After weeks of time-traveling tragedy, I can breath a sigh of relief as Steins;Gate reaches its much deserved happy ending…
Steins;Gate’s most notable trait is probably how deceivingly mild the plot is in its first half only to shift to utter suspense and tragedy in its latter half. The first 11.5 episodes are more or less about a group of friends who build an amateur time machine that allows them to send text messages back in time (called D-mails). Led by the eccentric, self-proclaimed mad scientist Rintarou Okabe, he and his gang of lab members end up sending D-mails to alter the pasts (and ultimately the futures) of a few choice individuals upon their requests. Sprinkled with witty banter and otaku and scientific inside jokes, the first half of Steins;Gate almost seems more like a slice-of-life comedy than a mystery and sci-fi show. However, there is frequent hinting at something darker behind the scenes.
It’s not until the end of episode 12 that the show’s true conflict is revealed in its full horror. Rintarou realizes that altering the past for seemingly harmless reasons has had a catastrophic affect on the future – which leads to the death of one of his beloved lab members, Mayuri. In subsequent episodes, Steins;Gate becomes “Endless Gate” as a despairing, guilt-ridden Rintarou goes back in time again and again trying to figure out a way to prevent Mayuri’s death. He continues to fail each time and plunges deeper into hopelessness until he realizes that his only choice is to start back at the original “beta” timeline before any D-mails had been sent. As he proceeds to time-travel further and undo each D-mail, resulting in much suffering and death for those involved, he finally succeeds, but with one last hurdle: at the start of the “beta” timeline (episode 1) he had accidentally stumbled upon the dead body of Kurisu, who becomes his lab member and eventual lover in the altered timeline after he sends the first D-mail. Returning to the original timeline would save Mayuri and the future, but would mean death for Kurisu. Rintarou’s final challenge is to figure out a way to not alter that event but to still save Kurisu.
Stories revolving around time-travel can be very tricky and I commend any creator who’s able to tell such a story with convincing and believable details. As I hope my above summary of Steins;Gate conveys, I’d say the series did an excellent job in creating a unique, unpredictable, and suspenseful sci-fi story that really seemed to have its complicated time-travel facts planned out from the get go. I know there were some inconsistencies and errors, but for the average viewer who isn’t sensitive to details, it all came together perfectly. Steins;Gate can certainly compete with Haruhi for constructing a very well thought out time-travel plot. Unpredictability was definitely the strongest point of the show for me as I could never guess what would happen next or how all the show’s conflicts, big and small, would be resolved.
The characters of Steins;Gate are as eccentric as the plot. Actually, just about all of the characters have at least one trait of “weirdness” – otaku Daru, “tutturu-ing” Mayuri, cat-girl waitress Feyris, cross-dresser Rukako, texting-obsessed Moeka, and of course, mad scientist Rintarou. With 24 episodes to work with, I think Steins;Gate has just the right amount of characters and time to develop each one. Each of the supporting characters (Feyris, Rukako, Moeka, Suzuha) had enough episodes focusing on them to develop, but without dragging on too long. Surprisingly, I feel it was actually the main characters, particularly Mayuri and Daru, who could have used a bit more backstory. All of the seiyuu did a great job, but obviously Mamoru Miyano as Rintarou had the widest range of emotions to express. From his humorous mad scientist boasting to his tragic lamenting, Rintarou went through the most out of all the characters and Miyano certainly did a good job. What I found particularly interesting is how the main plot focuses on Rintarou’s dedication to Mayuri and what he’s willing to go through in order to save her, yet we find out in the last few episodes that it’s Kurisu he truly loves. Once again the show has great unpredictability and does a fine job focusing on the feelings Rintarou has for both girls.
One thing I noticed in the visuals of Steins;Gate is how somber the colors are. When it’s not dealing with dark colors, the coloring scheme has an earthen-tone to it at the most. Even brighter colors like Feyris’ pink hair and Kurisu’ auburn hair don’t particularly stand out. Perhaps this choice of color hue is simply part of the show’s style as a mystery-laden sci-fi story.
All in all, I’d say that Steins;Gate’s only flaw is its slow start. The first eleven episodes offer a completely different impression, both in terms of plot and tone, than the rest of the episodes, and could thus turn away potential viewers. For those who stick with it regardless, the result of having a show that changes so drastically in its latter half is two-fold; either “wow, I couldn’t have predicted that!” or “what took them so long to get to the good stuff?” If you came to Steins;Gate looking for a serious and complex time-travel story, you’ll have to be patient. If you can derive some enjoyment from the clever humor and light tone of the early episodes in the meantime, I believe the wait is worth it for when the plot takes off and the show reveals its true potential. Steins;Gate starts in humor and mystery, plunges into tragedy and suspense, and concludes with a happy and very satisfying ending. The show definitely has a shot at making it into my top 5 anime of the year =D
For me, Mayuri and Daru were just token harem/VN characters, so I didn’t particularly mind that about their lack of screentime/development. Though it would’ve been nice to see more depth to them anyway.
My least favorite characters, besides Daru and Mayuri, are Feyris and Ruka. Though Feyris’ story wasn’t that bad. I would’ve had much more sympathy for her if she wasn’t so damn annoying nyan.
Okarin is undoubtedly one of Miyano Mamoru’s best roles to date; right up there with Light. Kudos to him.
I probably would’ve rated this higher if the first half went a little faster. But it still remains one of the only good VN adaptations I’ve seen. I was impressed at how everything in the first episode really came into play in the finale. Even with all of its flaws, I still like Steins;gate a lot, and I hope the movie will expand on the Kurisu-CERN stuff.
I’m not familiar with the original VN, but from what I’ve heard it’s a good adaptation. Maybe because it’s a sci-fi VN rather than a galgame one =P
But yes, Mamoru Miyano did a fantastic job as Rintarou. And I too hope that the movie expands more on CERN and other plot points from the future.
Never finished it but it sounds really good.
It is. Like I said, if you can make it to episode 12, I don’t see how your interest can’t be piqued after that ;)
Steins;Gate really is worth sticking with! The time travel aspect is well thought and executed and the characters make it really interesting, too. I’m thinking of checking out Robotics;Notes next as I’ve heard it’s got a similar feel? Can’t wait to see it!
Just marathoned it. AWeSOME.
Yes, awesome!
I agree with all your review, it was quite deceptive on the first episodes. The first episode was really mysterious and intriguing, and then it flips 180 and the next 10 are a wide range of funny/light episodes of people doing fun stuff. It actually threw me off quite a bit. Then the plot turns 180 again from 11 on, and it’s a really shocking and suspense-full anime.
Overall, loved it! I liked all the characters, they all fit fine into the story. The ending was good, the time travel theories were well thought out as well, so it made good sense. And the whole “fun trip goes bad” theme is not used very often in anime, so it’s good for a change of pace. Very enjoyable series.
You’re right that the first episode was more like that latter episodes in terms of being dark and mysterious. Episode 2 is when the first 180 starts, then again at episode 12. I’d even say another 180 would be in the last few episodes when the romance between Rintarou and Kurisu becomes apparent and he realizes the truth of what he saw in the first episode. As I said, Steins;Gate was all about being unpredictable to me and I’d say it succeeded ^_^
It’s pretty risky to write time travel story because you can come up with massive logic fails with little mistake. In this regard, I think Steins Gate is pretty well done. I have one complaint for the last time travel, last episode.
Didn’t they travel back once again without cancelling the previous travel? Because it has to happen, so that the future Okabe would have the vigor to make his own time machine -C204.
Because of this, shouldn’t there be THREE Okabe in the past?? But we only saw TWO. Okabe from the first time travel just.. disappeared.
I’m not good at following all the details so you may very well be right in pointing out this flaw. But for the average viewer who doesn’t read too much into it, I don’t think it was a glaring error. But yeah, overall Steins;Gate was well done even if it couldn’t get everything perfect =)
http://naomi.thewafflehouse.net/sg/wiki/index.php?title=Time_Machine#Time_Machine_C204
There you have it, though of course, it would be better if the anime has time to cover this instead of having us seeking this out by ourselves.
It actually seemed to be pretty straightforward to me that the advanced time machine they used at the end transferred your PHYSICAL FORM rather than just your memories like the first time machine did.
At the first impression, I thought this series was great, just brilliant. Not only in the sense, that it just fit my tastes, it seemed brilliant on an objective level. I then noticed, that there were some “killer features”, that were done just right in this series:
1) As you already pointed out, the radical twist in the middle of the series. The element contributing to the skyrocketed success of Madoka.
2) A lead male character that appealed to me as a representative of a male audience. The usual male lead is average and dull, because it’s easy for an average male fan to identify with him. A way-to-perfect lead would not appeal to me. Okabe is at the same time eccentric, strange enough and surrounded by otaku culture that I can identify myself with him, yet on the other hand, strong, energetic, doing world-changing stuff that matters – preventing a war, dystopia, death, even changing fate. The motive of altering fate is in my opinion the highest impact action used in fiction.
3) Original, trademark catchphrases: “tutturu”, “El Psy Congroo”, “flat is justice!”. Also, Dr. Pepper. This is a necessary condition for something to become nostalgic :-)
4) References to otaku culture, making it a kind of meta anime. As anime fan, this makes you feel like your fandom gets validated. Something I enjoyed already in OreImou.
Good list of Steins;Gate’s best qualities ^_^ I never thought of your #3, but yeah, stuff like that may be silly but it sticks in your head over time.
Begin Operation Rebound…
Okabe is unique that in a genre that is focused on female leads carrying a show/story, for once the main male lead is the focus and just about every other character is secondary. Yes Mayashii is the one he wants to save, but he becomes emotionally distant from her. Yes Kurisu is the person he grow dependant on, but she vanishes in 23 and at parts during other arcs. Okabe is the sole person that carries Steins;Gate through his wild speeches/inane banter/emotional decisions/hopelessness. You get to see progression from “I’m going to save her this time” to “I’ve seen her die so many times that I’ve lost count” gradually. The steady build-up through other arcs was a fantastic decision. He’s one of the best male leads I’ve seen. It’s a reason why you expanded so much on him in your review.
I agree that the build-up is incredibly weak and too long. If it wasn’t for that, the show would be much better off. Imagine what people would say if Madoka had that event happen in episode 6 instead of 3. That’s the biggest flaw I’ve seen, but it doesn’t detract too much. You just have to chug through it.
Very enjoyable near the end. Episode 22 is going on my list of “godly” episodes that few shows tend to have one of.
You’re right that Okabe alone carried the show – even though Mayuri and Kurisu were part of the main conflict, he pretty much had to settle everything on his own without interacting with them all that much. Because of this, we got to see his personality and emotions play through in all kinds of situations which enhanced his character greatly.
Yes, the build up in the early episodes was a tad too long. If it wasn’t for my enjoyment of the witty humor and few moments of foreshadowing I may have thought the series to be incredibly boring at that point.
It would seem that everyone, including Ultimatemegax have pretty much covered everything that I could say about Stein’s:Gate. I do want to add a few things.
1. Romance: I thought this was actually pretty well done in S:G. It was hinted that Okabe actually does have feelings for the Major Heroines beyond friendship, and that if Kurisu had not shown up (and produced the true end) he really could have had a thing with Mayushii. As it stands, the events that he had to go through to save her kept distancing himself from her. In fact, one might say that it was because he worked so frantically to do so that he lost the thing that tied them together. It could also be said that they were drifting apart anyway, but that comes down to perception (since you can chose to be with whomever you wish). Having read the VN stuff (and hopefully going to play it through soon) I think each of the minor romances are well done as well.
2. Okabe: He is one of the best, if not the best male lead I have seen in awhile. He is highly flawed, yet he is someone you want to pull for. I feel like his character was well voiced at all of the moments, and that we could really see the hopelessness he had gone through. He also didn’t always make the best, or wisest decisions, which given the situation he was in… well it makes sense.
3. The Big Damn Kiss: I felt this was also well played in both the awkwardness and heart racing moments of the situation. I have only seen one kiss that I thought was as good ( Toradora!), and I would even in some respects consider this one better.
4. Kurisu: I have to say that during the Big Damn Kiss episode, she stole my heart. I got a little starry eyed when she was comparing the kiss to relativity. It was a romantic moment that made me all warm inside, and the scientist inside cry a little bit. I also feel like her development arc was well played.
5. Cour 1: I think in retrospect, that it was as long as it needed to be. I would have enjoyed it more if we could see more of the background characters, but the eventual payoff was well worth the wait. I think it really showed us what we needed to see about everyone.
6. Time Travel: I think S:G did a great job with this, but since it used no less than three different methods of time manipulation, it could become a bit confusing. I am a fan of Doctor Who, and the best explanation is the timey wimey ball. The more you think about it, the less sense it makes.
7. VN: As an adaptation, S:G was great, unfortunately, a weakness appears in that you have to chose a route to adapt (usually the true end) and throw all other routes to the wayside. I feel like this hurts a lot of the other characters (who are interesting in their own right), but this is not something that can be avoided.
8. Animation: I feel like it was superb. Given that though, I still prefer the VN graphics (with the exception of Okabe and Mayushii). Something about them is more visually striking and appealing to me.
Overall, I think S:G is a great show, and well worth the watch. Given its flaws, I still think it deserved the high score that I gave it.
Thanks for sharing all your thoughts ^_^
I would like to comment on what you said about romance. You brought up a great point that perhaps because of all Okabe went through to save Mayuri, whatever romantic feelings he had for her more or less dissipated. Saving her became such an obsession for him that he couldn’t even look at her as a romantic interest anymore and began seeing her solely as a precious lab member he needed to protect. It was only after he was just about done with saving her that he was able to relax and realize his feelings for Kurisu. But yeah, I really liked the twist with it appearing that he’s in love with one girl but it ends up being another.
I would say that it really was not that much of a twist at all, but it was still enjoyable. Being a VN it can end any way you want. I think all of the alternate routes are suitable ends to the story of Stein’s:Gate
I don’t think that Okabe was ‘in love’ with Mayuri in that way. I think he loved her as someone he’s known forever as a close and intimate friend, but not in the way he was ‘in love’ with Kurisu.
Hi, my first comment here.
I’ll not lie. Steins;Gate brought me to tears several occasions. I concur that Steins;Gate made drastic changes after the eleventh episode. Going darker and more complex and sparkled lots of thoughts. What is Time and Time Perception? In all years we seen time travel as big machines enabling us to visit Past or Future. In SG they alter time with memories. As “messages” are small parts of information. We add more information to our brain each hours. What if time travel was nothing more then Memories send to your old self.
Was this really a happy ending? In the last episode Kurisa and Rintarou becomes friends and everyone survives.. in this time leap. We learn time travel creates time leaps, parallel worlds. In one parallel world You win the Lottery-6 and in others Muyari dies from a train collusion. A busty shy girl commit suicide inside a empty dark apartment. With broken soul. No Family. No friends. Being rejected by her last friend.. who talks only with text messages.. Or Feyris, the cat-girl, whose father tragically dies, and opens a Café to forget her sad heart.
The series filled with sad tales. Rintarou tale is by-far the worst. He neglects his emotions so much to fulfill the mission, he even says in the 22nd episode, that his best friend death doesn’t effect him anymore. Image to re-live and fail to save your best Friend life, again and again. And does her really re-live it. Like video game with endless continues until you’ve a mental meltdown.
One of the darkest animes I know of.
Have to disagree with other comments re: Mayuri and the other girls’ endings. The biggest issue I had with the visual novel was the fact that there was so much buildup for Kurisu, and so little romantic rationalisation for anyone else. This was particularly jarring for me in the case of Rukako, but also in Mayuri’s path – which honestly felt tacked on just to satisfy the imperatives of the visual novel medium. Okabe’s characterisation in both cases was wildly inconsistent.
In Rukako’s case, he had been steadfastly regarding Rukako as a guy, and a student, before spontaneously developing strong enough feelings for female-Rukako to justify abandoning his quest to save his childhood friend – all within the span of 2 days. In Mayuri’s case, he went from regarding her death with emotional detachment to developing romantic feelings for her within the same time frame. The fact that her ‘path’ barely deviated from Kurisu’s at all made things worse, since to make matters worse, Mayuri’s path was essentially unfinished, leaving events from the beginning of the game unaddressed, and the prospect of World War 3 still looming.
To all intents and purposes, the ending of every girl -except- Kurisu involved little more than the player deciding not to proceed with the plot, and bringing it to an abrupt conclusion. These girls ‘endings’ constitute little more than brief epilogues explaining the repercussions of the player’s decision, and whilst some of them are satisfying, the simple truth is none of them are complete or address the game’s underlying issues.
Bottom line is that the story is written with the Kurisu path as the only complete route – it’s the only one that answers all the series’ questions and brings its characters’ development to their logical conclusions.
yeah this ist AWESOME
never seen something interesting like that, especially after episode 12 ..
This show is incredibly awesome. In the first few shows it couldn’t really keep my attention and I didn’t watch it for a few months, but there were some really interesting characters and elements in the story that somehow brought me back to it.
An interesting thing to notice is that I just watched two ‘Into the Wormhole’ episodes about black holes and timetravelling before it came up in my mind to start watching the series again. The day before I also saw something related to black holes in ‘how the universe works’. A tip for everyone who want’s to understand a bit more about what Okabe and Kurisi talk about.
The story was really taking me away and when started again I just couldn’t leave it unwatched anymore. For this one to be succesfull I think every minute in the first 11 episodes of the series was needed to really appreciate everything that came up later.
PS: +1 for FooBar’s killer list :)