This basically sums up what I’ve seen from Dr. Stone, and I’m 99% percent certain that its unique premise has drawn the attention of a lot of anime fans. Ha, bet you were expecting a cheap 10 billion percent joke, but I still have my dignity. Of course just because this anime has a plot that isn’t “dude dies by truck-kun and is revived as an OP isekai god” doesn’t mean that the show itself will be great. With that said, let’s dive into my thoughts on Dr. Stone!
Plot: 7 billion out of 10 billion (So much for my dignity…)
Premise aside, I actually kinda like what they did with the execution of the story. Now naysayers will surely argue that this anime fails because despite it advertising that the protagonist Senkuu uses science and reason to solve problems, the anime is still crazy over the top. And yeah, things are incredibly overblown, like people in this anime accomplish feats that should be physically and mentally impossible. But now I’d like to remind everyone that this is an anime. A shounen at that. One that takes place 3700 years in the future. Did anyone actually think that Dr. Stone was going to aim for absolute realism? I personally believe that it does a seamless job at combining fantasy and shounen elements with the application of science. And Senkuu’s experiments really spice things up with how innovative and useful they can be. Also, the anime goes on to explain how he was able to make all of these modern achievements with such primitive tools, and it’s actually kind of believable. Its even kinda fun, and I actually learned a little about the construction of scientific elements. But hey, if Dr. Stone’s approach turns you off, you can always learn about science by watching Bill Nye the Science Guy before he became a shill or something. Your choice!
The plot is definitely the high point of the anime for me, and while it’s a little held back by some of the weak characters, the story still manages to be great. It has some solid progression in both science as well as the advancement of the primitive village people. I honestly think that their development and curiosity with the modern world is endearing and shows that no matter how far civilization has regressed, humans will alway maintain their desire for progress and innovation. I’d also like to give a shoutout to the backstory episodes revolving around Senkuu’s dad, which, while rushed, were really interesting and added a lot to the narrative.
Animation: 4 billion out of 10 billion
Visuals are probably the weakest point of this show. One thing that Shounen anime are typically known for aside from deafeningly loud protagonists and bloviated power levels are their fight sequences. And the ones depicted in Dr. Stone are pretty lackluster. They use the typical easy-outs like close ups to hide the fact that nothing is really being animated and a bunch of still shots with nothing but the characters’ voices to remind us the characters are actually battling. Also, the art, which is generally fine and consistent, can get really bad when characters are drawn to look “funny.” Now this is just my opinion of course, but I thought the CrAZy faces the characters made were closer to cringe than comedy so…they just didn’t work for me.
Sound: 5 billion out of 10 billion
Did anyone notice the catchy Celtic sounding music that would play right after the theme song? I love that kind of stuff. The soundtrack was also infused with some similar sounding music from time to time, which was cool. I’ll probably get a lot of flack for this, but I wasn’t a fan of any of the theme songs. They just weren’t my style, ya know? When it comes to voice acting, the performances sort of go both ways for me. While the seiyuu generally do a good job, they also sometimes go a little overboard with their acting, and it just seems really forced sometimes.
Characters: 4 billion out of 10 billion
Oh boy, here’s where the anime could have been a great success in my eyes had they done this part right. Unfortunately, a lot of the characters are hit or miss. And for me, the science wizard Senkuu falls in the latter category. He’s a super duper spectacular unparalleled genius dude who uses big brain time 10 billion percent of the time. He knows all there is to know about science and cackles annoyingly when he figures something out as his companions look on in dumbfounded wonder. I praised the show’s usage of science, but I have to bash the guy who they wrote to apply it. He’s more of a plot device if anything, and despite the anime’s best efforts to make him a deep character by doing things like providing his backstory, it just doesn’t work for me. He’s just a character who feels sorta…empty.
Senkuu’s childhood friends, Taiju and Yuzuriha, are featured a lot at the beginning, but get absolutely zero development. And of course right when you think they’ll become important and useful, they’re completely removed from the anime without a trace. A bit of a waste if you ask me. There’s also Tarzan-kun, the antagonist of the story who’s a big guy with a big heart. Except not really. He’s supposed to be one of those hero antagonists who despite his questionable actions still wants what’s best for the world. Tarzan-kun just wants to make a utopia consisting of only untainted children with the goal of them living in harmony. Except he counteracts his own goal by literally reviving con artists, murderers and sluts, so…so much for that!
The characters who save this anime are definitely the village people. While none of them have stood out yet as particularly special, I believe that a lot of them have the potential to get there down the line. I like warrior girls, so I ended up liking Kohaku. Yeah, I’m actually not that hard to please. Chrome ended up being a solid character who would honestly be a better protagonist than Senkuu. Suika is absolutely adorable and actually useful, and the other villagers like Ginrou and Kaseki just add some needed humor and fun to the anime. They’re all around pretty solid characters, and I started to enjoy watching Dr. Stone a lot more after their introduction.
Entertainment: 6 billion out of 10 billion
I honestly got pretty bored with Dr. Stone at the beginning. While the plot was definitely interesting, I feel like the writers weren’t effectively using what they had and instead focused on some one dimensional characters making terrible jokes with a little bit of random science thrown in here and there. But as I said, once Senkuu got to the village, the anime started to turn around for the better, and I actually found myself becoming a bit invested in the show. It wasn’t a dramatic shift or anything as the core problems of Dr. Stone were still apparent, but the show was able to alleviate some of these issues by actually becoming fun and enjoyable to watch.
Overall: 5 out of 10, because I can’t handle any more billions
Dr. Stone had a lot of potential. Now while it wasn’t completely squandered or anything, I feel like this anime could have really been so much more if it wasn’t for the failings of a lot of the core characters and the general mediocrity of the first six or so episodes. And while it certainly got better down the line, it wasn’t a big enough improvement to elevate this show to new heights or anything in my mind. But hey, its still a fine show, and you might actually learn something from watching. I know I sure did! Wanna know what I learned?
Appreciate soap. It can be just as effective as any old doctor. Yep, that’s what I got out of this anime.
