You Should See Steins;Gate (Spoiler Free)
“No one knows what the future holds. That’s why its potential is infinite.” — Rintaro Okabe
I have always been a fan of Christopher Nolan and I see him as the best director in this present era. I have personally imagined what an anime directed by him would look like to which Steins;Gate gave me a glimpse of. This is no small feat as any work of his, is most often great. Most time travel based works are usually brain-cracking, leaving the general audience, save for the few who enjoy the genre confused about what’s going on. Steins;Gate tried to make it more beginner-friendly and despite the slow plot at the beginning, it accomplished this task quite well.
It is a great series made in 2011 by Hiroshi Hamasaki, based on a science-fiction visual novel game of the same name. I would personally give it a strong 9/10. For a series focused on something theoretically serious as time travel, this series uses the occasional humour and strong bond between the main character, Rintaro Okabe and other lab members to introduce us to this concept. Rintaro who parades himself as a mad scientist ironically struggles and goes through pain alone in other to save everyone.
Where do I begin in my admiration for this series? Hiroshi Hamasaki used a limited cast, which I feel helped him fill out enough screen time for him to convey their personalities clearly. I could feel the importance of each lab member despite how small or big their role seemed. I would admit the series started slowly and you may end up thinking, “What is great about this series?” I was in that situation but as things kicked off and events that happened in the past started linking with present events, for a minute I could have sworn Christopher Nolan had a hand in this beautiful piece of art.
It’s not every day I come across an anime series that is without epic fight scenes and it’s not every time such anime leaves a lasting mark. In as much as the romance between Rintaro and Kurisu was bound to happen, the way in which their feelings were expressed was unpredictable and beautiful. At one point, I wished for someone intelligent and able to relate to me like that.
The drifting apart of Rintaro away from Mayuri made me remember how circumstances at times could lead to people drifting apart despite having the best of intentions for each other. It also could be likened to how we lose focus on the little things that matter, in our pursuit of what we feel is more important. To that end, I propose that we make every second count with the people we care about.
Majority of anime watchers spend their time watching Shōnen based anime and few people are a fan of a psychological thriller anime. The plot twists too are mind-blowing and I definitely wouldn’t want to spoil that. I assure you whether a fan of the genre or not, Steins Gate is a must-watch.
