Steins;Gate

Kill me if I do say that this anime was just what I had in mind of -- and so I guess I was hoping for a much better end.

Why an 8? I couldn't make up my mind at what kind of rating I was choosing for such an excellent played out anime. I have watched countless of science-fictional movies and TV documentaries that I think I may be a pro on just what I think is a very complicated plot, turns out to be an easy story line to catch.

I think I've doubted my predictions countless of times with this anime. After hitting off ... with the 1st episode of Steins;Gate, I nearly dropped the show just because it was a confusing-messed up episode. I stayed with this anime "on-hold" for the next few months. After months of abandonment, my friend and everybody else started to say Steins;Gate was probably the most extravagant anime out there and I couldn't help myself but to think at how such an anime with such failure to start well be that great to watch. I gave a closer look at the anime's summary again -- "Time travel". That sure brought up everything to me. That word says it out loud and my expectations were laid down at the table and I thought 'I knew it!' Maybe my attachment to the movie, Inception, helped me guide the anime.

Story: 8
A group of guys sending text messages to the past and researching on time travel -- sounds like a typical sci-fi to me. What's amusing is how the anime plays out the scientific explanations but still contains a spec of realism in fate and destiny. Combining both of fate and science together is a very creative act that made the anime more puzzling. My use for some science predictions and some of its main components helped me most of the time to get to know the anime more. Likely an example of this is the Grandfather Paradox that I would always see in Discovery or in some sites. I'm a bit of a hype fan for complicated materials and my curiosity does build up as the story goes deeper. And knowing these kinds of paradox most especially in its importance in space and time helped me get to know this anime easier and without me knowing it I started to have great expectations and predictions for this anime's ending. An anime that made great dramatic outcomes needs a dramatic finish.

Art: 9
What do I say? The messy, blurry, magnifying, shaking animation (most especially in the Opening), made the art and the anime well-connected. There are lots of focused angles in the anime that just feels great for a video editor to edit. No problem with the art. It's plain simple backdrop that looked like the city we live nowadays already says a message. Scientists 'were' making theories and logical explanations on time travelling way beyond the 21st century started. They could have started creating a time machine already. You don't know. it could happen.. Anyway, I think the animation itself screamed 'science-fiction' to me.

Sound: 9
The twitching sounds of the opening, the great band, the great singer's voice -- it was pure heaven. The opening made it clear that this wasn't just your normal anime. The ending song was more calm and I think it was great. After a 24-minute episode of pure suspense and mystery, the anime ends up with a warm music that tops off the episode like a cherry. The ending song was perfect for cliff-hangers -- that's what I think.

Character: 9
To be able to make an anime with this logical plot, a boring character has to be out of the picture. There was never a dull moment in Steins;Gate because the characters will either give you a laugh or let you know a personality you haven't discovered yet. I've known quite a well-rounded set of characters and Okabe Rintarou is one of them. Being an influential man who excels in his league of expertise and at the same time being able to instill a sense of humor, care and responsibility was one of the main reasons this anime was worth watching for.

Enjoyment: 7
My first impression of Steins;Gate during the 1st episode was very messy. And by the time the ending went by I had a "much" bigger expectation for such an excellent anime who has been making great cliff-hangers and scenes in every episode. I'm guessing an ending that would have left me hanging at the end of a sci-fi anime could have been a perfect ending for such a perfect plot. I just thought of how very "predictable" the ending for this anime was as it concerns more likely on time travel. A very predictable ending -- I mean we all know some Time travelling movies goes back in time because something horrible went wrong. It's a very typical "time travelling ending" and I knew it was going to happen. I mean almost all of the Time Travelling movies/shows have the same ending or plot going on. It just didn't bring anything new to the "time travelling" plot and especially not anything new to the science fictional types of show. More likely an ending like "Inception" that ends with your own intuition on what you think could have happened or a new type of information that could bring a much intelligent surprise. An ending that is more logical than the plot itself. But over-all, the anime was worth for the keeps.

Over-all: 8
Watching a sci-fi anime in my part is kind of a shock since I'm not that easily impressed. Steins;Gate showed me a perfect example of what seem like a logical plot can exhibit dramatic scenes and many turn of events. El Psy Congroo. Yup, I definitely miss that.

Time travel is an overwhelmingly, infamously difficult concept to build a work of fiction around, as many stories centered around the idea can't help but eventually succumb to a vicious cycle of increasingly-obvious plot holes. You rarely see a work of this sort that's not only able to logically explain its world, characters and conclusions, but also able to make the viewing of such a winding, complex narrative clear, concise and, most importantly, enjoyable. It's just so easy to either fall into the trap of creating a time paradox or to fill your story with so much scientific exposition that the characters and pacing suffer ... because of it. However, every once in a while a story is created that somehow manages to strike a wonderful balance between storytelling and scientific logic, therefore producing an intelligent, mind-bending thriller with lovable, exceptional characters to attach to along the complex journey. Despite some minor flaws that hold it back from true excellence, Steins;Gate, studio White Fox's 2011 anime adaptation, is once such occasion.

Our story takes place in modern day Akihabara, Japan, focusing on the life of Okabe Rintarou, or, as he would prefer, self-proclaimed mad scientist Hououin Kyouma, an insanely eccentric 18-year-old college student with a flair for the dramatic. He spends his days alongside his childhood friends, the adorable, innocent Shiina Mayuri and the ever-sarcastic Itaru Hashida (Daru, as he's called), as he works to brainstorm new gadgets and gizmos in hopes of defeating what he refers to as "the Organization", a group that may or may not exist and that he believes is always conspiring against him in his various scientific exploits. His main interest, however, has always been the concept of time travel and the adventures of the enigmatic time traveler John Titor, a man who claims to have come from the future but only appears on internet chat forums. This leads him and his friends to meet Makise Kurisu, a 17-year-old prodigy scientist from America who, when giving a lecture at his university, persuasively argues against the concepts of time travel, claiming it to be scientifically impossible. The two argue back-and-forth on the topic for days as they become more acquainted with each other, but all debate gets thrown to the wayside when the unthinkable happens: through the use of a microwave and a cell phone, Okabe and his friends inadvertently discover time travel. Together they work to elaborate on their discoveries while simultaneously attempting to help improve their friends' lives by sending text messages back in time, thereby changing the present for what they assume to be the better.

That's as far as I'm willing to go with a general plot synopsis without giving anything away. If the story seems complex, that's because it is, especially once you add in the other significant supporting characters like the mysterious Moeka Kiryu and, my personal favorite, the energetic Suzuha Amane. However, it's never once unintentionally overwhelming, and that is a testament to one of this show's major strengths: the characters.

You'd be hard pressed to find another cast that feels as real and lovable as this one that didn't come from a show with Bebop in its title. Okabe in particular is one of the most fascinating protagonists you'll witness within the anime medium, beginning the show as a hilarious, clumsy goof and slowly transitioning into a more serious, hardened youth to match the narrative's increasingly dark tone and events. Yet through all the hardship he struggles through, he never loses his charisma, effectively keeping his eccentric personality intact while allowing him to mature. His growth is subtle, complete and matches the show's progression perfectly without sacrificing the initial identity of the character that allows you to grow so attached to him from the very first episode. As far as anime protagonists go, it's tough to name one as unique and likable as him.

That's only the tip of the iceberg, though; Steins;Gate wouldn't be the show that it is without the incredible supporting cast that it creates, nearly all of them experiencing a similarly effective growth to Okabe's. While there are varying degrees of success here, almost everyone goes through a quality coming-of-age arc in some sense, most notably Makise Kurisu. Her role as a foil to Okabe's strangeness is needed early on as she's the one who is able to explain the scientific jargon concisely without losing the attention of the viewer. Not only that, but, as she's the most "normal" one among the main cast (and I use that term lightly), a lot of the comedic relief relies on her reactions or responses, and she suits this role perfectly while providing enough wit of her own to add to the humor even further. She could have been a boring, dry character used for nothing but exposition, but instead she shines through as one of the main strengths of the show, almost stealing the spotlight from Okabe when it's all said and done.

Makise and Okabe are the headliners that drive the show for the duration, but that's not to say the others don't serve their roles admirably. Daru is a sarcastic, somewhat-perverted hacker, not exactly an original for the "best friend" archetype, but he's consistently quick and witty and plays a role in the plot that makes him more than just comedic relief by the end. Suzuha is an immediately likable and compelling presence whose secrets are extremely satisfying to unravel, becoming arguably the most useful supporting character by the show's end, not to mention the coolest. Moeka may seem off-putting at first, but she plays a huge role in the plot's progression and her backstory is eerily gripping. And Mayuri is, quite simply, the heart of the show who is quintessential for the plot's progression and the motivation of our protagonists. Plus, if you don't think she's one the most adorable characters ever put to animation, I honestly don't know what to tell you.

Unfortunately, not everyone's a winner. Two of the side characters, Ruka Urushibara and Rumiho Akiha (Faris) initially are decent comic relief, providing a temporary break from the dry wit in favor of some more overt moments (one running joke involving Ruka is particularly absurd, and therefore fits perfectly). But when the story starts getting really serious starting in the second half of the show, their inclusion transforms from passable comedy into unforgivable filler that completely halts the story's progression. Unlike the other side characters who get their own arcs and backstories, Ruka and Rumiho's past and present are pretty much irrelevant to the overall story, and while Ruka is likable enough (if a tad pathetic), Rumiho is downright annoying and completely uninteresting. There are two episodes, 17 and 18, that focus solely on Okabe's relationships with these two characters, and it's just so boring to watch. The show was finally getting extremely intense, keeping me on the edge of my seat, but then it abruptly stops for 45 minutes to shed light on characters that don't matter and who I don't care about. Considering how smoothly the show could have escalated towards its impressive finale, I find these two episodes to be entirely unnecessary and personally believe they really damaged the pacing of the show.

While we're on the topic of pacing, that's something that Steins;Gate struggles with throughout its duration, not just in the middle of its second half. The first half of the show works well for growing the characters, explaining the scientific concepts and foreshadowing future events. In fact, after re-watching the series multiple times, I've concluded that this show might just have the best, most subtle foreshadowing that I've ever seen from any story, not just in anime. But as good as the world building and the set up for the second half are, that doesn't change the fact that really nothing much of significant interest occurs within the first 11 episodes outside of the discovery of time travel. Episode 12 hits and changes everything, but that's still asking quite a bit from the viewer, as that's half the show down the drain before the first major plot twist. To clarify, the first half of the show is in no way bad; the characters are goofy fun which sets them up well for more serious progression, the dialogue is consistently hilarious (seriously, this is probably the only anime to ever make me laugh out loud), and the concepts, while very intellectual, remain interesting and easy to keep up with. I just think the show could have gotten to episode 12's bombshell a bit sooner, which, again, calls into question the inclusion of Rumiho and Ruka, as they both take up significant time in the first half of the show as well.

That being said, the plot's brilliance still more than shines through despite the pacing issues. I mentioned at the beginning that it's rare to find a time travel oriented story with no plot holes to speak of, but I certainly couldn't find any here from start to finish. Furthermore, they don't take liberties with the established logic or throw in any random events to achieve this impressive feat. Like I said before, the foreshadowing in the first half of the show is incredible; it's present enough so that guessing the events is plausible, but subtle enough to ensure that almost nobody will, and that's a very, very difficult thing to do and where many other shows have faltered. The excellent dialogue, as well as the aforementioned characters that speak it, accomplishes another daunting task: explaining the scientific reasoning behind the concepts of time travel without bogging down the plot in exposition. I was never bored or overwhelmed, only more invested in the world and concepts that the characters were exploring. Furthermore, adding another layer of depth to the plot, the theories at play here actually exist in the real world. Seriously, you could go Google anything found in the story and you'd be reading about it for days. Taking those heavy concepts and condensing them down so that the average viewer can simply comprehend them is hard enough, but working it into an excellent narrative seems almost impossible. The fact that Steins;Gate pulled this off so elegantly is a testament to the excellent writing. Oh yeah, and on top of all of that intelligence, the show is absolutely hilarious, which strikes a perfect initial tone between serious and comedic, evolving naturally along with the events and characters.

In terms of production value, the show really isn't anything special, but it also doesn't really need to be. Despite including strikingly original art for the character designs, everything else is muddled in less exciting, if more realistic grays and browns. This would be much more of a problem if this were an action show or if it needed to display flashy animation, but the story and characters don't lend themselves to that. There are occasional moments where something more happens on screen, such as the flashing of a timer or the electricity emitted from the microwave, which sort of make you wish they had put more effort into the character animations themselves in order to further envelope you in this world. But as it stands, the animation is passable, doing its job and occasionally a bit more.

The same can't really be said for the soundtrack, although you really can't say much about the soundtrack whatsoever seeing as it rarely pops up. The occasional background tune or lament to play during a darker scene works to create ambiance, but there's nothing here that you're going to be putting on your iPod anytime soon. I wish there had been a bit more here, actually. Steins;Gate already has the ability to make you emotional, but those scenes could have been punctuated even more with a truly mesmerizing soundtrack. But alas, despite disappointing a bit, the soundtrack does its job.

A quick mention about the opening song, however: there are many openings that I treasure and that get me excited to watch a show, but "Hacking to the Gate" is easily in the top five of all time. It's almost as if the entire animation and soundtrack budget went towards creating this gorgeous two-minute introduction, and I'm certainly not complaining. The vocals are beautiful, the animation is fluid, and there's very good symbolism within it. And yes, there's even a bit of foreshadowing. Seriously, I usually skip an intro, but I never once did here. In fact, I occasionally rewound to take another listen.

Conclusion

Steins;Gate is a rare show, not only because it's an anime involving time travel, but it's a time travel story that's so masterfully written. The characters, especially Okabe and Makise, are just to die for, and the tone escalates naturally and effectively, transforming from happy and goofy to dark and serious. But it never sacrificed the initial integrity of its characters in order to accomplish this task. The foreshadowing was mind-blowingly well executed, and it never devolved into a show about scientific exposition; it always kept its heart, and that's why the second half was so emotionally effective. It's just a shame that some characters felt superfluous and the pacing just wasn't up to par at points, as well as the lackluster production values. Even with those flaws, though, Steins;Gate is a show that everyone should watch, even non-anime fans. It's easily in my top ten anime ever created, and while it can't quite be considered a masterwork, it's definitely something special.

Don't play games! I know you're reading! That's right, freak. It behooves you nothing to ignore me. Take a good look. Quaff deeply from the trough of future shock. Allow that wooly brain to be stricken with envy. You're reading a work from Critic Member 001, anime lover, evil genius, and mad reviewer extraordinaire. 'Tis I... well, I'll think of an alias later. But for now... Steins;Gate. Seriously. Read.

Adapted from a 5pb and Nitro+ visual novel of the same name, Steins;Gate was directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satou, scripted by Toshizou Nemoto and Jukki Hanada, and produced by White Fox, responsible for other works ... as Jormungund, Katanagatari, and The Devil is a Part-Timer! Original and anime character designs were drawn up by Ryohei Fuke, otherwise known as huke, and Kyuuta Sakai, respectively. It's another day at the Future Gadgets Lab. Mad Scientist Extraordinaire Okabe Rintarou, otherwise known by his nom de plume Okarin and his in-character nickname Hououin Kyouma, Resident Hack and Cosplayer, Future Gadget #8 (Real Name TBA) and several nuked bananas later, we have Mad Scientist and Hack bickering in their university elevator about text messages and perceived anomalies, events that our main protagonist know occurred, yet, according to Hack, haven't happened. And then Genius Girl Makise Kurisu, a person he could have swore he witnessed dead in a pool of blood, alive or undead. In terms of visuals, White Fox seemed to opt for copious amounts of glare from whatever light source is present juxtaposed by duller tones, darker shades, and shadows to accentuate that uncanny feeling that something's off. This in contrast to other scenes utilizing a slightly richer palette to suck the watcher to be absorbed in the frivolity or sensitivity of the moment.

Barring the hook of Episode 1's ending, the show's 1st half is a slow build, a build that's an obvious detriment to those expecting an immediate climax into the action. When the shit finally hits the fan in the 2nd half and those who previously criticized the 2nd half's predecessor gets their long sought for release, I speculated whether or not that release would have felt more pleasurable had it come sooner. Would it? Yes, this is all one extended sexual innuendo, and no, it wouldn't. Whether one is conscious of the fact or not, without the 1st half, we would not have felt as strongly about what the cast goes through in the 2nd half. We wouldn't have gotten the opportunity to know the characters behind their stereotypes we put them up to and the facades they disguise themselves under, most poignantly so with Okabe and Makise. We wouldn't have a reason apart from the superficial to connect with them, and the time this characterization occurs allows these connections to happen organically, from moment to moment, rather than through one exhaustive exposition dump. And while messing with the fabric of time is the order of the day, this show also hosts one of the best examples of romance done right. No gimmicky external flirtations or forced internal confessions. Just shared, witty, and sincere moments that are natural extensions of their characters that, before you and they know it, culminate into something intimate, making the next few scenes after this intimacy is realized heartwrenching. This is not to say nothing significant to the plot progresses during this time, because all the while these moments occur, an oppressive atmosphere grows and expands, elucidating this, once again, uncanny feeling. And then a sound of thunder, or silence, or the thunder of one's heart, that dreadful moment you, in the back of your mind, were expecting, that's beyond your control, but uncertain of what specific form it takes. Then, like a gun shot, or a train wreck, or a car crash, it's all over, the pocket watch cracks, the hour glass is shattered, and things fall apart. Then it's a matter of re-piecing what's broken, fighting the good fight against fate. But can he? And if he can, what will he have to sacrifice to make it more than a possibility?

In addition to fate, the show attempts to integrate two different theories of time travel within its narrative: the Multiple Worlds Interpretation and the Butterfly Effect. To better understand the former, imagine this. Any person's past self decides on one act over the other, an act they wouldn't otherwise have committed if they weren't influenced by something sent to them from the future, a text message, for instance. According to the Multiple Worlds Interpretation, that decision results in a shift from one timeline, or world line, to another. Events and memories in this new world line, as opposed to the old one, are modeled after that different decision. The shift occurs only if a different decision was, indeed, made. Were I, for instance, to send a text message to the past such that it would cause the receiver to commit suicide, the world line would shift, or diverge, to a world where the suicide took place. Events and memories in this new world line would correspond both to the shock of the loss and the absence of that person. For more information on the subject, look up Hugh Everett's The Theory of the Universal Wave Function, Bryce DeWitt's The Many-Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, and the scoop behind John Titor. To better understand the latter, imagine this. Any act from the current future that would tamper with the past would cause a ripple and snowball effect that would alter what events happen and what memories are made in the altered future. The further back in time the tampering, the more drastic and seemingly random the outcome, regardless of how insignificant said tampering, such as the death of a butterfly, appears. For more information on the subject, read up on Ray Bradbury's “A Sound of Thunder.”

For casual watchers, the supposed utilization of these two theories working together makes for great drama, and indeed, Steins;Gate is able to pull off this drama quite well. There are, however, some bits of it that fall because of some theoretical misuse. For one, for all the misadventures and mishaps involving time that occur in the series, the Butterfly Effect is only effectively demonstrated twice, the soda scene and Ruka's sex. The rest can be conceivably chalked up to Multiple Worlds Interpretation, so that begs the question as to why the story to integrate the theory at all if it's barely used. The reason, in my opinion, was to provide a convenient safety net for drama and logic that wouldn't be dramatic or even logical without it. The Butterfly Effect as a drama device works properly if its fatalistic consequences, the loss of control over one's destiny, legitimately pervade throughout. When it's used only twice, and used lazily, then that tension, when looking from retrospect, falls flat. Then there's this point. For knowledgeable time travel fans or observant folk, these two theories are contradictory. Any tampering effect to the past, such as the aforementioned text messages, should result in a divergence, independent of whether or not a different decision was made. Reading Steiner, the ability for the mind to brave the memory overwriting shifts, lacks a solid foundation behind its existence, one that doesn't so much bother me as it has others. While Ruka's gender identity and transgender issues in general are certainly problems no one should take lightly, they feel out of place and immersion breaking in the swath of other events that are far more pressing. Lastly, while each cast member fulfills their role in the plot reasonably well and have a meaningful amount of depth, depth that was naturally coaxed out rather than artificially hastened, there is a definite depth inequality between some recurring characters over others, and an argument which I don't particularly subscribe to as a detriment, even if I bought it, wherein Okabe is the only person who gets any meaningful character development.

The OP, Kanako Ito's “Hacking to the Gate,” utilizes a series of staticky animation overlays, character clones, flash images, and hyperdrive blurs to excellent effect. Plenty is going on that I'd never get bored watching it, and indeed, new things seemed to pop out to me with each particular, and old things that popped out suddenly gained new meaning as the show progressed. To that effect, the OP is a masterful display of foreshadow, foreshadow to events and elements that the story would later introduce and explore. The music itself is a blend of Ito's natural vocals and techno synthetics that, like the visuals themselves, establish an energetically erratic atmosphere. Yui Sakakibara's “Toki Tsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku,” translated “The Time-Governing Twelve Covenants,” is the ED for all but the last three episodes. Its visuals consists of a broken pocket watch, a shattered hour glass, and an exposed Makise, visuals which, again, lay subtle amounts of foreshadow to events and come and, once those events have passed, bitter reminders of those experiences. The vocalist, accompanied by a melancholy piano, a mesmerizing drum beat, and an intense guitar strum, is a passionate croon laced with mires of biting tragedy. Episode 22 ED by Takeshi Abo, “Fake Verthandi,” Episode 23 ED, by Kanako Ito, “Sky Clad no Kansokusha,” translated “Sky Clad Observer,” Episode 24 ED, also by Kanako Ito, “Another Heaven,” are all songs that have to be discussed in context to be fully appreciated. And because that context involves spoilers, I suggest just getting to those points in the show yourselves to experience them...

...and the rest of the narrative. Outside of some inconsistencies, Steins;Gate is an excellent show, something I'd recommend time travel junkies, sci-fi fans, anime lovers, anyone who wants to enjoy a great story with a great cast and doesn't mind the slow build to get there. Now's the matter of dubbing the name of this endeavor. Operation... shit, what name would go great for this from Norse Mythology? El Psy Congroo? No wait, that's Latin and Greek...

I give Steins;Gate a 9 out of 10.

When dealing with time travel in story-writing, one has to look out for many things as such a topic is highly prone to having many plot holes due to being so vast and confusing but then also being so interesting. Steins;Gate takes on that very topic for itself, but does it manage to present itself in a way worthy of such a theme ?

Story:
The story of Steins;Gate starts off a bit slow at first but doesn't take long to take off with a fairly complex plot filled with many twists and also presents the tale of the famous internet legend of 'John Titor' into the ... mix as a large part of the story and manages to blend that with its own story in a great way. Nearly every step and action is well thought out and one can not help but notice the amount of effort put into the execution of this show.. But, nothing is ever without its flaws as Steins;Gate does contain a few plot holes and might leave the viewer with some unanswered questions.

Art and Animation:
The art presented in Steins;Gate is well detailed and very polished but not anything too amazing though. The character designs are nicely done and the art-style fits the atmosphere of the Anime well.
The animation is always fairly smooth, movements are good and character actions and expressions are animated well to bring out the personalities of the characters at their fullest.

Sound:
The soundtrack of Steins;Gate does a good job at fitting the situations which further amplified the emotions felt by the viewer, the score was't exactly all that great all the time but did manage to get the job done when it needed to.
The voice acting presented in this Anime is nothing short of amazing, especially when it comes to the main character. All the seiyuus/voice actors did a great job at expressing all the characters to their full potential and drawing out their personalities in the best way possible.

Characters:
This is the department where Steins;Gate shines the most. Every single character in the Steins;Gate universe is explored to their fullest. None of the characters ever seem bland, each and every one of them have their own personalities and are unique in their own ways . There is also ample amounts of character development as the show progresses and the characters slowly change as events unfold.

Presentation:
Steins;Gate manages to keep the viewer wanting more after each episode for almost the entirety of the show, although it did feel slightly repetitive during the second half of the show but that was a minor issue. The twists Steins;Gate presented were ever hardly predictable, it leaves you shocked every time and has you engrossed into the story even more. Some viewers though might be left with a few questions unanswered and events unexplained.
The opening and ending sequences are pretty good, the opening song especially was very fitting to the theme of the Anime along with being a good song on its own.

Conclusion and Verdict:
Despite having a few problems, Steins;Gate stands as one of the most well made Anime's out there, one that in my opinion does the best job at presenting the concepts of time travel. I would highly recommend it to anyone looking for an interesting story filled with twists, engaging events and awesome characters, give it a go and what you'll find is no doubt an amazing show.

Steins;Gate is an absolute masterpiece. Released in 2011 but still better than most sci-fi shows for 9 straight years. It is not a stretch to say this anime is the best of the best of all time. And I put it on the top of my list, the number one spot.
( Spoiler Free Review )
Story: 10/10
Steins;Gate has progressive pacing and episodic in nature, I was confused the first time when I have watched Steins;Gate, as much as it was confusing I enjoyed how the show progresses throughout per episode. The story was very unique for me when I first watched it, and that ... especially made me like it. It was not predictable at all since the show can go in a lot of ways. The pacing was very good, There is no room for fillers and each episode holds a purpose. The individual elements of the story are absolutely perfect. Comedy, romance, mystery, a little fan service, suspense, and thriller. All aspects are superb, the deus ex machina in the anime is shown, and is very well used. And literary techniques and or tropes are present. The ending is very satisfying, heartwarming, kind, beautiful and anticipating. As much as I don't want it to end. There is no forced abrupt ending. It was well paced and well done.

Art: 10/10
The art style fits perfectly well with the story, it has a distinctly unique style to it that fits well with the atmosphere of the anime. It's the perfect art style for a perfect anime. The director did a perfect job in setting up the mood with the art style. Throughout the anime, the animation was well done and consistent. The backgrounds were unique as well, the character designs perfectly fit with the character's personalities, and I love it with all of my heart. Each character design is unique to their own styles, I don't find any problem with wearing the same clothing as I find it quite irrelevant to an anime like Steins;Gate.

Sound: 10/10
I absolutely love the OST' of Steins;Gate. The voice actors are one of the main reasons for the greatness of this show. And they delivered in a perfect manner. I'm sure that Okabe Rintarou's voice actor had to make a few adjustments with his voice and for Makise Kurisu's as well. Both voice actors played a big part in the anime and I can only thank them for a great job well done, I am very grateful. The background music was a blast as well, It's very emotional I must say, It also helped a big part in setting up the atmosphere and mood throughout the story. I love it. The music in Steins;Gate was always a big part in setting up the entire show's tone. I'd listen to the OST of Steins;Gate from time to time since it's that good, very memorable. The opening and ending songs are both perfect and notable.

Character: 10/10
The best part of Steins;Gate is the characters. Each is unique in their own way and well rounded. They have flaws and they need each other. And that's what makes them perfect. The characters reacted rationally and emotionally depending upon the situation that they are currently facing. I was able to relate to the characters and their hardships. Each character in some way or another had their own development throughout the show. But more so to our main characters. There are foils for our main character and one that is always right next to him. Mostly Okabe Rintarou is the most fleshed out of the bunch since the main story is focused on him but not entirely, the antagonist of the show is well developed and has backgrounds and depths like the other characters. And to each has their own motivations for doing things. The supporting cast as well is filled with highly well written, likable characters and development. The narration in the show is present in some parts with the main characters like Okabe Rintarou, it simply made the series more aesthetic. A specific character I really disliked was Kiryu Moeka and it was probably the author's intention for me to hate her, and it worked. The characters in Steins;Gate are the most memorable character's I have had the pleasure to be able to watch, and I'll surely remember them forever, etched into my mind.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I think that the majority of people will be able to enjoy this series. If they gave the time and patience towards this series they will be rewarded with good fortune in return. This may be hard for non-anime fans to get into unless they are a huge sci-fi fan or have the patience to wait it out or enjoy the pace of the show. I have already re-watched this anime 3 times. And I'm planning to watch it again in the near future. It's an unforgettable story and the pinnacle of greatness in anime. Even if I know what's going on and what's going to happen, I still get goosebumps every time I hear that opening. And whenever I re-watch it I was able to pick up some things I haven't seen during the first time I have watched it. This show is precious enough that I'd pay money to buy the source material and support the show for a new season. Steins;Gate is a memoir and will always hold a special place in my heart. It's my very first sci-fi anime after all.

Steins;Gate is an anime that was recommended to me by a friend telling me that it was a brilliant Sci-fi anime with a thrilling plot. So I decided to give it a try and see what happens. This was one experience that I feel I will never have again.

Story- 8.9

Steins;Gate initially centres around the idea of time travel and the effects of the time travel and the way in which the machine works. Within the inner workings of the machine and we see the “science” behind how it works. All of this is very believable as it all seems rather plausible due to its lack ... of flamboyance and its grounded roots in reality. However this scenario does not last for the entirety of the anime as the latter half shifts into thriller with time travel twist added in. In this latter half the anime becomes plot driven rather than being driven by the sci-fi elements that we were presented with in the first half of the anime and the pacing picks up to high pitch fervour which keeps you on the edge of your seat.

But throughout the anime the sci-fi elements are rarely the focal point of the show and it gives great emphasis on the character interactions and how they develop. This is where Steins;Gate becomes brilliant since it puts so much focus on these interactions it greatly increases our immersion into the fictional world. However there are some minor grievances that I have with plot of this anime is a couple of episodes in the second half of the series which focuses on two of the supporting characters detract from the overall immersion I had with this series. Also the pacing at the start of the anime can be seen as quite slow but I feel that it is necessary as it builds up lot character interactions which only add the immersion. Overall the story of Steins;Gate is original and quite brilliant with some minor hiccups along the way.

Art- 9.1

The animation for Steins;Gate is done the studio White Fox and I have to say that they have done magnificently well. The character movements are very well catered for as they are fluid and crisp and there is no moment where the quality drops. This is also true for the background and it recreates the vibrant atmosphere of Akihabara quite nicely. The animation style is quite unique in this day and age as all the characters have quite realistic facial proportions. However on some occasions they use zany animation styles and it is very effective as it perfectly coincides with the heightened sense of danger or urgency of the scene. On the whole the character designs are new and refreshing but there are a couple of instances where they do seem a bit bland and unoriginal. Also when the slow motions scenes take place the animation does feel a bit choppy. However these are minor flaws among what is an excellent visual display.

Sound- 8.65 (OST -8.1 Voice Acting-9.2)

The Soundtrack for S;G is very minimalistic and relies on ambient noises rather than musical tracks to create the atmosphere. This approach can lead to the lack of any atmosphere being created but in the case of Steins;Gate it is rather effective and suits the overall feel of the anime. However that is not to say that musical tracks are not utilised and when they are utilised they are very effective in setting the mood. Unfortunately none of the tracks are so good that they are memorable apart from one very special exception: The OP. The OP for this anime is truly brilliant and makes me want to watch the whole anime again just so that I can listen to it in all its glory. So overall it’s a very good OST with, at least for me, one very special track.

Fortunately I have had the pleasure of watching this anime both subbed and dubbed and while I can’t really comment on the voice acting of the Japanese, I can say that it does sound as if it has been acted with a great amount of passion and feels as if the whole cast had a blast whilst doing it.

The Dub is an entirely different matter. After watching the sub I can say that I was rather cautious when approaching the dub but all those feelings of scepticism that I had were left behind in the depths of the oceans as soon as I watched the first episode. The voice acting for this anime was brilliant from start to finish with each voice actor perfectly portraying each character that they voiced. Each emotion, ranging from exasperation to sorrow, was felt when they spoke and it was thoroughly enjoyable to listen to. The only slight negative I could see was the script on one occasion did feel a bit iffy but apart from that it is truly excellent performance from everyone involved.

Characters- 9.2

The characters in Steins;Gate are what I feel are the highlight of the whole show and without them this how would have landed flat on its face. To me, even though each character fits into some type of stereotype they never feel confined to that and expand and develop beyond those boundaries. Our MC, Okabe Rintarou, is quite a unique character and is possibly one of the most enjoyable characters that I have ever watched in anime. His quirks and ramblings are wonderfully entertaining but it is his interactions with our lead female, Makise Kirisu, which creates for some of the best moments in this anime. It is mainly my connection with these two characters that immersed me within this world and kept glued to my laptop for hours on end yearning for the best possible outcome. My only gripe is that a couple of the characters feel like an added accessory to the already very good cast but apart from that it is a very good showing in general.

Enjoyment- 9.5

I loved Steins;Gate from Start to finish. The earlier episodes may have been slow but they were still very enjoyable to watch especially the comedic moments and when the anime shifted to a more serious tone it kept at the edge of my seat for as long as I can remember. The time travel was still far enough out there to be sci-fi but close enough to home so that I could grasp the general idea that they were laying down in front of me. The characters literally sold me the show as it was my connection to most of them which was very enjoyable to have and therefore made the anime glorious to watch.

Overall- 9.07

Steins;Gate is a different outlook on the time travel “genre” and gives an new breath of fresh air into what, at times, is a rather stale premise. The it builds upon this premise to give us a unique experience which relies on its characters rather than the plot to immerse you in its world.

Thanks for reading this I hope that this review has been helpful. And, as always, any feedback is greatly appreciated =D

*Virgin reviewer so be gentle*

People will always ask other people what to watch, recommend me something, im so bored what should i watch. People will also say is there ever going to be another masterpiece like Brotherhood or when is something going to become as popular as Death note. What will have the sheer guts to move me to the next episode, to make me want to watch and not go to sleep. WHAT anime is going to be the next big thing and blow my mind for days, weeks, months and even years. well its two simple words and for people to know that ... these two simple words mean nothing but everthing, Steins;Gate.

This Will be a classic anime in the years to come, people will still talk about great anime's like Death Note, Brotherhood, Code Geass and Suzumiya Haruhi, however they will be talking about Steins;Gate as well.

Story: 10

IF you watch 3 episodes of this you will not need a time machine to see how good this can be, will be, and is. The story revolves around Okabe Rintarou or the Mad Scientist. One day after seeing a certain predicament, he finds himself in a loop. The cause, a make shift time machine that will send his texts back in time. He then finds out the first message has altered the future in a big way. After that he then helps his fellow friends by making there dreams come true. The only problem is he will now have to skip between time lines to make everything right. He then finds out he is blessed with a certain power that helps him between jumps and after jumps through time. This stories base is certainly not that original, a time machine has been done in tv, anime's, movies and so on. The difference lady/gentle otakus, the execution of the story mixed with comedy and all together random moments. It has a serious plot line with comical sub plots that eventually tie the story in a nice little ball for all people to see.

Art: 9

This might just be me being biased but the art was great. It fit with the character designs and semi futuristic vibe towards the end and everything in between. Im not trying to say its spectacular or you need to watch this anime just for the Art, It simply fits with the overall masterpiece that is Steins;Gate. The Art goes from a little bubbly at times that fits with the nonchalant help my lab members to dark and twisted, with half trippy vibes you get from the time machine factor.

Sound: 9

Im at a loss on what to say here, the sound just works. But out of all honesty you will be to focused on what is going on to even realize the shrills and bravado that is going on. I gave this a 9 based on the fact it works with the moods, character development and overall enjoyment of the show. Also because there was never a time when the music pissed me off and distracted me from watching which is hard to do in most anime's, the sound is either to loud, noisy, or just doesn't fit the bill with some bubble gum pop rock garbage. when you watch you will understand what im trying to convey.

Characters: 10

It just has to be, it just does. i wont even say 1 episode it will only take FIVE MINUTES for you to realize this is a crazy cast of different types of characters all meshed into a group almost like how Durarara!! was. Lets start the Bar with Okabe, the main character. He is over the top shatter the mold "mad scientist", Feelings of ups and downs insanely crazy and moronic to insanely brilliant and sharp. solving different parts to the puzzle, piecing the facts together, live and death struggle and impossible choices that are choose impossibly well. CHRISTINA!!!! or Kurisu Makise. The zombie, and perverted genius girl celebrity. 17 years old and a genius. (she also looks good in a lab coat MUAHAHAHA) she is with out a doubt a huge piece of the puzzle she is the Glue to this anime. She is first seen in the first episode in a sort of "bad" situation. she makes this story possible. Next Do Do Do DO Mayuri. I said Kurisu was the glue... i might have to take that back, when the story starts out you seen her for who she is and when its finished its the same good hearted girl that you will come to love. Every time she was on the screen i could not look away, she fascinated me from start to finish with her bright personality and sometimes to nice of a person, she is one of the better better female characters in my mind and the sad thing is she is not the best girl in this anime as you will see. Lets review the previous characters and characters i haven't mentions in bulk shall we. mad scientist that is crazy, lazy, good for nothing, sane, brilliant good for the world type of guy. 17 year old genius tsunedere with alot to prove nothing to gain, then nothing to prove everything to gain, gain and loss type. bubbly cute, happily funny, adorable and nice Mayuri. a Fat NEET Otaku suuupppa hacka with a maid complex. A most of the time cross dressing man, some times not so gross dressing women/man who is a shrine maiden with a hard crush and sometimes Broken heart. Moe cosplay maid fancy rich girl who has nothing while at the same time has everything but would rather have one thing than everything. future girl who sometimes knows everything, looking for her father when he is under her nose. A average store owner who is not so average nice but hard on rent then mean and murderous. Ok take all that into consideration and try to put those characters in any other anime and make it work.... you tired and failed why, because it can not be done.

Enjoyment: 10

come on if you actually read this review thus far you would have a very good idea to why this was so enjoyable, and if you made it this far here *Gold Star*

Overall: 10

Child Please! twist's and turns, abnormally fantastic character development, surprisingly simply and complex at the same time. At the end you will be thinking about what was said for weeks to come, it has been months since i have watched this and i remember it so very clearly. That is the sign of a great anime.

Final thought...

WATCH! or else there wont be any time machines in the future! and we all want time machines, this deserves its score, its not some hyper inflated anime that has been made up from hype. watch, listen, read, learn..... you must do it John Titor said so.

In recent years, I can't help but feel that the realm of anime has hit a point of utter stagnation. True, there have been well-produced shows, but many of these fall into the background, overcome by the flood of the extremely-overrated (not to bash any fans, but a great example would be the Pokemon series. C'mon people, just leave it as a game) and constantly recycled. From mecha-animes with repeating themes of justice and revenge to supernatural-themed shows attempting to make something new by making it look more flashy and impressive. Let's be honest with ourselves, in light of a lack of creativity, we've enjoyed ... (though perhaps not to a point where our jaws have dropped) constantly repeated genres.

Upon first spotting the artwork for Steins;Gate on several image boards, I was intrigued and looked it up on ANN and MyAnimeList. To be utterly blunt, despite being impressed with the art-style of huke, the premise of "an eclectic group of individuals who have the ability to send text messages to the past" had me a little skeptical. Based on that sentence alone, I concluded that it might just simply become another failed attempt at a sci-fi thriller. However, it piqued my attention when I found that it was ranked #2 on ANN's "Top 10 Best Rated" list (in both the bayesian estimate and weighted averages) with a very impressive average score of 9.17 out of 10. After that, I concluded I had to watch it to see what all the fuss was about.

Let me start off by saying that Steins;Gate is no normal anime in any sense.

The series starts early off with tongue-and-cheek comedy, playing heavily on the theme of nerds doing nerdy things with a self-proclaimed mad scientist who talks on the phone with no one on the other end, an otaku hacker with a hobby of visiting maid cafes, and a cosplaying girl with no care in the world. It may seem standard at the beginning, but the series picks up its pace as more characters join the motley crew and entangle themselves in a dangerous conspiracy that they would have never imagined themselves to ever be stuck in the middle of.

Perhaps some of the really impressive work comes into play when Steins;Gate jumps feet first into the hard-science that drives the anime for nearly half of the episodes. At first glance, all of the difficult chit-chat about physics and super-old super-retro computers might seem boring. Though this may be true, all of it builds up into a super-charged, edge-of-your-seat thriller that makes this 24-episode series into a truly exciting and entertaining masterpiece. By the time you reach the final episodes where the main character is racing to undo the damage he has caused, you won't want to stop watching until the end.

The overall character design makes the cast of Steins;Gate extremely memorable (however, like most animes, it would seem that they all have an endless number of copies of the same outfit). But, in the end, the clothing helps to define each character in their own unique way. The backdrops - based primarily in the mega-metropolis of Akihabara - are extremely well-done, reflecting an interestingly gray (yet strangely beautiful) urban setting,

Steins;Gate ended with a strong note, having a very-powerful punch for an extremely young (and recent) anime. It serves as a very notable (and wonderful) addition to the time-travel genre, paying homage to its spiritual sci-fi predecessors. Despite being rife with familiar plot elements found in films such as the Back to the Future trilogy, it exists as its own story populated by unique characters, mentally-stimulating twists, and a visual style that will undoubtedly keep you hooked.

By the time you finish Episode 24 and the timer reads 23:38, you'll want to build your own microwave-time-leap machine and (uttering the signature code words of Okabe Rintarō) relive the entire thrill all over again.

"No one knows what the future holds.
That's why it's potential is infinite, just as this meeting demonstrates.
This is the choice of Steins Gate."
~Okabe Rintarō

Tuturu !

I was skeptical about this anime. So much praise. This couldn't be true. This has to be overhyped somehow. Somehow...? Maybe this anime was not juste an anime after all ? This changed my vision of the world around me. Despite not wanting to watch this, especially because the synopsis and reviews seemed to be bland in my opinion, I opened the pandora box. Was it worth it ? OH BOY, it sure was! So rewarding. Now onto the review. I'm here to open your mind and incite you to do so by watching this wonder.

Oh dear, how can I start?

You have to know ... that this isn't some kind of anime adapted like crap as we become slowly used to (be it from mangas or video games). This was adapted from a succesful Visual Novel.

Visual Novel ? In short it's like reading a book, but YOU make your own choices and the story evolves based on them. So fitting for this anime in a sense... Coincidence ? I don't think so. The V.N often only include some still pictures for cutscenes, if you don't like reading and imaginating the events (to some extent) then it'll be boring for you. This V.N was released on Xbox, then PC/Windows and PSP, but, hey only in Japan =) If you can't read Japanese you don't have to worry about missing something here, the anime covers almost everything (well you have "good" routes and "bad ending" routes... And the anime covers only one ending logically)

Anyway, this sumed up where this wonder came from. Or did it ? In a sense, it's no wonder that the story is so well written. Visual Novels should mostly be based on the storyline. It's written and thinked quite some time in advance, contrary to weekly serialized mangas for example. But it's not just that. Other V.N have been adapted, and they were not as popular as STEINS;GATE.

Why is it so popular? Why?
It has LOTS of real life connections. Beware, if your mind is not prepared it will blow up. I warned you ! You'll spend countless nights dreaming about this... You'll see real town settings, drinks, computer, internet references, as easter-eggs. Coincidence? I don't think so.
This was all well prepared in advance in fact.

The story seems pretty bland at first. Okabe, Rintarou is the main protagonist. He seems really annoying and stupid at first glance. But he has some interesting motives: He's trying, along with his two friends Hashida, Itaru, a weird geeky hentai amateur otaku, and Shiina, Mayuri his childhood friend, to make some "Future Gadgets"...

First two or three episodes, you'll be bored. You CANNOT understand what's going on. It's because your mind is not ready yet. You don't know the truth. Yet it'll become all clear when you "clear" the story. That's one of this anime's feats of strength: its story has lots of details, and you can't grasp it all in only one watching. Thus the replay value is incredible. That is, if TIME TRAVELLING amazes you.

If you're into basic action shonen or romance shojo (yeah, I'm reducing those styles for the metaphor) you may or may not be interested in this story.

This story start SUPER SLOWLY, but will soon DELIVER to blow your mind. You HAVE TO watch at least FIVE EPISODES to get ready for this.

And thus started the RollerCoaster of Emotions... Get yourself a handkerchiefs box, it'll be needed. I cried more tears of joy and sadness than in the past 10 years. And I saw some stuff to tell you the truth.

Anyway, onto the characters themselves.
As I said, it starts like a boring slice of life comedy. But is it really only that ? HELL NO. Characters in here have some major developments. Nothing is left half assed. Every character has a back story, and important interactions with the main character, self proclaimed "Mad Scientist!". They are all interesting, touching, like real people you'd cherish, characters.

With this storyline and characters, you can expect some great moments of funny comedy, love romance and dramatic plot twists.

By now you should be pretty much excited to do this. You'll just have to bear the slow start of this anime, and get ready for the awesomeness that comes after that. You have to be worth it.

The music is fabulous, fitting EVERY situation. The seiyus are incredible, they seem so real you could touch them !

The visuals are stunning. The directing as well. Truely, nothing can be criticized. Nothing is done by chance here. This is a masterpiece.

Why are you wasting time reading this ? Come on, watch this opening, you'll get thrilled by now, and go watch this ! The future of this world depends on you!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLGS_rNSlKU

Cheers

Steins;Gate in my opinion is an overrated anime. Before you outright disagree, read the review. One thing I would say beforehand: This anime had potential in storyline. MAJOR potential to stand out and be different and enjoyable. Yet it messed up.

For those who can't read the complete review here are some highlights:

1. Took me (and others I know) up to 12 episodes to start properly enjoying
2. Major plot holes or moments that seem only to keep the story going but don't make much sense
3. Moments that pull it back in the 'typical anime' realm

First I will go over the positive aspects:
... Art 9/10
The art in Steins;Gate is good. The colors are crisp and the backgrounds are well done. While the faces are not that well defined, when required, facial expressions are fully conveyed and the atmosphere is one a person can almost feel.

Sound 9/10
The sound is also a positive aspect - the feeling of dread or something terrible/sinister on one side and playful banter on the other is well managed and I enjoyed both the combination of art and sound.

Now a mediocre aspect:

Characters 7/10
Character development in this anime was good. BUT it could have been better. Let me explain. The characters have certain traits that makes you want to remember them: Daru is a pervert, Okabe is a mad scientist, Christina (for those who enjoyed the tone of Okabe saying this the first time) and Mayuri... she comes across as slightly odd but I will come to that. Now while all these char's have their traits, they seem as if they are confined in very confined boundaries. You (or at least I) cannot predict their actions in any random situation. Then Mayuri seemed a bit too much like Tomo from Seikon no Qwasar. A bit odd for a normal life setting. Don't get me wrong - I do get she had her share of experiences but that was a bit off. Then another thing that felt too typical anime-ish was how good Okabe is (when he feels like it) and that everyone is, perhaps slowly, liking him too much (except Daru perhaps).

Story + Enjoyment 6/10
Time Travel lovers go straight for a 10 in this category but sadly it did not appeal to me that much. There were major plot holes, major places where I thought that a specific event happened only for the sake of giving the story a specific turn.

Now to enjoyment - it took me 12 out of the 24 episodes to actually GET INTO the anime. And I am one of those people who ends a short anime when they start it, evaluating it only at the end. But I could pinpoint to the exact moment I felt like "okay, now it is worth watching.

The story DID have some good portions as well! But the negatives for me outweigh those.

So while I have probably skipped a lot/jumbled things up/confused you, I would like to say that I am not going to review this review over and over and so my verdict is that the idea was brilliant but due to some major plot holes and typical anime elements it did not meet up to expectations. Still, a good anime for those who enjoy the time travel. Happy Watching.

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW**

Steins;Gate is not a perfect anime, but hey, NOTHING is perfect. However, it is as close to perfect as any anime has ever gotten. This anime absolutely blew me away.

Story: 10/10
Writing a good story about time travel is hard; really hard in fact. The risk of over-saturation of exposition, plot holes, contradicting real-life science, paradoxes, and lacking understanding of the concept yourself is very high and it only takes one thing to wrong before the entire plot collapses on itself. Steins;gate is a rare example of time travel done right.
Okabe Rintarou is an incredibly intelligent self-proclaimed "mad-scientist" who is paranoid about absolutely everything. ... He is convinced that "The Organization" is watching his every move and that everything is a conspiracy. He goes by the allius Houin Kyouma simply because he hates his name and wanted one that sounded more evil. He runs a lab out of his apartment with his only two friends (with the exception of Ferris,I suppose) which he calls the "Future Gadget Lab." Their latest project? Create a functioning time machine. One day, Okabe witnesses a murder when attending a scientific seminar about time travel, and sends a text to his friend Daru. As he presses the send button, Okabe's environment suddenly and completely changes. The crowd of people that had gathered in wake of the murder instantaneously disappear, Okabe's friends have memories of that very same day that differ from his, and the woman who Okabe saw was dead on the floor is now alive again. What exactly just happened to Okabe? Watch to find out (This initial arc is only the the beginning of a much, much more complex plot that can't be explained without spoilers).
Long story short, this is the best story-line in any anime I've ever seen. It makes you laugh, it makes you cry, it makes you gasp, and it makes you cheer. It explores real-world theories of time travel like string theory and the butterfly effect all in a very coherent, very well executed manner.
The only legitimate complaint that can be made about Steins;gate's story is that it gets off to reasonably slow start. The first 3-4 episodes are all dedicated to exposition and character development and it takes a few episodes for the real plot to kick off. In fact, the plot doesn't really become the masterpiece that it is until the end of the 12TH EPISODE! That's not to say the first 12 episodes are bad by any means, but they certainly aren't half as entertaining as the last 12. If they were, however, I would give the plot an 11/10 with a completely straight face, because when the story-line gets going, oh boy does it get going.

Art: 9/10
The animation in Steins;gate is fluid when it needs to be, stylized when it needs to be, and is always pleasant to look at. I reserve 10/10 ratings for anime with absolutely breathtaking animation, which Stein;gate doesn't quite have, but it is still some very quality art.

Sound: 10/10
Songs are appropriately and expertly utilized throughout the anime, not to mention that Steins;Gate has one of the catchiest openings ever. It's hard to get out of your head. The real reason that sound gets 10/10 here though is the stellar voice acting. Both the subbed and dubbed versions are FANTASTIC. I challenge someone to point me in the direction of a better dub OR a better sub. Giving sound anything but a 10/10 is unthinkable for Steins;Gate.

Characters: 9/10
Some people criticize the character setup of Steins;Gate, claiming that Okabe is the only dynamic character and the only character who actually changes throughout the show. Well, people who criticize that aspect of Steins;Gate need to be reminded that this a show about time travel; Okabe is the only one who is time traveling and therefore he is the only character it makes sense to change. All of the dramatic and life-changing experiences that Okabe remembers are forgotten by everyone else after Okabe time travels, so how could any other character be dynamic? Additionally, a character doesn't necessarily have to be dynamic to be a good character, as evidenced by the characters in Steins;Gate. There are a ton of unique, interesting, and well-developed characters that are worth talking about in this show, but I'm going to stick to the 4 main members of the lab for the sake of simplicity.
Okabe, of course, is the protagonist and the best character in the anime. His alter ego, Houin Kyouma, can get annoying at times, but that doesn't stop him from being an incredibility likable character. Despite his brash exterior, he is a genuinely good person with admirable motives to everything he does, even if that's not what he says out loud. He is very concerned with other people and is willing to help others through tough times anyway he can. Watching Okabe go through all the hardships he ends up having to face is one of the best parts of the anime; you genuinely feel bad for the poor guy. Okabe is funny, relateable, and overall a fantastic protagonist.
Makise Kurisu is Okabe's intellectual equal. She is a scientist from America who takes interest in the Future Gadget Lab when she learns that they are attempting to build a time machine. Her chemistry with Okabe and the other characters (but especially Okabe) is very fun to watch. Much like Okabe, she is brash and blunt on the outside, but is actually very thoughtful and compassionate on the inside. She is the second most important character because she is the one who is always helping out Okabe when he gets in way over his head with all the time travel related catastrophes. The evolution of the relationship between Okabe and Kurisu ends up being one of the most redeeming qualities of the show. Again, Kurisu is yet another fantastic character.
The fan base becomes a little more divisive when it comes to the next two characters; Mayuri and Daru. Mayuri is Okabe's childhood friend; Okabe is very protective of her and cares about her more then he cares about anyone else in the world. Mayuri is one of the nicest, most adorable, most uplifting characters you will ever see. A lot of people think she is annoying, but I don't think so at all. Daru is the lab's technical genius. He is a stereotypical nerd character, always making perverted jokes and making references to his hentai games. I'm not crazy about Daru, but he has his moments.
The reason the characters in Steins;Gate work so well is because they have such incredible chemistry with each other. They function so well as a unit that their individual flaws can be easily overlooked. People who criticize Steins;Gate's characters really need to think about the circumstances of the show more.

Overall: 10/10
This is the only anime I've ever watched that I give a 10/10. Everything is so well executed, so well thought out, and so entertaining. This anime has action, suspense, mystery, plot twists, drama, romance, hell it has just about everything you can ask for out of a TV show. If you haven't seen this show, SEE IT! It is an absolute masterpiece. And yes, I know the first few episodes are slow, that is the only legitimate complaint I have.
El Psy Congroo.

Steins;Gate is definetly one of the best animes I have ever seen.

The story 10/10

It is brilliant! The first episode might make you wanna drop it since it's a bit weird but if you pay attention it makes sense in a way.(you'll get what I mean at the end of the series).They leave a small clue in like the first 10 episodes that will be picked up later and that's how they draw you win. Pretty much when the first big event happen (you will know what I am talking about when you watch the series), you will be hooked because that moment in the series ... just defines it as...awesome. You will be like "wha...did that just happen...wait wha???"

Also this is one , if not the only, anime that manages to tell a really good time travel story that you could actually think it's plausible! So SF fans be sure to check it out, you won't regret it.

Characters 10/10

The cast is quite varied and very engaging. You have the mad scientis Okabe Rintarou who invents a time travelling microwave, with the help of the awesome (honestly she must be one of my favourite characters ) Makise Kurisu and the "hacker" Mashida Itaru. The rest of the cast is also quite good though you will hate one of them eventually (not for being a bad written character, just for being bad).


Art 10/10

The art is unique and everything is drawn really good. Really enjoyed it.

Sound 10/10

The voice acting is top notch and very good. The actors manage to emanate the characters feeling through their voice and that's always a good thing!!!

Enjoyment 10/10

Watched in 2 days (had school or it would have been 1 day for sure:)).

Overall 10/10

Overall Steins;Gate provides the viewer with a believable and engaging time travelling story, with well written characters, with very good art and voice acting and it's a must watch for any anime fan out there!!

No spoilers here

Sorry for bad english

A fantastic show, absolutely the best Anime you can find, comparable only to absolute masterpieces like Deathnote or AOT. I find the criticisms below really childish, written by people who don't know how to enjoy a story without opening their mouths.
The story contains incredible refinements that leave you breathless.
The characters are perfect and have an incredible and exciting characterization.
The story draws the viewer into an abyss of despair along with the protagonist who leaves you speechless and from whom, of course, only the great mad scientist Hououin Kyouma can go out, bringing with him all his friends and his Kurisu.

El ... Psy Congroo

“You all seem to have fixed ideas about the nature of time. Time isn’t a single line, moving from past to future. Let’s say I were to go back in time and kill someone we’ll call “A”. This alters something called the divergence number, and the world line moves to a world without A. When there’s a world line shift, people’s memories are altered. In other words, memories of the world line where A existed are deleted, and replaced with memories of a world line where A doesn’t exist.”
- John Titor (Steins;Gate)

At the time of this writing Steins;Gate is at a well deserving #2 of all ... animes rated on MAL. It will forever and ever remain as one the greatest animes I have had the pleasure of watching. It had sci-fi, mystery, thriller, comedy and romance meshed in such a way to make one amazingly well-written, well-presented, and thrilling story. This anime had me thinking for months and I am writing this (belatedly late) review in the hope of convincing some of you to pick up this gem of an anime.

As you all have probably heard Steins;Gate is an anime about time travel, a fiendishly difficult concept to make work in any sci-fi media and it would be no surprise if Steins;Gate failed just because of this subject material. However Steins;Gate is a refreshing departure from other media of the genre by being not only exceedingly well researched but deftly managing a complicated non-linear plot with a focussed desired ending.

One of the main concerns that many people have with watching the anime was the slow and confusing beginning. I would like to address this first. First of all, I as well as many others was very confused with the first couple of episodes. By episode 6 however, I was hooked, and we got hints as the episodes went on that there was some underlying truth to the madness that was episode 1. Having watched the ending I have done a 180 and laud it as one of the best openings to an anime I have ever seen. Pay attention, rewatch the 1st episode if you have to and hopefully by the ending you will come to see what I mean.

By far, Steins;Gate greatest strength lay in its exceptionally well-written plot. Not only did it go into detail about the science behind the time machine, but it managed to incorporate in real world events such as the Y2K problem, John Titor, CERN, the Butterfly effect and many other recognisable real world phenomena. Steins;Gate makes use of a variety of scientific disciplines from Physics to Neuroscience to Game Theory in an astounding effort to create a believable theory behind the time machines. While there are inconsistencies and small things that were explained better in the VN, the science fiction is good enough to throw aside any doubts and just enjoy the damn anime!

I found the opening “Hacking to the Gate,” annoying at first as it did little to alleviate the confusion from the first episodes. By the second half I found it addictive and it easily became one of my favourite openings. The soundtrack was another highlight of the show. The producers did an amazing job of combining the lighting, soundtrack and animation to convey some of the more emotion and exhilarating parts of the anime. The art was clean and right where we would expect a top tier class anime to be. It is so good that there is little to be said about it to be honest.

There were a few semi-weak points of the anime: the confusing start for first time viewers for one. I can agree that the first episode did a poor job of introducing new viewers to the show. After episode 5 or so pieces of the storyline start to fit together. All of this sets up nicely for the fast-paced thriller 2nd half where Steins;Gate secured it’s spot as one of the top animes. Another semi-weak point was the characters. While Steins;Gate featured a wide and varied cast there were characters I found were sidelined/useless and made little impact to the story. The female characters tended to be focussed on one at a time and were absent during the many other episodes. However, they did provide refreshing light hearted comedy during the first half which is more slice of life while the second half dealt with the mystery and thriller.

For me a show can become unwatchable if the protagonist is horrible. Luckily Steins;Gate gifts us with a most original and enjoyable male protagonist Okabe Rintar... I mean HOOUIN KYOUMA! Although his delusional personality allowed him to expertly show us how NOT to use a time machine he showed a more serious side he would require both sides in his journey through time. Okabe Rintar… Hoouin Kyouma was a perfect protagonist in an anime depicting a human crusade through time as he rebels against god and fate.

Overall the anime was amazing, the art, the animation, the sound, the characters, everything was well done. Everything was meshed together very well, even the weak points viewed from a different light were arguably Steins;Gate’s strengths. The interaction between the characters was good fun for the first 12 episodes. But by far what took the cake was the superb story. If I managed to convince someone to watch Steins;Gate and bask in the radiance of this gem with this review, this would have been completely worth it.

“And I was the one who named the target ___________ Steins;Gate. You [would] know why I named it that.”

What would you do if you had the chance to travel in time??
I'm pretty sure there's a lot of different answers to that, depending on the person. But there's always a particular thing that most people would do: "To fix a certain event of my life I'm regretting until now", or something like that. As life moves on and on, the decisions that we've made always have consequences that we may or may not have seen. Action-reaction patterns have always been a part of what makes reality to be possible. Time and Space are always built on our actions.

Before starting how about laying out the ... following paradox to ourselves:
Say, you want to go back to the past, and tell your past-self that if you do "X", terrible things will happen. It turns out that your past self agrees, and you can go back to the future in peace. Here's the most logical outcome: The reason that you went to the past for, isn't there anymore, and therefore, your mind should not have memories of going into the past for X not to happen. We are now in a different timeline.
If this concept makes you curious, you will absolutely love Steins;Gate.

The story follows an excentric, self-proclaimed mad scientist, whose lifetime dream has always been the possibility to travel in time at will. Just out of curiosity, he devotedly investigates all the steps to be followed, as if he was in some sort of a game. When he finds out that it can be done, and it's easier than what he ever thought of, he starts experimenting with all of the possible outcomes, changing the past, and thus, the world he has always lived in. The story also has a certain tragedy approach, as it tackles the topis of frustration, efforts that seem vain and people regretting their own lives and actions.

Steins;Gate has a particular hook that you may see in many animes that have some sort of psychological or thriller approach, building questions and curiosity whenever it has the chance. Due to this, the series feels the need to take its time, and the pacing at the starting episodes feels really slow.

Although the pace of the first episodes made it seem quite boring, it progressively got better as it advanced. Time travel has always intrigued me, and in this anime, it was all over the place. It was a really amusing and satisfying watch.

Overall, Steins;Gate is one of the best anime out there. It has everything a sci-fi lover would ask. And more.

Undoubtedly, one of the best anime this year and all time. One of the few that makes the viewers actively thinking.

A "mad scientist" with his "hostage" went to a conference and saw a dead woman. Trying to send a message after being shocked of what he saw, he suddenly finds himself back in an altered time!
WTF just happened!!!!

What do you get when you try to merge sci-fi, mystery and thriller? You get a complicated plot, not to mention it also got drama,action, comedy and romance and it's all about time travel! But that's a no problem for Steins;Gate and it masterfully portrayed it, some of ... the few that made it.

Although it gets all my praise for being a masterpiece, it still has its downsides. The story, as it goes, slowly loses its complexity and becomes more and more predictable but that didn't make the series lose its spices, it was still very exciting, heartbreaking, tear-jerking, and thrilling till the last second. I just can't stop watching it from the first episode, a day passed by me quickly, as if the show itself was a time machine!(10)

Art was above average. The style was addicting.(BTW I haven't read yet the VN so I can't compare the visual style bet. the two)The background was splendid. Animation is very fluid, no complaints and at some point extremely excellent. Character design was beautiful and cute ( Nyan!), +very for Kurisu(Chris). Lighting, hmm, most of the time is good but sometimes its just dull-it was overdone.(8)

BG music's quite few but played perfectly in key parts, greatly added the depth of current atmosphere in the show(loved at mystery spoofs! creepy!), it didn't redirected the viewer's understanding what is currently happening(is this a mystery?/WTH just happened!). Subtly playing in right times and most of the times none, this actually helped amplify it when it's played, like the silence before the storm, though in some sense this is also its downfall, not enough flavor was distributed throughout in some episodes just to make the others extra spicy.

Voice acting, superb! Well you got the some of the best in the industry like Miyano and Hanazawa(two of my fav seiyuus)though not as famous as the others, I loved Imai's performance and she did it perfectly.(9)

No stupid cliches overdone to the point of annoyment, no psychos and retards(Moeka is debatable)as most of their actions are justified and are perfect image of human nature-in anime world. Development went as swimmingly as possible though seems to be lacking in depth except for our main protagonist and heroine, well its a lot better than most 24 eps series out there although not the best. It's good enough for you not to have difficult time understanding them hence leaving no loose ends and misunderstandings.(sorry but this is the best I could say about characters without spoiling too much). (9)

Only few anime has given me this enjoyment. Enjoyment of having a great time experiencing all kinds of emotions in one show, enjoyment of a good ending, enjoyment of finding out that a good anime can still exist and didn't extinct. (10)

Overall, "in my opinion", it is one the best anime I've ever watched. Why? Because even though it is not the best in the sci-fi and thriller it is one of the few which actually manage to merge it with romance and drama splendidly. I am truly glad to have watched this series and I hope you find this review compelling enough to make you curious and watch the anime for those who haven't yet and for those who have change their opinion, just a little bit, about the anime, because it's a one of a kind.

P.S. my first review made at 3 am and is edited once.

[I really need to rewrite this review because I don't agree with what I wrote but I'm keeping it up for now]

I have to start off by saying that initially I gave this anime a 9 out of 10. However, as time passed I realized that there was no reason for me to give it a 9 over a 10. Normally with things I score a 9, there was something about it that prevented me giving it a 10. Such as, the ending was unsatisfying, the plot too confusing, too much fanservice, etc. etc. But with Steins;Gate there was literally nothing.

Some complaints that could ... be used against Steins;Gate is that the first half of the show was really slow. However, I was hooked from quite literally the first second of the show. As soon as I heard the opening quote I was like "dayum" and immediately proceeded to marathon the entire thing. But I have heard from others that the first half was hard to get through. The thing about the first half of the show is that it sets the plot up like dominoes to topple over and then completely destroy and annihilate with an atomic bomb in the second half. This is not your typical time-travel anime. I pretty much spent the entire second half of the show crying and yelling THIS IS EFFED UP to my friend who had already seen it.

Now on to the actual review:

Story: 10/10
As I explained above, the first half sets up the second half. In addition, there are many story elements that are only partially explained at first (i.e. what Steins;Gate refers to), leaving you guessing until the very end when they explain what everything is. Then you're sitting there in a daze going "OHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" for about fifteen minutes. The show's theories about and behind time travel are also very well explained, so there aren't plot holes to be found there. In addition, if you had any lingering questions or regrets, the OVA/special wraps things up very nicely. Overall, the story was absolutely fantastic and still blows my mind away.

Art: 10/10
Apparently Steins;Gate was really low-budget, but I'm not too convinced myself since the art was very pretty and pleasing to the eye. They stuck to the style of the visual novel and did a good job keeping everything focused where it should have been all along: on the story and characters. There weren't battle sequences where you get to see how well animated it really is, but Steins;Gate centers around the plot, not so much the action.

Sound: 9/10
The only reason this isn't getting a 10 is because for the most part, there was a lack of background music. However, that wasn't really a problem for me because the story was so engaging without it. But when background music is playing, and then it stops, you know it's about to get real.
As far as songs go, the opening song, "Hacking to the Gate," and the ending song, "Butterfly," are both really great songs too and fit the theme of the show. The opening song's lyrics actually have a ton of foreshadowing if you go back and look at them later, and the ending song is pretty much my trigger because I'd be sitting there in shock after an episode, the ending song would start rolling, and I'd start crying.
Another thing about sound is that since this takes place in the summer, there was a pretty much constant buzz of cicadas. Since that sound was omnipresent through the whole show, whenever I now hear the sound of cicadas I immediately get reminded of Steins;Gate.

Character: 10/10
The cast of characters was so diverse in this show. All of their personalities resonated really well with each other. You have Rintarou affecionately calling Mayuri his hostage and also walking around like he's the king, only to get reminded that he is only, in fact, 18. Then there's his dynamic with Kurisu (who he calls Christina because he is quite literally the biggest dork ever), where she dislikes his bossy personality and makes it a point to argue with him as much as possible. Indeed, she does establish her dominance over him from time to time. Namely, a scene where she was teaching him to speak nicely to her and use her correct name by repeatedly hanging up on him until he got the hint. In addition, Mayuri and Kurisu have a wonderful friendship with each other, and Kurisu gets really protective of Mayuri because she thinks that Rintarou and Daru are perverts (Daru yes, Rintarou not so much).
Also, Daru's vocabulary basically consists of old Internet memes and the like, and Kurisu knows what they all mean despite her consistent refusal to admit that she does. There was an especially golden moment when she and Rintarou were arguing and Daru said "They are the OTP in the fanfic I call my life." Kurisu immediately burst out, "We are not OTP!" and then Rintarou and Daru were making fun of how familiar she was with the lingo despite her claims that she is not around the online community that much. That fools no one though. We all know she knows as much as Daru.
This show also brought one of my biggest ships around here too. It's confusing at first, because there are two main female characters and one main male character, but both of them are not love interests. Let's be honest, if this was Sword Art Online, both of them would be nuts for Rintarou, but that isn't the case. The romance is subtle and develops slowly and quietly throughout the show.
Then there's the character Suzuha, who seems to dislike Kurisu for some reason. I'm going to avoid talking about her for the most part, but her role in the story is very important.

There is a lack of character development in the show, but not for the reasons you might think. It's actually a huge part of the story, but I'm going to leave it at that because of spoilers.

I watched Steins;Gate dubbed, and I thought the dub cast did an outstanding job of reflecting each character's personality. J Michael Tatum was spot on as Rintarou, and my favorite role of Trina Nishimura is Kurisu (though Mikasa is a close second). Both of them nailed their characters and they did such a great job with their acting. According to my friend, the actors mentioned in panels that they kept crying while recording and J Michael Tatum had a mental breakdown while recording an episode, but they kept it because it matched the lip flaps. The fact that the characters were crying while recording shows that they really got into their roles and felt an emotional connection to their characters.

Enjoyment: 10/10
Some people might argue that the first half was hard to get through, but speaking from personal experience as someone who marathoned the show in two days, it was not. I keep explaining that the first half of the show sets up the pain and heartbreak for the second half.
In addition, Steins;Gate does a great job of referencing pop culture. They reference Doctor Who several times, and the text messages they send into the past they decide to call D-mail, short for DeLorean mail, which is obviously a Back to the Future reference. Then there's the bit about OTPs and fanfics, and tons of other references made left and right.
Steins;Gate was engaging the whole way through and just generally had a lot of crying alone in the dark in front of my computer while I pressed next episode and sobbed a lot. As heartbreaking and painful as it was, it was such a good show, and I'd love to erase my memories and watch it again, and get drawn in by it again.

Overall: 10/10
This show definitely made it into my top 5 animes of all time. Unfortunately, it can't move up much farther from there, just because my top 5 animes were all so amazing. That being said, it definitely does not suck, and you just have to watch it to experience it for yourself. There's only so much explaining I can do.

Steins Gate starts off pretty slow. It actually takes half a dozen episodes and at some point, I was starting to wonder what all the hype was about. But trust me, your patience will be rewarded. When it finally picks up, it's funny, sad, romantic, and downright nerve racking throughout the rest of the series. Their approach on time machines is a unique one that will have time travel fans thinking twice.

It was criticized for stuffing so much information in just 24 minutes for the first episode.
Yet afterwards the show was much more quieter than what the first episode led on and focused ... on developing our central cast and when we finally hit the halfway mark (episode 12), all hell breaks loose and the show begins its trek to widespread acclaim.

To the production values: The animation wasn't one of the best, but White Fox did a great job in handling this series. It was really high-quality animation for 24 episodes, though there were alot of dark scenes that i couldn't see at all and can’t understand why they were so dark (censoring? what?) but other than that i have no qualms. The music was very low-key for me: it didn't really start to hit me until the last 5 or so episodes when the really epic stuff came at the viewers at breathtaking speeds.

Speaking of bantering and quipping, when Steins;Gate is in comedy mode, it is comedy indeed; characters set up their own fall with innocent innuendos and ill-thought-out blurbs, while other characters jump at the chance to take the piss at the hapless bumblers each in their own unique way. The series itself displays its recent pedigree by dropping references to other works old and new, and even in-jokes which would be familiar to today’s Internet denizens. Yet when Steins;Gate is in drama mode, it is also drama indeed; Okabe, experiencing firsthand the consequences of messing around with “worldlines”, is forced to confront hostile forces which threatens the safety of everyone involved with him, and eventually finds himself responsible for the future of the whole world. And even here, some elements of the drama driving the plot are taken right out of real life. Comedy and drama are both used in just the right dose, at the right time, to make the most impact and keep the momentum of the story going.

The key to this has to be the characters. The characters, like the plot, will seem atrocious if I break them down individually: the childish, nonsense spouting but occasionally brilliant Okabe; the fat, perverted but kind-hearted Daru; the Tsunderish genius Makise; ditsy childhood friend Mayuri; the scarily androgynous doormat Ruka; and so on, but that might just be the point. One criticism I’ve heard levied and have some sympathy for is the complaint that Okabe is really annoying. I can see that, he is at the beginning. The thing is… he changes. They all do. Some shows have their characters defined within minutes and never waver but, as I said before, this isn’t about the comedy; it isn’t about the angst or a crazy, mind blowing science fiction world laden neck deep in symbolism. It’s about a group of friends, alienated from society at large, that make a time machine and how that affects their lives and relationships. What makes this worthwhile though? What makes this strange bunch worth watching over twenty-four episodes? I’ll tell you in one beautiful phrase: damn good writing.

All this does not come without a price though. The gentle build up of characterisation is effective but slow. The first half of the series, while still very entertaining, seems to lack a little bit of direction while it builds up steam. Also Okabe really is embarrassing to watch earlier on in the show especially before he has Makise to call him on it (which happens mercifully quickly) but it really does take the show time to start building his character to a meaningful level and the wait can be a little tiring.

In the end it is a sacrifice that I’m willing to make. In exchange for a slow build up and an irritating lead I get a pitch perfect turning point and a thrilling climax that must be amongst the most satisfying endings in science-fiction animé history if not animé in general. We get relationships we can invest in and we get characters that properly progress through beginning, middle and end. It’s a show that takes us somewhere. It might not be anywhere that deep but it is affecting, fun and deeply enjoyable.

"No one knows what the future holds. That's why the potential is infinite." -- Okabe Rinatoru aka Hououin Kyouma aka The Mad Scientist.

Humanity has pondered the possibility of time travelling since long, Steins;Gate is the realization of that in anime format.
Now, time travel is a tricky concept, since it's a phenomenon that humanity is yet to begin to explore. Due to this, whether it be an anime or a movie series, the notion of time travel in its core is succeeded by one fact alone, that is the creativity and what it does with that concept. Steins;Gate is no exception and its success ... depends on various things it does right.

The first few episodes give off an awkward feel but once a further episode mark is reached, Steins;Gate is in full flow and every single of that 'convoluted' mess that you thought in the beginning now suddenly starts to make sense, and there is no stopping after that until Steins;Gate is finished. This is where the highlight of the show lies in. Once it has cracked open, it takes the starting episodes to much greater heights all the while making complete sense and not confuse the viewer. Now that I have explained Steins;Gate a little, it still isn't perfect. There is as little a flaw as I can point out while I watched the series, and the story keeps on progressively getting better and the characters are amazing, but on a wider level, Steins;Gate is limited with its characters being limited to serving to the plot alone.

Okabe Rinatoru is the main protagonist in the show, and the entire story of Steins;Gate revolves around him and his friends or whom he calls as his other Lab Members. On the surface, Okabe can be said to be a nerd who is always preoccupied with fantasy delusions of his regarding time travelling, and calls himself the Mad Scientist and also goes by a different persona namely of Hououin Kyouma. The insight into Okabe's adventure of time travelling carries a great deal of weight, as everything that happens in the show is a direct reaction to his actions. Now him being in the center of everything, the common expectation would be to witness a signification change in personality and ideologies of Okabe over the course of twenty-four episodes, but Steins;Gate defies those expectations. I'd consider this as an achievement in itself for a show such as Steins;Gate which is heavily character-driven, as there is little change in Okabe throughout the show while the enjoyment level never drops down. It would've been a complete success only if Okabe's actions had a motive or reasoning for his actions. It is obvious after a while that Okabe cares about his friends very much and is ready to give his all to try and change their future for the good, but there is no build-up or back-story to his character that it feels just short of the mark. This very much has to do with his childhood friend, Mayuri Shiina, a simple-headed girl that is the second member of Okabe's so called Laboratory that he uses to conduct experiments. Mayuri's fate in the show as it progresses has a big role in Okabe's actions and this leads to the birth of a character so well done even with its share of shortcomings. This is completed with the addition of Makise Kurisu, a genius scientist that in the rush of circumstances becomes a Lab member and joins Okabe, his childhood friend Mayuri, Hashida Itaru, a fat nerdy hacker who also happens to be Okabe's friend and a lab member, who is called as 'Daru' and a self-proclaimed 'Super Hacker'. Several other side characters are revealed with a greater purpose in the show despite being short on characterization. Was this all a move not expected by White Fox at all? Or was it deliberate?

As I mentioned earlier, the concept of time travel is tricky, and one of the main points it has to tackle are character resets. Although Okabe and the other lab members become more familiar with time resets with their progress ahead, the clever pre-requisites that are set before traveling back to time dismiss the possibility of a reset used for conveniences. At other times the reset works perfectly altering the future in that certain time leap behind, while following up for that certain time reset thus again, dismissing it as a convenience. Makise Kurisu acts an important incentive to help with Okabe's time leaps, as she believes what Okabe has to say. This trust is built on the fact that she has a main role to play in the invention of time leaps, thus also expanding her relationship with Okabe Rintarou. All of this co-exists with a very important fact in the whole story. Every time Okabe makes the leap, he remembers all that happens while other do not. He calls this ability "The Reading Steiner". The ability, which's origin is unknown is strengthened by the circumstances played out in the time leaps. This carries a huge significance for me personally as Steins;Gate perfects everything it does leaving no plot-holes. A good example is the main character's ability in a similar anime known as "Erased". "Revival" as he calls it has no explanation to its origins and that leaves a deep plot-hole which cuts the enjoyment of the show in half. Now I don't have any problem with shows which focus on the given plot alone without giving any information to important aspects such as the abilities, but it also needs a co-existing story-line which strengthens its very own existence. Steins;Gate amazed me with this.

White Fox was a new name to be heard of when Steins;Gate came out, but the art is ever so advanced. The characters with their styles and color palette were overall greatly done. Interestingly, the regular backgrounds and the sceneries were something not hugely emphasized upon. If you have seen Serial Experiments Lain, you'd quickly get what I am talking about. The art in the background is kept minimal while giving full focus to the characters. This works incredibly well with Steins;Gate and creates a sync to how the story unfolds and settles the viewer in quickly. However, the backgrounds also change greatly in sync with the story, which overall gives a great watching experience. There is also a minimal usage of soundtracks in the show, which is exchanged with repeated dialogues so it doesn't feel like a minus at all. "Hacking to the Gate" by Kanaka Itou plays as the opening of Steins;Gate. It's overall your typical J-pop but with the regular implementations in the progress of the show, this becomes a treat to the ears every time an episode begins. It's amazing because the song would fit into any of your typical teen-focused anime these days, yet the greatness of Steins;Gate makes the song even more better. I personally didn't pay much heed to the ending as the worst part was when an episode ended and I couldn't wait to go see the next one! But overall, the intro and outro songs depends on preferences. The Japanese dub is always my first choice over its English counterpart and that was the case with Steins;Gate and... Miyano Mamoru does it again! I've lost count of how many characters that he played that I totally cherished. At first, it seems like a bad connection but the 'old-guy' look of Okabe Rintarou and the ever youthful voice of Miyano Mamoru took a good toll on me. Okabe's goofy personality was well presented by him. The rest of the cast was good as well. Hanazawa Kana's voicing as the very simpleton Mayuri was a pleasure throughout the show.

It was simple curiosity that I gave Steins;Gate a viewing and what an experience it was. Something to cherish for a long time. A show about time traveling is always fun, and I didn't have my own expectations on Steins;Gate beforehand, and that ended as the right mentality for me to go in a watch a show like Steins;Gate... because I didn't need to or wanted to expect anything out of Steins;Gate, but what I got from it was simply great. The 24 episodes were a thrill to watch. As I said earlier before, Steins;Gate isn't perfect. Maybe it could've had emphasized its characters a bit more, but either way it worked out amazingly well. Perhaps the fact alone that Steins;Gate isn't perfect is the biggest reason that makes it a masterpiece.

Well, that's it from me and I bid farewell as I rephrase "This is the choice of Steins;Gate!"

El Psy Congroo.

In short, Steins;Gate is an interesting time-travel story with many plot twists and enjoyable characters. That being said, it doesn't mean everyone is going to like it. If you like Sci-Fi series and you aren't obsessed with just one, watch it and you will probably like. It's kind of a brave anime that includes some risky stuff to include in a commercial product like this.

For those who haven't watched the series yet, I'll try to explain what to expect:

* It isn't the best comedy series around.
* It isn't something action packed.
* It isn't about serious science.
* It requires you to be patient, you will probably ... understand nothing in the first six episodes.
* It isn't something godly nor is it the best thing in existence.
* If you are obsessive with old school anime (retard in short with my saying), you better not watch it.

So what's so good about it? Why is it rated that highly in almost every anime (and even VN) platform?

It's a very solid mixture of comedy, sci-fi and thriller genres. Twist after twist. It's unique and remarkable. It's done the right way :)

Story

This is the best part of all. Weird things happen in this anime, but they all make sense somehow. It has an amazing story, everything is connected somehow and not even a small part of it is ruined. The story progression is somewhat "accelerated". It starts slowly and gets faster by each episode. People looking for action will probably find the first episodes boring. Try to be patient until you cross "the borderline" or just drop it. I won't say what that borderline is, you better not get spoiled.

Sound

First of all, with all my objectiveness, I must say that the voice acting in this anime is really amazing. Okabe Rintarou is far the best voice acting performance I've ever seen and I'm really congratulating the VA for this.

I enjoyed most of the soundtracks. Mostly, the main theme, Gate of Steiner was awesome, it was both saddening and thrilling.

The opening was one of the best and the ending was good.

Art

It was good and I liked it. I think it fits the anime. The animation can be fluid at times, but it was better for me for an anime like this.

Character

The series includes one of the most original, funny -and trolling- characters ever made, "Hououin Kyouma the Mad Scientist". You will start enjoying the series for real after completely grasping his personality. He's very unique (actually, a bit more unique than he needs to be), trust me.

Of course the series doesn't include only one character (though he was the outstanding one). To be honest, I liked the most important five characters: Okabe, Kurisu, Mayuri, Daru and Suzuha and I don't really care about the rest.

Enjoyment

It was very enjoying for me. It's not easy to find an anime of this quality. To be honest, it's not the best anime choice for everyone. If you are seeking for something action packed or something like that romance in the school stuff, skip to the next because this is not your kind of deal.

Overall

It's a good series. Ah, that's not enough. Even though I don't see any anime as perfect, this is the BEST SERIES I'VE EVER WATCHED and deserves its place to the end.


El Ps... You were waiting for that, didn't you? You've been fooled.