Welcome readers one and all to Anime Rants! Today I’ll present my Dr. Stone episode 5 review. (Warning: There may be spoilers in this post.) Overall, it was an interesting and well-done episode, but the second part of it felt awkward or out of place.

The first half or so of the episode (cough, after the 4 minute recap + intro song) showed Taiju and Yuzuriha escaping from Tsukasa and trying to revive Senku. It didn’t succeed in being emotionally powerful in the characters department, but it was still exciting and compelling to watch from a story perspective. Yuzuriha and Taiju think they found the way to revive Senku, and tried it, but we didn’t get to see if it worked. Why? Because the second part of the episode was all a giant flashback to how Senku awoke in the stone world and what he did for those six months before Taiju woke up.

It was interesting in itself Seeing Taiju make tools, ropes, traps, pots, shelter, and the like. It was also humorous, what with the small apes and their imagined dialogue as they watch Senku. However, it wasn’t the right time to show this 10-minute-long flashback, especially when it didn’t return to the present time. This is the first major hiccup I’ve noticed in the story structure of Dr. Stone. I hope there are not many more in the future.

Let’s back up a bit, though. It’s been many long years since I’ve fallen for an anime or cartoon death-scare. And ok, we still aren’t “ten billion percent” certain that Taiju and Yuzuriha’s method worked to revive Senku. But it’s pretty obvious it will work, because of hints in this and last episode, plus the overall context of the plot. That’s why there wasn’t any suspense, for me, about Senku actually being dead.

There was a sort of suspense, though, in guessing at how Senku could be brought back to life. I thought it would be some stupid anime magic miracle— and in a way, maybe it is— but the solution Taiju and Yuzu arrived at was consistent with everything else in the story. To me, it was impressive and satisfying method.

As usual, I enjoyed the art and music, and I love the characters. Usually meat-heads like Taiju are annoying, but this guy is so sweet, considerate and openly expressive that he’s endearing. Yuzuriha is still a little boring, but I’m just glad she’s smarter than Taiju and can catch on to plans quickly. And she’s cute, of course. Senku is still my favorite, with his undying passion about science. I’ve never seen an anime character like him before. My second-favorite is of course Tsukasa, the highly impressive villain.

I can hardly wait to meet the new blond girl, but much to my disappointment, there was nothing about her in this episode. That’s about it. Thank you for reading my work today here at Anime Rants! It means a lot to me. Take care, and till next time, Sayonara!

Previous Posts About This Series:
Dr. Stone Episode 1 Review
Dr. Stone Episode 2 Review
Dr. Stone Episode 3 Review
Dr. Stone Episode 4 Review

PATREON

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