Hello all, to this double feature of Dr.STONE, as this lazy bones plays catch up. Apologies for missing last week, but a combination of factors made getting the post up in time… difficult. Enough excuses though, onto the episodes!
Starting off, since I missed two episodes, let’s talk about the production for a second. As in these two episodes we saw both what Dr.STONE does poorly, and what it does really well. For the first, the obvious answer is of course action. Quick, fluid movements, simply don’t play well with Dr.STONE’s visual style. Nor does it really fit the series itself. For as I have said time and time again, Dr.STONE is not an action series. However what the series does well, in my opinion, is filling tiny scenes with large emotions. Scenes that, in the grand scheme, mean nothing yet Dr.STONE fills them with human emotion. The easy example of this being Homura and the cotton candy in Episode 20. A simple thing, meaningless in the greater story, but to me it speaks of Dr.STONE’s true strength. That being its portrayal of humanity.
Getting into the meat of the story, before we talk about the fun we have to talk about Tsukasa. As we actually got a good look at his kingdom and how he treats those around him. A deeper look into his personal philosophy. While he still isn’t a great antagonist in my eyes, this at least sets him up a bit. As we get to see how he truly does care for the young generation below him. Praising them for catching meat, concern over their winter stores and such. However it’s the end, the reaction to learning Senku is alive, that sort of… makes him onenote for me again. I think I would have actually preferred a more happy reaction from him there, or perhaps somber. To show he does consider Senku a friend, and he only does what he does out of duty. Rather than this seeming rage.
Moving on past him, we also got a bit of a return with Hyoga and co. As they burn down the village and force them out from their islands, into the forest. While its clever, and shows a bit of planning on their part, a lot of the weight is lost in its presentation. Such as Homura’s flips on the bridge, or the chase with Suika. For me, it didn’t get interesting again until we returned to the poison gas. As we see the return of some of our natural disasters, and the threat nature can present. Sort of lording over both sides, and showing how small they are in the grand scheme of things. It ties back into what the true strength of Dr.STONE is, the science. And speaking of the science…
We got a new roadmap this week! Phones, communication, plenty of content for the final 4 episodes! Just like the last one, this is the real fun part of Dr.STONE. As we have a list of seemingly impossible inventions in a stone world, that one by one our cast will figure out how to create. We saw that immediately here with the Cotton Candy machine serving a dual purpose. First it motivates the villages, giving them something new and sweet, while at the same time being a test for their new wire. And even then it wasn’t without problems, as they had to figure out how to make it turn evenly and consistently. Thus leading to the creation of gears, which in turn created possibilities in Chrome’s mind, leading to the water wheel. It’s easily my favorite aspect of the show, and this episode shows why.
On top of the science, we got the aforementioned human side to it all through cotton candy. Of course there are the villagers, who have never experienced something like this before. I will always enjoy how Dr.STONE portrays the luxuries of the modern world in reference to the stone age. On top of that though, we also got Homura’s reaction to it all. Similar to Gen’s moment with the cola, it was a simple nostalgic taste of a time long past. But Dr.STONE presents it so well, it’s hard not to get sucked in. Of course this also serves a story purpose, a sort of “temptation” for the other side. They go on and on about “strength” but how will that mentality hold up against the comforts of the modern world?
Finally, I want to get back to the science for a moment before I close out. How its affected the village, and how even Tsukasa’s action unintentionally help. For instance we see Chrome starting to think more and more about science, going off to create his own water wheel. Shoving us into the age of energy, with unlimited electricity. We also though see the unintended consequences of Tsukasa’s actions, as the wine and such melts and crystallized into sugar. A subtle, if poignant, message about how even in disaster you can create something great. That you don’t necessarily lose everything when something is destroyed. Is this an unintended message? Probably, considering how lightly it is touched upon. But that doesn’t change the fact that it is present, that it is something I got from the show myself.
So all in all, how were these two episodes of Dr.STONE? For me, it was of course hit and miss. Episode 19 was rather dull for the most part in my eyes. Which considering the action throughout, isn’t exactly a great thing. Episode 20 however really brought Dr.STONE back to its roots. The part of the series that I do enjoy, that being the science and humanity that goes into it all. Should Dr.STONE continue down this path and deliver a strong ending, rather than something action packed, I will be satisfied. Because to me, a solid ending is one of the most important things a series can deliver. Because how I leave a series is how I will remember for years to come.
