Dr. Stone: Stone Wars Review: When Scientific Innovation Meets Primitive Power

Dr. Stone

“Stone Wars”

Did you ever have someone you considered your mortal enemy when you were younger? It could have just been another kid in the class or playground, but something about them didn’t feel right. I had such a peer in middle school, and I hated them for messing up my “plans” by simply existing. Later in high school, I got to know this person better, and we became best friends! Life is like that, and you can never know someone until you’ve associated with them for a while. And who knows? Maybe your deep subconscious knew from the beginning, but you weren’t willing to accept it!

“Dr. Stone: Stone Wars," also known as “Dr. Stone Season Two," is an 11-episode TV anime series that aired from the 14th of January to the 25th of March in Winter 2021. It was produced by TOHO Animation, Shueisha, Toho Music, and 8PAN, licensed by Funimation, and brought to life by Studio TMS Entertainment. The central staff behind it included producers Justin Cook, Satou Souta, Matsukuma Hiroto, and Matsutani Hiroaki. This series of 24-minute episodes featured the genres of adventure, comedy, and sci-fi alongside the theme of survival. It was targeted at the Shounen demographic and earned a rating of PG-13 for teenagers 13 years or older.

The series is based on the manga “Dr. Stone," adapting chapters 60 to 84 onto the small screen. The manga also goes by the titles “Dr. Stone: Terraforming” and “Dr. Stone: 4D Science," releasing 27 volumes from the 6th of March 2017 till the 25th of December 2023. It was serialized in Shounen Jump (Weekly) and is the work of author Inagaki Riichiro and artist Boichi. It won the 64th Shogakukan Manga Award within the Shounen category in 2019 and ranked 17th in the 2020 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! for the Male Readers division. The prequel anime series “Dr. Stone” adapted Chapters 1 to 60 from the manga, running 24 episodes in Summer 2019. The sequel “Dr. Stone: Ryuusui” took the format of a single TV special episode and aired on the 10th of July 2022. It was followed by the sequel TV series “Dr. Stone: New World” in Spring 2023, “Dr. Stone: New World Part 2” in Fall 2023, and finally “Dr. Stone: Science Future,” which is set to air in January 2025.

From where we left off in Season One, Senkuu’s ultimate goal of bringing two million years of human achievement back to life and reviving all those turned into statues has not changed. But as we all know, a big and powerful man stands in his way. That person is Tsukasa Shishiou, a man who strictly believes in “survival of the fittest” and would only allow the fittest to be revived from their petrification. As the seasons change, the snow begins to melt, and spring steadily approaches, making way for Senkuu and his allies in Ishigami Village to finish preparing to launch their attack against the Tsukasa Empire.

Now, the great Kingdom of Science, equipped with a reinvented yet bulky cell phone model, is preparing to launch a new and risky scheme to recruit the most influential members of Tsukasa's army into its ranks. But it is a race against time, for every day the Kingdom of Science spends perfecting their creations, their enemy proliferates in number. The looming threat is not enough to stop our MC, though, as he heartily reunites with old friends and gains new allies, making it their kingdom’s absolute goal to stop Tsukasa's forces from revitalizing humanity and all its remarkable innovations. Both sides are fiercely pursuing their ideal world this season, thereby initiating the hectic yet scientific Stone Wars!

Dr. Stone Season 2 is as enjoyable as the prequel series; it still uses proper scientific facts and a quirky anime style to deliver a fantastic show. This is the same show that turned an actual acid into an anime girl, so the simple story, outrageous characters, smooth visuals, and decent tunes are back for more. The Stone Wars will keep you engaging and on the edge of your seat, so simple does not mean boring. Excellent action, innovative use of science and logic, and characters who seamlessly bounce off each other are all present, all while maintaining the perfect pace. Let’s break it down!

As I said previously, the story is straightforward; there’s nothing profound or thought-provoking here, but it has just enough mystery and suspense to keep the ball rolling. A reminder that Dr. Stone prides itself on being realistic and grounded in science (outside of the anime fiction), it was evident in Season 1 that even the petrification has a scientific explanation. "Dr. Stone" derives its name from the unique healing properties of stone petrification.

The audience understands that they won't suddenly discover a magical reason, but the capabilities of the main characters allow for nearly limitless possibilities. The pacing is super effective; every action has a proper purpose, and every central character has clear motivations, so every episode showcases meaningful plot progression. The engine behind the anime is always running, and there’s never a dull moment here; overall, they did a splendid job concluding the Introductory Arc. It even neatly sets up the premise for the sequel and gives the characters a “rock-hard” goal to work toward procuring a petrification device. We haven’t seen much worldbuilding yet, and that’s perfectly fine because it feels like we are building this world up again alongside the characters.

The Character Department consists of the characters we grew to love in Season 1 and more colorful additions. The best part is that every one of them is a riot (in a good way) and is fully utilized; nobody feels useless here. Also, a friendly reminder that none of them are supposed to be taken seriously; they were written to be outrageous and fun! Senkuu might as well be the biggest nutjob of them all, but the dude’s such a great protagonist with clear goals, values, and brains to back it all up with science and logic. This MC is merely a proxy for humanity's love and command over science. My favorite has to be Asagiri Gen, though; I’ve always loved the manipulative guy with a matching sleight of hand, the one who can improvise and adapt to situations super fast. We can appreciate his incredible willingness to sacrifice for a bottle of Cola, but it's important to remember that he has repeatedly saved his friends and the day.

Shishiou Tsukasa establishes himself as the main antagonist from the outset. While I don't entirely disagree with his perspective—that the world is full of horrible people and such filth is unnecessary in an ideal world—I question his problem-solving methods. What I do question is his ways of tackling the problem! Regardless, the dude’s not an inherently evil person, and what’s clashing here are ideals. Hyouga may be a stereotypical villain who desires to see the world burn, but his voice, provided by my favorite JP VA, allows me to overlook this. Finally, the characters don't distinguish between good and evil; nearly all are reasonable human beings with believable motivations and likable personalities.

Dr. Stone always had a distinctive art style in the Art and Animation department. This season retains that look, but newcomers may need time to get used to it. Regardless, the art is well-defined, bright-colored, sharp, and polished like stone (pun intended)! The color combinations are wacky and all over the place, but they match the characters and their environments well. I’m a huge fan of how every un-petrified character has unique cracks on some part of their body, creating a perfect clash with the vibrant colors used. If I had any gripes, it’s the fact that I’m not the biggest fan of the female character designs. Some look weird and disproportionate, supported by the wide spacing between the eyes. However, the male characters' designs are a godsend; they all have unique looks that say something about them and look attractive in general. Moving on, the animation is god-tier as usual: crisp and fluid. Even the action scenes impressed me and were consistent across the board.

The sound and music remain in sync. The opening theme is "Rakuen" by Fujifabric, which is memorable thanks to its jazzy, laid-back tune and how it conveys Senkuu and Gen’s moods. At the same time, the song invites us to join hands in building this new world together, no matter the adversity. The ending theme is “Koe Dake ga?" by Hatena, which is less memorable but follows a more hopeful and uppity tune, which reflects this tough but valiant game the main characters are competing in. The OSTs are well-utilized; they set the tone for each scene and interaction without a hitch. But what I honestly must praise are peak sound effects and voice acting! The effects are accurate and crisp; it’s like the situation is happening right beside you, and it helps the immersion so much.

The voice actors do a stellar job, especially Kobayashi Yuusuke as Senkuu and Kawanishi Kengo as Gen. Senkuu is downright pretentious but methodical. At the same time, Gen is seductive and sly as a fox with every word he utters. Everyone is a perfect match for their characters and can seamlessly get into character, bringing the best out of this outrageous crew of miscreants. Their interactions are golden and menaces to society; I love them. This show would never get this far without these awesome VAs, so let’s take a moment to appreciate their effort.

Dr. Stone: Stone Wars is a superb must-watch for everyone who watched the prequel or read the manga. I followed the science stream but was never a big fan of chemistry and physics. Still, this show did a fantastic job of glorifying science and showing its limitless possibilities in the most enjoyable anime way. They also explain science concepts clearly, so you can always learn something. Even if you bypass the science, it has incredible comedy, character interactions, action sequences, and lovable characters to keep you entertained consistently.