Written by: Kevin Berge
Not pictured: every other version of these characters over the many timelines. (Image Courtesy of: rhapsodistreviews.wordpress.com)
Time travel is a tricky concept. The best tales can get cluttered in its machinations. Those that can navigate it leave behind a story that takes many watching and dissections to truly understand. Many of the most adept are those who just flow with the idea and never look back.
On the lists of greatest anime, I have often found the name Steins;Gate, but I'll be honest in that I was skeptical. Anime has never been a format driven by grand concepts. In fact, most anime takes the most basic themes possible and pushes them to the max.
When I recently Erased, another time travel story in a sense, it was clear time travel was never a great factor in that story, just a catalyst. Steins;Gate though was meant to be the ultimate scientific exploration of time travel, driven by its own conception of the butterfly effect and alternate realities.
On the lists of greatest anime, I have often found the name Steins;Gate, but I'll be honest in that I was skeptical. Anime has never been a format driven by grand concepts. In fact, most anime takes the most basic themes possible and pushes them to the max.
When I recently Erased, another time travel story in a sense, it was clear time travel was never a great factor in that story, just a catalyst. Steins;Gate though was meant to be the ultimate scientific exploration of time travel, driven by its own conception of the butterfly effect and alternate realities.
Concept and Set-Up
In 2010 Tokyo, "mad scientist" Rintaro "Houoin Kyouma" Okabe is working on a time machine with hacker Itaru "Daru" Hashida and his close friend Mayuri Shiina when he accidentally triggers a time jump with an email from his phone. Spurred on by this discovery and with the help of neuroscientist Kurisu "Christina" Makise, Okabe begins sending "D-mails" to the past and changing time.
At first, the move seems harmless, but the slow changes add up to radical shifts in time as Okabe must not only face the consequences of shifting the timeline which are widespread and personal but also the threat of SERN, a corporation hell-bent on using his time travel technology to gain global power.
At first, the move seems harmless, but the slow changes add up to radical shifts in time as Okabe must not only face the consequences of shifting the timeline which are widespread and personal but also the threat of SERN, a corporation hell-bent on using his time travel technology to gain global power.
Never have mad scientists been more diverse. (Image Courtesy of: alphacoders.com)
Story Arc Analysis
***This is the one section of the review that directly addresses heavy plot details of the anime, and it will do so with many spoilers for a series that is driven by twists and turns. Those who have not seen the anime should skip ahead to the Impact and Art Style section.***
D-Mail Experiments (Ep 1-10): This anime feels fairly standard early on, moving slowly with likable characters but with no clear driving direction. This fun is a welcome distraction once you get to the meat of the anime, but it may cause some to turn away off the bat.
Basically this sets up the characters. Okabe's put-on madness, Mayuri's honest friendliness, Daru's perviness, and Kurisu's inquisitive skepticism are all on display with even the supporting well fleshed out. It is a nice character introduction even if the concept takes a while to get off the ground.
SERN and The Mayuri Loop (Ep 11-16): You rarely get a jump in tone this jarring that feels earned, but this was intensely appropriate. After ten episodes of slow fun with hint upon hint of repercussions, the full appearance of SERN introduces a brutal edge with fate playing a cruel factor with Mayuri's deaths.
There is no more vicious and cruel moment in this anime than these episodes where the viewer is forced to watch Okabe as he watches Mayuri die again and again, losing his mind in the endless loop of failed attempts to save her.
This section also includes the reveal that Suzuha Amane is not only a time traveler but also worked under the alias of John Teeter. Plus she's Daru's daughter. While none of these revelations are completely shocking, they are well built and effective, adding more weight to her character especially when she travels back again and fails her mission.
Retracting D-Mails (Ep 17-21): At this point, the anime is moving at a blistering pace, perhaps even too fast, as Okabe goes from lab member to lab member and must undo their D-mails to save Mayuri. While there are fun moments, this keeps a steady pull of action throughout. My only complaint is the use of Mr. Braun as a SERN operative which is a bit too convenient while then being quickly discarded as the timeline resets.
It also introduces the final vicious consequence, a reminder that time cannot be meddled with lightly. Okabe must face a crossroads. On one hand, Mayuri will always die at the end of the day. On the other, he resets the timeline and returns to the moment that Mayuri died after finally realizing he loves her.
Romance is a constant in anime, but this is a true tearjerker. The two finally admit to their feelings just as they agree that Mayuri must die. It is strong storytelling that makes these sappy moments so effective.
Returning to the Original Timeline (Ep 22-25): And so the story ends at the beginning, returning not just to the original timeline but the original setting of the first episode. It is an expected move from a time travel story but nonetheless effective, returning to the scene of a crime that felt oddly overlooked for so long.
It wouldn't be Steins;Gate though without a final painful twist as Okabe tries to save Kurisu from her own father and accidentally kills her himself. A truly brutal storyteller might have ended with this final gut punch.
Instead, it opens up Okabe to a message from his future self who show him how to fake the death of Kurisu and save her with Kurisu remembering everything upon contact with Okabe once more. In the end, we are given a happy ending which is far too satisfying to complain about even if it feels a bit convenient.
There is an alternate ending to the anime that shows what happens to Okabe if he cannot find a way to save Kurisu which makes more sense but is depressing.
Movie: The film is not just important but fairly essential to the series, tying up the primary loose end in the series by addressing the effect on Okabe's mental state. It is an excellent 90 minutes that does the anime justice and lets Kurisu take the main character role for much of the time which is a welcome change.
D-Mail Experiments (Ep 1-10): This anime feels fairly standard early on, moving slowly with likable characters but with no clear driving direction. This fun is a welcome distraction once you get to the meat of the anime, but it may cause some to turn away off the bat.
Basically this sets up the characters. Okabe's put-on madness, Mayuri's honest friendliness, Daru's perviness, and Kurisu's inquisitive skepticism are all on display with even the supporting well fleshed out. It is a nice character introduction even if the concept takes a while to get off the ground.
SERN and The Mayuri Loop (Ep 11-16): You rarely get a jump in tone this jarring that feels earned, but this was intensely appropriate. After ten episodes of slow fun with hint upon hint of repercussions, the full appearance of SERN introduces a brutal edge with fate playing a cruel factor with Mayuri's deaths.
There is no more vicious and cruel moment in this anime than these episodes where the viewer is forced to watch Okabe as he watches Mayuri die again and again, losing his mind in the endless loop of failed attempts to save her.
This section also includes the reveal that Suzuha Amane is not only a time traveler but also worked under the alias of John Teeter. Plus she's Daru's daughter. While none of these revelations are completely shocking, they are well built and effective, adding more weight to her character especially when she travels back again and fails her mission.
Retracting D-Mails (Ep 17-21): At this point, the anime is moving at a blistering pace, perhaps even too fast, as Okabe goes from lab member to lab member and must undo their D-mails to save Mayuri. While there are fun moments, this keeps a steady pull of action throughout. My only complaint is the use of Mr. Braun as a SERN operative which is a bit too convenient while then being quickly discarded as the timeline resets.
It also introduces the final vicious consequence, a reminder that time cannot be meddled with lightly. Okabe must face a crossroads. On one hand, Mayuri will always die at the end of the day. On the other, he resets the timeline and returns to the moment that Mayuri died after finally realizing he loves her.
Romance is a constant in anime, but this is a true tearjerker. The two finally admit to their feelings just as they agree that Mayuri must die. It is strong storytelling that makes these sappy moments so effective.
Returning to the Original Timeline (Ep 22-25): And so the story ends at the beginning, returning not just to the original timeline but the original setting of the first episode. It is an expected move from a time travel story but nonetheless effective, returning to the scene of a crime that felt oddly overlooked for so long.
It wouldn't be Steins;Gate though without a final painful twist as Okabe tries to save Kurisu from her own father and accidentally kills her himself. A truly brutal storyteller might have ended with this final gut punch.
Instead, it opens up Okabe to a message from his future self who show him how to fake the death of Kurisu and save her with Kurisu remembering everything upon contact with Okabe once more. In the end, we are given a happy ending which is far too satisfying to complain about even if it feels a bit convenient.
There is an alternate ending to the anime that shows what happens to Okabe if he cannot find a way to save Kurisu which makes more sense but is depressing.
Movie: The film is not just important but fairly essential to the series, tying up the primary loose end in the series by addressing the effect on Okabe's mental state. It is an excellent 90 minutes that does the anime justice and lets Kurisu take the main character role for much of the time which is a welcome change.
So innocent, so happy. She's doomed. (Image Courtesy of: youtube.com)
Impact and Art Style
Steins;Gate is a fairly recent anime yet has already taken a place among the best of the format due to impeccable storytelling. It is exactly the right length and take apart and puts together its story threads in such a way that everything feels right by the end. It is a showcase of time travel in stories, a puzzle coming together.
Dealing with loss, consequences, and fate, it is a dark and often disturbing ride, but it never becomes too bleak to set down. The fundamental question being asked is: how do we justify meddling with time? Are we looking to do something new, change a mistake, save a life, gain a better future?
Each side is explored, and they all come together as equally problematic. No matter what the reasoning, the result will always be the same, bringing about new consequences. It is never worth it, thus the ultimate goal is to simply undo what has been done.
While the art is mostly solid throughout, the close-up pained shots of Okabe's face are not pretty images, looking oddly contorted to the point of being macabre. There were likely ways to better draw him to not look so opposed to the rest of the anime.
Dealing with loss, consequences, and fate, it is a dark and often disturbing ride, but it never becomes too bleak to set down. The fundamental question being asked is: how do we justify meddling with time? Are we looking to do something new, change a mistake, save a life, gain a better future?
Each side is explored, and they all come together as equally problematic. No matter what the reasoning, the result will always be the same, bringing about new consequences. It is never worth it, thus the ultimate goal is to simply undo what has been done.
While the art is mostly solid throughout, the close-up pained shots of Okabe's face are not pretty images, looking oddly contorted to the point of being macabre. There were likely ways to better draw him to not look so opposed to the rest of the anime.
Sub vs. Dub
Steins;Gate has an incredible English dub, and I don't use that word lightly. The interplay of J. Michael Tatum (Sgt. Frog) and Trina Mishimura (Attack on Titan) as Okabe and Makise carries an emotional weight that makes the anime stronger.
The supporting cast all lend emotion to the roles often missing in English dubs with an incredibly memorable performance by Cherami Leigh (Fairy Tail) late in the season. While this was already going to solid as it was a dub through Funimation, this is one of those English dubs that elevates the material.
The only issue is that the anime relies heavily on text messages which are in Japanese, and these are not translated in the straight dubbed versions with missing English explanations as well.
Recommendation: Dub
The supporting cast all lend emotion to the roles often missing in English dubs with an incredibly memorable performance by Cherami Leigh (Fairy Tail) late in the season. While this was already going to solid as it was a dub through Funimation, this is one of those English dubs that elevates the material.
The only issue is that the anime relies heavily on text messages which are in Japanese, and these are not translated in the straight dubbed versions with missing English explanations as well.
Recommendation: Dub
Every other character has interesting stories throughout. Daru is just the pervy guy. (Image Courtesy of: avvesione.wordpress.com)
Conclusion
I expected to like Steins;Gate, but it ended up flooring me. It is some of the strongest science fiction I have watched or read in years. The intelligence on display within each episode and the connective tissue at its core make this a series that far surpasses just the label of good anime.
Some of the characters can come off as odd. Their defining characteristics are grating. However, each action they take is based on who they are, and they change through those actions. By the end, everyone stands out and feels real, defined more by what they have chosen to do than what they were at first.
This is a tale of romance and heartbreak, friendships grown and shattered. It has mystery and suspense, violence and comedy. It may not be made for everyone due to its complexity, but it has something in it to please everyone with each piece fitting together.
Anime at its best is pure freedom of storytelling. With a focus on animation yet a mature focus, it may be the most open and free form of entertainment out there. Steins;Gate proves that by telling a story that is effective on so many levels without ever resorting to tropes or overstaying its welcome. It is one of the true masterpieces of the medium.
Some of the characters can come off as odd. Their defining characteristics are grating. However, each action they take is based on who they are, and they change through those actions. By the end, everyone stands out and feels real, defined more by what they have chosen to do than what they were at first.
This is a tale of romance and heartbreak, friendships grown and shattered. It has mystery and suspense, violence and comedy. It may not be made for everyone due to its complexity, but it has something in it to please everyone with each piece fitting together.
Anime at its best is pure freedom of storytelling. With a focus on animation yet a mature focus, it may be the most open and free form of entertainment out there. Steins;Gate proves that by telling a story that is effective on so many levels without ever resorting to tropes or overstaying its welcome. It is one of the true masterpieces of the medium.