Category: Dr.STONE

This is a tough week for Dr.STONE, as it has to follow up the brilliant “lightbulb” of last week. However, for as much as it serves as cool-down episode, I think this week succeeds. As Dr.STONE temporarily closes the book on Tsukasa, introduces a new antagonist for the Village, and a great alliance is formed. Let’s dive in!

Now as I said, this week was for the most part slower than last week. As it spends its time establishing new threats and having Gen make a decision. Yet, enough happened outside/around that, to make it feel like a lot happened in a short amount of time. The big one though that really broke up the episode was Magma’s reappearance. Oof, how was that for a surprise? It effectively broke the episode in two. Ending the jovial nature carried over from last week, for a more focused one with the upcoming Grand Bout. It also had some of Dr.STONE’s most brutal animation. Really selling Gen’s assault and setting Magma up as a villain. Even as a manga reader, I had forgotten what had happened between the Lightbulb and the Grand Bout. A pleasant surprise for me. Now though, onto the details.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 10 [A Flimsy Alliance]” →

This was a good week for Dr.STONE. A personal favorite character of mine was introduced, science progressed and everything just came together perfectly at the end. So let’s jump in to my favorite episode of Dr.STONE yet.

Starting off, this week introduces Gen, one of if not my favorite character of the series. Unlike Senku he isn’t terribly smart, and unlike Tsukasa or Taiju he isn’t terribly physical. Simply put, the only thing he can really do is talk, but boy does he talk well. However what makes him my favorite isn’t his personality but rather his place in Dr.STONE’s story. Gen is, more than anyone else, an audience stand in for the technology. He doesn’t know how the things Senku makes works, but he does appreciate them. Gen is there to stand in awe of the technology and to be the reference point for us the viewer. Seeing these impossible things brought back in a stone world. You really only need to look at his reactions to see it. The stunned silence and watering eyes. Dr.STONE does a good job showing his sheer joy.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 9 [Let There Be the Light of Science]” →

Everyone, this week is a big week for Dr.STONE. A lot of important things happen. We meet Suika, Senku creates Ramen and most important of all, Dr.STONE gives us our first major roadmap. Let’s jump in!

Starting off, let’s talk about the ever so important roadmap. We will be getting a few of these as we go through the series, and they act as arcs of sorts. Detailing our end goal and what Senku has to accomplish to get there. I have always enjoyed these roadmaps myself. Showing a bunch of the little details involved, yet never really downplaying how difficult these steps will be. While I can’t speak for the validity/exactness of the science, the general idea behind it seems sound enough as well. It would be very interesting to get an actual scientists interpretation of it all. Overall though I think it’s a novel idea on how to structure an arc. Not around a villain, but a goal with a clear end and pathway. The only question being how the characters will accomplish each goal.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 8 [Stone Road]” →

Ah today is a good day. The day where Dr.STONE reinforces what I loved about it when I first read it. You see this week Science takes center stage, we meet the ancient sorcerer Chrome, and the legendary Kinro gets his fabled weapon. Enough with the preamble though, welcome to this weeks Dr.STONE and lets get into it.

Starting off, I want to talk about the fun presentation of the episode. From the OST to the sound effects, Dr.STONE did a good job of accentuating the animation. Take for instance the segment of Senku dropping mathematics on Chrome. With the sound of everything and the kitchen sink falling with it. Or the music during Senku and Chrome’s final conversation. I don’t want to be presumptuous, but I am pretty sure I heard bagpipes in there. The last anime I remember using bagpipes was Fairy Tail, and even then the OST was never Fairy Tail’s issue. In Dr.STONE though it expertly brings out this sort of terrifying whimsy. Getting across the scale and destruction of what has happened, while still having the whimsy of Senku and his science. To put it simply, I could listen to those bagpipes all day. Love the instrument.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 7 [Where Two Million Years Have Gone]” →

Welcome one and all to my favorite episode of Dr.STONE yet. This week we finally meet our main character Science, the natives, and Taiju takes a hike. Let’s dive in!

Starting off let’s talk production, specifically I want to talk about the music. You see, I think it safe to say that Dr.STONE has one of the more unique OST’s this season. With a strong focus on rap/hip-hop and mixing in some more “ancient” instruments like woodwinds and drums. It’s not something I normally expect to see in anime, but it’s clearly worked before. Just look at Samurai Champloo for proof of that. I think it’s a good mix to combine the modern day with the “Stone World” of the series. OP and ED aside, both of which I enjoy the actual songs of, this episode had some great pieces. One the stands out to me played during Senku’s scene with Kohaku. It’s short, but something about Japanese Rap makes it a nice change of pace from American rap. But enough of that, onto the meat.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 6 [Two Nations of the Stone World]” →

Welcome one and all to the ending of Dr.STONE’s first arc. This week we have some BS plot armor, some questionable morals and a vision of what could have been for the series. Lets jump in!

With this episode, we have completed Dr.STONE’s first arc. One widely considered, at least by those I talk to, to be the series weakest arcs. As a manga, Dr.STONE was never particularly good at setting up its premise. It just kind of throws you in there, and then ignores the greater mystery for an immediate threat. But then, that immediate threat disappears for a few dozen chapters, before finally returning for the conclusion. None of this is to mention that the actual conclusion to this introductory arc sort of ends on a rather annoying note. I will get into specifics after the break, but suffice to say, for this ending to occur everyone had to be stupid. It’s one of my biggest bugbears with the series, this section right here. And I think reveals the weakness of this adaptation. We will get to that though. For now, onto the episode!

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 5 [Stone World The Beginning]” →

Welcome all, to the climax of Dr.STONE’s opening prologue. A lot happens this week! We see a young Senku, Tsukasa catches up and perhaps the greatest change, Yuzuriha gets a haircut. Lets dive in!

Right off the bat, for as much as I enjoyed it narratively, visually Dr.STONE was pretty weak. The biggest example of this is Tsukasa’s run through the forest. With the ground and trees looking like they came from a completely different series. Tsukasa himself standing out against the background textures. It doesn’t help Dr.STONE that Kimetsu no Yaiba is airing in the same season either. Ufotable’s CGI landscapes are both better done, and better directed. Going for dynamic camera movements and effects such as fog to cover any iffy textures. Using a first person view to get around actually placing 2D characters into a 3d scene. Yes, its production tricks, but they are clever and result in a far better looking scene than we got here. Luckily, that was Dr.STONE’s worst offense this week. The rest resulting in a fun, if melodramatic, cliffhanger.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 4 [Fire the Smoke Signal]” →

Hello everyone, time for another day at the anime blogging grindstone. This week Tsukasa’s conflict comes to the fore, Yuzuriha wakes up and our team goes for a hike. Let’s get to it!

This week, Dr.STONE continued to make good use of Boichi’s original art. However we are starting to see some of the limitations of his style. Originally a hentai artist, Boichi’s style is rather exaggerated. After his years of work on Sun-Ken Rock, for men this results in veritable mountains of muscle. He clearly enjoys drawing that muscle as well, which you can see in Tsukasa. Turning them into rock solid titans. For his female characters however, he runs into a similar problem as Saber from Fate, though more exaggerated. With all of them looking the same, with the same proportions and similar doll-like faces. It makes for appealing manga stills with his exaggerated art. But an anime necessitates a lesser amount of detail, and this just ends up making Yuzuriha look… off, for me. Its not something that is going to change though. For better or worse.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 3 [Weapons of Science]” →

Hello everyone, it’s your friendly neighborhood Lenlo here. Ready for another season? Well you better be, cause this might be my favorite season of the year. Starting of course with Dr.Stone, a series I have followed since its first few chapters. So that said, open up your textbooks and let’s dive in!

Starting off, production. Now, I don’t mean this disparagingly, but Dr.Stone is not a fantastically animated show. It has it’s fun with facial and body expressions, don’t get me wrong. They are doing their best to adapt Boichi’s art after all, and the man is a master of the reaction face. But in terms of actual fluid animation, it’s a lot more still’s and sliding models than other hard hitters of the season. Such as Fire Force or Vinland (I love this show). Luckily, Dr.Stone isn’t really an action show, so this shouldn’t be a problem. The series focuses more on its backgrounds and its environment. Really selling this stone-age world they are living in now. With the Dr.Stone’s subject being on science and the rebuilding of civilization, I think its a good choice. I just hope the few setpieces there are end up getting the attention they need.

Continue reading “Dr.STONE – 2 [King of the Stone World]” →