Drawing on Time - Steins;Gate: Divergence

Welcome back to our continuing exploration of Steins;Gate, with episodes six and seven. But before we get into that, to start the last column I spoke about the opening sequence… what of the closing sequence?

The imagery is very simple, credits over spiralling glass shards – along with the occasional clock face – and at the end, the shards resolve into an hourglass, containing a person. (I only noticed that a few episodes in.) There’s some symbolism in there that we can delve into at a later time, but feel free to theorize.

Related, there is a small hourglass in the lab. You can see it on the floor in episode five, just before Daru gets the IBN 5100 working, as Okabe reaches for some noodles.

As to the lyrics (according to the translation), they speak of restricted vision, and being trapped with no escape, leading into giving oneself up to a “butterfly of tears” – an allusion to the “butterfly effect”. We’ll see just how trapped Okabe is in a little while.

For now, Okabe and his “Future Gadget Laboratory” are riding pretty high, having tinkered with a microwave to the point where it allows them to send email messages back in time. They’re not sure how. As such, they hacked into SERN for more information (in Titor’s future, SERN controls time travel), having obtained an IBN 5100 from a local shrine to allow them to read the proprietary code.

All they learned last episode, however, was that SERN has not mastered time travel technology – subjects kept dying. Unless… that’s a very clever ruse? Onwards! As usual, the visual novel (video game) mirrors the anime titles, with chapter three being called:

BUTTERFLY EFFECT’S DIVERGENCE

A news reporter establishes it’s five days since the “space satellite” crashed into Akibahara’s radio building, meaning it’s August 2nd. No country has claimed responsibility, so the object’s still there. We see Moeka looking at her phone; there are a bunch of messages from FB. (We can’t see the header, only the Re:Re:Re:Re:… of multiple replies.) She runs away from the reporters, credits.

A time stamp is shown briefly (confirming the date, and it’s 11:52am), as we see Okabe and Daru at the noodle shop with Suzuha, who is having her first ever beef bowl. They head out as Mayuri arrives, and encounter Makise as they reach the lab.

With Suzuha back to working downstairs, the rest of them have a “round table meeting” in the lab (with the window open). In brief, SERN is evil, so Okabe wants to perfect their “Phone Microwave (Temporary Name)” time machine functionality. First up – a name that’s easier to say than “Mail Sent to the Past”. Okabe suggests “Nostalgia Drive”, Makise prefers “Contrari-Mail”, and Daru says “The Mail That Leapt Through Time” (a name based on another time travel anime) aka “Time Leaper”.

Mayuri’s subsequent suggestion of “Back to the Mail” (or in the dub “Flux Mail Capacitor”) is rejected like the rest, but her follow-up of “DeLorean Mail” is one Makise likes, when shortened to “D-Mail”. Okabe yields to “D-Mail (Temporary Name)”, and dubs this “Operation Urd” (or in the dub “Operation Weird”).

Daru pulls the conversation back on track: How is the electrical discharge related to sending D-mail? Because these don’t always happen.

Okabe has a hypothesis. Their two successes were between noon and 1pm, and around 6pm. So they should repeat the experiment now – it’s almost 1:20pm. Makise inserts a banana (meaning perverted Daru joke) into the microwave, knocking herself on the head in the process (Mayuri consoles her). Okabe then opens their Gadget #8 as Makise sends him a mail message. The discharge occurs, complete with teleporting gel-banana.

Time of day is apparently an essential component.

Okabe’s phone now shows two emails received July 28th: “Okabe was an”, then “airhead”. (But it’s English, so Okabe has a delayed reaction to the insult.) Yet why did the one D-mail get broken into two? Daru recalls the same thing happened with the first experiment, Okabe’s message became three parts.

Okabe and Daru take a shopping break as the girls do testing, where Okabe has a reaction to seeing the frozen gelatin – he pictures a “Human is dead. Mismatch.” He worries about Mayuri being involved now. As they leave, Moeka happens to be outside. She tries to communicate with Okabe through messaging, but he doesn’t have his phone, so she walks off as he tries to introduce Daru.

Back at the lab, Suzuha says “Mr. Braun” is upset over the vibrations on the second floor, so Daru goes to tell Makise to stop her testing. Suzuka’s also concerned about Makise being up there, but when Okabe asks what happened between the two girls in the past, Suzuha merely says “nothing happened in the past”, they’ve never met. (There must be a commercial break around here, but I can’t pinpoint it.)

Okabe finds “Mr. Braun” inside watching television. He assures their landlord that they’re done experimenting for today, only for the building to shake again. So Okabe goes up to tell Makise himself. After he shouts at her, Mayuri comments on how Okabe’s phone received a lot of messages even when they weren’t experimenting – he learns Moeka was sending him short mails from five feet away.

The experimenting has proved useful though. Makise has determined that one second on the timer equals one hour backwards, hence why 120 seconds was exactly five days. (The dub accidentally says “a minute thirty”, which would be 90 seconds.) Also, each D-mail can contain at most 12 English letters (6 full width Japanese characters) – times three, for multiple messages, meaning 36 characters – with anything more being lost.

Okabe decides they’ll approach this fresh the next day, but declares that August 2nd, 2010 will forever go down in history.

Cut to Okabe, naked, in a star field… being pulled into a black hole… with Makise’s voice saying that he’s not moving. Also, one second for him will be an eternity for her. But eternity isn’t infinite. Even if time stretches towards eternity, an end still exists. Okabe reaches his palm out towards the event horizon, in imitation of Mayuri’s “stardust handshake”… his hand turns to green gel, and he’s told to keep moving forwards.

A time stamp shows it’s August 3rd, 9:14am, as Okabe wakes up. Moeka has been messaging him, without thinking that he would be asleep. In fact, she’s at the door now – he’d sent her a message the other day about having an IBN 5100 (after all her messages to him). Okabe insists she speak to his face, and when she does, he agrees to show it to her.

Once she sees the computer, she takes photos, and wants to borrow it – explained through messages – and again Okabe insists she speak aloud. Which she does. He won’t lend the IBN out though, admitting they only have it on loan from the Yanabayashi Shrine themselves.

Which is when Daru arrives, talking about sending D-Mails to the past. Moeka asks (as always via text) what’s up with that. Okabe pretends she misheard, only for Mayuri and Makise to arrive, talking about the time machine. With a sigh, Okabe lifts his phone, doing his Organization talk with “Information about #8 has been leaked to an outsider”.

Moeka messages him, “Could it be? FB?” (You have no clear context, so I’ll clear this up. Recall the messages from the start of the episode – she’s asking if one of them is FB.) Okabe doesn’t answer that, but rather says that as of today, Moeka is Lab Member 005, ending the episode.

DIVERGENCE SINGULARITY

Episode seven begins with the date stamp – it’s August 3rd 2010, 1:25pm. They’ve spent the morning upgrading their Phone Microwave (to Version 1.03), and can now send a D-mail to any phone number, not merely a phone attached to the device. Moeka remains skeptical that this is a time machine, while Okabe doesn’t want her taking pictures of him.

Okabe checks downstairs with Suzuha – “Mr. Braun” is out making a house call. We also meet Nae (the boss’s daughter) in person for the first time, as she’s helping Suzuha with her bike. With that settled, the lab run a successful test, which takes us to the credits.

Makise returns from a grocery run, and Okabe is upset that they were out of Dk Pepper. Okabe also wonders about having the window open for their next discussion, but Daru says it’s too hot otherwise.

They’re moving into “Phase 2” of “Operation Urd”: Making D-mail more practical to use. Namely, changing the past. Makise is worried about a time paradox, but Okabe’s idea is simply winning the lottery. (Mayuri wonders, what about world peace?)

As they discuss this, Okabe’s phone goes off. He ignores it, then is upset at Moeka going after the IBN 5100. (“But I messaged you.”) Daru packs the antique away in its box, and Mayuri distracts Moeka with a tour of the lab.

It’s decided to go with the Loto 6, who recently announced their winning numbers. But Okabe says the 200 million jackpot might attract too much attention, pick third prize (700,000 yen). Makise calls him a chicken. Okabe then asks Moeka to come up with the actual D-mail about the lottery, to help make her feel included. (“Steins Gate will finally swing open!”)

They set the microwave for 170 seconds (hours), and (after Daru comments on Makise being a tsundere) transmit 021219343537, plus their message. As Okabe hits the button, he remarks “El Psy Congroo”… and we get a similar visual effect as seen in the first episode. Including strings of digits. The digits settle on 0.571015. (Last time they were 0.571024.)

Everyone is still gathered around Okabe. He is told he has been just standing there for half a minute. Makise explains that they were discussing what D-mail to send, and then Okabe ran to the Phone Microwave saying “Ahh, ahh!” The others don’t recall any talk about the Loto idea – but the message is in his phone’s memory?

There is a knock at the door. Luka is there, with a lotto ticket, and an apology. Apparently Okabe gave Luka the numbers to bet, but Luka got one wrong. (02,12,18,34,35,37) Then Okabe notices a Dk Pepper on the table (next to the “Prangles” chips) – the store wasn’t sold out? Again a date visual (and presumably a commercial?) – it’s 3:11pm.

Okabe is on the roof, pondering how he could have received the latest message, since there was no experiment during which that D-Mail was sent. The past was rewritten? It must be so, since the others don’t even recall the lotto discussion.

It’s like the day he saw Makise die.

Downstairs, Suzuha is looking at a small object; when Nae asks, Suzuha merely says it’s important. Okabe exits, looking stunned, which prompts Suzuha to check his eyes to see if he’s been brainwashed, aka “chipped”. (Apparently not.) Also, Suzuha confirms there was no tremor at the time Okabe knows the Loto message was (supposedly?) sent.

As the others talk upstairs, Okabe now realizes how much you can really hear with the window open. Suzuha admits she hears them talk time machines – and will keep it secret – but why not talk to that John Titor for advice too? (TIL) At this, Okabe recalls Titor had talked about alterations to the past changing a “divergence number”, putting people on a “different world line”.

But then, why does Okabe remember events that never happened in this world line? That’s not supposed to happen.

Suzuha runs back inside as “Mr. Braun” returns, and Okabe gets shouted at for being around Nae. Our protagonist goes back upstairs and tells everyone the experiment is off for today, they can go home.

Cut to later, and Makise hasn’t left. Okabe talks to her as he composes an email to Titor (and for the record, “Zombie” is the nickname that bugs Makise the most). Okabe then awaits a reply. The first mail he gets is from Rukako, another apology about the lottery. Then Moeka sends a message saying she had fun that day. Then Daru calls, he forgot his wallet at the lab. Then it’s Mayuri, who hopes he’s feeling happier. Okabe smiles at that.

At last Titor responds, saying based on what Okabe said, there is no doubt the world line has moved. As to why Okabe’s retained his memories, however, Titor has no idea. Using emails to alter the past never came up in his 2036.

But if “Hououin Kyouma” (recall Okabe’s using a pseudonym) has the ability to remember, he may be the one person who can guide the world beyond “1% divergence”. Meaning what? Titor elaborates: The future will always end in dystopia unless the divergence barrier can be crossed. Kyouma’s ability, it may save the future.

Okabe is shaken by Titor’s subsequent request to be “their saviour”, as we go to credits.

During my first viewing, I felt like this was one of the most fun episodes to date. They played with the lottery, showed just how terrible they are at being covert, and brought back Titor. We also saw Luka again – and in fact, in the game, there are more interactions in Chapter 3 with both him (involving frogs) and Faris (regarding the RaiNet anime) that are possible.

That said, the plot is getting serious.

I had a number of theories about plot elements by now, chief among them, is Titor one of the main characters? (Could it even be a future Okabe?) Along the same lines, is one of the main characters secretly working for SERN? (Maybe Makise’s father was recruited?) Finally, if you’re paying attention, Suzuha is pretty clearly a time traveller, so what’s her mission to the past about? (She certainly seems to think Makise is bad news.)

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for the next column, “Chaos Theory”, where the divergence numbers get increasingly relevant. Until then, do you have thoughts on my theories? Do you have any of your own? Please do let me know, if you have the time.