"Mm-hmm, we're very grateful for the new perspective brought by Uncle Big Nose. Indeed, characters not only need to appear, but also need to be vividly portrayed to leave a lasting impression on the audience. His ambition is truly grand," Host Fang Yuan nodded repeatedly.
"I hope he can realize this ambition as he wishes."
"Next, let's welcome our Teacher Cowboy Hao!" As Host Fang Yuan spoke, the lights also illuminated Cowboy Hao's seat.
Pushing his glasses slightly, Cowboy Hao cleared his throat twice and began:
"Actually, if you ask me, there's not much to say."
"After all, think about it, a season of animation has at least ten episodes, right? Maybe twelve, or twenty. It's clearly unrealistic to expect to say something nutritious in every episode. You rack your brains to come up with something, and then the next episode might reverse it or prove you wrong."
"Although many viewers probably love to see me get proven wrong, if possible, I personally still don't want to create that kind of show effect."
"Of course, this is just looking at it from a general perspective. Regarding the second episode of steins;gate, I still have a lot to say."
Cowboy Hao spread his hand outwards, his hand gestures rising and falling with his words.
"The second episode quickly tries to get into the rhythm by rapidly unfolding—Uncle Big Nose has already mentioned this."
"The frequent flashback scenes are not very friendly to viewers whose attention isn't very focused—the two voice actors have also mentioned this."
Cowboy Hao gently pressed his index finger against his temple:
"So I was thinking, in the information-dense second episode, are there any other notable features worth mentioning?"
"Ah, very quickly, I thought of something."
"The second episode is actually creating an atmosphere, one where the protagonist Okabe Rintaro seems particularly popular, subtly giving off the vibe of a harem protagonist," he said. "His childhood friend Mayuri, the little boy at the shrine, the sunny part-timer who appeared out of nowhere, the unexpected Glasses OL, the chunibyo-resonating Cat Maid, and—the genius girl who has already died."
"But, is that really the case?"
"Beneath the seemingly ordinary background, beneath the surface that appears to be merely character building and setup, there seems to be a subtle strangeness."
"For example, the little boy at the shrine isn't actually chunibyo. Although he seems to be trying to go along with Okabe's chunibyo remarks, he can't even remember the 'secret code'."
"The sunny part-timer who appeared out of nowhere is inexplicably familiar, but she seems to have never even seen corn."
"The Glasses OL doesn't even bother to act; she looks like she has a mental illness."
"As for the maid? She seems great, but Okabe Rintaro himself said she was 'a woman who never speaks a single truth'."
"That's right, almost every character who appears seems to have one or two hidden 'landmines' in the animation. Although they haven't been revealed yet, these foreshadowings create a sense of suspense," Cowboy Hao said. "This atmosphere continues from the first episode. The main storyline is essentially about 'solving mysteries': Makise Kurisu, who died and came back to life, John Titor, who disappeared from memory…"
"Isn't it very interesting?"
As Cowboy Hao's words fell, the bullet comments instantly exploded again.
[?! Who are you?]
[You are not the Cowboy Hao I know!]
[Did you swap scripts with Uncle Big Nose temporarily? These are not words you should be able to say!]
[It's terrifying when you think about it, right? If nothing happens, will you be proven wrong?]
[How do I feel like Cowboy Hao might actually be right this time? There really is a sense of suspense, huh?]
[Just listen to Cowboy Hao's words.]
[Okabe Rintaro: In danger!]
"Haha, Teacher Cowboy Hao has brought up a very interesting idea," Host Fang Yuan laughed. "A sense of suspense, that's right, everyone overlooked it. From the beginning of the first episode, Contestant Hua Jian seemed to be trying to create this sense of suspense, and the second episode continued to build on that feeling."
"It's truly very interesting, as expected of Teacher Cowboy Hao."
"However, the ending song is almost over. If nothing unexpected happens, given Contestant Hua Jian's creative speed, the third episode of steins;gate should start playing soon," Host Fang Yuan paused slightly. "So, finally, let's once again invite our Teacher Tang Sanshui!"
A round of enthusiastic applause immediately erupted from the audience.
Although the vast majority of viewers who became fans of steins;gate did not agree with Tang Sanshui's assessment, it did not prevent a large number of viewers from coming to the show specifically because he was a mentor. As long as a few fans applauded, the production team could appropriately and subtly play the sound effect of enthusiastic applause.
"Hmm," Tang Sanshui raised the microphone. "Both mentors spoke very well. Although their perspectives differ, their analysis of the story itself is good."
"However, my opinion has not changed. If he wants to create a better work that earns my approval, this contestant must make changes."
"Fast-paced storytelling is a double-edged sword. While it can quickly pique the audience's curiosity and make them anticipate the subsequent story, if this rhythm cannot be maintained, causing the audience to feel disoriented, they will quickly disengage," Tang Sanshui's expression was very serious. "And these viewers who drop out midway are very difficult to bring back into the story."
"Therefore, although everyone seems satisfied with this, I still do not agree and do not recommend anyone to adopt this approach."
"Maintaining a suspenseful tone from beginning to end, and gripping the audience's heartstrings throughout, is a very difficult task."
"Do not overestimate your control over the plot."
"That's all."
Having said that, the ending song of steins;gate gradually came to an end, and Tang Sanshui appropriately put down the microphone.
— "I think Teacher Tang Sanshui makes sense, right? As expected of a veteran creator."
— "Heh, who doesn't know it makes sense, but who cares?"
— "If the beginning isn't interesting, who will keep watching? If it's a bit uninteresting in the middle, as long as it's not too uninteresting, people will continue watching based on the initial plot. But if it's boring from the start, then it's truly hopeless."
— "I don't want what you think, I want what I think. I want fast-paced. Who is slow-paced for?"
The audience below discussed Tang Sanshui's words for a moment, but then quickly quieted down.
Because, as the ending song came to a close, the screen paused for a moment, then quickly resumed playing.
The third episode of steins;gate began.