The Novella acts as a sequel to the story but in terms of revelations regarding the plot it ranks pretty low compared to other Steins;Gate side-material. Check out the Drama CDs for some unexpected reveals.
No, this novella mainly deals with Okabe’s character and with is relationship with Kurisu, even though Kurisu herself is off in Texas doing some research. This novella can be read in one evening so I won’t go into details but in a moment of weakness, Okabe’s Houin Kyouma alter-ego mocks Okabe for not being good enough for Kurisu who is a genius. It’s true anime can’t get enough of geniuses, and lonely geniuses, but this time the protagonist isn’t the genius. He’s just a very persistent guy.
Okabe Rintarou and Houin Kyouma are very immature as characters. You are not supposed to aspire to be like him, however, despite his flaws Rintaruo keeps on trying over and over again to the point of madness, even if only to change the outcome by 1%. This aspect of him is aspirational and it is why we love him.
This short story also made me reflect on Rintarou’s and Kurisu’s connection. It is clear that Kurisu is superior to Rintarou in almost everyway, and yet Rintarou is able to save her. Okabe’s wildest schemes are only possible because of the experiment-loving-girl’s raw ability.
Reading this short story did feel a bit like the curtain was already drawn, only to be reopened for another epilogue, but I don’t really mind it. It’s difficult to create characters which are memorable at all, and S;G has succeeded at that, so I’ll probably read any other official S;G material I come across.
