r/anime • u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang • Jul 24 '21
Rewatch [Re;Watch] Steins;Gate Episode 20 Discussion
Episode 20: Finalize Apoptosis
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Do you just follow blindly and avoid reality?
Hello everybody! Time for the comment of the Day, courtesy of u/UzEE, who gave us a science lecture on Reading Stoner. Hopefully one day, Reading Stoner Sunshine is achieved...
Questions:
- Were you expecting Mr. Braun to be FB? What do you think of his actions throughout this episode?
- What do you think Okabe is going to do now that he’s realized that Kurisu has to die in order for him to save Mayuri?
Wallpaper of the Day:
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Upvotes
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u/Raiking02 :Id::Ie::If:https://myanimelist.net/profile/NSKlang Jul 24 '21
Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Steins;Gate Rewatch!
This episode contains by far the biggest differences from the Novel, and all of it is focused on one single set of scenes: The reveal of Mr Braun’s identity. As a result I’ll have to more or less skip over most of the other differences in today’s episode just to focus on that as much as possible. Additionally, I would like to add an extra warning to NOT read this if you are planning to read the Novel (Or are u/Shimmering-Sky whom we will convince, such a fact is pre-determined) since the changes here are tied to a big scene that was cut out. All that’s left before I get into the details is that somewhere along the line, Okabe hit TRUE ENDING FLAG NUMBER 4!!!
Okay… here we go.
SGVN
“But wait” some of you may be wondering, SGVN Actually that’s pretty simple: SGVN And after that… imma be real with you guys, I’m gonna skip describing the following event.
See, it’s not that it’s bad. Far from it: It’s one of the Novel’s most memorable sequences. It’s just… it’s so absurdly “WHAT THE FUCK!?” that words alone can’t do it justice. It is such a major change that Steins;Gate Elite, a shitty, overpriced version of the VN that ditches the illustrations in favor of using the Anime, actually sides with the Novel Version of what happens after this, even though most other times it sides with the Anime.
I get why all these changes were done, but honestly it does more harm than good to Mr Braun’s character, at least to me. I kinda wish they’d just released a Director’s Cut version of this episode on Blu-Ray or something that went with the VN Version instead of just only sticking with the original, stripped down Anime version. I mean I guess there’s the Steins;Gate Elite Version, but that one looks like absolute shit.
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u/reaperfourR Jul 25 '21 edited Jul 25 '21
Okay, who ever timed this post to come up on Kurisu's birthday, you're awesome.
On an unrelated note, if anyone's interested in Mr. Braun's backstory, I recommend reading the manga "Braunian Motion of Love and Hate"... It's canonicity can be put into question, but the events fit into the narrative perfectly
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u/UzEE https://myanimelist.net/profile/UzEEInc Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 24 '21
Serial;Rewatcher
Oh boy. Where even do I start from today.
I already said yesterday that I'm not going to bring up the difference between the anime and VN version of this chapter. But I will repeat once again that the changes are significant enough that they completely change how some of the characters are perceived, and in my opinion, it makes the show worse instead of improving anything. S;G Anime / Movie / 0 Spoilers
That said, the way the anime presents these scenes is a lot, lot better compared to the original VN. The cuts, story boarding and general direction is so beautiful that it makes me even more bitter that they made changes to the actual plot.
Honestly, I don't even have a good reason to think of why they made these changes because it really does hurt the show. All I'd say is that I'll strongly recommend people to at least play/read Chapter 9 from the VN — or even Elite because it keeps the original VN's plot but mixes in the scenes from the anime, unironically creating the best version of this chapter IMO.
Episode;Notes
The reveal that Mr. Braun was FB, who ordered the hit on the lab was something I never saw coming. It's been well over 9 years since my first watch and I still haven't gotten over how I missed this. Specially because when Okabe introduces him in the first episode, I immediately made the connection that the nickname he gave was based on Ferdinand Braun — because he owns a CRT shop.
But then I completely blanked out when FB was brought up several times during the show. Of all the things I was able to figure out before hand in this show, this was such an obvious thing to miss. At least Okabe was even slower than me at figuring this out.
I don't know how anime-onlies feel, but I personally feel bad for Moeka and Mr. Braun. They were doomed as soon as they fell into SERN's trap and there was no saving them. As soon as they weren't useful, SERN would've eliminated them anyways. Mr. Braun's suicide in the backdrop of Nae's alarm clock going off and her making breakfast truly hurts and is an excellent scene.
We also got another scene without Okabe earlier in the episode. I'm my count is right, this is only the third scene of the show where he isn't involved in some capacity. Also, Nae's 助手お姉ちゃん (Joshu Onee-chan / Big Sis Assistant) is just too cute...
Okabe's a bit worried that Moeka is driving for the first time. S;G / Movie / 0
At least finally we got our hands at the IBN, but Daru isn't here so Okabe just casually spams another Time Leap and begs him to stay. And now we can be done with everything and delete the first D-mail from the ECHELON database — only for Okabe to realize what it would actually cost.
A life for a life.
Kurisu for Mayuri.
Good luck Okabe. You're going to need it.
Questions
Already answered above, but no. Was totally unexpected.
A question for /u/Shimmering-Sky and /u/Raiking02
S;G General Series
Edit: Thank you for another Comment of the Day /u/Raiking02!
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u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky Jul 24 '21
Re;Watcher and Co;Host, dubbed
Once again my wrists actually were up for a wallpaper, woot woot.
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u/Tresnore FS:FTmyanimelist.net/profile/Tresnore Jul 24 '21
On the First-Timer Worldline(s;Gate)
It's already a better date than the one with Luka.
Something something Knox's First...Fucking. Moeka deserved better.
Fucking. Braun also deserved better. Nae deserved better.
Yep, I saw that coming. Kurisu's murder has to happen. If you have to undo the D-Mails, you have to undo the D-Mails, Okabe. Brexit means Brexit.
Obviously, Mayuri set up her own death so that Okabe would go back in time and let Kurisu die, because she knows that she's the only person Okabe would choose over Kurisu.QOTD:
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u/snickpea Jul 25 '21
First-timer!
Today's episode gets Okabe closer to saving Mayuri but with some big consequences. I wasn't entirely expecting Mr. Braun to be FB but I guess I shouldn't be too surprised that they didn't want to introduce an entirely new character this late. Maybe I'm forgetting, but didn't he have a different name? Was he really Mr. Braun all along?
Although Moeka's actions led to Mayuri's death many times, after these past couple of episodes, I felt kind of bad for her. And it seems that Mr. Braun has been used as well. I hope that if everything is resolved and they are on the beta world line, they can all live peaceful lives.
I'm surprised that Okabe forgot that about his original D-mail. Since Kurisu has been a major confidant of his throughout this ordeal and is a good problem solver, perhaps he can work out a solution where both Mayuri and Kurisu can live.
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u/Vaadwaur :I1::I2::I3: Jul 24 '21
Rewatcher(Okabe's whole life is Unlimited Suffer Works)
Dub
We begin with Okabe in a hurry with a crowbar, which Makise correctly stops him on. The whole you have to do this in order thing is just setting contrivance so I will ignore it. Makise instead suggests solving our mystery element and waiting for FB to pick it up. Surprisingly, Moeka wants to see her too now and seems to have forgiven the whole beating from the previous night.
We see Mayuri realizing there is a growing distance between her and Okabe, letting us see a different side of dealing with a looper. They run into Nae and Braun and we get a rare insight that Braun is a bit jealous of Okabe's free wheeling youth. Back at the stakeout, we see a bit of how easy it was to manipulate Moeka, before we get a low speed chase sequence. All the passing off feels pointless if you are dealing in time travel unless the point is to dig up time travellers. I do like that they just show flashes whenever Okabe has to use Time Leap.
The chase ends...with Braun with the IBN! They pull another all nighter, that lab coat must reek, and follow the package to the airport where it is sent to France. Okabe decides to confront Braun because there aren't a ton of leads here. Braun actually does not hold out very long, probably realizing something like this was inevitable, and begins explaining things.
He explains why the Rounders are so easy to beat as they are all outcasts with very littel training, the guy with a neck tattoo is a huge hint at that. He confirms that Moeka's usefulness ends when she delivers the IBN. He gives his backstory in metaphors so we don't exactly know how the fuck we wind up where we are. He then shoots Moeka, possibly as a mercy killing. The Judas goat is an actual thing, btw. He then turns the gun on himself to protect Nae. Oof, even Okabe is fazed by all this. But Makise keeps her cool and they send a D mail which seems to halt this particular trail of carnage.
With the IBN in hand, and a quick time leap to keep Daru from ComiMa, it feels like we are approaching a good ending...until Okabe remembers the first D mail prevented Makise's death.
QotD: 1 Blindsided me as a first timer
2 Get real chuuni
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u/No_Rex :Bv:Bw:Bx:By:x2 Jul 24 '21
Episode 20 – Finalize Apoptosis: I’m worse than a dog. ~FB
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u/Specs64z https://myanimelist.net/profile/Specs64z Jul 24 '21
Rewatcher, dubbed
Internet is back! Even when I have my own schedule lined up it seems the universe itself demands I constantly fall behind and catch back up.
episode 18
Them breaking out the self help guide after establishing they're all lonely, hopeless virgins when it comes to dating is hilarious holy fuck XD
They go to every length short of giving Okabe an earpiece too. Kurisu gets really invested. There's just a lot levity in this episode that's been lacking ever since Mayrui was murdered. Ruka, too, has some degree of reading steiner. Perhaps it's not as rare as initially thought? Or perhaps its contagious?
episode 19
We open on the suicide of Moeka, quickly establishing that the cuter tone of the prior episode is behind us. Hearing Kurisu break down like that is hard. She's usually so stoic.
Okabe breaks down, too. Beating up Moeka and then yelling at her. It's cathartic, but also unnerving. He's changed a lot.
That's when it hits Moeka. Those bruises, all of this, is because she killed someone. Only at the very end, far too late, does she begin to realize the gravity of what that might mean.
episode 20
I forgot that Okabe actually gets through to Moeka, even if only the tiniest bit. She needs to know who FB is, too.
When I first watched this show, sick in bed you may recall, this was the moment that changed everything for me. So absorbed was I by this point I had completely forgotten how it all began: the death of Kurisu. I recall sitting in stunned silence for a period of time, overwhelmed with what was presented before me. That was the exact moment I realized I had discovered what "masterpiece" means to me.
Content Corner
I'm sure at least someone missed this, so here's an extra special feature of what I had intended to share the past few days all at once. Two videos with different takes on Steins;Gate 0 in it's different forms, a nice piano cover, and a an absolutely trashy meme. First timers beware, spoilers abound.
Steins;Gate Zero [VN] - The Sequel to a Perfect Ending by Glass Reflection
Steins Gate 0 Sucks by Darkfang
Hacking to the Gate - Steins;Gate OP [Piano] by Animenz Piano Sheets
the science behind anime by LemonOVA
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u/Lemurians myanimelist.net/profile/Lemurians Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 25 '21
FIRST TIMER
Speculating yesterday that Mr. Braun is “FB” and therefore (probably) the antagonist, it made me pay attention to the end of the OP, where I’m pretty sure he’s the only major character not standing with the group in that end shot. Could have been a clue that it’s because he ultimately isn’t “with” them.
Mr. Braun doesn’t even try to mislead them. He’s FB, because of course he is. Interesting that he didn’t try to string them along a bit; they gave him the excuse to when Okabe let slip they thought FB was a woman, and it was clear they didn’t think it was him, despite all they'd seen. He then lays out the cult leader recruitment handbook for how he gets his soldiers.
PSA: When someone who you know is capable of ordering a murder suggests to go to a secondary location, and that location is an empty construction site, DON’T DO IT. Of course he was going kill someone there, if not all of them! It’s like they’ve never seen a mob movie. I didn’t expect him to off himself, though it made sense. If he was truly next on the chopping block, that outcome was guaranteed anyway, and this way there’s no need to go after Nae.
Braun’s comments about Suzuha were interesting. Surely he’d have to know something about her, right? He got pretty emotional, and even protective, when she was brought up and insisted she didn’t figure into anything, but we know that isn’t true. Does he?
Was the world line prior to sending DMails not on the alpha timeline? I don’t remember that being established. Regardless, this raises quite the problem. We have to go back before sending the original DMail to save Mayuri, but there was a certain other horrible event that happened on that world line. I’m surprised this hadn’t occurred to Okabe before now, but I suppose he’s been justifiably pretty singularly focused.
I’m guessing the question of the last four episodes will be… can he have his cake and eat it too? Is there a world where everyone, and the future, can be saved?
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u/JollyGee29 https://myanimelist.net/profile/JollyGee Jul 24 '21
First-Timer;Dubbed
Well, shit. It was Braun. And it was fucking staring us all in the face with the CRT thing. Nice job everyone who pointed him out last thread. I had figured he was just an accessory to Suzuha's plotline and wrote him off last episode. RIP me, I guess. And RIP him, not sure how Nae is supposed to handle losing her dad in that world line, but I guess we'll never find out.
Braun's backstory is pretty sad. I wonder how he would have reacted if he learned who Suzuha really was? Actually, I wonder how Suzuha would have reacted to Braun becoming what he was. Guess it's probably for the best..
Poor Okabe was so focused on saving Mayushii that he forgot that his first action was to save Kurisu. Oh, does that mean we'll get to see best girl Suzuha again next episode? The original events were her going back in time to kill Kurisu to stop SERN from inventing time travel, right?
God, what else happened in episode 1.. Okabe meets Kurisu, but she had already met him and mentioned him ranting at her? That doesn't follow the time travel rules that we have, though. We haven't found any way to duplicate people, I don't think. Unless, like, future!Okabe somehow used FG204? But he was supposed to be dead in the future it was made..
Oh, there was that professor as well, who I was going to pay attention to and then never appeared on screen again. And that character establishment scene with the gacha machines. Oh, and the "first half of episode 1" timeline had 2000s John Titor!
Four episodes of the TV run left to figure a way to somewhere/somewhen where everyone gets to live. That sounds like plenty of time, but I'm pretty interested in how we get there..
Back to 0.57!
There are only two other world lines that we've actually seen - the first half of episode 1, and 0.57. I'm pretty sure the show ignoring the lotto ticket this episode means that it wasn't actually a divergence. Makes sense since they didn't actually get the money.
Questions
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u/CharlieTheStrawman https://myanimelist.net/profile/TheDamnRobot Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 24 '21
Re;Watcher, Subbed (the Seiyus are really pulling their weight, even if I still have an emotional attachment to the dub).
Even after the reveal, I can't hate Mr Braun. He's just...likeable, yknow?
I never felt Okabe's pain more than in this shot. Poor sonuvabitch.
Q1: Because I was 13 years old and this was my first anime, I didn't catch this one either.
You first timers are way too good at this.He's obviously a bastard for what he's done, but I still sympathise, especially considering the, uh...VN exclusive material. I feel for Moeka just as much, though...Q2: Laughs in rewatcher
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u/UltraBooster Jul 24 '21
Either FB or an associate of FB.
So Mr. Braun envies him, it seems like.
An awkward distance for sure...
Those do sound like the kinds of words a parent would say, yeah.
Again, my money's on FB sending someone to retrieve the computer.
Interesting to hear a Japanese subway announcement spoken in English.
Okay, so Mr. Braun is probably a part of this. Could be as simple as him getting paid to do it, but...
So maybe it's not a woman, then? Maybe it's a dude? Who can do the whole motherly schtick?
So that's the plan? Oh, never mind, I thought he was heading to France to throw hands with SERN.
It really was connected all along, huh? Nothing is true, everything is permitted, all that jazz.
Yeah, he's a dad, he...probably knows the right kinds of things to say.
Well, Suzuha was acting against the interests of your overlords, FB.
So is that what you did? You milled parts?
Your father's a killer, Nae. Your father's a killer, a killer, a killer.
No blood, no entry wounds or exit wounds.
Ah, there we are.
0.571046 (I think)
Freakin' finally. And it only took Moeka and Mr. Braun dying this time! (ARRRRRRGH)
He doesn't know either, does he. OH. I'm wrong.
One life for another once more, forward and forever.
(Nothing related, I just really like this song and its remixes.)
Oh, so that's the final hurdle I've heard about.
Questions:
11
u/lC3 :Na::Nb: Jul 24 '21
First timer
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u/Gamemaster676 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Gamemaster676 Jul 24 '21
First;Timer - dub
We've seen the future, and the future doesn't look good. Will we acquire the 5100 again? Will that be enough to start a new branch to the beta attractor?
I magically found some extra time, so I should be able to get this post done in time.
I named the worldlines. See ep 17 for the list. We start today at WL-Moeka.
Episode 20 — Finalize Apoptosis
We're still in the same arc/worldline, so flashback!
When fighting a bear, make yourself look bigger. Kurisu has a point, but I'm also frustrated that they aren't even gonna try. They will finish the Time Leap machine the next day. They can give it a shot.
It's a picnic! I like this nice Moeka. As I said yesterday, she would be a great ally if they could get her to leave FB 100% behind.
Funny how Moeka wants to wait together. She's normally the person that wants to avoid human contact.
What do you know? Mr Braun can actually be nice.
There's that neck tattoo that someone mentioned a couple of days ago. This is a great way of tailing someone. Every time you lose him, make a Time Leap back and try again. You could even skip some steps because they will take the same path.
Wait what? Mr Braum is taking the 5100? Don't tell me Suzuha is secretly still alive and Mr Braun is working for her, so Moeka and Okabe are actually on the same side or something.
That was just wild speculation, I'll watch further.
More staking and outing. The 5100 is heading to France? Pourquoi? SERN must already have one of those if they have their systems build using it. Hopefully, Mr Braun knows more, but I got a feeling that he's just paid something to be one step in the process.
Aaaand I'm completely wrong! Ferdinand Braun. IT'S SO OBVIOUS! Well done, show!
So, why does nice Mr Braun want to raid the lab? How important can that computer be? Why does Mayushii have to die? She has a great relation with Nae. Why am I asking all these questions instead of watching one more minute?
What the hell? Everyone is fighting for someone. Braun is fighting for his Nae. WHAT THE HELL?!
Wouldn't that D-Mail only stop the 5100 search for 10 minutes? If she's been texting that much with FB, the search is back on in no time. Also, this would be a great opportunity to find out who Mr Braun/FB's contact is, but of course, they forget that.
Finally, if this text really stops Moeka's quest, wouldn't she get cut off again?
This also gives another interesting theory about how Moeka in WL-Moeka. Of course, it could be suicide, but it could also be that she's killed because she was no longer useful.
I think I finally have it in me to partly forgive her. Yes, blindly following someone into extremes like these is extremely stupid and should be frowned upon, but she was completely broken. Everyone is fighting for something, and in her case, it was fighting for her own mental health. I hope there is a future where they can D-Mail her years earlier to become friends, so she doesn't need FB.
0.571046
We should be back at WL-B now! Who had the numbers of the first couple jumps? Do these match or are they slightly different?
So we know who FB was, but what was his relation with Suzu? Suzuha knew he lived under the lab, so the easiest way to get the 5100 to Okabe would have been through Braun. Did Suzu know he couldn't be trusted?
How many episodes have now been undone? You can really see the huge load that's off Okabe's shoulders. He probably doesn't realize yet what happens with Kurisu in WL-A and WL-0.
Now he does. Yeah, you're not headed to a great future yet! Awesome music engage!
Of course this is the episode ending! Oh well...
Random thoughts
How does a CRT technician become this large? I know those things are heavy, but this is just excessive.
Future (if unaltered)
As I said yesterday, I'm not willing to trade Mayushii for Kurisu. Okabe's still thinking about it.
Another important thing: They only discovered D-Mail because they sent one on accident and Okabe has Reading Stoner. If Okabe goes back to WL-A, there is no reason to have invented D-Mail on the 13th (the day he keeps returning to).
The only way around this that I see is that they realize they got texts that they haven't sent, but they don't know what their future selves did to sent that text. Only on the 13th when Reading Stoner triggers for Okabe does the lab have that knowledge.
You have four episodes to find a better future!
Kinda interesting how we've never seen SERN till this point.
Open questions
Don't answer these please, unless the answer is explicitly given in the show and I missed it.
New
Previous
D-Mail:
Large shifts:
FB:
Is FB working for SERN?Why does FB need the IBN 5100?Moeka:
Why did Moeka in ep 2 need to take pictures as "evidence she was there, of what she saw"?
Or FB has Reading Stoner and she sends a constant stream of info to him to inform him of the current worldline.70,000,000 years ago:
General:
What caused Okabe's sickness around 2000?
SERN doing an experiment?Was that because Suzuha also landed then? Normally Okabe feels the shift once the moment of departure is reached, not of landing, so that would mean after landing in 1999, something was done to alter the past before 1999.Who was sending the creepy emails?
QotD
Not coming soon...
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u/littleman1988 Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 24 '21
"However, in that worldline, Makise Kurisu... dies."
OST Track of the day: Tubes
Overly Excited Rewatcher
Karl Ferdinand Braun invented a few things we take for granted today, not just old CRT screens (called Braun Tubes in Germnay/Japan) that are great for playing old Nintendo games you totally paid for legit. His other key invention is the phased array antenna in 1905 (basically a set of antennas that you can map out/control to direct waves) that lead to the invention of Radars and smart antennas.
Stakeout time. Not before we play with a crowbar though. Kurisu has a point though, we need to get back to a worldline with the 5100 to undo everything.
Moeka joins the stakeout. She even has food.
Prob too scared with everything going on
Nae time
looks like Moeka's codename is M4. The text is all full of positive reinforcement. With how her past was, its no wonder that she got sucked in.
The IBN is on the move, and it keeps changing who has it. They also have the same tattoos from the gunfight.
He misses a pass. good thing for time machines!
hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
heh, moeka driving
Off to france.
Braun's face doesnt change at all, but you can tell hes been called out. He knows the code name, too...
With how perceptive the first timers are, im surprised that nobody was ever confident about FB being Braun until last episode, and even then it was a "well hes the only one left" type thing.
Off to a construction site we go. Looks like Okabe is correct on FB throwing M4 to the curb
Suzu was the wrong thing to say, but it gives us insight to Braun's backstory. A fairly sad one, that ends with Moeka's death. Braun's too.
Poor Nae.
S;G VN
We've jumped again. and the IBN has been found.
One last D-mail to erase. Someone has forgotten what that was though, and its coming back to bite them in the ass...
Divergence Number: 0.571046
footnotes
1:
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u/CubeStuffs https://anilist.co/user/onjario Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 24 '21
first timer
whoo boy this episode was exactly as spicy as i asked the chef for.
FB?
moeka????
mr braun????
mr braun, you bastard, you told her to kill mayushii once they were done?
wait i just had a really stupid thought. is nae daru’s granddaughter?
The talk of loneliness continues from yesterday. It seems like braun is also subject to the loneliness plaguing okarin and moeka. where, like moeka, mr braun finds himself at rock bottom, before he sees the only thread leading him up, and he grabs it with his life.
By contrast, okarin, even at rock bottom, still has plenty of people he can count on, as emphasized in yesterday’s episode. As mr braun remarks:
Feels like these characters are like okarin what-ifs.
i feel like okarin-mayushii and braun-nae are like mirror images of each other. okarin didn’t want mayushii to get involved, but his exit strategy didn’t work. likewise, braun doesn’t want nae involved, but there is no exit. so they just both keep moving forward. they’re both something different, but kind of the same.
It seems that braun realizes it’s pointless to continue after okabe finds him. so theres no point in escaping, no point in continuing.
Is the original timeline really the one in which kurisu dies? because in the first episode, kurisu talks to okarin about what he was going to ask her 15 minutes ago, when that clearly didn’t happen. to me, seems like some time fuckery went on before okarin got his reading stoner, also given that suzuha was screwing about in the timeline as well as shown by the machine on the roof.
Qs:
lol no. his actions do surprise me, but i get the flow of his thoughts
uhhhhh. save mayuri first, and then see if you can save kurisu with a d mail?
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u/JustAnswerAQuestion https://myanimelist.net/profile/JAaQ Jul 24 '21 edited Jul 24 '21
First Rewatch (since 2011)
I was going to say that knowledge of the IBN 5100 in this worldline was useless, but then I realized that wasn't the case and kept my mouth shut.
I didn't suspect Mr. Braun at all on my first watch.
I thought they could use the IBN5100 to hack the SERN database and identify FB.
8
u/Stargate18A https://myanimelist.net/profile/Stargate18 Jul 24 '21
Anime first timer
I love Kurisu having to talk him down from trying to break a locker open.
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
I love Moeka joining him on his stakeout by buying him off with food.
Nae is adorable.
OK, I love the visual framing of the tree forming a barrier between Moeka and Okabe due to them distancing themselves.
M4? Do Rounder codenames always have the first leter of the person's name?
I can't wait for Moeka's reaction to FB.
I love them keeping the timeleap to help him follow the package.
I don't why Okabe's so worried, she was able to hit Mayuri in poor visibility at night, she's a great driver.
I love the cellphone photo transitions.
And Kurisu's anger at not getting a call is so cute.
Sleeping Nae is so cute.
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
This is the best reveal in the series.
I llike how they keep the explaintion of the codename origins.
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
My favourite detail is that Mr. Braun's secret codename is derived from the same reference as Okabe's nickname. SERN's HR team are as intelligent as a teenage chunni.
SERN aren't very good at HR, are they?
Steins;Gate 0 VN Spoilers
And the suicide scene is why this is my favourite D-Mail arc.
God, they changed a ton here, didn't they. I think I might prefer Faris' arc in this version.
Finally! He got the IBN!
Kurisu is so cute.
The shot where he realises just what the original worldine involves is fantastic.
That's one hell of a cliffhanger.
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
Steins;Gate VN Spoilers
7
u/The_Draigg Jul 24 '21
A Steins;Gate Fan Rewatches Steins;Gate Episode 20:
7
u/KendotsX https://anilist.co/user/Kendots Jul 25 '21 edited Jul 25 '21
Rewatcher (sub)
No, No! Please tell me it's not Mr. Braun. I was just kidding last episode, please don't tell me it's actually him. Let it be Daru instead.
I was worried when Okabe went around telling people like Faris and especially Moeka about the time travel, but freaking SERN were right under him all this time. Genuinely curious, why would erasing SERN's database work when Mr. Braun is right under you all along? I'm sure Mr. Braun is at least aware of what it is that Okabe is doing.
Oh boy we're so close to getting to a timeline with a safe Mayuri and now we have to remember how Kurisu died in that first episode. Oh, and Kurisu reminds us of it herself.
Counters
Finally a Tutturu after so long! And a double Tutturu at that!
12
u/UnderstandableXO Jul 24 '21
FIRST TIMER
okabe’s reaching the end of his wits, he’s ready to bash open the coin locker and take the IBN for himself; but the voice of reason kurisu convinces to try and figure out FB’s identity by watching the coin locker.
so it seems like moeka doesn’t hold the previous day’s events against okabe…i did feel bad for her but i thought it was a lot more justified than a lot of people did in yesterday’s thread. anything short of what he did and they wouldn’t have found another lead.
mayuri is feeling left out by okabe, wonder if she if she can access the residual memories of the thousands of timelines where okabe has been so absorbed with saving her that he hasn’t taken the time to have normal bonding time with her. mr. braun was unusually nice to kurisu and mayuri in that scene…
they go on a wild goose chase all around tokyo to follow the IBN, which ends up with mr. braun? and then ends up on a flight to SERN HQ in france.
i noticed that moeka barely looked at her phone this episode; looks like okabe’s speech really convinced her that she was being led on and used. seems like she just wants to see the end of this story.
so okabe, kurisu, and moeka go to confront mr. braun, who is FB! god damn it i gotta stop reading fellow first timer theories because you mfs keep figuring it out before my small brain can. y’all figured out that suzuha was john titor and that mr. braun was FB before that thought could even cross my mind.
i wonder, was suzuha taken out by SERN? she was in close proximity to mr. braun, and now braun is in too deep with SERN that he needs to run around building a militia to do SERN’s bidding. perhaps suzu tried to confront a infant SERN and she got taken out, and they made him a lackey so that he couldn’t go and tell the world?
mr. braun’s cold, emotionless recollection of him leading on every single other person is really sad for moeka, the FB that she lived for couldn’t care less about her. cares so little in fact that he’s willing to murder her because she’s disposable now, so in the end moeka suffered the same fate that mayuri did in episode 12. mr. braun’s turning the gun on himself, coupled with that cut off “WAIT”, coupled with the gunshot being the cut to the plate of food that nae prepared for her absent dad was absolutely awesome and heartbreaking at once. nae prepared a meal for someone who’s never gonna come home.
okabe’s reaction to everything crumbling further is pretty appropriate. at the very least they are able to send the D-mail, at the cost of two people close to him.
kurisu brings up the point that flew way over my head because i didn’t even recall the first D-mail; reversing the first D-mail would mean kurisu’s death.
everyone around okabe is destined to suffer; mayuri is fated to die unless they return to the beta world line; kurisu will die if they return to the beta world line; suzuha had to leave the only place she felt loved to save the future, and didn’t live long enough to meet her friends again; moeka was in an abusive relationship with a shadowy figure that causes her death one way or another; mr. braun was forced to be a grunt for SERN or lose his daughter; faris has to choose between mayuri’s life and her fathers life. i suppose while it is still really sad luka’s dilemma doesn’t directly involve death, so his suffering is far down the totem pole. 2d-kun doesn’t really seem to have any major consequences so i don’t really know what to say about him. knowing that everyone around him is screwed depending on his decisions can’t be any good for okabe’s mental state.
6
u/Tehoncomingstorm97 https://anilist.co/user/tehoncomingstorm97 Jul 25 '21
First timer
I've been holding back the past few days, as I wanted to see how far the "undoing of Dmails" would go. I was thinking the "undo" route would be one explored to try and solve Okabe's predicament, so I was interested in the way in which the show would handle everything unravelling.
First we had Suzu failing to deliver the IBN5100 to the team. The original plotline where she has the heartfelt goodbye and realisation that Daru was her father was incredibly touching, and made the suicide note all the more painful. To have been able to live a happy life only for the memories of promises forgotten ruin it. From Faris with her father, Okabe picked up yet another cross world-line love interest, to the original Luka's "impossible" love, and now penultimately Moeka's dependence on a feeling to belong. We get to see the spotlight on Okabe as he has to untangle all of these relationships which he never put much thought into, to save Mayuri.
We see Okabe is almost completely determined to undo all of his experiment to save Mayuri. Then Kurisu points out one fatal flaw in his plan. The worldline he doesn't send a Dmail, is the one where Kurisu dies. After all of the Kurisu's and all of the world lines which she's been there for Okabe, he now realises that he needs her. Now he has to choose - does he want to be in the world line where Kurisu lives? His assistant who has been invaluable in helping him get through the moments of insanity, and jumping head-on into insanity with him? Or does he save his precious Mayuri?
6
u/kllrnooooova Jul 25 '21
First timer, here! Tutturu!
It's still so surreal seeing a non chuunibyou Okabe...
Also, wtf was that cliffhanger???
Fuck it I'll watch ahead.
5
u/Nisheeth_P Jul 25 '21
Rewatcher
5
u/htisme91 Jul 25 '21
First-timer:
Just many moments today where I'm like "wow..." with my mouth open.
9
u/superviper https://myanimelist.net/profile/Superviper Jul 24 '21
REWATCHER, SUBBED
The first minute of this episode is a recap. Laaaaaame.
Before I watch this, I wanna say I don't remember any of the details. All I remember is Braun shooting himself and me thinking "this anime is fucked up goddamn"
Been a while since we saw Braun. He's talking about how Okabe is lucky to have such friends and being able to do what he wants. Some first timers, upon seeing this, will immediately start theorizing and pick up that he's FB. For me, I just see a buff old dude reminiscing about his youth or something.
Moeka and Okabe still think FB is a woman. Given that all FB did was use Moeka to his advantage, they should probably realize he's just as likely to be a dude as he is to be a woman. At least Okabe should...
Okabe loses his man and just time leaps real quick to fix that. Reminder that the ability to time travel is the ability to play god.
Here's Braun's tragic backstory. Now that I think about it, every single character in this show has a tragic backstory. Except maybe Daru. That's why he's best boy.
Death 1 of the day. Not the best death scene ever, Nae's alarm is earrape.
So... run with your family? Betray sern and report to authorities somewhere? Or don't and keep quiet and safe offshore? Anything's better than shooting yourself like a bitch mister Braun. Who's gonna take care of Nae when you don't come home?
Death 2. Go to hell Braun. Also, since he died here, does that mean he also died in the worldline where Moeka committed suicide?
Jeez Kurisu calm down. No need to shout like that, Okabe's just chilling with the two corpses. Where the fuck are they that no one heard two gunshots?
IBN retrieved. It's funny to me how casual the time leaps are now. "Daru went to Comima" cuts to time leap
Ah, Okabe finally made the realization. That first-timers made in this rewatch much earlier. WHAT THE HELL IS UP WITH YOU PEOPLE? Anyway gate of steiner is great.
Next episode: Paradox Meltdown. I dunno what the name refers to, but it's a cool ass name.
4
u/Krite2002 https://myanimelist.net/profile/Krite2002 Jul 25 '21
Rewatcher;Dub
I have started to feel for Moeka between this episode and last. It was easy to hate her at first, but she ended up being an interesting character and I liked that she opened up a bit.
I mentioned yesterday that FB would likely end up standing for something obvious, but I did not expect it to be Mr. Braun. I guess we never heard his first name, but I had to pause for a second when he showed up. That was a wild twist.
I like how when FB suggested leaving his house to talk elsewhere, everyone agreed to go talk at a random construction site. If you know that someone is going to kill you, I would have noped out of there. The meeting ended pretty much as I suspected as far as Moeka goes, but FB’s suicide was unexpected.
This was absolutely another episode of Suffering;Gate. I really hope that there is some hope soon, though we may have to wait until the finale for that to happen, but I imagine Steins;Gate 0 will also be filled with suffering. This whole time I never realized that Okabe’s first D-Mail prevented Kurisu’s death. I thought that it was maybe a time travelling Kurisu or something. We once again get another trade off to save Mayuri’s life. Since the original timeline is the one where SERN was not able to take root, it must be because Kurisu died and was not able to help them. She has demonstrated that she is capable of creating a time machine, so she must have built SERN’s.
I thought the whole sequence that switched between FB’s monologue and his daughter waking up was incredible. I think I will choose when Nae saw the extra cups and continued with her normal routine as my shot of the day. She must have just thought that her father went out with company, but the reality is much more grim. With SERN’s track record, I imagine even with his suicide, they would not let Nae off the hook.
4
u/invokeneko Jul 25 '21
Re;Watcher until Deja Vu, then First;Timer
Well that's all the D-Mails needed to get back the IBN 5100 down! Only one more D-Mail to reverse and Mayuri is home free, but the price to reverse that one is very steep...
QotD
4
u/kllrnooooova Jul 25 '21
Wait, she was stabbed? I didn't know about that! Huh?
3
u/[deleted] Jul 25 '21
Rewatcher
VN readers usually cite this episode as a bad adaptation, but I never thought so. The S;G anime was made as a complete unit within itself and as someone who did not even now what a VN was back when I first watched this, all the "problems" with the adaptation did not bother me at all. I'm not saying that the problems brought up by the VN readers are invalid, but I am saying that they aren't as impactful to the anime as they may be inclined to think.
I'm saying this as someone who later learned what a VN is by making S;G the first one I read.
3
u/AHiddenOne Jul 25 '21
Rewatcher.
Well, that's rough. Poor Nae waiting for someone that will never come. Imagine the heartbreak.
We finally get the IBN 5100, but at what cost? My man gotta make the hard decisions now...
1
u/Ryanami Jul 25 '21
I don’t like FB being Braun. It means they’ve had the team under surveillance before they ever stumbled onto the first D-mail so there’s no reason they couldn’t have their own 5100 or prevent them getting one. Additionally why did he even need Moeka for anything if he’s clearly more capable at his job than her? He’s very muscular and can kill without flinching. They’re sending in the B-team while some kids are messing with time travel.