Nov 4, 2011
Some contextualization: A week ago, I started looking for an anime to watch in order to pass the time while house-sitting at my cousin's. I came upon RAVE, RAVE reviews for Steins;Gate an anime which did, in truth, seem interesting but didn't seem to fall into my usual genres for watching. Anyways I decided to give it a shot. 24 episodes later, if I had a chance to send a "d-mail" to my past-self, it would read: "you MUST watch Steins;Gate".
- Story
The plot (if you haven't heard -_-) involves time travel. Although I have not viewed other animes concerning time, I must say that I
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feel Steins;Gate does it very well. The anime is complex and thought invoking but, at the same time, not complicated or contradictory. You may need to re-watch certain parts but the story does a great job of being subtle, yet explanatory.
The pacing is rather slow for the first 10 episodes or so. I think this is rather intentional though as they are laying the groundwork for the plot's twists and turns later in the story. The anime takes place over a time-span of a few weeks so it's vital that you understand what happens in the various time lines and what they with these time lines later in the story. The final 14 episodes FLY BY. I wish they would have lasted longer but I guess such is the tragedy of relativity.
- Art
The art was very pretty but nothing too unusual if you frequently watch anime. That being said, I don't care too much about "experimental" styles so I was glad that the artists stayed away from excessive CGs and the like. The story is very character focused, so most of the art is dedicated to them; you don't see much landscape art. However, this focus really shows in the way the people look in the anime. Something I noticed while watching was that the colors in the anime appear to be washed out and kind of have a gray shade to them which I feel fits the tone of the story very well. Steins;Gate's animation isn't anything too vanguard but the artists stick to a very good formula.
- Sound
The music is very good. They did a great job matching songs to fit the mood and I felt that their musical choices enhanced the tones and moods that they wanted the viewer to feel. The poignant moments did, in fact, seem poignant. Same goes with the light-hearted and comedic scenes. Also, I loved the OP!
- Characters
Very well done. The leads (Kurisu and Okabe) are complex characters and I feel they didn't belong too strongly in stereotypical categories. Their personalities complement each other well and as the series progresses, it is the evolution of their relationship that really drives the final chapters of the story. I found it interesting to see Okabe changes and develops as a character as the series goes on (he's the only one who can "develop" of course)
The supporting characters were also very deep even though there were quite a few of them. Each had their own story and personalities which I felt the anime did a great job of portraying. For an anime that only has 24 episodes, I was surprised at how strong a connection I formed with some of the characters (although that could possible be due to my fanboyism :P).
- Overall and Enjoyment
All-in-all there is a lot to like about Steins;Gate and although people in reviews might tell you about how awesome it is, you can't really experience the epicness until you watch it yourself. There were points in the anime where REAL-LIFE stuff seemed to take on greater significance, though this may have to do with watching it at 3AM. Refreshing story, great art and music choice, and lovable characters. What more can you ask for?
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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