Steins;Gate
Anime Psychological Thrillers might not be for every age group and audience, but there are probably no better picks for more mature audiences who revel in these genres. Some brain power needs to be invested for the maximum entertainment from these series, but it will be well spent.
The twists, turns, sudden reveals, and split personalities are always entertaining in good anime, especially if it is binge-watched. Even among the best of this type, a select few have their titles well-renowned globally; these can be recommended to almost any anime fan.
Steins;Gate is a 24 episode TV anime series that aired from the 6th of April until the 14th of September as a Spring 2011 anime. It features Sci-Fi, Psychological, Drama, and Thriller with a PG-13 rating for Teenagers 13 years or older.
The series was produced collectively by Frontier Works, Media Factory, Movic, AT-X, Kadokawa Pictures Japan, and Nitroplus, licensed by Funimation and brought to life by Studio White Fox. The primary staff behind the anime include Iwasa Gaku (Producer), Yasuda Takeshi (Producer, Planning), Hamasaki Hiroshi (Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation), and Satou Takuya (Director, Episode Director, Storyboard).
Steins;Gate is based on the source Visual Novel of the same title. The anime is based on 5pb. and Nitroplus' visual novel of the same title, released in 2009.The STEINS;GATE Manga is a 3 volume series that ran from September 26th, 2009 to July 27th, 2013 by Author Nitroplus and Artist Sarachi Yomi, serialized by Comic Alive.
Additionally, there are 4 Alternative setting anime series titled ChäoS;HEAd, Robotics;Notes, ChäoS;Child and Occultic;Nine. A sequel anime Special episode was released in 2012, titled Steins;Gate: Oukoubakko no Poriomania (Steins;Gate: Egoistic Poriomania).
Another 4 episode ONA series was released in 2014 titled Steins;Gate: Soumei Eichi no Cognitive Computing. Lastly, there is an Alternative version of the main series, known as Steins;Gate: Kyoukaimenjou no Missing Link - Divide By Zero, which is a single episode SPecial, released in 2015. This single episode is an alternate Episode 23 of Steins;Gate, which leads into the story of Steins;Gate 0, an alternative sequel series, spanning 23 episodes.
The story of Steins;Gate revolves around the self-proclaimed “mad scientist” protagonist named Rintarou Okabe. He rents out a certain room in a rundown rickety old building in Akihabara, of all places, where he proceeds to indulge himself in his strange hobby of inventing prospective "future gadgets." His two fellow laboratory members, Mayuri Shiina, his air-headed childhood friend, and Hashida Itaru, a peculiar perverted hacker nicknamed "Daru'' for short.
The three of them pass their time idly by tinkering with their most promising contraption so far; a machine called the "Phone Microwave.” This strange contraption performs the weird function of morphing bananas into piles of green gel….
The phenomenon itself is kind of miraculous, but it does not provide anything solid or concrete for Okabe, who is on the hunt for nothing less than a scientific breakthrough. This is what they think, at least, until the trio is spurred into immediate action via a string of mysterious events, which eventually lead to them stumbling upon the unexpected success and breakthrough that is the Phone Microwave! This ridiculous device can send emails into the past, thus altering the flow of history itself.
This series, adapted from the critically acclaimed visual novel, takes protagonist Okabe right through the very depths of scientific theory and its practicality. He is forced across the diverging and converging threads of the past and present, shouldering the heavy burdens that come along with holding the very key to the fabric of time.
“No one knows what the future holds. That’s why its potential is infinite,” this simple theme makes this anime such an excellent watch. Steins;Gate is a time-traveling story, beloved by many fans, and is well worth its praise. It is a unique concept with almost no competitors in what it offers to its watchers.
The Story of Steins;Gate is centered around Okabe Rintarou, a “mad scientist” who spends his time researching in his laboratory with Mayuri and Daru. Now and then, they invent slightly futuristic gadgets, which aren’t really worth mentioning.
The initial episodes may seem like a typical general Slice of Life/Comedy anime. Once the Phone Microwave takes the stage, though, its ability to send text messages through time changes everything, as the messages sent to the past end up having a significant impact on the present. Okabe then learns of an evil organization called SERN and their cruel ways, and he is left with no choice but to use time traveling methods to keep from getting captured and stop their plans. From this point on, the Sci-Fi thriller part of the series flares up.
The story then becomes fascinating and quite complex, blowing viewers’ minds with each episode. The execution is perfect, and there are no typical tropes at play in this series. The plot is well thought out, featuring several jumps in time that won’t cause any confusion and keeps the viewers’ attention centered.
The pacing may seem ragged at first, but it eventually tones down into perfection. The vast mystery of the series is unveiled piece by piece, working its way towards a satisfactory ending. The Story and plot are unprecedented pieces of art and will not lose their luster for years to come, if not ever.
The Characters of Steins;Gate are just fantastic, orthodox, but they suit the anime perfectly. The characters are written so well that their uniqueness illuminates them, and viewers are drawn to them. They all have their own likable and recognizable traits, which are well defined from the onset. Makise Kurisu is the tsundere, Daru is the nerd and Mayuri the childish girl. Kurisu, in particular, can be very charming in a short amount of time. There isn’t much in the way of character development, but this is not a bad thing as it isn’t essential.
The plot is the highlight, and it ought to be witnessed in its full glory. Okabe, however, shows some character development; his subtle changes as the episodes progress are noteworthy. The events occurring around him force him to change, and this is for the better. The development itself is handled well, with a very realistic feel to it. This feeling of realism applies to all the characters in general and makes the story that much more compelling.
The Art and Animation of Steins;Gate feels quite lacking, unfortunately. The series isn’t on a big budget to begin with, and thus this aspect is underwhelming. Regardless, the art is not bad and is decent enough to watch without robbing anything from the epic story.
The art performs so well in portraying the atmosphere and themes of the anime, and the art style simply feels more realistic. The animation follows a similar pattern and isn’t necessarily bad. The character designs do a great job in portraying the character’s personalities and themes as well.
The Sounds and Music of Steins;Gate is made well. The audio is excellent and sounds decent overall. The voice acting is perfect, suiting each character so well.
The OSTs are great as well. A few scenes feel like they could've been better with more proficient use of the music, but still, this aspect isn’t necessarily bad in the anime.
The Opening theme is "Hacking to the Gate" by Kanako Itou and the Ending themes are "Toki Tsukasadoru Juuni no Meiyaku" by Yui Sakakibara, "Fake Verthandi" by Takeshi Abo, "Sky Clad no Kansokusha" by Kanako Itou and "Another Heaven" by Kanako Itou.
Steins;Gate is an almost perfect series. Getting into it may be difficult, but viewers will be hooked once the story gets going. It will be difficult to stop watching at this point, and before one realizes it, the satisfying ending will be upon them.
The plot is set up engagingly, with excellent execution, that each episode will leave viewers craving what happens next. This is a must-watch anime for Sci-Fi fans. Steins;Gate is a series that can hook almost any anime fan, perhaps even non-anime fans. It’s good enough even to warrant a rewatch; this is a highly recommended anime.
