Lovesong Neurotica: Steins;Gate and the Case of Kiryuu Moeka

I’m gonna do all the things for you
A girl wants a man to do
I’ll sacrifice for you
I’ll even do wrong for you
- Diana Ross and the Supremes, “I’m Gonna Make You Love Me”

Perhaps this is a strange place to go, after my last post. But the latest episode of Steins;Gate got the gears turning in my head… And at the risk of sounding cliché, love isn’t all about stars and happiness, is it? There’s a dark side to the love experience that just begs to be explored.

Spoilers for episode 19 ahead.

Love obsession is a grim subject. Some people, when faced with the spark of romance, will spiral into fixation: They need to maintain the romantic high at all costs, and this becomes a pathological desire to control the object of their affection. Unsurprisingly, it happens among people with severe self-esteem issues; they need someone else to feel complete, and they latch on to anyone who does that for them. It’s a tightrope walk both sad and vicious: Moeka desperately needs the milk of human kindness, but that very craving is what drives her to obsess.

Not that she’s the only one at fault. The tactics of the invisible FB read like textbook mind control: Get to them when they’re vulnerable, show “unconditional” love and generosity, and isolate them from people who might inspire doubt. Teach them to rely on you for answers, reward them with love when they obey, and threaten to take away your love if they don’t. That Moeka was ready to worship anyone who would make her feel like a real human being was simply good selection. Or grooming.

But by far, the most fascinating thing to me is how quickly Okabe takes FB’s place. He steals Moeka’s only connection to the outside world, beats her, holds her down and subjects her to a stream of psychological abuse: that FB doesn’t love her, that nobody loves her, that she’s worthless and as good as dead. And just when she collapses into despair, he shows his loving hand– “I absolutely won’t let you die.”

A successful brainwash in fifteen minutes. What genius! This guy’s more of a mad scientist than ever.

Further reading

Not reading per se, but this video gives some disturbingly sound advice.

inushinde Says:

August 10, 2011 at 6:47 pm

I had trouble telling just which one was crazier: The mad scientisto breaking her down completely by taking away her only object of comfort, or Moeka and her utter obsession with it. I’m sad to say that I knew a Moeka at some point, so this episode hit a bit close to home.

2DT Says:

August 10, 2011 at 6:51 pm
What makes it difficult to stomach ethically is the fact that Okabe’s reacting based on things she will probably do, in different timelines, based on circumstances that no longer exist. It’s a great downfall for this character.

I knew one too. But I think I’ve heard it said that everyone, at some point, is the psycho ex.

1. M0rg0th Says:
  
  August 12, 2011 at 5:51 am
  I agree, with all the things Okabe has done lately, it’s strange to think of him as a character one should root for. I’m really interested to see how the series evaluates his actions and what message this will produce on a conceptual level after everything’s done.
  I think the series assumes that since FB is supposed to be a evil character no matter how the circumstances are, he/she will definitely abuse Moeka in a way that hurts her. Right now it seems to me like the series wants to say that the world is cruel and unfair with Evil stalking it – unless Okabe steps in to set everything in the right order. But that seems a tad too egoistic to me to be considered “heroic”. What makes Okabe’s vision of the world better than FB’s? Fighting against evil doesn’t give him the right to change the world to how he thinks, it should look like.
  But the series seems to make the question far simpler than it sounds. Because Moeka’s life doesn’t get much “brighter” after being saved by FB (she still sits alone in the corner of her dark room despite FB’s influence) it shows that FB hasn’t saved her truly. And a flashback of Moeka being in Okabe’s “lab” indicates that Okabe is able to give her a place in a true sense instead of as a tool as FB has done. So, despite the similar methods, I think, the series tries to show that Okabe has at least good intentions. And for the series this seems to be all that matters concerning the question who’s good and who’s evil.

E Minor Says:

August 10, 2011 at 7:13 pm

reward them with love when they obey, and threaten to take away your love if they don’t.

Sorry for the text dump, but this reminds me of something I recently read from some self-proclaimed pick up artists:

You’ve already had intercourse with the girl. The ideal setting for the power of the door, which is a power and control pattern, is right after you’ve had intercourse and you’re in bed with the girl, and at this time hopefully you’ve set up the fact that you’re also the man of her dreams and fulfil her emotional needs. You’re fooling around in bed, you’ve already had a great time, and you go, “sweetheart, what’s that over there?” and you point towards the door. And she’ll say, “well you know, that’s a door, silly.” And you say, “yeah, you know.. I’m a real positive person, but.. I mean, can you imagine.. I mean, you don’t know what can happen from day to day, when you think about it in your mind. I mean, what would happen if I walked out that door and the door closed and as the door closed, it slammed shut, and no matter what you did, you could not open the door and you knew that you would never be able to look into my eyes again and you’d never be able to hear my voice again and you’d never be able to feel my touch again.”

…

Having anchored that sense of loss and pain to the door, you can trigger it whenever needed. Whatever negative behavior may come up that you want to stop, the first time you just get up and slam the door. Whether you walk out the door depends on the level of bullshit. On later occasions you can just indicate tbe door in some manner. The example Alex gives: If he’s talking on the phone and getting any crap from her, and he knows the relation of where the door is to her desk, he says, “sweetheart, could you please turn right and take a look at what’s over there..” and that was the end of the bullshit.”

2DT Says:

August 10, 2011 at 7:16 pm
How insidious.

The consolation: You could just imagine this going hilariously wrong for some guy without the charisma to match his sex-master dreams.

Vucub Caquix Says:

August 10, 2011 at 9:17 pm

That cult video… reminds me of this other one:

2DT Says:

August 11, 2011 at 9:11 am
Very nice. I feel like I’ve learned so much!

Tuhalu (@Tuhalu) Says:

August 10, 2011 at 9:34 pm

It was quite the dark episode wasn’t it? Tsundere (Makise) and Yandere (Moeka) all in the one show…

I was impressed by what this latest episode showed of Okabe’s desperation. In the start of the series, you got the clear impression that he’s a pretend mad scientist. But now that he’s been through so much and has so much to lose, looking unhinged and doing crazy things has almost become par for the course for him.

Moeka does beg a question though. Exactly why was she driven to commit suicide before FB got involved anyway? And why is she so afraid to communicate verbally? It’s all tied together somehow, but we still haven’t seen exactly how…

2DT Says:

August 11, 2011 at 9:15 am
I suspect Moeka was always primed for FB’s distant loving embrace. That is: She probably never had friends, and was never able to communicate very well. Becoming obsessed with FB just exacerbated those traits. What I wonder is, was that all according to plan?

Steins;Gate Ep. 19: The reluctance to cry wolf | Moe Sucks Says:

August 11, 2011 at 12:07 am

[...] of it; she is it. Okabe tries to tear down everything Moeka holds dear, but all he’s done is replace one obsession with [...]

Yi Says:

August 11, 2011 at 2:59 am

I have unfortunately dropped Steins;Gate, so I have yet to see the episode. But from the post, it really does sound like Moeka went through the mind control cult process.

Anyway, super creepy, but fascinating video. Maybe one day, we’ll see a Cult of the Teleidoscope? :3

2DT Says:

August 11, 2011 at 9:18 am
I have to admit, the little song they had was very clever.

We all love 2DT,
2DT is love
When I am not with him
I feel like a schlub.

… On second thought, nah.

Identifying with Okabe « Borderline Hikikomori Says:

August 14, 2011 at 11:04 am

[...] that out of the way, please read 2DT’s very interesting analysis on Okabe’s actions in episode 19. Don’t worry, I’ll wait. Now, this post [...]

2-D Teleidoscope