“The passage of time depends entirely on where you’re standing. Relative Theory... it’s so romantic. But it’s just so tragic too.” -Makise Kurisu

Seven years after the release of the original Steins;Gate, this sequel rises and sheds light on the events that took place behind the scenes. Yes, the very events that made the D-mail video towards the end of Steins;Gate possible. Just like the original entry, things seems to be developing slower than usual. And yet, a new air can be felt. One of stillness, as if time itself has ceased to progress, and the only things left are both pain and loneliness. Its in this world line that Okabe exists, and from here the events of Steins;Gate 0 begin. I was very skeptical at first to be honest, I didn’t know how such a complex plot could be even further explained. And even more, I was afraid that the sequel just wouldn’t measure up to the standards that the original had set. Within the first few episodes, my concerns were growing ever more as I wondered where the story was going with seemingly little progress. Out of nowhere though, the gloom and uncertainty of Okabes world is put to light, and things start to fall into place. Just like the original entry, this one just needed to warm up in order to go all out the whole way through. All of a sudden I found myself being even more immersed into the story and suspense I had once experienced before, and the nostalgia of it all gave the proceeding events even more power. It’s weakest points were also it’s strongest, because while the plot made for a deep and interesting storyline, it could easily and often leave you confused even if you’ve got a grasp on the original Steins;Gate. Let’s get on with the official scoring:

Art and Animation: 9.3/10

• While still providing realistic settings and unique character designs, this anime’s main focus was never this department. It definitely had powerful moments that resonated with past events, which had given the proper amount of emotion. But it had a few slip ups when it came to the art, scenes with far shots of people had sometimes shown character models that were somewhat lazily drawn with features that were too generic. There were also a few parts where their eyes were looking slightly opposite directions giving them a “chameleon face”. While enjoying the nonstop pace and thrill of this anime, this shouldn’t affect your overall viewing experience too much. These though are the only mistakes I could find, and in the big scope of things, were very few in number. While the color palette may seem bland and stale, I believe this was the intended effect. It had contributed to the overall mood and environment in order to create a world with an ominous and dark air.

Storyline and Character Progression: 10/10
-The very first anime to receive a perfect score in this department. The reason? Because of how flawless this anime was in clearing up the events of the prequel while staying accurate without any holes. With a plot using the “time travel” mechanic, it could’ve easily abused it to cover holes in the storyline, but not once did this happen. Granted, you may have to rewatch the series a few times and do some research to fully grasp the storyline, but that’s what made this anime so amazing in the first place. It’s storyline had a depth to it that had incorporated so many things, from thrills, to psychological, to romance, and drama. None of these elements felt like they were just thrown in, but they were given careful attention to detail. The storyline managed to have consistently fast pacing while also not feeling rushed. This gave viewers barely any time to breathe or recover from the last event or episode, which makes this series a truly bingeworthy anime. I couldn’t find anything wrong with this storyline, it was perfectly written and executed down to the very detail. It had given an entertaining watch, emotional impact, and professional execution. Truly one of the best sequels I’ve seen in a long time.

Audio and Soundtrack: 9.4/10

• This soundtrack had definitely added to the enjoyment of the experience. While the OP succeeds in being iconic and gives the anime even more energy, the real beauty of it lies in the animated scenes of the OP. The storytelling that it accomplishes through it’s OP alone is something to take note of. The added incorporation of soundtrack throughout the sequel was used sparingly as well. In ONLY key moments were touching or nostalgic tracks played, which added even more to the emotion or hype of the scene. I personally didn’t care too much for the ED, as it didn’t connect enough to the series for me. When introducing a wider vocal cast, the measure of quality didn’t drop at all. With even more emotional elements being in this sequel, the need for raw and earnest emotion to be expressed through the voice actors characters was needed. And every time, the emotion could be felt at these moments. No annoying cast, no awkward and out of place voice acting. It all fit as naturally as it could.

Overall, I personally feel like the entire Steins;Gate series deserves a 10/10, at the bare minimum a 9.7/10. I’ve yet to get a similar experience with a storyline to match the depth and thrill of Steins;Gate. With all of its elements and the way they’ve been executed, this anime is no doubt a masterpiece. In spite of its many strengths though, this anime did fall a bit short in the slightest of mistakes. Yes, the plot takes a while to develop just as it did previously, but the proceeding events make it long worth the while. I’d have no problem watching this anime even 3,000 times, because every rewatch reveals a slight detail that keeps you entertained. That’s why this anime deserves the score of 9.6/10. Hopefully this encourages those of you who’ve seen Steins;Gate to jump on its sequel, because I can guarantee that you’ll be satisfied with how well it was handled. A Masterpiece Series like Steins;Gate is hard to come by, so take full advantage of it an pd prepare yourself for one of the best storylines in all of the anime I’ve seen so far. Thanks so much for reading, and I’ll see you in the next one!