Forum - View topicWhat is the appeal of Steins Gate?
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DreamedLint
Posts: 42 |
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I watched Steins Gate a few weeks ago with a friend, and fairly early on we realized we both kinda hated it. I was confused because Steins Gate came highly recommended as one of the best shows of its era.
Is it a character study? The first 11 episodes or so are obnoxious. Relentlessly unfunny dialogue with insufferable characters. The fat hacker dude's voice actor is doing this rediculous affectation (I watched the Japanese dub) to sound more fat, I guess? I get that him being a stereotypical otaku pervert is kinda his thing, but is that all? Welcome to the NHK did it much better. The main character, Okabe, is obviously a chuuni, but we're supposed to like him right? This where I genuinely feel like I'm missing something. Every one of his scenes in these episodes makes me think he's annoying and awful, but when the stakes ramp up we're supposed to care that he's miserable? What character traits does he have beyond being a chuuni and caring about Mayushii? Kurisu's tsundere shtick is so basic she gets used as a literal definition for the term. I'll admit she has some solid comedy with Okabe with her as the straight man. (I liked the spoon bit.) Finally, Mayushii. She's fine. I like when she says "Tuturuu!" So the most likable character is a soundboard app, great. Is it the plot? Because the plot's pretty stupid. I'll avoid spoilers, but I'm really asking folks who liked the show to tell me what they saw in it. The show has Okabe try all these different ways to avert this big tragedy, only for it to happen anyway Final Destination style. (Which leads to the most unintentionally hysterical scenes in the show on the train platform) So it's established Fate is inescapable within certain contrived timeline parameters. Leading to the narrative conceit that makes up most of the show's second half: undoing all the time travel shenanigans of the first few episodes. I never bought this part. Not just because the time travel mechanics feel really arbitrary, but the situations that result are just rediculous. Biological sex changes through vegetables. The complete disappearance of moe from Akiba. Etc. Seem like plot points suited to a madcap comedy, but they become part of a serious drama later. Was this subversion meant to be executed well? As a shock to viewers expecting a silly show? But it's not a stark change, they'll still get embroiled in nonsense in the 'dark' part of the series. Finally, the climax. Basically fate is all powerful but can be fooled with a trick fit for a metal gear solid 1 guard, not the primordial will of the universe. Anyway. I don't get why this series is so loved. I was either bored to tears or shedding tears of laughter at its utter stupidity. Is there something I'm not getting? Or is Steins Gate not as loved as I somehow thought? Thanks for your time. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
 Posts: 6529 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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You may enjoy this ANNcast where Zac & Jacob discuss the absurdities of the second half. The sacrifices made by the female characters on behalf of Okabe don't bear close consideration. And that's not taking into account the time travel plot holes.
Despite its failings the 2nd half was, for me, compelling viewing. |
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TexZero
Posts: 583 |
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For me atleast, the sub was an awkward viewing experience. Watching it dubbed made things a bit better. That said i wont pretend to change your mind, if you find something untennable then there's almost 0 chance that any reason i found enjoyment will change your perception.
Now then, what i did enjoy about the show was how conclusive it was. Yes there was some absurd moments, but that's the nature of sci-fi and even moreso with time travel. What made me enjoy the show the most however was the character interactions, it was easily one of the first times for me in anime that a group of voice actors organically felt like friends and actually brought the characters they were portraying to a fully fleshed out state as opposed to just being a hollow shell of a trope. Your mileage with that may vary. |
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louis6578
 Posts: 1862 |
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The appeal is simply watching a quirky high school graduate who LARPs as a mad scientist get in deep with a legitimate Government Conspiracy and have to make good on his pretend persona by making everything right with the world again. I fail to see what's confusing. To be fair, I think the dub is far better than the sub, so that might make the first half more acceptable for you, but aside from that... if you think it's dumb, it's clearly just not for you.
I personally think Madoka Magica is just "good." Not an outstanding masterpiece like everyone else holds it. I still see the appeal, but it isn't for me. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6529 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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But in "MyAnime" you've rated PMMM as masterpiece.
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louis6578
Posts: 1862 |
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That was upon my first viewing. After rewatches, i lower it to an 8.5. |
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Jose Cruz
 Posts: 1775 Location: South America |
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If I watch a TV series and I decide to watch it again it's because it's already a masterpiece. PMMM is a series that often a lot of people think it's not very good while lots of people love it, it's similar in that sense to stuff like Lain or Evangelion, other popular "cult" anime series.
Anyway when some title is popular and regarded as a masterpiece if I don't like it I just drop it. I don't have patience and time to worry about stuff that other people like and I don't: I just don't pay attention to stuff I don't like. |
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Errinundra
Moderator
Posts: 6529 Location: Melbourne, Oz |
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"Re-watchability" may increase my score for an anime. If I find myself drawn back to an anime time and again, It must be doing something right.
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louis6578
Posts: 1862 |
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I completely agree. My top 5 anime are all things that I could rewatch over and over again, especially with different friends each time to gauge their reactions. I'd argue that Steins;Gate has plenty of rewatch bonuses too. You probably won't get everything out of it the first time you see it. |
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Aylinn
 Posts: 1684 |
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I think it is the kind of show where you are supposed not to think, otherwise all the ridicules ideas inserted into this show will not allow you to take it seriously.
I was never a big fan of Steins Gate, but I enjoyed it enough to give it 7. I liked Okabe and his chuuni about being a mad scientists. In many action-oriented series characters most often want to be great fighters, so it was kind of refreshing. DreamedLint There is a good chance that many people did not notice these ridicules ideas and some didn’t mind enough for the show to be ruined for them, but I certainly understand why you don’t like it. The show was balancing on the line for me with these absurdities. |
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TanyaTheEvil
 Posts: 331 |
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What did you think when you got to episode 8 and on?
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Zehennagel
Posts: 1 |
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lol you didn't like something that's popular and you're that surprised about it? surprise surprise people have different tastes and the most populars animes can't be liked by everyone...
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ChrisKris
 Posts: 79 |
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Hmm, I rated Steins;Gate Masterpiece.
The story, the sadness. It started a little slow. And around the middle of the story it was a little bit boring because of the repeating stuff. But in general I loved it. Worth watching |
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Cardcaptor Takato
 Posts: 4848 |
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The appeal of Steins Gate to me is that it was about a group of socially awkward nerds who find themselves caught up in a conspiracy and thrown about by fate to save someone that they care deeply about. I can see the characters being annoying to some fans but I always felt like that was the point that they were socially awkward and not the normal types of noble heroes you would expect to try and save the world from a sinister plot. But even though their social awkwardness can be legitimately criticized, the show still presents the characters in a sympathetic manner and I think that's part of the show's appeal to anime fans, who tend to also be socially awkward nerds. Even though it's logic might not be fully thought out, I also enjoyed Steins Gate because of the sci-fi conspiracy elements which reminded me a lot of Western sci-fi shows like the X-Files. Okabe and Kurisu's rapport also reminds me a lot of Mulder and Scully in a lot of ways. And in spite of sci-fi being the most popular anime genre, I feel like we rarely get an anime about time travel, so that was another main appeal of Steins Gate for me.
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