Steins;Gate 0: Kesshou Takei no Valentine - Bittersweet Intermedio

"We just finished the depressed version of SG and everyone wishes for a 24th episode, what shall we do?"

"I know what to do! Let's give them an empty and silly Valentine's Day episode!"

Yikes..

Story: There is not much to say about the story, it is Valentine's day and every goddamn girl, who played a role throughout the series, decided to join the fiesta.
It felt boring, empty and the jokes were so bad that I wanted to cry.
Hell, they even lewded our innocent cinnamon roll Mayuri.
The only good thing about the OVA are Hiyajo's and [Kurisu's] interactions, especially the last scene had at least some significance ... to it.
I had high expectations, but those were shattered beyond repair.

Art and Sound: The art looked good, was consistent and we got a "funny" shot of Faris but to be honest, this level of art was expected and is nothing special.
The sound was not special, but I guess that it fits the tone of the story.
Sadly, they used the wrong opening/ending, the first opening and the second ending, which is nothing but a minor error, but really shows me how little work went into this OVA.

Enjoyment: There really was none, except seeing my favourite characters and the post-ending scene.

The whole idea of a silly Valentine's day episode instead of a real sequel is probably the worst possible choice and is not understandable for me.
It hurts to say it, but this is as bad as Steins;Gate gets and what makes it even worse is the fact that this is probably the last bit of Steins;Gate we will ever get.

I feel like I entered an alternate universe. Forget time travel in this special. What you'll find instead is an episode of anomalous shenanigans in the form of Valentine, sweets, and what? I should probably backtrack and bit and explain.

Before actually watching this, I'd suggest avoiding watching the trailer on MAL, Youtube, or wherever you get your Steins;Gate news. That way, you'll feel the sweet little surprise this special awaits you. With that being said, a Valentine special episode like is pretty much a gift that's ready to be consumed. The creators knew that the original series and its sequel had a moody story. ... So what's a little harm to craft something out of their comfort zone?

My first impression of the special had me wondering who would even show up. And to my delight, the majority of the main cast decides to enter this series with a vibrant mood, a contrast compared to the previous series. Hell, even Alexis regained his sense of sarcastic humor that I adored. Of course, the other main cast I'm referring to includes Okabe and his friends, lab members, and goofballs. Pay attention to the comedy though as I'm sure the creators were aiming to make the audience laugh. Did it succeed?

To be honest, that's an ambigious question. I think anyone who has seen this and without even half way should realize that it's not to be taken in serious nature as the main plot. There's essentially minimum storytelling as this special episode serves as a standalone OVA. While the overall context has connections to their world, it doesnt signifcantly impact any of the main story. That still brings back to the main concern if you should watch it or not.

What I see this in this special episode is a ball of humorous gags bouncing up and down. We have characters like Ruka in a ridiculous outfit, malfunctioning microwaves, and mob of maids. In essence, the special celebrates the comedy side of the show. It serves as a way to remind us a popcorn entertainment side of the franchise. With 23+ minutes of content, it's not here to go deep into the plot. So be open minded and accept this like an obligatory chocolate.

One may look to me and question if this really deserves such a low score. Speaking honestly, my answer is probably no. I have seen plenty of shows, specials, and films that are significantly more mind numbing. That being said, very few pieces of media have left me feeling so hollow and empty inside.

I really don't care for Steins;Gate 0. It dumped on everything I loved about the original series and I still regret even watching it. In many ways, it irreversibly tainted my feelings towards the franchise as a whole. However, this is not a review of S;G 0, it is a review of ... this utter drivel of an extra episode. It has chosen to ignore all of the issues and plotholes left open at the end of S;G 0, instead opting to give us this pointless piece of fluff.

Most of it is entirely predictable and annoying and acts as a way to show of the anime's colourful cast of bland sheets of paper they call girls. I am constantly reminded why I hated characters like Kagari and everything related to this continuity's Suzuha. The colour scheme and direction remains drab and ugly without using their chance to brighten things up for a Valentines Day Special. The fact that a special all about love looks exactly like the scenes of people being beheaded is agonizing. Additionally, the music remains unnotable, and the plot had me bored out of my skull. One of the worst episode of the original Steins;Gate was about love, but it was still fun and engaging. This OVA just dragged along and wasted everyone's time.

I know a lot of people will probably like this OVA, as S;G 0 remains incredibly popular and well received. I will give this episode credit for being a nice mood lightener after what happened in S;G 0, but otherwise, there is little merit here. The comedy falls flat, the characters remain sterile and gross, and all this does is sit as a reminder of why I hated my time watching Steins;Gate 0.

That is why I'm sitting here, asking myself again, does this OVA really deserve a 2/10? And now I can't help but change my answer to yes. Yes it does. Not because it has no merit, but because of everything it represents and stands for. I loved Steins;Gate, but I hope that it never receives anymore spinoffs or animes ever again.

Short review for the OVA:

Ps : my rating is only for the comedy included in this episode , but the rating for the episode in general for me is 6

This episode is an OVA that doesn't relate to the main story, bundled with the 6th anime DVD, a refreshing one , It was the funniest episode from a long time , aside from time travel and what is awaiting okabe in the future ( the mad scientist distress ) , this episode main focus is about valentine day, where the most scenes are purely comedy ones or fan service ( lukako wearing maid dress ) ... .
This episode is a little reminiscent to the lively ones that we used to see in the first season of steins gate.

Story :
It speaks generally about chocolate presents stuff and the valentine day , including some funny moment that are unfamiliar especially in the last season , for me it is a good way to waste time if you don't have any funny anima to see , or if you want to see more about steins gate ... The funniest scenes are the love confession of Kagari to Mr.. Brown and Okabe ( In Suzuha's wild imaginary ) , other than that is where they stripped lukako and make him wear maid clothes

Characters :
As always, what makes steins gate itself is the unforgettable characters, the way every character has its own cliche , most characters are sarcastic in this episode , and the more funniest one here
were Mr. brown , Suzuha

Sound :
There's nothing new to expect, the same as the the latest season ( same opening and ending ) , but the opening still impact on me till now .

Animation:
The same as always, the normal steins gate animation with the same animation

OK, what the hell did i just watch.
I was all happy when the OVA came out and i was wondering what sort of special it would be.
When i saw that it would be a Valentines Special i thought "sure thats nice" but boy was i wrong.
Dry humor, no proper story (even for a special), added nothing when it came to satisfaction (except i finally got to here Leskinen's hot voice again) and overall was boring.

The art was fine, but whats up with the bubble badonkers? (although its the same as the rest of 0)

The story sucked

The music was good as usual (although at times it ... didn't add much and sorta sounded annoying)

the characters sucked, none of them felt as nice as the actual series.

overall it sucked nuts.

but hey, thats just a theory, a film theory.

I'll keep this review decently short and to the point since after all, this is a one off non-canon OVA.

Story: First off, don't go into this expecting any furthering the plot of Steins;Gate 0. This OVA is nothing more than a short, sweet just for fun episode.
The entire gist of it is more or less all the girls of the series making chocolates for Valentine's Day. With a sprinkle in of the friendship between Maho and Makise. It's nothing elaborate or profound in any way, so bear that in mind and don't take this too seriously.

Characters: Nothing really to say here, ... we just have a majority of the characters returning for the non-depressing shenanigans the cast we've come to enjoy (for the most part).


Sound: Still great; uses the ost from the anime/VN, which I find to be a supremely well put together.

Animation/art: Again, basically the same minus the jank looking CG we got with that helicopter from the full length series.


In conclusion, this ova just like the one from original S;G is nothing more than a short sweet addition. Also, the post scene credits is a decently big "oof".

What can I honestly say but extremely depressing to see such basic, formulaic stupidity from easily my favourite series to date? I didn't notice this piece of media while hammering through the VNs and Anime series/OVAs after discovering it roughly a year ago and I wish it had remained that way after my most recent rewatch marathon.

It's just so bland and... ugh. Shit. Do not watch this if you love the series and don't like generic bullshit filler that no one with more than a single brain cell could possibly enjoy. I have very little nice to say about this abortion of media other than ... the art is consistent with the mainline media.

Yall really be reviewing it so seriously like bruh chill the creators just wanted a change of heart and I loved it.
After all the thinking and theories of Steins Gate 0 I needed a break and that's exactly what this brought just a solid wholesome, fun time which I adored.
It had some relevant and somewhat meaningful scenes between Hiyajo, Maho and Kurisu, Makise which added some depth however i particularly just enjoyed seeing all the characters together happy.
Last seeing them all together at the time of WWIII it was nice to see them having fun and all of it because of..
HOUOUIN KYOUMAAA

This is technically the last episode of Steins;Gate 0; but actually happens somewhere in the middle of the series. It is worthless to watch. I mean the story isn't bad, and if you need every bit of content you can get from the Steins;Gate characters, sure, give it a watch. But what annoys me is that the red head girl is one of the main focuses in this episode, but after having finished Steins;Gate 0, I don't care for her or like her at all, so I don't want to see more content about her. It also felt like she was being very out of ... character in this episode.

If you are wondering if you should watch this, I would watch it after finishing Steins;Gate 0 and before watching the other specials, but make sure you watch the other special. Just speed through this if you need to.

the only reason people don't like this episode
that they were expecting alot from a one special episode

the special episodes don't have to be meaningful to the story or anything at all

i would argue that most of special episodes of any anime is just a fan service for more content


and this special episode did it job very well , it was heart warming and breaking at same time
and for me at least it add to maho and kagari characters arc
...
so it wasn't pointless at all

it was well made and good episode

people just want okabe and kurisu and white fox could done this and no one would complain even if the episode is just okabe and kurisu still image :""D

so don't give the episode bad rating just because it didn't match with your fantasy

If you're looking for a continuation of the main series, then I'm sorry, but this isn't that. It is however, a heart warming episode that gives us the chance to see some of our favorite characters during the more peaceful times in their lives.

As a fan of the series, I do have to admit that I'm a little disappointed with how the OVA turned out, as I really wanted to see what happened after the final episode. However, I do have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed this episode so much that I couldn't stop smiling throughout the entirety of it.

There are so many throwbacks ... to previous episodes in the entire series, and the comedy was top-notch. It also provides further insight into the relationship between characters, clarifying some connections that weren't confirmed in the main season. As for the quality of the episode, including art, sound, and character design, it's all the same quality is the main season, so I won't talk much about it here. The story though, isn't anything special. It was never meant to be anyways, of course.

In short, this OVA is a special episode that doesn't require you to watch it, but if you're a Steins;Gate fan like I am, then you might just enjoy seeing them all once again.

If you decide to watch this OVA, then I hope you enjoy it! Either way, thank you for reading this review, and I hope you all have a wonderful day.

This episode is a light-hearted filler for the rest of the series. It is a temporary charming and fun change from the usual tone in the series, that is much needed.

Indeed, you should (if you could) watch ONLY just after episode 13 : Before it will spoil you, and after it will be too outdated for the scenario. There is little character development but it's nice and laid-back and can perfectly fit in the rest of the series (but only at this particular point !)

The art is identical to the rest and the story doesn't break the bigger scenario. There are references to the ... rest of the show, and is similar to the christmas episode.

This was a subtle goodbye to the viewers who have been following the series.
It can best be described as the continuation of '0 Story' without changing the basic timeline but with the 'Good' ending.
I liked the light tone and every character appearance at some time or other.
Yes, the sudden change in tone was kind of a bummer too, but this is what is so likeable about this anime.
It hooked us in before, now it's letting us off with a 'Goodbye'.
This episode keeps us light-hearted 😊 throughout.
Steins;Gate has been one of the best anime series I've watched and it has been a great journey from ... the start.
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The End-Credits Scenes is what really gave me the final tears 😢.

I, for one, love a good slice of life episode in my Steins;Gate. Sure, 0 had some horrible filler but once this cast is properly lined up for some mundanity, beautiful interactions can occur. Bittersweet Intermedio brings us a great combination of low-stake whimsicalness and touching conclusions. While the premise is simple - the girls make chocolate for people they appreciate - the pay-off goes deep, as each girl gives her chocolate to persons they are closely connected with. Instead of this being fan-service heavy, the episode focusses on the creative process of making chocolate and builds up to conclusions that make sense to those ... who've watched the previous two seasons.

My enthusiasm isn't wildly shared though. I find many reviews on MAL to be tainted by a dislike for 0. To some, this OVA symbolises what they perceived as an empty, shallow follow-up of the fantastical first season. Personally, I perceived 0 as a great alternative story to the milestone that was Steins;Gate, and this little, cute OVA is nothing but a sweet reminder that amidst all the drama, action, complexity, and despair we can - and should - still find some time to goof around.

Steins;Gate OVA have always been on the upper side with the rest of the top quality OVAs, however, “Steins;Gate 0: Kesshou Takei no Valentine - Bittersweet Intermedio” betrayed that statement, and what a well-fitting title to a Steins;Gate related piece of work.
It would have been a bit more fitting to waiting a little longer until Valentine's day comes over and then release this OVA, as it tackles just that, the cast is gathered (the females and Ruka at least) to bake some chocolate for Valentine's day as they go along with teasing each other of who they will present their chocolates to. And with some ... twists and with the help of Suzuha's far fetched imagination, they do make for amazing comedic opportunities that unfortunately are not well driven from there.
This OVA also gives us a snip of Mayuri that I personally never asked for, that is, erotic Mayuri, how could they taint such a pure soul?
The entire episode is one average wholesome and fun slice of life that only gives a nip of interesting twist at the end with Karagi and her disappearance.

If you're already on Steins;Gate 0 then you already know that the story deals with some pretty heavy themes and can be rather bleak most of the time. But those bleak moments wouldn't hit as hard as they do if we never spent time with these same characters doing something fun instead. A lot of the great character building comes from seeing them just be friends and interact with each other, because without understanding joy you would never be able to adequately comprehend sorrow.

That's all a pretentious way to introduce this special as an incredibly light-hearted slice of life comedy piece with little to none ... of the depressing aspects of Steins;Gate 0's saddest timeline shtick. It's just them goofing around making valentines, not really that complicated. I don't really know what else to say about it, so 7/10 I guess.