Time travel is a tricky topic, and many stories approach it differently. Often times, the mechanics behind the time travel is either left unexplained or filled with elaborate science talk that goes over the viewers head. Also brought on by time travel, is the problem of a story riddled with plot holes. Steins;Gate suffers, for the most part, from none of these aforementioned problems. The ways in which time travel functions and its limits aren't oversimplified yet are explained in a way that makes it both believable and easy to understand. During the run of the show, no plot holes were made apparent due to the use of time travel. The rules by which time travel must abide by are laid down early on and are followed throughout the course of the show. This, in itself, is a commendable feat and a fundamental part of what makes Steins;Gate what it is.



{ Story 10/10 } { Characters 8/10 } The story of Steins;Gate is very difficult to talk about without revealing too much about its plot. In the first half of the show, not much progression is actually made in the story. Despite frequently being under fire; however, I'd argue this part of the show was vital. It establishes important details regarding time travel, acclimates the viewer to the world, and develops the characters before jumping into the much more plot heavy second half of the show. Though it's well constructed, the time travel aspect of the show isn't what makes it truly intriguing. The driving force that makes the story so interesting is the characters and their interactions with each other, namely Okabe Rintarou and Makise Kurisu. Unable to truly describe him without spoilers, I'll simply say that Okabe's development throughout the series is phenomenally executed- from a man-child to a man. As for Makise, she serves as the perfect grounded character to contrast the rest of the rather strange cast of Steins;Gate. And the relationship between Okabe and Makise is very touching and enjoyable to watch. All of the characters in the relatively small cast have their time in the spotlight, though some of them did end up feeling a tad bland. Some of the nerdy/slightly-perverted things included in the show by the characters felt unnecessary, but are passable, as they're all 18 years old. The ordeals the main character, Okabe, is faced with, and his reactions to them are both amazingly well written and very emotional. Generally, I tend not to cry while consuming media, but Steins;Gate managed to invoke a feeling of sadness I'd never felt before from watching a show and left me bawling in many scenes. Without spoiling anything, it's worth mentioning that the ending is one of the most deeply satisfying and emotional I've seen in all of anime. Steins;Gate's story is an emotional roller coaster with some great characters that's well told and successfully uses time travel in a meaningful way without hurting the plot.

{ Art 7/10 } The art of a show is very important for me as it can often ruin an experience if it's not done right. Luckily, Steins;Gate's doesn't suffer from any such bad animation at nearly any point of the show. The unsaturated colors of the show add a bit of a darker and grittier feel and the character designs are well made. With that said though, the animation is nothing extraordinary. It manages to get the job done without any hiccups and conveys the story without problem, even if it's not the most beautiful thing anime has seen.



{ Sound 8/10 } Similarly to the story, and possibly to an even greater extent, the music of Steins;Gate doesn't get it's time to shine until later in the show. The soundtrack used in the second half of the show manages to carry an immense amount of emotion despite mainly being composed of piano notes alone. The implementation of the tracks is very well done, with them not being over used and are placed at the perfect times to produce the greatest possible emotional response. Likewise, the voice acting, at least of the sub, is phenomenal. All of the characters manage to sound genuine and execute their lines wonderfully.

{ Enjoyment 9/10 } I absolutely loved Steins;Gate when I watched it and I quickly binged the series in a couple of days. The enjoyment experienced when watching Steins;Gate isn't one of hype or even of pure joy, but rather it's a very sad and emotionally captivating experience. The many tears shed, the attachment to the characters, and the sheer desire for them to succeed and be happy is what makes this show so enjoyable to watch. Admittedly, the first half of the show may be a bit boring at times, but, for the most part, it's still fun to watch the interactions between the characters. Obviously, not everyone will enjoy this show as it requires you to be willing to go through a very sad experience. It's rather slow at times and the entire series only ever has one or two actions scenes in its 24 episodes, though I don't mind either of those points. Also worth noting is that it may be difficult to binge watch, as I often struggled to keep going through all of the grief I was feeling from the show. The raw emotions brought on by Steins;Gate makes for a very emotional and enjoyable experience without resorting to lots of action scenes and fan service.

{ Overall 10/10 } Technically speaking, the average of all the other categories would result in a score of a bit lower than a 9; however, I'd argue Steins;Gate is greater than the sum of its parts. The nearly flawless story, well written characters, beautiful music, darker animation style, and riveting voice acting make it a show that, in my opinion, is fully deserving of the praise it receives. I've never felt so moved by a scene, attached to a character, or hooked on a show as I was with Steins;Gate. Having managed to tell such a deeply emotional time travel story without falling victim to the usual pitfalls that result from the use of time travel, I feel it's safe to say that Steins;Gate is truly a masterpiece.