Board Thread:General Discussion/@comment-7888499-20151202193105

It packs a wallop and makes a great intro into Zero.

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Well, my offline life suddenly demanded my undivided attention and energies for more than a month. I've missed a truckload of SG news and some interesting conversation here at the wiki that I'm still catching up on. But it was a great surprise to find a new anime episode airing when I came back. :D

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I missed the beginning of the episode, so I'll just start this from where the β episode starts to really diverge. People who are familar with the Beta drama CD Arc Light of the Point of Infinity will notice a lot of similarities in the rooftop scene. After all, Arc Light and Zero seem to only really diverge from each other with Okabe meeting Maho and Amadeus.

Like in Arc Light, Okabe returns broken, Suzuha is about to slap him when Mayuri steps in and protects Okabe. As Okabe is incapable of anything but heartwrenching sobs, Mayuri hugs him telling him that it's alright to cry and that she is by his side. The scene closes on the sound of Okabe crying as the camera pans out to emphasize how small they all are in the enormity of everything.

Next we see Okabe alone in the dark. The scene is more a flood of sound than visuals as muffled clips of Kurisu's voice begin to blend with the surreal culminating in silence broken only by the incessant ticking of a clock and the sight of Okabe's lab coat cast off.

Weeks later, Okabe and Mayuri stand in a park. The cicadas are no longer singing their summer rhythm, but Mayuri has not yet changed into her winter clothes. Okabe on the other hand is dressed in his unalleviated black from Zero. He has thrown himself into university life already, and when he whips out his phone now it is to actually answer a call following a goukon instead of for a chuunibyou secret conversation. He is clearly pushing himself, however. Mayuri is happy to see Okabe after not getting to for awhile. As they part along a road, Mayuri asks Okabe to stop by the Lab where he hasn't been to for quite some time. Looking at her, he reluctantly gives in and agrees to stop by. Mayuri watches him go as he walks away. Her arm raised to wave good-bye slowly lowers as an uncomfortable cacaphony swells in Okabe's mind. As he walks through the city he thinks that Mayuri is certainly here. With bitterness he considers that the city, and he as well, nothing has changed. Cue anime ending theme.

The ending song included Maho's silhouette.

After the song, on November 28th, 2010, Okabe meets Amadeus Kurisu. His expressions show his raw pain and disbelief at the form of this convergence, his grief, and end with his resolve. El Psy Kongroo.

Following the episode airing, the countdown on the official website changed to display the first two divergence numbers to be confirmed for Steins;Gate 0, 1.130209%, in which Mayuri slaps Okabe, and 1.129848%, in which Mayuri protects him instead. So Zero shares at least one divergence number with the Arc Light Beta drama CD but shows us 1.130209% for her slap instead of 1.130212%.  