A bold move to change the past opens more possibilities but also an immense amount of danger.
What They Say:
The Lab experiments with a lottery ticket to see if they can change the past. They succeed, but for some reason only Okabe remembers the experiment…
The Review:
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers)
With the Phone Microwave’s abilities now fairly well proven, Rintaro is now deciding the best way to move forward in the manner of which is expected of a mad scientist. He wants to alter the past. Of course, that’s not exactly some of them think is a good idea and Christina is definitely against it, but it fits in with Rintaro’s personality very easily. Daru does manage to tempt him in another direction through with a significantly large cash prize lottery contest that they can get involved in, but he wants to make sure they don’t draw too much attention so they can’t exactly win. What makes the whole thing even more surreal is the way Mayuri takes Moeka around the Lab and shows it all off with cute pictures being taken. Moeka’s still a strange addition to an already strange cast of characters that leaves you really uncertain about where she’s going to fit in the scheme of things.
The experiment to see if they can change that past has a really interesting but unsurprising result when Ruka arrives moments later. For Rintaro, the confusion starts right after he sends the email because everyone is uncertain about what he’s just done as they don’t remember it, they only remember talking about the potential of conducting the experiment. So when Ruka reveals that Rintaro gave her the numbers a few days ago and she’s won a lot of money, they’re all shocked by it because they haven’t done the experiment. Even worse, the email he sent in the past doesn’t exist now for some reason, showing once more how changing the past can have unexpected consequences and alter things. Yet Rintaro himself remembers it all since he was the actual catalyst and the one that sent the message.
The show does what it’s done for much of its run as it slowly explores how this works, with a curious smattering of dialogue and a lot of quiet moments between the few characters that are together while others like Daru and Mayuri go about their lives. The mystery of why it works is something that definitely has an interesting angle as Rintaro communicates with Titor about it and they can actually make a text/email conversation tense and fascinating to watch unfold. Getting the idea that Rintaro may just be a tool for changing the future as opposed to the past, or rather someone else’s past and his future, is a fun concept to work with and it has some very keen little nods and moments in the final minutes as it paints a picture of how Rintaro is potentially being used, or set up for grander things.
In Summary:
Steins; Gate continues to be a series that moves at a very specific kind of pace and avoids the usual methods we see when it comes to execution and making sure that events hit certain marks. It’s not what you get from a manga to anime adaptation to be sure and that allows it to somehow be both leisurely in its nature yet incredible tension filled as well. Everyone is going through their lives but with this huge discovery on their hands, a supposed conspiracy that spans time and massive organizations and one man who is now being told he can change everything in ways no man has ever been able to before. It’s such a low-key show, but filled with such big moments that the contrast is both beautiful and frightening. There’s so many ways this can go and that uncertainty is a huge part of its appeal as the series continues to unfold. Definitely recommended for those looking for something that’s not the norm and claim that anime doesn’t do anything different.
Grade: B+
Simulcast By: Crunchyroll
Review Equipment:
Sony KDS-R70XBR2 70″ LCoS 1080P HDTV, Dell 10.1 Netbook via HDMI set to 1080p, Onkyo TX-SR605 Receiver and Panasonic SB-TP20S Multi-Channel Speaker System With 100-Watt Subwoofer.
