There are few genres more ubiquitous than Battle Anime. From classics like One Piece and Naruto to the modern like Kimetsu no Yaiba and Black Clover, they are everywhere. Constantly trying to one up or explore the idea in new ways. As a consequence of this, a sub-genre began to appear, cleverly called "Non-Battle" Battle Anime by Super Eyepatch Wolf. In these kinds of anime, it rare for a conflict to be physical in nature. Whether it be cooking in Food Wars or gambling in Ultimate Survivor Kaiji, a punch is rarely thrown. Dr.STONE by TMS Entertainment however takes this one step further, removing the battle portion entirely, unless you count battles with nature herself. And it is here, in the survival and science rather than physical combat, in a celebration of what it means to be human, that Dr.STONE excels.
Without further ado, it's time to get into the review.
(Disclaimer: This review contains spoilers for Dr.STONE. I am also working to make 50 the new "average". 70 is not an average score people. 70 is above average. You can also find individual episode write ups and comment on this review on my blog here. Carry on.)
Starting off we can’t really review an anime without talking about its animation. Sadly for Dr.STONE, this is probably the field it does the worst in. As even being generous, an action anime Dr.STONE is not. However good it looks in stills, and we will get to that, in motion it is severely lacking. The first few examples of this come in the multitude of fight scenes throughout the series. As they cut from still pose to still pose, using sfx and camera pulls to give the illusion of motion. Either that or they are covered in terrible fades, the kind used to prevent seizures on television. Across the board, it just doesn’t wow in any way. Luckily enough this complete lack of animation means there’s very little bad animation as well. In actuality the best animation in Dr.STONE actually comes from its OP.
On a much more positive note though is Dr.STONE's aforementioned still shots. The animators clearly put in a lot of effort into replicating Boichi’s iconic style. From the heavy and dense linework to the bright colors and detailed backgrounds, Dr.STONE actually looks its best when it’s not moving. Taking time that is normally used on animation and instead putting in the work to nail every little detail in the series. For example, you can see it a lot in the glasswork or highly detailed art of the various science projects Senku works on. Detailing every little groove on the glass, the heat haze from the forge or the texture of fabric. The gums between teeth or a character’s reflection in the water. Simply put, it’s a focus on being picturesque over being kinetic. Of PC backgrounds/wallpapers vs Sakugabooru clips. And there’s nothing wrong with that.
None of this is to say that Dr.STONE did nothing more than copy the manga panel for panel. Director Shinya Iino did a great job interpreting the timing of a lot of scenes. Taking many of the gags for instance and pacing out the jokes and visuals to land just as well as they did in the manga. Shinya did a similar thing with many of the more heartwarming moments as well, hanging longer on the important shots. Or moving the camera with the characters’ motion or zooming out to really give a sense of scale. Dr.STONE is clearly making an effort to add something to Boichi’s original art. To make use of the medium rather than just tracing and coloring his original panels. While it’s nothing particularly impressive, it’s something I appreciate.
Simply put, I think TMS Entertainment did a good job bringing Boichi’s art to life, from the slapstick and facial comedy to the serious and detailed science. You can see a lot of this effort in their special documentary episode about the production of Dr.STONE, where they go over the various techniques and the materials they ordered to get a good look at them in person. Such as observing a glassblower at work, or keeping glassware and light bulbs at their desk. It’s a level of dedication, and a look behind the curtain, that I wish we saw more often. No doubt part of my positive reception to this section is because of such a look behind the scenes. As the more informed a viewer is the better they can judge the end results. So let me take a quick break from this review to say, go watch that episode.
Moving on, we come to a very contentious part of Dr.STONE, the setting and story. For the former, I actually find the idea rather novel. It introduces a mystery for the characters to solve, and takes something familiar (the world) and makes it unfamiliar. Simultaneously grounding its world in reality, a sense of familiarity, while also draping a sense of melancholy over what was lost. Two instances in particular stand out for me, demonstrating both. The first of course being the Buddha statue, telling Senku and co where they are while also making it clear that yes, the old world is gone. The 2nd comes soon after, as Senku realizes he is lost because over thousands of years the positions of stars have changed. These two events specifically stand out to me, fully realizing the setting and really building it as a “future” rather than some random jungle.
The former, the story, however is a much more mixed bag. When Dr.STONE is trying to do anything other than the science and human aspects, it is incredibly weak. As none of the action is particularly note worthy nor is are the villains particularly fleshed out. We will get to the characters specifically in just a moment, but suffice to say the greater meta story surrounding the science is very rarely fleshed out. Only really cropping up every few episodes to remind us, “Hey, there’s a bad guy out there.” On one hand I understand it, it’s a trapping of Shounen, and it sort of kick starts the plot at the start. And the “idea” behind the confrontation is sound on paper. But in execution there simply isn’t enough attention given this conflict to make me care whenever it pops up.
Now we can get to the aforementioned characters, who are split both in quality and roles in the story. Among our leads we have Senku voiced by Yuusuke Kobayashi, Chrome by newcomer Gen Satou, and Kohaku by Manami Numakura. The leads can also include Taiju and Yuzuriha. But they are largely absent from this first season and so are closer to supports in my eyes. Regardless, I am quite fond of these leads. Of course each are sort of “superhuman” in that they can do a lot, but that’s just Shounen in general. Their real appeal though to me lies in their personalities and actions throughout the show. As an example, I greatly enjoy Senku’s clear love not just for science but for people, and his attempts to hide it. I find the passion that Kobayashi is able to instill in the character to be compelling.
Meanwhile, the rest of the cast is just as colorful and you are sure to find one you like. From the old craftsman Kaseki to the sweet Suika, even the brash Magma, each have their place. My personal favorite among the supporting characters is Gen, who will be my main example for this section. To me, Gen has always been the sort of audience surrogate. A man in love with the trappings of modern life, but with no understanding as to how to make them. So to Gen, every time Senku manages to bring something of the modern world back to life, it’s like a miracle. And it is this inability to actually make or understand anything Senku does that has him appreciate it even more than the villagers, who are seeing it for the first time, not knowing just how much was lost when everyone was turned to stone.
Sadly, once we arrive at the villains, it starts to go down hill. On paper, Dr.STONE's villains work well. Tsukasa is a good foil to Senku, as he understands science and is similarly intelligent. He just has very different desires, based on his life experiences. In practice however Tsukasa is absent for a vast majority of Dr.STONE's run time and really only appears occasionally to remind us “something will happen… eventually”. Combine that with Hyouga and many of the unnamed, boorish goons and they simply aren’t entertaining to watch, being almost comically evil in some instances. It’s a shame too, because there is some real potential here. Such as Tsukasa’s lament about how he and Senku really got along and could have been friends in the modern world. But his pragmatism prevents him from letting Senku live. Hopefully we get some more from him in the already announced Season 2.
Finally to address a small complaint I have seen elsewhere, yes Dr.STONE's characters have a tad of a Mary Sue problem. They are good at a lot of things and rarely have any kind of flaw. From Senku’s brilliance, but lack of people skills, to Chrome’s quick wit and Kohaku’s combat prowess and physical abilities. However, I never found this to be an issue, and let me tell you why. In a story with no real conflict, where it is rare for people to fight other people, I don’t much care how overpowered a character is. Because the enjoyment of Dr.STONE does not come from Senku beating Magma in a clever fight. Rather it comes from watching an animated game of Civilization V playing out before our very eyes. From the celebration of humanity that is Dr.STONE. And in that context, who cares how strong a character is?
Finally we can get to one of the best aspects of Dr.STONE, the soundtrack. Simply put, I think Tatsuya Kato and Hiroaki Tsutsumi knocked it out of the park, as Dr.STONE is filled with memorable pieces. All the while striking a perfect balance between the natural, wild world it’s set in and the modern technology-filled one it came from. You can see this most perfectly in “I’m a Human” as it mixes woodwinds and strings, soft sounds, with the harder and more rapidly paced lyrical raps. Even opening up and keeping beat as if stone is striking stone. I also can’t ignore the bagpipes, which are an incredibly under utilized instrument in my opinion. For a good example of this just listen to “STONE WORLD“, as it uses them expertly. In fact I love this so much let’s just take a moment to go through a few favorites.
Starting from the more natural side of things we have “From Zero” which fits beautifully with the lush backgrounds. To me this is a piece meant to capture the beauty and variety of nature early on, as our cast is just figuring things out. Moving farther up the timeline we have “Get Excited“, which is similar to “From Zero” but is more focused, prioritizing the strings. As Senku has realized what needs to be done and is actively moving towards that goal now. Then we start getting into the more modern styles with “Think“. The strings’ sound goes fast, ending as soon as they are plucked. All the while being darker in tone as things get serious. All that before “Chemical Boys Boogie Mix“, which is straight modern funky fun. As Chrome and Senku are just in the swing of things. It’s a fantastic OST, with plenty to love.
Now before I can move on to my favorite section of this review, we have to talk the sfx. On this front Dr.STONE is… good? It’s very hard to tell at times, because often the best sfx are unobtrusive. You don’t even realize they are there, as they fit the scene perfectly. In Dr.STONE's case though I cannot figure out if the sfx are doing their job, or if the stellar music simply drowned them out most of the time. At they very least I can confirm that they rarely took me out of the experience. The scenes that caused that mostly being action, as Dr.STONE gives us the generic “boom” of impact. So for good or ill, the best I can give Dr.STONE here is that they rarely got in the way. And that’s not all that bad when you think about it.
And now, my favorite section, one I added to the review specially for Dr.STONE, themes. To me, this is the single most appealing aspect of Dr.STONE as a series. That being its beautiful, loud celebration of everything that it means to be human. Loudly proclaiming from as high as it can go “life is beautiful”. I already mentioned previously how Gen factors in to all this, as a sort of audience surrogate. On the opposite end of the spectrum are the villagers. People who have no idea what Senku is doing and so experience it all for the first time. From ramen to glassware to simple heated stoves, Dr.STONE shows how far we as a species have come in every episode. One of the standout examples of this is episode 9, with the first lightbulb and Senku’s simple question of, “Are you afraid of the dark?”
Dr.STONE isn’t perfect in this regard of course – there are times it gets rather political or ideological. Such as Senku’s insistence that in the modern day there is an equal relationship between white and blue collar work. How one could not exist and operate without the other. And while on the greatest most macro level that is true, it also ignores many of the massive imbalances in today’s modern society. Occasionally in Dr.STONE's quest to celebrate our humanity, it vilified the idea of change, such as how it presents Tsukasa’s admonishing of the older generation. Taking any critique of the modern age and shoving it into Tsukasa’s “evil” camp. While this is fine if you are just looking for a good time, and Dr.STONE is one, I feel it occasionally hurts the overall message. Basically, while I love the core themes, I wish Dr.STONE could take a more nuanced approach.
So all in all, how was Dr.STONE? The best way I can put it is that the series is one of extremes. It wears what it is on its sleeve and never changes. Dr.STONE also fails to start off on a particularly strong note, as while the setup with Tsukasa, the Stone Wars and the timeline is important, it’s not particularly compelling. Dr.STONE's strength lies in its cast and the science, and any time it is off doing something else it suffers for it. However, what Dr.STONE does well it does very well, as most everything past episode 5 can attest to. And even though the story is incomplete, the fact that a 2nd season has already been announced really makes that a non-issue at this time. So the best I can say is this: Dr.STONE is fun. It is a flawed, fun, beautiful mess, and one worth your time.
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