about different things? At one point, the whole lifestyle of the city changes and yet they remain the exact same way as before. All these sound minor but it is an issue that comes up after awhile and damages the story’s plausibility.
- Even the excuse of “destiny” doesn’t save it; some events are said to be unable to be prevented yet even that later on has no point as he eventually changes even destiny events with again just minor changes for the world. Feels like a contradiction as well as a betrayal of the original concept.
- The protagonist looks cool at first but if he is supposed to be a mad genius he sure doesn’t try to be scientific. You barely see him talking intelligent or explaining how time travel works; most of that is done by his supposed less smart assistants. He ends up being nothing more than an eccentric shounen protagonist and all the chicks love him just for that. He is also quite inactive for most of the duration and the only reason he does anything is to fulfill the selfish demands of some chick. Furthermore, not even his romantic side matters much. If he does all that for love, he sure sidetracks a lot and ends up doing naughty things with all of them. So if his main goal is to save a girl he likes, he sure doesn’t say no to get some variety along the way. So what is the point of his undying love when he doesn’t even do it for the romance?
- Furthermore, it seems like every time he goes back in time, his assistants already know of the explanations regarding time travel when in reality they had no idea about them yet. His romantic side with them also feels off, as they seem to be fond with him even when he returns to an earlier timeline, at which point they were still nothing but friends. So it is as if all progress regarding time travel explanations and romantic developments goes back in time along with him and makes the whole thing look fake. But the problems? No sir, those get solved and nobody re them. Convinient or what? It’s like they are actors pretending they don’t know what happens next, when in reality they do.

Despite the good efforts to make the story smart, it is still full of plot holes and inconsistencies. I was enjoying the anime after the mid part kicked in, because it became darker and more threatening. But eventually towards the end it became almost of a mediocrity for just going back to the beginning and resetting everything, while at the same time simplifying the time travel method.
- Just like in every other anime with time travel and wishes, it turns predictable and mainstream despite its good shot at becoming different. I really liked how it was done with cell phones or memory transfer, yet later on changed to the usual physical way, meaning going in the past where there are two of you at the same time.
- Hell, and all of a sudden time is no longer an infinite amount of world lines and we are again back to the linear model. And even that makes no sense the way they present it.


Leaving aside all that I wrote above, it is an enjoyable show if you don’t think about it and just regard the whole thing as fan pleasing. The production values are very good in aesthetics and the story is elaborate and mysterious enough to keep most casual viewers interested for more. Its characters are also becoming memorable very easily and that alone is enough for most people to disregard the aforementioned hickups. It’s a bit blurry though if they like the date sim aspect or the otaku jokes. All those pretty chicks being there just for the heck of it was not fitting well with me at first; I was in for the mystery and not for the poorly executed romance. Thankfully all that changed in the second half and we get far more mystery and grim events, and far less comedy and otaku culture. I also know how many are watching the show for the exact opposite reasons I do, with the weird story being just an extra to spice the pseudo-romance that is all over the place. To them the dark turnaround will probably feel negative. Oh well, you can’t please them all; if it means anything, the show eventually just goes for the same old fuss in the end so these guys will be double-pleased.

The show is still above average and despite the very unorthodox way it uses time travel and nullifies responsibilities, it is still for mainstream view, as long as you can tolerate the retarded otaku jokes and don’t overthink the numerous plot holes and the inconsistencies I mentioned above. It will definitely be one of the most memorable anime the year it came out but I wouldn’t call it a masterpiece either. It’s silly. At the same time, I recommend other anime with a similar premise. Noein and Tatami Galaxy may have less captivating characters and plot, but they definitely approaches the exact same premise with a lot more maturity and without any convenient time resets.

When you are writing a tale about time travel, two are the things that matter most: consistency and plausibility.
Consistency implies that a time travel based story has to be carefully plotted from start to end before putting even the first word on paper: if you dare to improvise midway you are doomed to stumble onto horrible plot holes that will utterly butcher the viewer's suspension of disbelief, and the tale will lose cohesion and focus. Many storytellers, be them novelists or scriptwriters, have the habit to only come up with a generic plot draft before beginning to write, and then they watch where the pen takes them; this isn't necessarily bad in several genres, and is probably the most genuine way to create a tale, but it just doesn't work when time travel is involved.
Plausibility implies that a time travel story has to come up with a set of fictional scientific rules to dodge some of the most blatant paradoxes and make time travel appear relatively believable. If it doesn't, the viewer's suspension of disbelief is again in danger. Plausibility can be however less important than consistency when the spirit of the tale you are telling is lighthearted, a comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously, which is what happens for instance in the eternal Doctor Who series. As a comedy, your suspension of disbelief isn't threatened even when plausibility only translates into time being a timey wimey wibbly wobbly... stuff. However, as soon as a season begins to get heavier on the drama (as, in the case of the Doctor, happened recently under Moffat), suddenly it all becomes less acceptable: when the plot and the characters take themselves seriously, you begin to watch them pretending seriousness, and if plausibility isn't serious enough the result isn't satisfying.

Needless to say, time travel - in a well structured plot - is a very hard theme to depict with real plausibility, nowadays more than ever as the public is generally less naive than some decades ago and less prone to just gobble up some Star Trek rough sketch. There have been very few stories focusing on actual time travel to have ever really worked. Steins;Gate lies on a very thin thread: I would say it works; barely, really barely, it's always just one tiny misstep from crumbling upon itself, but in the end it miraculously manages to work, for the good drama rather than for any good time travel depiction.

It isn't a bad show, quite the opposite, but the hype I see from some comments and ratings is seriously excessive, though seeing what crap has the anime industry cranked out in the last few years it's not surprising a finally decent series suddenly looks golden.
Steins;Gate does a very good job in the consistency department, as the intricate plot was clearly planned from day 1, granting a very effective pace to its twists and turns. Plausibility is however sub-par, and in several occasions if it wasn't for the actually rather engrossing storytelling and characters a knowledgeable viewer would toss a slipper at the screen in a righteous nerdrage. More details on this in the actual story comment.

Art & Animation

From a technical perspective, the show is pretty average. Faces and characters are a bit stiff, there's little expression depth and details often feel lacking, however the art style covers up any deficiency quite well. The desaturated palette works wonders to that aim, while at the same time giving the imagery a distinct and rewarding style. Dark tones, shallow eyes and oppressive backgrounds manage to convey a gloomy atmosphere when the plot requires it, and all in all the final result is definitely enjoyable, if not anything breathtaking.

Sound

Opening and ending themes are catchy enough, neither shame nor glory. The same could be said for the BGM, an interesting enough soundtrack that doesn't divert the attention and succeeds at further setting the atmosphere both in the lighthearted and more dramatic moments.

What really is more worth mentioning, though, is the voice acting. Several characters are almost painfully cliched in their personality/voice combo (Feyris' nyans, Kurisu's tsundere lines and tones, Taru's otaku voice etc), but as the show uses those stereotypes with a prevalent parodic goal it doesn't really become an issue. More distinct is Mayuri's voice, which - tough cliched as well - kind of drills into your brain with that tutturuu~ and threatens to stay there for an unhealthy amount of time. What really shines is, however, Myiano's portrayal of main character Okabe: as an embodied mockery of animesque stereotypes, his over the top acting when Okabe acts as his demented "alter ego" is spot on. Moreover, while during most of the show it puzzles you to hear such a mature voice coming from a character supposed to be 18 years old (and which also looks far older), when suddenly Okabe screams or cries in the most dramatic moments and his pitch goes up to suddenly reveal his real age, you can't help but be quite amazed by Myiano.

Story

As said, it is a story about time travel, focused on it, unveiled by it, and finally solved by it. Time travel isn't a plot device, it's the very nucleus of it, and as such can be somewhat puzzling at times. Long story short, Okabe Rintarou is an 18 years old slacker student who apparently likes to believe to be a comicbook mad scientist who answers to the name of Hououin Kyouma and is persecuted by some over the top evil organization. He really isn't literally crazy, and how this mania of his actually came into be is a bittersweet touch in the plot background. Anyway, together with his sweet but retard not very bright childhood friend Mayuri and fat otaku friend/slave Taru, "works" in a mockery of a science lab devising unlikely and most of all useless not-so-hightech gadgets. By sheer chance they happen to create a rudimentary time machine out of a microwave and a cellphone, able to send messages to the past. As he then follows up on it, he gains more lab , of course of the female kind.

However, while this setup would seem pretty much the usual harem crap, even though the whole first half of the series is indeed mostly a comedy it never falls deep into it. The plot does advance, even though its main focus is into the introduction of the characters to make the viewer grow affection towards them, and the parody is actually pretty good. Jokes are often, if not of the really smart kind, neither stupid, Okabe's mania of calling every "operation" of his with norse mythology names (as we know ludicrously ever present in the anime world) and how the others react to it will spur a grin, and even the ittedly very old interactions between the perverted otaku and the tsundere researcher do not feel overly stale, probably as the pace never stumbles out of comedy into pure idiocy.
During this phase the first kinks of pseudo-scientific time travel are thrown in. And you can't help but be somewhat pleased to see the writers, while surely not being experts themselves, did their research. As the team begins sending messages to the past to experiment with the actual changes made to the timeline, discovering that for some unknown reason Okabe has the gift of keeping his original memories after a time change, we see a rough draft of the butterfly effect, as well as the appearance on the net of the mysterious John Titor, apparently a famous case of a guy claiming to have come from the future to stop SERN (sic) from turning the world into a dystopia using time travel: this is also based on truth, as John Titor does "really" exist and created quite the fad since late 2000, when he began appearing on several internet sites and forums. Much of the show's details take inspiration from his claims, such as the IBN (sic) 5100, and while this doesn't of course give any more credibility to the plot premises, it surely helps in making it feel connected to our world.
However this is also where plausibility already begins to suffer: one can even accept for CERN SERN to be an evil organization, it's fiction, but that the characters could all still have met under the very same circumstances, become friends, and done the very same things even after butterfly effects big enough to, for instance, completely erase from history Akihabara's fad for the otaku culture is already quite too hard to swallow. However, as during this phase the atmosphere is still comedic, and nothing is taken too seriously for more than a minute, your suspension of disbelief is somewhat safe.

Also, the underlying time travel theory shown up until now is also the only one that ever somewhat worked even in serious plots (and coincidentally more or less what the "real" John Titor came up with too), the multiverse one: how can one avoid the Grandfather Paradox (another thing the show doesn't fail to mention, which adds to the enjoyment of the knowledgeable viewer)? If you go back in time and kill your grandfather, you would never have been born in the first place to go back in time, and so on in loop forever. The solution is simple: pretty much as theorized by the Copenhagen interpretation of Quantum Mechanics (also known as Many-World Interpretation), every time you go back in time you are effectively travelling from a timeline to another (might be more precise to say you are creating it, but this is pure philosophy), aka to a parallel universe. Your original timeline is then unaffected by anything you do in this timeline: you can kill "your grandfather", but that would only prevent your parallel self to be born in this future, not your actual self.
By this interpretation, the easiest paradoxes are avoided, and plausibility is, at least for a little while, preserved.
The very fact Okabe keeps his memories while not gaining those of the new timeline (the reason why is never explained) is a contradiction, a serious one which defies the very fundamentals of this ruleset making it moot, but you are prone to excuse it since otherwise there could be no traditional, linear storytelling. This was not intended to be a David Lynch movie, so we can endure the sacrifice.

But then things take a turn for the worse, while I turn to the spoiler tag, as I cannot explain both the good and bad points of this time travel theory without going into the gory details. Seriously, this is a real spoiler, without any semblance of shame, don't read it if you don't want to seriously hurt your potential enjoyment for the show.



Phew! All in all, to sum things up and say something relevant to those who don't want to read the spoiler, a better than average comedy with some interesting time travel ideas turns midway into a good drama with crappy time travel that could only have really made sense in Doctor Who, and lots of plot holes. Honestly, the first half works better per se, but of course a good drama is ten times more worthy than a decent comedy, the latter being otherwise boring if it weren't to lead to anything. Still, this cannot really justify a very high rating in this department.

Character


Ok, as the show is overall really quite good in its aftertaste, this is where I can crank the rating up a bit, and it is well deserved. While it's true most characters aren't really original, their interactions are, if not original themselves, well handled, satisfying and entertaining. The comedy might not be groundbreaking, but the characters show genuine charisma in performing it, and you become attached to them. Their development is a bit controlled and artificial, far from unexpected in most cases, but it feels nevertheless complete, even though through so many timeline resets they could have easily been considered reset too.

What really works well here is how the only original character, Okabe, interacts with everyone else or how he makes them interact with one another. When they are funny most of them often joke in a way a real human could probably joke in that situation (even Feyris, with her paper-thin moe character, is entertaining when she plays along with Okabe's mad scientist act), when they are dramatic they have damn good reasons to be and as such they never sound too melodramatic, and when they are sweet they have been building enough credibility to not feel cheesy and annoying. The ending (both the original one and the more fanservice one in the special) and how it relates to some of the main characters is really satisfying even in all its predictability and simplicity, and after all the confusion you have sat through it really was the right choice to give you a real ending, instead of the open ended crap which is year after year always more common not only in brainless comedies but in more articulated shows such as this too.

There might be nothing really memorable here neither, but very good is a fair statement.

Value

Just by looking at how does the current anime scene fare, with all its faults this show has unquestionably a good value and is widely recommendable. The rabid sci-fi fan who knows his time travel logic and cares for it, though, should be advised to not keep his hopes up too much. The presentation is good enough to build up some fairly good expectations in this department, but these fall short as soon as the plot stops messing around and gets serious: still, as it isn't your run of the mill copypasta Star Trek time travel script, there's enough meat in the drama alone to probably let all but the most unforgiving nerds enjoy it without regretting it.

This is not, by far, a masterpiece, neither it is a classic or, really, anything that will stand the test of time, no matter the timeline you are in. A few years ago it would have been treated by most as just a better than average show, worth watching but certainly not unmissable. Today... well, just look around. There honestly isn't that much that would be more worthy of your time. Seriously, this is taking 9s... where have all the Lains gone? Someone's got to save this timeline.

Steins;Gate is a very good series. The plotting is superb - a consistent time travel narrative, both simple enough to follow and scientifically reasonable. Most vitally, it actually achieves a satisfying conclusion that resolves its initial premises. More surprising, though, is the character development. Male lead Okarin is brilliant: nerdy to the point of insanity, but deeply human. His bravery and the choices he makes end up being really touching (particularly his interactions with his older self). Female lead Kurisu is the normal anchor - shy, ashamed even of her own geekiness, smart, but without the confidence or demented genius that fuels Okarin's plans.

In the face of their touching interactions and the tight plotting, what would otherwise be perfectly serviceable animation starts to feel distinctly lacking. Mention must be made, however, of the superb opening sequence: fitting imagery, allusions that are kept irably restrained (e.g. butterfly wings), and a wonderful scene of Okarin and Kurisu standing in place as the world around them flashes through infinite variations - which is, after all, what the show is really about. It's equalled by the opening song, which perfectly captures the spirit of the series - an overwhelmingly oppressive world (or at least a conspiracy that makes it seem that way), but met by an unquenchable desire to fight it.

The ending song too is good - relatively low-key, which meshes well with the down notes on which episodes frequently end. Beyond that there's little in the way of music; the most prominent leitmotif is a sound effect, that of an oversized tv being switched off or violently retuned. Similarly, crowd noise effectively conveys a sense of disaffection, anonymity, soullessness. The two leads' voice acting is superb, conveying a depth of emotion far beyond what this genre usually delivers. But beyond that, somefemales go too far into squeaky ridiculousness. With Mayushii (the other main female character) it's perhaps intentional - her whole character is a too-perfect otaku fantasy (a pretty, dopey cosplayer, utterly submissive to Okarin), but with (minor character) Feris there's little excuse for reusing the gimmick. Other ing characters are also gimmicky in their voices, and to a certain extent their characterizations - the quiet one with gender issues, the silent one who can't form relationships, the overly slangy hacker pervert.

Writing this it sounds like everyone but the lead couple is thinly characterized. That's not true at all; the show gives each of the characters I mentioned an episode or two of their own, as Okarin solves each of their problems in turn and then, as is time-travel story tradition, goes back through each of these earlier subplots in turn to do something else. It works beautifully, providing an elegant way to keep the plot moving (for this is still a primarily plot-driven show) and make sure there's time to give some depth to each of the ing cast. I suspect it also helps integrate what were originally branching romantic plotlines; certainly Okarin seems to be on friendly with four or five different ing females. This leads to a slightly awkward patch around two-thirds of the way through where, after having become quite close to Kurisu, Okarin then proceeds to ignore her for a chunk of episodes until the plot finds its way back around to her. It does damage the credibility of those episodes, but the series as a whole is good enough to absorb it.

Take away the lead relationship, and Steins;Gate is still a good action series (strange to say given the shortage of actual fights, but it feels more like action than any other genre); one with a slow patch in the middle, but its satisfying plot resolution already lifts it above Chaos;Head. I want to compare it with A Certain Magical Index, which is not really fair to either show; Index was explicitly very much about direct personal combat and ran on magic, where Okarin relies on cunning and Steins;Gate puts a lot of effort into scientific plausibility. But the underlying theme of one loser with an impossible power saving everyone through sheer willpower is the same.

Okarin's interactions with Kurisu, though, threaten to pull Steins;Gate into different territory entirely; I find myself thinking about it in the same as Toradora or even Honey and Clover. Perhaps the fairest comparison is to Bakemonogatari; there's the same wonderful romantic thread running behind and threatening to outshine the more action-oriented main plot, the same pseudo-harem dynamic when the lead couple have already paired up. In comparison Steins;Gate's presentation is decidedly pedestrian (at least outside the opening), but its primary plot is streets ahead, and the romance tempers its tenderness and weirdness with a very human realism. Kurisu and Okarin seem like a couple who could actually stay together for the rest of their lives, and that's the first time I've seen this outside a pure romance/drama.

This is not quite a world-conquering, genre-defining series. It's a very good sci-fi story, but I've seen better. Likewise with the romance; it might belong in the same category as Honey and Clover's, but it hasn't sured it. This is the first show I've seen to manage both those things at once, but somehow it doesn't seem enough; Steins;Gate ends up feeling like it's simply a refinement of existing shows, very polished but not breaking any new ground. Which shouldn't obscure that it's a fantastic series, and one I heartily recommend.

What would you do if you had a machine that could change the past? Would you use it to win the lottery, to correct all previous regrets? While the world already has its share of time-travel fiction, Steins;Gate is a very welcome, and refreshing addition. The premise is partially based on the idea of world lines (wikipedia if you're really interested), which basically dictates virtually infinite parallel sequences of events through time (i.e. I may be writing a review in this world line but I may be drinking soda at the same time in another world line).

Steins;Gate follows a self-proclaimed mad scientist Okabe Rintarou, who has a mystical ability called Reading Steiner that allows him to retain his memories after jumping world lines using various inventions of his. This ability of his gives him the ability to literally change the future (i.e. change world lines) by modifying the past. We follow him as he learns to understand such a technology, as well as the unforeseen consequences of utilizing it.

I would categorize Steins;Gate as a fairly serious, sci-fi thriller with outstanding character development and plot progression. At the beginning the show is very slow, as you have no idea where it's heading, but be warned that once it picks up, it doesn't let up. Pure geniuses such as roriconfan may be annoyed by some logical inconsistencies (count them as plot holes if you'd like) but these are very minor compared to other time-travel based series/shows I've seen in the past; in fact, in of actual story, this is by far the best one in the season, if not year.

Animation:
Steins;Gate is a bit of a dark series. Expect a somewhat drab/overcast color palette and a lot of dark/night scenes. The use of camera angles and coloring is brilliantly done, conveying a sense of intrigue and mystery. The animation for both the characters and background is well done. The details are crisp and character designs appealing. There are a few somewhat disturbing scenes that may not be appropriate for younger audiences, some of which are linked to fights or other action sequences. There isn't much ecchi other than Hashida's otaku comments as this is meant to be a fairly serious series. CG is only used minimally and wasn't distracting.

Overall, the animation was very good and greatly helped elevate the setting. The only downside is that the dull colors don't help keep you up late at night.

Sound:
Itou Kanako does the OP for Steins;Gate as well. It's a very nice, fitting piece that goes well with the tone of the story. Like in Ef, the lyrics will eventually change if you listen carefully. The ED is a dark and reflective, ambient piece that ends each intense episode fittingly with an uncertain tonality. The BGM is relatively weak compared to the other aspects of the show as there isn't any really memorable piece. As for FX, Okabe's cell phone will vibrate like half a dozen times per episode.

VAs do a great job at giving personality to their respective characters. Mamoru Miyano (Setsuna in 00, Light in Death Note) and Kana Hanazawa (Kobato- exact same voice...) are definitely heavyweights and they shine here as expected; Mayuri;s "Tuturu~" call is still stuck in my head ("Mayuri's greeting" topic explains this...). Haruko Momoi (Seto in Seto no Hanayome) plays the ing character Akiha Rumiho aka Feyris Nyannyan who add's an irresistably moe "nyan~" to all her lines. Finally, Kurisu's VA Asami Imai
hasn't played that many primary roles, but her voice was absolutely perfect, it's a different type of Tsundere which was perfect for my ears as I was getting tired of over-Rie-Kugimiya-ness this season.

Story:
Despite some minor philosophical nuances dealing with time travel, this story came across as one of the best I've seen of late.

Let's start with the setting. Steins;Gate takes place in Akihabara, which supposedly I guess is why it's related to Chaos;Head. It's also shares the somewhat-dark tone of Chaos;Head as well as the semicolon in the title *SHIKASHI* that's it for the similarities. Where as Chaos;Head reduces to a confused heap of wtf-ness Steins;Gate proceeds in a very consistent fashion; therefore please purge your brain of any lingering thoughts about Chaos;Head.

As I said previously, this series takes a while to build on itself. A lot of events take place early in the series that will not be explained until a lot later, think like last episode later. It's confusing as you really don't know where the story is headed at first. However, once you reach around episode ten, the true meaning of all of it suddenly comes and knocks you off your feet. From that point onwards, the series was complete chain-age for me; I was glad I waited for the entire series to finish before watching.

The format of the series is somewhat of a hybrid. There are portions of the story that can be seen as arc based, but the overall story is a contiguous, consistent line. There were a LOT of surprises for me later on in the series, and some foreshadow realization moments; which is great as I don't get surprised much these days.

This is a deep story, with lots of subplots and unknown motives so it will please those who like a bit of mystery as well as those who like philosophizing about life/time/and the meaning of it all. As I fall into both of the above categories, this was just marvelous for me.

Character:
If you're tired of the typical nice quiet guy anime series, this is your medicine. The characters in here are all very distinct and bring with them a lot of personality and mystery. All the main characters are developed nicely and a lot of character-relation ironies will boggle your mind later in the series. Don't overlook any ing character either as each character that receives screen time has a definite reason for being there.

Character interactions are also greatly done. I never got tired of Kyouma (Okarin's self-created mad scientist persona) arguing with Makise. You do get the feeling that this is a bit of a harem as lots of girls (in their mind) are attracted to Okabe but this is greatly muted by the fast-paced, story-centric plot line. You still do get a bit of romance/drama, which really starts to make an impact, deserving, towards the end of the series.

Overall, the characters in Steins;Gate are original and very memorable. Tuturu~!

Value:
I greatly enjoyed watching this series. And I greatly enjoyed rewatching the first few episodes after finishing the series as all the foreshadows now make sense. Steins;Gate was a great watch and deserving is getting a movie. I highly recommend this series for those willing to go through 24 episodes for a great ride.

A recurring trend in the anime industry often sees shows that present an inverse relationship between the story and characters. A higher quality narrative forgoes well-done characters, while a well-done ensemble can forget that it even had a plotline. It is for these reasons that many of the most critically acclaimed series will frequently sport both; it takes skillful writing to present both sides of the literary coin in top form, and quite fortunately Steins;Gate melds the external and internal events so fluidly that it becomes nearly impossible to divorce them.

Quite unfortunately though, it seems the technical aspects got the short end of the budget. While the characters movements aren’t choppy and the background and foreground at least manage to stay consistent, the visuals themselves are washed-out and somewhat inert. And considering other shows have managed to look very lively despite a limited color palette—in which case this anime isn’t lacking—, it’s a bit of a disappointment. Finally, whoever thought it was a good idea to turn the lights off in a lot of scenes when the polish was non-existent is extremely naïve; it takes more than being hard to see for something to have a dark atmosphere, and this show misses the mark on that.

Audio-wise there isn’t too much going for it either. What few BGMs it has are thankfully used correctly, but the lack of usage in itself creates a very neutral ambience that doesn’t hinder anything on screen, but doesn’t do it any favors either. Other anime have used the art of silence to their benefit; Steins;Gate does not.

Criticisms about the lackluster container aside, it’s the meat and potatoes inside the tupperware that are the real reasons to watch this anime. If the story of Steins;Gate had to be described as shortly as possible, it’s an anime about time travel. But what distinguishes it from other works about the subject is that, in true fashion of a mad scientist, it seeks to display the mere cause and effect of tampering with the natural flow of events, not teaching philosophy lessons about letting history take its proper course. That isn’t to say it’s not present, but there’s always a sense that it’s about the process itself more than the consequences of those actions. And thankfully, most of the plotholes typical of a work that tackles something complex in a less straightforward manner are sooner or later explained thoroughly and quickly. There are still some inconsistencies, such as something Okabe does at the end of the series, but overall, it’s a solid story backed by perhaps even stronger characters.

And that’s because the story and characters are very difficult to separate from one another. Barring an event that happens at exactly halfway through the series, the on-screen action is perpetrated by the cast and not anything around them. So whether a drastic change happens because of D-Mail or whether the changes are determined by a comic relief scene, this anime is very much moved by its characters and not its story. And how everyone contributes to the narrative is revealed at a glacial pace, but in the long run it’s hard not to be impressed at how cohesive and intricate every little thread becomes. However, it takes more than mere relevance for a cast member to be good, and this is something the series is aware of.

This is where Steins;Gate truly shines; the entire ensemble is not only tangentially or directly tied to the overall story, but has a very solid independence that isn’t limited by the surrounding events. To elaborate, while the backstory of each character can often become the motivation to create a drastic change in the setting, said cast member will retain the same personality regardless of the situation; it’s a good thing, because a character should not be described by circumstantial information. However, the event itself will bring their reasons to the front, presenting some depth to a cast that’s largely archetypical but still well-developed. And while relative simplicity is usually a problem, here it works to the show’s benefit as everyone is distinct; there’s no sense that anyone is interchangeable with someone else, so it’s easy to keep track of who’s who, because the last thing needed in a story like this is a scorecard for all of the characters.

It isn’t often that a show is produced that doesn’t sacrifice plot or character at the other’s expense, and while even those traits in this series have some minor nitpicks, they’re still incredibly solid in a general context. Its major flaws are purely technical, so if you’re somehow offended by the lack of eye candy and BGM, avoid this as you will. If, however, you’re in need of something with a very solid cast and story, then sit back, relax, and enjoy the show as I give you this complimentary Dr. Pepper™.

Before I begin, I should make it clear that this review is not meant to promote an anime to those who haven't seen it, but rather, it is meant to evaluate a great title. Thus, be warned that there will be significant spoilers in this review, so do not read if you haven't already completed the show. With that out of the way, let's get started.

Who doesn't love the concept of time travel? Many scientists have been fascinated by the idea, yet there hasn't been any real progress on this field in today's world. Not only is our technology still lacking from accomplishing this feat, but ethical consequences also remind some of us why time travel may not be "ideal". Putting this in perspective, think about what would happen if you were suddenly transferred into a future twenty years from now. You may meet your future child or grandchild and you wouldn't even know it. However, by meeting them in this way, you're also changing history itself, and that could have some serious implications on the present world you live in. Steins;Gate explores the interesting concept of time travel by taking the form of a psychological thriller.

Story -- 9/10

Basically, we have a group of college students who have discovered a way to send text messages to the past, and in doing so, they can alter the world. This ties back to what I talked about earlier -- should time travel really be attempted? Well, the group experienced first-hand just how incredibly wrong things went after they tempered with time. For each message they sent back to the past, the world around them has slowly, but gradually, changed. All of this eventually led to a secret organization named SERN, catching on to the group's experiments, and brutally murdering one of the . From there on, the story took a serious turn, shifting genre from a normal Sci-fi/Slice of Life to a Thriller. The protagonist of the story is ultimately caught in a dilemma, between saving the life of his childhood friend (who was killed by an agent of SERN) and saving his new love interest from dying. For the majority of the second half, the protagonist travels back in time repeatedly in attempt to save his friend from dying. It is also in this second half that we can clearly feel the protagonist's pain and suffering, since he is the only character who retains any memory after travelling from one world line to the next. The plot has successfully constructed a "believable" thriller without too many inconsistencies, and it is subjectively very entertaining all the way.

Character -- 10/10

In my opinion, almost all characters in Steins;Gate are either well developed or just plainly likable. In fact, Steins;Gate wouldn't be half the show it is without these characters. The group of college students I was talking about earlier get together in a shop keeper's basement, which sort of serves as their secret lab. Here's a quick run down of the lab .

Okabe Rintarou- He is the protagonist of the story and the founder of the lab (which really isn't what you would call a lab... but I digress). Love him or hate him, you will definitely the guy. He introduces himself as a mad scientist and calls himself Hououin Kyouma (he actually prefers others to address him as Hououin or Kyouma, rather than his real name). From talking to himself on his own cellphone to giving other characters strange nicknames, you will probably think he's an idiot. Personally, I think he's part of the reason why this show works well; since the overall tone in Steins;Gate is dark, his character manages to provide enough comic relief to balance the mood. In a nutshell, this man is usually a goofball, and only becomes serious when it counts.

Makise Kurisu- She is the main heroine of the story and the "assistant" to Okabe. She often serves as the voice of reason to Okabe's whimsical decisions. Her interactions with Okabe are arguably some of the most enjoyable moments in Steins;Gate. On the surface, they would constantly bicker, but it's clear from the start that they have strong chemistry together. And as one would expect, she becomes the main love interest for Okabe. Thanks to Okabe, she has at least 8 unique nicknames -- the most common one being Christina. She can be best described as calm and intelligent. Also, she's one of the few tsundere characters I actually love with a ion.

Shina Mayuri- The other central heroine of the story. In a sense, her role in the story is just as significant as Kurisu's, since the actual thriller part of the story doesn't begin until she has been killed. She is the childhood friend of Okabe, and has an unusually cheerful demeanor. She often refers to Okabe as Okarin, and calls herself Mayushii.

Hashida Itaru- Usually referred to as Daru, he is the super haker, er, hacker, in the group, who does most of the technical works (e.g., hacking into SERN's system and learning about their secrets). When he's not busy hacking, he is a perverted otaku who likes to make dirty jokes in the presence of girls.

Akiha Rumiho- Normally addressed as Ferris, she works as a maid and has a habit of ending all her sentences with "nyan". Essentially moe personified.

Amane Suzuha- From the beginning we can easily see that she knows a great deal about time travel. It is later confirmed she is John Titor, the enigmatic time traveller who told Okabe to save the world. She feels insecure when around people, probably due to the fact that she lives in a dystopian future governed by SERN.

Kiryuu Moeka- A girl who is pretty much mute, constantly relying on text messages as her primary method of communication. In reality, she works as a spy for SERN.

Urushibara Ruka- An extremely effeminate boy who deeply respects Okabe. He wishes he was born as a girl instead, because other guys often made fun of his looks.

In short, all these characters have their own quirks and serve their purpose well in the story. Definitely one of Steins;Gate's strongest points.

Art -- 8/10

Animated by the relatively new Studio, White Fox (the producer of another great work, Katanagatari), the animation style is pleasing to the eyes for the most part. It isn't comparable to high budget productions of Kyoto Animation, P.A. Works, and Ufotable by any means, but it does serve its purpose for a thriller. The animation is pretty consistent for characters and backgrounds, with backgrounds being more pronounced. Character designs are sufficient enough for the average viewer to stay interested. Last but not least, I should mention that the visuals in Steins;Gate have somber colours, which work well in reminding the viewer that this is a Mystery/Thriller title with an underlying dark tone.

Sound -- 8/10

The Opening song, along with two other insert songs, are done by Kanako Itou, who, in my opinion, is a talented artist. The songs are pretty catchy and memorable. The original soundtracks are not especially awesome, but they do contain some great pieces, such as "Gate of Steiner", "Christina", and "Farewell". However, I can say that most of the soundtracks fit the animated scenes well, and effectively, accentuating the mood of those scenes. Moreover, the voice actors did a great job on voicing their respective characters. Miyano Mamoru, well known for his role as Yagami Raito in Death Note, did another fantastic job in his role as Okabe; his mad scientist laughs are spot on and effectively captures Okabe's [playful] insanity. Hanazawa Kana and Seki Tomokazu voiced Mayuri and Daru, respectively; both are experienced voice actor/actress's who excel at bringing out the best emotions in their characters. I have to say I have never heard of Imai Asami before her role as Kurisu, seeing how she isn't exactly a seasoned voice actress. But after her performance as Kurisu, I really think she ought to have more roles in the future, for she has successfully displayed emotions on a level I think only a veteran could have accomplished. Special mention goes to Tamura Yukari, who did a nice job on Suzuha's part. The voice acting is overall consistent and great.

Enjoyment -- 10/10

At this point, you should already know I absolutely enjoyed this show. There aren't many anime out there that have impressed me as much as Steins;Gate did. The first half of the series did well to introduce the characters through witty conversations and dialogues. It's light hearted and comedic at the beginning, then it gradually gets darker as the story approaches its climax. The transition from the light hearted, comedic first half to the more serious, dramatic second half feels smooth and natural. That isn't to say this show has no flaws, because every anime has a flaw in it somewhere. In the case of Steins;Gate, it left a few questions unanswered, along with some very minor issues with the first half's pacing. But that doesn't make it any less enjoyable for me.

Objective Score -- 9/10

Looking at it from an entirely objective standpoint, the imperfect story prevents the series from being a total masterpiece. However, the show's strong characterization, as well as its brilliant plot, more than compensates for the few flaws it possesses.

Subjective Score -- 10/10

If you only look at the overall enjoyability and overlook the minor issues, then it's a freaking perfect anime. If you're a fanboy, then this will probably be a 11/10 for you.

Final verdict? Steins;Gate is a gem among anime. A must-see for any anime fan, especially for those interested in time travel. It is a title to be ed for many years to come.

El Psy Congroo

I have longed for similar piece of work. Fast paced, time-travelling anime, not for kids? Lets give it a shot.

Art & Animation: Very, very good. Although it may seem static sometimes, it's not. Although it may seem repeating, it's not (we are talking about time travel, this happens sometimes and it fits in the theme). Even if only characters are animated and background is static, you would see all key locations from so many different angles, that it will be etched in your memory (would not say forever, as we are talking about time travel). I think that nine is appropriate, because after watching you will be able to draw a blueprint of the lab (with trash, futue gadgets and such), street with CRT monitors shop, Ruka's shrine etc. without problems. In the category of "Series", solid nine is appropriate.

Sound: My personal opinion is that opening themes and ending themes should not be part of voting for many reasons, only exception is when they are related directly to voice actors or story. And by directly I mean directly. In this piece, seiyuu are doing quite good (~tuturuu~), also the BGM and sounds correspond to the overall atmosphere. A very good eight.

Story: Ahh... Yes, the story. Little bit confusing, for first time watchers I strongly recommend to write down current date and time every time the "clock" appears, especially in second part of the series. Overall the story is thrilling, amusing and constantly evolving. In the middle part it is slightly weaker - it was necessary for deepening Okarin's despair and explaining his motives and devotion, but nevertheless very, very predictable, almost like an deja vu. They should give a little bit more screen time to explaining of the future of the protagonists and/or SERN, because it remains mainly unexplained, and thats a shame. I give eight.

Character: I would say twelve. This just owns. I mean - Watch this, then compare it with other anime series. If you think there is better one, PM me. I would love to see it. Lets continue with both feet on the ground.

Every character is either strongly defined, or highly evolving during the show. And by evolving I do not mean "changing attitude towards someone".The only one who is "constant" is "supahaka", giving you a feeling of... erm... Stability? Comfort? Present? Although when the main plot begins to unfold, Okarin undergoes a strange period of time, when he stops using his brain at all, rediscovering it few episodes later thanks to Kurisu, but I have already substracted 2 points for that from the "Story" category, so this one gets a perfect ten.

Value: Not bad. Not bad at all. Given the theme and number of time-cycles in the series, it could have many names. Confusing. Repeating. Stupid. Boring. And it is not. You would find it thrilling. There is an action. Characters are using brain. Also strong romance combined with tearfull tragedy. And a you laugh sometimes, although it is not a comedy. While it remains focused on the goal. This one definitly goes into my "Hall of Fame", a double digit, well deserved.

Enjoyment: Combine all that I have written so far. There goes third and last "full score". When I began rating, I was going to give it an nine, but nine is for others. This one suprised and satisfied like only few other did. I also loved the attitude towards CERN's experimental facility and inspiration coming from it.

"Consegue nos ver?
Por que não está respondendo?
Sim, você, o idiota no monitor!
Bem, que seja.
Este é um laboratório de pesquisa de dispositivos futurísticos.
Permita-me apresentar a esquipe de pesquisa.
Primeiro, membro 001:
Fundador e cientista louco...
Eu.
Hououin Kyoma."

No ano de 2010, Okabe Rintarou (Hououin Kyoma) um jovem de 18 anos, presencia um acontecimento bizarro. Após assistir uma palestra sobre viagens no tempo ele é surpreendido por um grito que veio de um andar de cima, movido pela curiosidade e a urgência desse desesperado chamado Okabe sobe as escadas, apenas para encontrar o corpo de Makise Kurisu banhado em sangue. Ao caminho de volta para seu laboratório, Okabe manda uma mensagem para seu colega Hashida falando sobre o ocorrido. Por um acaso a mensagem acaba desencadeando uma singularidade e ele é levado de volta no tempo, em uma realidade em que Makise estava viva, e que a palestra que assistiu nem mesmo chegou a ocorrer.

A primeira coisa que me chamou a atenção nesse anime foi a alusão à física moderna, a teoria do multiverso, buracos negros e o famoso efeito borboleta deram um boost na serie que desde o inicio conseguiu prender minha atenção, detalhe para os nomes que Okabe dava para os projetos do laboratório, que quase sempre tinha haver com mitologia nórdica e os que eu consegui entender vi que realmente tinha lógica tal nomenclatura com o que se a na hora. Enfim, com sua aura non-sense e risadas histéricas Okabe Rintarou é um personagem muito engraçado e igualmente “doidão”, quem diria que combinaria tão bem com uma das melhores Tsunderes que já vi, Makise Kurisu, uma renomada física que acaba se juntando ao cientista maluco e seus colegas, Mayuri e Hashida.
Quem resolver assistir Steins;Gate encontrará nele uma serie muito divertida e com um enredo inteligente, que somadas a um conhecimento básico de física moderna desencadeará horas de reflexão sobre o assunto, entre uma delas vale citar essa; Estaria a humanidade pronta para controlar a dimensão temporal?

The show has humor and is fun and becomes a little tiny bit scary at one point.
---
I really liked the shows characters. They all ed the plot.
---
I found the timeline explanations to be confusing since I had to watch english subs while focusing on the visual explanation. could easily be fixed with english dubs.
Aside from that, the visual is all good.
---
Dialogue not as good as in spice and wolf though, because the plot itself deals with a complicated "butterfly effect" theme, whereas spice and wolf could focus on trading talk.

Personally I think that dialogue animes like Spice and wolf, Bakemonogatari, Rumbling hearts and this one, are underrated, since it is what keeps the flow of communication on the intellectual side. Still I like to see action anime once in a while - like Black lagoon (especially the first episode).
to sum it up this one is the thrilling comedy/philosophical/action anime with very few gunfights

8.2 from me

Steins;Gate is a famous anime series that was adapted from a game of the same name. It follows self-proclaimed mad scientist, Okabe Rinatarou throughout his daily life. It starts as a mystery, turns into a slice-of-life comedy with sci-fi elements sprinkled within, and then turns into a full-blown thriller that never looks back. It handles some dark themes such as depression and suicide, the idea of free will and if it truly exists at all, what it means to go insane and give up everything at a small chance of happiness, and much more.Starting with the story, Steins;Gate has one of the best and definitely one of the most well-written stories I have encountered in anime as a whole. It is a story centered around the entire idea and concept of time travel, it is scientifically accurate in the theories of its time travel and the mechanics but it adds in some mumbo jumbo to spice it up and make it even more interesting and original. Steins;Gate uses time travel to its fullest potential, with 0 plot holes relating to its usage of time travel, it has all of the effects of time travel demonstrated/shown in detail. It uses a bunch of different methods/ways of time traveling. It also shows the mental toll that time traveling can have on someone. It sets up rules of time travel within its own universe and sticks to them. It introduces several concepts and executes them to near perfection. The story is definitely the biggest highlight and triumph of the anime. No time travel anime comes close to Steins;Gate, there is no debate that Steins;Gate is without a doubt THE time travel anime. Steins;Gate above all is a time travel centric story within a contemporary setting, it is grounded in reality and so the time travel actually gets explained (unlike a lot of other anime in the same category).The protagonist, Okabe Rintarou is an eccentric university student on summer break at the start of the series, the way his life and he as a whole changes throughout the course of the series due to the events that take place make it feel like you have gone through an entire life's worth of events with Okabe as you get to see him at his lowest of lows and his highest of highs. Okabe is by far the most interesting and well-developed character in the entire anime. He has two persona's, that of an everyday socially awkward university student and that of a mad scientist with over the top and grandiose dreams and delusions of "destroying the world's ruling structure", at the beginning of the series Okabe seems like a mentally insane and unstable individual, he talks to himself on the phone, gives everyone around him nicknames, randomly falls into insane, maniacal laughter, and talks about organizations and conspiracies. However throughout all of this, there are points in the series where cracks begin to form in his facade, the viewer, as well as world-renowned scientist Makise Kurisu, can see glimpses into Okabe's true form so to speak, Kurisu is the only person who is smart and attentive enough to really see these minuscule changes in his personality and it makes for a great duo. Okabe slowly breaks down due to certain events in the series and he completely reveals his normal, true self. His true self is someone who longs to make friends and form bonds/relationships with others and protect those around him, he wants to be a leader figure and motivation for his friends. This makes what happens in the series, due to his own carelessness, all the more tragic. After a certain point where Okabe's life crumbles around him, Okabe wants to go back to how things were before he messed up everything. The way Okabe atones for his sins and gets punished relentlessly for toying with a power that he never should have is mesmerizing to me, somehow you want Okabe to succeed and come out on top despite everything being a result of his sheer arrogance and irresponsibility.A character I previously mentioned, Makise Kurisu, is the heroine of the story, the deuteragonist. Her and Okabe's back and forths are endlessly enjoyable. They have really witty dialogue with each other. Okabe calls her "Christina" as it is a play on her name "Kurisu-tina" which happens to sound like the American/English name equivalent. Kurisu is a tsundere, although she never attacks or really berates Okabe in the series. She is calm and collected most of the time, but once again this is just a front, she even states that she builds walls around herself, just like Okabe, they are one and the same in a way. She wants to remain as a respectable scientist and researcher, however, she has a much more different personality when she's by herself or with Okabe. Okabe is a character, just like Kurisu, who figures out that Kurisu has a different side, Kurisu uses @channel (sort of like 4chan) and posts memes and all of the sort, Okabe discovers this fact. Kurisu in reality is different from what she may appear at first. She is very curious, yet she denies it, she uses memes and other cultural references in conversation which she denies ever saying. she is sort of like the viewer when it comes to how she sees Okabe too, she can tell when he's not acting normal. She is the only one who can really notice his changes in attitude, no matter how insignificant. The viewer can connect to Okabe and Kurisu the most due to these factors.There are also a few other side characters, Suzuha is a really great character, she has an entire arc, throughout a short amount of episodes, that actually feels fulfilled and satisfying. Daru is a character that adds to the back and forths between Okabe and Kurisu, making it even more entertaining. Mayuri is an airhead but she is shown to have a much higher emotional intelligence, she just isn't smart with science or hacking, etc... like any of the others. Moeka has a little arc in the space of a couple of episodes, not as great as suzuha's but still pretty good. there's also Ruka and Faris who have to undo and sacrifice many things, which makes them feel more human. All the characters feel somewhat explored, obviously it's a 24 episode anime so some characters are going to be more developed than others.Steins;Gate has average animation, however, sometimes it can change styles completely for certain scenes. The camera work and directing are sublime which makes up for some of the lacking animation, there are scenes where the camera frantically shifts around characters and where it dramatically zooms in/out on subjects which adds to the animation. The anime also has a unique lighting effect that creates a tense atmosphere in some scenes and makes it feel mature in tone and melancholic. The animation definitely goes downhill in the latter half of the anime, some character designs can be a bit off or inconsistent in later episodes, movement can also feel a bit jagged and stiff, but the excellent directing and camera work makes up for that in most cases, and it didn't ruin my experience or take away my immersion with the series at any time, but it can be noticeable at some points.Steins;Gate has a decent soundtrack that fits with the atmosphere of the story, the standout tracks are the OP - Hacking To The Gate, Farewell, and the many iterations of Gate of Steiner which is also the main theme of the game the anime is adapted from, there is also Skyclad Observer which was the OP for the OG game. The opening song, Hacking to the gate does extraordinarily well at matching the series throughout its many phases, it feels unique for an anime opening, it doesn't try to just be hype, hype, and hype, it has slow parts, with it slowly building up with all the instruments, the lyrics are also full of meaning and symbolism for the anime as a whole. Skyclad Observer is only played once near the ending of the anime and it fits in perfectly, the way they timed for it to start playing is seamless, it starts playing at the right time, any other time would not have worked, it makes the scene it is used in feel epic and uplifting in all the right ways. None of the OST's are overused, they are all used as little as possible only for the necessary parts. Farewell is another OST I found memorable, it is used for a couple of scenes, but it is most notably used in the ending scene of the anime which is fitting given the title of the track is "farewell" and it definitely feels like a farewell scene with it playing for the very final moments of the finale. Gate of Steiner is used for the "Oh shit!" moments, when it plays you know everything has gone awry, it is used flawlessly. There are many different versions/iterations of Gate of Steiner as I have mentioned, and they all have their own flair to them, which makes them feel different despite going by the same beat.In conclusion, Steins;Gate is so popular and universally accepted as being a timeless masterpiece by the anime community because of everything I have mentioned and then some. It has a lot to love. The only legitimate complaints/criticisms someone could have for the anime is that it starts slow, the rest are mainly nitpicks or down to personal preference. Steins;Gate really manages to have every key component of a great story in only 24 episodes, something a lot of 300+ episode anime struggle with, Steins;Gate has a great build-up, a great turning point/middle, and a mind-boggling ending. It has endless rewatchability and more. In my opinion Steins;Gate truly is a masterpiece and deserves its praise, of course, like anything in life, Steins;Gate isn't for everyone, but if you want an anime that takes time to build everything up and one that foreshadows a lot of things and makes the audience fit pieces of the puzzle together themselves in a mind-blowing way, if you pay attention throughout, then Steins;Gate is definitely for you, it is a must-watch for anyone even if you don't think you'll like it, give it a shot, it's only 24 episodes long! El Psy Kongroo.