Dr. STONE
a review by TorasStoneWorldLog
a review by TorasStoneWorldLog
This time, though, it's not going to be for long - next chapter is set to be released this Sunday, and with a Season 2 that's set to be released this January, I'm definitely excited, and it's because I simply can't contain that excitement that I had to throw this out here. A fair warning - this post contains major spoilers of Dr Stone that's not yet been animated, so please read at own risk.
I didn't know anything about Dr Stone when I first started. Actually, I think I watched the first two episodes with a friend a few years ago, to check it out and see if it was something we would watch. Since then, a lot of things happened, and my friend and I stopped seeing each other. Sucks, but that's how life is, I guess. Because of that, Dr Stone was put on ice until quite recently, when I stumbled over an interesting discussion about it on Discord, which reignited my interest in the show, and I decided to revive it. So grabbing my own limited knowledge of the natural sciences (I'm but a scientist in the humanities and the social sciences), I sat down and started watching.
Oh boy. Let's just say, I did not regret picking it back up. Before I knew of it, I had reached the end of Season 1 and I wanted more. I still do, now that I also caught up with the manga. I'm kinda like, what the hell just happened? And that in quite a good way. I had a lot of fun watching and reading, and most of all, I found the premise that the series is built on to be super refreshing.
It's not often that I see an animanga based on the principles of science fly into my TBW/R list. Often, science fiction can seem based on an interesting yet a more or less fantastical concept that's got very little to do with the levels of science we currently know of (this comes from someone who loves science fiction with a passion).
Sure, there are some aspects of that in Dr Stone too, don't get me wrong, but it was really fun to see how science and concepts based on well-known, factual scientific concepts and theories (yes, the correct term is theories) played a role in the series.
Not gonna lie, the execution of "the power of science" does tend to be oversimplistic in nature, not to mention the "power of science" tends to become a bit of a buzzword mantra at times because it gets repeated a bit too often for my tastes, and it almost gives you a feeling like it's a bit like a magical superpower like, 'ooh, look at me, I can do this, I know science', That feeling does not get better when our hero Senku time and time again whips up one fantastical solution after the other to the problems that he faces as he tries his hardest to uncover what happened on that day when the entire world turned to stone.
HOWEVER! That, to me, at least, is a rather small Aber-Dabei when I look at it from a bigger perspective. First things first, this is science fiction. Of course, it is meant to be simplified and fantastical. Most likely are elements of this series in part meant to show what "baaaad" stuff (thank you, Chrome) you might be able to do with science if you learn the principles and work hard enough for it. So it really doesn't matter much how unrealistic some of the things Senku thinks up. Well, at least not for me, lol. It just makes it more entertaining.
Besides, if all of it were explained down to the last detail or kept realistic no matter what, I'm fairly sure that the fun, not to mention the story of the series would have been lost quickly, and then the series might need a different audience with degrees in the natural sciences to even understand it. These critical aspects here are simply a matter of knowing the audience and how to communicate the science on a need-to-know basis that makes it relatable and entertaining. It doesn't have to be any more complicated than that.
Another thing I found entertaining about this is how this is clearly a story that builds its premise on one of those hypothetical intellectual experiments such as "what would you do if you were sent back to the stone age with the scientific knowledge you currently have" and such. It adds a nice little spice to the story. It's quite ironic, and rather telling, actually.
Speaking of Senku - I really like the role that he plays in the story. Sure, he is the main character that guides the other characters with his knowledge of science and such, but he is often seen throwing the ball to other characters, giving them their chance to shine and never looks down on them for lack of scientific knowledge, but always encourages people to keep trying, because he knows that even with his knowledge, he is not infallible. He can seem cynical, manipulative and even arrogant at times, yet behind it all is he a selfless and sensible kind of guy.
Generally, this series has some pretty interesting characters and character dynamics, which adds further flavour to the story. It's nothing too deep or too emotionally heavy as other series, but it's still got plenty of heart and humour to offer. Sure, the story does rely on tropes to tell the story, but nonetheless is the subtle, humourous, sometimes caricatured ways that any of the characters are portrayed just what makes it more fun to watch and read.
One thing I particularly enjoy in how the characters are portrayed in Dr Stone is that while there are some traits that a given character is built up around, the characters are particularly made to stand out depending on what talents they have, and how they contribute to the series. Like, there's always a clear distinction between every character's abilities and put thought into how they can be made unique, but not so unique that they can't somehow contribute to the community and the story as a whole, which gives the clear sense that everyone can contribute and be part of the community, whether that being the Kingdom of Science or the Tsukasa Empire.
Beyond this point there will be spoilers from the manga that's not yet animated, so if you've only watched the first season, you might want to stop here.
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One character I'd really like to particularly highlight here at the end of this longwinded mess of a shower thought post is probably the character that's stood out to me the most throughout both manga and anime.
Well, what I mentioned above cannot be surmised from this panel alone, but there's plenty of evidence that can be found throughout most of the manga up until the Stone Wars that highlight what it is that he seeks. This is just one of many examples, where this goal is better described than in the anime. For in the anime, he kinda comes off like a maniac that seeks to build an empire based on young strong people alone, without caring one bit about progress. Like, it's just about building the world with the young and the strong, and nothing else, basically like giving all the older generations the middle finger. "Okay, Boomer". Basically giving the middle finger to any progress that could prove problematic to his vision. However. Reading the manga, you get to see a bit more of what it is he is trying to achieve that is only vaguely presented in the anime, thus not doing Tsukasa's true character or his real goal much justice. Still. That does not mean his goal in the manga or the means by which he attempts to achieve it are not horribly wrong and twisted. More than anything, I'd like to argue that seeing what idealism that stands behind his goal and his actions just drives home the point that his good intentions are severely misled.As sweet as it would be if it was possible to just solve all the world's problems and end every unrest for a better world, it is as bitter to realise that such a goal is hopelessly idealistic, utopian, even. And as much as he did his utmost on his own with the powers he had, however foolishly misled and twisted his methods were, just as near-tragic did it end for him as well, as it often does when you fly on the brittle wings of idealism.
Fortunately for Tsukasa, Senku stood in his way, and when things went awry, Senku found a way to turn things around, ending the Stone Wars.
One thing I'd like to note here is that when it comes to his confrontation with Senku, I find it refreshing to see that it is not some good vs. evil skirmish or anything as black and white as that, but simply two different people who see the world through very different lenses and disagree on how things should be done in the Stone World. Sure, a fight on ideologies is high-explosive stuff to mess with, but it adds a sense depth to the characters and the story as a whole
Because of his well-meaning goal but distorted methods, it had me wary of him at first - where I come from, the kind of thinking he presented in the series usually tends to create movements with a lot less noble motives in mind - e.g. cults, sects, militant factions, political factions, you name it. it's the kind of path where not just yourself but everyone around you can get seriously friggin hurt. Even with the best of intentions, things go wrong and can cause a helluva lot more harm than one might think. Good intentions cannot change that.
Fortunately, Tsukasa just isn't that kind of monster. If he were, Dr Stone would probably have had a different, darker tone to it than it has, I'd imagine. More than anything, Tsukasa is just a kindhearted young man who went through some pretty fucked up shit and felt the world weigh down on his shoulders too much, so when he saw the chance to change the world for the better, he took it in the hopes that he could do it. Yet I cannot help but wonder what might have happened to him if things hadn't turned out the way they did.
I know I know. I said that the story didn't have to be that deep. I guess Tsukasa is the exception that proves the rule here, though. Either way, I found it added an interesting edge to his character and his relationships to everyone else in the series... I'd say, he is probably that character I feel I relate to the most. Heh, come to think of it, he actually reminds me of another figure from a different (and a lot older) literary universe that's got nothing to do with animanga, but everything to do with science, or what was once perceived as science. But that, my friends, is a different discussion, for another time.
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I think that's about all I had in mind, writing this review. Did not expect it to end up this long tho - whoops... I guess I went a bit overboard - I really need to keep things concise around here... Oh well, I'm excited about what's coming next!
TL;DR if you like good science fiction and is interested in science with a twist, lighthearted sense of humour and interesting characters, this might be for you.
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