My first impression of Dr. Stone is that it’s going to be a good story with a lot of humor and a lot of science. The show has much potential, with production value and story concept so good that I’m willing to bet they won’t go wrong with it. Here’s a look at 5 elements of the anime.

Story: 9/10 Magnificent

The story concept is creative, epic in scale, and serious yet fun at the same time. Every human in the world, and some of the animals, were somehow turned into stone. “Dr. Stone” (Senku) and his friend (Taiju) wake up after 3700 years and begin trying to turn everyone back using science. There are many intriguing mysteries to be solved. The first episode handled its storytelling and narrative well, and even those jumps ahead by weeks or months did not feel awkward. The simplistic style humor worked into the episode– mostly using Taiju– was amusing enough. This story has officially peaked my interest.

Characters: 8/10: Excellent

We only have two characters so far who have lost their petrification, so this is based only on them. Senku and Taiju both have pretty simple concepts in a sense; one is the sly brainy type and the other is the earnest muscle-head type. But Taiju is awesome, even if he’s illogical sometimes and not too bright. I love the character concept of Senku, and for a shounen anime, he’s the farthest thing from a typical protagonist. He has a very original character concept as a high schooler who wants to “beat fantasy with science.” I can’t get enough of such a character, since I love science and I don’t believe in the supernatural. It’s too early to say if the characters are going to be well-developed and remain interesting, but based on initial concepts, they’re excellent!

Art and Animation: 8/10 Excellent

I think for both art and sound categories, it really is too early to say. I need a few episodes to be sure I like an anime’s art style, and try to judge its quality. My first impression is that I do like the unique way the people are drawn, and the old-style shounen character designs. I thought the backgrounds and scenery were absolutely gorgeous. For now, I’m giving art a 8/10, because it at least qualifies as that good.

Sound: 7/10 Good

Just as with visuals, my appreciation of the audio elements needs a few more episodes to solidify. The OP song, “Good Morning World” by Burnout Syndromes, wasn’t a style I was used to or liked right away, but we’ll see. Maybe it will grow on me. Or maybe I’ll really like the ED once I hear it. Makoto Furukawa, voice of Saitama from OPM, plays Taiju, and I’m already enjoying his acting. Senku’s seiyuu is Yuusuke Kobayashi, who also voiced the rather obnoxious Nastsuki Subaru of Re:Zero. (Kobayashi doesn’t have an annoying voice, though. His voice is fine. It’s his actions and words in the script that make Subaru a horrible character.) I loved the instrumental music that starts playing around 19:08.

Enjoyment: 8/10 Excellent

I was so “into” the episode as it played that I forgot to try to view it as a “critic.” (I did go back and watch it once more, though.) This shows my enjoyment level was very high. I liked all the aspects covered above: story, art, sound, and characters. The best thing about Dr. Stone episode 1 was the introduction to what will probably be a highly compelling story.

Overall Score for First Episode: 8.0/10.0

I calculate the overall score by taking the average of the numbers for each of the five categories. The score might go up or down as the show continues. All I can say for sure is that after watching the first episode, I’m looking forward to seeing more Dr. Stone! This is Anime Rants. Thanks a bunch for taking the time to read! Ja ne!

(Images from: Dr. Stone. Dir. S Iino. TMS Entertainment. 2019.)

My Other Posts About Dr. Stone

Dr. Stone episode 2 Review

PATREON