Season 1, Episode 1: Stone World
As I’ve stated before the premier episode of series is largely about laying the groundwork. You have too establish the world and introduce the characters. They can be a little dull sometimes but are always necessary. Taiju Oki decides that he’s going to tell the girl he’s been in love with for 5 years how he feels. At this moment a bright green light appears in the sky turning everyone into stone. As a result the world is plunged into chaos. As people turn to stone the planes, cars and buses crash. The human population appears to be the only one that is turned into stone. We see dogs, wolves and monkeys that are still “alive.”
What is terrifying is that it appears that the people are able to think while encased in stone. One woman asks for “help.” Taiju keeps talking to himself to maintain his sanity. As years go by nature takes over the world destroying what was once human civilization. Taiju eventually breaks free. Having not aged, he searches for Yuzuriha and finds her by a tree. He finally tells her that he loves her. She’s still stone of course, but we know that people are still aware while stoned. What is interesting or even romantic is that Taiju literally has loved her for over a hundred years.
He sees above her head a message to “follow the river downstream, big oaf.” He meets with his old friend Senku Ishigami. It’s October 5th, 5738 and Senku has been free for six months. Turns out that Senku used his time in stone to count the seconds. Obviously, we have to suspend disbelief with this series. It’s hard to believe that neither, Senku or Taiju wouldn’t go insane from the isolation. Regardless, Taiju was waiting for a “meathead.” Senku will handle the “brainy stuff” and Taiju the “heavy lifting.” Senku plans to “take the world back,” and “figure out the science behind the petrification.”
Taiju is the typical dumb jock type with Senku appearing to be an egotistic genius. Time will tell if these archetypes hold. While foolishly eating berries, Taiju stumbles on what he calls the “strongest primate high-schooler,” Shishio Tsukasa. Afterward, Taiju sees the cave that he was freed in. Senku is collecting a liquid from bat guano, “nitric acid.” Senku has been experimenting on a way to free people from stone. He’s been using the stoned birds. Senku tells Taiju that he needs “liquor.” Despite Taiju lack of intelligence he does give Senku a good idea, make wine out of the aforementioned berries.
I loved this episode it was a perfect introduction to this series. Senku doesn’t seem like a traditional main character for a Shonen series. The main protagonist of the shonen series is usually the air headed, dark haired brute. Although, you could make a case that they’re both the main characters. The most pressing question at the moment is who will get freed next? I think it’s clearly going to be Yuzuriha and Shishio. It makes sense that Taiju would want to free Yuzuriha but Shishio is clearly a bad idea. However, Yuzuriha did seem to like Taiju all that much to me. Would it work out the way he thinks?
Dr. Stone Review:
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 11: Clear World
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 10: A Flimsy Alliance
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 09: Let There Be the Light of Science
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 08: Stone Road
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 07: Where Two Million Years Have Gone
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 06: Two Nations of the Stone World
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 05: Stone World The Beginning
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 04: Fire the Smoke Signal
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 03: Weapons of Science
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 02: King of the Stone World
- Dr. Stone Review Episode 01: Stone World
Very nice recap of the anime episode, and I like the way you write.
Thank you. I ready appreciate that.