The heart wrenching, time looping, mind melting titan of anime has returned, and holy gel-nanas does it deliver. In case it needs saying, this series only makes sense after watching the original season and the “Divide by Zero” alternate episode 23. Do yourself a favour and make sure you’ve seen that suffer-fest before delving into this one.
Steins;Gate 0 feels so very much like the original. The cast are as lovable as ever, the tone can switch from light to dark in an instant, and the world line theory is still just as absorbing. But the real separation between this series and its predecessor is a very noticeable hole in the shape of two personalities: Makise Kurisu and Hououin Kyouma.
Where the original creates character tension by pitting these two against each other, Zero accomplishes the same by simply highlighting their absence. Shadows of Kurisu’s presence remain in the form of her lab colleague Hiyajo, and Amadeus, the AI based off her pre-Japan memories. As for Kyouma, he remains locked away inside Rintaro’s mind, buried under layers of fear and regret. Zero plays on this absence time and time again. There are so many references to things lost that it’s no wonder Rintaro can’t get a hold of himself.
The story re-treads much of the same ground. The early episodes feel like the heady days of gel-nanas, Alpacaman and too-too-roo! But it’s a false happiness marred by a painful past and a terrible, inevitable future. And after a few personal crises and interventions by “The Organisation,” the members of the Future Gadget Laboratory get their lab coats into gear to thwart World War III once again. It’s all very familiar, but with a much darker, less optimistic feel.
If I had to pin down the central theme of the show, I would say that many of the characters have trouble facing up to reality. Okabe Rintaro is the obvious example: he’s so far-gone that he’s willing to abandon Hououin Kyouma, his research, his lab, and his past, all while consciously forgetting about the apocalypse to come. But there are others. Super Hax0r Daru and the ever-adorable Mayushii have similar hurdles to overcome. Only when their delusions are banished can these characters grow and achieve their potential.
Steins;Gate 0 doesn’t manage to innovate in the same way as its predecessor, but the way it builds on its past makes it a worthy successor to one of the greatest anime titles of all time.
Mission accomplished. El Psy Congroo.
