Steins Gate
Complete Series [Blu-Ray]
Do an internet search on the greatest anime series of all time and undoubtedly Steins Gate is going to pop up in your results, and rightfully so, because as far dramatic pacing, twists and turns, and sheer shit hitting the fan, this series has a lot of it. Also, it’s loaded with hard sci-fi elements of time travel, which in my book, only makes a show better.
There’s a trick to watching Stein’s Gate and that’s to really pay attention from and do this from the very beginning. Every single detail is going to be relevant at some point in the story and unless you understand the reference, you’re going to get lost later on. I would know because it happened to me. Stein’s Gate also has an unusual quality of doing a 180 halfway through, where with a single event, the happy-go-lucky, absurd, silly, frivolous plotline takes a turn for the very heavy and serious. We have grown to know the characters’ lighter side throughout the show and now we have to see them perform in a situation where everyone is in way over their heads. It’s simple riveting to watch and makes for great TV.
Stein’s Gate also benefits from repeated viewings. There are some unexplained phenomena that remain as loose ends (like exactly how is this fucking microwave working?) and I guess that’s going to have to be explained at a later time (maybe the upcoming movie?), but I was compelled to immediately restart the show as soon as I finished it and started noticing how well things were being set up even from the very beginning. Like Back to the Future, this script is almost like Swiss clockwork.
Funimation manages to put together an excellent compact box set of the series on HD, which really compliments the quality of animation in this show. Also included are a bonus OVA episode and commentaries with the English voice cast where they comment not just on the show but their experiences working on this project.
Stein’s Gate has everything a show needs to be great, and one can see why it’s considered a classic. And, even though the show gets a bit confusing and convoluted at times, it manages to stay intriguing throughout and keeps us watching.
And wanting more…
