English Dub Review: Steins;Gate 0 “Pandora of Forgotten Existence -Sealed Reliquary-“

This week on Steins;Gate: tears, tears and more tears.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Maho still has the laptop of the late Makise Kurisu, and buried within it is the scientific knowledge to create a time machine, the trigger that will start World War Three. In a desperate attempt to avoid this fate, Okabe demands that Maho destroy the computer to seal away its information forever.

Maho isn’t fond of the idea, but Okabe decides to convince her the only way he can, by telling her everything that happened to him in the events of the original Steins;Gate. Maho is baffled, but still apprehensive; that laptop is the last memory she has of Makise. She concedes to Okabe, just as a group of thugs arrives to try and steal the laptop from them.

They try to get away, but the thugs take Maho hostage. Okabe manages to negotiate her release with a bluff, just in time for another group of soldiers to arrive and shoot up the place, destroying the laptop in the process.

Maho gets injured in the gunfight and returns to HQ to heal up under Okabe’s care. There, she confides in Okabe her shame at keeping the laptop and trying to discover Makise’s research, and the two share a deep bonding moment with each other.

The next day, Maho and Professor Alexi depart back to America. Alexi offers Okabe a position researching with them if he ever wants to join them. Okabe and Maho then shake hands and depart. All is quiet, all is well, and disaster seems to have been avoided…for now.

Our Take:

Big things have done down on this week’s rendition of Steins;Gate 0. As we’ve gotten into the meat of the show, this week offered a pivotal episode that firmly drives home Maho’s character while adding a sense of conclusiveness to the events thus far. Though things are certainly not over just yet, as the showrunners make sure to leave us a couple enticing clues to future events that will no doubt entice and intrigue the avid viewer of this show.

Similar to last week, Maho is the focus of this week’s episode, and its the better for it. The Salieri/Mozart rivalry is once again used as a focus point here for her feelings of inadequacy towards Makise, and is explored to its ultimate conclusion. Maho has never seemed weaker or more ashamed, and that emotionality draws our empathy to her as a character. Prior to the last couple episodes, Maho has worked primarily as a comedic character, but this episode really puts her true feelings into perspective. Of course, this makes the romantic tension between her and Okabe stand out, but as they part ways with a handshake at the end of the episode, one gets the feeling they might have settled just as friends.

The plot of Steins;Gate 0 is taking an interesting turn in comparison to its predecessor. With the addition of two warring factions fighting over the time travel technology, the world of Steins;Gate feels bigger; more fleshed out. Okabe and friends have found themselves caught in something much bigger than themselves, and that entices me to see what new mysteries and developments might await around the corner. There are also several little cliffhangers and bits of foreshadowing that allude to what twists might be on the way, and we could always use a little more spice in this sci-fi comedy omelet of an anime.

Ultimately, this is a fine episode, a nice continuation of the winning streak the last two episode has shown, and the conclusion of the first half of the Steins;Gate 0 story. The excellent emotional scenes with Maho really drive this episode home, and the moment of peace that the episode ends on feels like the calm before the storm. Whenever things get quiet in Steins;Gate, you know they’re about to get good. There’s a couple of hiccups here and there, but I had an excellent time watching this episode, and I’m sure you will too.