Steins;Gate 0 Episode 6: And Round and Round We Go

We’re still relying on echoes of sentiment created by a parallel narrative to make us interested in this one, and this week my brain decided it just wasn’t invested at all. By the time we get to yet another cliff-hanger ending in the episode this week, I’d more or less switched off.

Last week I said I was getting more into this anime, this week I take that statement back. Meandering through a New Year’s gathering with dialogue that kind of seems like it echoes the group dynamic of Steins;Gate but has none of its pithy or entertaining edge, I found myself largely bored with the discussion around Kagari and then the shrine visit.

By the time we turned into the party and the reveal to the group that Kurisu was an A.I, not that any of them met her in this time line, I could already see where things were going, so by the time the lab was stormed for our final cliff-hanger moment of drama in a direct throw back to the events of the original time-line I had already come to the conclusion that this spin-off isn’t necessary. Other than exploring the damaged side of Okabe it has offered us nothing new in six episodes and any moment of emotional resonance has come from nostalgia for the original anime. Which just makes me think I should go watch that instead.

Now, I do intend to finish this series out for the simple reason that events later in the season of the first Steins;Gate did make earlier events take on slightly more meaning and there’s a chance that there may be a turning point for this series yet. Still, six episodes or milking nostalgia and failing to create any real points the felt new seems like a waste.

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Thanks for reading.

Karandi James