Dr. Stone (Episode 22) – The Treasure
Senku selects Chrome and Magma to accompany him to the caves in search of tungsten, a heat resistant material that will be used as the element for the vacuum tubes. But can they trust Magma?
What did you watch?
This is Episode 22 of Dr. Stone which means we are approaching the end of the season. There have been a lot of incredible moments in this series and I’m glad that I decided to cover this one. We’re still trying to create a mobile communications device and the vacuum tubes are the real sticking point right now. That was until Suika happened to bring a rare rock to Senku’s attention. Now, they just need to get more of it. As usual, there will be spoilers and some really cringy moments…
What happened?
Senku selected Magma to come with him and Chrome to the caves to help retrieve the tungsten. It seemed like a crazy idea, especially as Magma was much stronger than both of them and clearly still wanted to be chief. Senku told Chrome that the stakes were much higher than that and that they couldn’t afford to worry if Magma would betray them. Anyhow, they made it the caves and began their descent. Then, they had to stop suddenly as they came across an area of brittle rock that gives way underfoot.
Magma asks what would happen if they fell into one and the answer is not pleasant. He then charges at Senku and hits him back as the ground opens up beneath them. Magma falls into the hole, but Senku manages to catch his hand. It wasn’t enough, however, as both tumble down into the hole. Chrome uses a tube to redirect water towards the hole, floating them high enough to be able to get out. Further down the cave, they find a skarn deposit, a rare formation of rocks. Now, it’s Magma’s turn to do some work, but he reveals that he had originally planned on murdering them…
What did you think?
This episode was good but lacked the impact of some of the more impressive episodes. I think it was largely down to the fairly straightforward nature of the plot in this one. They went into the cave, there was an incident that required science to solve, Magma joined Senku until they’d resolved the Tsukasa situation, and they found the tungsten. There was a nice moment at the end where Gen revealed he had calculated Senku’s birthday and arranged for the village to produce a birthday present for him.
What was your favourite moment?
There was the moment after they had found the tungsten and Magma had revealed his intentions, but also how he had actually tried to save Senku and not push him into a hole. Chrome apologised to Magma and they went about mining the materials. Chrome and Senku were totally fanboying over the various rocks and Magma couldn’t understand their obsession. Anyhow, Chrome then put together a little speech about how the real treasure they’d found was friendship… Magma and Senku’s reaction was exactly the same as mine. So cringy!
What was your least favourite moment?
I felt like the deliberate misdirection with Gen and Magma’s conversation was fairly pointless. There was obviously no danger to Senku and I don’t like that style of direction where they deliberately leave stuff out. We were the only ones seeing that, so it made no sense to make the conversation silent. If we were seeing the situation from Chrome or Senku’s point of view and they made a comment such as what were you talking about with Gen? Just showing us a part of something without giving it a reason or context just feels lazy.
Who was your favourite character?
I think it was Gen. We found out in this episode that he was a Senku fanboy from the beginning and was in awe of him. From the moment he realised that Senku had been able to work out the date that he awoke from the petrification, he was always going to join him. It certainly doesn’t lessen the effects of his games to this point and if anything this is the better way to reveal something like this and not with some whispers that no one else was privy to.
Who was your least favourite character?
It’s always hard to pick someone when the episode is so focused on a small group of characters, but I think I’m going to select Chrome. I thought it was fairly obvious that Magma was trying to save Senku and then got defensive when Chrome attacked him. It also showed that he was willing to sacrifice himself, as he was goading Senku into letting him go. Sure, at that point Magma hadn’t exactly earnt much goodwill, but Chrome showed that by already deciding that Magma was bad almost made it happen anyhow. Senku, on the other hand, kept an open mind and gave Magma the chance to prove himself.
Would you like some more?
There are only two more episodes in the first season of Dr. Stone. I think that means, it’s looking more and more unlikely that we’ll see a conclusion to the impending war with Tsukasa, but I’m certain that the series will end on a high note, so I can’t wait to see what that will be. I also want to know what the one hundred stories are as I believe there will be something in there for Senku, possibly a hidden message from Byakuya. Either way, this has been an excellent series and I’m already looking forward to the next season.
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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