The State of Anime Today

Solid Snake · 08-01-2016, 06:29 PM

Gregness: I actually really enjoy social-justice themed critiques of works I enjoy, so it's not so much about me feeling uncomfortable with liking Steins;Gate (I'll love the show even if Poch claims it's the most offensive thing she's ever watched, I assure you) and more about learning from where Steins;Gate and other shows I enjoyed like it have failed so that, when I write my own novel someday, I'll avoid similar mistakes and ensure broad accessibility to my work.

Poch: I can't really sell you on waddling through eleven episodes of mediocrity to get to the great stuff, but personally, I felt Steins;Gate got great a lot sooner than Episode Twelve. (What you've read, though, is a pretty broad consensus among approximately half of Steins;Gate's fandom. Half its fanbase pretty much loves everything, and the other half pinpoints Episode Twelve as when it gets really good. Personally, I started liking Steins;Gate around the equivalent of Episode Four or Five as I played through the VN.)

So, the first episode of Steins;Gate in the anime (and the prologue in the VN) isn't supposed to make any sense whatsoever until you rewatch it after finishing the series. I'll concede that is an awkward tactic to employ.

Before Episode 12 it's basically masquerading as a slice-of-life comedy. Upon reaching Episode 12 it transforms into something else entirely. The value you get from the experience depends largely upon enjoying how the show sets you up to expect X, then slams you with Y.

Also, while the Dubs version of Steins;Gate actually isn't half bad, I'd strongly recommend the Subs over it because Okabe, Suzuha's and Kurisu's Japanese VAs are all amazing. That being said, I prefer Mayuri and Daru's dubbed voices, so it's a mixed bag all around.

EDIT: Rereading the episode list, Poch, I'd recommend giving it to the end of Episode Five if you can. The revelation at the end of that episode (and into the beginning of Episode Six, I think?) regarding certain unethical experiments was around the point in time I got hooked on it. Before that revelation, things are a bit more boring. I wouldn't give up too quickly on the characters, though. I think Episode Two includes a lot of Moeka and she's the weak link. Suzuha, who I think you really get to know later, is phenomenal, and the Okabe-Kurisu dynamic is much more interesting than Okabe-Mayuri interactions.

08-01-2016, 06:29 PM	#11
Solid Snake Erotic Esquire Join Date: Nov 2003 Posts: 5,563	Gregness: I actually really enjoy social-justice themed critiques of works I enjoy, so it's not so much about me feeling uncomfortable with liking Steins;Gate (I'll love the show even if Poch claims it's the most offensive thing she's ever watched, I assure you) and more about learning from where Steins;Gate and other shows I enjoyed like it have failed so that, when I write my own novel someday, I'll avoid similar mistakes and ensure broad accessibility to my work. Poch: I can't really sell you on waddling through eleven episodes of mediocrity to get to the great stuff, but personally, I felt Steins;Gate got great a lot sooner than Episode Twelve. (What you've read, though, is a pretty broad consensus among approximately half of Steins;Gate's fandom. Half its fanbase pretty much loves everything, and the other half pinpoints Episode Twelve as when it gets really good. Personally, I started liking Steins;Gate around the equivalent of Episode Four or Five as I played through the VN.) So, the first episode of Steins;Gate in the anime (and the prologue in the VN) isn't supposed to make any sense whatsoever until you rewatch it after finishing the series. I'll concede that is an awkward tactic to employ. Before Episode 12 it's basically masquerading as a slice-of-life comedy. Upon reaching Episode 12 it transforms into something else entirely. The value you get from the experience depends largely upon enjoying how the show sets you up to expect X, then slams you with Y. Also, while the Dubs version of Steins;Gate actually isn't half bad, I'd strongly recommend the Subs over it because Okabe, Suzuha's and Kurisu's Japanese VAs are all amazing. That being said, I prefer Mayuri and Daru's dubbed voices, so it's a mixed bag all around. EDIT: Rereading the episode list, Poch, I'd recommend giving it to the end of Episode Five if you can. The revelation at the end of that episode (and into the beginning of Episode Six, I think?) regarding certain unethical experiments was around the point in time I got hooked on it. Before that revelation, things are a bit more boring. I wouldn't give up too quickly on the characters, though. I think Episode Two includes a lot of Moeka and she's the weak link. Suzuha, who I think you really get to know later, is phenomenal, and the Okabe-Kurisu dynamic is much more interesting than Okabe-Mayuri interactions. __________________ *WARNING:* Snek's all up in this thread. Be prepared to read massive walls of text. Last edited by Solid Snake; 08-01-2016 at 06:34 PM.