One of the best things about Steins;Gate is its character writing.
Okabe is a great protagonist, and the rest of the cast is also very well-written, with everyone having a purpose in the narrative.
The first half of the anime isn't boring: the cast interactions make it great.
Steins;Gate has quite a lot of acclaim from both casual and more hardcore fans. This can be attributed to many things: the time travel genre being something that never gets old, a fascinating mystery behind the plot, and the overall great atmosphere of a somewhat ridiculous sci-fi lab.
However, one notable thing about Steins;Gate that has been accepted as undeniably one of its best parts is the character writing. Not only is it great, it is arguably one of the best in all of anime — and here's why.
Okabe is an amazing protagonist
The best character in Steins;Gate is undoubtedly the protagonist, Rintarou Okabe — or, as he often calls himself, Hououin Kyouma. The self-proclaimed "mad scientist", Okabe is a somewhat awkward genius — and as time has proven, anime fans love genius characters. Despite that, he's oddly charismatic, and that charisma wins over both viewers and other characters.
We can see Okabe struggle and grow as a person throughout the entire series.
Despite what he has been going through, he keeps his resolve — and the anime perfectly showcases many stages of his character. At some points, he was about to give up (and in Steins;Gate 0, he actually did), and this shows that he, like us, is just a human in the end.
Rest of the cast is great as well
The rest of the cast is great, too. Kurisu, being a young genius scientist, keeps up a facade of fake confidence, but that's just a facade. She's very vulnerable, and the slow romantic development between her and Okabe makes perfect sense: Okabe himself engages in his eccentric behavior to entertain Mayuri, and he, too, has to keep up this mask.
The rest of the cast is similarly great, and all of them serve a purpose. Daru is a socially awkward nerd who also grows out of his shell during the run of the series. Mayuri helps Okabe to go through his struggles. Pretty much everyone has a role, and they play it perfectly. Anime based on visual novels are often criticized for mixing together different routes, but here, including elements from them makes sense: it is done for the sake of better characterization.
Cast interactions are a strong part of the first half
Ultimately, Steins;Gate definitely deserves its iconic status. Some fans may argue that the first half is too slow and boring, but that's not true at all. It doesn't have all the insane revelations and plot twists from the end of the show, but it's great in another way: it shows the cast interacting with each other.
And yes, it's not just because of Okabe.
Summary:
One of the best things about Steins;Gate is its character writing.
Okabe is a great protagonist, and the rest of the cast is also very well-written, with everyone having a purpose in the narrative.
The first half of the anime isn't boring: the cast interactions make it great.
Steins;Gate has quite a lot of acclaim from both casual and more hardcore fans. This can be attributed to many things: the time travel genre being something that never gets old, a fascinating mystery behind the plot, and the overall great atmosphere of a somewhat ridiculous sci-fi lab.
However, one notable thing about Steins;Gate that has been accepted as undeniably one of its best parts is the character writing. Not only is it great, it is arguably one of the best in all of anime — and here's why.
Okabe is an amazing protagonist
The best character in Steins;Gate is undoubtedly the protagonist, Rintarou Okabe — or, as he often calls himself, Hououin Kyouma. The self-proclaimed "mad scientist", Okabe is a somewhat awkward genius — and as time has proven, anime fans love genius characters. Despite that, he's oddly charismatic, and that charisma wins over both viewers and other characters.
We can see Okabe struggle and grow as a person throughout the entire series.
Despite what he has been going through, he keeps his resolve — and the anime perfectly showcases many stages of his character. At some points, he was about to give up (and in Steins;Gate 0, he actually did), and this shows that he, like us, is just a human in the end.
Rest of the cast is great as well
The rest of the cast is great, too. Kurisu, being a young genius scientist, keeps up a facade of fake confidence, but that's just a facade. She's very vulnerable, and the slow romantic development between her and Okabe makes perfect sense: Okabe himself engages in his eccentric behavior to entertain Mayuri, and he, too, has to keep up this mask.
The rest of the cast is similarly great, and all of them serve a purpose. Daru is a socially awkward nerd who also grows out of his shell during the run of the series. Mayuri helps Okabe to go through his struggles. Pretty much everyone has a role, and they play it perfectly. Anime based on visual novels are often criticized for mixing together different routes, but here, including elements from them makes sense: it is done for the sake of better characterization.
Cast interactions are a strong part of the first half
Ultimately, Steins;Gate definitely deserves its iconic status. Some fans may argue that the first half is too slow and boring, but that's not true at all. It doesn't have all the insane revelations and plot twists from the end of the show, but it's great in another way: it shows the cast interacting with each other.
