Dr. Stone is well along in airing its third season. A lot has already happened. In episodes 4 through 6, the group discusses their contact with the mysterious enemy they are calling “Why-Man.” They also complete their ship, Perseus, and begin the expedition to the other side of the world. I don’t have an interesting philosophical or psychological topic for this post’s hook, but sometimes a basic introduction is all that’s necessary. Without further delay, here are my recaps and response thoughts to episodes 4 to 6.
Episode 4: Eyes of Science
When we last left off, a foreign signal came through the phone lines delivering the following Morse code message repeatedly: “Why?” Senku asks who is there and if he’s the mastermind behind the petrification of humanity. The Morse message stopped after that. There was no response to Senku’s question. Later, Senku and the other smartest team members hold a meeting. They decide to call the mysterious enemy “Why-man.” Their plan is to find this entity, no matter how far across the ocean they must search.
Senku and company spend time on two main projects in this episode: 1) making a radar and sonar system to search both air and ocean; and 2) making an iron mine and transporting the iron via roads. The iron will be needed to make steel engines for the ship that’s being built. As you can see, this episode is packed full of inventions and information related to science and human technology. At the end of the episode, Chrome and some others are seen riding around on a minecart and having a blast. Ryuusui points out that part of good progress is having fun.
I felt disappointed that there was no response from “Why-Man” and that we basically learned nothing concrete. All I can do is wildly speculate about who was sending that signal and why. As for what I liked in this episode, the parts where they were building the road were cool. I was also somewhat interested in the electron ray display that was used as the core concept for so many different applications, such as metal detection and sonar. Other than that, I don’t have much to say about this episode. I hope the next one is a little more entertaining.
Episode 5: Science Ship Perseus
Building the ship is proving difficult until Ryuusui offers to make a detailed mini model based on his experience with real ships. Then, based on that model, they would increase the dimensions and measurements and make the real thing. Completing the ship, Perseus, takes a full year from start to finish. Everyone worked hard on it. Minami took a photo of the finished sea-craft with everyone crowded into the shot.
Ryuusui announces the list of crewmembers. He adds that anyone who isn’t prepared should stay behind, even if their name is called. The following characters will be on the ship: Senku, Chrome, Kaseki, Ukyo, and Yuzuriha (the engineers); Kohaku, Magma, Nicky, Yo, and Taiju (the power team); Ryuusui and Francois (Captain and Cook); and Gen, Ginro, and Kinro. Additionally, the prisoners Hyouga and Homura will be on board.
Although Kinro didn’t want to go on the voyage, he made a show of jumping into the ocean to swim after the boat. It was a ploy to make him seem courageous. Comically enough, Taiju swims out to Kinro and brings him back on board Perseus. Now, Kinro is stuck on the mission whether he likes it or not. As the episode draws to a close, Senku explains that their first stop is the island where their astronaut ancestors first made their settlement. He calls the place “Treasure Island” because apparently, there is an extremely useful item hidden there. To be continued.
This installment was more entertaining and attention-holding for me than the previous episode. The flashbacks to Ryuusui’s childhood were funny as well as mildly interesting. Despite being a greedy capitalist through and through, Ryuusui is never portrayed as “evil,” even compared to Gen or Senku with their conniving tendencies. I have mixed feelings about the show seemingly glorifying capitalism; nevertheless, I also can’t help but love Ryuusui for his determination, courage, and positivity.
When Kinro was introduced in the first season, I liked really liked him. Mostly, I liked his cute character design – but his ridiculous antics were also funny at times. However, since his introduction, Kinro was increasingly presented as both an idiot and and a scumbag. Thus, he has become one of my least favorite characters. I honestly wish he had stayed behind. That would have also provided character development for Ginro, who is accustomed to being with his foolish partner all the time. Anyway, those are some of my thoughts from episode five.
Episode 6: Treasure Box
Thanks to Ruri’s tale of ores from the 100 Tales, Senku was able to piece together a lot of information. He explains that the treasure they are after is a collection of ores and metals that Byakuya and the other astronauts sealed into the Soyuz space shuttle. One of the metals within the shuttle is platinum, which can be used as a catalyst to make infinite amounts of nitric acid for the “revival fluid.” That’s the main item that Senku and company are out to find. It won’t be long before they reach the island where the space shuttle was buried.
An unfamiliar crew member speaks up with new information. The young man is listed as “No-Name.” He explains that he’s not from Ishigami Village, but was found in a boat as a baby and adopted by the villagers. Despite being a baby, he somehow knew his real name, which he kept secret to avoid standing out. His name is Soyuz. Once Senku and the others hear this, they understand that the island must be inhabited. Long ago, the Ishigami group left the island and settled on Japan’s coast. Those who stayed behind on the island also survived and became their own small people.
A sudden storm strikes, but Captain Ryuusui is confident he can handle it. Senku points out that this perfect because the storm will give them cover to arrive on the island without being detected by the inhabitants, who could be either friend or foe. As the Perseus approaches the island, Soyuz sheds a few tears. He recognizes his home.
I don’t have much to add in the way of thoughts. Soyuz has a bizarre-looking design, but seems like an interesting enough character. I wish there had been a little more content involving my favorite character, Francois, but I understand they didn’t have much to offer this time. I’m not surprised to find out that the island is populated by humans. Meeting them should be fun. It seems doubtful to me that Why-Man is among the people on the island, but we shall see. That wraps up my thoughts for today.
Thank you for reading~
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