Forum - View topicSteins;Gate 0 (TV).
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Harleyquin
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#11
Well here's a surprise. The "trustworthy source" commissioned to do the hacking is someone Hiyajo and Okabe know after all. Unfortunately for them the mysterious organization after Makise's work must have had some kind of tracking device on either Okabe or Hiyajo (most likely the latter) and almost got away with it. No clue who the woman is, but two suspects have been provided and one is far more likely than the other. I don't know what the game was like, but the way this episode is set up made it feel like viewers have reached a point where one of the "normal" endings has been reached with Hiyajo and the professor returning to the United States. Suzuha doesn't think the saga is over yet, but with two key characters out of the picture for the time being the show will shift its focus to something else away from Amadeus, probably someone's amnesia to restart the main storyline's momentum. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#12
Chicken or egg, which comes first? For this week, the episode title is a surprisingly explicit spoiler of what was to come. A nameless song passed on between a chain of seemingly unrelated individuals at first glance turns out to be the key behind unlocking Kagari's amnesia. Suzuha always referred to Kagari as Mayuri's daughter, but the truth is a little different in this episode. Not a surprise, especially since Kagari doesn't look anything like Mayuri. The latter doted on her in the future because she's Mayuri and viewers wouldn't expect any different, but it's begging the question on who Kagari's birth parents were or if they're going to be important to the storyline. I wonder if jumping world lines makes Okabe forget some basic things. He's been through a bit, but for him to not recognise the voice over the phone instantly was a little harsh on the person across the line. Just as well she laughs it off and gives the information requested. The post-credits scene reveals where Okabe learnt the song from, but it's a different world line/too far back in the past that it's not a surprise he doesn't remember the nature of the song. Corny sobriquet given to the three-time all-you-can-eat champion, but her metabolism along with the part-time work must allow Suzuha to pack it all away without throwing it all up afterwards. It's Japanese-style curry so at least it isn't spicy like curries from elsewhere. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#14
Same OP song with slightly modified animation. New ED animation and song. Not sure what to think about the latter, so will wait a bit before assessing. Time shift in the real and artistic sense, now viewers get to see what the cast looks like in spring attire. No closer to finding out the identity of the mysterious organisation behind the attack and the kidnapping, but Suzuha thinks she has a lead after concluding what viewers have known for two weeks. I'm not sure what Leskinen was on about. Did he try to book a hospital suite for one person in advance?! He even pleased with the hospital superintendent but didn't get far before bumping into Okabe and co. It can't be a coincidence that the foe from Suzuha's memories is also a male professor, can it? With Hiyajo getting over her complex slightly, there might be some hope for a resurrected time machine of some sort. Early days though. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#15
The subplot between Hashida Itaru and Amane Yuki feels trivial, until Suzuha reminds everyone that if the two of them don't marry she doesn't exist. The first attempt with the help of the others actually goes comically wrong, while the second attempt illustrates just how little the others really know Amane and what makes her tick. If anything, I'd like Hiyajo to hook Okabe up to the machine she used on Hashida because that would basically give him enough confidence to use the time leap machine to fix what he should have done at the start of this timeline. Another stress point actually shows its head in this episode: if Okabe is charmed enough by the prospect of moving abroad he might lose the connection he has with the lab and everything that entails. Usually he's willing to oblige Mayuri, but failing to do twice in one episode doesn't bode well for him or for the lab members. How is Suzuha going to get Kagari to regain her senses within the week? She doesn't look like she's any different from last week in that final scene. Even showing her the object of her desires won't snap her out of it. Speaking of which, is that Oompa just a toy or is there something hidden inside it which makes the brainwashed Kagari so desperate to regain it? |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#16
Now that the subplots have been covered, time for the main storyline to get moving again. The first half feels very close to seeing Okabe drift away completely from the lab and move on with his life, but the chance encounter in the lab sets him off and stops his connection with it from severing completely. It's been a while since several high-emotion scenes were packed into one episode, but it's a chance of pace from the previous two weeks and isn't entirely a bad thing. Hashida might live the lifestyle he does, but if he gets angry I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end when he gets physical. Although that didn't snap him out of his depression, Hiyajo's presence is probably going to be the catalyst since she's the only factor that's now present compared to when Okabe decided to cut his losses and start running. I wonder how it's going to go from here. I'm quite used to seeing Okabe act like this (depression and all) since it's infinitely better than his delusional guise which although more optimistic made me cringe more than laugh. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#17
Now that the main storyline is back front and centre, the series is much more riveting than its diversionary subplots. Mayuri's confession isn't exactly a surprise, but it's well delivered and viewers can't help but empathise with her after she's given it. It's all happening now that the mysterious agency working against the lab has pulled out all the stops to secure the time machine. There was a brief shot of the helmeted biker person slumped in a pool of blood with another standing above, but would that mean two Kagaris in the same place at the same time? Annoyingly enough the helmet hides the identity of both persons too well, so there's little to do but wait for next week. There's the big cliffhanger scene at the end, so once the news gets out Hashida and Hiyajo REALLY need to get moving with the microwave. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#18
The big denouement isn't really what it is, since there have been enough hints to suggest something like this was going to happen. The motive for the entire scheme sounds like something Okabe Rintarou would think of in his delusional persona, but executed for real and with no regard for the consequences in pursuit of experimentation. There's one more question that wasn't answered in this episode, so I'm hoping to see if it will be in the remaining weeks or if it's left unanswered and viewers have to read the source material to get the complete picture. If Shiina Mayuri's last text was anything to go by, it looks like the pair of them made the jump in the nick of time. Problem is, Okabe and the remaining lab members are nowhere near accomplishing the task the text message has set them. If this is supposed to converge at the point where Okabe straddles the line between masochistic perseverance and eternal despair, then the process by which they achieve that result should be an interesting one to follow. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#19
Welcome back to the rabbit hole, Okabe. At least you've acquired the resolve to put yourself through that familiar gut-wrenching wringer that is repeated failure when trying to race the clock or change a particular outcome. Unfortunately for him he was doing something else that day which couldn't get him back to the lab faster, but if that final post-credits scene is any indication something has happened. Whether it helps his cause or changes the rules completely is something viewers will find out two weeks from now. Although it is no surprise Reyes was the woman in the full-face visor biker suit who attacked Okabe and co. in the first half, it IS a surprise she was a competitor working against Stratfor. I had her down as a co-conspirator because of how friendly she was with Leskinen. At least viewers know that was all an act, but that was a loose end which had to be tied up from at least last week. I suppose the next episode is where operation Arclight starts for real. Okabe might be in time-leap limbo at present, but the message from Suzuha's father from the different timeline did happen so just have to sit back and watch to see what the process is all about. The end-result should be something linking back to the last episode of the first season, but how the circle is closed should be interesting. He's made it this far and there's not much more to go in episode count after all. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#20
After a week off, the start of Operation Arclight gets its airing. I'm grateful for Hashida having that scene where he explained what on earth happened between the last episode and this week since I honestly had no idea how Okabe ended up the way he did at the start. In a fairly cruel twist, this is the first time the time leap machine has been used in the completely opposite direction so viewers now know exactly how terrible the timeline Okabe compromised on is right now. Not everyone from the lab was present this week as there are some notable absentees who weren't mentioned. Maybe viewers will find out more about their fates since 2011. After that emotional rollercoaster, it's good to see Okabe having the resolve to keep going despite the state he's found himself in. Somehow I don't think it will be quite so simple as getting a microwave going, but I suppose that's the fun to be had from this decisive story arc leading to the finale. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#21
The counter-attack episode (and the return of that insufferably annoying part of Okabe Rintarou's personality which I was glad not to see for most of this season). Unfortunately the story seems to have lost coherency and consistency along the way during those 3000 time-leaps as well. 1. They improved the range to two weeks, but when did this improvement take place? Just last week we were told the machine had failed and there is no mention of how they managed to isolate the freak error which brought Okabe so far into the future in the first place. 2. Why is Okabe allied to Leskinen when the "betrayal" takes place? According to the timeline and Amadeus's testimony, Okabe knew he was going to die at a specific date and could take all kinds of insane risks because he knew his fate. Even then, Amadeus still got him out of a convergence point where he was supposedly captured, but because there's only so much that can be animated viewers are not privy to how everything was pulled off in one go. 3. The furthest Okabe can jump is right at the point roughly two to three episodes ago when he was on the train. Even with all the knowledge acquired through his leap of hell, he should have known that he's faced with yet another convergence point where he probably cannot pull off his "operation" without doing something drastic. Even with this week's grand scheme, the unknown helicopter still makes its entrance and destroys the machine regardless of how early he can make it to the building. Although he's reacquired his delusional personality, I wonder if he can keep up the facade if this particular convergence point turns out to be more difficult to crack than his previous narrow escape from the Bureau. The end-point is now in sight, but I'm no closer to figuring out how Okabe Rintarou overcomes all of the decisions he's made through to this adaptation and gets to the point where he can convince his other self to make the correct decision at the end of the original series. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#22
Once again Okabe Rintarou comes up with an impassable obstacle. The solution this time round is not an easy one to make because of the emotional weight involved. Considering how Amadeus was initially an attempt by Leskinen to capture Makise Kurisu's brain for the development of the time machine, deleting it from existence does foil his grand plan to a considerable extent. Big question now is what the new world line will bring now that almost the entire series aired to date has been rendered null and void. After the serious nature of the last three episodes, it's a rare comedy moment featuring Hiyajo and her diminutive stature. It's unfortunate the closer Okabe gets to the one true end the more frequent his delusional persona becomes. |
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Harleyquin
Posts: 2834 |
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#23
The problem with animated adaptations dealing with source material that requires detailed explanation is not being able to fit everything into a neat 24 minute episode without missing something out. This finale is an archetypal example; viewers who have seen the first season and the way it played out know how the Okabe Rintarou of that timeline managed to pull off the seemingly impossible and keep Makise Kurisu alive, but we have no idea (short of playing the actual game) how the Okabe Rintarou of the Zero series went back in time and still managed to find existing bonds like Hiyajo and Shiina Kagari intact without the major binding factor that is the Amadeus system. It turns out the Amadeus system was the one thing preventing the initial one-way time jump back to the past, so Hiyajo's analysis in the previous week proved to be spot on especially when Amadeus itself recognised it as the solution. Everything else from there falls into place somehow, with the coda being the one loose end from the original series that was never explained and a way for the Zero adaptation to give a happy(?) end to the lost pair. I found the first season more straightforward than this one. Messing about with minor events leading to Okabe having to fix everything one error at a time was more straightforward than the structure presented for Zero. It's still an entertaining series, but there are times when it goes too slowly or falls flat when trying to present the main narrative at a reasonable pace. On the flip side, not having to put up with Okabe Rintarou's delusional personality for the vast majority of this adaptation is a plus side compared to the first season, even though that's essentially the one thing he had which kept him going emotionally when living through the eternal hell of pointless time leaps. It's a successful franchise and has an established fanbase, but will this Zero adaptation see another movie like the first season did? I'm not sure, since there are only so many science fiction ideas that can be thrown about together with time travel before the whole artifice collapses because of logical paradoxes. |
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