English Dub Review: Steins;Gate 0 “Protocol of the Two-sided Gospel -X- day Protocol-“

Mayuri tries to hold everything together by throwing a Christmas party.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Okabe’s relationship with the Amadeus program emulating Makise Kurisu continues to develop, and he finds the program to be more and more a replacement for his long-lost friend. Mayuri, meanwhile, gets everybody together for a Christmas party, even Maho, and Alexis, who end up coming along as well. On the surface, things appear lighthearted and friendly, but it’s becoming clear that Okabe’s time with Amadeus is starting to serve as a replacement for the real Makisu. But Maho is quick to remind Okabe: Makise Kurisu was murdered, and she’s never coming back. A fact that strikes the fallen Okabe at his core.

Our Take:

So we’re three episodes into Steins;Gate 0 which means now the initial hype and optimism of seeing a new series is starting to die down. With that particular sheen gone, I’m finding that there is something a bit lacking in Steins;Gate 0 so far that seems to be keeping it from the level of greatness that the original series achieved.

The main plot thread that drove the original was the mystery of time travel and getting to see and spend time with Okabe’s ever-growing circle of friends. There were humor, slice-of-life stuff and quality time spent with the characters, but that was all supplanted by the powerful mystery that kept you interested from episode to episode. So far, though, Steins;Gate 0 lacks that mystery, that driving force, that keeps someone glued to each episode eager to find out what happens next. Now, things just feel like a slice-of-life anime, with some depressing tragedy thrown in the mix in the form of the depressed Okabe.

It feels off, like its missing something; a crucial piece to turn a tepid, kinda cute anime into something more profound. This episode felt like it was meandering around, taking its sweet time driving a point home (Okabe’s developing dependence on Amadeus) that was already fairly obvious. These long banter scenes between Okabe and Makise are cute, but not terribly interesting since I already know where the two of them stand. Not to mention, “Fallen” Okabe is a lot less interesting to witness than the eccentric, “Mad scientist” Okabe we all know and love. Of course, I understand that’s a central part of the series, but it isn’t serving the show well so far. Though, I’d have to say that the ending of this episode alludes to potentially more exciting things on the horizon. Seeing the horror that grips Okabe’s troubled mind is the kind of thing that we need more of, both to keep things tense, and to set the tone of this series.

All this isn’t to say that the episode is bad, just a bit lukewarm. The voice acting is solid, the writing is good and the characters are likable, if not a little underwhelming. For fans of the original, I’m sure there’s plenty to love in seeing your favorite characters chilling out and having fun. But the beginning grace periods of this series is over, and its time for them to get into the good stuff. If that doesn’t happen, then this might just end up being a forgotten side project left in the shadow of its predecessor; the anime giant that won the hearts of so many.