Dr. Stone (Episode 12) – Buddies Back to Back
In the pursuit of antibiotics, Senku goes in search of sulphuric acid and it’s as dangerous as it sounds. Luckily, they have Ginro and his silver spear with them…
What did you watch?
And this brings us to the half-way point of season one of Dr. Stone. Episode 12 follows on from the last episode with Ginro getting his silver spear, although it comes with a catch. A deadly catch! Silver reacts to the poisonous gas given off by sulphuric acid and once it reacts, you have almost no time to run away. Things could get tense! This post, however, is not deadly, but it will contain spoilers…
What happened?
The next things Senku needs to complete his wonder-drug (antibiotics) is sulphuric acid which is dangerous enough on its own, however, it also produces a poisonous gas that kills almost instantly. Senku reveals that the silver spear he made for Ginro is designed to warn them of the gas, but that means Ginro will need to walk at the front at not take his eyes off the spear-head. They manage to find a lake of sulphuric acid, but something is troubling Senku. There is no gas, despite the location of the lake in a crater.
Ginro walks towards the calm crystal blue water, mesmerized by its beauty, but he fails to notice the spear-head changing colour. Luckily, Kohaku reacts and pulls him back before it’s too late. Several birds are disturbed by the sounds and take to the air, flying through the gas before dropping into the water and dissolving before the group’s eyes. Ginro is terrified and constructs a nightmarish view of Mother Nature in his head. They head back to base so that Senku can prepare to extract the much needed sulphuric acid.
What did you think?
I loved this episode. We managed to continue the far more interesting side of the show with the science and discovery, but still managed to get some great tension and interesting character development. It gave us a great insight into the mind of the characters born into this world, where knowledge is not as plentiful as it is today. You can see how customs and warnings could easily turn into gods and spirits in the minds of those who don’t understand what they’re seeing. I think the potential for this series just continues to grow.
What was your favourite moment?
There were so many great moments in this episode, I’m not where to begin. One of my favourites was when Ginro was back at base, scared of the lake of sulphuric acid and worried about Senku and Chrome. Kaseki offered Ginro a piece of wisdom. He told him that being scared is a good thing, it’s one of the things that keeps us alive. Ginro countered that Senku and Chrome weren’t afraid, but Kaseki shot him down. He said that everyone is afraid, but it’s what you do with it that matters. Then, he announced that he had accidentally created another gas mask…
I loved Kaseki’s honesty in his story about how he should take everything an old man says with a pinch of salt, as he is alive because he has been afraid and it could have been different had he not accepted that in him. This story didn’t remove Ginro’s fear, but it did help him realise that he was also afraid of anything happening to Senku and Ginro and that he could help. Thank goodness he did, because this leads into my next favourite moment.
Senku and Chrome were down by the sulphuric acid lake and a bubble sent acid flying onto the tube of Senku’s gas mask. Chrome notified him, giving Senku plenty of time to patch it back up, but then the rocks under Chrome’s footing gave way and he found himself falling towards the acid. He saw Senku running to help, but knew he wouldn’t make it. Chrome was disappointed but seemed to accept his fate with an air of dignity.
Then, Ginro raced into the scene and caught Chrome with his spear. He panicked at the sight of the lake and the manifestation of the nightmarish Mother Nature again. Senku had to calm Ginro down else the gas mask wouldn’t be able to keep up. Ginro thought about Kinro and how scared he must be to face Magma with his fuzzy vision and that seemed to calm him enough to ignore Mother Nature. He pulled Chrome to safety and they made it out with the sulphuric acid.
What was your least favourite moment?
This could also count as one of my favourite moments as well, but get beaten out by the two I just discussed. Senku revealed that he was going to tell Chrome everything he knew about science… in an evening! So, this seemed a little far-fetched, but it resulted in Chrome telling Senku that he didn’t want any part in a plan that made it all right for Senku to die. Once Senku had accepted that Chrome would not be swayed, he left to make preparations.
Kohaku, who was sat in the tree listening, was reminded of when she found out that her sister was ill and her father wanted her to learn the stories in case Ruri died. She too refused for the same reason. Kohaku then told Chrome that they were alike and that she knew that he wanted to marry Ruri, but it would probably end up as one of Ginro or Kinro so if he wanted he could marry her. It was a sweet moment, and even though Chrome said Kohaku was more like a gorilla than her sister, I felt like there was some development there.
Who was your favourite character?
It was a particularly strong effort from all involved this week, but I think Chrome sneaks into the lead. I loved the moment between him and Kohaku and the way he refused her, which was not really a refusal. To me, it felt more like two people that know and understand one another making an inside joke. I also thought that Chrome refusing to let Senku go alone was very brave and then the way he faced death without losing it was admirable. He has become a far greater character than Taiju and the perfect sidekick to Senku.
Who was your least favourite character?
I can’t really pick anyone here. All the characters that were involved have really grown on me, even Kaseki who’s only in his second episode of the series. They all played important parts and I loved the way their characters developed. Maybe, if I’m being super picky, I would pick Senku for not laying out all the issues to begin with. I have heard that story about the teacher bending down to tie his shoelace and never standing up again before and it still gives me chills.
Would you like some more?
I’ve really enjoyed the way the series has gone since Tsukasa was confined to Mount Doom… haha! In reality, it has been much better when it has focused on Senku and science. It still surprises me to think that, but this is far more interesting than the chasing and fighting. There are far better shows for that and I’m glad that this one has gone in a different direction. Sure, there’s still some fighting, but the tension from the dangers of nature and science is just as good. This series is excellent and I hope it stays that way for the next twelve episodes.
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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