Still, Steins;Gate is praised by many people, bot for the original visual novel and the anime adaptation courtesy of White Fox studio, so I decided it was worth checking out and boy, am I thankful for that. Steins;Gate proved to be one of my top 3 anime I've ever watched (for the time being at least) by defying those prejudices I described above and offering as a result an amazing story with superb characters and more.
Stens;Gate is the story of Rintaro Okabe, a.k.a. the self-proclaimed "mad scientist" Kyouma Hououin, a very eccentric student with his own world of evil organizations and conspiracies. He runs the Future Gadget Lab along with his childhood friend Mayuri and his right arm, the "super hacker" Daru; in this place, the three spend a fair share of their time, devising inventions known as future gadgets. One of these inventions, the Phone Microwave, is in fact more than it seems and it's the prime mover of a story which will lead them to know many other characters while modifying the past and jumping between timelines.
I really don't want to spoil anything more about the plot, as it clearly is one of the strongest points about the entire productions. Far for being a mere sci-fi story about time travels, it has many ingredients for a great deal of depth. Steins;Gate does not lack in variety: it ranges from slice -of-life comedy to romantic drama to thriller to science fiction to psychological drama and it does this so seamlessly it's bound to hook you without fail. The plot starts a bit slow and in a way that may result confusing to some, but it never becomes boring: every episode gives you a piece of the puzzle and at the end of the ride it's really not hard to have a clear vision of the whole (this is a big eff you to all those anime which are complex and cryptic for the sake of it, irritating the viewer more than anything else). Meanwhile, it takes the time to make you familiarize with the various characters in a very natural way: especially in these aspects the story is built with a fair share of pauses, silences and not-so-conventional ways and this surely contributes to the sense of uniqueness Steins;Gate has. The unusual pace is however carefully planned out and magnetic, and it is aided by creative direction and bold frames for an identity all its own.
Of course pacing and finesse in direction are but a part of the picture: the sheer quality of the plot and the superb characters have an equally important role. Every character make certain decisions and have to come to terms with the consequences: everyone is given their space. There is not much room for development, but that is a plot-based choice and totally understandable. The exception is of course our Okabe, an absolute incredible character who undergoes a massive transformation as the episodes advance. His struggle is dramatic and intense, one of the highest points of the entire production.
The art is clear and appealing, while a bit generic at times, and it's accompanied by good-quality animations (with occasional imperfections, rare and small but present). The soundtrack is a good companion to the scenes, nothing particularly outstanding though; it's worth mentioning that the opening is very catchy and fitting, as the ending theme, and that the Italian dub is really magnificent, with an amazing performance from the voice actors, really heartfelt and immersive.
All-in-all Steins;Gate will not be remembered because of its (albeit pretty good) production values, but for the amazing direction, the hooking, multi-faceted plot, the fluid and impeccable pace and the superb characters. It's really an amazing anime which I'd recommend to anyone.
El Psy Cangroo, my friends!
