Well, where can I begin? Too many things can be said about this anime.
I didn't play at the VN, so there some things that I don't know.
Okay, let's resume the story first. All the review may contain spoiler, especially one part.
Okabe Rintarou, also known as Hououin Kyouma, the auto-proclaimed mad scientist. That's the main character. His laboratory contains three members: him, Daru also known as Super-hacker, and Mayuri (Mayushii). In this laboratory, they developed what they've called "Future Gadget", all a bit strange, with epic names.
At the beginning, they met Makise Kurisu, a young clever scientist.
One of the machine developed by Okabe is the phone microwave [name subject to change]. They do some experimentation on this machine. In fact, they discover something. This machine is a time machine.
Here begin the story, a fight to change the future by altering the past, more or less.
Now I'll explain one or two things that seem to be weird in my mind. This part contain spoilers.
As a lot of anime, Steins;Gate put some rules. And he does it very well. For example, a D-Mail is used to alter the past, and it will have the following effect: changed the actual worldline. Okabe have the reading Steiner, so when we switch between two worldline, he remember all the things about the old worldline.
To cancel the effect of a D-Mail, and so return to the initial worldline, they have to send another D-Mail, to the same person, and tell something opposite at the first D-Mail.
Okay so here's the plot hole. At the episode 22, they have to cancel the last D-Mail, which is in reality the first one: "Makise Kurisu has been stamped". They do that by using the IBN 5100, hacking the CERN, find this message, and... Delete it by pressing enter! Here we are. How the action of deleting the D-Mail in the present can have effect on the past? It can't, if we follow the rules of the anime. I can agree that it change the future, but it means that Makise Kurisu should be dead, and the worldline shouldn't change. The fact that we see the animation that indicates a switch of worldline isn't logic, and it's for me an inconsistence.
All others inconsistencies can be resolved in the way that it's an anime, and there's some things that we just have to admit. For example, I read on the net the following thing: when Okabe send the first D-Mail to Daru, we can’t know if the door of the microwave is open, that is necessary to get the effect of the D-Mail. Honestly… I don’t even care. We don’t see it, so I trust that Daru do some experiences on the microwave, and leave the door open. Who cares?
But this one can't be resolved in an easy way as this. They put rules and not respect it.
Anyway, that's why I put 8 to this anime, because it's the only thing that I was disappointed.
Characters: 10/10
From Okabe to Mr. Braun, all the characters are interesting in my mind. We have a great casting in this anime, a mad scientist, the girl who don't know anything about the science, but just follow Okabe (Mayuri), Daru which is more interested about 2D girls than 3D, Kurisu who is the little highbrow, and all the other are well defined, Suzuha Amane the "Part time Warrior", Moeka, ect...
For example, when Mayuri see Okarin, she always said "tu tuluuu", and I found it so funny!
Art: 10/10
Steins gate was published in 2010, and for this date the graphics are really good. And just the global graphics universe is... Wow I don't know how to said, but it fit really well with the theme of the show: a little bit dark when they are in the lab, even the street where the lab is, it's like the lab is a secret place.
Story: 8/10
Here’s the black point. I think this anime is the anime the most constructed that I see. You can check all the dates when Okabe change worldline, it's coherent. You can't say that the story is bad. You maybe be able to not appreciate it, but don't tell me that it's a bad story.
I don't put 10 because of this inconsistence that I underline higher in this review. And I think Steins Gate excels in the story because it's a really really big anime, with high budget. Every people have high expectations when they start to watch this anime. And there's only one inconsistence, and maybe, I search everywhere an explanation of this inconsistence but I didn't found one, but maybe there is one explanation.
The more you make something with high budget, and well wait by people, the more the public will be exigent. And Steins gate satisfy a lot of people, so they did well I think.
Sound: 10/10
I'm not really an expert about the sound in anime, so I just put 10 because I like the show. But I never heard a bad music when I watch it. The openings and the endings are also very good for me, so I have no reason to critic it.
Enjoyment: 10/10
Even if I found a black point in the story, I really appreciate to watch this anime. It's one of the shows I enjoy the most. Everything is well constructed, and when I start to understand what's going on, you just want to know more things about it. There is a funny part in the anime, which is really really good because it give to the show a bit of humour.
If I have one advice: watch it. You HAVE TO watch it.
