Plot (6/10)
This season had a better first half in my opinion, economics is Science as well , but mostly the social aspect of it , the search for petrochemicals and the Boar easter egg was quite well set , the second part of the petrification and whatnot is a bit too fantasy than science and a lot of jokes which are make light of beauty and the sciency stuff just happens outta thin air with little to no explanation almost all the time.The pacing is also so much faster (science wise i saw the forums saying that it is actually slow plot wise) which probably leads to most of the exposition and info dumps being half assed and it really does not help because most fans are looking for the same treat as was season1 fantasy aspect but with way more learning and science which very frequently takes the back seat this time around, The whole aspect of making the engine was glossed over , which was such a BUMMER! The comedy in general has also taken a big hit , mostly repeat gags and making fun at someone's expense which is usually mean rather than funny xD the art and animation being a bit weak also does not help with the comedic timing of certain scenes.
Characters (9/10)
The way Dr Stone handles its characters is honestly one of the best examples of how to keep new characters relevant without making the old ones fade like what I feel happened in Tensura. New characters are introduced and some of the old ones are set aside with a realistic touch of a few remaining behind because of the risky voyage. This allowed for a mostly refreshed cast for the voyage, an undeniable masterstroke since the number of characters was growing beyond a threshold. So to make sure that some of the new people remain special and actually get a decent enough spotlight and to introduce characters with newer abilities and not pull it out of the ass of the old ones a soft reset was made with this voyage arc while we can be assured that we will be back with old ones with a reunion to look forward too!
Art and animation (7/10)
The comedic slapstick and transitional art is all gone for the most part ! one good thing to take is the artstyle does remain consistent and unique like the last time but the facial expressions do not change as much as the first time around and the emotional aspects are also just glossed over with not much depth or beauty added to the scene or character in question , this would be okay in general but compared to the first 2 it is a big downgrade , if you compare senku finding out about his father, magma’ s sacrifice, and soyuz’s climactic reveal , they hardly hit the same due to the art being lackluster in the latter. Animation is ramped up only in places where their importance is felt, rest is average, scenes like the old man drip and balloon adventure do have some good art which is season1 level of quality.
Sound and VA (8/10)
This aspect of the anime is on par of what we expect in doctor stone , mostly it does not get complimented perfectly by the art however , the ost is mostly the originals i could not genuinely make out any original to this season ost but IG it must be their in rare instances and i missed it , the OP is pretty good and quite the banger and can proudly stand in front of its season1 counterparts.
Overall its still dr stone , but it's a bit of a focus shift and that could either just be a small nuisance to a deal breaker depending on the type of viewer , me personally I recommend it with no issue to the previous audience.
