****This is a Spoiler Free Review*****
It's finally back. The awe inspiring, sometimes dramatic, sometimes light-hearted, sometimes tear inducing rollercoaster of a series is back to take you on an another journey.
With a continuation of a plot from season 1's "sad ending", the depressing conflicts of Okabe Rintarou's emotions will once again have you engaged like no other. Can he change the outcome by reaching Steins;Gate? Will he return to the "mad scientist" we all know and love?
Like the previous adaptation, the sequel starts off rather slowly, however, we already see the differences, primarily in our main character. Whereas he was an exciting, funny, and overly dramatic character in season 1, he is now former shell of himself.
Depressed and conflicted over how he couldn't change the inevitable, we see that the "Okarin" we knew has changed. The change is well done in every aspect, from mannersims to voice acting to even the attire (white lab coat to black attire). To me, this was the focal point of the new adaptation: the inner conflicts of Okarin- whether to attempt to change the outcome once again or live life with the constant guilt of not being able to save Kurisu.
The story telling is generally well done. For the lovers of the original series- Fear not, for they have all the elements you loved about S;G in the sequel as well. This adaptation will still give you a false sense of hope only to yank it away from you with a twist, so no worries.
Also, one of the best things about Steins;Gate series is that they know how to incorporate both humour and light hearted moments with the dark and serious. Now, whether you like these mini "fanservice" moments or not are up to you. However, they don't really ruin the story.
As it is known for, the plot twists and the intense drama are all great, although maybe not as good as the original. The action scenes are sometimes pretty nonsensical, but thankfully Steins;Gate is not primarily about action. Like the original however, it gets dark and depressing real quick, with many episodes dedicated to drawing those feels out. As I've said, once it begins, it just keeps going and going.
Without spoiling, there are couple of plot holes and rushing here and there. It could just be an effect of trying to cram in too much in just a 2 cour, but they could've handled some plot points better for sure, because it can get confusing.
One thing I did think the White Fox handled well was adding much needed extra material to where the VN didn't. It is a small, but refreshing change.
The old characters are all lovable like before. Depressed Okarin is amazing and just made us want that comeback even more. Mayuri showed a lot more character and development here than in the original. Her emotions towards the changed Okarin is just simply heart wrenching. What surprised me however was Daru, and how he was a lot more serious and mature-like at some points(particularly from ep.16 and beyond). Suzuha is also as dynamic and serious as before.
The new characters are good, but not great, maybe a little generic. Maho, the "legal loli" as Daru would like to say, is very fun to watch in her interactions with Okarin and others. She is playful, emotional, but still strong willed. She was clearly the best of the new bunch. Amadeus is an AI version of Kurisu's memories before she came to Japan. It retains Kurisu's personalities, from her tsundereness to her playfulness. Dr. Leskinen, one of the developers of Amadeus, is a nice addition from America, with the absolute best pronunciation of "Rintaloh". Kagari (no spoilers), can be a little annoying at times, but is still an essential part to the story. Yuki also brought out more variety of emotions from Daru and Suzuha.
Honestly, I can't say too much of some of them without some heavy spoilers. Overall, the new characters aren't outstanding, but most of them do enhance the story and other characters in some way. Some, however, have very little presence unfortunately.
Regarding the characters, the voice acting is absolutely fantastic. In fact, I thought it was even better than the ones in the game. It was very dynamic, with intense emotions where necessary. Ep.16 will tell you just how good the VA is, but it was constantly amazing throughout.
The animation is ranging from decent to good, not great. The action scenes can get very clunky, and it can get a bit confusing at times. There were direction issues here and there especially with faster scenes. Honestly, it's a good thing that S;G is not primarily an action anime, because if there is one complaint I have with the anime series is that it's action scenes are rather ehh.. Otherwise I thought the rest were fine.
One thing I do love about the series in general is the dark tone/color it has throughout to accompany the darkness of the story. It just fits so well.
One other thing I have to mention is how good the music is. The opening and two endings are all amazing. Just go listen to the first ending, it to me, is one of the best ending themes ever (no bias). The instrumental osts are all great. Some of them are remixed from the original, while some are new, but they all accompany the scenes very well.
Overall, although not as good as the original (it is hard to reach that standard tbf), I thought that Steins;Gate 0 was still excellent. The humour, the raw emotions, the development, and the plot twists makes this a nice sequel. If you are a S;G fan, you will enjoy the sequel as well.
El Psy Congroo.
