Dr. Stone (Episode 17) – A Hundred Nights and a Thousand Skies

Dr. Stone Title

The story of Senku’s father, Byakuya continues and how they located the origin of the petrification and then came back down to Earth in an attempt to save humanity. This series is incredible! Watch it now!

What did you watch?

Episode 17 of Dr. Stone continues the story of the astronauts trapped above the Earth as everyone on it is mysteriously turned to stone. The last episode was excellent and I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story plays out. It’s going to be full of hope and tragedy, otherwise, we wouldn’t be where we are. I just want to get on with it, so here comes the review and don’t forget, there will be spoilers! I would recommend having some tissues to hand too.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Disaster

What happened?

Byakuya used a trick that Senku taught him to trace the location of the petrification event to South America. He then volunteered to go down and see what he can find. Worried that he would instantly turn to stone upon entering the atmosphere, Volkov denies him the chance and takes his place. With only two capsules each capable of carrying three people to Earth, Lillian and Connie go with him. They make it down to the surface, but miss their landing and end up in the sea, and with the hatch underwater they are unable to open the capsule.

The remaining astronauts set off for Earth, aiming for an island nearby. Byakuya then rows a boat out to the capsule and saves them. They return to the island where they try to survive. Years pass and they have children, but then Connie gets sick and dies from pneumonia. Darya and Yakov attempted to make it to the mainland to get antibiotics but never returned. Volkov followed his wife, Connie shortly after, leaving just Byakuya and Lillian to look after the children. Worried about the future, Byakuya invented the one hundred tales as a way to pass down knowledge and prepare a place for Senku once he had revived.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Lillian singing in the Capsule

What did you think?

Even knowing what was coming (yeah, thanks, Wikipedia), I was absolutely blown away by this episode. Seriously, if you’re reading this and haven’t yet watched this series, make sure it’s the next thing you do. It really is a wonderful story and it just keeps getting better and better. I’m not sure what I’m going to do once this one is over, but the manga is looking incredibly inviting right about now. Seeing the heroic, yet tragic tale of Byakuya play out was heartbreaking. I feel like that segment could have been an entire series all on its own and I would have watched it without hesitation. Even if they made it now as a prequel, I would watch it.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Volkov at Connie's Grave

What was your favourite moment?

Seeing Senku have a moment alone at the cemetery, standing over his father’s tombstone was incredibly sad and just as moving. Senku, who has been such a master of logic, shed a tear for his adoptive father. You could really feel the power of the moment and appreciated Senku’s reaction. The entire story of Byakuya and the astronauts was incredibly moving and it’s especially impressive considering we met them an episode ago. To develop the characters and the connections that well in such a short space of time was outstanding and then to move us like that shows what a powerful story this is.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Senku sheds a Tear

What was your least favourite moment?

Seeing Volkov succumbing to pneumonia and reflecting on his time with Byakuya was hard. In the short time they’d spent together, Byakuya had changed his life and his outlook. He admitted that the space ramen was wonderful and that human’s needed fun to survive. Again, this was a powerful moment and having to see Byakuya outlive all the other astronauts in such a short time was so sad. I really want to know what happened next, because the story is far from over. Byakuya and the children need to make it to Japan and set up Ishigami Village.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Byakuya and Lillian caring for Volkov

Who was your favourite character?

Byakuya was an incredible character and even as things went from bad to worse, he remained positive and continued to look to the future. He went so far to set up an entire culture in the belief that Senku would one day find a way out of his stone prison. His belief in his son drove him on and gave him the strength to continue. It would have been easy for him to fall apart once the other astronauts had gone, but he continued to have faith in Senku. This guy deserves to be the protagonist of his own story.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Byakuya standing before his friends Graves

Who was your least favourite character?

I am a little concerned that Gen has kept the fact that Tsukasa is bringing an army down on Ishigama Village to himself for three episodes. This seems like information that could and should have been revealed much sooner. Sure, Senku needed to become the chief and heal Ruri, but Tsukasa and an army are coming. This is obviously going to lead up into a rather climactic final third of the season and I’m actually kind of excited about it, especially now that Senku has the means to prepare for it.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Gen

Would you like some more?

This is still the anime of the year for me and it’s not even over yet. I cannot wait for the next episode and every single one after that. The story is fascinating and so wonderfully put together. There are so many possibilities and avenues for it to explore that this series could easily run for many more seasons and I can tell you right now, baring global petrification, I will be there. I love the world and the characters and I never thought that would be the case after the first four or five episodes. I liked it, but since then it’s just got better and better.

Dr Stone Episode 17 Lillian Passed Away Peacefully

Other reviews in the series

Series Information

English TitleDr. Stone
Japanese TitleDr. Stone
GenresAction, Adventure, Apocalyptic, Comedy, Science Fiction, Survival
DemographicShounen

Anime

Season One
SeasonSeason One
ReleasedSummer 2019, Fall 2019
Animation StudiosTMS Entertainment
Episodes24
1Stone World
2King of the Stone World
3Weapons of Science
4Fire the Smoke Signal
5Stone World The Beginning
6Two Nations of the Stone World
7Where Two Million Years Have Gone
8Stone Road
9Let There Be the Light of Science
10A Flimsy Alliance
11Clear World
12Buddies Back to Back
13Masked Warrior
14Master of Flame
15The Culmination of Two Million Years
16A Tale for the Ages
17A Hundred Nights and a Thousand Skies
18Stone Wars
19To Modernity
20The Age of Energy
21Spartan Crafts Club
22The Treasure
23Wave of Science
24Voices over Infinite Distance
Season Two
SeasonSeason Two – Stone Wars
ReleasedWinter 2021
Animation StudiosTMS Entertainment
Episodes11
1Stone Wars Beginning
2Hot Line
3Call from the Dead
4Full Assault
5Steam Gorilla
6Prison Break
7Secret Mission
8Final Battle
9To Destroy and to Save
10Humanity’s Strongest Tag Team
11Prologue of Dr. Stone
Bonus Posts
Saturday SpinoffKohaku Lost

You might also like…

Fire Force Episode 38 Shinra Adolla Link
Sabikui Bisco Episode 4 Bisco Akaboshi kills coal eating mantis shrimp
The Eminence In Shadow Episode 21 Shadow handing out warnings

Lynn Sheridan The Otaku Author Header

2 Comments

  1. “Even if they made it now as a prequel, I would watch it.”

    You wouldn’t be alone!

    “Senku, who has been such a master of logic, shed a tear for his adoptive father. ”

    Wasn’t that amazing? It’s like they spent all 17 episodes building to that point.

    This whole episode was like that.

    “This guy deserves to be the protagonist of his own story.”

    I wish I were 1/2 the dad he is!

    • This series really has been getting better and better. Who know what they’ll build up to next.

      It was amazing to get hit with the emotion of the situation considering we’d only met these characters an episode ago.

      It really is inspiring stuff and I hope it continues.

What did you think?