Even if I wasn't the type to critique just about everything I come across, I would still not enjoy this. There is no aspect of this sequel that truly encompasses what made Steins;Gate a success in any regard. I’ll minimize the spoilers and keep my review short and simple. I apologize for the short rants ahead of time.

The plot was insignificant. We (the viewers) are introduced to all the important characters quite early on --Other than the two female supporting characters who just disappeared entirely and actually did nothing for the show-- and are given a vague idea of what actually has happened. We quickly learn that the events of the original show have not occurred exactly the same, because (SPOILER ALERT) Steins Gate wasn’t achieved like in the original ending. This is all explained and crammed into the last episode much like previously how the ending was rushed. The sequel is merely an explanation of a single small event that seemed to be just an action of a character that had been long in the making. Considering that the main plot was overshadowed by various episode to episode side plots, commonly known as filler, I was disappointed to say the least. It’s like the show tried to be slice-of-life type for half and plot driven the other half. The slice-of-life bits were not at all enjoyable unless you have particular interest in the supporting characters and if you are okay with very little screen time for Kyouma.

The characters were more or less the same people. What I did enjoy from this anime was the development of Okabe Rintaro. He is truly a mad scientist when all things are said and done, even though his personality doesn’t always match it. He has his highs and lows but manages to still be himself. He reacts accordingly to situations, and his unpredictability shines through toward the end of the show. Moving on, the two female supporting characters I mentioned prior, provide absolutely nothing to the show. You’d think and hope all characters serve some sort of purpose but these two women don’t have any plot significance or provide some engaging aspect that other characters don’t already supply for the show. They’re just two cutesy girls who were entirely dropped when the plot started to get going. This is no exaggeration, they literally don’t make any appearances past around halfway through the show. It makes me wonder why they even exist in the first place. It might’ve been to introduce a character who was initially seen around them who had significance in the side plots. Ultimately though, they served no plot purpose and weren’t particularly likeable. The new characters were just okay overall. There is an obvious twist-villain that was way too played out. I figured it out like ten episodes prior to when they are exposed. The returning characters are alright, if you’ve already seen Steins;Gate --hopefully you have-- then I need say no more.

Steins;Gate 0 does not deserve any hype whatsoever. Steins;Gate had an amazing plot, it’s undeniable. The setup was lengthy, though not too lengthy, and it did not need to explain things to the audience. Steins;Gate 0 was unclear with what had happened leading up to the start of the show. The setup was definitely drawn out a couple hours too long. The plot was insignificant and could be summarized in many hundred less words than the original, there wasn’t much to unpack. Many things were left unexplained, many more seemingly significant things were glossed over or forgotten than in the original show. Okabe Rintaro can just seemingly escape from any bad scenario with the use of time skips --not an actual ability of time in the show, just poor writing-- it didn’t bother me much the first few times, but I can only laugh because it became so unbelievable after awhile. The audience is talked down to and everything is dumbed down. To distract from the various holes in the plot, the breast sizes are increased. I think I lost brain cells even thinking about what this series ended up being.

I’m not going to pretend I’m a good writer, but even I could do better than this. I’m going to give this show a 40/100, all things considered it’s pretty generous but watching Hououin Kyouma face adversity is actually pretty entertaining, although repetitive, and it carries the show to that score.