Dr Stone - one the most highly anticipated anime series that dropped in the 2019 Summer
anime season. Following a super successful run in weekly shonen jump, it was announced
last November that it would receive an anime adaption, and as of this video, we are five
episodes deep in the world of Stone.
BUT...is the anime series Dr Stone, over hyped?
Short anime clip with sound
Hello Anime Fried Chicken here. From what we have seen so far, Dr Stone is a melting
pot of thematic genres. An action / adventure struggle for humanity's survival, a seemingly
tragic love story, and a psychological battle of ideologies.
Although other-worldly, the show isn’t quite an isekai. The characters aren’t whisked
away to a fantasy world or have their subconcious ripped from their body and plunged into the
mmorpg they were playing through VR. Instead the series is set thousands (?) of years into
the future in a post apocalyptic landscape. Steel structures have rusted away, forests
and plant life have grown over the concrete jungle where populaces once thrived, wild
animals roam free uninterrupted by the now long gone civilization that once existed in
Japan.
It’s Pretty Bleak.
One thing I’ve really enjoyed about this show so far is the pacing. How many times
have you started watching the premier episode of an anime, only to have 18 of the 20 minute
episode be pure exposition. Slowly showing the world around the protagonist and loosely
building their relationships with supporting characters, and perhaps a hint of the antagonistic
force that will drive the story.
2 minutes. 2 freaking minutes. Everything is laid out clear as day. Senku is protagonist
A, with his primary strengths being his logic and intellect. Protagonist B is Taiju. Nicknamed
meathead by Senku, implying he has a disposition for being physically fit and / or strong.
Senku’s personality is summed up in a few lines as being sure footed and confident in
intelligence and reasoning skills, where as Taiju makes more primal instinctual decisions
based on his gut reaction. Their shared dialogue makes it instantly clear they are friends,
and being complete contrasts with one another, it’s obvious their differering strengths
compliment one another and they are quite the dynamic duo. Thats just the first minute.
The second minute briefly shows Taiju’s trait as the helpless romantic, confessing
to YUuZURIHA. And then it happens. The blinding green light that ends the world. Or so you
would think. Unsurprisingly, the series doesn't end here. Just a brief 3700 year hiatus for
our protagonists.
After just approximately two minutes we can already answer the title of this video. No,
Dr stone isn’t over hyped. The characters, especially senku are unique and engaging,
and it clears the pacing hurdle, so in a few weeks time you are recommending this series
to a friend you wont have to say the dreaded “hey I know it starts a little slow, but
it really picks up in episode 7, just bear with it!”.
The fight for humanity’s survival in Dr Stone has similar vibes to Attack on Titan,
although tonally it is completely different. Attack on titan initially relied on shock
horror moments, gore and a persistant air of futility for the protagonists, were fate
was consistently weighted against them.Dr Stone is overall more positive and thus more
approachable. The importance of their mission to kickstart civilization is always in the
foreground of the story, but because there isn’t a feeling of impending dread, the
story is simply, more fun.
In episode 2 we are introduced to the antagonist of the show, Tsukasa ShiShiO, known also by
his fantastic alias, The strongest Highschool Primate, due to his immense strength and fighting
prowess. Initially he is seen as an ally, saving Senku and taiju from the jaws of wild
lions. But a hero he is not. His motivations couldn’t be further from Senku’s and as
the story unravels we find that unlike our dynamic duo who want to restore everyone that
was turned to stone, tsukasa envisions a selective neo-utopia, playing gods and choosing who
deserves to be brought back.
I’m really looking forward to how this show plays out. I’m hoping for more characters
to be introduced to fill out this empty stone world, and I’m dying to know what caused
the flashing green light and turned humanity to stone. No Dr Stone isn’t over-hyped and
yes, I’m hyped.
Thanks for watching. I’ve only recently started this channel and if you’d like to
see more videos like this please subscribe and I’ll build a schedule to make them a
couple of times a week.
This was Anime Fried Chicken. Cheers.