It was criticized for stuffing so much information in just 24 minutes for the first episode.
Yet afterwards the show was much more quieter than what the first episode led on and focused on developing our central cast and when we finally hit the halfway mark (episode 12), all hell breaks loose and the show begins its trek to widespread acclaim.
To the production values: The animation wasn't one of the best, but White Fox did a great job in handling this series. It was really high-quality animation for 24 episodes, though there were alot of dark scenes that i couldn't see at all and can’t understand why they were so dark (censoring? what?) but other than that i have no qualms. The music was very low-key for me: it didn't really start to hit me until the last 5 or so episodes when the really epic stuff came at the viewers at breathtaking speeds.
Speaking of bantering and quipping, when Steins;Gate is in comedy mode, it is comedy indeed; characters set up their own fall with innocent innuendos and ill-thought-out blurbs, while other characters jump at the chance to take the piss at the hapless bumblers each in their own unique way. The series itself displays its recent pedigree by dropping references to other works old and new, and even in-jokes which would be familiar to today’s Internet denizens. Yet when Steins;Gate is in drama mode, it is also drama indeed; Okabe, experiencing firsthand the consequences of messing around with “worldlines”, is forced to confront hostile forces which threatens the safety of everyone involved with him, and eventually finds himself responsible for the future of the whole world. And even here, some elements of the drama driving the plot are taken right out of real life. Comedy and drama are both used in just the right dose, at the right time, to make the most impact and keep the momentum of the story going.
The key to this has to be the characters. The characters, like the plot, will seem atrocious if I break them down individually: the childish, nonsense spouting but occasionally brilliant Okabe; the fat, perverted but kind-hearted Daru; the Tsunderish genius Makise; ditsy childhood friend Mayuri; the scarily androgynous doormat Ruka; and so on, but that might just be the point. One criticism I’ve heard levied and have some sympathy for is the complaint that Okabe is really annoying. I can see that, he is at the beginning. The thing is… he changes. They all do. Some shows have their characters defined within minutes and never waver but, as I said before, this isn’t about the comedy; it isn’t about the angst or a crazy, mind blowing science fiction world laden neck deep in symbolism. It’s about a group of friends, alienated from society at large, that make a time machine and how that affects their lives and relationships. What makes this worthwhile though? What makes this strange bunch worth watching over twenty-four episodes? I’ll tell you in one beautiful phrase: damn good writing.
All this does not come without a price though. The gentle build up of characterisation is effective but slow. The first half of the series, while still very entertaining, seems to lack a little bit of direction while it builds up steam. Also Okabe really is embarrassing to watch earlier on in the show especially before he has Makise to call him on it (which happens mercifully quickly) but it really does take the show time to start building his character to a meaningful level and the wait can be a little tiring.
In the end it is a sacrifice that I’m willing to make. In exchange for a slow build up and an irritating lead I get a pitch perfect turning point and a thrilling climax that must be amongst the most satisfying endings in science-fiction animé history if not animé in general. We get relationships we can invest in and we get characters that properly progress through beginning, middle and end. It’s a show that takes us somewhere. It might not be anywhere that deep but it is affecting, fun and deeply enjoyable.
