Steins;Gate

The universe has a begining but no ending. Infinite. The stars, too, have a beggining, but their own power leads to their destruction. Finite. History dictates that it is the wise that are the more foolish  One could call this a final warning from God ,to those who can still resist. - Hououin Kyouma, opening monologue of episode 1 ''Prologue - The beginning of the End"

The relevant characters:

Okabe Rintarou (aka Hououin Kyouma): The Delusional hero of the show. A fist year at Tokyo University who is the founder of The Future Gadget Lab. He is always making up conspiracy thoeries, the most usual one that some organization is after him while talking to its telephone when its actually off, and made up scientific terms and language. Despite the delusionary way of life, he is very intelligent. He claims to be an Insane Mad Scientist, and is addicted to Dr.Peepper, which he calls it an intellectual drink.

Shiina Mayuri (aka Mayuushi): The only girl in the Future Gadget Lab until Kurisu joins it. She's a childhood friend of Kyouma, and considers to be his hostage. Honest and naive, works at a maid caffé and does cosplays in her free time. Always greets people  saying ''Tuturu".

Hashida Itaru (aka Daru): The Future Gadget Lab super hacker. Also a first year at Tokyo University and knows Kyouma from high-school. Also an intelligent person with great programing and computing skills, but is an huge Otaku, always spewing lines about threads, 2D,3D, ''mai waifus" and such.

Makise Kurisu: A very young gifted scientist, being published in Science magazine at a young age. She's deeply interested in the experiments of Kyouma, and is one of the big misteries of the show. Kyouma calls her by the codename ''Kuristina", the engrish for Christina. She's also addicted to Dr.Pepper and though she hides it, she has lots of knowledge of internet slang and memes.

It's an anime that was adapted from a multi-platform novel game,the kind that every choice changes the scenario, and it's hard to describe without getting into spoilers. The best way is to introduce the plot in resuming  the two first episodes. There aren't much of a spoiler as they function as an introduction to the rest of the anime and nothing major happens in it.

The plot starts with Kyouma and Mayuushi attending a scientific presentation about a time machine. There Kyouma meets Kurisu, by her asking what he wanted to talk 15 minutes before, coming as a shock to Kyouma as they never met. During the presentation of the time machine Kyouma lashes at the scientist presenting it, saying it's plagyarism of John Titor; a self proclaimed time traveler that appeared around the net in the year 2000 that claims CERN (yes the European Organization for Nuclear Research) creates a dystopia with time machines. After the presentation, while kyouma is searching for Mayuushi he hears a scream, and finds the corpse of Kurisu on a room. As he is going home he sends a message to Daru how he found her stabbed, and then eveything that happened on that day changed. The seminar was canceled and the reason he was there was to watch a satellite that crashed into the building. Also the mensage that he sent to Daru, he has received it a week before, and only Kyouma remembers the alternate happenings. Later is shown the Future Gadget lab, and the Phone Microwave (name subject to be changed) is presented. The microwave is the first invention of the lab, it's connected to Kyouma's phone so he can activate it remotely. The microwave has two interesting quirks: has a spinning plate that rotates backwards and if you put a banana inside it turns them into a gel like form. 

I wouldn't eat it, and extra points to the "floppy banana" part

The next day he has to attend a lecture on his university, and is Kurisu the presenter and is alive and well. Kyouma's dreams are ridiculurized by Kurisu as her presentation is on why time travel is impossible. In that night as he is searching the net about John Titor he discovers everything about him has changed as well, he didn't appear on the year 2000, only now appearing rumours and posts from him! Also on a next microwave experience, the banana disappears and is reattached to the others, as Kurisu walks into the lab.

 What's the relation between Kurisu, the microwave, Kyouma and John Titor?  Is CERN really trying to create a dystopian future? The rest of the anime is centered around timelines being altered and time travel, the ''butterfly effect'' that comes with it and that some things, even  how many times you try, never change. In a way it reminds me of the Butterfly Effect movie, but with more internet,meme references and perverted jokes.

As the setting is the summer of 2010 in Japan, there isn't a need for spending time describing it, and the show has a heavy focus on plot. 

The soundtrack is average, there's no track that gets stuck in your head, and the opening and endings quickly fade away from your memory.

Art - 4/5 - The art is good, and the way it's presented is also good, but compared to some other animes, it still misses a notch to get to a 5 rating in my opininon.

Plot - 5/5 - The real gem of Steins;Gate. The twists of the timeline changes, and the despair and hope that comes with them are really great and enjoyable.

Soundtrack 3/5 - not bad, but also not good. As stated before even the openings/endings fade away quickly.

Excitement 5/5 - The show isn't always serious drama. As we have a lunatic main character, theres also clever comedy well fitted into the anime. One example of it is showing a clip of Kyouma trying to speak english to a foreigner, where it's shown his random personality:

Overall Steins;Gate is an anime that has to be watched to fully grasp the concept, but beware, you will be addicted to it instantly.

El Psy Congroo: Steins;Gate gets a solid 17. (When you watch it you'll understand the El Psy Congroo =P )

Also, a treat for those who watched the anime: