Steins:Gate (2011)

[PictureGuy]

Time is relative. With that in mind, welcome to the world of Steins;Gate.

Welcome also to the Future Gadgets Laboratory, run by Okabe, a self-proclaimed mad scientist out to rule the world. Well, not really. Okabe is actually a man-child living in a fantasy of his own creation. His primary interest is the study of time travel, assisted by world class hacker Itaru, and a cute, innocent cosplaying childhood friend Mayuri. Eventually they are joined by girl scientist and skeptic Kurisu. And so we have the key team members set. Others join in later.

Now for the key to the story. Okabe accidentally breaks the time barrier when he sends off an e-mail to the past. Continuous experiments confirm his findings, but each time a message is sent the present changes. Okabe is the only one who notices these changes.

This is all played out against the backdrop of the various character relationships. Of all of these, the one between Okabe and Kurisu draws most of our attention. They are opposites. They seem to have nothing in common. They are drawn together. They fight. All this gives the series a light-hearted tone – until a corporate villain is introduced and tragedy strikes.

Half-way through the series, it gets dark as Okabe tries to undo the path leading up to tragic events. He begins to lose himself in the process. The switchover is actually handled poorly and is almost laughable at one point. But after the stage is set for the second half of the series, it gets intensely interesting as the story gets a second wind. Will Okabe be able to decide who lives and who dies? Will he let history move towards a war which destroys billions of lives just to save the one he loves? Okabe’s soul and mind are at stake. Once you think the story ends, well. . . .

I really liked most of the characterizations. You can’t help but love the childlike Mayuri. Okabe is a one-man insane asylum, at least for the first half. Kurisu is always logical, but you can read her hidden emotions. The only character which I did not go for was Itaru. Itaru is a stereotype. He is genius, but also a fat nerd with a manga harem. We have seen him much too often before. There is nothing interesting about Itaru.

Outside of the mid-story switch from a comedy-adventure to a dark mind-f***, the narrative flows freely without breaking stride. Multiple plot twists, not all of which are connected to traveling between time streams, keep your attention. The artwork and animation are well done, but not groundbreaking. There is some profanity and a bit of blood.

Despite a flaw here and there, overall I enjoyed Steins;Gate. It successfully covers a variety of sub-genres; sci-fi, romance, mystery, slapstick, and so one. Steins;Gate would seem to have a wide appeal. I think most will find something to like in it.

[PictureGuy]

After all these years (have I really been here since at least 2016?), I just enjoyed re-watching Steins; Gate. I won't go over everything again. I just want to mention a few things which I view differently than I did when I posted the review above.

There were a lot of details I forgot, though the twists and turns I well remember. So there were no surprises for me. Still I find the series suspenseful.

I am a bit more sympathetic to the character Itaru, better known as Daru. I now see him as essential to the plot, and as a straight man to Okabe in the first half of the series.

Previously I saw Okabe's attempts to save Mayuri to be over done to the point of unintentionally becoming dark humor. But now I think that part of the story-line was done better than I thought before. I had forgotten how intricate these attempts had become.

Finally, one negative. What the heck was the final episode about? Was it intended as a bonus episode for the DVD? I don't think so. Episode 25 had the perfect ending for the series. Okabe and Kurisu are reunited, but we don't know for sure what happens next. We are to use our imagination.

But episode 26 shows us what happens next. They all end up in California on a trip which has nothing to do with the rest of the series. Okabe and Kurisu are driving each other insane. The only thing added is we meet Suzuha's mother, which really does nothing for the story either.

Still, it was fun watching the series again. Will things end happily? Only time will tell -- over and over again.

[Basara1]

What do you mean by episode 26? The series has 24 episodes + 1 special (no. 25).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...;Gate_episodes

[PictureGuy]

I counted 26 on the DVD.

[Basara1]

And which one is it exactly according to this Wikipedia list?

[PictureGuy]

And which one is it exactly according to this Wikipedia list?

The last one? 25 or 26. Who cares?

There is a second season coming out -- 10 years after the original. That's got to be some kind of record. We should be talking about that!