Steins;Gate is often touted as one of the most complex and engaging time-travel stories in recent memory; a sci-fi thrill ride that holds at its core, a tender tale of love and friendship that touched me. Originally a visual novel highly praised for the attention to detail, branching plot points and masterful utilization for the style of gameplay, the anime adaptation by Studio White Fox carefully blended these aspects from the game into a compelling plot traversing several timelines for a memorable experience unlike no other. Revolving around a makeshift lab group who unexpectedly wound up inventing their own time machine, they explore the idea of “D-Mails”: messages sent back in time with the potential to change the world around them. But curiosity gets the better of them and they delve too far into the realm of time-travel, taking viewers on an enthralling journey filled with intrigue and upset. This journey starts with a more light-hearted approach to introducing characters and concepts that come with some pacing issues, before the series takes a drastic change in tone and stakes, turning into the emotional rollercoaster that makes Steins;Gate a masterpiece in the eyes of many. The consensus is this shift marks the point where the show “getz guud”, but what’s often left unrecognized is how essential the slower, witty earlier episodes were for the weight and tension to have such a profound effect.

Set amidst the sun-beaten city of Akihabara lies one self-proclaimed “mad scientist” Rintaro Okabe, the man with the plan to thwart malevolent strategies of the elite, an underground freedom fighter striving for justice. A seminar on time-travel has caught his eye, but only comes to find out it’s nothing more than plagiarism. After causing a ruckus and leaves he stumbles across something much more alarming – the dead body of a young auburn-haired girl. Disheartened he texts the news to a friend, and with the click of a button, the world around him changes in an instant. At first glance it all appears identical, but soon learns his memories do not quite match with his surroundings, most notably Makise Kurisu, the woman he thought dead appears before him alive and well. What follows is an uncanny chain of events that bring Okabe and Kurisu together as the duo along with the rest of the Future Gadget Laboratory seek to understand how such events came to be; the science behind it all. During this time the entire cast is introduced in some way, with adequate time spent fleshing out characters.

Okabe shines as star of the show, bombarding scenes with several bursts of ridiculous theories and conspiracies of a supposed “Organization”, even referring himself in third-person as “Hououin Kyouma”. The scientist is anything but lucid, coming off an enigma equipped with such comical prose that has all around him in awe. Or bewilderment. Nevertheless he keeps the level of intrigue at constant max. Next to him is fellow scientist Makise Kurisu, except she legitimately warrants the title as a genius neuroscience researcher, famous for many accomplishments at such a young age. She’s a firm believer in order and logical reason, making her a perfect opposite for our protagonist and has no problem pointing out Okabe’s bulls**t. Unfortunately for her, she’s also a tsundere – a trait Okabe often teases her for. The dynamic between the polarizing duo is always creative, playful and especially a treat when attempting to explain technobabble and scientific lingo. Makise acts as the level-headed, analytical shadow to back up Okabe’s imaginative and expressive mind, with the plot being a perfect environment to develop a relationship between the two over the course of the show.

Other members of the Future Gadget Laboratory consist of Mayuri, Okabe’s childhood friend and the most upbeat of the group, with her optimistic and somewhat dim-witted nature has her regulated to keeping team morale high. However, she becomes an essential part of the plot progression in the latter half. Daru, the sarcastic hacker of the group and a colossal pervert, but with a preference to a subtler approach, allowing for more glimpses of his good nature to shine past his vulgar behaviour. Suzuha, a tomboy that started working near the lab and is drawn towards their work, but constantly shows to know more that she should about the group. There’s also a woman that only communicates through text message, a maid with a knack for cat noises, a man with the mannerisms and voice of a woman… yet still a dude, etc. Steins;Gate happens to have a cast full of intriguing, quirky personalities with constant chemistry between them and a distinct script to match that keep the slow parts of the story worth the investment.

Perhaps the most notable aspect of the writing in Steins;Gate comes from its concept of time travel and how it’s integrated in the narrative. Most time travel stories never go in depth with any rules or limitations that come when tampering with time; rather only use the idea as basic plot devices, but this is when Steins;Gate breaks from the crowd – it aims to give viewers a solid understanding of what is and isn’t possible, along with effects that come as a result of hopping through “World Lines”: divergent worlds that one can move to and from through time intervention. This is shown through using D-Mails to change Okabe’s reality; the only one with the ability to carry memories across when the timeline is altered, permitting viewers to witness the phenomena from his perspective; a fresh take on the common butterfly effect. It’s a unique, believable perception on the subject which works coherently with the narrative for the most part, giving the series an edge over other time-related shows. However Steins;Gate never gets bogged down in theories or tries to explain itself to the over-analytical; les not forget the original time machine is basically a phone connected to a microwave. It understands the strengths of being a piece of entertainment, effectively balancing hard science with fun hijinks. What I also find impressive is how the theories presented evolve proportionately as experiments are performed, to where the discoveries made are ground-breaking and immensely sought after by powerful organizations. Grasping the severity of their situation leads them to ponder how and if they should continue research, questioning what’s more important to them as a group – touching on topics I never expected from a show so deceptively comedic.

Sadly, as everyone who’s finished the series knows, this deception was not meant to last. Looking back, there’s a significant amount of foreshadowing sprinkled across this period, that something drastic was bound to happen. Something was coming, and no matter what choices were made, they were not going to stop what is now destiny…

“My watch has stopped.”

This is the point when Steins;Gate shows its hand, moving from the funny, well-written slice of life we knew to a darker, intense thriller that never looks back; as if the series took a shot of adrenaline where the rush of exhilaration is almost palpable. It still has its fair share of humour present, but now the direction of the show is clear; Okabe desperately trying to escape from fate’s clutches after countless time leaps all lead to the same predicament followed with the same result: death. Like the watch and hourglass show, the time for fun and games is over. The conflict of “Man vs Time” conveyed here was excellent, with time serving as an unforgiving, ubiquitous antagonist and a cruel reminder of the dangers that come from meddling with multiple world lines. Tension and stakes are raised to the heavens as Okabe must try and reverse all the effects of past D-Mails sent in order to return to the original timeline in a nail-biting thrill-ride if he ever wishes to reach happiness, whilst doing so allows for a greater understanding behind each character’s motivation for their personally sent D-Mail. Unfortunately some subplots, most notably the romance-driven ones with side characters can come of flat, tedious and even ludicrous, falling victim to common visual novel tropes that do more harm than good here. However Steins;Gate still holds up throughout thanks to Okabe and the tribulations he faces.

It’s easy to get lost in the world of Steins;Gate – the mostly smart plot, eccentric cast, striking visuals, beautiful music, etc. are all great pieces to the series on their own, but what makes the show so incredible in the eyes of many is thanks to Okabe. While originally established as an off-the-wall character whose oddities can come off strange or jarring, his actions and thoughtfulness keep him from becoming a mere walking ball of cringe and more like an actual human. But it’s not until Okabe finds himself in a never-ending cycle of despair where his outlandish persona is revealed to be just a mask; a façade to hide his true feelings. The incredibly wacky mad scientist is still a part of his essence, but that’s all it is, a singular part of the whole Okabe. His moments of compassion beforehand are only glimpses to his true self, and it’s not until his smokescreen is blown away when we are left with a near-painfully kind individual that longs to form bonds with others. At the heart lies a lonely man who finds difficulty in expressing himself, and when push comes to shove he can be deadly serious and sombre. The juxtaposition between his former idiosyncratic self and this broken man now is so brilliantly written that watching it all unfold hits hard, coming across a lot more empathetic and, dare I say relatable than what most people are comfortable coming to terms with. Pushing him so far down a desolate, agonizing state made him realize his disguise and reminded him what he really cares about most, urging him to rise against adversity and be the hero he needs to be, leaving viewers to experience one of the most suspenseful arcs in all of anime.

When looking at the technical side of Steins;Gate, there’s something alluring with the art used: striking character designs with uncanny, intimidating eyes and stark textures comes off expressive and engaging. Coupled with a high contrast, sterile pallet that adds to sci-fi and mystery elements, often giving a grounded, dreary feel that somehow manages to compliment the numerous antics taking place on screen. Speaking of, there’s a clear understanding of camera placement and shot composition present throughout, almost always feeling as though viewers are in Okabe’s head. The cinematography and lighting is used to maximum effect, never relying on animation to keep the story moving forward. The animation used is solid, but not particularly noteworthy and cannot compete with some of the best animation of its year, though this is never a problem as the overall presentation does a splendid job capturing the bleak setting with muted colour schemes and easily transitions between different atmospheres.

Regarding the sound, Steins;Gate always manages to hit the right notes at the right times. The soundtrack composed of piano pieces that when used consistently helped increase the impact of the emotional and powerful moments, with both “Gate of Steiner” and “Believe Me” standout tracks that were always a pleasure to listen to. But nothing compares to the anime’s opening, “Hacking to the Gate”, an iconic theme with some of the best use of concise animation, symbolism and subtle foreshadowing in recent memory, bound to get even the deaf excited for the show. The ED’s used are also very well done in their own right, but nothing is going to come close to matching the sheer hype of the OP. The voice-acting for both subbed and dubbed versions are outstanding, most notably for the main character, matching the witty dialogue with a magnetic tone and range that is rarely found in the medium. The only issue with the English dub is the slight changes in the script that can negatively impact on the immersion, but with a series like this I highly doubt that would be a problem for most.

Steins;Gate is like a puzzle that slowly and methodically comes together over the course of its run, combining pieces of a great time travel tale with gripping drama to bring us something special, doing so with grand flourish. Looking back there certainly are issues and flaws apparent, but they aren’t enough to stop the wonderful ride Steins;Gate takes you on: a journey filled with all sorts of emotions and intrigue that is nearly unmatched. What started as pure innocuous curiosity ultimately came down to Okabe having to choose between the two people he cares about most where he’s left with an impossible decision, making for an incredibly tragic climax. The ending does cheapen this highpoint and is poorly constructed compared to the rest of the runtime, but personally I feel Okabe and the series in general deserved the kind of conclusion it got – the true end emphasizing that getting what you want always comes with a level of sacrifice, but by enduring such, you have the power the overcome any obstacle in your way.

~ Everyone has Reading Steiner. Even if the worldline changes. Even if the past and the future are rewritten. Your memories remain. You've merely forgotten. All it takes is a push, and you can remember. The memories of those lost three weeks. The memories we made together. "Welcome back, my assistant, Makise Kurisu -- no, Christina." I reach into my pocket and take out the last pin. Nobody knows what the future holds. And that is why, just as this reunion demonstrates, the possibilities are endless. I place this pin in Kurisu's hand. I gently close her hand in mine. And, holding back my tears, I tell her... "This is the choice of Steins Gate." ~