Steins;Gate - Episode 22 Discussion / Poll
 

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oh man...I cried.
but we really need the BD episode because that earthquake alarm
- very touching episode
- not really like how they draw kurisu's face. It's weird
- and they played the ED just like the game

Man I haven't reacted so strongly to every episode of an anime since Gurren Lagann. Just when I was wondering how this was going to play out after this obvious false conclusion (two more episodes for just an epilogue? Everything reset to how it was in the beginning? No way...) all of a sudden the ED starts breaking up and then...

MIND BLOWN.

And of course OkabexKurisu = SO DAMN CUTE.

Umm....WOW!

I'm just speechless...

I haven't seen such a great anime episode in a long time...

The first episode I have rated a 10 for years. And rightfully so, everything worked out in my eyes, ears and heart. From the wonderful performances of Mamoru Miyano and Asami Imai (someone please give them fucking awards for their performances), the character chemistry that is one of the strongest selling points of steins,gate, the pacing to the post credits scene that left me full of FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF!!!

To hell with logic, and critical thinking, this is 10/10 on emotional value mostly. If Asuki had award for individual episodes, steins;gate episode 22 would have been a strong challenger.

Fantastic episode. That's all.

...really... at the part after the ending theme.. Poor Okabe...it's to be expected but still..

Edit: Forgot to mention that it isn't a bad thing. This calls for Charlie timeline!

I've been holding back giving any episode a 10 rating just in case a better episode came along.

A better episode just came along. :D

It's been a long time since I've seen two people more perfect for each other...

I'm not usually a shipping person, but there is no doubt in my mind that Okabe and Kurisu is what one would call OTP, the one true pairing. Hell, if I play the VN, I probably wouldn't bother playing other routes than her, and not because I don't like any of the other girls. I've shipped them from the beginning, but if there's an episode that shows how perfect they are for each other, it's this one.

As far as plot goes, this episode didn't go far, but for character development, and relationship development...boy, it got aplenty. Great writing and excellent performances from their VA as well to carry all the pain and love in their sentences. And what makes it perfect is that it doesn't come from nowhere - all the other episodes has been building it up to here, capped with a glorious kiss. Call me a romantic, but I love it when things go like this - when love and happy endings has to be earned by going through hell, it only makes it sweeter when you finally get it.

Although, by the end of the episode it might not be all that happy an ending after all...or is it? For those who missed it, unlike other episodes be sure to watch the ED all the way to the end, there's crucial information given at the end. Something huge, something important, and most importantly, something that gives us hope that things may still be able to change after all, and a change for the better.

My heart. My heart, it feels a great pain. Gah.

This is how you write a romance, dear God. That is all.

Very emotional episode. Probably the best one. 10/10

We're reaching the final moments. There has been a lot of sacrifice to get to this point. Can Okabe reach the perfect timeline still? Or is he doomed to the loss of the one he loves or his best childhood friend?

World War 3 now?... Seems like fun.

Seriously. The VA performance by both this episode was absolutely amazing...

Know what? In my opinion, it IS worth going through all "the otaku jokes", that unpleasable naysayers kept complained about. This is what I mean when I said that it is THOSE smallest details, and little scenes, that, when used well, adds to the characters and their interactions.

So when I see what happened in episode 22, watching them goofing around in the seven or so first epsiodes,and watching them suffer for the next ones after, made it all the more worth it.

So we can bitch about how the hell a cellphone connected to a microwave can trigger changes in the timeline, but damn, the plot and the characters ARE the selling points of steins;gate, not that its take on the finest details of time travel and time machines.

And I think that the romantic angle had been handled "right", just enough to not feel like being shoe-d in, or cancerous like the Star Wars preguel trilogy.

Speechless

I usually hate shipping but I will ship those two to the ends of the earth...

Rarely do I see romance developed so well in anime - and in a show whose main genre isn't even romance (although based on a VN). It's not about forgotten childhood promises or chance meetings or spending 20+ episodes just nervously blushing and beating around the bush. It's about two people who are just meant for each other, which can be easily seen from the way they interact, to the way they connect and have similar interests (like the scene where they were wearing lab coats or drinking Dr. Pepper together). True, the romance was never a driving factor in this show, but it was always there, subtly suggested in their interactions and it was executed just perfectly.

Now I can only wait for the final two episodes and hope they deliver an EPIC and satisfying conclusion...

It's those little scenes - some of which I mentioned above - that make this show so enjoyable and their relationship so damn believable.

Really good episode! I'm just nervous about the ending... they are starting this thing about World War 3 but are they going to be able to deliver a good true ending in just 2 episodes?

Great episode. I expected something to happen after the ED, rather than during it, only because it seemed too "complete" despite still having two more episodes to go. So now Okabe has to stop SERN, as we knew he'd have to... too bad he just sent the Telephone Microwave off to the dump/recycling center.

SERN is no longer the issue. It is a "WWIII" which will be explained in the next episode.

Anyway, a very good composition and direction in the script, dealing quite well the plight between Okabe and Kurisu.
I'm however a bit disappointed they were stingy on the budget for this episode, leading to a lot "underwhelmed" expressions from both Okabe and Kurisu, while the voice acting was definitely on spot with the mood (which leads some sort of incompatibility feelings).

HE'LL DO IT WITH THE POWER OF--

... you know, I don't even know. He's Okabe! He'll figure something out!

I sense the return of Kurisu from this new WWIII plot...

Wasn't she one of the reasons why the war/dictatorship/whatever-it-was started during Suzuha's arc? I could be wrong, my memory certainly isn't what it used to be.

In Suzuha's original timeline, she was considered the mother of the time machine, and indirectly the reason for why SERN was able to create a dystopia, yes. This World War III stuff is new, so we're looking at a different bad timeline now.

The original John Titor was trying to prevent World War III, John Titor disappeared from the year 2000 after Okabe sent the original D-mail. Yeah? :p

If there definitely is one thing I wish this anime had is just more budget. But still the directing is pretty top notch otherwise.

Suzuha explained that Kurisu was the one who completed the time machine for SERN, but she never knew the circumstances of it.
The numerous occurences with Moeka and the rounders demonstrate that they captured her and forced her to make the time machine for them.

Unless some random third party shows up out of nowhere, I still have to believe it's SERN. We've seen Suzuha fighting in what appears to be a very war-torn time, so it wouldn't be surprising for an actual war to have happened.

Kurisu is such a wonderful heroine. She's the first VN heroine in a while (and possibly of all time) that I feel fully deserves her position as the main heroine. Although I do like the other characters as well (Mayuri in particular), it's clear none of them can hold a candle to her.

Loved her tsundere reaction after kissing Okabe <3

If anyone's curious as to why I didn't rate this 10, it's related to what Okabe said in this episode: all that time travel has made me numb to "sad scenes" in this anime, since they can be erased with the push of a button. The goodbye scene was well done, but I didn't believe for a second that they'd never see each other again and that Kurisu would remain dead, so there wasn't much of an emotional impact for me.

Suzuha's call was a nice twist. The beta timeline is apparently even worse than the alpha. Only two episodes left to search for a way to reach a gamma world line, that seems a little short.

The thing is that SERN would lead a dictatorship due to their complete control over time travel whatsoever, meaning they can control nearly everything (hence why Suzuha says "dystopia").
But in the Beta World Line, Suzuha explicitely used "WWIII" which, as Reckoner stated, matches the BWL John Titor's objective to save the world from WWIII.
That alone spells clearly that in the Beta line, it is a complete global crisis, not simply SERN being the king of the hill.
There are a lot of VN having the almighty "default heroine for good reasons" point :p

Man I really need to get my hands on a copy of the visual novel. Too bad I'm broke at the moment lol.

I'm really excited for the last two episodes!

Excatly the same. That's what I call a masterpiece.

OkabeXKurisu :333333333333333333333 !!

Okay, I've talked about how the romance is perfect and really evokes my emotion, now it's time to get to the technical stuff. First of all, let me get the timeline straight.

Alpha Timeline:
In 2010, as we see in this episode: SERN data erased -> SERN never knew of Okabe's Lab -> They're not captured, Mayuri isn't killed.

This leads to a future in 2034, where they never captured Kurisu to build them a time machine that enables them to create a dystopia. This gives Daru enough time to build a perfect time machine (he's the one that built it for Suzuha, right?). With a faultless time machine, Suzuha easily travels to 2010 to meet his Dad, and further back in time to provide Okabe with IBN machine to ensure that all these things come to pass.

Also, because Suzuha's time machine is perfect this time, it didn't crash to building and consequently didn't cause Kurisu to not die. Her being dead is also the cause for SERN being unable to finish their time machine in time. It's a bit confusing, but so far it still makes sense and not create a paradox, everything is still in a stable time loop. Okabe's D-Mail causes a Beta timeline, but he's retracing his steps to undo everything to revert things back to the Alpha timeline, so in the it didn't make a difference (except for Okabe, who remembers everything perfectly).

Most of the things are pretty much tied up, and if I don't know better I thought the series will end this episode, in this bittersweet note - except for the phone call at the end (I have to admit, I was a little bit disappointed when I heard Suzuha's voice - was hoping it to be Kurisu) saying things about WW III.

I think this is something not present in either Alpha or Beta, so could this be a Gamma timeline? What exactly caused this line, and how much does it affect things? What must Okabe do to prevent this, and how will it cause a stable time loop this time? Does this mean that there's hope that Kurisu's fate isn't immutable this time, that she can be saved (God, I really hope so)? Two episodes left, I really hope there's enough time to answer all these questions...

Wow. Just...wow.

I'm still holding back tears.

If it was possible to give 11 out of 10, this would be the only episode to get it.

Absolutely fantastic chemistry between Kurisu and Okabe throughout the anime - and just before that 1%...well, Okabe surely should know what she was going to say.

As someone has said earlier, never have I seen two characters seemingly made for each other - least of all in an anime that is almost the antithesis of a romance anime.

To the producers, White Fox, take a bow - you more than deserve the plaudits.


EDIT: By the way, what was the music for the ending?

Remember that since they -changed- the world line, Suzuha does not have to return in 1975 in the Beta World Line (that timeline where Kurisu dies), since in that timeline, there isn't even any need of a IBN5100.
The IBN5100 was only a requirement for the Future Gadget Lab to switch from Alpha to Beta world line. Once they changed the world line, they do not need it anymore, and the said timeline doesn't reflect such need either.

Remember that for some reason, the story doesn't use Alpha and Beta meaning as they usually are: the original time line is the [Beta] one (Kurisu dies in that timeline), while the timeline we had from Episode 1 up to now is the [Alpha] one (Mayuri dies in that timeline).

No that isn't another timeline. Remember that we never saw anything past the first day and so the first D-mail for the Beta world line. If Okabe didn't get caught by SERN with the first D-mail or didn't use it, things would have turned the same way.

ROFLMAO, What the F**k is this WWIII thing? Don't tell me their running into more dilemmas after they got back on the track of beta worldline having saved Mayuri... I mean come on, it's only 2 eps left and this last ep kinda gave us the "predictive and typical ending". Jeez, and I was questioning to myself how would they end up the series when the ending theme was running...

No wonder this is Steins;Gate... Damn, everything's out of personalities and coherences which it leads to its unique color into it :heh: So, we waiting this WWIII prevention mission to step in in Robotic;Note? I mean it 'cause this is totally a different arc compared to this main plot time machine stuff in S;G.

As to the ep overall impression, I can't really say it was that great... Well, the ending was pretty much the predicted Kurisu's death what we have been discussing all the time and last few eps' been way too emotional. 8/10...

EDIT: Just a quick question... wasn't the time machine supposed NOT to be created when Okabe deleted the SERN's database? :confused: The time machine was created by Kurisu, so I wonder how did Suzahu managed to time travel back to 2010.

In the Alpha TL, wasn't SERN able to take control precisely because WW3 happened? And is the point of Suzuha's phone call to tell Okabe that Kurisu has to die to prevent this WW3 (and with it, the SERN takeover), thus going to the Beta TL?

Timeline where Kurisutina dies = WW3
Timeline where Tutturu dies = SERN rules.
Constants = #1 Suzuha is John Connor Titor. #2 Daru build the time machine. #3 Okabe have Reading Steiner.
Going from 3 to 2, this meant that Daru had been able to build a time machine partially thanks to Okabe.
Steins gate had been able to stay consistant.

Remember that the "prototype" of the time machine was created by Daru. Moreso, it was daru who created the FG204 to begin with.
Kurisu managed to create the time machine for SERN because she was involved with Daru's works back at the future gadget lab period.
Therefore, even if the timeline changed, it isn't surprising that daru somehow managed to make a time machine in the beta world line.
No. Suzuha clearly stated that SERN took the complete control of the world on 2036, back in the Alpha world line (episode 15).

As for episode 22 i also watched the extra scene beyond the ED, now i finally went to read the steins gate spoilers on Tvtropes, one particular spoiler made my jaw drop, must be the Ceti Timeline no matter how much you think about it...

This episode...my tears...they won't stop flowing...

The romantic development between Okabe and Kurisu is just fantastic. They feel so real and so meant for each other...

But its not over yet...Suzuha returns, and she asks Okabe to stop WW3 from happening.

While agreed in some points.... I don't know if this has any coherencies, but didn't Okabe just get rid of that Phone Microwave? Correct me if I'm wrong, but as long as I can remember Okabe did assist Daru to create the time machine in the other timeline too, and since Kurisu dies in the beta worldline, it could only mean Daru created the time machine all by himself. Yes, it wouldn't be surprising if Daru created one in the future with no assists since he's the "Super Hacker", but from my viewpoints, his works could have been way more difficult to achieve since he would have been short-handed because of the lack of this 'worty' assistants.

What? What?! WHAT!!!??!!

They got me good and proper. "Oh", I thought, "Is this the final episode then?" - then the end credits, and... WHAT!!!!?!!?!

I am completely gobsmacked. My flabber has never been so gasted...

Whatever next?

S;G 22 - Children of tomorrow spinning out a future

I should've known from the color palette all along. Light on jokes, and if Hououin Kyouma is gone, as bravado as he was, I enjoyed his performance, so I won't say much beyond the episode was well put together, and I look forward to the climax. Hopefully there won't be as much of a delay next time. It's been a fun ride.