Arguably the best anime of 2011, even surpassing Madoka, in my opinion. I wholeheartedly believe Steins;Gate is able to appeal to audiences of virtually all preferences. The successful incorporation of the many entertaining and captivating elements is clearly what allows this show to rise above the rest. All in all, Steins;gate is a true example of a visual novel adaption done right.
Art (9/10)
In terms of character design, background detail and whatnot, you get your typical quality when it comes to today's anime. For me, as long as the art/animation is not eye-cancerous and looks like effort has been put into it, I will be satisfied. Going a bit beyond my expectations will net a 9/10 in this category, and the animation for Steins;Gate did just that. You can argue that my artistic expectations aren't that high and I'll probably agree with you on that. What made Steins;Gate get a 9 in this category is the great use of abstract visuals that accompanied the use of the time machine. In an attempt to not reveal any spoilers, all I can say is that the visuals during those scenes enhanced my viewing experience greatly. The animation of the OP also fell into this category of "abstract animation." A big part of this category's score was due in part to the parts mentioned above. Solid animation overall.
Characters (10/10)
On the surface, the characters of Steins;Gate may look to be bland with overused archetypes. You have the seemingly-insane protagonist (Okabe Rintarou), the tsundere (Makise Kurisu), the moe-blob (Shiina Mayuri), the trap (Urushibara Ruka), the ojou-sama (Akiha Rumiho), the typical male otaku (Hashida "Daru" Itaru), the genki-girl (Amane Suzuha) and the shy, quiet girl (Kiryuu Moeka). Despite this, virtually all the characters get developed, whether it was a little or a lot, at some point in the series. Being the protagonist, Okabe got the most character development, in my opinion. His experiences with time manipulation essentially shaped him into the person he is at the end of the series. Also, all the ups and downs he went through made it relatively easy to empathize with and relate to him. But it was not only he, himself, that contributed to his development; all the other characters, too, at some point, influenced Okabe to think/act differently. With such a diverse cast of characters, I believe it's hard for one to not be captivated by at least one of them.
Sound (10/10)
It only took one try for the OP to get me hooked. It also fit as the "opening" as the upbeat tempo and great vocals always fired me up for the episode. On the other end, the ED, despite the fact that I didn't really like it, was an excellent choice as there was no episode where it felt out of place. As most episodes ended with a cliffhanger, the ED masterfully set a suspenseful mood, allowing the viewer to think over what they just saw while the song softly plays in the background. The BGM didn't start getting noticeable until the last few episodes of the series. The best piece, by far, goes to Fake Verthandi - a sad, yet beautiful piece. Moving on to voice acting, there were many big names in the cast. Notable VAs were Miyano Mamoru (Okabe Rintarou), Hanazawa Kana (Shiina Mayuri) and Tamura Yukari (Amane Suzuha).
Story (10/10)
Have you ever thought about time travel? If you had that power, what would you do with it? The common phrase "with great power comes great responsibility" rings true here as our main protagonist Okabe Rintarou faces the problem of handling and using a homemade time machine wisely. The story of Steins;Gate tells the tale of one man's experiences with time manipulation and how drastically it can change his life - both for the better and for the worse. Though you may be extremely confused like I was for the first half of the series, all the pieces of the puzzle start coming together, starting in the second half. The story is masterfully told with well-placed cliffhangers at the ends of episodes that leave you thinking and wondering why something happened and what will happen next. I was captivated by the whole story and, now that I'm finished, it left me craving for more. There's a high chance that there won't be a masterpiece of a story like Steins;Gate in quite a while.
Overall (10/10)
For someone like me who watches mainly anime centered around moe characters, drama and romance, choosing to watch Steins;Gate was, in a sense, like "stepping out of my comfort zone." Looking back, I don't regret this decision at all. Through choosing to watch it, I allowed myself to immerse myself in what everybody was calling the "best anime of 2011." And now, I can say that I agree with that statement. Steins;Gate has, indeed, greatly impressed me and with a special and a movie in the works (not to mention the English translation of the visual novel), its presence in the anime world won't be disappearing any time soon.
Until then, El Psy Congroo.
Solid review.
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