Pack your bags because these 8 anime are totally out of this world.
The Time Travel Paradox: ‘Steins; Gate’
What if I told you that you could change the future by sending your memories back in time using a microwave? Sound absurd? Well in Steins; Gate, that absurdity is a reality. The invention of a self-proclaimed “mad scientist” named Rintaro — a cell-phone operated, time traveling microwave wreaks havoc on the space time continuum.
The series offers up a trifecta of time travel delights: death, love and alternative timelines! Surprisingly enough, this overall wacky series is one of the best in the genre for its smart, albeit far from perfect, treatment on the classic time travel paradox. Although criticized for uneven pacing and tone in the beginning, Steins; Gate has become a critical darling and fan favorite, spawning four original video animations (OVAs) and a film sequel. Next time you’re itching for a thriller that will leave you both delightfully confused and thoroughly content by the end, give Steins; Gate a try, and I promise you won’t be disappointed.
The Slice-of-Life Critique: ‘Time of Eve’
This slice-of-life drama takes a slower approach to the normally fast-paced genre. In Time of Eve, futuristic Japan is oddly familiar, with much of the scenery and technology taking on a much homelier aesthetic. Androids, now commonplace across Japan, serve as service industry workers and caretakers and are generally regarded as second class citizens.
Time of Eve follows the lives and patrons of “The Time of Eve,” a café in which androids and humans enjoy equal status. The main rule: in “Time of Eve,” never ask a patron if they are android or human. In this café, Rikuo Sakisaka and his friend Masakazu meet many different patrons and try to determine whether they are android or human, oftentimes interpreting Isaac Asimov’s Three Laws of Robotics in new and surprising ways. Time of Eve deals primarily with the emerging independence of androids and how that independence takes shape within the bounds of the Three Laws. Time of Eve is the thinking man’s drama, posing many unanswered questions for the viewers to ponder and contemplate.
