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"That day, if my Hikoboshi came back to life, it might have changed everything."

Re-review of Steins;Gate 0 after watching the entire series in chronological order (Steins;Gate episodes 1-22, 23b, 0 episodes 1-23, Steins;Gate episodes 23-25).

This review is coming from a die-hard fan of the original series that has watched the original anime and 100% completed 0's Visual Novel as well. I originally gave the series an 8/10, but after rewatching it I'm bumping it up to a 9/10 due to the fact that I was able to better absorb the story and the series has one of the strongest finishes in all of anime.

Story:

I ... can draw some interesting parallels between the anime adaptation of Steins;Gate 0 and the original Fullmetal Alchemist adaptation. Two stories that adapt from an original source material, but have a vastly different second half from the original for different reasons. In Steins;Gate 0's case, it is because the Visual Novel of 0 is non-linear. In order for you to get the true end, you have to progress the story through two conflicting routes in a certain order. The story vastly changes depending on which route you take. White Fox had to somehow tell a linear cohesive story through that source material, and in some ways, it works really well, and in others, it falls on its face.

First, the good. The story is much deeper than the original. You really get to see the both the best and worst of humanity through this story, and adds so much character development to the main cast. The anime adaptation managed to adapt all of the endings of 0 into the main story (with the exception of the bad end) and it adds a lot of weight to the story in some aspects.

However, it's not all good. Steins;Gate was a very slow burn of a story that didn't really pick up until episode 9, and the plot didn't really fire on all cylinders until episode 12. But once it got there, oh man, I was hooked. Steins;Gate 0 has some much worse pacing problems. The first eight episodes are great, the story kicks into high gear on episode 6, but then peaks around 8, and then crashes and burns by the time episode 10 rolls around. The plot spins its wheels for five episodes, and then things start picking back up again.

Once the story hits the gecko ending (Mayuri's route in the VN was vastly different) the story doubles down and the stakes are raised even further. I can say this is probably the only time ever where knowing the source material will actually curve you even harder than going in blind. The last third of Steins;Gate 0 is far better than the VN, and is the primary reason why I adjusted my review.

The anime adaptation also added a significant amount of original content that was not present in the VN. Episode 8 turned a half hour part of the VN into a full episode, and the feels knob is turned up to 11 as a result, Daru and Yuki's relationship is expanded in a very wholesome OC episode (which pulls double duty for expanding Daru and Yuki's characters, as well as writing out a very very dumb plot twist from the VN), and once Mayuri's route starts going you get a sizeable chunk of the Drama CD Arc-Light of the Point at Infinity, which was equally as impactful as Faris' route in the original in terms of expanding the character of someone who was barely a blip on the radar and turned them into one of the best of the show. Thank you White Fox for reinforcing why I love Mayushii so much.

The Teal Deer for the story is that the VN is paced much better, but the overall changes that the anime makes to the story is much more impactful, suspenseful, and has a much more satisfying conclusion.

Art:

Oh boy, this is a hell of a can of worms. Steins;Gate had some of the best animation and art in all of anime. It defies the moeblob art style that the rest of the industry has taken to heart and favors a more realistic approach, focusing more on the character's bodies than their eyes. I'd say that the art style is the midway point between Log Horizon and Death Note. Regardless of whether or not you like the art style, you can't argue that it is part of the reason why Steins;Gate stands out in the sea of anime adaptations.

Steins;Gate 0 doubles down on what was good and bad about the original. There are scenes in 0 that look more visually stunning than in Your Name. But oh my the action scenes look just ghastly. Not to mention the various anatomical and linguistic errors (Sarieri, Roading, etc.) Now, these I'll give a pass because those will be ironed out in the Blu-Ray release, but I have no idea how they're going to fix the tire fire that is the action scenes in episodes 18 and 19. The answer is probably that they won't, and trust me, it's hard to look at.

Teal Deer, 0 retains the distinct art style of the original and works great in stills and certain scenes, but it's execution in high action scenes are laughably bad.

Sound:

Steins;Gate always had an amazing soundtrack, but 0's eclipses it by a long shot, and that's really saying something. The new tracks and the remixes of the old ones add so much more weight to the scenes. There were times where I was barely holding on in an emotional scene, Amadeus started playing, and then the dam broke and out came the waterworks.

The anime exclusive tracks are equally as impressive. I can't speak on those too much as the OST is just coming out, whereas I've blasted all of the VN's tracks on repeat multiple times, but the soft ambience of them in the background of certain scenes adds so much to the it. Re-Awake is one of the best tracks in all of anime.

Teal Deer, it's fitting that Mozart and Salieri are brought up in Steins;Gate 0, because the orchestra is a masterpiece.

Character:

In terms of overall character growth, it can be summarized thusly; is the character a main character? Yes? They are absolutely phenomenal. Supporting? They're going to range from forgettable to cringeworthy. Everyone brings up Kagari, but I actually like the way that Kagari was handled in the anime (it's a hell of an improvement of the dumpster fire that she was in the VN, with the exception of Promised Rinascimento and Recursive Mother Goose.) But Ruka and Faris take so much of a backseat that it hurts. Ruka is salvaged in the end, but Faris was my favorite character in the original after a certain point, and to see her go from such a compelling character to yuri bait just made me want to send a D-Mail to prevent the writer of 0's story from being born. Fubuki and Kaede weren't huge part in the VN, but they did SOMETHING. They're completely forgettable in the anime, and they pretty much are forgotten about too.

But as for the main cast, all of them got significant character growth. Seeing the rise, fall, and rise again of Okabe Rintaro was amazing, and the interactions with him and Suzuha and seeing them both taken to their lowest points was so heavy and their interactions were fantastic. I'm torn between Daru and Mayuri as the MVPs of the series because the story of their paternal and maternal relationships with their children was great character growth and all around heartwarming. And then we've got the two newcomers from America, Hiyajo "Legal Loli FTW" Maho, and Alexis "Where are the Shaman Girls, Lintahlo?" Leskinen. There is an all around interesting dynamic between them, and great comedy and insane plot twists regarding the two characters.

Teal Deer, while the supporting cast does not live up to the precedent set by the original, the main characters got just as much, if not more growth in 0.

Overall Enjoyment, aka the only score that matters:

I am really torn on Steins;Gate 0. It never was going to live up to the standard that the original made, simply because Steins;Gate is not only one of the best anime and visual novels, but sci-fi story and fiction in general. So I simultaneously feel that I am nitpicking 0 and giving it way too many free passes at the same time.

The skinny is that 0 is amazing. Very few anime of recent years had me anxiously looking at my clock to wait for the next episode. Even at the low points of the story, 0 always had my engagement. I haven't cried this much from an anime this year since I finished A Place Further Than the Universe.

Steins;Gate 0 is a paradox. It is a (inter)sequel to a story that had a definitive and conclusive ending, but it somehow adds to the story in a way that doesn't retread old ground or completely screw up continuity and adds so much to it. One of the worst things about the original's story was the ending, but 0 turned what was a Deus Ex Machina asspull to keep the OTP alive, and turned it into a long and arduous journey of suffering that made the happy ending of the original truly earned.

Teal Deer, if you even remotely enjoyed the original Steins;Gate, rewatch the series chronologically, that is OG 1-22, 23b, 0 1-23, OG 23-25. You will not regret it.

EL. PSY. KONGROO.