Steins;Gate

I don’t know what makes an anime good. I was expecting sooooo much more from Steins;Gate that I’m terrible frustrated (not that much) now that I finished it and it is really not all of that. The plot is reaaaaally slow paced, like nothing happens in the first 6 episodes!!! I just kept watching because 1st - people told me it’d get better around 11th episode (!!!!! - it gets better around the 9th) and 2nd - because it’s one of my items for MAL’s annual AWC, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have finished it. The anime’s first impressions are TOTALLY different from what it really ... is.

I think a truly GOOD show/movie/anime should catch you at least until the third episode - which is already too far away! I find unbearable to have to watch 9 episodes to POSSIBLY like the story and I won’t give it a higher score just because I liked the ending - which I didn’t. Just no.

The inicial plot is super boring and bad developed. I think they were trying to make the public create a emotional bond with the characters, living with them, discovering new things with them, but, honestly, they failed miserably. They could’ve done this in a whole bunch of different ways. The first episode gives you that thirst for mystery, but the following episodes are just a slice of life thing.

The characters are ok, like they stay in the shape the producers gave them to please everyone, there’s not much or any character development to say the least - except for Kyoma. The crazy weirdo main character followed by his perverted sidekick friend and a whole bunch of girls - a cutesy, a whispering girl and a self-empowered one. I really couldn’t see any character progression along the story. To sum up they’re just forgettable characters. I didn’t get involved emotionally with anyone on this, none of them made me relate or love.

The art is average, not too gorgeous nor appalling. It’s an ok show to watch based on its art. I just think they don’t know very well how to explore the backgrounds and scenes on sunlight are too bright. The soundtrack is good and the op is awesome!

The first arc is EXTREMELY BORING, it’s not funny nor mysterious nor fast paced, it’s nothing but a boring slice of life of a middle age guy that thinks he’s being pursued by some ‘organization’. Did I say it was boring? Oh yes, one more time. Boring af. It’s like the producers thought they should explain the beginning of the story in order to make the viewer understand the rest that they got lost in the process and added too little information for a whole lot of episodes. Or they wanted to stay on air for two seasons. Or even they already had a big fanbase on the novel that they didn’t really care that much for the new public. I just don’t know how someone could possibly like these first episodes.

The following episodes, past the first arc, are fine to watch. They definitely weren’t that pain to watch as the first ones. But as some time travelling plots, this one gets a little repetitive. And there were lots of plot holes about the machine. The ending is terribly cliché, something about a happy ending. Nothing unexpected. But the means they used to achieve it were good and explainable.

I had a good time watching it from episode 11th till the end, but to get through the first episodes was a real pain. I just increased my score (which was 4) because they managed somehow to put some emotion on it. This is not a show you should watch if you’re looking for a mysterious anime or a story that has a good developing pace. Far from this. If you like comedic-like or slice of life things you should go for it. I expected more.

I'm writing this review for people who first got onto this show because of the raving reviews and as they watch it, they're wondering if its going to get any better.
Having finished the entire show, I have to admit that the timey wimey story is clever and well planned, however, whether or not you enjoy this show, highly depending on whether or not you like these ensemble of characters or not.

If you find the characters boring and annoying from the beginning, the enjoyment level of this show will stay low till the end.
It is not going to get any better, because even though the ... story is well planned, you just wont give a crap about what's going on because you dont care about these characters.
Especially the girl with the blue hat, since she was sort of the center of the last half of the show where people rave about when it was getting better.
So if you like these characters, then I can see why this show have like very high score here on MAL.

I watched this show because of the raving reviews and this being the no 2 highest score here on MAL, and I kept thinking there must be something awesome happening on this show that I have to finish the entire show.

When I got to the end, I was like yeah it was clever I guess.... but I still dont like it cos these characters are just okay for me, so taste is relative and high score here doesnt guarantee it fits your particular taste.

Another thing, the pacing is reaaaaaalllyyyy slooooowwwwww, and there is veeeryy little big events happening, and even when they happen, they were very... mild... nothing too dramatic or spectacular.
I guess it is expected since since the beginning of the show, they seems to focus to small things that seems trivial instead of anything big and important.

If I can send a D-mail to myself from 2 days ago, I will tell myself not to waste my time watching this entire show and spend that time on something better and more useful instead....

I would like to talk a little about Steins; Gate. It is good to emphasize that at first I am not a critical exile, but I want to share my experience with the work.

Preliminarily, I was watching about 1 episode of S;G per year (it's not even a meme), but I ended up arranging with friends to watch the anime together. My first impression was not the best, however I understood that the 1st half of the anime was extremely important to explain the theory, not only that but after finishing the work I noticed that it was the best part of the anime.

Furthermore, when ... the anime “begins” for many is where I most questioned my reason for living. As I recall, they actually start to travel through time and in the course of that we have just one of the worst death directions I've ever seen in an anime, besides the piece trying to deliver some twists, which revolve around Suzuha and Moeka. In the long run, the Suzuha context is interesting and “well” worked, but with the exception of Moeka freaking out “rightly” in episode “x”, she simply played a poor part in the plot, I disliked the twist they proposed around her.

I have to mention some negative points that made me dislike the work, in a time travel anime I would very much like to see "time travel" itself and not just stay in theory or travel in the "present", Okabe is easily one of the worst scientists there is, because even having Kurisu on his side, our "MC" still has difficulty finding "simple" resolutions throughout the plot. Finally, Okabe's romance with Kurisu was taken out of “cool”.

Therefore, I found S;G extremely dull and tiring at times, as important as these moments are for the unfolding of the story, it could have been a shorter anime. Steins;Gate is an anime for cults or simply people who demanded a little more from their respective “IQ” to understand the anime and were in need of giving “10” for an extremely overrated work.

In summary, I have nothing to complain about the theory and some characters that served as comic relief, if I were to analyze some basic criteria for Steins; Gate would look something like this:

History: 7.0
Animation: 6.5
Entertainment: 3.5
Characters: 3.5
Sound: 0

Totaling 4.1 of overall grade.

The problem with the S;G hype is that no one has made a better Sci-Fi (I mean the whole work), which is not “very” difficult, I hope that in a few years, someone will do it and that we can laugh a lot when it happens. Again, even though it's not my favorite theory, Steins proposes a formidable theory and it's what carries the anime as it falls short on several factors.

If you seek to start sympathizing with the otaku culture as a whole, Steins;Gate is going to be very helpful

I understand how most people feel about Steins;Gate. I understand that it has caused many people to be invested in anime and appreciate anime better. I understand that in many ways people felt sympathy for and related to some of the characters in Steins;Gate. And I also understand that for many Steins;Gate is an experience they will never forget. There are many reasons Steins;Gate has had this impact on people, and more often than not, the reason is personal and many people might find difficulty putting ... it into words, as I have noticed that when they try they will simply just end up reiterating that they love it a lot without fully understanding why, which is fine.

I do not feel the same way about Steins;Gate as most of the people that have watched it. I will not be the person to praise it to no end and say that it has made me feel things nothing else ever did. But it left an impact on me regardless, because of its core strengths: Its capacity to make you sympathize with the characters on screen and presenting very fluent characterization that captures who a character is and why they behave in the way they do.

Like it or not, otaku culture is not looked well upon by a lot of people, and this causes some people to steer clear from anime as a medium. The reasons all relate to how anime causes people within the otaku culture to behave or even those that are enthusiastic about it . Be it because they are afraid of how certain people project certain traits they wish they had through the shows they have watched, be it because they apply to real life the mentality of a character from a fictional show that has a setting with heavily fantastical elements that do not apply to reality, be it because people end up closing off from their social life and replace their group with idealized versions of who they wish they could interact with, and the list could go on further. All of these unhealthy traits are not only considered socially unacceptable and cause people to behave such, they also cause these people to think in ways where if you do not understand the context behind what they say, their interests will cause them to alienate themselves from whoever they might try to interact with. I do find it unfair to reject an entire medium based on the behavior of certain people, but I understand why the disdain for anime is produced. It is not as simple as „aren’t you too old to watch cartoons?”

The story of Steins;Gate is set in Akihabara, a commercial district within Japan where otaku culture thrives, and all of the characters within its story have this culture either deeply ingrained into who they are or are outsiders who on some level have difficulty interacting with the culture or world. The story presents who each character is through the quirks they have and how these quirks cause them difficulty when interacting with others, while during the process setting up for the events that unfold. Close to most of the quirks relate in some way to otaku culture and to fully understand who they represent you would need context from the culture itself to understand what type of behavior each character is following within it. Still, even without the context, even if you won’t understand how this behavior was formed, Steins;Gate will eventually get you to understand the reasons for which these characters behave the way they do by showing you what the characters and what they struggle with.

The story is driven forward by Okabe Rintarou, who is characterized as a Chuunibyou, which is a japanese colloquialism for people that act on their delusions of grandeur and develop a persona just for that. The term exists because these people act outwardly as if their delusions are true, in an attempt to stand out and be desirable to people, throwing their imperfections to the side. Okabe, acts in the stereotypical manner of a Chuunibyou. First of all, he pretends that he is fighting against an organization, often talking on a phone on which there is no call about a mission with heavily exaggerated code names that sound cool. This is done by Okabe in a way that outwardly targets the person observing his behavior and this interaction for Okabe has the purpose of making it seem as if there is more to him than what is displayed, with the intent of causing the target to be interested on who he is. However, with one quick glance and very little thought, it becomes obvious to anyone that if anybody would actually have a grandiose mission, they would not talk about it openly and secrecy would be of utmost importance, so this façade fools nobody, even if his friends accept it. On a smaller scale but with the same purpose, Okabe also sometimes acts as if he has special powers and he understands things of supernatural nature or that the very least can hardly be explained. And last, he acts in a manner that is meant to put some distance between himself and other people. His behavior often puts people down, due to the façade it is seen as harmless, but Okabe essentially just plays hard to get. He essentially through his persona tries to push people away from who he really is, with the hope that his persona is going to be so interesting to them that they will pursue Okabe. This behavior really is just a projection of what Okabe truly wants, which only sabotages his goals because it is a behavior that is dishonest. Rather than engaging people about their interests and carefully observing them for who they are, Okabe chooses to take every idealized notion he thinks other people would admire, and creates a persona deeply influenced by what is considered cool within the otaku culture.

But the story goes beyond just portraying that Okabe’s behavior and mentality and it instead challenges Okabe’s psyche by making everything that he tried to portray to other people become true.

Okabe and his friends have a “science laboratory” where they create experimental gadgets that center around some ridiculous idea. Most of them have very little practical use but there is no denying that the people within the laboratory have a grasp on the in-world’s scientific concepts. Eventually, as time goes on they hit a breakthrough and manage to send phone messages back in time. The more they develop this idea, more people join in and they learn more about the world and how it would intend to use this technology. Every single scene is one more piece of the puzzle that provides even more context about what impact this technology can have, how it gets these characters to interact, how the world would make use of this technology and the fact that Okabe has some ability that causes him to be affected differently by any changes done to the timeline. Without giving the outcome away, eventually, all the events around him cause Okabe to be what a Chuunibyou aspires to project outwardly. He truly does end up fighting against the circumstances he is placed in, with them having large ramifications on the world at large, and due to the fact that he has a special power he is the only character to have retained this information. He now knows things no other people should, secrets that he cannot tell, and he is the only one to have the capacity to do anything about it due to the fact that he is special. But while the Chuunibyou stereotypical behavior assumes that this behavior would cause people to gravitate Okabe because he is important, thus making it easier for Okabe to open up outwards, these circumstances only cause Okabe to only retreat even further inwards. It is partly true that these circumstances, as the Chuunibyou stereotype would assume, would put distance between him and people, but at the same time it also has the intended effect Chuunibyou’s try to project. People become interested in Okabe, because they become concerned and want to help him. But while a Chuunibyou would welcome them even if outwardly they would act in a way that maintains their superiority, Okabe cannot open up to them or let them in. Because no matter how much he wanted to, his circumstances are actually true and he cannot be helped as he actually is indeed special. Rather than accepting the people that approach him, he can only repel them because they can never have context into his situation. Describing Okabe any further than this would be telling you how his character arc concludes which I won’t do.

But this is enough for me to start saying how exactly Okabe’s story has affected me. It has shown me that even if I do not understand the intent or cause of someone’s behavior, I can find them something that is respectable about them. You see, I personally shun a lot of the behavioral traits about otaku culture. Acting like a chuunibyou, projecting your love life onto an idealized 2D picture, all of the weeaboo associated nonsense. But just because I renounce the behavior itself that does not mean that I also have to renounce the person that has this behavior. There was more to Okabe’s behavior than met the eye, and there is a lot more context to him that I did not provide. But after this behavior was very slowly but carefully removed from the person enforcing it, all I could observe was a person that desperately did not want to be alone. It was something very basic and human that was being approached in an incorrect manner. Okabe was wrong and portrayed as heavily flawed, but a genuinely good person that would forever suffer if ever left alone. Steins;Gate has not proven me wrong, but it has given me more to think about. I am correct to reject the behavior itself and not accept the negative consequences behind it. But just because I understand the outcome of the behavior, it does not mean that I do understand the intent. The intent itself is something that I do not have context on and it is most likely something that I could sympathize with. So even if I find someone’s behavior abhorrent, I should at the very least try to understand why they behave that way. I should have at the very least some degree of understanding and patience.

As I have said, every character in some manner has been affected socially by the otaku culture. The story showcases who each character is, what are their flaws through dynamic interactions between each character that are portrayed in an often comedic and somewhat neutral way, and why they exist by exploring what they desire through exposing their behavior for what it is. Each character has some depth and their behavior is displayed well through skillful characterization.

Other things that Steins;Gate has to offer is a lot of theoretical concepts that border on metaphysics and discussions surrounding things of that nature, as well as some information on conspiracy theories. The world behaves in a manner that assumes these things are possible and feasible, and incorporates them into the world. In some cases it gives you the context from real life. Most of the ideas of Steins;Gate are not its own, and are used as a realm to explore the group it portrays, so do not expect an anime that rethinks a theoretical concept or the world order at large. Yes, it puts them together in ways that are unique to itself it takes, but its focus is to explore the people it presents, and the theoretical concepts and conspiracy theories are just tools to give further shape to the world of Steins;Gate. If you came for a story that is an adventure about time travel, this will be very different from what you expect, and that can be both a good and a bad thing, depending on what you want to experience.

You see one of the things everyone likes to address, but also has to, is the slow pace of the show. Every scene focuses on providing the viewer with context into what they are watching, and rather than focusing on Steins;Gate being an entertaining process from start to finish, it chooses to put all of its energy into the outcome of each scene, making sure that every scene carries what it intends. Steins;Gate does not pander to provide you with something fun every second of its watch time, but rather to provide you with everything that would help you understand what is going on with who you are seeing. Some people might criticize it for not delivering constant entertainment value on screen, but Steins;Gate through Okabe openly renounces acting cool for no reason. It doesn’t goof off for the sake of goofing off. If a scene is there, it is because it tries to tell you something or inform you about something you’ll need to understand for the next message it delivers. Its slow pace is warranted.

Still, regardless of how well it does the things it does, as well as how genuine it is, Steins;Gate still is something I only personally consider to be fine as a show. A lot of it comes down to personal preference, as I prefer shows to be focused on progressing forward, rather than taking their time. It definitely has a more than warranted enough reason to pace itself in the way that it does, but that doesn’t mean it will change my preferences simply because of that. Another reason is that, even if I do understand who the characters are and why they behave that way, and I see that there is depth to them, for the most part I do not like them. I don’t feel a strong dislike towards them; I simply do not care much about them. The reason for that being that: each character was created to fit what the show tried to convey, that they would only matter within the context that they were placed. There is depth to the overall message that is displayed through their use and their behavior, but strip away these elements, and all you are left with are husks. I do get that to a degree that is part of Okabe’s characterization, but that is the point. He is a husk because it is part of the characterization. In some cases, I did fully understand the behavior, but I was just not interested in who the character was and felt little to no sympathy for them.

Regardless of that, I praise Steins;Gate for the message it has managed to deliver to me. I’m sure that the people that have the otaku culture planted deeply into them related in some way to the story, and I am sure that this is one the best stories to humanize the culture to people outside of it. As I have said, if you seek to start sympathizing with the otaku culture as a whole, Steins;Gate is going to be very helpful, as it was helpful to me. It is one of the best shows to be introduced to anime, as it has the potential to eliminate a lot of the preexisting prejudices for the medium. However, I’d avoid Steins;Gate if the pace itself is something that would really bother you. It has the best reasons it can possibly have to take its time, but again, as it is the case for me, personal preferences are not something that can be reasoned with.

The concept and the premise were very interesting, but then the plotholes started coming and the fact that the characters were very shallow and just walking cliches was evident. The mad scientist (the only one that was interesting), a fat perverted nerd, a textbook tsundere, a 18 year old girl that acts like a 6 year old (why?), and other characters were even worse, their only characterization was a single trait, for example being a guy that wants to be a girl, or talking like a cat. And the worse one was probably the shy annoying girl that only speaks through text messages.

The ... journey of the MC was interesting, even if at some point it stopped making any resemblance of logical sense, but in the end the anime was just mediocre.

To this day, I still cannot grasp the love for this series. “The beginning is slow!” “You have to keep watching it!” “Most people drop it only after like… 6 episodes…” Well, here’s my 2 cents. No anime should take THAT LONG for me to finally hold a somewhat bland interest in it. Allow me to go more into detail.

I really struggled to finish this series. It’s as everyone says. The beginning is SUPER SLOW and agonizingly boring. Nevertheless, I got through it to the end. And to my surprise, I was very dissatisfied.

Things that I thought were great about Steins Gate:

The most amazing ... thing about this series is the unique art style. I really loved the style of Steins Gate. I can’t quite describe it in words, but something about the style and animation used for this series is beautiful. The character designs (for the most part) are excellent and the soft tones keep it easy on the eyes.

Voice acting for this series was great as well. I don’t really have much to say about that. The soundtrack, openings and endings were all very well made and pleasant to listen to.

Now the cons:

The biggest problem I have with this show are the characters. The love for Okabe is so unreasonable, and I just don’t understand why so many people love him. He is without a doubt, the MOST ANNOYING character in anime history (behind Nina from Code Geass, Gabi from Attack on Titan, and Asuka from Evangelion). My very first impression of him was as if he was a 6 year old who just stuffed his face with Halloween candy and went on a massive sugar crash. He’s a human symbol for ADHD on steroids.

Then comes his derpy, pervert otaku friend who takes every chance at ogling Makise. Such a forgettable character, I already forgot his name.

That being said, the only sensible character I came to like was Makise. Beautiful, fierce, and intelligent. Can’t ask for much more. Mayuri was adorable and one of my favorites, but too bad her character was so damn submissive and unrealistic.

The story takes way too damn long in the beginning. The very first episode was confusing, which is what pushed me onto the second episode. From there on out to the next 4-5 episodes, it was agonizing and dreadful. It was so hard to keep my eyes open because it was so insanely slow and boring. To make things worse, Okabe’s hyper character only pissed me off and made me not want to watch it.

Overall

Even though I despised the story in the very beginning, I gradually began to see it unfold at an easy going pace. I won’t deny that it was a fantastic story by the end of the series. My problem was that it took way too long for me to even gain the smallest amount of interest. Peer pressure and the insanely good reviews are what kept me going through this series to the very end.

Time travel is not an easy subject to put on screen. That being said, I believe Steins Gate did a pretty fair job. Only a handful of characters were memorable, meanwhile most of them were so annoying, I can’t even stomach looking at them anymore.

Was a terrible show? Absolutely not. Does it deserve the high rating it has? In my opinion, it really isn’t anything special. Very forgettable and not very intriguing. Hard to recommend it to anybody.

**SPOILERS BELOW**

Steins;Gate was divided into two parts. The first 12 episodes served as an introduction to the characters, their relationships, their lifestyle/culture in general. It was a light-hearted and humorous story of an odd group that bonded thanks to a crazy mad scientist. Personally, I didn't enjoy most of the repetitive "pervert" humor in this part and other than Hououououin Kyouma, the characters didn't seem interesting or important. The side characters developed minimal relation with each other as the show focused more on Okabe and his relationships. I didn't enjoy the first part much but I was still curious to see where the plot was ... headed.

In the 2nd part, the tone started to change and things got more serious. As the characters faced difficulties we started to learn more about them even though the show continued to focus mostly on Okabe's perspective. I've seen many series/movies that tackle time travel and I can't recall any that showed the protagonist's point of view so well. Steins;Gate doesn't skip the dull/painful or repetitive moments that Okabe has to go through but instead it often embraces them and highlights them. I found the plot and pacing of this part refreshing, it was interesting to watch Okabe get serious and try to find his way through the mess. The contrast between the first and second part also helped elevate the seriousness at this stage.

Even though I learned more about the side characters and their past at this stage, I just didn't find them that interesting. Especially the "but he is a man" girl just felt unnecessary throughout the show. Since we are on the subject, I don't understand how a sci-fi can get away with "eating vegetables can change a baby's gender" logic. I also didn't like how the entire time travel system was loosely based on fate. I have some other problems with the concept but time travelling cannot be "realistic" after all and they managed to create an interesting story based on their own rules so I respect that.

Back to the characters, I also didn't like how most of the cast somehow fell in love with Okabe. I understand his relationship with Kurisu and Mayuri but I felt like the others blossomed out of nowhere because.. plot? Surely they didn't all have to confess their love and cry dramatically to show their appreciation.

Finally, the animation didn't bother me but it was no eye candy either. I found the main bittersweet song (Gate of Steiner) very beautiful but other than that the soundtrack was just mediocre. They must have realized that too because that song ended up being played too often in my opinion. The voice acting felt overly dramatic at times but was solid otherwise. Also props to whoever voiced Mayuri, you'd expect her to be annoying after a while but nope! "Tutturuu!" is still super cute.

Overall, I think S;G has an interesting plot that feels complete and a colorful main character. It is worth watching but honestly I don't see why it's considered a masterpiece.

Others calling it a masterpiece seems a little farfetched for me. First 11 episodes were EXTREMELY boring that Id forgotten I was watching the show. Yeah I get it, it got better. Very unexpected plot twist, kaboom. But it stands that the hook should be in the first episodes, not in the middle, nor the last.

My main problem was the pacing, and the mood used. For the first 11 eps ive said, it had this happy theme, where the watcher is left confused about wtf is going on. Then after comes only dread and despair. It was too painful for me to continue. The ... characters were entertaining at times, but not enough to the point that motivated me to keep watching. I was pulled by the curiosity of when the nightmare will end, not by when will they be happy. A me problem, I know. Still, I will stay by the side that the pacing and atmosphere placement is dogshit.

I watched the second season, but I didnt look forward to it. Had to drop it. Then again, its my opinion. Who knows. Might be your treasure.

Steins;Gate is a very well directed series. I’ll admit that. The editing, settings and characters are excellent. But the fact that it takes TWELVE painfully slow episodes to actually get going is ridiculous and puts a huge stain on something that could’ve been better. The second half is good, but not good enough to make up for the first. As I said before the characters are great but honestly, the story never really did a whole lot to interest me. Could be worse, but overall this is nothing special and it sure as hell doesn't deserve a spot on the top anime list.

I feel so disappointed. I don't understand why this get to be in the TOP 10 at all. Sure, the storyline started good and the character development were superb. I actually enjoyed the first 10 episodes after that everything seemed to plummet. It turned slow and was unbearable to watch. I have to fast forward some parts (like undoing the D-mail for Faris and Ruka). Sigh. I feel like I wasted my time with this.

The story has 24 episodes. I feel like they could have made it shorter. There's a lot of parts where it feels like hours and hours for them to have ... a conversation. I was actually excited to watch this at first knowing that this is on the top anime and most popular list. But I was hugely disappointed.

I wish they could have condensed the later episodes and put more emphasis on the time traveling issue or please move on with the story as oppose to having hours of dialogue regarding a character or their feelings. I'm just not impressed.

I'm definitely in the minority here, but I think this anime is quite overrated... The story is decent, but (like things that deal with time travel) not everything makes too much sense.... I can't say I really like any of the characters in particular.... the art style is not bad, but not something that stood out to me...

It was definitely interesting and it is worth rewatching so you can understand what's going on.... but I would definitely NOT put this as the 2nd top anime right now...

Perhaps my review score is low because I want to offset the hype, but I don't feel ... I'm too off base... But that's just my opinion.

I am a bit mixed on why it has such a high rating. It was a sci fi anime and it was highly rated on MAL and those were the only two reasons why I decide to watch it because otherwise It didn't really grab my attention.

The start is a bit confusing even me I felt like dropping it after the first episode because I didn't what was going on so you have to be a bit patient. With half of the season being really slow though things start coming together really quickly and the pace starts picking up fast but in some cases there ... are some halts in between. The light comedy adds a layer to the tone of the story though the tone can be slightly off at times. And there are some harem elements which I have no interest in the beginning of the series.

The sound effects really add a extra layer of realism and immersion to the world. Though there is barely any music in any of the scenes but when there is music its great. The directing is amazing thing really captivates the scenes. The visuals are pretty good though there are some uses of CG here and there and most scenes take in the same place.

The characters are quiet stereotypical and shallow there isn't particularly unique about them and nothing bad about them either. But they get some development as times goes on.

I understand the high rating. No sci fi anime was ever well thought of and grounded as Stein's Gate which has a lot of creditability to real life scientific theories. But on the other note, the amount of plot holes and flaws it had just made it all fall into the mud. To top it off even with it's flaws I was still surprisingly hooked and managed to finish it quiet quickly.

Steins;Gate is an amazing VISUAL NOVEL, but as a anime it was severely butchered, so I cannot rate it any higher than a 6/10.
Coming to watch the anime right after reading the visual novel was a big disappointment for me. So many scenes and dialogues that further developed the characters were missing in the animated adaptation that I would go as far to say that if you only watched the anime then you havent really experienced the real Steins;Gate.
You dont know the real Okabe Rintaro, and you dont really know any of the other characters in his story.

This anime isn't "Top 3."

I will preface this by saying it's not horrible or anything as of four episodes in posting this review things seem weird in-comparison to it's rank here. Interestingly reviews on the internet seem to discuss that the anime apparently gets a lot better episode 10 on. (I do plan on watching till then, but this initial review still has it's place as a guide to the average person).

For the average person no anime that has such a slow first 10 episodes should have contention for a top 3 spot. It shouldn't be recommend as a first anime to watch either. ... To hold a spot as a top 3 anime, it should be a truly great anime; a anime plenty more capable of captivating it's viewers through the initial episodes.

All in all I have to say I have no doubts it gets better, although; the slow start as prementioned leaves me feeling the ends don't justify the means with this in a discussion of a top 3 anime.

The concept of time travel and how it was utilized was very intriguing, the presentation of how one can time travel with help of neuroscience helped me determine the better parts of this anime.

The sound track opening is fairly good. A number of fans say the second half is where the anime started, I think otherwise.

The intro is what really made it, and perhaps it's just me, but the second half feels more like a recollection, thus not much new happening. The Story at it's bases it falls apart like any other time travel stories. Certain parts of the anime are abstract ... and seem like they are driving the story elsewhere but is never mentioned again. The plot is pretty easy to predict about half way through, the ending is very unsatisfying.

Character developments are visible, but to a limited few, other characters feel like fill ins and in this anime plot armor is probably the thickest I've ever seen; so thick if the universe collapsed they probably are still alive. Unfortunately most of this anime's development derives from fill that overall detract from the anime.

Overall I do think this anime has less filler than most of the ones out there, but it's story isn't much better. If you seek an interesting interpretation of time travel and don't mind the filler and plot wholes, this is definitely something to watch once at least.

First year university student Rintarou Okabe is a self-proclaimed "mad scientist" who conducts experiments in a small apartment in Akihabara with his bizarre group of friends using home appliances. However, when the microwave he is experimenting on is somehow turned into a time machine, the life of Rintarou Okabe takes a darker turn.

That is pretty much a rough synopsis of Steins;Gate, one of the most hyped and well-received anime of the 2010's. It is a complex and entertaining sci-fi thriller, with a realistic and scientific depiction of time travel, and with a rich cast of well-developed character. Or is it?

Steins;Gate fails to be what I ... have described above, although it tries to. Although the story is presented with dull colors and an atmosphere of mystery, everything falls apart due to pandering. Steins;Gate panders so much to the otaku audience that it is too hard to take it seriously. All the characters are caricatures, especially the female ones. You have a tsundere, an airheaded cosplayer, a moe maid, and even a ladyboy. And that's what hinders the plot.

The story of Steins;Gate could have been good if it was kept purely a time travel thriller. However, plot integrity is sacrificed to display the wide array of female characters, and have Okabe go on "dates" with most of them. At some point, the anime becomes somewhat of a dating sim, and the time travel becomes a tool to have him date all the girls. Apart from this, the plot also many inconsistencies, which I'll mention below.

*THE FOLLOWING PARAGRAPHS CONTAIN SPOILERS*
First and foremost, I want to say that the entire plot of Steins;Gate comes from Okabe's idiocy. He manages to create a time travel device that can send e-mails to the past, and for some reason, it seems a good idea to him to let every person in his clique use it, including here people he barely knows. The whole plot afterwards includes Okabe undoing these actions, which would not have happened had he been smarter.

Secondly, since the entire plot is about "undoing", there is hardly any development to the story or the characters. Whenever something important happens, it can be simply reversed or undone. In the end, the finale of the anime becomes the beginning, making the whole story pointless. None of the events which we have seen has actually happened, and in the end, nothing's changed. Pointless.

Another problem I had with the anime is the ability called Reading Steiner, which is a very important element in the story. For some reason, Okabe conveniently retains his memory whenever he jumps from one timeline to the other, although nobody else does. How come? We never really get an explanation for this, making this ability a deus ex machina, which is a sign of bad writing.
*END OF SPOILERS*

So, to conclude, Steins;Gate has a lot of shortcomings, and doesn't deserve the hype and the praise it gets. However, it still remains an entertaining piece of fiction, whose strong point is mainly the dialogue. I especially enjoyed the banter between Okabe and Kurisu, for example. Furthermore, despite all the plot holes and convenient plot devices, it still has an interesting usage of time travel, although it fails to utilize it perfectly.

Oh, Steins;Gate.
I've put this review off for a long time because i believe the stakes are high and for the longest time i've feared whether my choice of words could ever truly do this anime justice. At this stage i no longer care so i'll be as blunt as possible.

Steins;Gate was the most disappointing anime i've ever watched. 5/10.
(9.2/10 MyAnimeList? HAHA! Really... )

SCIENCE!
If you're not entirely distracted or left behind by the main character's mad antics you'll begin to realize that this anime isn't at all about science. The main may wear a lab-suit, he may talk like a genius, the mains' may use ... real scientific theories but it pains me to assure you this anime is largely 'Drama'. I'd credit most of my disappointment to the half-wits who recommended this anime for it's "interesting scifi." Anyone with an average attention span will see that science may be the theme of this anime but it's by no means interesting or even present most the time. What you should consider.

1. The scientific premise - the very plot itself - for this anime makes it very clear in the beginning that conventional theoretical physics is largely wrong. What this allows is the introduction of their alternate theory. This was acceptable to me (seeing as though it is sci-fi[ction]) however what's hilariously disappointing is that mid-way throught he anime they actually USE the conventional theories they called stupid and they don't even make a hassle of it. This has to be a plot hole but either event it's contradictory to the whole 'genius' of the main.
2. Once they establish the 'science' that's the last you really hear of it. There's minor twists and realizations but overall there's little science air time.
3. The theme of science is so desperately forced in the worst times. The little romance that exists in Steins;Gate is ruined by the stupidest romance scene i've likely ever seen. Of course, this is only my opinion but when that romantic tension accumulates to a love-scene where when the nameless characters are giving their affection ... they do not express happiness, love, joy or adoration ... no no no. They take the opportunity to quote Einsteins Theory of Relativity. I had to laugh.

This anime is the classic case of an Anime that is self-sabotaging. The science in its entirety could probably take up less than 10 minutes. What we remain with is 8 hours worth of stretched out Drama. I'm not saying this is good or bad, just know what you're getting into. It's certainly not my preference to sit through a six hour development where little changes until finally we're rewarded with the ending.

I'll happily give credit where it's due. The two mains are highly interesting. They are the sole reason why i've soldiered on but this sadly is short lived through the excruciating pacing where their appeal is stretched out and only appears at the rare occasion.

In short ... this would had made a half-decent film (i haven't watched the film), but stretched out ... it takes hours to develop plot points and once you throw together bright animation (sun) with Cicada chimes every episode you begin to go mad. My own personal indication of a an anime's worth only surfaces in the most extreme cases of happiness or boredom. An extremely good anime will wake you up and have you desperately clicking for the next episode however a bad anime (this one) will give you headache, doubt whether the next episode is worth it or you may just 'drop' it entirely.

For the record it took me 3 attempts over 4 years to finish this anime.
First attempt = episode 5.
Second attempt = episode 16.
Last attempt = 24.
My final attempt was just as insufferable but i was determined to finish it once and for all - in hopes of never returning. I've watched 45 episodes altogether of Steins;Gate and i regret every single one.

Story = 4.66/10
Criteria: Plot + Pacing + Setting
Plot(60% of Mark)
i. Opening [7/10]
ii. Conflict [8/10
ii. Resolution [2/10]
=5.6/10 ~ 3.36/6
Pacing (20% of Mark)
Criteria: 1/4 is dragged on, 2/4 is not bad/good, 3/4 is good, 4/4 perfect
[*]1.1. Dragged On [1/4] ~ ratio to 20% = 0.5/10
Setting (20% of Mark)
Criteria: 1/4 lifeless, 2/4 non-fiction, 3/4 innovative, 4/4 alive

[*] Non Fiction ✔ [2/4] ~ ratio to 20% = 0.8/10
1.3 + 3.36 = 4.66


2:A Characters 7.5/10
Criteria 5/10: Empty, 6/10 Generic, 7/10 Generic,Original, 8/10 Original, 9/10 Original/Relatable/Engaging, 10/10: Wouldn't have it any other way

[*]2:A.1 The overwhelming majority of Characters were Generic and without appeal, very few exceptions to this rule existed.

Art 4/5
(Catalyst to PLOT / marks are slightly relative)
3:A Repetition - Flashbacks/Filler Art (20%)
Criteria: How often were the exact same blueprints used: Too Often - 0/3:, Often - 1/3: On Occasion - 2/3:, Never - 3/3:
[*]3:A.1 Too often 0/3 ~ this is largely because of the Plot and the element of repetition induced from travelling back to the same point in time.
[b]3.B Coloring (20%)
Criteria: How well did the coloring build Mood: 1/4: Rarely, 2/4: Sometimes, 3/4: Frequently, 4/4: Always.
[*]3:B.1 Rarely 1/4 ~ their main focus was Lighting (from the sun) but it had little to no bearing on the story other than creating realism and complaints from the characters that never really amounted to anything.
[b]3:C Mood - (60%)
Specific to each mood presented (each mood is identified and to interpretation - marked with either Sympathy (care) or Apathy (don't care).
✔ Melancholy: Through use of the scenery, shading and coloring the artists successfully captured the sense of hopeless/futility in the characters.
✔ Passion: Many 'moving' cut scenes between hopelessness vs. hope to which the artist's rendition of a 'desperate' facial expressions - really helped established.
✔ Devotion/Loyalty: Specifically Onoda's animation (expression) created genuine Sympathy and Cheer for the character.
✔ Surprise/Shock:
[*]3:A.1 Full Marks: Cared about 100% of Mood presented ~ 3/5
✘ -/+ Extra mark [Use of Allegory] N.A

Sound: 3/5
4:A Opening/Ending Sequence (5%)
My only criteria is Annoying/Not-Annoying
[*]4:A.1 Not-Annoying - Full Marks
[b]4:B Subtitles/Dub Quality (45%)
[*]4:B.1 Dub 7/10
[b]4:C Music Themes (50%)
[*]4:C.1
✘ -/+ Extra mark [Use of Allegory] = Did i hear any goddamn Cicada's? ... YES dammit lol - only Japan's obsessed with these annoying pests. I'd love to see Mood/Atmosphere created without Insects for once. N.A


Overall = 18.17/30
My Model Score = D - (6/10)
MAL Score = 5/10

Grading Key:
A= 90 (-) > 99 (+)
B = 80 (-) > 89 (+)
C= 70 (-) > 79 (+)
D =60 (-) >69 (+)

Why i didint like the anime:
MINOR SPOILERS

1- i was way too hyped for this anime. I mean it was in 4 place ( then i started to watch it), it was above death note and code gease ( which in my opinion are extremely good animes). Lets just say this anime overall made me fell like i didint "finish". Pretty disapointing.
2- it didnt represent new ideas or theories which i havent heard before. Some people said that this anime is better then netflix series "Dark", well i disagree. It was so less complex than netflix series about time travel
3- This anime merely mentions about ... resistance group in the future and how the time matchine ruined the world or something, i felt that the creator didnt want to go there, which is sad, because i think that would have been more intresting rather than just focusing on characters which brings me to other point
4- i cant relate with characters if i dont see them struggle so first 10 episodes were just boring

<The Review itself should be spoiler-free. Mild spoilers are included in footnotes at the bottom.>

It's difficult to give Steins;Gate a single score. On the one hand, some of the humor is top-notch and the construction of the overall story leads to occasional moments of clarity which beat anything else I've ever seen before. On the other hand, the character interactions are usually wooden, the pacing is usually bad, and the majority of the show is a painful slog of poorly written exposition to fill in between the good stuff.

My biggest problem has to do with the way the plot is driven forward. It seems like ... in most of the time travel animes I've watched so far (of which there are at this point admittedly few), things only happen because characters able to time travel suddenly become idiots with no ability to communicate when they realize their power. This is what ruined the ending of Charlotte for me. This made some of Erased difficult to watch. Steins;Gate manages to outdo both of those, and not in a good way. (At this point it should be noted that I have a hard time suspending disbelief, especially when it comes to inconsistent characterizations. Immersion-breaking flaws of this sort made Deathnote near-unwatchable for me. If you don't mind unrealistic characters or lazy writing, this may not be an issue.) [1]

Plenty more things I would have liked improved as well, mostly explanations for seemingly random events like memory across world lines and Reading Steiner as well as the real rules for parallel universes (never explained entirely), but it's fine for these things to be overlooked in an anime with limited runtime.

Shame these missing plot elements couldn't be turned into a strength like in Angel Beats!, but Steins;Gate is a story that falls apart under closer scrutiny where Angel Beats! becomes better with careful dissection of its uncannily self-consistent omissions. Shame, because the concept really is excellent. At times the anime has moments when that concept breaks through the filler, producing some incredible moments [2]. The problem is that these moments are too rare and fleeting, not worth the chore of watching the buildup for.

<Sigh>

The art is decent. No high level of detail, but easily good enough for the story. If anything the flat colors and gradients are an Apple-esque design choice: not something I like personally, but when done well it can unify everything nicely. Steins;Gate succeeds here. The reliance on easy-to-animate panning shots over stationary objects and stationary scenes with only moving mouths feels lazy, but the argument can be made that it was an attempt to convey the VN aesthetic. The concentric circle approach to eyes is an interesting one. I don't think it worked too well with the rest of the aesthetic (it made some characters' faces look cluttered because the rest of the art consists only of clean lines and gradients), but it would be an interesting approach in another anime.

The soundtrack (what little of it there is outside of near-inaudible background tracks) is okay. The lack of it through most of the anime is an artistic choice I'm fine with. When the soundtrack is present, though, it's usually forgettable. One bit that stuck out was "Christina II", which opens with bells and light piano then transitions smoothly into a simple syncopated waltz with strings and a bass guitar. As a complement to Kurisu's character progression it's a masterpiece (contrast it with "Christina I", which is a similar but more complex piano piece without the syncopation and played very deliberately). If there were more examples of melodies like this being altered to convey something words and images can't, this could have been a great soundtrack (see John Powell's score for HTTYD2 as a reference for repeated motifs defining character development – "Christina" is reminiscent of this). As is, it's yet another example of where Steins;Gate brushes near-perfection, making the rest of its mediocrity that much harder to bear.

I don't know how to tackle the next bit, so I'm simply going to lump all the humor, references, and other fluff into one big pile and label it fan service. Fan service doesn't have to be bad (see Haruhi Suzumiya or Konosuba). In Steins;Gate it's more of a mixed bag. Sure, it panders to otaku culture quite a bit, but it usually does so in ways that make sense given the story. The problem is that it often supersedes the story and becomes an end of its own. Had it been a facet of Daru's personality, it would have been excellent, but instead he becomes defined by his sex jokes. Had it been a facet of Faris, it would have been excellent, but instead the show focuses too much on her being or not being moe rather than exploring more important things.[3] Rukako's struggles with identity could have been emotionally powerful but were put aside in favor of making him/her a vehicle for fanservice (groping, cosplaying, awkward boyfriend/girlfriend... we seriously see none of Rukako's personality, only the projections of others). Honestly, most of the relationships in the anime eventually break down into traditional harem tropes instead of developing naturally like real people becoming increasingly concerned for one anothers' wellbeing.

That's not to say it's all bad. The humor definitely works, even though some jokes get repeated a bit too much (I get it, banana is a euphemism. Please stop.) It's best when they're allowed to sink into the background and appear as the plot allows – the later scenes involving bananas and Dr. Pepper are great. Daru dispenses some memorable one-liners on occasion. The username joke with Suzuha is perfectly timed and delivered.

Every aspect of Steins;Gate suffers from this bimodality which accordingly makes all of it difficult to assign a score to. The overall concept is great. At its best, the writing is a 10; at its worst (mostly around the middle) I've struggled to not drop the show. The art is lacking in many ways, but the argument that they were valid design choices which merely happened to correspond with what would normally be called lazy animation can't be entirely discounted. The voice acting is good, but the soundtrack and mastering for the most part are unremarkable. Characters at times approach greatness but are for the most part held back by poor writing and fanservice. Some parts are supremely enjoyable while others are painfully tedious to watch. The overall result is mediocrity – a shame because the potential for excellence is so palpable.


Footnotes, contains mild and intentionally vague spoilers

[1] There are plenty of other things that make no sense. Kurisu is a neuroscience major but just happens to design a working time machine on her own (her paper sparks the time machine arms race) and is some sort of physics god? Her banter with Okabe on exotic matter and Kerr black holes is accurate, but the remainder of the show is complete technobabble – Kurisu's scientific genius persona stops being believable when she stops using real science (the data compression using a particle accelerator is particularly dumb). Also, how are both Okabe and Kurisu familiar with an obscure Old Icelandic poem (Fjölsvinnsmál) while Okabe can't speak English? Why doesn't Kurisu do the time leaps instead of Okabe since Okabe has Reading Steiner? Why is Rukako willing to believe Okabe's story about worldlines when s/he has the least evidence of its truth? Why does Kurisu die almost instantly when stabbed while Okabe can endure so much worse but be completely okay?

The only reason most of the episodes exist is because Okabe is incapable of telling anyone anything important. Endless Eight was more entertaining than some of the time loops in Steins;Gate; Unlike Kyon, Okabe retains his memory yet still manages to repeat the exact same mistakes without fail. The argument could be made that similar worldlines are predestined to have similar events, but if the goal was to convey helplessness the way Doki Doki Literature Club so masterfully does, Okabe's actions should be logical. DDLC's power comes from its making the main character try so hard and do so many things that feel like they should solve the problem – by contrast, nothing Okabe does helps convey his anguish because nothing he does should have been expected to fix his problems, even in a world where he did have that power and the world lines didn't converge.

After the first message gets sent it's clear that he needs to start collecting proof of the events in other world lines every time he makes a change. Despite using time travel some hundreds of times, he only uses this once, with the comment on Kurisu's cutlery. The ending didn't have to be the way it was if he had asked Kurisu what to tell her next time they met. Sure, the recall thing worked out with Faris, but he never did anything to make sure she would retain her memories when switching world lines in the other direction – and he sure as hell didn't plan it that way initially. He tries to convince Moeka without any proof of the outcome in the other world lines. Ditto with Ruka, Mayuri, Suzuha... he has so many opportunities to get help but is either too stupid to realize it or too obstinate in floundering alone, neither of which sit well with his character development in the first half.

[2] Especially reversing Faris's message and trying to save Kurisu the last time.

[3] Like Faris's actual relationship with her father, which would have made the catharsis of revising the timeline that much more powerful. The moment when Okabe runs to the apartment to make sure Kurisu is okay could have also been incredibly heartwarming but was instead turned into an opportunity for more fanservice.


Some final comments that didn't fit in with the rest of the review:

I see some people bashing Mayushii. To the contrary, Mayushii is almost a great character. Where Okabe's time loops fail to convey heart-wrenching helplessness the way they should have, Steins;Gate gets close to expressing this through Mayushii's internal struggle towards the end. Mayushii knows Okabe's emotional vulnerability better than anyone else and is the character best able to see through his tough "mad scientist" facade – this should be apparent through the half-real hostage story they live out. She sees his anguish and wants to reciprocate his kindness – after all, that's why she's been staying in the lab up to this point – but has no way of doing so. This makes the dramatic irony of Mayushii trying to save Okabe so poignant: she thinks she's had the opportunity to finally repay the debt. A bit more exploration of her past and reasons for staying with the lab would have made these scenes more than the sidenotes they ended up being.

Braun's dilemma is another example of this. With a bit more introspection his arc could have been powerful; instead, the anime opts to gloss over his fears for Nae's future and instead finds a way to sideline him for the rest of the story. Why does he do what he does? We know that Braun isn't heartless; to the contrary, he's sensitive and conflicted. That choice contradicts everything his character has stood for up to this point.

The first episode was a slog. Expecting it to be one of those things that can only be appreciated after finishing the anime, I tried rewatching it. Nope. It's still a bad episode, even if I get the references. "The Adventures of Mikuru Asahina" pulled it off much better; the difference is that that episode stood strong on its own even without any of the characters having been introduced or any of the references making sense while "Prologue"'s only attraction would seem to be its references. Come to think of it, Steins;Gate borrows a lot of elements from Haruhi Suzumiya. For the most part, Haruhi did it better.

I simply couldn't get into this gated community...

The first half of this anime is all about character development. It's light hearted, goofy and... painfully boring. If you're not a fan of the characters within the first few episodes, my advice is to prevent yourself from watching any further. In order to get to any sense of urgency, danger or even interest, you'll have to wade through four hours of dialogue-rich and cicada buzzing background noise. If this was any other show, I would have dropped it much sooner but out of respect to its status and regard, I had to ... watch it all the way through.

Then came the second half. For me, it never seemed to click. There was a brief moment where I thought, "Oh yeah, this is about to get good. This will be a tale of two halves." It stays good for about two episodes and then it wears itself out. It's at that point I realized that I was in too deep to let go but too far removed to ever give a damn. By the time the show had a heartbeat, it was too late. My interest flatlined.

Amongst a cast featuring an overweight pervert, a cafe maid, Mr. Clean's third cousin, a scientist who isn't quite as confident as he seems, a secret ninja warrior with a bad haircut and a few others; the true standout is... Mary Jane from Spider-Man.

Kurisu carries the show the same way Brian in Family Guy provides a voice of reason needed to balance out the personalities in Quahog.

As a man who tried this flavor of tea for 24 episodes, I cannot recommend this unless you're into that flavor of green, jelly-banana tea :P