Steins;Gate 0
by Jukki Hanada; dir. Kenichi Kawamura (2018)
A reboot ingeniously predicated on rewriting one key decision made by Okabe in the original series. More time-travel shenanigans result, enhanced by several new players and character developments. Writer Jukki Hanada keeps the plot bubbling along but doesn’t quite stick the ending.
Robotics;Notes
by Jukki Hanada; dir. Kazuya Nomura (Fuji TV, 2012-2013)
Set on the Japanese island of Tanegashima, this coming-of-age anime adventure story juxtaposes a high-tech conspiracy plot with the innocent wonder of high-school students building a giant robot. The characters (even the minor players) develop nicely over the course of the series.
Steins;Gate: The Movie – Load Region of Déjà Vu
by Jukki Hanada; dir. Hiroshi Hamasaki & Takuya Satō (2013)
It’s hard to gauge Steins;Gate as a standalone film, but as a feature-length coda to the original series it adds an extra dash of pathos, exploring through Kurisu and Okabe some further ramifications of Okabe’s ability to remember events from different timelines.
Steins;Gate
by Jukki Hanada; dir. Hiroshi Hamasaki & Takuya Satō (2011)
Viewers are dropped without exposition into a character-rich scenario that encompasses both fantasist imaginings and SF disruptions to the timelines. Beyond the shock of immersion, Steins;Gate unfolds as a serious (though frequently funny) and ever-more-tangled thriller turned love story. Classic Japanese anime.