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Oct 6, 2014
So in honor of FMA Day 2014 (I know I'm a bit late), I've decided to write a review for my #1 all-time favorite anime (and manga), Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.
Honestly, I don't know what I could say about this show that hasn't already been said, but I'll give it a shot anyway.
I'm not going to do what I typically do for a review which is listing the categories and what score I gave them; just know that everything is 10/10.
I'm also going to address some critique that I've seen of the show and why I agree/disagree with it.
Also I'm avoiding talking about the 03
...
anime because as far as I'm concerned it doesn't exist.
I apologize in advance for this wall of text.
The story of this show is absolutely phenomenal. Not only does it manage to tell the story of the main two characters, Ed and Al, it also gives ample time to all the other characters to show where they come from and how they think. And the show does this all without losing steam or taking long breaks from the action, and also without having characters monologuing in the middle of fights. There's also plenty of comedy, but it never once ruins the mood of the show (cough cough Pandora Hearts).
People like to bash on the rushed beginning of the show, but the reason for the rushed beginning is called Fullmetal Alchemist 2003. Brotherhood quickly sped through the episodes that the 2003 anime had already covered because the good stuff was yet to come. If the pacing at the beginning isn't appealing to you, I'd suggest also watching the corresponding episodes of the original anime. That pacing is more true to the manga's. Plus, after the first 13 or so episodes of Brotherhood, the pacing slows down but, once again, without losing steam. Once the show hits episode 15, new characters that weren't in the 2003 adaptation appear and immediately take part in the story. But the new characters don't stop there. They keep appearing for a long while after that.
Everything in the story is so flawlessly executed that even this type of anime isn't your thing, you can't help but admire how perfectly everything fits together and how many pains the author took in planning every step of the story. Then when you go back and watch the show again, you realize all the subtle foreshadowing that was carefully placed and not obvious enough that you pick up on it before it happens.
This show is technically classified as a shounen anime, though I tend to cringe at that because FMAB isn't really a shounen. If you compare it to a more typical shounen such as Soul Eater, you begin to realize just how different it is. In Brotherhood, there's no yelling out the names of attacks, no long breaks in fights to monologue about plans, and the alchemy used isn't seen as an unquestionable staple of the world. Alchemy itself constantly called into question and many times the characters are forced to ask themselves if it's morally right to use alchemy to change the course of the world (whereas in Soul Eater they don't really debate the morality of the souls they collect).
Overall, even people that don't like anime like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. I've gotten several of my friends (as well as my dad) into anime using this show as a beginning step. If you watch the dub and ignore the obvious fact that it's animated, it doesn't seem like what people typically perceive as an anime at all. It's on a whole other level from everything else I've seen.
In addition, Brotherhood sticks to the manga nearly perfectly (the only things cut out were some minor character development and comedy scenes). Considering Studio Bones has a tendency to deviate from the source material (see: Ouran, Soul Eater, Noragami, FMA 03, etc.), with this show they did an admirable job with delivering an adaptation so accurate that you can read/watch one and not have to watch/read the other, even though I'd recommend doing both because of the anime's gorgeous art and music and the manga's few forgotten moments and the slightly different chapter divides.
Because Brotherhood was put into production when the manga was wrapping up, the show avoids filler episodes (possible exceptions include episodes 1 and 27, in which 1 simply introduces the characters and some foreshadowing and 27 is basically a recap episode that also provides some hints at foreshadowing). If you miss an episode of the show, chances are you'll be very confused as to what is happening. Each episode smoothly leads into the next and they're pretty much unskippable. If it's your first or even second time watching the show, I wouldn't recommend skipping even the fillers because of the foreshadowing they provide. I've seen firsthand how confused the "fillers" can make people while I laugh and say that it'll be explained later. And it will. Everything gets explained so clearly, yet all the subtle ways in which the plot points connect amazes me every time I watch the show.
As far as worldbuilding, I give triple thumbs-up to Hiromu Arakawa. She created multiple countries and while we don't get to see too much of life back home (I still want a Xing spinoff), the ideology of the foreigners and how it conflicts with the Amestrian characters' clearly shows. On top of that, Arakawa designed a government system which plays a crucial role in the story (then again, everything plays a crucial role in the story), as well as all of the laws and finer points of how the country is run. I've seen several other animes in which the government is used a plot point, but none of them use government quite as effectively as Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood does. So many side stories and spinoffs could potentially grow out of the complex world Arakawa created.
Sorry for writing so much about the story, but there's a lot to write about.
The art and animation are amazing. Not as sharp as Attack on Titan, maybe, but it definitely fulfills all expectations. The battle animation is fluid and well executed, there's subtle use of CGI at certain points, the alchemy lightning is pleasing to watch, and the backgrounds are nicely detailed and do well to set the mood. Some people have said that it's simpler than the 03 anime's style, but I honestly can't see it. If anything, I find it more detailed. There's a few moments in which the same shot is used for more than a few seconds, as well as moments where the characters don't move around very much, but this is a minor detail and excusable considering the top-notch fight animation. There are no dips in quality throughout the show, and everything is handled as one would expect a high-budget anime to be handled.
One of the things I especially love about the art in FMAB is the subtle aging of the characters. They age gradually, like real people, and you don't even notice the process happening until you look back on their appearances at the beginning and realize how much they've changed.
In addition, the women of FMAB are completely unsexualized as well as totally kickass. After watching other animes with copious amounts of fanservice, only now can I appreciate this anomaly and not take it for granted
I really loved the music in this show. While I felt that some tracks were overplayed in the beginning, this becomes less of a problem toward the end of the show because tunes you haven't heard before are suddenly revealed. The opening and ending songs are also very pretty and catchy (though I'm not too big a fan of the third ED), with my personal favorite opening being the last one. However, the first and fourth openings are awesome as well, and I think the first one in particular captures the mood of the show. I also loved the synchronization of some of the sequences to the songs, which I think is a very nice touch.
As far as voice acting, I've seen this anime both dubbed and subbed, and while I like the dub more, both versions are really good. The actors are spot-on as their characters, and I love how they managed to get most of the voice actors from the 2003 anime back for Brotherhood. Even Alphonse's '03 dub actor, Aaron Dismuke, came back, though not as Al because he was too old at that point; instead he voices a minor but important character. Overall, the voice acting in both English and Japanese was really good, and it's safe to go with whichever one you're more comfortable with (though personally I'd say go with the dub because that way you can concentrate on the pretty art and animation).
The characters are simply outstanding. Not only do they all get their backstories thoroughly explored, they all develop and change throughout the show. I've seen a lot of people griping about the fact that the show pretty much completely changes themes from the beginning, but the theme change is BECAUSE the characters changed. Wow, characters can change? Like real people?! I had no idea!
Whenever I'm getting people into this show, I tell them, "If you see a character that you kind of like, don't worry, because their backstory will be explained." And they always seem kind of doubtful, but in the end they realize that it's true.
Another reason why I hold this show in the highest regards is that there are many different races, cultures, and religions being portrayed; and while some characters make racist comments, the cultures themselves are treated with the highest respect. The episode detailing the events in Ishval is one of the most grim of the show; the Ishvalans being handled by the story as carefully as if they were a real race.
The romance in this show develops subtly and beautifully and never once hijacks the plot. In addition, while it's amusing to watch Ed and Winry struggling with their feelings for each other, Ed does something pretty atypical for a protagonist: He blames himself for making Winry upset, and not because she got mad at him, but because he knows he should have been there for her. It's not all that often you see the male protagonist apologizing for causing the female protagonist grief.
On top of how well-rounded and three-dimensional all of the characters are, they're all very well designed. Each one of them looks and moves differently according to their personality, and a lot of the characters change outfits regularly (which doesn't seem like much, but it's the little things that count, especially considering most animes don't do this and a lot of them have some kind of uniform, school or otherwise, to avoid having to have the characters changing outfits).
All in all, every one of the characters in FMAB leave a lasting impression on the viewer, whether they were in the show for one episode or all of them. It's so hard to pick a favorite.
Even though this show, at 64 episodes, is the longest anime I've seen yet, it's such a fast watch that it honestly doesn't feel like it. While I personally haven't set any records with the speed of my watching, friends of mine have finished the show in time periods from 2-4 days, because of the sheer addictiveness of it. And the show IS addictive. Every few months I get a strong urge to rewatch it and cry all over again. And while I'll never completely forget every detail, every time I rewatch it I'm still blown away.
This show draws you in with the seriousness of the story, the depth of the characters, the gorgeous art and sound, and pretty much every other detail you can think of. To sum it up, if you want a viewing experience on a whole other level from anything you've seen, if you want an ending that will make you break down and rethink your life, if you've seen the original FMA and enjoyed it, watch Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood. It's not the #1 rated anime on MAL by accident, and it'll definitely always be my #1.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Sep 6, 2014
So actually I rate this anime a 9.5 but since MyAnimeList doesn't do half-point increments you'll just have to know that I rounded up.
Story: 8/10
Giant fighting robots. Not the most original of concepts, but seeing as how this was originally intended as a parody of the mecha genre, it can be forgiven.
What I especially liked about the story was that it started big and ended even bigger. The characters started with lofty ambitions and by the end it had changed into something completely else. It reminded me of Kill la Kill in its final episodes with over-the-top fighting sequences and outer space battles.
...
And by that I mean that it was fucking amazing.
Art: 9/10
Considering this aired in 2007 and probably in production a couple of years before that, the art style still holds up rather well in today's terms. Nowadays, I'm sure Gurren Lagann could be remade with Attack on Titan-style 3D battle scenes with camera angles spinning into the fifth dimension, but there isn't any reason to remake what was already just about as perfect as you can get.
Another thing I noticed was that for the first half of the show, the battle sequences cut quickly from one thing to another, probably due to the difficulty of animating such things. But in the second half, the show suddenly pulls out all this CGI and draws out battle scenes without cutting the camera, so to speak. Either the makers got a bigger budget for the second half, or they saved it so that they could stun us.
Really, the only problem I had with the art was the excessive amount of fanservice. If this was intended to be a parody, the fanservice is probably self-explanatory in that regard. However, there was still quite a lot of it, yet not enough to be over-the-top like Kill la Kill. Gurren Lagann toes the line between "enough fanservice to not be fanservice" and "too little fanservice to be seen as cynical." Am I making sense here? Probably not. This show doesn't make much sense anyway, and I mean that in the nicest way possible.
Sound: 10/10
The opening is great, the endings are catchy, and the OST is awesome and, for lack of a better word, epic. My personal favorite track was the one that played during fight scenes in the first half of the show, with all the violins and stuff.
Characters: 10/10
No way could this be getting anything other than a 10 out of 10. Each character, no matter how small their role in the story, left their mark. Yes, even all those members of Team Dai-Gurren whose names I could never remember. All of the characters in Gurren Lagann were memorable. Now, this isn't Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood where each and every character is essential to the story. Yet despite the fact that not all of the background characters were crucial, they all had developed personalities and each character was so awesome that it's hard to pick a favorite out of the many wacky characters of the Gurren Lagann cast.
Enjoyment: 10/10
I only meant to watch the first episode the night I started it (I actually wasn't planning on watching it for a while due to saving the best for last). Somehow that one episode escalated into the first seven episodes, and it just went from there. Gurren Lagann kept me glued the whole way through, and I really liked how in the first half the show would throw out interesting new characters every single episode.
Overall: 9.5/10
9.5/10 for me is much closer to a 10 than a 9. It didn't quite hit the mark of a 10, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy it immensely. Gurren Lagann had one of the best climaxes of any story for me, even though it was completely over-the-top like the rest of the show.
I can see why people wouldn't like the show due to being so unbelievably outrageous, but if you give it a chance, the show draws you in with its infective energy and the thrill of "What will happen next?".
If I had to describe Gurren Lagann in one phrase, it'd be "over-the-top." Everything was exaggerated and yet somehow still absolutely amazing.
tl;dr: Watch Gurren Lagann. It's completely outlandish and extremely extravagant, but still manages to make you feel like your heart was ripped out at some parts. And hey, it's on Netflix.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Aug 3, 2014
EDIT: I realize now that I probably came off as elitist and that was definitely not my intention, so eventually I'm going to rewrite this and sound nicer.
Some notes before I get into this review:
-It annoys me when people compare 03 and Brotherhood so I'm not going to do that
-I'm not going to be very nice so if you genuinely like this series for some reason I wouldn't recommend you read this
-If you're planning on watching this show, don't (If you've already seen Brotherhood, stop there).
-This review is mostly spoiler-free (some vague mentioning here and there)
-This was the first anime I watched (excluding Pokemon), but
...
I actually finished Brotherhood first. This probably deserves a lower score than a 6, but I can't bring myself to knock it down further because of the nostalgia factor.
-I'm probably going to get hate for this, but you're not changing my mind
Now on to the actual review.
Story: 5/10
FMA 03 started out following the manga but caught up to it too quickly, so they had to make fillers and stretch out some stuff. 03's pacing was actually fairly close to the manga's, albeit a bit slower becauase of the wait for the manga. But after some time (it happened gradually), the anime started to take on another story and by the end it was completely different from the manga. The fact that the story changed direction from the beginning left a lot of things unexplained and/or twisted into something else, and the bits of foreshadowing they included from the manga were ignored. The "plot twist" they threw out near the end came completely out of left field (which, in this case, was a very bad thing) and was not foreshadowed at all. Not to mention that it didn't really make any sense. It seemed to me that they just wanted to rush and finish the show so they gave us something and didn't bother explaining it: Here you go, here's your ending, goodbye.
This show didn't really touch on any deep and philosophical issues either. "Don't try human transmutation." Um, okay? I won't? Not like it exists in our world anyway.
Most of the faults in the story were just due to the fact that this was originally going to be a manga adaptation that they had to change into something else. So we end up with a shoddily explained ending as well as a bunch of filler episodes.
Art: 9/10
This anime was surprisingly visually pleasing for something made in 2003 (and probably in production in 2002 or 2001). It's not getting a 10 mostly just out of personal taste: the way Ed's hair is drawn, how Al's eyes are red (which makes him seem almost evil), and the way the alchemy is animated (different colors for no apparent reason. CONSISTENCY).
Sound: 8/10
Most of the OST was rather good, with "Brothers" being a particular favorite. However, I was not a fan of the "soulful harmonica" track, nor were the OP's and ED's very memorable (with the exception of the last OP, "Rewrite", which I like a lot).
Character: 4/10
Oh boy, the category where the anime crashed and burned the most (though the story was pretty bad).
Disclaimer: A lot of the bad characterization was simply because the people making the show didn't have much to go on as a lot of important character development hadn't happened in the manga at that point. That being said, it was stil godawful. The only reason it's getting a 4 at all is because there were a lot of characters, and some of them were okay at best.
One of the things I hated most about FMA 03 is the complete and utter lack of character development. Literally none of the characters changed as the series went on.
Let's start with Ed. Ed was reduced to a pile of angst, and a lot of what he did was very angsty. His sole purpose in life was returning Al to his body. Not that there's anything bad about that, per se, but it cut out a lot of his ulterior motives (i.e. keeping everyone alive) from the manga. And as I said above, his character does not develop at all. He finds out the true ingredient to a Philosopher's Stone? Oh well, let's keep looking for it anyway! Maybe we'll find another kind of Philosopher's Stone with a different main ingredient!
He also ends up contradicting some of what he says are his most fundamental values just for the sake of moving the story along. He says he will never kill people, but 03 Ed definitely does.
Next is Al. Poor Alphonse was reduced to just a prop in 03. You could literally take him out of the show entirely (or just change him to a 2x4 or something) and not much would change. Ed would be motivated to regain his own body rather than Al's, but that's pretty much it. What's sad in this show is you can actually tell pretty much the same story even if you remove one of the most vital characters from it. Ed is always rushing to poor helpless Al's rescue. Al is pretty much something for Ed to target his countless angst at (it would look pretty weird to be talking to himself all the time). The only time Al bears any actual significance to the story is right at the very end, and that's only for one brief thing. It's really unfortuate that Al was so useless because he's such a sweetie pie that actually has a really great character. But alas, he was reduced to a prop in this show.
And now Winry. Winry's potential was pretty much squandered in 03 as she did almost nothing to contribute to the story (and Ed and Al's journey). She fixes Ed's automail a few times and investigates the military with Sheska on one occasion, but not much else. In addition, she was happy with the way things turned out in the end, while realistically she wouldn't be (staying vague because of spoilers).
Roy Mustang was pretty much reduced to a womanizing jerk. His personality isn't very well established to begin with, and then there was that whole thing with Hughes. Nothing ever came out of that. No exciting (and slightly scary) confrontation. He just forgets about it and moves on.
The homunculi weren't too bad, I guess. Their personalities weren't butchered from what I remember. I just think they gave too much screentime to Lust, Envy, and Wrath; and not enough to the others. Wrath in particular was just an annoying brat that I wanted to rip apart and scream NO ONE CARES at. The explanation of how homunculi come to be in 03 is more scientifically probable, but if the anime had kept following the manga, it would have totally ruined the idea that is stated over and over in the manga: human transmutation is impossible. However, this show didn't follow the manga, so this explanation is acceptable in the context of this show's story. It doesn't really explain why the homunculi tend to work together, though.
And the villain, Dante. We don't know her motives (except maybe jealousy?) or her goals. She's pretty one-dimensional and she doesn't even make an appearance until near the end of the show. All around she was pretty damn boring as a villain. Here, they don't have much of an excuse since Dante isn't in the manga at all, so it's not like she was undeveloped or anything. Villains should always be interesting (not necessarily likeable), but Dante wasn't interesting at all. She showed up, was an evil bitch, did some evil and bitchy things, and nothing else.
And don't even get me started on all the Ed/Rose shipping going on. Ugh.
I could go on all day about each of the characters, but I'll just end here so I don't end up with a really long review.
tl;dr A lot of the lack of characterization can be given some slack as the manga wasn't far along enough to truly establish the characters, but they could have at least written some development into the show. That ties into the sloppy story. If the events had been better written, development could have actually taken place.
Also backstories were completely thrown out the window for a lot of characters that deserved their interesting pasts and ideologies explained. The only backstory that was explained in depth was the Elric brothers', and they conveniently took a painfully slow, nine-episode-long flashback to do so. I did like how they gave Nina's story ample time, but she didn't really provide any material as far as character development later on. Also, they didn't need to (try to) bring her back. They really didn't.
Enjoyment: 7/10
The first time I finished the show I liked it, but the more I watched it, the more problems I noticed with it. That being said, every time I've seen the show, I've finished it fairly quickly, and without skipping episodes (except sometimes the very boring fillers. But the latest time I rewatched it, it was with a friend who hadn't seen it yet, so we didn't skip episodes even though I'd tell her which episodes were boring and pointless).
Some of the episodes were downright painful to get through, and the anime only really picked up its pacing at the very end. However, some episodes (13 and 37) were really funny and I always enjoy watching them when I rewatch the show. Some of the ending stuff is exciting, but the whole show is a drag by comparison. It's not worth struggling through the boringness to get to the ending which is full of holes anyway.
Overall: 6/10
I think this anime is seriously overrated and a lot of the nostalgic babies that give this show high scores need to get their heads out of the sand and notice the glaring issues.
As I said before, it probably deserves a lower score than a 6, but since it was my first anime and I still remember it with some fondness, I can't lower it any further.
I feel like this anime could be a badly written fanfiction of FMA that some Ed/Rose shipper started writing while the manga was stll ongoing and said fanfiction somehow ended up into a 51-episode anime with a movie sequel that screwed up the ending even more.
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Jul 13, 2014
[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.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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