Overview
Dr. Stone came out as one of the ‘chosen ones’ as to say, right along side The Promised Neverland, Kimetsu No Yaiba, My Hero Acedemia etc. as the future of Shonen Jump. With overwhelmingly successful adaptations for the other 3 manga, how does Dr. Stone stack up? Well, rather poorly. Now that’s not to say it’s a bad series, just that it didn’t leave as much of an impact as the other 3 did. Let’s get into a more detailed review to better understand this.
Story: 5/10
Given that you’ve already read the synopses, you know what it’s about. The first 6 episodes feature a
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tense atmosphere where, in this light setting, suddenly lives are at stake. Death is now a possibility for the main cast and is shown on screen (with a character destroying statues). Here we are introduced to the show’s main moral dilemma. Is the modern world, which is flourishing in science but ruled by greedy adults, better than this ‘stone world’ in which only the youth shall be revived?
Now whilst this is one fine moral dilemma, It’s not really elaborated upon as much as I would like. The narrative basically boils down to each side reasserting their position on the matter rather than a discussion on why their viewpoint is what it is. Furthermore, after the 6th episode the two opposing sides never meet and so this dialogue is never expanded upon in the series.
The next 10 episodes can be most closely associated with a Food Wars style of storytelling. Our Protagonist will set sight on a goal to invent something and then there will be a scientific explanation of what this something can do. Sometimes, inventing something will require obtaining some raw materials and so there will be entire episodes dedicated on the journey to acquire said raw materials and the importance of these. What you get is half your episode time dedicated to the explanation of the functionality, importance and characteristics of these items that our protagonist wants to invent. The entertainment factor of these long moments of exposition is highly subjective, I’d recommend watching the show while having a meal so that you have some other activity to dedicate your brain cells to because the explanations can get very boring and the MC’s excitement is not enough to make up for that. Apart from the chemical/technology/product the protagonists try to make, much of the content in these 10 episodes is very repetitive with the same cycle again and again. We do get a small tournament arc, however that is not much of a cause for excitement since you don’t get good old shounen style battle tournament but a much more boring “we’ll win this with science” crap tries to pass it’s tactics off as clever but really just comes off as cringe.
Finally in the last third of the series we get some background information on the formation of this stone world, how knowledge was passed down, who the founders were etc. etc. and it does well to answer some of the very obvious questions of this world but not all of them, so look forward to that in season 2. Nonetheless, the last third of the series once again is spent in the same cycle of, need raw material -> exposition -> journey to get it -> exposition -> acquired, which, again I would emphasize, is only enjoyable if you don’t get bored easily.
On the positive side, the story does have a sense of progression, we see the advancement of the kingdom of science as well as the ‘antagonists’ of this series. The constant threat from the youth kingdom keeps you wondering how long can this peace be sustained but with the little attention that it’s given, I doubt that will be enough to keep you hooked
Characters 6/10
Dr Stone focuses more on quantity rather than quality when it comes to it’s characters. You’re offered a huge colorful (literally) cast of characters with their own quirky personalities but they’re mostly very 1 dimensional and not worth talking about. The only one worthy of talking about is your main character, Senku. What separates Senku from other characters like him, who fall into the same cliche of overpowered genius that serves as a wish fulfillment vessel for the viewer, is that the series repeatedly shows his faults. It’s constantly reiterated that sense is lacking in several ways. He is physically very weak, He isn’t athletic, he can’t do much alone. More importantly, Senku has empathy, he has his sense of morality and his weakness for small doses of happiness that come from different sources, like his friends celebrating his birthday. Speaking of friends, another thing that separates Senku from other characters of his kind is his almost tsundere like love for his friends and whilst some may say it doesn’t fit his character, I can’t think of anything more fitting of a highschooler.
Some highlight characters:-
Chrome: Lots of potential for character development and you already see some flashes of it in the series. Rather than just a lackey for Senku, you can see him coming into his own as a scientist with his own drive to invent and his own love for science.
Gen: One of the more unique side characters. After Senku, Gen would be the most interesting character to give an a story arc to. His cunning behavior and morality give him a unique spin that sets him apart from other characters in the series.
Art and Animation: 9/10
The Art leaves very little to complain about. Both the manga and the anime have stellar art, particularly the characters. With almost each character given a very unique design that sets them apart from others. If I did have one criticism, it would be that all the females in the series have the same chibi art style that makes them look a little too cute for their age. For example, at some moments Rui and Suika look like they have the same face despite an almost 10 year difference.
The animation of the series pulls through when it is needed. It’s not a battle anime and so the animation is not required to be of the highest end at all times as long as it’s able to product some magical moments in between. Some of these magical moments include: The Observatory, The Christmas scene, (The Cotton Candy Licking), Senku’s emotional response to the gravestones, etc.
Sound: 8/10
I have very little to say about the sound, It had good openings and a decent sound track. Nothing that memorable except the second opening which seems to be stuck in my head.
Overall: 7/10
Watching Dr. Stone will not be a waste of your time, you will have moments of entertainment and sometimes the science will make you go “wow, I knew they would make that” but it’s not a show worth binge-ing or investing too much into. I’d recommend watching it casually and at your own pace and before season 2 comes out, because this show can be better enjoyed on a weekly streaming basis rather than binge-watching. It’s not going to leave much of an impact and apart from 2/3 characters, the cast won’t be very memorable, but overall, as an experience, you will not be left with a bad taste in your mouth.
Dec 13, 2019
Overview
Dr. Stone came out as one of the ‘chosen ones’ as to say, right along side The Promised Neverland, Kimetsu No Yaiba, My Hero Acedemia etc. as the future of Shonen Jump. With overwhelmingly successful adaptations for the other 3 manga, how does Dr. Stone stack up? Well, rather poorly. Now that’s not to say it’s a bad series, just that it didn’t leave as much of an impact as the other 3 did. Let’s get into a more detailed review to better understand this. Story: 5/10 Given that you’ve already read the synopses, you know what it’s about. The first 6 episodes feature a ... |
