Steins;Gate in my opinion is an overrated anime. Before you outright disagree, read the review. One thing I would say beforehand: This anime had potential in storyline. MAJOR potential to stand out and be different and enjoyable. Yet it messed up.
For those who can't read the complete review here are some highlights:
1. Took me (and others I know) up to 12 episodes to start properly enjoying
2. Major plot holes or moments that seem only to keep the story going but don't make much sense
3. Moments that pull it back in the 'typical anime' realm
First I will go over the positive aspects:
Art 9/10
The art in Steins;Gate is good. The colors are crisp and the backgrounds are well done. While the faces are not that well defined, when required, facial expressions are fully conveyed and the atmosphere is one a person can almost feel.
Sound 9/10
The sound is also a positive aspect - the feeling of dread or something terrible/sinister on one side and playful banter on the other is well managed and I enjoyed both the combination of art and sound.
Now a mediocre aspect:
Characters 7/10
Character development in this anime was good. BUT it could have been better. Let me explain. The characters have certain traits that makes you want to remember them: Daru is a pervert, Okabe is a mad scientist, Christina (for those who enjoyed the tone of Okabe saying this the first time) and Mayuri... she comes across as slightly odd but I will come to that. Now while all these char's have their traits, they seem as if they are confined in very confined boundaries. You (or at least I) cannot predict their actions in any random situation. Then Mayuri seemed a bit too much like Tomo from Seikon no Qwasar. A bit odd for a normal life setting. Don't get me wrong - I do get she had her share of experiences but that was a bit off. Then another thing that felt too typical anime-ish was how good Okabe is (when he feels like it) and that everyone is, perhaps slowly, liking him too much (except Daru perhaps).
Story + Enjoyment 6/10
Time Travel lovers go straight for a 10 in this category but sadly it did not appeal to me that much. There were major plot holes, major places where I thought that a specific event happened only for the sake of giving the story a specific turn.
Now to enjoyment - it took me 12 out of the 24 episodes to actually GET INTO the anime. And I am one of those people who ends a short anime when they start it, evaluating it only at the end. But I could pinpoint to the exact moment I felt like "okay, now it is worth watching.
The story DID have some good portions as well! But the negatives for me outweigh those.
So while I have probably skipped a lot/jumbled things up/confused you, I would like to say that I am not going to review this review over and over and so my verdict is that the idea was brilliant but due to some major plot holes and typical anime elements it did not meet up to expectations. Still, a good anime for those who enjoy the time travel. Happy Watching.