I dont really know where to start, because I must admit, that I am a bit torn about this Anime. Dont get me wrong, I really liked Steins;Gate and I had a nice time watching it. It does a lot of things really good, but others werent really something for me and I must say, that I expected something a bit different. But I will try to make my point clear.

This show is about the mad scientist Okabe and his crew of the Future Gadget Laboratory, where they develop "futuristic gadgets". One day Okabe realizes, that out of nowhere his surroundings changed a bit and he is haunted by false memories that nobody else has or has experienced differently and there are even more drastic changes he discovers. So they come to the conclusion, that one of the gadgets they created is actually a time machine. So they try to figure out more about it and how they can use it and this is where everything starts.

The first little problem I have with this anime is the pacing... The beginning is really slow and the first 3 episodes are really confusing which makes it hard to get into it, because you can not tell what is going on. After it, it gets clearer but still, the pacing is really slow and I thing only around episode 9 or 10 the plot really picks up. I get that you some time to set up the complex concept of time travel but still, there should have been something to make the beginning interesting so people stick to it.

Next the characters. I must say that I did like them, but they could have been better. Okabe is a fantastic character and something you dont see often. He has some special personality traits and was often good for a laugh. Also all of the other characters are nice, cute, funny and bring something to the world, because all of them are unique and special. And it is nice to see how they all interact wich each and how different the relations between everybody are. But my problem with them is, that most of them are mostly one dimensional and bland personalities without character development and without a real backround to give them more depth for their motivations. They simply dont seem like real persons to me and are more like figures that fullfill a typical stereotype. Of course are their exceptions and some characters do get a better treatment. But even if some of the characters are sometimes a bit annoying and stupid I did enjoy them and they do play their part in the story.

So the focus on this anime is definitly on the story and on the time travel elements. And time travel is something simple to do in the first step, but to bring everything to a conclusion in the end is something different as you can see on a lot of different time travel movies or shows where the ending doesnt really fit, with a lot of problems caused by the time travels and paradoxes which leave you behind with a lot of unanswered questions and with an unsatisfying feeling. So kudos to Steins;Gate, because everything was maped out really good and in the ending everything does make sense I believe and you are not left alone with unanswered questions and paradoxes which you need to understand by youself. The time travel rules in this universe are a bit complicated as I think. They do get explained multiple times and get expanded a bit, but the first time I didnt really get it and thought they are stupid. But ok, it is part of this universe and it makes sense in the context of the plot. But i expected a bit more from it, I must admit. I really thought we would see a lot of time travel moments to different time periods but there wasnt really as much time travel action as I had hoped for. But still what they did with it was really good and I did enjoy it because it was something different that played with a ideas of changing the past and the effects it has on the world.

And the ending was really good as I think. How I said, you are not left alone with unanswered questions and paradoxes but you really get a emotional ending which makes sense after everything that has happened.

So I can definitly recommend to give it a try and you should definitly bring some time with you, because you should watch at least the first 3 episodes in one sitting to realize what this is all about.