Ding dong the witch is dead… or someone is at least in this weeks episode of Dr. STONE! Lot’s to talk about, some new and some old, so lets dive into it.
As always I want to start with the production. Rather than talk about the combat being about as animated as it usually is though, lets talk about something positive: Lighting and shot direction. These are two of Dr. STONE’s biggest strengths and this episode continues that trend. Whether it be a beachside setting sun or Hyoga’s presence in the foreground of someone else’s shot, Dr. STONE had some great scenes this week. Seriously just look at some of these in the gallery above or the one-offs below. It’s amazing what even a diluted version of Boichi’s art-style can do. His thick and scratchy linework adding so much texture to the furs and outfits of the characters. I wish that Dr. STONE had kept up what it showed early with Homura. But at least it managed to hold onto the stills.
With production out of the way its time to talk spoilers! This is the week, Hyoga’s grand betrayal! This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone watching of course. The man has been suspicious since we first met him back in Season 1, far more villainous than Tsukasa ever was. From his outfit to his personality, Hyoga has always been a dark presence in Tsukasa’s army. What this episode does though show us how he differs from Tsukasa. As Hyoga said, they have the same over arching goal, they both want a 2nd chance for humanity. But where Tsukasa wants just the young, Hyoga wants the strong. Its a sort of… Ubermensch extreme for the philosophy. Hyoga doesn’t care about science vs strength. He just wants any and everyone exceptional with himself at the top. Even going so far as to call himself the “strongest primate” after stabbing Tsukasa.
It’s here that we see the strength of his characterization throughout the seasons pay off. Even all the way back in Season 1 Hyoga was depicted as cunning and ruthless, unconcerned with killing. He planned out his assaults with brutal efficiency, making his plans feel believable and fitting this episode. Attacking not just Tsukasa and Senku by a river but blowing up the Miracle Cave for good measure. Though of course just like before his philosophy and self-reliance backfired on him in the end. Just like everyone always does, Hyoga underestimated Senku, teamwork and the power of science. As far as come from behind victories go I rather liked this one. The battery didn’t come from nowhere and while Senku wearing it as armor apparently all the time is a bit silly I like that the primitive nature of the batteries actually helped in the fight.
Speaking of the fight lets take a moment to appreciate the Tsukasa/Senku bromance we have going on here. I’ve always gushed about their relationship anytime we see it in action. Their chemistry together is great and really allows their personalities to shine. Though Tsukasa might as well not have a personality when Senku isn’t around. Still, between the music, the fist bumps and the back and forth this whole sequence was great for me. Dr. STONE did a good job of making it feel like Tsukasa was back where he belonged. Even with the little screen time he has gotten since his introduction it felt good watching him slot back in with Senku. And that closing high five as they both lay bleeding on the beach? Perfection. That’s how you end an arc even when the arc itself isn’t that great.
About the only negative I have of the whole beach sequence has to be the choreography. We all know by now that action isn’t Dr. STONE’s specialty but come on. You would think for a final confrontation we would get something more than we did. Don’t get me wrong, it had it’s moment. Senku restoring birds and throwing them was a cute trick and the science finger was a flashy way to finish the fight. But Tsukasa’s hand-to-hand was just… terrible. Punching the haft of the spear, jumping in mid air to dodge and generally not feeling impactful at all. There were some decent still shots in there that conveyed good force I suppose. But more often than not I was pulled out of the scene by Tsukasa limply slapping Hyoga’s spear.
Finally I want to take a moment to talk about what happens next. With Tsukasa dying and Hyoga captured all of the major threats have been dealt with. There’s no one left for Senku to fight. But with the Miracle Cave destroyed they can’t start bringing people back from stone either, can they? You would think a bat cave wouldn’t be that hard to find. Or that Nitric acid wouldn’t be that difficult to make considering what else Senku has created. So my question to you dear reader is: What do you think comes next? Some kind of mass-produced revival fluid? Air planes? Or do we go whole hog and start rebuilding Tokyo, concrete roads and all? Let me know in the comments down below, I’m curious what you lot think is next.
Theories of flying primitive planes aside though, how was this episode of Dr. STONE? Well for all that I complain about the animation and choreography I think this was one of the strongest episodes of the season. Not only did we get a legitimate final conflict after the battle of the Miracle Cave puttered out but we got Tsukasa/Senku fanservice and an actual conclusion to their relationship. It was everything I wanted out minus some decent animation. So yeah, I would call this episode a success. Now we just have to wait and see what the epilogue is like next week! See you then.
If it helps the fight scenes look better in the manga.