Early Access - Steins;Gate | Episode 13 "Metaphysics Necrosis" | Reaction & Analysis
Added 2025-08-01 00:22:08 +0000 UTC
Comments
By the way are you gonna continue into Steins Gate 0? ( I hope so lol )
traydo0r
2025-08-06 18:27:17 +0000 UTCJust caught up!! Exciting stuff ahead. Been reading the VN alongside your watch through, and it's cool how the anime adapts these things. So looking forward to the August update for FB ( Filmbuff xD )
traydo0r
2025-08-06 12:11:45 +0000 UTCSeen these episodes more times than I care to admit, and, yeah, the impact is still there. This show is something special, no doubt about it, and honestly the run of episodes we're on here is generational. Episode 12: This episode is almost something of a full-body experience. That oppressive sense of dread permeates throughout the whole episode, we get wrongfooted by that cold open and it feels like we're chasing shadows all through the episode after that. The visual direction is a masterclass, and is paired with some of the best audio direction that I've experienced to my memory. The limited score throughout much of the episode, and that consistent dull electric hum that buzzes away in the background are so unsettling. Episode 13: Following up such an iconic episode as 12 is never an easy task, and honestly, this is how you do it. Tonally distinct from the previous episode, in that we get that release of energy in yet another excellent cold open, and as the episode progresses the sense of dread from the previous episode is displaced almost by a sense of despair, as Okarin makes that commitment to Mayuri, a commitment that he was never not going to make, but sets him down a path that we all know is going to be absolutely crushing for him, with an end goal that he may not ever be able to achieve. Been a fair few years since first watching these episodes, but the emotions of them have lived with me since then for sure, which, is surely a pretty firm indication that this here is something quite special. On how easily Okarin seems to be able to evade capture and get back to the lab; I'm not certain whether there's an actual explanation given anywhere, but my head-canon explanation for that would be that SERN are prioritising not harming him, and so are being cautious when pursuing him. They are presumably of the (probably correct) assumption that there's not a great rush to secure him, as they seem to have a pretty significant presence on the ground, and with the transport system locked down, they reason that if he gets away in one instance then they can just pick him up later. And as this is all happening in public in Tokyo, they can't exactly just go tearing through the streets without attracting significant attention, so I guess they're willing to take their time and grind him down. I suppose a counter argument to that would be that we see Kurisu get shot earlier on, and she'd also certainly be someone they'd need alive, but I suppose that could have been accidental, given the enclosed environment and limited visibility due to the smoke? Maybe I'm reaching a bit there, but I suppose I can just about rationalise to myself why SERN aren't more forceful in trying to capture him, although I admit it does seem a little odd.
A Toilet Duck
2025-08-03 13:04:56 +0000 UTC
