Reinventing the Wheel Times 100 billion!
- Episodes : 24
- Genre : Adventure, Sci-Fi, Shounen
- Airing Date : July 5, 2019 – December 13, 2019
- Producers : TMS Entertainment
Contains Spoilers
Dr. Stone Introduction
As you read this review, try to picture yourself just living out your daily routine. You get up, have breakfast, brush your teeth, take a shower, and enjoy the rest of your day. All of a sudden, you and everybody else (as in humans and some birds) turn into stone for the next 3,000+ years! During that period, the world naturally reverts back to its primitive state and modern society ceases to exist. As select members of humanity manage to free themselves from their petrified prisons after over 4 millenniums, they have to start back from square one. As for teenage science enthusiast Senkuu Ishigami, he’s doing the best he can with what mother nature has to bring back centuries of scientific advancements within a year! However, Tsukasa Shishio, a former up-and-coming teenage MMA fighter, opposes Senkuu’s plans for reviving everyone as he only wants to recreate a world for the youth. As a result, Senkuu and Tsukasa create their own respective “nations” and prepare for war.
1. It’s Educational
For those that want an anime version of “Bill Nye: The Science Guy,” (while also mixing in a little “MacGyver”) Dr. Stone perfectly fits that bill! It teaches its audience how they can use the most primitive of materials to make modern-day conveniences. As we say in our title, this anime is about humanity having to reinvent the wheel times 100 billion! Within the course of a year, Senkuu manages to create a society that can use electricity and communications! Dr. Stone portrays how to make a light bulb, a waterwheel that produces electricity, and antibiotics that treat pneumonia! When it comes to the more complicated parts of a certain device or chemical, the series displays fun flow charts (accompanied by the explanations by Mecha Senkuu) on how it functions. Of course, there are some experiments portrayed in this series that you shouldn’t try at home!
2. Every Character Has a Role
As Dr. Stone’s story expands, so does its cast. What makes this anime captivating is that every character has a role to play. You see the positive influence Senkuu has on most of the people he encounters. Other key characters such as Kohaku, Chrome, and Kaseki all have something to contribute. The series gives each of these characters enough time to develop and for the audience to connect with them. One notable moment that demonstrates this is when Kaseki solidifies his friendship with Chrome and Senkuu as “science bros.”
3. The Antagonist Has Legitimate Motivations
While Tsukasa can be extreme with his methods (ie, breaking off the heads of people who are still petrified), he has legitimate reasons for only wanting to revive the youth. Through his back story, he shares how he was mistreated and abused by adults. In a way, the audience can interpret his motivations as a criticism of the elderly dominance in Japanese society, and how it negatively affects the modern-day youth of Japan.
1. Underused Antagonist
While we already know that Tsukasa is going to have a bigger role in season 2, in this installment, his presence is only in the first and last few episodes. Tsukasa is not only strong, he shows he’s as smart as Senkuu when it comes to science! This is demonstrated when he realized that a certain element found near hot springs could be used as gunpowder, and he immediately comes to that conclusion! The fact that he’s physically strong and scientifically aware makes him the ultimate antagonist, and it’s a shame that he’s underused throughout the series, but there’s season 2 to look forward to.
2. All About World Building
For those of you who don’t like anime that relies on world-building, then this season of Dr. Stone is probably not for you. Most of this anime is all about world-building, but the situation portrayed in the story does a great job of justifying it. Even so, we understand there are viewers out there who aren’t into that kind of storytelling. We get that it slows things down so if you want something a little more fast-paced, this probably isn’t for you.
Final Thoughts
While we can’t ignore the notion that most of this series is just setting things up for Stone Wars, or season 2, the first season does an excellent job of introducing its core elements with its setting and characters. Not only is Dr. Stone a great story about survival and the joys of science, it’s also a touching story about friendship and community. Through the people of Ishigami Village, viewers can see that when everyone works together, they can accomplish great things and overcome any adversity.
Author: Justin "ParaParaJMo" Moriarty
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