Welcome back to another edition of our weekly recommendation series. The anime we are talking about this week is one of my first animes and it is the 2nd VN I ever played. So yes, it is pretty close to my heart and I still love it to this day. As a science nerd, this anime is just that much more interesting to me. It is definitely one of the most detailed and realistic sci-fi animes.
You have read the title; you know we are talking about Steins Gate this week. It is my favorite sci-fi anime and even objectively speaking, the anime is great. I have lots of stuff to say about it so let’s just get into the details already.
Introduction
It is based on the VN of the same name and takes place in the same universe as Chaos Head. This anime aired from 6th April 2011 to 14th September 2011. It’s prequel/sequel Steins Gate 0 aired from 12th April 2018 to 28th September 2018. It has a total of 47+1 episodes to watch if I put aside the spin-off stuff and the movies. There is this 1 special episode that came out in 2015 to promote the Steins Gate 0 VN you need to watch after completing 24 episodes of it before you can proceed to watch Steins Gate 0.
The special episode basically acts as an alternate version of the 23rd episode of this anime. Dubbed as episodes “23b”; this special acts as a bridge between Steins Gate and Steins Gate 0. If it wasn’t clear already, don’t bother with Steins Gate 0 before you are done with all 24+1 episodes of it. It sounds complicated but, put simply watch Steins Gate>the special>Steins Gate 0. So let’s get into more details.
Plot
Oh my god, it is going to be so hard to describe the plot of Steins Gate in such a short space. I mean just look at the introduction section, it is about twice as big as what I write already. It is basically about this self-proclaimed scientist, Okabe Rintaro trying his best to save his friends from dying in various ways. Kind of like Re: Zero but more science-based and kind of realistic.
All the time travel theories and stuff mentioned in Steins Gate is firmly based on reality. A lot of research went into all that before writing this. The anime doesn’t explain stuff as well as the VN does but, there are still a lot of complicated things to digest in it. Of course, it comes with all the added complications of parallel timelines and stuff. This anime is a science nerd’s wet dream without being completely boring to the people who aren’t into science as much.
Characters
Steins Gate seriously has great characters. Everyone is so well written and they act/react in such natural ways it’s amazing. Rintaro himself is really well written, he’s a severe chunni on the surface but when he is serious, you can see just how deeply he cares for his friends. Despite all that he has experienced, it is amazing how he doesn’t get annoying. Subaru gets a little annoying from time to time for me (I still love the Re: Zero though) but, Rintaro doesn’t.
Animations and Soundtracks
It has amazing animations. The studio did a great job in capturing the unique art style of the VN into the anime. The first season of Steins Gate came out all the way back in 2011 but, its animations still hold today. Speaking of soundtracks, I absolutely love all the opening themes. I still vibe to those openings today. In fact, the idea for this article came when I was randomly listening to one of the openings.
Why you should watch Steins Gate?
Quick pointers on why you should check out Steins Gate:
- Complex storyline
- Really detailed science explanations
- Great characters
- Awesome opening themes
- Great animations
Conclusion
That is it for now. Let me know your thoughts in the comments. It is a great anime man; I really recommend checking it out. With that said, I will take my leave here. See ya!
