Steins;Gate (hereafter referred to as Steins;Gate) is a popular anime series! It's a much-talked-about work that ranks highly in various anime rankings, and is popular as a fast-paced sci-fi story. The second half of the series features time leaps and mysterious organizations, giving it a very different feel from the first half. One of the important keywords in the story is SERN. What exactly is SERN? For those who have already seen the series, no explanation is necessary, but for those who haven't yet, we'd like to give some minor spoilers here that might pique your interest in Steins;Gate! Even if you haven't seen it yet, these spoilers won't be too much of a spoiler, so feel free to read on!
SERN Spoilers? 1. SERN actually exists!!
First of all, the SERN that appears in Steins;Gate actually exists in the real world! While the real-world SERN is written as CERN and is a completely different entity, the SERN in Steins;Gate is modeled after this CERN!
CERN in the real world has made significant contributions to the field of quantum mechanics, including the discovery of the Higgs boson, a subatomic particle. Steins;Gate is fearless, portraying such an organization as an evil organization, even though it's fiction!
However, CERN is rumored to be conducting some extraordinary experiments using the Large Hadron Collider, commonly known as the LHC. The LHC is, in simple terms, an experimental observation machine that collides particles together, but there's also the risk that it could destroy space-time.
In the world of Steins;Gate, the LHC appears as a time leap machine, but the fact that they even refer to the name of a real-life experimental observation device that poses such a risk goes beyond frightening and is almost impressive (I can't believe they can't sue the real-life CERN, lol)!
SERN Spoilers? ! ② They possess a secret organization called the Rounders!
SERN owns an independent, illegal secret organization called the Rounders. As you can see from the image, they're masked, armed, and clearly dangerous. No matter what, I don't think there's a secret organization that claims to be so obviously evil in real life (especially in Japan), so perhaps it's just a production element to heighten the story? (lol)
Spoiler alert from here on! ...I mean, the image is already a complete spoiler (lol). Anyway, after a series of events, protagonist Okabe Rintaro and his lab members find themselves targeted by the Rounders...or more accurately, by SERN, the company that employs them. In the second half, Okarin and the other lab members are captivated as they despair over these unfortunate events, but continue to fight back to the very limits of their abilities!
The first half is interesting for the dialogue of Okabe Rintaro, the insane mad scientist Hououin Kyouma, and his daily interactions with the heroines...
In the second half, Okarin looks like this all the time (lol). It's all SERN's fault, but to find out how it went from the humorous atmosphere of the first half to this, you'll have to watch the show to find out!
SERN Spoilers? ③ Start World War III!!
Is this a complete spoiler?! Actually, it is a spoiler, but the SERN gang starts World War III in the Steins;Gate world, vying for various positions of supremacy. This creates a dystopia and takes over the world.
Ocarin and the other lab members continue to struggle, each with their own thoughts and feelings, to change this unfortunate future, but things don't always go smoothly. Just when you think you see hope, you're plunged into despair... this cycle repeats over and over again, and this is what makes Steins;Gate so addictive in the second half.
Spoiler alert?! Summary: To be honest, I don't really understand the full extent of SERN!
To be honest, it's SERN, but since no one directly under SERN appears in the series, and Okarin and his friends never clearly confront SERN, the impression is that it's just a vague, incredibly dangerous organization. While further details remain vague, the image of "SERN" is strongly associated with "an evil organization in a terrifying future."
More specifically, the story of Steins;Gate is far too complex and intricate to fully understand, and I think few people would be able to pick it all up after just one viewing of the anime (as there are many other important plot twists). If you really want to understand SERN better, I recommend watching the anime multiple times and playing the original game!
