Steins;Gate - Episode 14 Discussion / Poll

[Riga92]

Originally Posted by nines

So it's basically confirmed that Suzuha when she crashed into the building killed Kurisu the first time.

I wouldn't be so sure of that. It's heavily implied that Suzuha was there in the first episode on top of the roof but there's still no confirmation to whether she was actually there to kill Kurisu.

The satellite crashing into the Radio Building in the Alpha timeline has no relation to the events before that in the first episode. If you looked carefully when Okabe sent the first D-mail, it briefly shows the divergence number and it takes place in a timeline past the 1% Divergence. In other words...the Beta timeline.

[Kanon]

Originally Posted by AzureWrath

I'm still wondering about the first episode and dead Kurisu. It would be quite....interesting if that is the other world line o.o

Indeed. Okabe could be faced with a cruel dilemma: letting Kurisu die (even killing her) to save Mayuri, or letting Mayuri die to save Kurisu.

[kimpleng]

I'm excited with today episode. Now I'm curious, will Suzuha explained who and how perfected physical time travel in the next episode? As we know, until today only memories or text data could be sent to the past.

[KoroshiyaX]

Suzuha's hatred for Kurisu and revelation that she will be working for SERN are still at the top of my mind. It's implied that Kurisu jumps ships at some point in Suzuha's own future timeline. I'm looking forward to seeing how that will be sorted out. I'm sure he'll find a way to change the world lines enough so that it doesn't happen

[Mentar]

In the first half, I was raging hard over Okabe's retarded flailing around. I was literally yelling at the screen "TALK TO THE OTHERS, YOU MORON!"

Well, thankfully the others (the one who has the brains in this ordeal - Chris) talked to him, and naturally she started to make sense and sort things out properly. Then again, things always get better when Chris is on the screen. She's criminally likable, especially in this episode. Moe of the best kind. How can you not go HNNNNGGGGG when she goes "Screw you, future me!"

Then again, it would be very Nitro+ if they'd force a cruel choice on the player (of the games): Save Chris or save Mayuri. Is it really too much to wish for a path to save both?

[Forbin]

Sweet! No Endless 8.

[Eater of All]

Loved this episode. The pacing is getting quicker now, and yet still manages to explain the events well enough so the audience doesn't get overwhelmed.

Being able to know what will happen and yet cannot prevent it is definitely one of the most tragic things for a time traveller to experience. Luckily for Okabe though, he lives in a universe that employs the many-worlds interpretation moreso than the self-consistency principle, so at least he isn't hampered by possible paradoxes. Plus, he now has a hot soldier and a tsundere engineer in his party!

And now that I look at Steins;Gate, I think I finally realized what had dissatisfied me about Madoka's ending...

Spoiler for Madoka:

While Madoka's ending was pretty and conclusive, it solved Homura's problem in a way that left much to be desired, IMO. Okabe is in the same situation as Homura, but the difference is that he has no chance of receiving help from godly powers. The story puts him in a situation where he actually has to slowly think and work through this maze of fate, relying on Chekhov's guns and plot elements that were already (properly) alluded to early in the story (such as divergence numbers, Suzuha, and ep1).

In Madoka's defense, it probably didn't have time to do all this, but I'm glad that Steins;Gate does and seems to be taking this route. It makes speculating very satisfying.

[Arkard]

"Screw you, future me..."

[Byakou]

Maybe Titor was a guy in his original timeline, but switching timelines messed up his gender just like with Ruka

[RadiantBeam]

Originally Posted by Mentar

Then again, it would be very Nitro+ if they'd force a cruel choice on the player (of the games): Save Chris or save Mayuri. Is it really too much to wish for a path to save both?

Considering that in the very first episode, when we're apparently on the original world line, Okabe found Kurisu dead and then changed the past with his text, it's quite possible that very soon he'll have to choose between saving Mayuri and letting Kurisu die, or saving Kurisu and letting Mayuri die.

[Qpax]

What intrigues my interest is Suzuha, I mean John Titor said she wants to see Okabe as new messiah. I wonder how Okabe going to respond that offers of Suzuha. Yeah she wants to save world and stuff but now I want to know more about her background now that she comes from future with that time machine. Also for the first time that Alpha and Beta world lines terms seemed a bit complicated to me but when I think about it, if you think it on theoratical level, it is also possible to do something like that. But the thing is we can't do that with the technology we have now or maybe they have already invited it and there are some people who amongst us that come from future, itself ;3

[AnimeFan188]

Originally Posted by Byakou

Maybe Titor was a guy in his original timeline, but switching timelines messed up his gender just like with Ruka

I wonder who else's gender would have been affected if Ruka's mom had spread that
"eat vegetables for a healthy baby" advice?

[Riga92]

Originally Posted by Byakou

Maybe Titor was a guy in his original timeline, but switching timelines messed up his gender just like with Ruka

It's possible that the Titor in episode 1 is the John Titor known in reality. If the person on the rooftop of the Radio building is indeed Suzuha, which it probably is, then that means Titor was a different person in the Beta timeline.

[Marina2]

If Suzuha can use her time machine to come back to the past, I wonder if future SERN also sent someone to the past too? (to prevent her plan)

Also, Alpha and Beta world lines? Look like Goddess Haruhi is behind all of this after all LOL

[DorkingtonPugsly]

This show just keeps getting better and better. I knew I was right to obsess over it since it first came out. It's like it finally paid off. Anyways, now I know what those red digits mean. They popped up every time they used d-mail and stuff. And I never would have guessed that that satalite thing was a time machine that she arrived in. Woah!

[Raiga]

I rewatched the scene where Kurisu imitates Okabe three times when I first watched this ep.

Now that I've finished the ep, I'm going to go watch it again and squee like a little girl.

The usual bang moment right at the end was a bit of an unreveal for me considering how many people here already speculated that Suzuha = Titor, but it's nice to see it finally confirmed.

I'll agree that watching Okabe struggle in the first half of the ep was pretty painful, but then Kurisu happened! And we finally know what the recurring image of the numbers is! And we know Okabe is an even more badass inventor in DA FUTURE!

This is gonna be awesome.

(also, CR subs keep having Moeka say "Okabe Rintarou has been captured." Isn't it the opposite? "Okabe Rintarou has escaped" [逃走した])

[Used Can]

Kurisu is perfect. That is all.

[Leo_Otaku]

Wow did not see Suzuha being Titor at all! I wonder what the spoon and fork bit means XD Any rate really good episode even if some things seemed to go ocver my head being late and all. But really good!

[creb]

Not much to say. The first half was a bit draining to watch Okarin being a hysterical fool yet again, but the episode redeemed itself in the second half.

Anyways, the big question in my eyes is:

If Suzahu is John Titor, and Okarin was alive in her future to make a divergence machine, why does she want Okarin of the present to bring about her divergence (remember how interested she was in that when she talked to him over phone as John Titor)? I mean, I'm guessing she knew future Okarin, and if Daru really is her father, possibly knew him pretty well (nevermind several of her comments through the early episodes that insinuates this as well). Why couldn't future Okarin simply take on the role of the "Messiah"?

The first thing I thought was that that future Okarin doesn't have the "Reading Steiner" ability, but that can't be true. Afterall, we know there was at least one world line shift (when Okarin texts Daru that Makise was stabbed in episode one) prior to this Suzahu showing up in this time, which means at the very least, this Suzahu's past contains an Okarin with the "Reading Steiner" ability. Nevermind the multiple times he's moved the world line since episode one, and Suzahu continuing to be present, which just again reinforces that the future Okarin Suzahu knows must have the ability.

The only answer I can think is that Okarin is actually dead in 2036 and made the machine prior to 2036. Or at least prior to Suzahu jumping back in time. She made the comment that there are specific points in time one must jump to if one wants to actually completely shift world lines, which means if future Okarin is dead, it's possible she had no choice but to use the 2010 version of him since nothing she might do in say...2035 would change that future Okarin's "fate" (ie: like Mayuri). Which makes me wonder what killed him.

Of course, the other possibility is that future Okarin is actually in the present. We all heard that scream in episode one that sounded a lot like Okarin, which would insinuate there was a future Okarin in that building. That very short shot of Suzahu on the rooftop insinuated there was a person off-camera as well. Maybe that was future Okarin! Though the question still stands if it was. If future Okarin is alive in one form or another, why do they need present day Okarin.

All of this also glosses over how...precious time is. Everything going on now in the present has a chance to change the future enough that Suzahu never travels back in time. If she doesn't travel back in time, a lot of these changes might not occur. Or, do we use the easy out of fate again and apply it here so as to say that unless divergence is achieved, nothing they do to change things will change things so much that Suzahu doesn't travel back in time? For now, that's what I'll go with to stay sane.

Lastly, I assume all the Moeka is SERN talk is primarily due to those who played the game. Because, we've still not actually seen confirmation in the series she's SERN. Even in this episode she called herself a Rounder and when specifically asked if she worked for SERN, replied everything she does is for FB (hey, I'm totally open to the idea that FB is related to SERN, but as of yet there's been no actual evidence displayed in the show so far).

What did catch my attention though was Moeka seeming to realize they were past the point of no return, and that Mayuri's fate was sealed. I'm either reading way too much into this, or she's got access to time traveler knowledge as well.

Edit: As for the spoon and fork comment, there's the mundane explanation of how if you remember in a previous episode how furious she was when someone used her utensils, but for the life of me...I can't see how that'd make a girl blush, unless this is yet another metaphor that you simply need to be in the know of Japanese culture to get (like kisses in anime basically symbolizing sex, drinking "juice" symbolizing drinking alcohol, etc).

[Hopeful Death]

In episode 12, Moeka says she's going to take the time machine for SERN. I think that's enough for most people to make that jump that Moeka=SERN. Or at least working for them in some way.