Steins;Gate – 06
Is that you, Madoka? It’s me, Okarin.
It’s cherry blossom season here~ Yesterday I went out with my friends to see the sakura trees in full bloom and take lots of pictures. To be perfectly honest, they look a bit more magical in anime…Maybe it’s because there were so many stupid Canadian Geese parading about and begging for food. It’s a real mood killer.
The press is going crazy over the satellite that crashed into the building, even interviewing citizens off the street to add more to their news scoop. They try to talk to Moeka, but she’s scared of people so she slinks away immediately. Meanwhile, Suzu chows down on gyuudon with Okarin and Daru. The entire gang of Lab Member crazies run into each other after they leave the restaurant, so Suzu quickly goes back to work.
Back in the lab, Okarin starts a round table discussion in order to explain everything to Mayuri. She isn’t surprised, but not much surprises something as flighty as her. They start talking about their next move, such as perfecting the time machine and figuring out how it works. Then they dash that idea and start trying to give a name to the text messages that go to the past. I’m still tempted to call it NOSTALGIA DRIVE, but they settle on D-mail.
The many faces of insane asylum patients, er, Lab Members
The first test is to send a D-mail at the same time as the other D-mails they sent, since they don’t really know the conditions needed for it to work. Time for another banana, another text, and Okarin opening the microwave as it crackles with electricity that still doesn’t drown out his insane laughter. In short: it works. The banana becomes gel, like when Kurisu stumbled upon their experiment.
NO OKARIN, STOP IT! PIKACHU WAS NEVER MEANT TO EVOLVE!
Okarin and Daru go out to buy supplies to celebrate their successful time travel, and Okarin freaks out over melon jelly. No really, he does. When he leaves the store he sees Moeka aka SHINING FINGER, who tries to communicate via text. Except Okarin left his phone at home. Instead of just verbally asking about the IBN, she leaves in hopes she finds him with his cell phone next time. Oh, and Daru gets shafted.
If it’s not one crazy girl, it’s another. Okarin sees Suzu on the way back and asks what her deal with Kurisu is. Apparently nothing bad happened between them “in the past” and she says this is her first time meeting her. If that doesn’t fuel the “SUZU IS FROM THE FUTURE!” argument, I don’t know what will. To change the subject, she mentioned that Mr. Braun is going to raise his rent if he doesn’t stop making the building shake so much with his experiments.
While Okarin was out buying food, Kurisu found out more about how the time machine works. For one thing, the timer adjusts how far you can travel into the past and the texts are too big to go in all at once, so they separate into multiple texts. Way to go Kurisu! Useful as always, Okarin spends the next while dozing and having psychedelic dreams about black holes. Ominous, and yet ridiculous.
Okarin awakens from his delusions to receive a slew of texts from none other than Miss Shining Finger. The most recent text being “I’m in front of your door.” Oh my goodness is she a creep, she would NOT get away with that if she wasn’t so pretty. Anyways, she comes in and takes photos of the IBN 5100, but doesn’t get to borrow it as she wanted. However, she ends up becoming Lab Member 005 when Daru, Mayuri and Kurisu accidentally talk about the time machine in her presence. She knows too much so she has no choice but to be a member.
Lab Member Secret Diary:
Epiphany in aisle 12
Classy ass shot
MR. BRAUN IS A CYBORG FROM THE FUTURE WHO EATS SCRAP METAL. You heard it here first.
On one hand – YES MEGANE. On the other hand – OBESE SLOB WHO IS XXXL.
End Thoughts: Are some of you losing patience and skipping episodes while waiting for me to tell you when things get really exciting? After episode’s 5 sudden increase in speed, episode 6 feels like it was at a standstill. I won’t deny that Steins;Gate is a slow burn and just barely has enough substance per episode to keep me hanging on. But I could never leave myself hanging after coming this far. Of course, if all this build-up doesn’t have a magnificent payoff at the end, I’ll be the first one to say it wasn’t worth the slow build up. Maybe I’m just blinded by optimism, but I see the light at the end of the tunnel and just keep going. Besides, these episodes aren’t BAD, they’re just horrible teases that could have been condensed.
We did cover some important stuff this week though. Kurisu and Okarin figured out how the time machine works (sort of) and Moeka was forced into becoming another lab member. If she accepts, I suppose. But I only really perked my ears for when Moeka showed up at Okarin’s door. I really like her character, as much as it only hinges on “I text instead of talk! I’m so quirky!”. Why does she need that IBN 5100 so badly? I still haven’t the slightest whether this chick is good or bad, but I wouldn’t have let her in on the secret if I were Okarin. Would you really trust a creepy stalker like that?
Oh, and let’s not forget the floating through space thing, which gave me vivid flashbacks of Digimon. Or Madoka. Or every other anime which thinks floating through space in your birthday suit is edgy. Sure, it was ominous and all with the “there is no eternity” talk, but it was so out of place I couldn’t focus on anything else but Okarin’s celestial nether region.
Next episode hopefully has more Moeka and more meat to it, because even I’m starting to get antsy with this pacing. I’m still enjoying the sharp writing, Okarin and Miyano Mamoru’s gorgeous voice – but I want more! Come on guys, get that time machine up and running. That or maybe Moeka will have some interesting input, or reveal what her intentions are. El Psy Congroo.
About Overcooled
A neuroscience graduate, black belt, and all-around nerd. You'll either find me in my lab or curled up in my rilakkuma kigurumi watching anime.
POWUH: Metanorn Lover with 209 comments
It is slow but its a kind of a show that has some deep ideas that is best to in small pieces. I mean we are dealing with time here.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Some of the pacing is justified, but some things really could be shortened or cut out without degrading the episode at all. Ah well, this is a big plot to tackle in the end.
POWUH: 600-699 and Romance Expert with 652 comments
now im having a tough decision.
do I ship okarinXmayuri or mayuriXkurisu?
POWUH: iLurker with 11 comments
mayuriXkurisu or kyoumaXkurisu, O&M have been just friends for too long already and it should stay that way)
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
OkarinxKurisu has a lot more interesting dynamics to me because Mayuri is just so…dense. XD MayurixKurisu is just cute, adorable, puppydog love for me. As long as none of you pair someone up with Daru…
POWUH: iLurker with 11 comments
Mr. Braun x Daru, hehe
I think Mayuri is an airhead, but not dense. Maybe her values just aren’t the same) agreed on puppydog love^^
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
NO, WHY?!?! T.T
I really question her intelligence to be honest…Until she proves that she can actually be competent at something other than being cute I’m going to assume she’s not very bright >_<
POWUH: iLurker with 11 comments
assuming things is your natural right, but i tend to notice that many smart people don’t care about people’s expectations (based on assumptions) and just do what they want. so Mayushi wants to relax and have fun without any strain or any drives to do something “meaningful”.
I think she’s an observer, watching over the project she partially funds)
besides, stupid people rarely hang out in company of exclusively smart people and stay accepted there, so that’s a sign.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Very true. Mayuri is probably very street smart (especially if she can hold down a job) and just not very academically inclined. Her breezy attitude could simply be her choice to make things simpler since it seems her past wasn’t all too bright. It’s probably a mix of not being very sharp in the first place and not wanting to try to actually learn things as opposed to her just being plain dumb.
POWUH: 600-699 and Wingman with 655 comments
okarin X kurisu is the True Ending in the game thou 😛
POWUH: 400-499 with 428 comments
I’m enjoying the series, but this episode took a bit of a slower pace, probably because of the last couple of episodes being packed with awesomeness and mysteries. Still, there was that massive mystery in the middle with the flashback and now Shining Finger giving Okarin the Death Stare of Silent Lady (completely ignoring the fact of FB. I don’t think I was the only one who thought about Facebook XP) Still, curious as hell where all of this is leading and glad to see my theory on Okarin and Mayuri still holding true, heheh 🙂
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Things picked up in the last part of the episode, but it felt like such a drop from episode 5 >_< I can't even begin to guess what FB could be aside from facebook. Unless F stands for future. (I still thought Facebook when I heard it though, heh)
POWUH: 600-699 and Wingman with 655 comments
i have to be patient, until the things pick up pace and head to the climax, yes i know that, but its hard to be patient isn’t it?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I’m dying for that climax…But I will be a good girl and wait for it too!
POWUH: 800-899 and Flying Sage with 856 comments
“Would you really trust a creepy stalker like that?”
Yes, but I have questionable taste in women.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Questionable, indeed. O_O
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Yay episode six! Some awesome stuff going on! Story progression time and a new lab partner? Okarin is building his time traveling harem!
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Please don’t let this turn into a harem anime! I would kill myself!
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 79 comments
Yeah the biggest problem I have with Steins;Gate is that it’s been all buildup so far so not a lot’s really happened yet. I’m fine with slow burn mysteries though and I plan to keep watching for the payoff, since the show is really good about rationing out its mysteries. I also like the way that these last couple of episodes have fleshed out its system of time travel, which I find pretty interesting. I just want to see some conflict soon and maybe “FB” will tie into this, whatever it is.
Also do you mind speculation on the show? Just wanted to ask since these are your posts.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
The story is really good and well-written…but it’s too slow. I can see places where things could be shortened without sacrificing the quality of the episode too. All this buildup better have some monster payoff.
I’m starting to really get into these time travel theories, especially how they relate to real life theories.
It’s my post, but it’s your comment! Go ahead, I love when people speculate, because everyone comes up with something different. As long as you haven’t played the original Steins;Gate and know what’s supposed to happen, then you’d have to stick to spoiler tags.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 79 comments
Well I’ve never played the VN, but I should probably use spoiler tags anyway just in case I’m right about any of this.
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POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
It makes a lot of sense, but I feel like I don’t want to believe Suzu when she says all these things about Kurisu. I know she’s the obvious first target for a villain since she acts the most aggressive, but I can’t bring myself to trust her. That being said, Kurisu did something BIG in the future, I’m just not sure what. It could be good, could be bad. But it’s enough for Suzu to hate her for it and maybe it was the reason she was murdered? I wouldn’t be surprised at her having some deep connection to the flow of space of time or something of that sort either.
Any speculation about Moeka or FB would just be wild guessing based on the slightest on hints at this point. All I can do is wonder for now.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 83 comments
This episode was a bit slow, but you can clearly see that there’s something brewing that is just waiting to pounce.
SHINING FINGER could possibly be from the organization o.o
Also, “Okarin was an idiot” DUR DUR, IT’S SOO CLOSE TO PERFECT ENGLISH LIKE “Hacking to the gate”
POWUH: iLurker with 1 comments
[…] “Are some of you losing patience and skipping episodes while waiting for me to tell you when things get really exciting? After episode’s 5 sudden increase in speed, episode 6 feels like it was at a standstill. I won’t deny that Steins;Gate is a slow burn and just barely has enough substance per episode to keep me hanging on. But I could never leave myself hanging after coming this far.” – Metanorn […]