Feb 13, 2013
In recent years, I can't help but feel that the realm of anime has hit a point of utter stagnation. True, there have been well-produced shows, but many of these fall into the background, overcome by the flood of the extremely-overrated (not to bash any fans, but a great example would be the Pokemon series. C'mon people, just leave it as a game) and constantly recycled. From mecha-animes with repeating themes of justice and revenge to supernatural-themed shows attempting to make something new by making it look more flashy and impressive. Let's be honest with ourselves, in light of a lack of creativity, we've enjoyed
...
(though perhaps not to a point where our jaws have dropped) constantly repeated genres.
Upon first spotting the artwork for Steins;Gate on several image boards, I was intrigued and looked it up on ANN and MyAnimeList. To be utterly blunt, despite being impressed with the art-style of huke, the premise of "an eclectic group of individuals who have the ability to send text messages to the past" had me a little skeptical. Based on that sentence alone, I concluded that it might just simply become another failed attempt at a sci-fi thriller. However, it piqued my attention when I found that it was ranked #2 on ANN's "Top 10 Best Rated" list (in both the bayesian estimate and weighted averages) with a very impressive average score of 9.17 out of 10. After that, I concluded I had to watch it to see what all the fuss was about.
Let me start off by saying that Steins;Gate is no normal anime in any sense.
The series starts early off with tongue-and-cheek comedy, playing heavily on the theme of nerds doing nerdy things with a self-proclaimed mad scientist who talks on the phone with no one on the other end, an otaku hacker with a hobby of visiting maid cafes, and a cosplaying girl with no care in the world. It may seem standard at the beginning, but the series picks up its pace as more characters join the motley crew and entangle themselves in a dangerous conspiracy that they would have never imagined themselves to ever be stuck in the middle of.
Perhaps some of the really impressive work comes into play when Steins;Gate jumps feet first into the hard-science that drives the anime for nearly half of the episodes. At first glance, all of the difficult chit-chat about physics and super-old super-retro computers might seem boring. Though this may be true, all of it builds up into a super-charged, edge-of-your-seat thriller that makes this 24-episode series into a truly exciting and entertaining masterpiece. By the time you reach the final episodes where the main character is racing to undo the damage he has caused, you won't want to stop watching until the end.
The overall character design makes the cast of Steins;Gate extremely memorable (however, like most animes, it would seem that they all have an endless number of copies of the same outfit). But, in the end, the clothing helps to define each character in their own unique way. The backdrops - based primarily in the mega-metropolis of Akihabara - are extremely well-done, reflecting an interestingly gray (yet strangely beautiful) urban setting,
Steins;Gate ended with a strong note, having a very-powerful punch for an extremely young (and recent) anime. It serves as a very notable (and wonderful) addition to the time-travel genre, paying homage to its spiritual sci-fi predecessors. Despite being rife with familiar plot elements found in films such as the Back to the Future trilogy, it exists as its own story populated by unique characters, mentally-stimulating twists, and a visual style that will undoubtedly keep you hooked.
By the time you finish Episode 24 and the timer reads 23:38, you'll want to build your own microwave-time-leap machine and (uttering the signature code words of Okabe Rintarō) relive the entire thrill all over again.
"No one knows what the future holds.
That's why it's potential is infinite, just as this meeting demonstrates.
This is the choice of Steins Gate."
~Okabe Rintarō
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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