This was, on the whole, a thrilling yet thought-provoking anime. Not the one to watch if you’re looking for some mindless fun, but apart from that it has almost everything necessary for a good anime - even a brilliant one.

There is a defined, clever and well-paced plot, a fair amount of character development (not for all the characters, but the main few characters are nicely developed) and some strong feels, shocks and tear-jerking moments.

Plot – not necessarily original, but done ingeniously. It started slow but then picked up. There were some times I wished that it would move a little faster, or where the character did something frustrating that seemed purely for the plot’s sake

Spoiler, click to view

e.g. Okabe doesn’t tell Kurisu about the fact that he time-leapt until he has redone it several times, or the fact that he undoes Ruka’s D-mail instead of preventing him(her?) from cleaning the shrine and breaking the computer (although the reason for this was explained somewhat later)

. However, on the whole the plot moved at a good pace, and indeed tied in all the episodes nicely together. It is true that there were some questions that stay largely unresolved at the end

Spoiler, click to view

(for example about the nature of Steins;Gate, and why there were only two Okabes at the end – when failing to save Kurisu - instead of three)

, but these questions don’t really detract from the impact and enjoyment of the anime. After all, time travel isn’t something that we can fully get our heads round anyway.

Warning: the plot is quite technical though, if you dislike science as a subject it might take away from your enjoyment a bit.

Art – really good. Alternated between dark and light shots to suit the mood, characters were drawn well – particularly Okabe’s expressions – and the visual effects (e.g. the ones surrounding the time travel) fitted the theme perfectly.

Sound – was nice. Initially I didn’t like the opening theme song, but it grew on me. The soundtracks and ending theme matched well.

Character development – whilst the anime didn’t focus on developing every character – Daru and Mayuri received very little character development - it shone in relation to Okabe. We see him change from a delusional, somewhat irritating and essentially carefree character to a haunted and even deranged one. He learns that all actions have consequences, and goes from taking everything for granted to appreciating what he has and becoming much more selfless. And it actually feels believable, which is rare when a character changes to this extent.

Kurisu’s character is also developed somewhat, although nowhere near as much as Okabe’s

Spoiler, click to view

(for obvious reasons though, every time the past changes any character development she had is lost)

. Through the series she becomes less detached and uncaring, begins to appreciate the value of friendship and even becomes better at expressing herself (albeit only slightly).

Enjoyment level – very high. This anime made me think. At some points it made me go “wow!” at some points “NOOOOO!” and at others it almost made me cry. There were also times I just ended up staring at the screen trying to reconcile myself with what I had just seen. Okay, maybe I’m exaggerating a little – there were some points where I became annoyed after all, but, all in all, it was brilliant, and its place on the scoreboard reflects this.

I did struggle with the rating a bit, because I rarely give over 90s and this anime did have its faults, but after sitting back for a little and thinking on it I decided to give it one. When I was scrolling down for the ratings, I was reminded that 90+ is for ‘masterpieces.’ And this was overall a masterpiece.