Review of Steins;Gate 0

Steins;Gate 0 left me with mixed feelings. For those who are unaware, I thought the first Steins;Gate was a masterpiece. In fact, it's listed as my favorite anime on MAL. Sadly, I felt that Steins;Gate 0 was a small step down from Steins;Gate for one simple reason: This story did not take place in the correct world-line. In my heart of hearts I sympathize with Okabe. Time travelling is rough- I mean, just ask Natsuki Subaru. Eventually, time travelers need a break from all the bloodshed. But, just as was the case for Subaru, taking a break just isn't Hououin Kyouma's style- and it shows. Basically, the point ofthis whole review is this: Okabe would never do this (I'm literally shaking and crying right now).

Okabe Rintarou was never shown to be a quitter. That's why it feels like such a slight when he decides to give up. Given the fact that Okabe quitting is the catalyst for the sequel, you can see why I had a hard time enjoying it.

Other than that fact though, I feel like Steins;Gate 0 was a solid sequel. Its tone was devastating. More than ever, I felt like I was watching a Mad Scientist spiral into true madness. Once the dust settled around the events of Steins;Gate, Okabe was left with his mind in shambles. The main focus of Steins;Gate 0 wasn't necessarily time travel, but the aftermath of the death of Hououin Kyouma.

It was deep. It hurt really bad. But I enjoyed it. It was a great show. I don't think it would have been possible for Steins;Gate 0 to live up to its predecessor. Steins;Gate had already nailed the ending. To fans, there was no other way for the show to end. Still, I appreciate Steins;Gate 0 as a character study on the main cast. Watching the total breakdown that came as a result of failure made the "Steins;Gate" ending feel even better.

Overall, I respect Steins;Gate 0, but I didn't personally enjoy it as much as Steins;Gate.