Out of all of the endings that are coming up next month, Steins;Gate is the one I look forward to the most, with on second place Hana-Saku Iroha. It’s really going to be something that could potentially make the entire series come together and boil down to a wonderful conclusion. But first, an episode entirely dedicated to the characters.
This episode didn’t really reveal any new information, but it really solidified the cast. The past between Okabe and Mayuri got fleshed out some more, same as Mayuri’s worries about Okabe, along with Kurisu. My favourite part of this episode was when she learned that she’d die if the cracking phase was completed.
The people who rewatched the first episode pretty much know what’s going to happen next, so the question of this episode wasn’t really “if Okabe is going to continue with the cracking”, but when he’ll do it. There’s also still the question of how he’ll be able to find a device that allows him to travel further back in time (what happened in the first episode can not be explained with just the thoughts-back-in-time transferer).
Rating: ** (Excellent)
I could stop myself and end ended up watching the fist episode again and I think I know how Okabe will end up time traveling to the past! The thing that crash into the building was Suzuhas time traveling machine, I just know it!!!
my question now is: how a message that does not give any instruction or makes any sense to someone that doesn’t know that person (yet) could made such a huge change in the time line?
@Psgel
“so the question…[is] when he’ll do it”
– I disagree. They don’t HAVE to do the cracking since they’re already in a new time line. Therefore, what happened in the first episode is already avoided. I think a more accurate question/point of this episode would be “Whether Okabe would sacrifice Kurisu or Mayuri(and the world I suppose)” Either way, the driving irony behind this episode (which was explicitly mentioned by Okabe himself) was that while Okabe made the supporting characters give up what they most treasured, he must now make the same choice. As to my personal opinion on the matter though…Yes, obviously Okabe would do the the cracking. There would be simply too much juicy plot abandoned if he didn’t (so I guess Psgel was right with the question being just “when?”). A little prediction of mine, if somehow the writers could sensibly make it so that it was Okabe who killed Kurisu, then Stein;Gates would have a shot at best anime of the year.
“what happened in the first episode that cannot be explained…”
– Are you referring to how Kurisu mentioned meeting another Okabe?
the scream from the first episode from when Makise died also sounds alot like Okabe
Uhmmm…. what was Kurise doing at the scene of the satellite at the end of this episode? You think she’ll try to go to the past since she knows of her death? questions questions, and now I have to wait a week.
I loved how this episode packed in a pile of little details about each character along with a pile of emotions. The fact that those close to Okabe can also remember some of the previous timelines was mentioned in earlier episodes .. but how this affects Mayari was a really heart rending.
BTW .. remember that that crashed time machine is not Suzuha’s, it’s actually built by Daru. I’m sure that that’s going to play some role in future episodes (excuse the bad pun!)
My question is, and I think someone else has mentioned it in the past, how, in the first episode, does Suza travel back in time in the same world line as a dead Kurise, when Kurise is the person who allegedly finishes it, straight from Suza’s mouth?
I’m more looking forward to Tiger and Bunny’s end, but I’m awaiting the end of this one as well since I’ve wanted to marathon the series the most. Skimming these reviews has made me interested, yet not want to watch without having everything out – it looks like it’d be excruciating to wait for episode releases on.
@Crusade. There’s 2 things you need to be aware of.
1. In the initial timeline that Suzuha came from Kurise was alive and well and had developed SERN’s time machine
2. Daru worked completely independently of SERN to develop his time machine.
Im wondering if they will feature Moeka’s father – as a prominent figure in SERN – he was only mentioned, but giving him this role, would fit the plot.
^ – Error – not Moeka – Kurisu…
@Sock wow i totally over looked that part. This means for sure that Okabe has found a way to travel to the past and he was there to see the death, his actions for the most part unknown. although okabe killing kurisu is possible and logical i don’t think that is necessarily what the creators want and it seems too out of character of okabe to do such a thing. however for there to be two okabe coexisting is so radically different it changes everything. how is this possible and how many okabe from different points of time coexist???
i think hardly think this is the case but the sensible and logical thing is that okabe can’t find another way so he waits till the time machine works and travels back in time with suzuha or with another time machine. ugh after writing it it sounds bad. i dunno need more info otherwise head explodes.
but wait i rewatched the first episode and realized that when okabe stumbled on suzuha it seemed as if suzuha knew him, like knew knew him. and that x she made seems to be a sign or command. maybe he was with her on a mission from the present as okabe in the future is a radical terrorist against cern. also john titor existed before this day for sometime because everyone knew of him/her and their work. what was john titor doing beforehand? now im questioning that john titor’s idenity. although it was know it was suzuha couldn’t it also be okabe in some weird sense?
Didn’t John Titor come at 2000 in the original world line? Also the professor in the first episode used Titor’s theory and model. . So that means that guy actually created a time machine?
Damn. I’m kinda wondering how Kurisu will behave next episode. I really really doubt Okabe could bring himself to sacrifice Kurisu, even if it was to save Mayuri, without her support. But would she do it? I’m trying to compare this to Feiris’s situation, where she actually somehow has memories of the other timeline and manages to bring herself to make that sacrifice. Kurisu doesn’t have such memories. I’m actually surprised she buys into Okabe’s words every single time, without him having to prove himself. And now the next D-mail cancellation will apparently cost her her life. I wonder if we’ll see her going through the 5 stages of dying before eventually pushing Okabe to do what has to be done to save Mayuri and stop SERN? Or does Okabe push her into it? Maybe he’s the one who has to persuade Kurisu into helping him in order to save the world, even if it costs her her life. With all the time leaping going around, I’m not sure what the earlier version characters have experienced or not.
Also the professor in the first episode used Titor’s theory and model. . So that means that guy actually created a time machine?
If we assume that professor’s information is the same as what we have, then the theory/model are all too vague to be actually used practically and he was only using it for theoretical discussion. Not even sure if the Titors from both worlds are the same since in the original timeline, SERN didn’t create the utopia so Suzu shouldn’t have had a reason to travel back in time.
Not even sure if the Titors from both worlds are the same since in the original timeline, SERN didn’t create the utopia so Suzu shouldn’t have had a reason to travel back in time.
Um..hang on. Can someone refresh my memory? Did Suzu appear before or after Okabe’s first shift? I’m a little confused.
@meow she appeared right before the time shift a couple of minutes before kurisu’s death. at that time she was seen on the roof with an intact time machine waving and making an x with her arms when okabe peaked through the door. after the time shift she gets introduced as a the part timer. this is because okabe’s first d-mail made it that sern knew of his ability to time travel after it registered in their databases. this throws the whatever her initial objective was out (i think it was to kill kurisu) and instead help okabe secure the ibm to delete the records out.
Considering the “original” time-line Titor is the real world Titor(yes, there was a real one), no it’s not the same person as Suzuha.
@spelledwithaph er… I’m pretty sure the X was a “no-entrance sir” kind of thing though lol. (In the game things happen slightly differently here, he actually gets closer to the machine and then is kicked out from there lol)
Also, I wonder why Kurisu got stabbed… I mean, in that timeline Titor had came, predicted stuff that didnt happen(most likely changed the future) and all, so CERN wouldnt be governing the world later on(?). Maybe it was Okabe after all lol
Can’t wait for next episodes T-T