:Steins;Gate (TV series)
{{Short description|Japanese anime television series}}
{{About|the 2011 animated television series|its 2018 sequel|Steins;Gate 0 (TV series){{!}}Steins;Gate 0 (TV series)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox animanga/Header
| name = Steins;Gate
| image = Steins;Gate anime cover.png{{!}}border
| caption = Cover art for the UK home media release, featuring the main cast
| genre = {{ubl|Psychological thriller{{cite web |last1=Santos |first1=Carlo |title=Carlo Santos - The Spring 2011 Anime Preview Guide |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2011-04-02/carlo |website=Anime News Network |access-date=May 2, 2020 |date=April 3, 2011 |quote=Anime adaptations of visual novels would probably get a better rap if more of them were like Steins;Gate, a psychological thriller from the same studio that gave us Chaos;HEAd a few years back. |archive-date=October 20, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020192417/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/feature/2011-04-02/carlo |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Vincent |first1=Brittany |title=7 Anime to Watch While You Wait for Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/22/7-anime-to-watch-while-you-wait-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix |website=IGN |access-date=January 4, 2020 |date=May 22, 2019 |archive-date=June 5, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605115341/https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/05/22/7-anime-to-watch-while-you-wait-for-neon-genesis-evangelion-on-netflix |url-status=live }} |Science fiction}}
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type = tv series
| director = {{ubl|Hiroshi Hamasaki|Takuya Satō|Tomoki Kobayashi (OVA)}}
| producer = {{ubl|Kenjirō Gomi|Takayuki Matsunaga|Yoshito Danno|Shinsaku Tanaka|Kozue Kananiwa|Yoshinao Doi}}
| writer = {{ubl|Jukki Hanada|Supervised by:{{efn|name=scrsup|{{nihongo|Scenario supervisor|シナリオ監修}}}}|Naotaka Hayashi|Tatsuya Matsubara}}
| music = {{ubl|Jun Murakami|Takeshi Abo}}
| studio = White Fox
| licensee = {{ubl|Crunchyroll{{efn|In North America through Crunchyroll, LLC (formerly known as Funimation).}}|{{English anime licensee|AUS=Madman Entertainment|UK=Manga Entertainment}}}}
| network = AT-X, CTC, Sun TV, TV Aichi, TV Saitama, tvk, Tokyo MX
| network_en = {{English anime network|US=Crunchyroll Channel}}
| first = April 6, 2011
| last = September 14, 2011
| episodes = 24{{efn|Twenty-four episodes, plus an alternative version of episode 23 titled "23β", plus one OVA.}}
| episode_list = List of Steins;Gate episodes
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Video
| type = ona
| title = Steins;Gate: Sōmei Eichi no Cognitive Computing
| director = Kenichi Kawamura{{efn|Credited under the penname {{nihongo|Kenichirou Murakawa|村川健一郎}}.}}
| producer =
| writer = {{ubl|Naotaka Hayashi|Supervised by:{{efn|name=scrsup}}|Tatsuya Matsubara}}
| music =
| studio = White Fox
| licensee =
| network =
| first = October 14, 2014
| last = November 11, 2014
| episodes = 4
| episode_list = List of Steins;Gate episodes#Steins;Gate: Sōmei Eichi no Cognitive Computing (2014 ONA)(IBM Promotional Shorts)
| runtime =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Other
| title = Other anime
| content =
}}
{{Infobox animanga/Footer}}
Steins;Gate is a Japanese anime television series produced by White Fox based on 5pb. and Nitroplus's 2009 visual novel of the same name. The series aired for 26 episodes, from April to September 2011. It is set in 2010 and follows Rintaro Okabe, who together with his friends accidentally discovers a method of time travel through which they can send text messages to the past, thereby changing the present.
It is part of the Science Adventure franchise along with Chaos;Head and Robotics;Notes. The series was directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satō, and written by Jukki Hanada, with character design and animation direction by Kyuuta Sakai, and music by Takeshi Abo.
Critics praised its character development and its themes of time travel, human nature and its perspective on PTSD. It is considered one of the best anime series of all time by critics and fans alike. The series has spawned four original net animation episodes and a spinoff film. A sequel anime adaptation titled Steins;Gate 0, based on the visual novel of the same name, premiered in 2018.
Plot
File:Akiba denkigai.jpg, Tokyo.|alt=A photo of Akihabara]]
Steins;Gate is an adaptation of the visual novel of the same name. It is set in 2010 in Akihabara, Tokyo, and each segment takes place in a different "worldline", which represent different alternate realities that merge off from each other when a specific event, known as a convergence point, occurs.
The show follows Rintaro Okabe, a self-proclaimed "mad scientist", who runs the "Future Gadget Laboratory" in an apartment together with his friends Mayuri Shiina and Itaru "Daru" Hashida. While attending a conference about time travel, Okabe finds the dead body of Kurisu Makise, a neuroscience researcher; he sends a text message about it to Daru and later discovers that Kurisu is alive and that the message arrived before he sent it. The laboratory members learn that the cell phone-operated microwave oven they are developing can send text messages back in time; they are joined by Kurisu, and investigate it, sending text messages – referred to as "D-mails" – to the past to change the present. Kurisu eventually creates a device that can send memories through the microwave oven, effectively allowing the user to time travel.
SERN, a fictional organization based on CERN, learns of the time machine and sends people to the laboratory to retrieve it, killing Mayuri in the process. Okabe goes back in time multiple times to prevent Mayuri's death but fails each time. He learns that he needs to undo all the changes their D-mails have caused and does so until he realizes that undoing the first D-mail would return him to the timeline where Kurisu was found dead.
Okabe and Kurisu tell each other about their romantic feelings for one another, after which Kurisu tells Okabe to save Mayuri. Daru hacks into SERN's database, and they delete the record of the D-mail, returning them to the original timeline. Later, Suzuha Amane, Daru's future daughter, arrives in a time machine to tell Okabe that the only way to prevent a time-travel arms race leading to World War III is to prevent Kurisu's father Nakabachi from killing her and stealing her time travel theories. Suzuha and Okabe travel back in time, but Okabe accidentally kills Kurisu himself. Returning to the present, Okabe receives a message from his future self telling him that to escape the current timeline, he needs to save Kurisu while recreating the vision of the dead Kurisu that his past self saw. Traveling back in time again, he provokes Nakabachi into stabbing him, knocks Kurisu unconscious, and puts her in his pool of blood for his past self to see, causing the timeline to diverge into one where Kurisu lives and World War III does not occur.
Cast
Production
The anime adaptation was announced in July 2010 by Chiyomaru Shikura, the head of 5pb.{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 25, 2010 |title=Steins;Gate Game Gets TV Anime |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-25/steins-gate-game-gets-tv-anime |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160507045848/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2010-07-25/steins-gate-game-gets-tv-anime |archive-date=May 7, 2016 |access-date=September 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Steins;Gate was created at the animation studio White Fox, and was produced by Mika Nomura and Yoshinao Doi,{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=September 13, 2011 |title=Steins;Gate Science-Fiction Game/Anime Franchise Gets Film (Updated With Teaser) |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-09-13/steins-gate-gets-film-green-lit |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160626200742/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-09-13/steins-gate-gets-film-green-lit |archive-date=June 26, 2016 |access-date=September 12, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Manry |first=Gia |date=May 11, 2011 |title=Anime Central to Host Hetalia's Shirohata, Nomura (Updated) |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-11/anime-central-to-host-hetalia-shirohata-nomura |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160430144216/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-05-11/anime-central-to-host-hetalia-shirohata-nomura |archive-date=April 30, 2016 |access-date=September 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} directed by Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya Satō,{{cite web |author=McCarthy |first=Caty |date=July 5, 2016 |title=Orange Episode 1: "Letters 01" Review |url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/07/06/orange-episode-1-letters-01-review |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829133818/http://www.ign.com/articles/2016/07/06/orange-episode-1-letters-01-review |archive-date=August 29, 2016 |access-date=September 12, 2016 |website=IGN |publisher=Ziff Davis}}{{cite web |author=Smith |first=Carly |date=January 28, 2014 |title=Selector Infected WIXOSS Premiering April From Steins;Gate Director |url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131745-Selector-Infected-WIXOSS-Premiering-April-From-Steins-Gate-Director |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912174239/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/131745-Selector-Infected-WIXOSS-Premiering-April-From-Steins-Gate-Director |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=October 3, 2017 |website=The Escapist |publisher=Defy Media}} and written by Jukki Hanada, with Kyuuta Sakai serving as character designer and chief animation director.{{cite web |author=Ishaan |date=October 7, 2012 |title=Steins;Gate To See Animated Movie Next Year |url=http://www.siliconera.com/2012/10/07/steinsgate-to-see-animated-movie-next-year/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160912175203/http://www.siliconera.com/2012/10/07/steinsgate-to-see-animated-movie-next-year/ |archive-date=September 12, 2016 |access-date=October 3, 2017 |website=Siliconera}}
While Takeshi Abo, the composer for the Science Adventure games, only had a small role in the previous anime adaptation of the series, he was appointed to compose for the Steins;Gate anime together with his coworker Jun Murakami. Abo composed new music, and made use of the same atmosphere and musical worldview as when he composed for the Steins;Gate game, but also had to consider that the music had to be synchronized with the motions of the anime; this was a very different way of working than the one he uses when composing for games.{{cite web |author1=Jia |first=Oliver |author2=Greening, Chris |date=September 15, 2015 |title=Takeshi Abo Interview: Behind the Science Adventures |url=http://www.vgmonline.net/takeshiabointerview/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150926012532/http://www.vgmonline.net/takeshiabointerview/ |archive-date=September 26, 2015 |access-date=June 9, 2016 |website=VGMO}}
The anime series has also received an animated film sequel, Steins;Gate: The Movie − Load Region of Déjà Vu, which premiered on April 20, 2013,{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=February 1, 2013 |title=Steins;Gate Film Slated for April 20 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-01/steins-gate-film-slated-for-april-20 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160417075803/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-01/steins-gate-film-slated-for-april-20 |archive-date=April 17, 2016 |access-date=October 3, 2017 |website=Anime News Network}} and an anime adaptation of Steins;Gate 0 premiered in 2018.{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Jennifer |date=December 14, 2017 |title=Steins;Gate 0 TV Anime's Promo Video Reveals April Premiere Date |url=https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-12-14/steins-gate-0-tv-anime-promo-video-reveals-april-premiere-date/.125277 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171215110316/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-12-14/steins-gate-0-tv-anime-promo-video-reveals-april-premiere-date/.125277 |archive-date=December 15, 2017 |access-date=December 15, 2017 |website=Anime News Network}} Footage from the Steins;Gate anime is used in the 2018 game Steins;Gate Elite – a fully animated, updated version of the original Steins;Gate game – along with new animation by White Fox.{{cite web |author=Romano |first=Sal |date=September 19, 2017 |title=Steins;Gate Elite is a "full animation adventure game," coming to Switch |url=http://gematsu.com/2017/09/steinsgate-elite-full-animation-adventure-game-coming-switch |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170920074544/http://gematsu.com/2017/09/steinsgate-elite-full-animation-adventure-game-coming-switch |archive-date=September 20, 2017 |access-date=September 20, 2017 |website=Gematsu}}{{cite web |last=Pineda|first=Rafael Antonio |date=September 21, 2017 |title=Steins;Gate Elite Game's Video Shows Anime Footage With Visual Novel Script |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-09-21/steins-gate-elite-game-video-shows-anime-footage-with-visual-novel-script/.121659 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921080640/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2017-09-21/steins-gate-elite-game-video-shows-anime-footage-with-visual-novel-script/.121659 |archive-date=September 21, 2017 |access-date=September 21, 2017 |website=Anime News Network}}
Release
{{See also|List of Steins;Gate episodes{{!}}List of Steins;Gate episodes}}
The series aired for 24 episodes from April 6 to September 14, 2011;{{cite web |url=http://mediaarts-db.jp/an/anime_series/14565/anime_episodes |title=Steins;Gate |language=ja |website=Media Arts Database |publisher=Agency for Cultural Affairs |access-date=September 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160901112805/http://mediaarts-db.jp/an/anime_series/14565/anime_episodes |archive-date=September 1, 2016 |url-status=live}} and was released on DVD and Blu-ray in nine volumes from June 22, 2011, to February 22, 2012, in Japan; the ninth and final volume included a 25th "special episode" not included in the broadcast.{{cite web|last=Loo |first=Egan|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-26/steins-gate-anime-final-bd/dvd-to-include-special |title=Steins;Gate Anime's Final BD/DVD to Include Special |date=March 26, 2011 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=September 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611072900/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-03-26/steins-gate-anime-final-bd/dvd-to-include-special |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |url-status=live}} For the series' rebroadcast in 2015, an alternate version of episode 23 where Okabe does not save Kurisu was aired to promote the Steins;Gate game's sequel Steins;Gate 0.{{cite web |url=http://www.otakuusamagazine.com/LatestNews/News1/SteinsGate-Rebroadcast-Adds-New-Footage-Primes-Alt-7145.aspx |title=Steins;Gate Rebroadcast Adds New Footage, Primes Alternate Ending |author=Schley, Matt |date=December 3, 2015 |website=Otaku USA |publisher=Sovereign Media |access-date=September 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106124311/http://otakuusamagazine.com/LatestNews/News1/SteinsGate-Rebroadcast-Adds-New-Footage-Primes-Alt-7145.aspx |archive-date=January 6, 2016 |url-status=live}} Steins;Gate: Sōmei Eichi no Cognitive Computing, a series of four original net animation shorts based on the series focusing on how computers could improve people's lives in the future, was made in a collaboration with IBM following a talk between Shikura and representatives from IBM Japan.{{cite web|last=Loo |first=Egan|url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-15/new-steins-gate-anime-shorts-promote-ibm-next-generation-computing/.79939 |title=New Steins;Gate Anime Shorts Promote IBM's Next-Generation Computing |date=October 15, 2014 |website=Anime News Network |access-date=September 1, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611072739/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-15/new-steins-gate-anime-shorts-promote-ibm-next-generation-computing/.79939 |archive-date=June 11, 2016|url-status=live}} The episodes were released from October to November 2014 on IBM's Mugendai website in Japanese, and on IBM Japan's YouTube channel in Japanese with English subtitles.{{cite web |last=Sherman |first=Jennifer |date=October 18, 2014 |title=1st Steins;Gate IBM Short Streamed with English Subtitles |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-17/1st-steins-gate-ibm-short-streamed-with-english-subtitles/.80065 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611021003/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-17/1st-steins-gate-ibm-short-streamed-with-english-subtitles/.80065 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=October 22, 2014 |title=2nd Steins;Gate IBM Anime Short Posted with English Subtitles |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-22/2nd-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80197 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160827093911/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-10-22/2nd-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80197 |archive-date=August 27, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=November 7, 2014 |title=3rd Steins;Gate IBM Anime Short Posted with English Subtitles |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-07/3rd-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80776 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160910182232/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-07/3rd-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80776 |archive-date=September 10, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=November 12, 2014 |title=Last Steins;Gate IBM Anime Short Posted with English Subtitles |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-11/last-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80928 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510022250/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2014-11-11/last-steins-gate-ibm-anime-short-posted-with-english-subtitles/.80928 |archive-date=May 10, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}
Outside Japan, the series was distributed by different companies. Crunchyroll simulcast the series in North and South America, Scandinavia, the Netherlands, the Middle East, and Africa;{{cite web |last=Manry |first=Jia |date=April 4, 2011 |title=Crunchyroll to Simulcast Steins;Gate TV Anime |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-04/crunchyroll-to-simulcast-steins-gate-tv-anime |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611041013/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-04/crunchyroll-to-simulcast-steins-gate-tv-anime |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Anime on Demand did the same in the United Kingdom.{{cite web |last=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |first=Andrew |date=April 8, 2011 |title=Anime on Demand Announces Next Three Simulcasts |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-08/anime-on-demand-announces-next-three-simulcasts |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611053014/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-04-08/anime-on-demand-announces-next-three-simulcasts |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Funimation later acquired the license for the North American rights,{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 2, 2011 |title=Funimation Adds Deadman Wonderland, Steins;Gate, More (Updated) |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/funimation-adds-deadman-wonderland-steins-gate-more |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611051358/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-01/funimation-adds-deadman-wonderland-steins-gate-more |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} produced an English dub, and released the series on DVD and Blu-ray in two volumes in 2012.{{cite web |last=Hodgkins |first=Crystalyn |date=September 26, 2012 |title=North American Anime, Manga Releases, September 23–29 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-09-25/north-american-anime-manga-releases-september-23-29 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160428162851/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-09-25/north-american-anime-manga-releases-september-23-29 |archive-date=April 28, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Hodgkins |first=Crystalyn |date=December 18, 2012 |title=North American Anime, Manga Releases, December 16–22 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-12-18/north-american-anime-manga-releases-december-16-22 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412222856/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-12-18/north-american-anime-manga-releases-december-16-22 |archive-date=April 12, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Madman Entertainment acquired the license for the Australian rights,{{cite web |last=Blair |first=Georgia |date=June 19, 2011 |title=Madman Acquisitions Announced at Supanova Sydney |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-19/madman-acquisitions-announced-at-supanova-sydney |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813155816/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-19/madman-acquisitions-announced-at-supanova-sydney |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} and streamed the series on their website.{{cite web |last=Blair |first=Georgia |date=December 21, 2011 |title=New Titles Streaming on Madman Website |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-22/new-titles-streaming-on-madman-website |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611033323/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-12-22/new-titles-streaming-on-madman-website |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Manga Entertainment waited to acquire the license for the United Kingdom rights until Funimation had completed the English dub,{{cite web |last=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |first=Andrew |date=May 21, 2012 |title=Steins;Gate Will Definitely Get U.K. Release, Says Manga |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-05-21/steins-gate-will-definitely-get-u.k-release-says-manga |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611031612/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2012-05-21/steins-gate-will-definitely-get-u.k-release-says-manga |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} and released it in two volumes on DVD and Blu-ray in 2013.{{cite web |last=Osmond |author-link=Andrew Osmond (journalist) |first=Andrew |date=February 12, 2013 |title=Manga to Release Steins;Gate on Blu-ray and DVD |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-12/manga-to-release-steins-gate-on-blu-ray-and-dvd |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611053705/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-02-12/manga-to-release-steins-gate-on-blu-ray-and-dvd |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=September 1, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}
Reception
=Accolades=
The series was amongst the Best Animes of the 2010s and Rintaro Okabe was awarded Man of the Decade at Anime Trending Awards.{{Cite web |last=Deiru |date=June 1, 2020 |title=DECADE AWARDS: Hunter x Hunter wins 2011 Grand Run-off Polls |url=https://anitrendz.net/news/2020/06/01/decade-awards-hunter-x-hunter-wins-2011-grand-run-off-polls/ |access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=Anime Trending Awards}} In 2011, Steins;Gate was part of the Jury Selections at the 15th Japan Media Arts Festival in the Animation category.{{Cite web |title=STEINS;GATE {{!}} Jury Selections {{!}} Animation Division {{!}} 2011 [15th] Japan Media Arts Festival Archive |url=http://archive.j-mediaarts.jp/en/festival/2011/animation/works/15anj_steinsgate/ |access-date=March 21, 2022 |website=Japan Media Arts Festival |language=en |archive-date=February 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220204005833/http://archive.j-mediaarts.jp/en/festival/2011/animation/works/15anj_steinsgate/ |url-status=live }} It won a Newtype Anime Awards for the Best Male anime character of the year, for Rintaro Okabe.{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=October 9, 2011 |title=Madoka Magica Wins 12 of 21 Newtype Anime Awards |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-09/madoka-magica-wins-12-of-21-newtype-anime-awards |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160429213521/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-10-09/madoka-magica-wins-12-of-21-newtype-anime-awards |archive-date=April 29, 2016 |access-date=April 29, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} Steins;Gate was nominated for the 43rd Seiun Award in the Best Media category in 2012, but lost to Puella Magi Madoka Magica.{{Cite web |title=2012年 第43回星雲賞 |url=http://www.sf-fan.gr.jp/awards/2012result.html |access-date=November 8, 2022 |website=www.sf-fan.gr.jp}}
Steins;Gate is considered as one of the best anime series of the 2010s.{{Cite web |last=Cubillas |first=Sean |date=March 26, 2020 |title=The 10 Most Popular Anime Of The 2010s & How They Held Up |url=https://www.cbr.com/anime-2010s-popular-aged-hold-up/ |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=CBR |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |title=The Best Anime of the 2010s |url=https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/best-anime-of-the-decade-2010s |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Thrillist |date=January 3, 2020 |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Taguiam |first=Rhenn |date=July 29, 2021 |title=15 Best Anime From The 2010s |url=https://gamerant.com/best-anime-2010s/ |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Game Rant |language=en-US}} IGN listed the series among the best anime series of the 2010s.{{cite web |title=The Best Anime of the Decade (2010 - 2019) |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2020/01/01/best-anime-of-the-decade-2010-2019 |website=IGN |access-date=January 4, 2020 |date=January 1, 2020 |archive-date=March 24, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324002057/https://www.ign.com/articles/2020/01/01/best-anime-of-the-decade-2010-2019 |url-status=live }} Crunchyroll also listed it in their "Top 100 best anime of the 2010s".{{cite web|last=Wolf|first=Ian|title=Crunchyroll Names The Top 100 Anime of the 2010s|url=http://animeuknews.net/2019/11/crunchyroll-names-the-top-100-anime-of-the-2010s/|website=Anime UK News|access-date=March 21, 2022|date=November 27, 2019|archive-date=November 27, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127213200/http://animeuknews.net/2019/11/crunchyroll-names-the-top-100-anime-of-the-2010s/|url-status=live}}
=Critical response=
The Steins;Gate anime series holds a 100% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 6 reviews.{{cite web |title=STEINS;GATE: SEASON 1 (2011) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/steins_gate/s01|access-date=January 5, 2023 |website=Rotten Tomatoes}}
The series has been well received by critics, with Carlo Santos at Anime News Network calling it "one of the most addictive sci-fi thrillers in recent anime history", Richard Eisenbeis at Kotaku calling it one of the best anime he had seen, and Chris Beveridge at The Fandom Post calling it his favorite simulcast title of 2011.{{cite web |author=Beveridge |first=Chris |date=September 28, 2012 |title=Steins; Gate Part 1 Collection DVD/Blu-ray Anime Review |url=http://www.fandompost.com/2012/09/28/steins-gate-part-1-collection-dvdblu-ray-anime-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121003030421/http://www.fandompost.com/2012/09/28/steins-gate-part-1-collection-dvdblu-ray-anime-review/ |archive-date=October 3, 2012 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=The Fandom Post}} Critics have enjoyed the series' story and writing. Santos enjoyed how Steins;Gate misleads the viewer by spending the first half of the series on comedy before turning into a thriller for the second half, and how the finale revisits the events of the first episode, making for a "rock-solid climax".{{cite web |author=Santos |first=Carlo |date=September 27, 2011 |title=Steins;Gate Episodes 1-24 Streaming - Review |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/episodes-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611060804/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/episodes-1 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Anime News Network}} Rebecca Silverman at Anime News Network, reviewing the first half of the series, described the series as an interesting concept with nice visual flair when needed; and that the 12th episode was a great hook for the rest of the series.{{cite web |author=Silverman |first=Rebecca |date=November 26, 2012 |title=Steins;Gate BD+DVD 1 - Review |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/bd+dvd-1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611061920/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/bd+dvd-1 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Anime News Network}} She found the second half of the show to be a step up, compared to the first half; she enjoyed the added urgency, and how the characters were given development and how the viewer was given insight into their motivations from the first half of the series.{{cite web |author=Silverman |first=Rebecca |date=February 11, 2013 |title=Steins;Gate BD+DVD 2 - Review |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/bd+dvd-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611024756/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/steins-gate/bd+dvd-2 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Anime News Network}} Aiden Foote from THEM Anime Reviews gave the series a 5 out of 5 stars and described it as "The build up of characterisation is effective, the show is very entertaining and the complexity is handled with insight and maturity".{{cite web |author=Foote |first=Aiden |title=Steins;Gate |url=http://www.themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1275 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160410232005/http://themanime.org/viewreview.php?id=1275 |archive-date=April 10, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=THEM Anime Reviews}}
Eisenbeis noted the rules for how time travel works as well defined, which he called among the hardest things to do when writing time travel fiction.{{cite web |author=Eisenbeis |first=Richard |date=April 19, 2013 |title=Steins;Gate Might Be the Best Anime I Have Ever Seen |url=http://kotaku.com/steins-gate-might-be-the-best-anime-i-have-ever-seen-476397964/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824093740/http://kotaku.com/steins-gate-might-be-the-best-anime-i-have-ever-seen-476397964 |archive-date=August 24, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=Kotaku |publisher=Gawker Media}} Pierce Drew at The Fandom Post enjoyed the story and characters.{{cite web |author=Drew |first=Pierce |date=August 3, 2013 |title=Steins;Gate Part 1 UK Blu-ray Anime Review |url=http://www.fandompost.com/2013/08/03/steinsgate-part-1-uk-blu-ray-anime-review/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919133429/http://www.fandompost.com/2013/08/03/steinsgate-part-1-uk-blu-ray-anime-review/ |archive-date=September 19, 2016 |access-date=March 26, 2020 |website=The Fandom Post}} Patrick of Cedar Mill & Bethany Community Libraries called it a "brilliant mash-up of hard science fiction, comedy, romance and drama".{{cite web |author=Patrick |date=February 2, 2016 |title=Anime Watch: Open the Steins;Gate |url=https://library.cedarmill.org/find/movies-music/anime-watch-open-the-steinsgate/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201127222336/https://library.cedarmill.org/find/movies-music/anime-watch-open-the-steinsgate/ |archive-date=November 27, 2020 |access-date=April 18, 2020 |website=Cedar Mill & Bethany Community Libraries}} Santos called the character designs memorable and found it refreshing that the anime featured an overweight person as one of its main characters. He noted that the backgrounds, while making use of muted and grayish tones, still had enough color to be visually appealing.
Silverman thought that the series' visuals were uneven for the first half, having some "nice visual flair" at some points, such as a black-and-white scene in episode 11, and some fan-service shots that she found ill-fitting. For the second half, she found the visuals and audio design to have improved, with a focus on visual themes such as clasped hands, and the use of highly detailed and more realistic art during stressful moments in the story. Foote enjoyed the visual presentation of Akihabara, which he described as "lifeless but ever moving, like sand in the desert wind"; he called it evocative of morning street scenes in the directors' earlier work Serial Experiments Lain (1998), and proof that they had not lost their touch since then. Drew thought the visuals were of high quality throughout the series, and that they were a good, albeit less detailed, representation of the art style used in the Steins;Gate game.
=Sales=
The first Japanese Blu-ray volume of the series opened as the week's fourth best selling animation Blu-ray and the seventh best selling Blu-ray overall, with 11,802 copies sold according to Oricon;{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=June 28, 2011 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking: June 20–26 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-28/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/june-20-26 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505164220/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-06-28/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/june-20-26 |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |access-date=May 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} and remained on the sales charts for an additional three weeks, selling 14,921 copies in total.{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 5, 2011 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking: June 27-July 3 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-05/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/june-27-july-2 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160505134539/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-05/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/june-27-july-2 |archive-date=May 5, 2016 |access-date=May 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 12, 2011 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking: July 4–10 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-12/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/july-4-10 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611051200/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-12/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/july-4-10 |archive-date=June 11, 2016 |access-date=May 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=July 19, 2011 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking: July 11–17 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-19/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/july-11-17 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529094155/http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2011-07-19/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking/july-11-17 |archive-date=May 29, 2016 |access-date=May 5, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} At the end of 2012, volume 9, 8, and 7 were the 44th, 46th, and 49th best selling animation Blu-rays of the year in Japan.{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=January 6, 2013 |title=50 Top-Selling Animation Blu-ray Discs in Japan: 2012 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-01-06/50-top-selling-animation-blu-ray-discs-in-japan/2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160816111209/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-01-06/50-top-selling-animation-blu-ray-discs-in-japan/2012 |archive-date=August 16, 2016 |access-date=August 16, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} The Japanese DVD and Blu-ray boxes that collect the whole series also charted: the DVD box, which was released in March 2013, was the 26th best selling animation DVD of the week;{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=April 2, 2013 |title=Japan's Animation DVD Ranking, March 25–31 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-04-02/japan-animation-dvd-ranking-march-25-31 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819124009/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2013-04-02/japan-animation-dvd-ranking-march-25-31 |archive-date=August 19, 2016 |access-date=August 19, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}} and the Blu-ray box, which was released in February 2016, premiered on fourth place and charted for two weeks.{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=February 9, 2016 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, February 1–7 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-09/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-february-1-7/.98493 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818150357/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-09/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-february-1-7/.98493 |archive-date=August 18, 2016 |access-date=August 18, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}{{cite web |last=Loo |first=Egan |date=February 16, 2016 |title=Japan's Animation Blu-ray Disc Ranking, February 8–14 |url=http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-16/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-february-8-14/.98740 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813115944/https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2016-02-16/japan-animation-blu-ray-disc-ranking-february-8-14/.98740 |archive-date=August 13, 2016 |access-date=September 19, 2016 |website=Anime News Network}}
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Official website|http://steinsgate.tv}} {{in lang|ja}}
- {{IMDb title|1910272}}
- {{Anime News Network|anime|11770}}
{{Science Adventure series}}
{{White Fox}}
{{Jukki Hanada}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steins Gate}}
Category:2011 anime television series debuts
Category:Anime and manga about parallel universes
Category:Anime and manga about time travel
Category:Anime television series based on video games
Category:Conspiracy theories in popular culture
Category:Japanese time travel television series
Category:Madman Entertainment anime
Category:Science fiction anime and manga
Category:Television series set in 2010
Category:Television shows set in Tokyo