Considering that Steins;Gate is my favorite anime series of all time, I was both very excited and very worried at the same time once I finally got the chance to watch Fuka Ryouiki no Déjà vu (henceforth referred to as FRD).
On one hand, the original series got everything single possible thing exactly right; there was absolutely no room for improvement and the series had nowhere to go but down. FRD had all the setups of a major let down that could taint the masterpiece that is the original. On the other hand, it's freakin' Steins;Gate! We are talking about one of the best written plots in anime history coupled with strongly developed and likeable characters intact before the movie even begins. We should trust that the writers know what they are doing.
Well, after watching the movie, I am pleased to report that FRD is is well written, immensely enjoyable, and worthy sequel to a legendary anime series that gives the show a better ending than the original or the OVA had. Is it JUST as brilliant and emotionally investing as the original? No, but it manages to recapture a lot of the magic. After all, we would be fools to expect them to be able to recreate their previous genius perfectly.
Story: 8/10
This time around, the shoe is on the other foot: After Okabe finally arrives on the Steins;Gate world line, serious problems begin to develop. His collection of memories from other world lines are causing him to indiscriminately flicker in between random world lines until finally, he no longer exists in Steins;Gate at all. Everyone forgets that he ever existed, except of course, for Makise Kurisu. This time, Kurisu is the one doing the time traveling in an attempt to bring Okabe back into existence without disrupting the Steins;Gate world line.
There are two reasons that this setup is brilliant: one reason being that the plot is still centered around the intriguing time-travel theories and applications that the original was, and the other reason being that the deep and complex character development that Okabe received during the series is now given to Kurisu, effectively making them (in my opinion) the most developed anime couple in existence.
Watching FRD felt like watching Steins;Gate for the first time all over again, and that is VERY much a good thing. The formula is almost exactly the same; it gets off to a pretty slow start, but once it gets going, it just absolutely slays you. Fans have come to care so much about these characters that the reboot of the series is just as emotionally gripping and powerful as the original series. Most notably, we get a lot more character development for Kurisu. She was already a fantastic character to begin with, but after FRD, I think she just might be on the same level as Okabe. In short, if you loved Steins;Gate's plot, you will love FRD's plot just as much.
The only legitimate complaints I have are minor. For instance, as previously mentioned, the movie gets off to a pretty slow start; it takes quite a while to get to the meat of the plot, just like the original did. Secondly, there is a bit less suspense then original series had, as FRD opts to focus almost entirely on the emotional aspect instead. That isn't bad thing, but I feel like they could have gotten both elements incorporated equally if the movie was just longer. It's only an hour and a half, and while I think it was the perfect way to end the series, I wish the experience had lasted for more time.
Art: 8/10
Looks a tad different then the original series, and I don't think that is a good thing. I mean, it still looks great, but I think the original did a better job of capturing the show's style.
Sound: 8/10
Great music (minus the iconic OP of the show), but more importantly, the same LEGENDARY voice acting that the original had is replicated. Good luck finding a better voice acting cast.
Characters: 9/10
What can I say about these amazing characters that I haven't already said (If you want details, read my review for the original series)? The characters don't shine as brightly as the did in the original, but they still shine brightly. The only problem I had with the character development in the original was that Okabe was the only character that showed any true dynamic traits, which is an inevitable outcome of the show's time-travel theme. Now that a character besides Okabe has gone through the epic journey of time travel, the cast now feels stronger in a way. Again, I can't stress how FANTASTIC the characters of Steins;Gate are, we simply don't get to see them in all their glory during this movie.
Overall: 8/10
In conclusion, most Steins;gate fans will NOT be disappointed with the sequel to one of the highest rated anime of all time. The story of the Future Gadget Lab is just as emotionally investing as ever and the spectacular cast of characters is only made better. FRD is a MUST WATCH for Steins;gate fans; I really could not have asked for a better sequel to my all-time favorite anime.
El Psy Congroo
