Steins;Gate (TV series)

Plot

After attending a conference on time travel, Okabe finds the dead body of neuroscientist Kurisu Makise and sends a text message about it to Daru, only to discover Kurisu is alive and the message arrived before he sent it. The group learns their cell phone-operated microwave can send text messages back in time, which they call D-mails. Joined by Kurisu, they experiment with changing the past. Kurisu later creates a device that sends memories through the microwave, enabling time travel.

The organization SERN learns of the time machine and sends agents to retrieve it, killing Mayuri. Okabe repeatedly travels back to save her but fails each time. He realizes he must undo all D-mail changes, but undoing the first would return him to the timeline where Kurisu was found dead.

Production

An anime adaptation of the 2009 visual novel Steins;Gate, the second game in the Science Adventure series, was announced in July 2010 by Chiyomaru Shikura. The series was animated by White Fox, produced by Mika Nomura and Yoshinao Doi, directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satō, and written by Jukki Hanada, with Kyuuta Sakai as character designer and chief animation director. Takeshi Abo, composer for the Science Adventure games, was appointed to compose for the anime alongside Jun Murakami.

Abo composed new music while maintaining the atmosphere of the game, but had to synchronize the music with the anime's motions, a different process from game composition. A film sequel, Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu, premiered in 2013, and an anime adaptation of Steins;Gate 0 premiered in 2018. Footage from the anime was used in the 2018 game Steins;Gate Elite, along with new animation by White Fox.

Release

The 24-episode television run of Steins;Gate began on April 6, 2011, and ended on September 14, 2011. In Japan, the series came out on DVD and Blu-ray across nine volumes between June 22, 2011, and February 22, 2012. The final volume featured a 25th episode, an OVA called "Egoistic Poriomania," which had not been part of the original broadcast. When the series was rebroadcast in 2015, a different version of episode 23 aired, showing Okabe failing to save Kurisu, to promote the sequel Steins;Gate 0.

Four original net animation shorts, Steins;Gate: Sōmei Eichi no Cognitive Computing, were released from October to November 2014 on IBM's Mugendai site and YouTube channel, with English subtitles. Internationally, Crunchyroll simulcast the series across the Americas, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the Middle East, and Africa, while Anime on Demand handled the United Kingdom. Funimation secured the North American rights, created an English dub, and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two volumes in 2012. Madman Entertainment managed the Australian release, and Manga Entertainment released it in the UK in 2013.

Reception

Steins;Gate received critical acclaim, with praise for its writing, story, character development, and visuals. It holds a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on six reviews. Carlo Santos of Anime News Network called it one of the most addictive sci-fi thrillers in recent anime history, noting how the first half focuses on comedy before turning into a thriller in the second half, and that the finale revisits the first episode for a rock-solid climax.

Richard Eisenbeis of Kotaku stated it was one of the best anime he had seen, praising the well-defined rules for time travel. Chris Beveridge of The Fandom Post named it his favorite simulcast title of 2011. Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network described the first half as an interesting concept with nice visual flair, and found the 12th episode a great hook; she considered the second half a step up with added urgency and character development.

Aiden Foote of THEM Anime Reviews gave the series 5 out of 5 stars, citing effective characterisation and complexity handled with insight. Pierce Drew of The Fandom Post enjoyed the story and characters. Santos praised the memorable character designs and noted the inclusion of an overweight main character, and found the backgrounds muted but visually appealing.