Dr. Stone (Episode 10) – A Flimsy Alliance
A new threat has emerged and it also wants Senku dead. Unluckily for Gen, it doesn’t know what Senku looks like and as an outsider, well, he might as well be Senku!
What did you watch?
This is episode 10 of Dr. Stone and I’m ashamed to say that I only managed to fit Kohaku into three images. Sure, I could have got more, but it wouldn’t have made sense within the context of the review. I’ll make it up to all at some point with a purely dedicated Kohaku post, so keep an eye out for that. As for this post, there will be spoilers and Ruri, who looks like Kohaku!
What happened?
Senku and the group worried about Gen’s affiliation to Tsukasa and how they might sway him to their side. However, that night, things took an unexpected turn. Someone attacked Gen and left him for dead. Gen being Gen was prepared and while he took a beating the spear failed to kill him thanks to the fake blood packs he had all over his body. The attacked turned out to be Magma, the village tough guy who had hoped to become the village chieftain, but for Kohaku’s timely intervention. It also appears that Magma had tried to kill Gen believing he was Senku.
Unfortunately for the Nation of Science, another tournament to decide the new chieftain was about to be held. If Magma won, there would be no way to convince the villagers to join Senku. They needed to find a way to win. Kohaku approached Ginro and Kinro, who now believe that Senku is not evil to help them win the tournament and save the village from Magma’s rule. During the night, Gen slipped away and ran back to Tsukasa giving the group even more to worry about.
What did you think?
There was a real lack of the things that have made the series so enjoyable of late. Where were the science and experimentation? Instead, we’ve now got another strong guy to deal with. On top of that, we’ve seen Tsukasa again and I can’t help but feel like they’ve made a real mess of him too. This series is best when we’re exploring ideas and trying things out. Looking for ways to progress society. I liked that we had some more development of Gen and can see that Ginro and Kinro now trust Senku.
What was your favourite moment?
The best moment was when Kohaku overhead Magma talking about killing Ruri once he won the tournament. She immediately entered and beat him to win, infuriating her father, the current chieftain and saving her sister from having to marry Magma. Of course, in winning the tournament she also won her sister’s hand in marriage and the right to become the next chieftain. An image that was not lost on Ginro. Sure, she couldn’t really marry her sister, but surely Kohaku should have become the chieftain regardless. Obviously, there’s not been much gender equality progression in the last three-thousand and seven-hundred years!
What was your least favourite moment?
Even though I’ve enjoyed the series more without Tsukasa in it, I still think he is a great character… scratch that… thought he was a great character. When we met Tsukasa he had a belief that he wanted to follow. He wanted to change the world to make it a place without the ways of the old. Basically, creating a society without the old rules. Well, forget that, because Tsukasa now just seems to want to create a society of warriors and meatheads. What about the children, Tsuakasa? This change complete destroys my view of him as a character and turns him into a laughable villain that wouldn’t look out of place in Conan the Barbarian.
Who was your favourite character?
I actually really enjoyed Gen in this episode. Sure, he got stabbed and then lay around for most of the episode, but you could see that he already knew where his allegiance lay and even though Senku knew it too, there had to be something in it for Gen. That something was an ice-cold bottle of cola. It’s not much, but I understand the symbolism of the request. Gen has already declared that he is the world’s shallowest man and in making this request he can stay that way, but it is nothing more than a token. It’s like saying you’ll only do something if you get paid and then demanding one cent after the fact.
Who was your least favourite character?
Magma could have won this easily had it not been the emergence of big bad Tsukasa. I’m really not liking the development he’s undergone. He was an idealist who killed to preserve his vision, but it would appear that he’s given up on that too. What a waste! He was a really interesting character that you could understand his beliefs even if they went a little too far, but now, he might as well be Skeletor, surrounded by a bunch of evil henchmen.
Would you like some more?
It’s funny, but if you’d have told me I would have wanted less fighting and more playing with rocks, I would have thought you were crazy, but that is exactly what I want from this series. Its strength lies in the wonder of discovery and solving problems, not in overpowered villains who live in dark mountains surrounded by muscular warriors. I will still watch this series because I enjoy the premise and have loved the discovery elements, but I am still disappointed about the Tsukasa developments. That just doesn’t make any sense to me.
Other reviews in the series
Series Information
| English Title | Dr. Stone |
| Japanese Title | Dr. Stone |
| Genres | Action, Adventure, Apocalyptic, Comedy, Science Fiction, Survival |
| Demographic | Shounen |
Anime
Season One
Season Two
Bonus Posts
| Saturday Spinoff | Kohaku Lost |
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“He was an idealist who killed to preserve his vision, but it would appear that he’s given up on that too. ”
Was it just my imagination being hopeful, or when Gen came back to report to Tsukasa, did the big guy look a little like he was starting to regret the direction he’d taken?
I really hope that’s the case, because I’m right with you on his change. Reviving innocence is one thing; reviving “warriors and meatheads” just doesn’t excite the imagination.
I hope so too, because that’s what made him interesting. It was hard to argue about the end goal, just the method by which he was going to get there. Now, it’s all gone and he’s just another evil villain.
Ruri X Kohaku, I ship it.
You’d have to be crazy not to.