Steins; Gate - 05 Rendezvous of Electrical Charge Conflict & 06 Divergence of Butterfly Effect

Having already started on a path of steady progression, episode five really began to wind the series down. The daunting and somewhat horrific CERN discoveries could have easily occupied the previous episode rather then padding out the final moments of this one. A bad quality with Steins; Gate is its ability to turn very quickly from light-hearted scenarios to suddenly very complicated and in depth discussions that can go over the head of a complete novice such as myself. It’s easy to find yourself horrendously lost if you haven’t been contracting.

Of course the show seeks to accommodate us novices by intriguing character dynamics. Spurred on by the prior episode, the gentle conflict between Okarin and Makise continues as the pair passes the time with such activities as eating, playing board games and sharing a mutual love for Dr. Pepper. However this means that the technological side of the series is becoming so subtle that it’s practically graining to a halt. Fortunately the presence of Suzyha Amane and her unexplained dislike of Makise gave new speculation as to her part in this time-travel/conspiracy story.

Episode six more or less confirmed what most fans had already suspected with regards to the Amane/Makise conflict, that Amane comes from the future and Makise is destined to wrong her in someway. To be honest it was fairly obvious, but the how, the what, and the why have been left wide open for future development. Kiryuu seemed to become relevant to the storyline at last, with an interesting personal quirk on par with Okarin’s paranoia. Certainly a character I’d like to see more of as oppose to Mayuri who is a less is more. More on Kiryuu seems promising as Okarin invites her to join his harem, I mean laboratory.

Oh the popular culture time travel references! Fantastic! I suppose you should expect nothing less of a bunch of nerds. The series really know their cast and their audience.