Funimation took a little time this weekend to talk about the Steins;Gate 0 game with the release of the trailer for it from PQube, but that’s not what most anime fans are asking about these days. With it having been a few years since the end of the TV series release, fans are still waiting for the Steins;Gate – The Movie – Load Region of Déjà Vu release. Tagged at the end of the discussion about the game, they did reveal that they will be bringing the film out in 2017 with details to be announced at the end of December. Dare we hope for a one-night event in theaters?
Originally released in 2013, the film has Hiroshi Hamasaki and Takuya as the chief directors with Kanji Wakabayashi as the hands-on director. The screenplay comes from Jukki Handa with character designs by Kyuta Sakai, who also served as the chief animation director with White Fox handling the production.
The Japanese cast includes Asami Imai as Kurisu Makise, Mamoru Miyano as Rintarō Okabe, Ayano Yamamoto as Nae Tennōji, Halko Momoi as Faris Nyannyan, Kana Hanazawa as Mayuri Shiina, Masaki Terasoma as Yūgo Tennōji, Saori Goto as Moeka Kiryū, Tomokazu Seki as Itaru Hashida, Yu Kobayashi as Ruka Urushibara and Yukari Tamura as Suzuha Amane.
Plot concept: After a year in America, Kurisu Makise returns to Akihabara and reunites with Rintarou Okabe. However, their reunion is cut short when Okabe begins to experience recurring flashes of other timelines as the consequences of his time traveling start to manifest. These side effects eventually culminate in Okabe suddenly vanishing from the world, and only the startled Kurisu has any memory of his existence.
In the midst of despair, Kurisu is faced with a truly arduous choice that will test both her duty as a scientist and her loyalty as a friend: follow Okabe’s advice and stay away from traveling through time to avoid the potential consequences it may have on the world lines, or ignore it to rescue the person that she cherishes most. Regardless of her decision, the path she chooses is one that will affect the past, the present, and the future.
