Episode 06: Butterfly Effect's Divergence

Butterfly Effect's Divergence (蝶翼のダイバージェンス, Chōyoku no Daibājensu, lit., "Butterfly Wing's Divergence") is the sixth episode of the anime adaptation of the visual novel Steins;Gate.

Makise figures out to the rules to the phone microwave, which is now known as D-Mail. Later, Okabe reluctantly adds a new member to the Future Gadget Lab staff.

Synopsis
August 2nd, 2010; about 11:52 AM

It has been five days since the satellite crashed into the Radio Building in Akihabara. The area has turned into a tourist spot of sorts for people wanting to see the satellite for themselves. Moeka Kiryū is among the throngs of people nearby the building. She is focused, though, not on the satellite, but on her phone, and after just receiving a text message from “FB,” she speedily replies. A news reporter then tries to interview her, but she runs away without saying a word.



Meanwhile Suzuha, on her lunch break, accompanies Okabe and Daru to the local restaurant to eat beef bowls. Suzuha is ecstatic over how good it tastes, remarking that it’s her first time trying the dish. Daru remembers that Okabe left him to pay for their last meal and calls him out, but Okabe brushes him off and starts one of his phone conversations, which angers the staff lady. Before things can get any worse, though, Mayuri arrives.

The group leaves together, heading for the CRT shop. When they arrive, they meet up with Kurisu. Suzuha glares at Kurisu once again, before Mr. Braun calls for her to start working again. The rest of the group is puzzled by this.

The group, minus Suzuha, goes to the Lab. Okabe calls to order a “Round Table” meeting to discuss their next point of action and to update Mayuri on the current situation. He explains to the team that they need to perfect the use of the Phone Microwave. To inspire the team, Okabe proposes that they name the phenomenon of sending text messages to the past. After many suggestions (Nostalgia Drive, Contrari-Mail, etc.) and lighthearted insults, Mayuri’s suggested name, “DeLorean Mail,” is decided upon, shortened as “D-mail.”

The team then starts running experiments using the Phone Microwave. Okabe suggests that the key to the device’s operation lies in a time window, noting the first D-mail was sent between noon and 1:00 PM and the second was sent at about 6:00 PM. Being that the current time is 1:20 PM, they decide to test the hypothesis by attempting to send a D-mail from Kurisu’s phone to Okabe’s, as well as to create a gel-banana using a banana from one of Mayuri’s bunches.

The experiment is successful, as the D-mail arrived (dated five days ago) and the lone banana returned to its original bunch in a jellified state. However, the D-mail was unexpectedly broken up into two separate text messages.

Afterward, Okabe and Daru go to a convenience store to buy some goods for the Lab. While there, Daru mentions that the D-mail Okabe sent him the other day was also broken up into separate messages, with some of it being cut off. Also, while shopping Okabe sees some cups of gelatin, which reminds him of the “Jelly Man” reports that he and the team had discovered earlier. He remembers the seriousness of those discoveries.

Visibly disturbed, Okabe waits outside of the convenience store for Daru. While waiting, he chances upon Moeka. She tries to communicate with him—puzzling Okabe—via text messages, but is unable to because Okabe doesn’t have his cellphone on him. Daru then comes out of the store and sees Moeka. Stunned by her looks, he asks Okabe who she is, to which Okabe introduces her. Daru tries to introduce himself, but Moeka just walks past him, leaving him in despair.

Okabe and Daru head back to the lab. They meet Suzuha at the CRT Shop. She tells them that Mr. Braun is getting irritated at the rumbling they’re causing with their experiments, threatening to increase Okabe’s rent. Okabe tells Daru to prevent any further experiments while he attempts to sweet-talk Mr. Braun.

   After Daru leaves, Suzuha asks about Kurisu, leading Okabe to asks why Suzuha glares at her, suggesting they had a past encounter. Suzuha denies this, even saying that she’s never seen her before.

After Okabe’s attempts to soothe Mr. Braun’s anger fail, Okabe angrily returns to the lab. Mayuri tells him that his phone rang several times while he was gone, which turn out to be a bunch of text messages from Moeka.

Kurisu states that she’s figured out how the D-Mails work. She explains that 1 second on the Phone Microwave’s timer equals an hour of backwards time-travel (therefore, 120 seconds = 5 days of time travel). She is complimented on her discoveries, though Okabe notes the 36 English character limit (or 18 Japanese characters) needs to be improved upon. He suggests that everyone get some rest, saying that they should all be proud of what they’ve accomplished and that this day will go down in history. Mayuri agrees, making Okabe smile, though it is soon followed by a look of worry.

We then see Okabe standing in the blackness of space, wondering where he is. A black hole appears below him, pulling him into it. As he ‘falls’ into the black hole, he hears a voice, which sounds like Kurisu’s. The voice explains to him what is happening: that he’s not actually moving, that time and space have switched places, that his perception of time is slowing down, and that he must go forward. Okabe reaches for the black hole, but is then surrounded by darkness, and has seemingly become a jellyman.

August 3rd, 2010; 9:14 AM

<p class="MsoNormal">Okabe is awoken from his dream by the buzzing of his phone. He sees that Moeka has been texting him. He notices that her latest messages say that she is coming up the stairs to the lab. Okabe puts on his lab coat and rushes to the lab door, where he get another text saying the she’s about to knock. He opens the door before she can knock.

<p class="MsoNormal">Slightly surprised, Moeka continues to send messages to Okabe, though she’s right in front of him. Okabe insists that she talk to him directly, leading to Moeka asking to see the IBN 5100. Okabe tells her that after she looks at it, she must leave.

<p class="MsoNormal">Once inside the lab, Moeka looks over the IBN 5100 meticulously. She then asks if she can take pictures of it and if she can borrow it. Okabe declines, saying that he has it on loan. When she asks who the loaner is, Okabe tells her it’s the Yanabayashi Shrine.

<p class="MsoNormal">Then, Daru, Mayuri, and Kurisu arrive at the lab one by one. As they arrive, they all leisurely start talking about the D-mails and the time machine. This prompts Moeka to ask Okabe about what they’re talking about. She sends him a text with the initials “FB” in it.

<p class="MsoNormal">Okabe decides to reveal their secrets to her. He then dubs Moeka Kiryuu Lab Member No. 005.

Characters
By order of appearance:
 * Suzuha Amane
 * Rintarō Okabe
 * Kurisu Makise
 * Mr. Tennouji
 * Itaru Hashida
 * Mayuri Shiina

Cultural References
While coming up with names to call the microwave, they mention references to:
 * Girl Who Leapt Through Time
 * Back to the Future

Unanswered Questions

 * Why is Moeka interested in the IBN 5100?
 * What is FB?