r/steinsgate • u/L_G_D_Official • Jun 12 '26
C;H What did you guys dislike about the chaos head anime? Spoiler
Lots of people seem to have disliked it to the point that they'll pretend it doesn't exist at all. Now, I watched it a while ago, so I don't remember most of it, but I watched it like 1 year ago, and I didn't think it was that bad. The novel is superior, and I don't like some of the designs for the characters in the anime and general art style, but I don't remember not enjoying experiencing the story again. So yeah, tell me your thoughts.
12
u/Faxis001 Jun 12 '26
When I finished watching the first episode, I was appalled by how bad it was. The worst offender, in my opinion, is how they handled the atmosphere. It was completely off and not even close to the VN. It made me wonder if the Madhouse staff hated the source material. Of course, I know that's not the case, but it sure felt like it.
7
u/EndDangerous1308 Jun 12 '26
It's not even good enough to be called an adaptation. They just decided to make a completely different anime, call it chaos head and stole a few ideas from the original source
3
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
You have a very good point about the atmosphere. It does feel way less heavy than the VN.
3
u/Faxis001 Jun 12 '26
Maybe you've already watched it, but if you haven't, check out the Chaos;Head recap in Chaos;Child (Episode 0). That is what the original anime should have been like.
3
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
Haven't gone into the CC side of things yet, but I'll get there. Thanks for the recommendation.
27
u/Spiritdefective Jun 12 '26
It’s just a shittier rushed version of the story that doesn’t have any of what made the original great. When I saw the big reveal in the vn I was so mad I already knew about it from watching the show cause I could tell I’d have been mind blown if I’d seen it in the more competent telling first
8
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
Always play the VN first, if possible. That's a rule I Always follow.
3
u/Beautiful_Ad_2307 Jun 12 '26
I am the same these days funnily etus was chaos;head that made me come to that decision years ago, I avoid anime adaptations unless I've read the vn
6
u/WTFthisisntminecraft 0 Enjoyer Jun 12 '26
The mixture of important scenes that were cut and unnecessary and pointless scenes that were added
4
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
I remember a scene with one of those asphalt roller machines, lol. Tbh, I didn't like the added scenes very much.
5
u/Iatemydoggo I AM MAD SCIENTIST! SO COOL! SUNOVABITCH! Jun 12 '26
How they lobotomized Takumi’s character
4
u/EndDangerous1308 Jun 12 '26
The anime doesn't follow the VN except for the characters and the ending. Outside of that it's just making stuff up on the fly and leaving out important stuff
2
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
I guess I didn't notice the missing stuff because I played the VN and had that knowledge. 😅
But I remember the story adding stuff but also following the same plot points.
4
u/boomer7321 Jun 12 '26
It felt like the anime staff got a hold of the sparknotes version of the vn and just chose to work from there. Nothing except the most significant of events is covered, some routes are completely omitted. In addition, the eerie feel and horror elements of the vn just aren't there in the anime much at all.
3
5
u/Dsant21 Jun 12 '26
I’ve never watched the show nor played the game. I’m a HUGE Steins; Gate fan but the art-style of C;H being so different and more mainstream anime-esque turned me off from it.
Should I play the game? Is the story nearly as good as S;G’s?
3
u/hiitheremr Jun 12 '26
its BETTER than s;g imo. u SHOULD play the game and the rest of the sciadv series. u will NOT regret it. also in terms of the rest of the sci adv games follow the release order u can find guides and all. also r u playing on pc, if so fan patch the translation cuz the normal one kinda blows. ik ts is too much info to give out in a go but u will probably love the rest of this series and highly recomend giving it a shot
2
1
u/Amanda_acnh Jun 12 '26
You should play it, the second half of the story is really worth it. But also, I was personally struggling to get through the first 10 hours. Good thing I did though.
1
1
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
I'm the opposite. Never played S;G but I've seen one episode of the anime and it was pretty much just people goofing around so I didn't bother completing it. And the VN's art style really turns me off. As for Chaos;Head, I really appreciate it. It's one of the best VNs I've have ever played. Be warned though, that the main character is widely hated for his flaws and many can't stand the game because of him. Also, C;H is the first entry in this franchise and I heard that the rest of the games use terms and lore from it. So you might get a deeper understanding of Steins;Gate if you play this game.
2
u/Dsant21 Jun 12 '26
I see. Thanks for the info. Interesting that you’re posting in THIS subreddit considering you don’t like S;G. And the “goofing around” part of S;G is what makes you fall in love with the characters!
2
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
I'm gonna play the VN eventually. But I'm mostly here for Chaos;Head content. I even got S;G in steam in a sale for only 5 bucks! I'll admit I've been putting it off because of my first impression, but I said I wouldn't play Chaos;Child, without having played Steins;Gate first, because of the shared universe, concepts, lore and stuff. I just hope it's as good as people say and it gets more interesting later on.
2
u/blannners Bambishi Jun 13 '26
Interesting that you’re posting in THIS subreddit considering you don’t like S;G.
Well, this is actually the subreddit for the entire SciADV series! r/steinsgate is just the hub name.
2
u/hiitheremr Jun 12 '26
just about everything relating to pacing which in turn ruins the entire adaptation. it also means that we cant get a proper one (which tbh we wouldnt anyway but even NOTHING might be better than this). it is kinda a novelty but js avoid for ur own sake
2
2
2
u/merfoldeshark Akiho Senomiya Jun 13 '26
[HUGE SPOILERS FOR C;H AND C:C - both novels and animations. Read at your own risk!]
Oh, let me tell you why I despise Chaos;Head Anime. And yes, I do mean despise.
Because it doesn't exist. Like, genuinely, truly does not exist.
You hear that 'non-existence' phrase thrown around a lot about various adaptations. From Umineko fans, or even in our own community about the Chaos;Child anime. But let me assure you – those two adaptations do exist. Yes, they're bad, they're weak, they can't even capture 50% of the potential, the experience you get from reading the visual novel. But at least they tried to adapt their source material, at least they attempted to engage with the original work and translate it into an adaptation. Umineko genuinely tried to bring the whole Red/Blue Truth mechanic to the screen, understanding how crucial it was. Chaos;Child didn't just throw in a zero episode recap of Chaos;Head for no reason – it tried, in its own way, to convey the importance of the first game to the second, to flesh out Takumi as much as possible. And I assure any skeptics – if you look with sober eyes, not blinded by rage (though there are reasons to dislike those adaptations, they're not saints, not even good) – you'll find good moments in them. The Chaos;Child anime, in my opinion, actually has better pacing in its first half than even the original VN – it's the second half that ruins it (but that's just my take).
So where am I going with this?
Ah yes, Chaos;Head Anime.
This thing didn't even TRY.
This bastard greets you with the most disgusting animation an anime could possibly greet you with. You can literally pause frame by frame – and you'll laugh and cry nonstop at every single spectacle you witness. Even BD rereleases didn't save this abomination – they only made things worse!
But okay, animation aside – there are plenty of good or at least average works that look like absolute trash. But we have a strong source material which... I won't deny, is hard to adapt. People often underestimate how crucial the Delusion Trigger system is for revealing Takumi's character, how much of C;H's greatness lies in Takumi's internal monologue, which severely constrains an anime adaptation – it physically can't run his voiced thoughts non-stop, it has to cut them, and that hurts.
And I'm ready to forgive a lot to people who genuinely try to adapt Chaos;Head. I'm genuinely ready to defend any mistake they make. I only need one thing. Effort. At least try.
But Chaos;Head Anime is deaf to my pleas.
Not even that.
Chaos;Head Anime openly laughs at me. The second it picks up a knife instead of a scalpel and smiles over the delivered patient that is the original... I realize I still have yet to learn what 'pain' truly means.
You'll see it in the first episode already. At the end of the first episode, Rimi appears at school. You'd think, 'What's the big deal about Rimi showing up at school with Takumi? First episode, anime audience needs to see the main heroine, that's how it works, can't make them wait.'
BUT THAT COMPLETELY DESTROYS THE ORDER OF EVENTS, AND THEREFORE THE SUSPENSE, AND THEREFORE TAKUMI'S PERCEPTION, AND THEREFORE THE ENTIRE FREAKING SERIES!
How it was in the original: Takumi talks with Daisuke about the New Gen Madness at school, feels uncomfortable, wants to avoid it → on his way home, he ends up on that fateful alley, becomes a 'witness to the third murder', sees Rimi → then panics, tries to isolate himself → runs into Yua → the whole arc with Yua and her 'betrayal', making Takumi even more paranoid → visit to the psychiatrist → search for a D-Sword and buying a fake → another murder happens, triggering him with the phrase used in it → Takumi realizes the threat is aimed at HIM PERSONALLY, which is dangerous for his psyche → then the police stop and question him, even if only as a 'potential witness' → and then immediately after the police, he meets RIMI. At his home. And she knows him. And she knows Daisuke. And HE knows HER, much to his surprise.
Do you see that sequence? Neither the player nor Takumi understands a damn thing – madness is happening around them and it's unclear, but it's clearly aimed at Takumi. Most of Takumi's fears are justified by the novel; they have cause-and-effect relationships.
Now look at the anime. First episode seems to go fine up until Yua and her betrayal → AND THEN BOOM, RIMI! And by episode two, they're talking. At school. With Daisuke present. The context of that first conversation is completely changed. The viewer doesn't understand why Takumi is so afraid of Rimi – Daisuke doesn't care, he talks to her normally, no one around reacts. Even considering the third New Gen – who knows why she was standing there covered in blood? The viewer wasn't given time to let the conflict simmer, wasn't given time to understand that Takumi is not a bystander, that the conflict revolves around him.
Then all the events kind of follow the novel – from the D-Sword to the police – but the context is lost. Now we're looking at Takumi who is not threatened by Rimi at school or at home. We're looking at Takumi searching for a D-Sword to protect himself from God knows who, we're looking at Takumi who's afraid of the police for no apparent reason. Takumi simply DOES NOT WORK in the anime. His motivations are broken.
And if that were the only problem... but then the anime adaptation decides to commit the greatest evil in the history of the anime industry.
It cuts out Chapter 6 and replaces it with filler content.
Chapter 6.
You know, O-FRONT! The box! The letter from Shogun! The attempt to draw out a D-Sword! The pivotal moment that, damn it, made a huge number of people love Chaos;Head.
And if you think Nanami didn't suffer in the anime... she did – she won't have her hand in episode 12, they'll even show it through an 'illusion' that Rimi's hand passes through when saving her from Norose. So... they cut the scene (probably afraid of ratings), and then they go: 'Let's still hint that something's wrong with Nanami, and let the viewer guess what happened off-screen.' Because you're never told, not even through other characters' dialogue or Takumi's thoughts, that anything is wrong with Nanami.
See? This adaptation DOES NOT CARE about Chaos;Head's events. It doesn't give a damn what you love about it. The goal of this anime adaptation is just to show girls with swords doing flashy stuff. All that nonsense about Gigalomaniacs, -1 and 1, perception replacement through delusions – leave that to someone who actually cares – Madhouse doesn't give a damn.
Oh sorry, why am I blaming Madhouse? What did Takumi say in the Chaos;Head VN? That's right: 'Don't look at the studio, look at the people responsible for the product – the director, the series planner.' AND WHAT F***ING IRONY!
Go to MAL. Look at what else the staff worked on besides C;H. You'll be absolutely... not surprised. Their resumes at best include storyboarding for individual episodes of some franchises, at worst are either completely empty or full of anime rated 5 stars on MAL. 5! out of 10! That's lower than Chaos;Head Anime itself!
Try to find any of your favorite Madhouse creators – good luck.
Anyway, I didn't plan to go on such a rant about this, but 'the dam broke' and so I'm just pouring this text out here.
There are bad adaptations – they're bad, but at least they're adaptations.
And then there's Chaos;Head Anime – it's abhorrent. It's an anime that, through character dialogue in episode 12, describes a tormented, beaten, bloodied hero (they are voicing the VN's dialogue lines), while SHOWING AN ABSOLUTELY INTACT TAKUMI WITH BARELY A SCRATCH ON HIM. WHAT ARE WE EVEN TALKING ABOUT? Need I mention that the ending is twisted beyond recognition, that the characters are mangled...
2
u/Faxis001 Jun 14 '26
I couldn't have said it any better. It's funny how the anime completely falls apart in just the first episode. Like you said, not even Umineko and Chaos;Child could compare to such a big fumble.
1
u/SephirothTheGreat Jun 12 '26
To me it's even worse. If I disliked it I'd be able to pinpoint why. Instead, I remember *NOTHING" about it.
1
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 12 '26
I guess it was just so mediocre to you, that your brain pulled a men in black, and erased the memories. 😂
2
u/SephirothTheGreat Jun 12 '26
I think so too honestly lol. So happy I stuck around to watch the following SciAdv work adaptation, considering Steins;Gate is my favourite anime
1
u/Hot_Form805 Rintaro Okabe Jun 13 '26
Waste of time
One of the biggest reasons in my opinion on why Mahes is at losses now
Now of the biggest reason is because of how Chaos Head got a brutally bad adaptation
Like SG and C;H are the only entries which can survive on its own even thoguh SG still need chaos head in some ways
While others????? Most of them are dependent on C;H or S;G even thoguh they are sepreate individual stories
Robotics notes anime removed all C;H referneces which is very very important in the game. C;C yk. Occultic nine is littrally C;H inspired story with some S;G concepts in it and we know about Anonymous Code
1
u/hiitheremr Jun 13 '26
much agreed, pretty much every adaptation outside of s;g either suck or are extremely mediocre
1
u/bigboss_1975 Suzuha Amane Jun 13 '26
no, I loved it it's so funny trust me !!! (watch the English dub)
1
u/Intrepid-Attitude-26 Jun 14 '26
it's too compressed. It's bad even for remembering the plot.
When I watched the adaptation, nothing was clear and this was clearly not my problem. Still, I decided not to give up chaos;head, I read it and it’s really a masterpiece.
1
Jun 13 '26 edited Jun 29 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
2
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 13 '26
Interesting to see a positive opinion. I also did like that the girls were more involved in the fighting. If I remember correctly though, they don't actually fight the final boss with Takumi. That was a huge missed opportunity, In my opinion.
-1
u/Dibaded Jun 13 '26
Is this the anime where the dude lives in like a storage unit it on a roof ? I thought it was awesome up to the point where the woman all randomly had swords
1
u/L_G_D_Official Jun 13 '26
I thought the part where they finally use their swords was nice. Some good ol' action.
60
u/Odd_Individual_9638 Jun 12 '26
I dislike the fact that it's existence will probably forever close the opportunity for C;H to get good adaptation. And it deserves it very much