The screen transitioned to the ending theme, and the audience below the stage erupted in discussions.
"Here it comes, this is what I wanted to see!"
"Sure enough, a woman who resurrects from the dead at the beginning can't be a mere passerby."
"The plot is getting more and more interesting."
"But, speaking of which, the judges don't seem to have reacted at all during the process."
"Who cares about that? Aren't they about to start their comments now? Do they have to interrupt the viewing experience in the middle? I think this is perfectly fine."
"If you ask me, the judges' level is just so-so; they don't dare to comment midway for fear of a plot twist making them look foolish."
"Well, being conservative isn't a bad thing."
"After seeing this, I think steins;gate can already be pre-booked for advancement."
The bullet comments, even more, filled the screen in unison.
"Give me the next episode! Give me the next episode! Give me the next episode!"
"Quick, you must still have more in your head! (Sticks hand into mouth)"
"I knew you'd come back! Long live Makise Kurisu!"
"It's rare; even Tonz, who is usually calm and makes sarcastic remarks, has changed his expression."
"By the way, if it turns out like this, can the other bananas still be eaten?"
"No matter how you look at it, this is Time Reversal, right? My goodness, a Time Machine at the start, Okabe Rintaro should be preparing to rule the world soon."
"Perhaps the organization controlling the world that John Titor spoke of is Okabe Rintaro himself; this show is actually a journey of a super mastermind turning over a new leaf (mistake)."
"Quick, quick, I want to see Uncle Big Nose's comments (bragging)."
"Wuwuwu, my Dong Xuelian, Lianlian, say something quickly! Although the anime is also very good, I haven't forgotten that I came for Lianlian."
"Wow, it's a VTuber fan."
The fervent discussion on the screen did not stop for a long time, and the Host on the stage stepped out at the opportune moment.
"Alright, now our Contestant Huajian's 'steins;gate' Episode 2 has also reached its ending theme. It's time to invite our judges to comment a bit more and see if their evaluation of this work has changed compared to the first episode. If so, what kind of changes are there, and are there any other points worth noting in the story!"
The stage lights perfectly illuminated Host Fang Yuan. He spoke loudly into the microphone, continuing to build up the excitement, so that the audience's enthusiasm, which had just been ignited by the exciting story, would not cool down.
Generally speaking, according to the peak-end rule, if a story leaves the audience with a good feeling at the end, then their overall impression will be positive, and vice versa.
Although this doesn't completely cover all situations, there's no doubt that with Makise Kurisu's appearance at the end, the audience clearly remained sufficiently excited.
And as the Host of the show, what Host Fang Yuan had to do was to keep this excitement from cooling down!
So, he unhesitatingly pointed out the most important question:
"However, before that, it seems that quite a few viewers have some opinions about our judges not reacting at all midway. I'd like to ask the judges to explain their thoughts on this point."
The lights were naturally switched, and with a 'click,' the light in front of Dong Xuelian's seat suddenly lit up, and the silver-haired girl's stunned face was given a close-up in the camera.
Dong Xuelian: "...?"
"Ah, this, um, I was watching seriously, you know?"
"Your thoughts, your thoughts on the second episode."
Host Fang Yuan 'tried' to remind her.
"Oh, well, I was just thinking, aren't there too many characters, and it seems like everyone revolves around the protagonist, it's a bit..." After thinking for a moment, Dong Xuelian blurted out her thoughts.
Fortunately, before her unique critique was fully uttered, Host Fang Yuan quickly made a gesture, signaling the control room to prepare to switch the lights.
I wanted you to say something that would stir up conflict, but not this!
Complaining again in his heart about who on earth invited these two 'flower vases,' Host Fang Yuan quickly interjected:
"A bit surreal, right? Haha, that's what anime is like. It condenses the creators' fantasies, invests the creators' passion, and finds a balance between reality and unreality that can resonate with the audience."
"It is precisely because of the existence of unreality that audiences are unable to resist it."
"Alright, Dong Xuelian has given her opinion. Next, let's hear what Teacher Qihai, also a voice actor, feels about it?"
As the words fell, the control room, which had already been prepared, quickly adjusted and switched the lights.
Qihai immediately became the center of the camera.
"Hmm, isn't the screen still jumping too fast?" Qihai tilted her head: "One second they're talking, the next second they've run off to another place. I think it's best to pay more attention to this, okay?"
"Mhm, mhm, smooth camera transitions are themselves a reflection of skill, but I actually think this might be a style of the creator himself," Host Fang Yuan nodded, then turned again:
"We've heard the opinions of the two teachers, but everyone probably still wants to see comments from other perspectives, right?"
"Then, please welcome Uncle Big Nose!"
With a click, the spotlight quickly illuminated Uncle Big Nose's position.
He didn't seem flustered at all, clearly having prepared some thoughts.
"Ah, since it's my turn, I'll just say a few casual words. I don't guarantee correctness, I only express personal opinions, with no distinction of stance..."
"Ahem." Cowboy Hao, sitting nearby, coughed twice at just the right moment.
"Let's get straight to the point. In the second episode of steins;gate, as you can see, in just over twenty minutes, several characters appeared in rapid succession: Urushibara Ruka from Yanagibayashi Shrine, Amane Suzuha, the new part-timer at the Brown store, Kiryu Moeka, whom Rintaro met on the street, and Felis from the maid cafe..."
"This is actually a bit unusual. In just one episode, a total of four new characters were quickly introduced, and each character's traits were clearly demonstrated with a short segment of the plot. The pace is incredibly fast."
"It makes one vaguely feel a kind of ambition. Contestant Huajian seems very eager to quickly lay out all the necessary groundwork and then swiftly present the scenes he most anticipates in his mind."
"Although I have sufficient expectations for the scenes he attempts to portray, having enough ambition is not a bad thing for a creator, but I am still very concerned about whether this eagerness will affect his creation."