Steins;Gate

Steins;Gate is the rare time-travel story that earns its paradoxes, and this compact collection lets you approach it through whichever medium you prefer. It began as a visual novel from 5pb. and Nitroplus, casting a self-styled mad scientist and his friends who discover they can send messages to the past through a modified microwave. What starts as otaku comedy curdles into genuine tragedy as small changes ripple into catastrophe.

The 2011 anime is widely considered one of the best adaptations of its kind, faithful and beautifully paced, while the film and the Steins;Gate 0 branch explore the darker worldlines the original only glimpsed. The Elite release re-tells the story using anime footage in place of static art. However you enter, the core is the same: a clever premise that slowly reveals a broken heart underneath.

The Steins;Gate franchise spans 2 series, 3 games, 1 films in the CrossBinge catalog.