Aug 31, 2014 07:39 PM
(This post was last modified: Aug 31, 2014 07:59 PM by Dragon..)
This review I've been meaning to write for a while. Sorry for the grammatical errors. I'll work on fixing them. This is a review on the entire Steins;Gate series (including the movies). I will not include any spoilers in this review. Heck, even if no one reads this, I'll be happy. I had so much fun writing this.
Introduction
"No one knows what the future holds. That's why its potential is infinite." - Okabe Rintarou, Steins;Gate
Time travel has been the topic of discussion for many TV shows and movies, both Japanese and Western alike; however, while many shows contain the involvement of time travel, very few are about the topic of time travel itself. There are a couple of reasons for this. Writing a story about the act of time travel is hard. Without proper knowledge on the subject, and the proper writing skill, you can easily confuse your audience. Of course, you can also dumb it down to the point that the show itself becomes bland and unpalatable. Steins;Gate does neither of these. Although the rest of the world says that writing a story about the act of time travel is hard, Steins;Gate puts on its lab coat, flips up its collar, and says "Watch me." Steins;Gate is a show about the act of time travel. A story about a mad scientist and his fellow lab members, and how an accident causes his view on the world to be flipped upside down.
Story
As much as I want to write about the story here, I won't. After all, this review is supposed to be spoiler free.
Steins;Gate has one of the best written and executed stories out there. This isn't your average fanservice harem show. No, it actually has a plot (shocking right?), and a damn good one, at that. Steins;Gate initially starts off really slow. The author introduces each of the main and supporting cast members, one by one, and gradually incorporates the concepts of time travel into the first half of the series. I think this was genious. Although it may be slow to start, this part is absolutely necessary in order to avoid questions later on in the series when shit hits the fan. Speaking of shit hitting the fan, don't take this show lightly. The first few episodes are slow. Really slow. But something happens in a certain episode that makes everything you've learned in the first half of the series click. It is from this point on that Steins;Gate blows all your previous expectations for the show out of the water. I'll say this again for emphasis: Don't take this show lightly. (Rating: 10/10)
Characters
Now that I've talked about the story, time to talk about the characters. The characters are best defined in one word: interesting. If the first half of the series bores you to death, you can at least rely on these characters to get you through it. Their conversations, actions, and thoughts easily make them the most eccentric cast of any anime I've watched. You have the redhead tsundere, the mad scientist, the "supah hakah", and "Mayuushii-" (whose favorite catch phrase is known throughout the entire anime otaku community: "tuturuuuu~"). That sentence alone defines only a tiny fraction of who these people are. Believe it or not, behind these fascades lie deeper problems. Hence, all the characters can be considered "broken" in a way. (Rating: 10/10)
Animation
Steins;Gate was animated by White Fox, a relatively new animation studio, who is probably better known as the company who animated the currently airing "Akame ga Kill!" series. I can't say that their animation was top quality, because it's not. I can say, however, that the character designs and background art suit this show pretty well. This is one of the rare cases where moe characters might hurt the serious tone that the later episodes in the show give. While the animation isn't top-notch, it's passable. I give the animation a 7/10.
Sound
Just like the animation, the sound isn't anything to write home about. The openings and ending aren't too memorable in my opinion, and none of the BGMs really stuck out. They weren't bad either. I didn't mind listening to the OP and EDs, but I'd much rather just skip them. (Rating: 7/10)
Conclusion
Steins;Gate is a show about time travel. A brilliantly executed show that might give the audience a different look at how the world works, and even throws out a few questions that challenge our role in the universe. "Are there multiple universes?", "What are dreams?", "When we invent a time machine, how will this benefit or hurt us?"
Do I recommend this show? Hell yeah. While the first few episodes were really slow to start and a pain to get through, the second half of the series is filled with brilliantly executed writing, with the final episodes leaving you with an "OH SHIT" expression every time the ending credits appear. If you've already started watching this show, DON'T DROP IT. The second half is where Steins;Gate truly shines. If you've ever listened to my recommendations and enjoyed what you've seen, then give this a watch. If you aren't at least entertained by it, I'd be really surprised. (Overall Rating/Enjoyment: 10/10)
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Introduction
"No one knows what the future holds. That's why its potential is infinite." - Okabe Rintarou, Steins;Gate
Time travel has been the topic of discussion for many TV shows and movies, both Japanese and Western alike; however, while many shows contain the involvement of time travel, very few are about the topic of time travel itself. There are a couple of reasons for this. Writing a story about the act of time travel is hard. Without proper knowledge on the subject, and the proper writing skill, you can easily confuse your audience. Of course, you can also dumb it down to the point that the show itself becomes bland and unpalatable. Steins;Gate does neither of these. Although the rest of the world says that writing a story about the act of time travel is hard, Steins;Gate puts on its lab coat, flips up its collar, and says "Watch me." Steins;Gate is a show about the act of time travel. A story about a mad scientist and his fellow lab members, and how an accident causes his view on the world to be flipped upside down.
Story
As much as I want to write about the story here, I won't. After all, this review is supposed to be spoiler free.
Steins;Gate has one of the best written and executed stories out there. This isn't your average fanservice harem show. No, it actually has a plot (shocking right?), and a damn good one, at that. Steins;Gate initially starts off really slow. The author introduces each of the main and supporting cast members, one by one, and gradually incorporates the concepts of time travel into the first half of the series. I think this was genious. Although it may be slow to start, this part is absolutely necessary in order to avoid questions later on in the series when shit hits the fan. Speaking of shit hitting the fan, don't take this show lightly. The first few episodes are slow. Really slow. But something happens in a certain episode that makes everything you've learned in the first half of the series click. It is from this point on that Steins;Gate blows all your previous expectations for the show out of the water. I'll say this again for emphasis: Don't take this show lightly. (Rating: 10/10)
Characters
Now that I've talked about the story, time to talk about the characters. The characters are best defined in one word: interesting. If the first half of the series bores you to death, you can at least rely on these characters to get you through it. Their conversations, actions, and thoughts easily make them the most eccentric cast of any anime I've watched. You have the redhead tsundere, the mad scientist, the "supah hakah", and "Mayuushii-" (whose favorite catch phrase is known throughout the entire anime otaku community: "tuturuuuu~"). That sentence alone defines only a tiny fraction of who these people are. Believe it or not, behind these fascades lie deeper problems. Hence, all the characters can be considered "broken" in a way. (Rating: 10/10)
Animation
Steins;Gate was animated by White Fox, a relatively new animation studio, who is probably better known as the company who animated the currently airing "Akame ga Kill!" series. I can't say that their animation was top quality, because it's not. I can say, however, that the character designs and background art suit this show pretty well. This is one of the rare cases where moe characters might hurt the serious tone that the later episodes in the show give. While the animation isn't top-notch, it's passable. I give the animation a 7/10.
Sound
Just like the animation, the sound isn't anything to write home about. The openings and ending aren't too memorable in my opinion, and none of the BGMs really stuck out. They weren't bad either. I didn't mind listening to the OP and EDs, but I'd much rather just skip them. (Rating: 7/10)
Conclusion
Steins;Gate is a show about time travel. A brilliantly executed show that might give the audience a different look at how the world works, and even throws out a few questions that challenge our role in the universe. "Are there multiple universes?", "What are dreams?", "When we invent a time machine, how will this benefit or hurt us?"
Do I recommend this show? Hell yeah. While the first few episodes were really slow to start and a pain to get through, the second half of the series is filled with brilliantly executed writing, with the final episodes leaving you with an "OH SHIT" expression every time the ending credits appear. If you've already started watching this show, DON'T DROP IT. The second half is where Steins;Gate truly shines. If you've ever listened to my recommendations and enjoyed what you've seen, then give this a watch. If you aren't at least entertained by it, I'd be really surprised. (Overall Rating/Enjoyment: 10/10)
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