Time travel stories usually leave a lot of holes in explanations leaving the audience dissatisfied. However Steins Gate is one time travel story that has all its bases covered. The story is based on the true events of the internet meme John Titor who claimed to be from the future and who was looking for the IBM 500 in order to save humanity’s future (google it). When I learned about this fact I was even more impressed with the writers for developing such an interesting plot from a joke someone played on the web. Another thing I liked about the series is that there are three types of time travel. Firstly the D-mail that can be used to shift between world lines, the second Makise’s time machine which can be used to travel back into time in one world line and last but not the least the time machine from the future that physically transfers people. All this is explained very well in the anime so don’t worry if it all seems confusing right now.
The characters are truly jems of the anime world. I fell in love with each member of the “Future Gadget Lab” instantly. I had expected the main character to be your typical anime hero, a loser who realizes his potential due to a bizarre event that changes his perspective on life. However I found Okabe Rintarou or Hououin Kyouma as he refers to himself to be the complete opposite of what I had expected. Firstly Okabe stands by what he believes from the first episode to the last. He claims to be a mad scientist and a mad scientist he proves himself to be. Completely disregarding the consequences of his actions to quench his thirst for creating a successful time-machine he continues to develop the D-mail and later the time machine with the help of genius Makise Kurisu and his college buddy Hashida Itaru.
Makise Kurisu is the perfect counterpart for our mad scientist. Her thirst for achieving success and curiosity about the time machine make her stay at the lab and it is only through her help that Okabe is able to undo his mistakes. Itaru or Daru as he is called by everyone provides some perverted humor but is also a likable character. One of the most loved characters of the anime has to be Shiina, Mayuri our protagonist’s childhood friend. Just a few episodes in and you will be Tuturuuing with her. She also acts as a sort of anchor for the other three whose goals can sometimes blind them to the realities of their actions. The other supporting actors are just as enjoyable and each has a purpose in the story.
The main genre for this anime is obviously sci-fi but the series has equal amounts of humor and some romance that develops later on in the series. The artwork is done well in my opinion the visual effects complement the story wonderfully. I would recommend that you watch this anime with the english dub. The dub script is simply wonderful and the exchanges between Okabe and Kurisu are very entertaining and hilarious.
I have seen this anime eight times till now and have to say I enjoy it more every time I re-watch it. I am sure you will not regret giving your time to this series and will enjoy it as much as I did.
