British author Arthur C. Clarke famously wrote, “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” Another way to look at it is this: even things that seem magical are just forms of technology. They exist in the natural world and can be analyzed using science, provided there is adequate time and tools for understanding.
In Dr. Stone: New World, Senku knows that the mysterious petrification weapon cannot be magic. Despite naming the weapon after a fantastical creature – Medusa – Senku and his friends recognize the device as a form of technology. If this topic interests you, then you should definitely watch Dr. Stone: New World. You can also make my day by reading my review for this wonderful anime.
Article Contents:
- Story Category
- Visual Category
- Audio Category
- Characters Category
- Personal Enjoyment Category
- Overall Score
Warning: This article may contain spoilers for Dr. Stone: New World parts 1 and 2
Story Category
Score: 8/10
Dr. Stone: New World Part 2 is the continued third season of Dr. Stone. It covers 11 episodes and was released in Fall 2023. When we last left off, most of Senku’s crew were turned to stone by the island leaders using the mysterious petrification weapon. In order to learn more about the threat and secure the rare minerals hidden on the island, Kohaku, Amaryllis, and Ginro infiltrated the islanders. They were disguised as “pretty girls” for Chief Ibara to use as he pleases.
As part two begins, Senku begins strategically unfreezing crew members to help in the task of defeating Ibara. Throughout this season, the battles of wit and weapons get more intense than ever before. Can Senku steal “Medusa,” the petrification weapon, and save his friends from Ibara? What technology and tactics can he use to win? That’s what this season is all about.
Since Part 2 is only 11 episodes long, the story moves quickly. A few aspects of it felt slightly rushed, but overall, everything was well-worked into the narrative. The content of Dr. Stone is not thrilling nor particularly deep, but it’s entertaining and has some genuinely exciting moments, at least as long as you care about the characters. The stakes are always rather high in Dr. Stone, since the future of humanity rides on the survival of Senku and his friends.
The final showdown with Ibara was epic. As for the conclusion to this season, it was also awesome. Senku and company finally determined where the radio signal of Why-Man was coming from – and it’s suprising. (However, I do think the theme of space travel was heavily foreshadowed in season 1). On a final note for story, this season continues Dr. Stone’s wholesome themes of friendship, teamwork, hope, and the strength of the scientific process. This show always improves my outlook on humanity just a little.
Visual Category
Score: 8/10
The visuals in this part of the series are much the same as ever. Most people can tolerate the art style of Dr. Stone, but few will prefer it if given other options. The faces have tiny noses and wide faces with far-spaced eyes often more ovular than usual. Some people dislike this style so much they cannot take the show seriously. As for me, I actually enjoy unusual art styles, so I love the look of Dr. Stone. It might not be popular, but I like the creativity.
Dr. Stone is full of pretty nature scenery and backgrounds. Green forest and blue skies are plentiful. That’s another aspect that I appreciate about the visuals. The colors are very bright, with a lot of rich blue and warm yellows appearing in the characters. As for the character designs, they are memorable, unusual, and fun. We didn’t meet many new characters in New World Part 2, but the designs for the regulars are impressive as always. With their exaggerated musculature, some of the male characters are very attractive. Lookin’ at you, Ryusui!
For one last note on the visuals, consider the face expressions in this series. Dr. Stone is known for having ridiculously exaggerated and crazy face expressions during comical moments. I find those amusing for the most part. However, I also like the expressions in a broader sense – the serious ones, the happy ones, the scary ones, and all the emotions in between. I think, despite being exaggerated in most cases, these expressions make for really beautiful and unique art.
Audio Category
Score: 9/10
As usual, the audio category for Dr. Stone: New World Part 2 was high quality. I won’t spend time discussing specific seiyuus this time, but the Japanese voice-acting is excellent. I also saw parts of the English Dub and found it acceptable, though inferior to the original. The music was composed by three different artists: Hiroaki Tsutsumi, Kanesaka Yuki, and Tatsuya Katou. One of my favorite OST pieces for this particular season was “Cunning” by Hiroaki Tsutsumi. It’s considered the theme music for Ibara.
This series usually boasts top-tier songs for the intro and ending, and this season was no different in that regard. The opening song, “Haruka,” is a gentle but inspiring ballad by Ryujin Kiyoshi. I’m not the biggest fan of his vocal style, but I love the melody of the song. The ending song is “Suki ni Shina yo” by Anly, and it’s a truly stirring and beautiful song with powerful female vocals. It has soft piano, bold acoustic guitar, and even some woodwind in the chorus. Gorgeous! I highly recommend listening to both songs – but if you have to pick one, pick the ending.
Characters Category
Score: 8/10
Dr. Stone doesn’t usually have the deepest character insights or changes, but the level of character development is adequate for a more light-hearted shonen show. The cast of this anime is colorful and diverse. There’s likely to be someone you can relate to, whether it’s the strong warrior Kohaku, the genius scientist Senku, or the thoughtful and observant Soyuz. Ibara isn’t the most subtle or complex villain, but others like Hyouga and Tsukasa have provided more depth for the antagonist side.
Let’s go over a few character highlights from this particular season. Soyuz continued to help the group with his superb memory and observational skills. He’s a sweet person through and through. Moz the spearman is, so far, the only character who can likely beat Kohaku in terms of fighting ability. He’s fairly quiet and stoic, but definitely has an arrogant side, as he’s used to throwing his weight around and being the strongest. I’m glad Moz got some time to shine in this short season.
In the last few episodes, we saw the return of Hyouga and Tsukasa, the main antagonists from the first and second seasons. Hyouga was released from imprisonment to help Senku’s side fight. He did end up helping, but he still personally believes that Senku’s mission is foolish and that the stone world should function as a selection process for only the strongest to survive. Tsukasa, once revived, had an emotional reunion with his little sister. He also made it clear he is willing to help Senku now, despite their ideological disagreements.
We briefly met a new character toward the end of the season: a man from several hundred years ago named Matsukaze. We haven’t had much time to get to know him, but so far, it’s clear that he’s a serious, loyal, and dedicated person (rather similar to Kinro). There were also some good character development moments early on for Ginro. Sadly, nobody back in Ishigami Village got any cool moments. But hopefully, we will see more of thm next season. Overall, the character category was excellent.
Personal Enjoyment Category
Score: 8/10
There was very little that annoyed or bored me in this season of Dr. Stone. I enjoyed most of it and found few problematic elements. Of course, Ibara is disgusting, and there is the unenjoyable scene where he tries to sexually assault Ginro. However, it’s essential for a good shonen story to have a villain that’s in some way detestable. A villain should be, well, villainous. Ibara meets that requirement with his creepy and predatory nature.
Speaking of Ibara, I thought it was cool to have Senku and company face a grown adult as an enemy. Up till now, the antagonists have been teenagers or young adults. As a clever middle-aged man, Ibara presented a new level of challenge.
There were aspects of the music, art, and story themes that I found thoroughly enjoyable. But perhaps even more than that, I was entertained by the colorful characters in this series. Gen, Kohaku, and Senku are probably my top three favorites, and I love them all for their different strengths and quirks. Ryusui is also a character I appreciate quite a lot. It was interesting to hear his take on Tsukasa, too, considering that they have opposite ideologies in many ways.
On a final note, I loved the parts with Why-Man in the second to last episode. It was thrilling to hear from him again and to wonder who he is and what his purpose could be. Why does he want to petrify humanity? The mystery of the worldwide petrification continues to intrigue me. What kind of person or civilization is out there on the moon, planning this all out? It tickles my mind to think about.
Overall Score
Score: 8.2/10.0
The overall score is calculated by taking the average of the five scores for the categories explored above. I have a high fondness for this cheerful and engaging shonen anime, and that’s reflected in the all-around high scores it got from me. Dr. Stone: New World Part 2 was also very well-received by most fans, with a score of 8.33 on MyAnimeList.net (as of August 22, 2024). That’s even higher than my own score!
In my opinion, Dr. Stone keeps better as it continues. This season was more interesting than ever with the battle for the “magical” technology of the Medusa. So as long as you like the earlier seasons, there’s no reason to skip out on the eleven episodes that comprise Dr. Stone: New World Part 2.
~Thanks for reading~
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