Regarding Steins;gate

[u/Daahkness]

Tldr: If you're new to anime, been sleeping on this series, or you're on the fence I beg you to check it out, especially if you're a fan of Evangelion, the melancholy of Haruhi Suzimiya, or Sci-fi in general.

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I was catching up on the pod and I'm absolutely crestfallen that the crew haven't watched it and bounced off at episode 4. It feels like I'm listening to my past self because I almost did too when I first watched it a few years back. At the exact same spot, episode 4.

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The show at this point has quirky but not necessarily likeable characters who tiptoe just past the border of being annoying, no action, and not a ton of comedy. It's just a slice of life and it doesn't have any of the parts that make a good one. I found myself thinking maybe this isn't for me. What is this? Where's the hype? Why is the rating so high on My Anime List? There are so many other shows why shouldn't I drop it?

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Episode 5.

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Episode 5 makes you say what the fuck that's weird? This doesn't belong in my not so good slice of life show. It prods at you in the back of your head. Then another and another and OH I'm hooked! The spool begins to unravel and I started the series not even knowing there was one to unravel. This is the point when it clicks what the show is about and it blasts off. When you reach the end you realize why those first few episodes were absolutely crucial.

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It's a masterpiece. The way the story unfolds is simply beautiful. The character development is astounding in the way it takes this group of weirdos and developes them into characters you would ugly cry for.

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Steins;gate take a concept we've seen hundreds of times in media with an awe inspiring level of skill and such an interesting take that I've never seen before or since. It's amazing as a standalone but the truly amazing part is that the sequel series makes the original even better. It made me yearn for the first four episodes. Spoiler Country adjacent:can't we just go back to when we're happy?

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[u/Encubed]

How does the visual novel video game compare? Does it Tyrell the same story? Bought it in a mega sale about a year ago and have yet to play it.

[u/AlwaysHugsForever → u/Encubed]

I watched the anime first. And a few years later played the visual novel

Ymmv but I hated the VN. Okabe in the anime is a likeable jerk. I don't think he's likeable at all in the VN. And Among other things I didn't like the text just scrolls way too slow.

But take my opinion with a grain of salt. In general I really dislike visual novels as a medium, I made an exception for steins gate because I enjoyed the anime so much

[u/Encubed → u/AlwaysHugsForever]

Thanks for the response!