The Inner Workings of Time Travel

Introduction

The ability to change the world with the press of a couple buttons comes at the most costly price. Steins Gate is an anime about a self proclaimed mad scientist, Rintaro Okabe who stumbles across a way to send messages and eventually the whole consciousness back in time. By achieving time travel he makes all of his friends life better but it comes with a cost. Secret agents, death of loved ones and mental trauma is just the beginning of what Rintaro has to face when tampering with time. The relationship and world building that Steins Gate creates in the first 12 episodes perfectly sets up the rapid escalation of the plot in the latter 12 episodes perfectly blends together to make one of the best stories that I have ever watched. Relative to all the anime i have ever watched it has to be within the top 5 because of the scientific phenomena that the story is based on while also coupling the heart wrenching aspects of loss and existential crisis.  

Story 10/10

The story revolves around Rintaro Okabe the self proclaimed mad scientist and his “lab mates” that focus all of their time on time travel. He has made many attempts to actually time travel, however when he finally creates the invention of the phone microwave, a machine that can send emails(called D-mails) into the past to alter the future, he starts to mess around with time for his friends and for his sake. However these d-mails slowly start to alter their timeline which in the beginning does not have any adverse effects on his life however it slowly escalates into a conflict that can not be resolved. All the d mails that Okabe sent in order to change his friends lives must be reversed, which usually ended up worse than before. Once he reverses all the emails he is left with a soul crushing dilemma that makes him lose his sanity and ultimately lose interest in time travel all together. 

The structure of the story is an interesting one that the first 12 episodes of the show are actually much slower than the latter 12. This is because the first 12 episodes of the series act as a world building set up which helps strongly establish the relationship between Okabe and the rest of his friends. Due to this people usually drop the series after the first couple episodes, however if you stick with the series you will not be disappointed. The way it uses that world building to further conflicts later in the series is some of the best storytelling that I have ever seen in T.V in general. 

For a science fiction anime, the story progresses in a way that leaves almost no room for any time travel related loop-holes. Obviously, there is no way to determine if anything the show talks about is real however the theories and ideas they propose about time travel are presented away that almost feels completely real. As you are watching the show it grabs your attention so well that it is almost impossible to question the logic that the show presents you with. For the story element of the anime, there is almost nothing wrong with it, which is clearly why it deserves a 10 in this aspect. 

Characters 10/10

The character development of Steins;Gate is what makes the series so amazing. Okabe goes through some of the most complex character development that I have ever seen in an anime. He starts off as a very childish scientist who basically thinks about time travel as just another toy in his big game. However, as the story progresses he slowly realizes the consequences of all the d mails he sent, which sends him into a regressive spiral that makes him grow up and face all of the actions that he has caused. This causes him to go through such intense grief and sorrow that it almost makes completely insane until the end of the series. All of the character development that occurs is because of the actions of Rintaro which is why he bears the burden of all other problems and undergoes the most intense character transformation. 

About the other characters in general there is not much to be said because their role in the series is very contingent on the actions of Okabe Rintaro. However some characters such as Daru and Mayuri do have their own development it is usually due to the actions of Okabe and how those actions affect their lives. However, it did not take a way one bit from the characters because those initial 12 episodes created a world that was so easily to be attached to that the characters just fell into place. 

Art/Music 9/10

The opening and ending songs are some of the best music I have ever heard in anime. The soundtrack although quieter and less involved in the story it adds an element that deepens the emotion of every scene that happens. The music is slightly lackluster however what makes up for it is the amazing voice acting and art style that takes this anime to the next level. The art style is slightly dark and gloomy which juxtaposes the upbeat voice acting of Okabe Rintaro. This art style can foreshadow the dark turn that the show takes during the latter half of the series. The voice acting itself is extremely well developed, every character has a different tone and sound which bring life to the anime. The voice acting brings up the sound and visual aspect of the anime to another level because it would not have the same impact if it did not have the same uplifting voice acting. 

Conclusion

Overall I would give this anime a 9.5/10 because of its ability to take such a complex genre and interweave it into a beautifully written story. On the international anime list it reached number 6 showing the absolute influence this anime has had on the western world. The story and the characters woven together creates a series that has such depth and story development that hooks the audience with the first line of dialogue. If someone is deeply interested in physics or a good psychological thriller this would definitely be an anime I would recommend.