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Steins;Gate 0 (TV).


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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Sat Mar 17, 2018 5:07 pm Reply with quote


Steins;Gate 0 (TV)
(Alternate ending for) Steins;Gate (TV) (discussed here)

Genres: drama, mystery, psychological, romance, science fiction, thriller
Themes: amnesia, butterfly effect, conspiracy, technology, Time travel, tragedy

Plot Summary: A few months have passed since the members of the Future Gadgets Lab inadvertently unlocked the power of time travel using a phone and an old microwave, but for Rintaro Okabe it may as well have been an eternity. While his friends' memories remain mostly hazy, Okabe can still clearly recall crossing over hundreds of world lines, watching as his friends suffered and died innumerable times for meddling with the fabric of the universe. Though he ended up saving the life of his best friend Mayuri, Okabe is still suffering from the trauma of being unable to prevent the murder of the brilliant young scientist Kurisu Makise. He has focused on forgetting the past and moving on with his life, but he is constantly reminded by future freedom fighter Suzuha that their current world-line is set to be torn apart by a devastating Third World War, and all of the Future Gadget Lab members will be caught up in the struggle. Okabe must decide whether he will once again fight the future one final time.
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
Posts: 11762
Location: Earth
PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 10:53 am Reply with quote
First episode:

Damn...Steins;Gate. Seeing this felt nostalgic especially with Mayuri and the narratives in the beginning. The episode had a moody feel from the beginning but still felt like the previous series. Seeing Okabe dressed in a suit is a nice touch (I still prefer his signature lab coat though).

The animation style still feels very familiar to the franchise. Well done so far White Fox. Seems this episode/timeline takes place around the holiday season. It's really nice to see others like Ruka and Faris too. Really glad to also see some humor added in for the episode. It kinda felt like the episode is a setup for rest of the season but this really can get a viewer back into the mood.

Daru's personality is still the same as usual lol

The psychology is nicely done as expected and I'm glad they captured Okabe's personality and inner instincts pretty well. A pretty good start overall.


Last edited by Stark700 on Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:42 am; edited 1 time in total
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TexZero



Joined: 25 Oct 2017
Posts: 583
PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 11:05 am Reply with quote
I can't wait.

Easily one of my favorite anime of all time is getting a sequel. It's both a great and ultimately scary time. We'll have to see if it can recapture some of the magic the original has.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Wed Apr 11, 2018 4:42 pm Reply with quote
Time-travelling entertainment back for another round. I didn't mind the concepts and plot from the original but couldn't stand Okabe Rintarou as a protagonist. Fortunately it seems grief has straightened his mind out and he's actually capable of acting like a normal person without the annoying delusional one-liners.

Suzuha is still stuck in Akihabara so her job isn't done yet. She might well get her wish now that Okabe has his injection of hope from the seminar. Seeing Suzuha's mother get introduced really gives the sense of how much time has passed since the fateful summer of the last show.

Without watching the last show and its focus on this particular timeline, I have no idea if Okabe's fears about a potential assassination are unfounded. Regardless the ball has started to roll on the main plot so I'm curious to see what Amadeus is capable of and Okabe's reaction to it.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:03 pm Reply with quote
#2

A contemporaneous science fiction trope for this series introduced in this episode. A nice combination between the microwave of the last adaptation and the huge developments in AI which have taken place over the seven years between adaptations. For Okabe Rintarou, it hurts all the same as the Makise Kurisu he can talk to now has no memory of the interactions they had when they were planning out the great time machine.

Hiyajo Maho is an unusual name, but I didn't think she would attribute it to being an Okinawan native. It's understandable why she's so touchy about her physical appearance and stature, but she has a lot in common with Makise so it's probably not a surprise she gets along well with Okabe once they get past the initial misunderstanding. If he somehow switches timelines once more, it might be another blow since he may well retain his memory of meeting her and the professor while she loses it completely.

The party sounds like it's a chance for Okabe to share the discovery with his friends, which is going to affect Suzuha most of all since she has the clearest picture of what will come to pass. If that first scene way back in the first episode is taken into consideration, it looks like Okabe's circle of acquaintances will be let in on the secret sooner or later.
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StarchildStorm



Joined: 25 Apr 2017
Posts: 72
PostPosted: Thu Apr 19, 2018 2:55 am Reply with quote
Very much enjoying it so far. I've played the game so I know what all's going to happen but still enjoying the ride early on.

I could see someone being put off by the fact two episodes in they've just barely started to nudge at the actual plot, but then again it's not like the first show has a terribly brisk pace either.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 6:21 pm Reply with quote
#3

Even if viewers are warned beforehand that Okabe Rintarou is messing around with an AI, it's hard for those who've watched the previous adaptation not to be fooled into thinking this is a version of Makise Kurisu who'd never been to Japan and is visiting for the first time. I don't know if it's the writing for the conversations or prior knowledge, but it's easy to fall into the trap Hinajo warned about late in the episode. The only difference is Amadeus is an AI and as rightly pointed out remembers everything eternally down to the last trivial detail.

The Christmas party is in full swing, although I notice there are two absentees from the previous adaptation's cast in the participants. Suzuha would have attacked either of them on sight if they had turned up, although in this time line one of them is not acquainted with the lab while the other's daughter is appearing as a representative. It's hilarious how even Nae can be fooled by Hinajo's appearance.

Mayuri listening in to the conversation will have hurt for her, but it seems she's the only one who's aware of who Rintarou is talking to. The opening scene in episode 1 is probably significant later on but I'm not sure what the context will be. The big hook for next week is almost certainly the ability trigger after he's told she's long dead. Depending on what the visions mean, he's about to start on a second journey of hell.
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Harleyquin



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PostPosted: Wed May 02, 2018 6:20 pm Reply with quote
#4

He doesn't want to admit it, but it's likely he has travelled world lines. Amadeus is telling him he did something which he doesn't remember, Suzuha is being told off for spending time searching for someone when she was supposed to have travelled alone and Daru's contact being a certain smartphone addict who gave Okabe Rintarou considerable grief in previous encounters. The promotional picture essentially gives away the identity of the mysterious visitor to the shrine, the question is whether she's there intentionally or has genuinely forgotten she travelled from the future and is visiting via sheer chance.

Is it coincidence that Suzuha's target looks very much alike to another red-haired member of the main cast?

Too early to tell, but I don't think it's a simple case of PTSD which led to the separation in 1998. CERN in this franchise have a surprisingly varied range of tools to accomplish the goals, I wouldn't put it past them to have brainwashed war orphans as part of their arsenal.
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Stark700



Joined: 30 Jan 2012
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PostPosted: Thu May 03, 2018 9:52 am Reply with quote
Four episodes in and I find it fairly interesting to see the relationship between the Amadeus and Okabe. It seems he has a hard time moving on and dealing with the fact that Kurisu is no longer in his world line.

I'm honestly really curious to know more about Hiyajou's connection to Kurisu.

The way they're showing their relationship so far really strikes me curious especially with how Hiyajou reacts whenever her name is bought up.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Wed May 09, 2018 6:00 pm Reply with quote
#5

Putting aside whether Okabe Rintarou really has travelled world lines, the episode doesn't really do much until the very end. Kiryu Moeka posing a threat to Mayuri and the others is quickly dispelled over the episode (the way she and Nae's father go their separate ways seems telling) and she gives information that another group with non-Japanese is searching for Shiina Kagari.

Hinajo getting a stalker is unusual, so could the professor be linked with the foreigner group searching for Shiina? I wouldn't put it past the series to confirm that, but why act now when it's been clear for over a week in the series that Okabe was playing around with Amadeus?

Just as it seems the Shiina Kagari thread isn't going anywhere, Ruka brings the person of interest into the lab. All of the key personnel are there, so next week should see something interesting happen now that she's been found with amnesia.
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Stark700



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PostPosted: Wed May 16, 2018 1:08 pm Reply with quote
Episode 6:

So far, this episode and series has gotten me interested in Shiina Kagari. There's no doubt that Suzuha realizes who she is but I still wonder what her real purpose in the show will be. In the meantime, we got the Shaman girls! (well there's also Ruka)

The ending got me hyped for next week though especially with that ending. I almost got a deja vu-like moment from the first season.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
Posts: 2834
PostPosted: Wed May 30, 2018 6:04 pm Reply with quote
#8

Without playing the game, one can only speculate what caused the jump although Makise in the new line has given a few heavy hints on what could have been the cause. One thing I could never keep track of was the world line numbers since there were too many in the first season. Looking at that final number, it looks like Okabe has been thrust back into time travel hell, although unlike the first season he no longer has a clear idea of what he needs to undo to get himself back to where he started.

Counting the number of times he had his headaches, Okabe needs to reverse one minor decision and a very major decision if the severity is any indication. If this is going to be two quarters, it probably won't be a simple process.
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Stark700



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PostPosted: Thu May 31, 2018 1:37 pm Reply with quote
Episode 8:

The kiss...the pinky swear....I feel like Steins;Gate 0 hit me hard on the feels this week.

It makes sense now that Kurisu exists because the world line they are in is the Alpha World Line. Unfortunately, that means Mayuri is dead. Really sad but that's the reality. I must wonder if ther's a way to save them both.

Really glad to see the real Kurisu interact with Okabe again like old times. She hasn't changed a bit even down to her personality. Very emotional episode.
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Harleyquin



Joined: 29 May 2014
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 06, 2018 6:09 pm Reply with quote
#9

Curious how Makise's decision to reverse that one detail managed to return Okabe to the Alpha timeline, even when the episode itself seems to hint that the timeline shifts weren't down to Okabe's decisions but the machinations of the great powers behind the scenes. That one other person might have the ability to travel timelines seems significant, but Okabe hasn't really talked to her much so far so it seems more like a red herring for now.

Mr. Braun's theory on possible identities for the mysterious organisation looks more like a tease for now. Until Hashida gets going with investigating cracking, there's nothing much to go on. Interesting how the mysterious organization's identity is more of a secret in this adaptation compared to the series predecessor where SERN was outed relatively early as the villain in the piece.

Hiyajo almost certainly lied to Okabe when he asked her about potential evidence. The other possibility was that her reply was based on incomplete information since any potential theory or test data would have been inside the laptop which she doesn't have the password to. If her room was broken into and the lab shut down as a pretext to search it, then nothing of note would have been down if Hiyajo had been clinging on to the laptop all this while.
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Harleyquin



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PostPosted: Wed Jun 13, 2018 6:14 pm Reply with quote
#10

Official confirmation Hiyajo lied last week, but it took almost the entire episode while time passes somewhat slowly as Okabe and Hiyajo go on a date. The room cleaning skit appeared to be a chance to develop a few personalities which weren't obvious in the first adaptation, so it's great for franchise fans but perhaps a little boring for newcomers since the main plotline hardly moves at all during this period.

The Hollywood movie Salieri exaggerated a few aspects about Mozart as well as the rivalry between the two. She doesn't say it, but there's certainly envy from Hiyajo when she interacted with Makise Kurisu when she was still alive in this current timeline.

If the "trustworthy source" Hiyajo is relying on turns out to be working for either the USA or Russia, then the fears of Okabe and Suzuha will certainly be realised. Will viewers get to find out more about this particular angle?
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