Steins;Gate

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.

I had a lot of expectation for this since it has such a high rating and is a top 3 anime in myanimelist. I was completely disappointed after watching the show. Many who have watched this said they do not understand the show, but I find it to be easy to understand. For me, the anime itself is not complex but tries to be.

The concept is good, time-traveling, butterfly effect and it shows that every little things in our life is important. If one were to change something, no matter how small you think it is, it could still affect the future. However, the ... execution itself is horrible. Uninteresting characters with typical dating sim personalities, art that is not pleasant to the eyes, boring sounds. I seriously do not understand the high ratings that the watcher gave to this anime. I think the novel or manga version of this would be better than the anime.

**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.

-Episodes 1-3 = boring -1 point
-Episodes 4-6 = boring -1 point
-Episodes 7-9 = boring -1 point
-Episodes 10-12 = boring -1 point
-color palette is boring which fits the show perfectly = -0.5
-never mentioned the “desert scene” felt brushed off and forgotten = -0.5
-The fact the first half was that boring to get to second half of the season = -1
Personal enjoyment = -1 point

All and all, I failed to see the beauty of this anime. I really wanted to like it but can’t that’s why I continued to watch even after episode 3. Half the show is very boring the second half is good, not worth ... it though. If I was able to time travel I would tell past me not to waste my time with this anime.

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.

Throughout history of pop culture, there are many examples of classic time travel stories in various forms of media and narrative approach. Does Steins;Gate, a much-loved show by contemporary anime fans, have what it takes to join this hallowed ranks and become the medium's definitive representation of the particular sub-genre?

Short answer: no.

Long answer:

Following self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintaro Okabe and his quirky band of lab mates (i.e. a harem of girls and a perverted otaku), Steins;Gate initially revolves around the idea that the characters can send text messages to the past through microwave oven. Now, credit where it's due: "send text messages to the past ... through microwave oven" is a pretty awesome conceptual hook, and immediately engaged my interest once I've had the show described to me as such. However, eventually I found that the pacing is a bit of a mess (it's way too slow in the first half and way too hectic in the second half), it doesn't do anything remarkably interesting in terms of visual/audio presentation, and despite the instantly intriguing premise, the execution leaves much to be desired.

First thing to note is that S;G is the furthest thing from hard science fiction, despite what the awkwardly-placed techno-babble might want you to believe. Through its main character, the show repeatedly declare that science is an important process of it, and yet I hardly see an actual example of scientific process/mindset being shown (*no, building a time machine with surprising ease and spouting convoluted time travel theories don't really count). Okabe is much less an actual scientist and more of a poser who slums around in otaku-friendly lifestyle with complete disregard to real life responsibilities, while the show occasionally reverted into rather impressive leaps of logic and demonstration of absurd causality.

But really, at its heart S;G is a character-driven show with significant dashes of romance and comedy. It's also very much in spirit with its visual novel origin; a genre frequently characterized by individual bonding scenes between its main character and a gaggle of supporting characters, often through slice-of-life manner. That's definitely not problem in itself as I always valued a story that used high concept primarily to amplify its humane elements, but let's be honest, the setting and characters in this show is clearly catered to certain audience demographic in ways that I particularly don't care of. I actually found that the show worked best when it dabbles on mystery/thriller territory, as shown in a chilling early sequence where the group stumbled upon horrific imagery of future time travel experiment, but this tone is rarely used and SERN, the obligatory Evil Organization often found in this kind of story, doesn't amount much more than a vague antagonistic force and a plot device. The romantic/comedic parts, while not being severely aggravating or offensive, aren't really that well-executed, as it used tiresome and stereotypical character tics way too often (yes, I got that Daru likes to make dirty comments and Kurisu likes to blush furiously whenever Okabe says something that's even mildly appreciative of her, thank you very much for incessantly reminding me of that, show).

On a more positive note, the show does end in a rather satisfying resolution (you can argue that it cheated around its own rules in order to get the kind of ending it wanted, but consistency and holeproof plot aren't something I expect from even the best time travel story), as it contextualized and explained what is otherwise an incomprehensible beginning. And while most of the characters' design/interaction/behavior still felt off to me, one does grow on me throughout: Okabe's childhood friend Shiina Mayuri, a more complex and sympathetic character than initial impression, and whose inner conflict I found to be much more believable than practically the rest of the cast.

So yeah, many things in Steins;Gate didn't work out very well for me and I'll continue to be baffled by the immense love it received by certain subset of fans. It doesn't feel like a complete waste of time though, as it's an adequate and perfectly accessible time travel entertainment as long as you're not actively looking for plot holes in its faux-scientific plot and/or severely allergic to some bad tropes on display here.

In a nutshell, the least successful amalgam of comedy and drama that I have ever seen.

As a comedy, Steins;Gate ranges tolerable to entertaining, but as a drama, it falls apart completely. Its characters are mostly comical and unbelievable, yet it expects you to take their plights seriously. The grim tale of fighting the inevitable that begins around the midway point is predicated on half a series of the main characters engaging in the kind of stupid and thoughtless behavior that is only acceptable within the context of comedy.

It operates on a kind of dating sim logic where almost all the pivotal characters (themselves shallow dating ... sim cutouts too; there's the airheaded childhood friend, the redheaded tsundere, the catgirl maid, etcetera) of the story (the scale of which extends far beyond Akihabara where the events of the anime take place) just happen to be teenage girls living within the vicinity of the protagonist, no matter how unlikely. That one of them happens to be the one of the most brilliant researchers in the field of time travel is only the most egregious example I can bring up without getting into spoiler territory.

The opening's good, though.

I don't understand why so many people like this anime. It's the Butterfly Effect stretched out for 24 episodes which makes the story weaker and more convoluted.I thought it was extremely predictable and drawn out. I found Mayuri Shiina very annoying. She spent the entire anime acting like my 8 year old niece. Which would have been fine if she was 8. Seeing a grown woman,who isn't mentally challenged, act like a child is very weird. Some animes I watch all the way thru because I enjoy the characters and the episodic story progression. And some animes I watch all the way thru because ... I've already invested a certain amount of time and I just want to see it's conclusion. Stiens gate is the latter. This anime was not fun for me at all. The main character who I actually thought was unique and interesting was wasted on this rehashed story. If you're thinking about watching this anime watch the Butterfly Effect first and save yourself 12 hours of repetitive nonsensical story telling.

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.

"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.

“El Psy Congroo”
-Okabe Rintarou

I’ve had a lot of people ask me to do a review of my favorite anime of all time, and honestly I found it difficult the first few times I tried. It was 2012, and I hadn’t watched a single anime in years, and I happened to stumble upon a friend at work watching Steins;Gate in the break room. I initially disregarded the show, chalking it up as some other gimmicky cartoon, having “grown out” of anime in general. That night when I got home, I couldn’t bring myself to stop thinking about it, and after swallowing my pride I asked him ... if I could download it.

Of course I watched it all in one sitting. And again a few days later. I was hooked on anime once again.

Not only did Steins:Gate reinstate my love for anime, it became a big turning point in my life. Instead of putting on some sort of facade, I began to embrace my nerdy personality and never looked back.

Produced by White Fox (Katanagatari, Akame ga Kill) in 2011, Steins;Gate took many by surprise with its complex yet understandable interpretation of time travel, something very hit and miss with anime. Following the self-proclaimed “mad scientist” Okabe Rintarou, viewers get a first hand look into the mundane and enthralling aspects of science, propelled by a suspenseful plot and enigmatic duo of Okabe and Makise Kurisu. Through 24 unforgettable episodes, Steins;Gate explores a plethora of time travel topics with impeccable finesse and crafts an ultimatum-esque ending that’ll be sure to make you shed a tear… or ten.

The first major point I want to expound upon is the first 6-8 episodes. Yes, I understand they are slow. In fact, I’ve known unfortunate souls who have dropped the series entirely based on the impression of these beginning episodes. Only while watching SG for the second time did I fully come to appreciate the legitimacy and purpose of these episodes. Not only do the writers take the time to flesh out the cast, they provide a rather no frills look at how experimentation really is. Coming from someone who’s an engineer by trade, I can tell you that most of the time, science IS boring. There’s insurmountable work for a very small payout. Honestly, the writers pay homage to the stress and pondering scientists do in order to discover the next big breakthrough. There are also a deceivingly large amount of foreshadows and tidbits you may not have caught on your first watch during these episodes that I’d urge you to go back and check out again. Does this make for good entertainment? No, unfortunately unless you can relate to this sort of thing, or the characters and their interactions gripped you from the get-go, this introductory period may not be the best part of the series for you.

it wasn't until Okabe accidentally sent a text to his friend’s phone (which just so happened to be in a microwave) that SG really start going into overdrive. The latter two thirds of the series is binge worthy, with tons of twists and turns and Okabe’s emotions and will power is thoroughly tested. Although Okabe is mostly bombastic and even sometimes delusional, the writers do a decent job causing the viewers to really sympathize with what he's going through during the time lapses. It's one of the most well written stories in modern anime. The dialogue between characters is also well composed. It's not frivolous or over intellectual, nor does it stoop down to the lowest mental level. It achieves a nice balance that everyone can relate to.

Another aspect of the writing that's done exceptionally well is the time travel. Instead of being “a ball of timey wimey stuff” (yes I'm looking at you, Doctor Who) like another anime, there are strict rules within SG’s time hopping which helps the viewer mold a coherent understanding of this element. there's a limit to how long of a text you can send to the past or future, and there are certain aspects of timelines that you just can't change. SG doesn't pander to the over analytical or become too pretentious for its own audience. despite what your own thoughts are on time travel, there is little argument that an anime has illustrated the concept better than this. it should almost be renamed, Time Travel Done Right: The Anime. SG even goes beyond its own theories to incorporate real life events like the atomsmashers in Europe or the intriguing man that is John Titor, someone who has claimed to unlock the powers of time travel on online forums.

Okabe relates to me quite significantly as a character. He has his fair share of quirks, but underneath his crafted smokescreen is a highly serious and compassionate individual. This bit of characterization gives him unlimited potential to grow as a person through the various trials he's put up against. Just imagine how crazy you would feel after time traveling to a familiar place, but no one else knows your secret. Add on the fact that you're already a little bit weird… how hard do you think it would be to convince everyone you're telling the truth? Mamoru Miyano absolutely nails his role in the Japanese dub, with more sporadic voice inflections then you can possibly imagine. Yep, mad scientist to a T.

Although Steins;Gate is a healthy 24 episodes long, it's just not enough time to appropriately develop such a large cast. The end result is that some of the characters appear to only serve the purpose of fulfilling a certain trope. You have the perverted otaku, a nyan “cat girl”, the cute and innocent one and your typical tsundere. This can be a turn off for some people, but the central focus of this anime is on Okabe. Kurisu does provide a healthy amount of balance to Okabe’s eccentric nature, and their relationship blossoms beautifully towards the end of the anime. It's one of those relationships where she's the only one for him, as cliché as that sounds. It reminds me a lot of Nodame Cantabile, just the other way around.

The animation in SG is quite good, but I'd expect nothing less from white fox. Having been there myself, the artist do a brilliant job capturing the atmosphere in Akihabara. The time travel segments are animated with scrupulous detail, and also incorporate a fair amount of delusion into the excerpts. Each character is unique in design, and their emotions are emblazoned on their faces during certain scenes.

“Hacking to the Gate” is one of the most iconic anime OPs I can remember. The animation is concise and contains a considerable amount of foreshadowing, which is a refreshing difference from the out of place OPs you see in some modern shows. The ED is also fitting to each episode, with the music being a nice contrast to the pace of the anime. OST wise, Steins;Gate is exceptional again. Each track couples marvelously with the mood of the scene it’s accompanying, and I've since downloaded the soundtrack and is just enjoyable to listen to standalone. Voice acting is outstanding in both the English and Japanese dubs. Most notably in the role of Okabe, which I previously mentioned.

It's no question that I fully recommend Steins;Gate. It reinvigorated my love for the medium, and at times it feels like an anime created for me. It's got suspense, a unique love story, time travel and intricate dialogue to go with it. There’s symbolism and thematic exploration, but it isn't as inaccessible or vague as some other anime out there. This is an anime that both elitists and casuals enjoy, which is another testament to its brilliance. Thanks as always for reading, Tu Tu Ru!

If the enormous amount of almost perfect review scores, the extremely high MAL ranking, or the gushing of people by word of mouth hasn't tipped you off already, you KNOW you should go and watch Steins;Gate already. That said, if you're still not sure for some reason, or you've seen the first couple of episodes and felt dismayed, fear not, I hope this review will clear some of those tricky to enjoy episodes out of the way.
Some people have asked me, who should not watch Steins;Gate? Some people might say that if you don't like sci-fi, comedy, time travel, drama, romance, action, suspense, you should ... not watch Steins;Gate. I say bullshit. Who doesn't like at least one of those things? With that out of the way, I believe Steins;Gate's target audience is anyone with a brain and interested in ideas typically not shown in popular anime.

STORY (9)

Here's the crux of it. The Story. Steins;Gate is at its heart, a story. That's right Captain Obvious, what else? So then since to give spoilers would destroy the purpose of you watching this show , I will be as discreet as possible. It goes something along the lines of this: You can send text messages to the past. And this will alter the present or the future that the past is linked to. Enter main man Okabe Rintarou and his cast of lab mates. They fiddle around with this time machine, and voila, shit jumps out of the frying pan and into the fire. STOP
That's as much as I'm willing to give you, because here is where you want to read if you're currently stuck on the earlier episodes. GO ON
I admit that Steins;Gate doesn't do itself any favors by introducing things in the deliberate manner you see viewers complain about for the first half of the series. It's true, it's slow, dialogue heavy, still framed, muted colors, weird characters. But hey, look at Bakemonogatari. And Steins;Gate then unfolds like an Agatha Christie mystery, those innocuous details you picked up at the very beginning and disregarded? Congratulations, you're going to get mind blown later on! The nuance of Steins;Gate lies not in rapid dissemination of the plot, nor, like your daily brain [Off] series is it accessible from any point in an arc. From the very beginning the story is established in a precise manner that leaves future implications dazzling in its implications. The scope of the story is such that the plot moves slowly, and randomly at the time you watch it, in order that the second half of the series sends all the things you've accumulated thus far into the wood chipper and grinded into little tiny bits. Comedy, slice of life, dialogue heavy first 8 episodes? Good on you to soak it all in. Now go marathon the remaining 17 episodes.
So far it seems like the only thing I have going for you who are stuck in the earlier episodes and have no desire to move further is that things pick up later on. It's a valid reason to continue, but you're still wondering at this 9 of a score on the story. And does it deserve it? Hell yes, because while Steins;Gate starts off confusedly and slow, the ramp up in tension is so palpable, so extreme, that it's like being high and drunk and asleep all at the same time. The state of your mouse button will be worn down from the relentless clicking of 'next episode.' So I'm sorry, but the payoff is like the best masturbation session you've ever had. You don't blow it off too early. I mean, that's what you're doing by not following up after the first 10 episodes or so.
Why is it not a 10? Why is Steins;Gate rated lower than Gintama? I disagree with MAL, but Steins;Gate's story does have its problems. And because Story = Steins;Gate, that the strongest and most visible attribute of the series is not perfect, means that the series is not absolute perfection. But it comes darn close.
First off, it's not perfect because the theories of time travel and divergent time lines are not fully elucidated for the perfectionist detail oriented viewer. There are holes in the science, in the events that are shown in the anime but explained in the visual novel. They nagged me like that tiny pebble in your shoe for about two episodes or so. But by the time I realized they were a problem, I also realized I simply did not care anymore. Now to me, that's surprising and great, because a show that can make you not care about its imperfections means it did a whole lot of things right other than its one aspect. And so we move on.

ART & SOUND (8.5)

Technical production values were extremely high. It is a little off-putting in the beginning to see all muted tones and off white color schemes, but you realize after a while, that this IS Steins;Gate. The technical production team really did a nice job here. If you get the Blu-Ray, which I highly recommend you acquire, you can see how flawlessly animation flows and how well the characters, enviros, and effects are detailed throughout the show. A little minor gripe is that sometimes character facial expressions looked slightly distorted. But again, that's nitpicking.
Sound was, for the most part, excellent. In fact, Steins;Gate's BGM was amazing. Considering that it was mostly taken from the visual novel, the insertion songs were placed aptly, chosen well, and correctly emphasized whatever was occurring during that scene. The OP, on the other hand, was polarizing. For 2/3 of the show, I did not enjoy it. But as all things come to be, I grew to like it. I still don't know how this shift occurred, probably Stockholm Syndrome? Got captured by this series- that must be it...

CHARACTER (10)

Here is another crux of Steins;Gate. While the story is necessary and essential, these characters, Okabe "Mad Scientist" Rintarou, Makise Kurisu, Daru, Mayushii, and others really drove this series past its plot into something special. They made the plot resound. Surprisingly all of Steins;Gate's characters fall into some archetype or another, and yet, somehow, they bring an element into the execution that is both original and highly entertaining.
I really can't say enough about Okabe Rintarou whose character conception is done and executed extremely well. Generic my ass, that type of boring male protagonist is beheaded like Makoto in School Days, and instead you get one of the most memorable male leads in all of anime. Move over Kamina, here's Mado Scientist Houin Kyouma! Seriously, the guy's character is as unique as you can find, eccentric and goofy, but surprisingly and fortunately, his emotional depth is also second to none. Instead of the jerk with a heart of gold, he's a mad scientist with a body of real. His interactions with his lab mates are endearing, touching, dramatic, comedic, and serious, at all the right points. That is wonderful.
I haven't even gotten to Makise Kurisu, Daru and Mayushii, but I can tell you right now that they fit their archetypes to an art, but also set new bars for enjoying those archetypes. This fitting into your anime stereotypes is also done somewhat tongue-in-cheek as you have the characters sometimes breaking the third wall in terms of describing what's going on.
Some reviewers have criticized that Steins;Gate devolves into a human interest story halfway through the series and that is not entirely incorrect. True, the latter half of the series skips the whimsical theory-crafting and slice of life style that is reminiscent of shows like Bakemonogatari, but I think those reviewers are ever so slightly missing the point. Yes, you don't want an anime to become a mindless pathos-ridden drama with characters tear stained faces grimacing in dismay and anguish as bad events befall them while you can only face palm. (Yes, you know what shows I'm talking about.) However, Steins;Gate has a plot of which the theme, time travel, by itself an element that lends itself heavily to human interest stories. If you can manipulate time, you alter events, and events are done by people, so people inherently are affected. Thus for the story not to include a significant human interest element is irrational and nonsensical. That said, I am pleased to announce that Steins;Gate pulls off this human element superbly, and while things are wrapped up neatly and conveniently, it never seems too forced or contrived. I mean, what can you say about a show that lets you manipulate time to contrive your ends?
In addition, perhaps my biggest praise for this show goes to how they ended it. A good ending done right with just the right amount of closure. It ended so well, that this show really is a standardbearer for how conclusions should be done. Just don't forget to watch the episode 25 OVA as well.
For lack of a better word, these characters make you CARE. All great shows do this and so I leave it like that. Character and plot are closely entwined in Steins;Gate, and neither is lacking.

ENJOYMENT (10)

What can I put here other than 10? Well, frankly if I counted the first 10 episodes, maybe this score would have gone down by 0.5. Not because it's not any good in the beginning, but that it takes a while for the story to start up. And yet, there is absolutely no filler. Could Steins;Gate have paced the first half of the season slightly better? Yes. But this is nitpicking. I really can't say anything else other than, I loved the fuck out of this show, and is one of the few shows that made me think beyond the anime itself. Case in point, if you were to actually think about the implications of world lines and divergence ratios, and how events could (fictitiously of course) play out on the basis of this theory, I guarantee you will mindfuck yourself to some degree.

OVERALL (10)

TL;DR I really think you should watch this show.
If you're stuck in the early going, I highly suggest you tough it out. There are PLENTY of worse shows to not watch, so do take the time out of your day to actually watch something good. It's a rare treat when a show's premise sticks with you long after you watch the climax and finale. Steins;Gate was one such anime.
El Psy Congroo.

I'm gonna try and not makes this too long as reviews that are long can be a pain to read and give too much away, but I don't want to make it too short and miss out some of my opinions!! Put simply Steins;Gate is one of the few masterpieces within Anime today! It is genuinely fantastic and if you haven't watched it I recommend you do so immediately!
At first it isn't very entertaining and you will probably be a little confused but once it gets going, wow its a roller-coaster, and a amazing one at that!

Story-10-The story is gripping and you are constantly guessing ... what is going to happen next! its so in depth and interesting! the concept of time travel is normal boring and constantly the same, but this story was different with their concept of how it all works and how it can be done.

Art-8-The art is very good and the way they display the whites, blacks and greys is fantastic! I have seen a few anime with better art, but the art in this anime is still brilliant.

Sound-10- I watched it dubbed and thought all the voices matched perfectly and the soundtrack is spectacular in my opinion, especially the OP.

Characters-10-The design and personality of ever character is perfect as the are all different in so many ways but they all combine perfectly together! They compliment each other and I don't think there is any way they could of been made better!! they one thing to always keep in mind is their ages as Okabe and Kurisu are both 18, and I think some people think Okabe is older! Makes his relationship with most the main characters seem weird if you forget that!

Enjoyment-10- I don't think I can stress any more how much I enjoyed it as I watched it in a few days and any spare time I had I used watching this anime as it had me wanting to watch it more and more!!

Overall-10-Masterpiece!!! If you haven't watched it you are definitely missing out on one of the best animes ever to be created!!

I didn't watch it subbed only dubbed so my review is based on the dubbed version!! I did however watch the OVA's subbed and I think the whole impact of the show was the same I think with this anime is more suited to dubbed as the voices suit better! but thats up to you on if you prefer dubbed or subbed!!

I do hope you give this anime a chance as I know you won't regret it!!

Enjoy!!

"I am the Insane Mad Scientist, Hououin...KYOUMA"
yes, its me ill hopefully be writing a review about steins gate but i really don't want the ORGANIZATION to find out.... El Psy Congroo...

Yoo! mina this will be my first review about the anime i love the most which is steins gate, to start things off steins gate is an anime about time travel and how the"butterfly effect" can really change everything and cause a time paradox.

Story:
As for the story of steins gate it starts at the summer of 2010 and consists of a group of friends who experiment on different future gadgets in order to change humanity ... FUWAHAHAHA, anyway they stumble upon their great creation which was phone microwave (name subject to change ofc =P) which helps them send messages to the past and thus begins the long series of unfortunate events. What i liked about the story is that it will always keep you by the edge of your seat, the twists and plots are amazing and that's why i fell in love with the story.

Sound:
I've gotta say, the soundtracks in steins gate are top-notch and very well used in order to convey the scene, as for the opening (Hacking into the gate) its brilliant, Itou Kanako never seems to disappoint me her voice is just amazing. The ending song (Toki Tsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku by Yui Sakakibara) is also such amazing track, and not to mention (Sky Clad no Kansokusha by Itou kanako) which was aired in episode 23.

Characters:
Grab as many seiyuu's and put them together in one anime and what do you get? PERFECTION!
The great thing about steins gate is that it focuses more on character development and to be honest it really did its job.

Enjoyment:
As much as i love re-watching the series over and over again, i absolutely love this anime and could rate it as my number 1! I got hooked to this series so fast that i wish i could go back to the past and watch it for the first time XD.

Overall:
Overall, Steins gate is a must watch series if you are interested in time travel or basically hooked in the "Thriller" theme, it has an awesome story, great character's and beautiful sound tracks that just take you away.

Thnx for reading my review, hope you enjoyed it. EL PSY CONGROO.