Season 1, Episode 5: Stone World The Beginning
Dr. Stone is a series that plays with our expectation. Initially, characters are placed in archetypal positions. Senku, the cold hearted genius, Taiju the dumb brute, Yuzuriha the damsel and Tsukasa the villain. However, all four types have been challenged. While they behave as their typing suggest, there are moments when the deviate from expectation. When Senku “sacrifices” himself for Yuzuriha, he proves that he isn’t so cold hearted. Taiju uses his intellect to devise a plan that requires him to assume a bias that Tsukasa has, regarding the dynamic between, Yuzuriha and Taiju. Tsukasa is very much the villain, however, he’s not nearly as simple as that role suggests.
His intellect rivals Senku (even if the later is still smarter) and he’s not without compassion. Finally, there’s Yuzuriha, who I was afraid would be relegated as simple the “damsel in distress.” In this episode she takes a small step towards being more relevant. She figures out that Senku wanted to provoke Tsukasa into hitting him in the neck. Together she and Taiju are able to deduce that Senku isn’t dead, but used some petrification on his neck. They heal him with revival fluid. This proves that not only are they not useless without Senku’s intellect, but as a trio they are formidable. Each with have their strengths. The trio is strongest when they work together.
The later half of the episode shows how Senku was freed from the stone and how he survived. Senku spends a great deal of time trying to acquire fire. While under the watchful eye of three condescending monkeys that think he’s stupid. The montage is informative and funny. Time will tell how long it takes for Tsukasa to learn that Senku survived, but it would be in the best interests for the trio to lay low for now. They have to find the other survivors and determine if they’re friends or foe. I’m still not certain that Tsukasa will remain the main villain though. I think they might have to join forces against some other threat.
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
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