Welcome all, to another week of Dr. STONE! This week we meet our major antagonists, figure out their relationship with the island, and most of all see the petrification device! So without further ado, lets dive in.
So lets start with the big reveal this week: The petrification device. Dr. STONE has long hinted at this, and we’ve long had theories about it. What could cause all of this? How does it work? And while we haven’t gotten those answers just yet, we have finally seen it. And with that, we’ve also started to learn how it works. About its limited ranged and indiscriminate nature, like a grenade. How, despite its fantastical effects, it isn’t fantasy. This isn’t a spell. As Senku put it, it’s not magic because it has rules. And if it has rules, then it’s a science. And if it’s science? Then Senku can’t lose, because science is his everything. I really like this, I think it takes a fantastical McGuffin that’s always existed and demystifies it a bit. It really feels like Dr. STONE is finally progressing that overarching plot. I like that.
Getting into the episode proper, this week introduces us to our primary villains of the arc: Ibara, Kirisame and Moz. Ibara seems to be the big bad of the island, the leader of it all. Yeah Dr. STONE says he is representing the Master, but the way he acts makes it feel like he’s the real power behind the throne so to speak. How we don’t yet know, but it feels clear to me that he’s the primary villain. Yet unlike Tsukasa, he doesn’t seem like a particularly physically threatening one. Oh he’s tall, huge even. But he’s thin and spindly, like an eerie scarecrow. He feels more like a managerial villain, someone who’s smart and perceptive, able to go head to head with Senku mentally while his minions drive the conflict physically. Hopefully this leads to a much more interesting conflict then we had with Tsukasa.
After him we have Kirisame, who appears to be the one with the petrification device. That alone would make her a formidable opponent, as it’s the most dangerous weapon in the series to date by a long shot. But she also seems to be a formidable warrior even without it, going head to head with Kohaku in melee. A nice mix of technology and brute force. And as for Moz? Well we don’t know much about him yet, as we haven’t met him in the present. That said he does appear to be a bit of your stereotypical lecher sort of villain. Someone abusing power for sexual release, or just typically being a misogynistic asshole. No doubt we will see more of him as Dr. STONE transitions to the Inner Palace, but I’m expecting him to be the primary muscle behind Ibara’s brain.
Speaking of the Inner Palace, let’s talk about Senku’s plan for that! Simply put, the plan is to get Kohaku selected along with Amaryllis as a wife. Queue shenanigans. Honestly? I found all everything surrounding this pretty funny. Kohaku acting like one of the boys, not giving a shit about changing clothes and critiquing her dress on how it restricts her movements. That constant stupid face she made, seemingly on purpose, along with her attitude. I especially laughed at how she flustered Kirisame by claiming to be Senku’s wife, then both of them being completely dead-faced during the kiss. They both knew it was stupid, neither wanted to do it, there are no feelings here nor any romantic misunderstandings. But they had to to get out of the situation. And it was hilarious because of that.
Finally let’s talk about what’s going to happen next week. We get a bit of a hint at it, as both Ginro and Suika managed to avoid being petrified. One because they were under water, the other because Ryusui just wanted to kick a kid (That was funny). This gives us some secret agents on the ship, able to sneak around and retrieve the mobile lab, greatly expanding their scientific abilities. This is pretty nice! Despite the clear technological advantage, it feels like Senku and co are working at a disadvantage. It gives them a clear set of goals, one after another, that they can work towards. This allows the arc to not feel lost for what to do, and I quite like it.
So yeah, all in all this was a great episode of Dr. STONE. Things are moving, stuff is happening, the villains are introduced and our heroes have a clear path forward. The obstacles feel tall, but not insurmountable. And most of all? It’s a battle that can’t be won by pure physical strength, as for the first time the opponents are the one with the super weapon. Hopefully Dr. STONE can carry this through until the end of the season. I maintain my concern for where it will end, as it doesn’t feel like we have enough episodes. But I’m confident that it can at least end in a solid spot enough spot to not be one of those stupid “Go read the manga” cliffhangers.
P.S. Ginro seeing Kinro petrified, his first real experience with it, really was kind of sad and horrifying. Hopefully it’s enough for him to start taking this seriously.
