Steins;Gate – 20
Hey…Hey…Is that a Dr. Pepper? Hey, hey, you wanna gimme some..?
I feel like I keep saying this but, WE’RE BACK. No really, we’re actually back now. Thanks for not abandoning us in these hard times. From now on, we shall all wear maid outfits to make up for the lack of service! Oh, right, you can’t see us. Hmm. Well, just know in your heart that somewhere in the world, there is someone wearing a maid outfit just for YOU.
After Okarin’s spent all this time searching for the IBN 5100, it’s not surprising that he rushes to grab a crowbar as soon as he knows the location. Kurisu is there to stop him and calm him down enough so that he doesn’t get arrested for cracking open the coin locker. He may know the location, but he’s not getting his hands on that computer as long as he’s in this timeline. He’ll have to cancel Moeka’s D-mail if he even wants to think about touching that old thing again.
Okarin ditches the crowbar plan and decides to stake out by the lockers so that he can find FB and use her phone to undo Moeka’s D-mail. Except he runs into Moeka. She suddenly decides that she wants to meet FB afterall so she can learn the truth, and so she accompanies Okarin on his stalking event. He’s doing all this to save Mayuri, and yet he hasn’t even talked to her in ages. Mayuri is starting to get worried that Okarin is talking to everyone else as per usual except for her. Luckily, Mayuri is instantly cheered up by her loli cohort, Nae.
Yo Okarin, you got burgers? Damn boy, why didn’t you bring your homegirl Kurisu any, huh?
Moeka receives a text from FB that’s basically just assuring her that she’s important and useful. He refers to Moeka as M4, which is a codename only FB and Moeka are aware of. Other than that, not much else happens until morning rolls around and a man takes the IBN 5100 and wheels it away. They follow him to a train station, where they lose him after he transfers it to another guy and he gets on a subway.
All would be lost, except this is an anime about time travel. Okarin sends a D-mail to himself so he doesn’t lose the guy, and follows the line of exchanges all the way to the airport. The IBN 5100 is on its way to France, so they give up there. Instead of suddenly becoming Ikoku Meiro no Croisee, they decide to just question Mr. Braun. He was one of the guys that handled the package in the crazy baton pass transfer process, so he must be a member of Rounder.
You know what this means? ROOAAADDD TRRIIPPPP!!!!
Kurisu, Moeka and Okarin all pay Mr. Braun a visit to ask what the hell is going on. He stays mellow and calm despite as he tells him he’s just MOTHERFECKING FB. Naturally, everyone spazzes and loses their shit over FB not being a woman. Not only that, he’s someone they know. Mr. Braun asks them if they don’t mind continuing the conversation elsewhere, so as to not disturb Nae.
It’s a bit of a tip-off to disaster if a mastermind behind any sort of organization wants to meet in a DESERTED, CLOSED-OFF, CONSTRUCTION SITE. Nonetheless, they decide to continue talking there. M. Braun explains that he lived a life of poverty until SERN saved him. He had no choice but to continue working for them, since he can’t risk Nae dying. But he hates every second of working for them. That’s why he made Rounder, where he could text to weak individuals and act as whatever savior-type they needed at the time.
With the IBN 5100 delivered to SERN, there is no more need for Moeka. Guess that means Mr. Braun thought the logical course of action would be to leave her alone. Oh no wait, let’s shoot her. Yeah, that’s good. Then shoot myself! Okarin and Kurisu know just as much as Moeka, but pshhh, they can live. Only brought 2 bullets anyways. It’s not like Okarin will steal my phone, tell Moeka to not search for the IBN 5100 anymore in a D-mail, and make everything right again.
As soon as Okarin erases the D-mail, things are set back so Moeka and Mr. Braun are alive. Now that Moeka no longer needs the IBN 5100, Okarin can go to the shrine and take it. Now he can get Daru to erase all ties they have to SERN’s database and keep going back to the original worldline where SERN doesn’t take over. There’s just one minor detail everyone forgot. The original timeline is the one where Kurisu dies.
Bonus Screencaps:
Kurisu, I promise you, crowbar sex is the BEST SEX.
FUSSSIIOOONNN!!!!!
Oh my God…I recognize that guy…He’s…HE’S A NOBODY!
…and now to hatch them.
End Thoughts: Another brilliant episode of Steins;Gate. It actually made me gasp in shock, and that doesn’t happen very often. I simply did not expect Mr. Braun to pull out that gun and kill himself. I can usually predict when someone is going to pull a gun-in-the-mouth sort of suicide miles away, but Mr. Braun was an exception. He didn’t have the face of someone who is worn out, he had the face of someone completely calm. He must have spent so long keeping up appearances for Nae so she wouldn’t worry that he ended up wearing that mask to the very end. At least with the D-mail, we won’t have to worry about what Nae would do without her dad. Although I doubt Okarin will look at Mr. Braun in the same light again, knowing the extent of self-loathing for being SERN’s lapdog. Not that he had much of a choice.
Another big shocker was finding out that Mr. Braun was FB. Moeka looked pretty devastated to find out that her motherly figure was a bald guy who sells TVs. That’s what happens when you just blindly trust someone without questioning it…it’s kind of her own damn fault. Of course, it was still sad when she died. It was Okarin’s name she was calling as she faded out of consciousness as well, not FB’s. Because she was so convinced this whole time that FB was the one that gave her a place to belong, she never realized she found something better with Okarin and the lab members. She could have had friends and someone to trust WITHOUT the bullet in the heart bit!
The same sort of tragedy is happening to Okarin, where he’s ignoring one thing and concentrating on another. Saving Mayuri has become so important to him, that he doesn’t actually talk with her anymore. He’s become detached from her almost, showing no interest in her until he’s saved her. Like it’s his life mission or something. Given this development, I wonder how he’ll alter his action to deal with Kurisu’s death. The one he’s been spending time with, confiding in, and getting close to all this time has been Kurisu. In every timeline. He’ll probably try to save both of them, but I doubt such a thing can happen. I hope they can save Kurisu, because I like her more…El Psy Congroo, and see you next time~
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: 400-499 with 410 comments
It was so shocking to know Mr.Braun is FB. Too watch Moeka and Mr.Braun die is just… well… sad. Anyway, I hope Okarin will find a way to save Kurisu. They just match too well together.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Me too. I never thought he’d get more than a few seconds of screen time in any given episode. Just..wow.
I want Kurisu to live as well, I enjoy their conversations too much!
POWUH: iLurker with 9 comments
I almost forgot about kurisu was stabbed in episode 1. And of course pretty shocked that Mr.Braun was the FB. I’m really crazy curious now how okabe saved kurisu. Along the risk to save mayuri that must pretty hard for okabe.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I totally forgot until Okarin remembered…>_< He's going to have to choose one now. Or fiddle with time even MORE to get a timeline where Mayuri lives, Kurisu lives, and SERN doesn't take over.
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 31 comments
I guess the ‘I Love CRT’ t-shirt Mr Braun wore in a previous was the big hint of his secret identity. Not a very good hint, considering ‘Braun’ only used as a nickname till now, but still…
Mostly I’m happy with the Kingdom Hearts connection, lol. Steins Gate just become even more awesome!
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
CRT?
POWUH: Beginner (20-35) with 31 comments
Cathode Ray Tube. I’m not a tech geek or anything but CRT TV’s are basically the big chunky televisions that existed prior to the thinner plasma and lcd models. It’s only with the advent of those latter types that people in some countries call the older versions CRTV’s.
According to wikipedia it was the German physicist Ferdinand Braun (the guy FB based his identity on) who invented the CRT, so there is a link, but as ‘Mr Braun’ was supposed to be a nickname rather a real one, it’s clutching at straws a bit.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
The shirt is funny in retrospect as opposed to something that might be a hint to give his identity away. I didn’t realize that Ferdinand Braun invented CRT TVs, heh. I remember pulling one of those apart in Physics class…
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 36 comments
Yuugo said it himself. FB. Ferdinand Braun, the inventor of CRT. He used that codename because he loves CRT. It’s only an coincidence that Okabe calls him Mr. Braun.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 39 comments
I feel horrible that Moeka had such a tragic end.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 36 comments
That’s nothing compared to her death in the VN.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Leave to VNs to make any death even MORE tragic.
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
I laughed so hard when Moeka got shot. It’s like “YEAAAHH SHE DIED!!!”
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Wow, you must not like her.
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
My biggest disappointment was that, when Moeka was shot, it wasn’t a head shot. I wanted to see brains.
Worst episode by far.
1-Braun was obviously FB. Only character with a B, and every “mystery character” is always one of the characters already introduced.
2-By erasing the d-mails in chronological order, it was obvious Okabe would have to deal with Kurisu’s death. Why is that a shock to him?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
They didn’t even really show the bullet hole for Mayuri, so I expected as much. I didn’t suspect Mr. Braun at all, I thought FB would be a new character.
As for Kurisu’s death, it’s something he should have remembered, but he just lost track of it all. He was too focused on saving Mayuri to realize. The guy’s got a lot of stuff on his mind.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Oh wow I am with most of you guys and girls! When Moeka got shot I was like YEAAAHHH!! But then I was like oh…damn…LOL
And Mr. Braun as FB really was kind of easy, I mean it had to be someone close. Yeah he was around since the start so he had to play a role sooner or later.
Now this next part is gonna suck! Okabe has to choose to leave the Dmail alone and let Kurisu live or die sucks so bad I almost forgot they altered that T___T
Few more episodes left! Can’t wait to see how things go.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Really? I didn’t see it coming ._. I just saw him as a permanent side character, I didn’t expect anything big from him.
I wonder what Okarin will choose. Gah…
POWUH: Lovely-pyon~ with 305 comments
Screw Mayuri- SAVE KURISUTIIIIIINAAAAAA!!! She’s one of the rare tsunderes who actually have a personality beyond their stereotype. THE WORLD NEEDS HER.
I wonder what Okabe is going to do now. I mean, he killed Feyris’s dad for Mayuri, but there’s no way he’d let Kurisu die. :/ A tragic ending seems inevitable, but I hope they don’t have Okabe die.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I KNOW RIGHT! Abort mission and find a way to save her and fight SERN! At this rate I can’t see anything but a tragic ending (bittersweet at best)…It’s going to hurt so bad, but it’s going to be so GOOD.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 79 comments
Oh wow, I can’t believe I forgot about the D-Mail that saved Christina’s life. I wouldn’t want to be Okarin right now for anything, that’s for sure. After all, he’s spent much more time with Christina in the present than he has with Mayuri in the last few episodes, and she’s been his chief confidante throughout everything as of late. His decision to go to the original world line is going to be much harder now, unless he finds some way to save both of them somehow.
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
I know…I’m kicking myself for forgetting something like that. I feel as stupid as Okarin now. This is going to be a horrible decision for him to make, since he cares for the both of them quite deeply. Pretty much no matter what he chooses, he’s going to lose something.
POWUH: 400-499 with 428 comments
Yes, I called it on Kurisu’s death in the original timeline! Though when Mr Braun dropped the FB-bomb, I had to say, I was surprised like probably everyone else, especially with his detached behaviour when he decided to reveal himself as FB. Damn, the excrement hit the air extractor when he started shooting Moeka, who I felt didn’t deserve it because of her sad situation, and then himself, also sad because he felt he had no other option in protecting Nae. Now though, I wonder what Okabe’s going to do to save Mayuri AND Kurisu; Gamma world line anyone?
POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
High five! I forgot about Kurisu’s death for a while *sigh*. A Gamma world line should be possible, but how the heck would he get there? Return to the original world line and then send a whole new set of D-mails mixed with timeleaps and hope for the best? He might not be able to get everything he wants D:
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 36 comments
OMG. Hanada Jukki you bastard. You’ve ruined this whole arc! I can’t believe it! Yuugo is merely an ass now. Moeka simply dies. Okabe didn’t say he has forgiven her. Where’s my yandere Nae!? Where’s the tears!? Where’s the burning hatred!? Where are all those tragical moments!? Where’s the salvation!? OMGOMGOMG I’m going to hang myself now.
POWUH: Novice (36-50) with 36 comments
If anyone is interested, here’s how the anime diverged from the VN.
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And below are my thoughts on how the change has affected the overall presentation of this arc. What is your opinion?
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POWUH: Meta Team and The Mad Scientist with 5525 comments
Wow, that’s a very different outcome. There’s no way all of that could tastefully be put into one episode though, so in the interest of time they cut it down. The abridged version isn’t BAD, but it’s certainly not as deep. To me, it was actually a great episode. I think they want to have it end on an arc based more around Kurisu, Okarin and Mayuri too. Not Nae or FB.
Still, I’m a bit disappointed I don’t get to see that. It’s cool, it makes Okarin suffer for all he’s done, and Moeka’s death makes more sense. Why did he need to shoot her? Did he want to save her from working for SERN her whole life like he did? It was a bit weird. But other than that, all the revelations were enough to keep me entertained, and the deaths were shocking too.