In search of a world free from itself…
Flowing from “past”, “present” and “future”, time exists in a seemingly multi-dimensional state, yet at its base it centers around the state known as the “now”, a state existing beyond the perceptions of itself.
Steins;Gate is a story about the flow of time and its ability to expand beyond form into a state of endless paths all leading up to one unknown and unforeseen point. The cause and effect of changes in time ripples throughout the universe creating a separate reality for the “now” to exist and expand beyond. Steins;Gate looks at the possibilities of manipulating time, the effects which results from such actions and the dangers which can potentially come about from such effects. And beyond this, Steins;Gate focuses on the people subject to its effects and how they react and affect time in turn; from their states of curiosity and wonder to states driven by the realisation of what time actually isn’t.
The comprehensiveness in how Steins;Gate reveals its mysterious and story across time has been such a pleasure to watch, from the cause of the time changes to the effects resulting from it, to the changes in the “world line”, to the reactions of the main character and the actions he takes in response to it. Every development and twist building up to its end has been so absorbing and fascinating to watch happen.
The characters feel alive and real, believable and deep, each of them effecting the story, driving it forward with their own story, and tugging away at the threads of your heart inducing emotions of sadness, joy and concern. The interactions between the characters, especially that of Okabe and Kurisu are such a joy to watch develop, and when these relationships end up becoming the driving force behind the developments of the story, you can’t help but become so involved that you end up reacting with tears and emotion.
The story may have gripped my interest first but it was the characters and how they drove the story that made the show for me (and it may just be my weird taste, but I was strangely attracted to the way Moeka behaved and reacted…I am shocked myself but I couldn’t resist looking forward to her…O.o). So when the end came, and everything was concluded I can only feel satisfaction at how enjoyable Steins;Gate was and how fitting and deserving the world line the characters arrived at was.
Steins;Gate (24 episodes + an OVA) is an engrossing, thought-provoking, emotional, creative, expansive, extremely well-written series that I highly recommend any anime/sci-fi/story lover to watch. It may start off on a confusing note, but once it establishes what direction it intends to take, it will have you gripped and curiously intrigued, well that’s how it ended up for me =P. El Psy Congroo.
Enjoyment level: 9.2/10
12Dimension 