Anime Review (WITH SPOILERS): Steins;Gate

Time travel is a famous topic in TV shows, but it's not always talked about in a way that can be easily understood. Steins;Gate, however, makes time travel look and sound easy, because all you need is a microwave, a cell phone and a banana. 

This anime follows a young man who considers himself to be a mad scientist (named Rintarou Okabe). He attends a seminar, and while he's there, he meets a woman (Kurisu Makise) who ends up dead moments later. This leads to feelings of confusion and curiosity, so that's where the time traveling aspect picks up.

Okabe has been into science ever since he was a kid, so that kind of made him a loner with the exception of one person (Mayuri Shiina). Because Mayuri has been in his life for so long, her role in this anime is not limited to just one story line.

The pacing for Steins;Gate isn't perfect as some episodes are more driven by dialogue than others. The suspense from the action and dialogue however will keep you on your toes as the story continues to develop. I'll warn you now that there are a lot of deaths involved with this anime, and for the most part, those deaths are limited to just one person. There's also one suicide by hanging, but that's with a different character whose role is fairly minor. 

To make up for the amount of deaths in this anime, I will say that not every scene is dark or conspicuous. Okabe does meet other characters along the way who have friendly and upbeat personalities, one of which wears a cat costume and likes to say "meow" often. 

The second season (entitled Steins;Gate 0) isn't that great in my opinion, but the openings for both seasons are great in their own ways. Both of the opening themes are sung by the same artist (Kanako Itou), and while I kind of enjoy the first one a little better (Hacking to the Gate), I do like how the second one (Fatima) has a more ominous feeling, especially with the ticking of the clock before the second verse starts. 

So overall, I'd say that Steins;Gate is truly an unforgettable experience. It's been a while since my first time watching it, but once you start that first episode, there's no stopping and you'll be too immersed in the anime to think about anything else. In some of ways, it'll feel like you've traveled to a different world filled with unique characters that make the scenery feel less dreary.