DR. STONE
We can say that 2019 left us a long list of exciting series that we could watch during the quarantine of 2020. However, one of the Japanese productions that stood out the most while I was catching up with anime from the previous year during confinement was Dr. Stone. It is worth separating it for a moment from the others since it has dared to touch on a subject that few animations of the shonen genre have managed to include successfully in an exciting way: science.
Doctor Stone places us in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity has been turned into stone; 3700 years after the event, our protagonist Senku wakes up, a genius in the exact sciences, and his friend Taiju, who is an airhead that stands out for his physical abilities. After many experiments, they manage to make a liquid to reverse the petrification.
Still, when they use it, they suffer an attack by lions that forces them to revive a former fighter named Tsukasa, who manages to help them. Still, he intends to restore only the people he considers worthy and create a utopia. So, two sides are formed. Senku wants to recreate human society's progress without discriminating who should be revived and that of Tsukasa.
The premise of Dr. Stone is excellent, not only because of how interesting and mysterious it is but also because of its concept—being the riskiest experiment and the work itself. An attempt is made to bring a fantastic science fiction story closer to the public, obtaining a more than favorable result since it has led the public to become interested in science or, at least, to recognize its importance and learn together while watching the series.
Although it is true that the first episodes are somewhat slow and that the series in general lines do not stand out for its frenetic pace, the animation studio knows how to measure the plot timing correctly.
Humor and even dramatic moments often occur, but the incredible power of science is never lost. I am captivated by Senku´s genuine fascination with rebuilding humanity to such a degree that I also feel happy for each of his accomplishments. The narration in this aspect is excellent as it makes us feel like we are participating in the world’s reconstruction.
For obvious reasons, I wanted to separate Senku from the rest of the characters because there is no story without him. Since being the reincarnation of Google, he is the only one who has the necessary knowledge to rebuild society. But what I like is that the series also gives this character several facets and emotions, giving him virtues and defects, which allows us to empathize more with him and make him more human.
The biggest problem that Senku has is his participation. It is too much, and the series itself became dependent on him because if Senku does not do something, nothing happens. This detracts from the value of the secondary characters and can eventually make the character somewhat annoying.
Then we have Tsukasa, the antagonist. His concept seems to me to be well thought out since he, unlike the protagonist, has an ideology, because if you remember, Senku has the goal of restoring society. Still, he has no interest in improving it, and he doesn't even consider what that would mean for the world. But back to the topic, I think the plot is forced to have the typical shonen structure as the antagonist takes an extremist stance. Senku is so intelligent it is illogical that they have not thought of a deal. Senku can restore society with science.
At the same time, Tsukasa helps to create an equal community. This is a more reasonable way; instead of simply rejecting my ideal, I will kill you. Another problem is that the character is overpowered, as I can't explain the fact that a boy between 16-18 years old can beat a lion with his hands. Also, without specializing in science, he can know about nitric acid just by touching it and mixing and distilling the wine to make the de-petrifying liquid.
Finally, we have the supporting characters. I like the side characters in this anime, but I put them all in the same category for two reasons. The first is that very few of the characters have a remarkable development. Their evolution is the same; for example, Kohaku is the same, but now he likes Senku, Kinro is the same, but now he likes Senku, and so it happens with several characters. The only ones that escape from this scenario are Chrome, who develops an exceptional bond with the protagonist, and what is more important, he gets a new motivation and goal.
The other one is Gen, who, thanks to how the series makes the impossible possible, changes a little and starts to think about others. An example of this is the gift he creates for Senku. The rest of the manga may improve this aspect, so it remains open for future development. The second reason is, that they hardly contribute to the plot. I will give you an example from the story. It didn't matter if it was Ginro or another character to get the sulfuric acid. What was indispensable was the spear, and situations like this happen in several parts.
We could highlight two aspects, regarding design and animation, if we talk about Dr. Stone. On the one hand, the characterization of its characters. Far from the exacerbated detail of many other authors and a series of very marked features, Dr. Stone proclaims characters that are somewhat simpler in terms of layout.
At least in female characters’ design, as this can be observed in characters such as Yuzuhira and Kohaku. On the other side, male cast members have much more marked defining features. And not only because the animation studio and author wanted to enhance their muscles much more. No. This is also conveyed through their facial expressions.
The chosen color palette is pretty to look at. The combination of diverse environments, the contrast between nature and science, is adequate and plausible. The post-apocalyptic world’s recreation gains integers thanks to the studio's incredible work, which has managed to convey, with great success, the feelings that the mangaka captures in his drawings.
Dr. Stone is very entertaining if you are looking for something not very serious. It has very emotional, funny moments, and above all, I adore how it develops all areas of science. Perhaps for those who are not used to this type of script, it will seem hilarious that our protagonist is so absurdly intelligent; that he has been able to spend 3700 years counting every second without losing his sanity.
Taiju, who spent those same years thinking about proposing to Yuzuriha or Tsukasa by touching the bat's urine, already knows that it is nitric acid. They are fiction resources to create a good narrative having a script focused almost entirely on the exact sciences. Without losing the humor necessary to make the plot bearable. Without a doubt, one of the anime of 2019 that I enjoyed the most and that I would recommend checking out.
