Dr. Stone (Episode 5) – Stone World The Beginning
Tsukasa killed Senku and walked away, leaving Taiju and Yuzuriha to mourn him. Then, worried about Taiju’s rage, he spun to face them prepared for anything Taiju might throw at him… well, almost!
What did you watch?
Last week’s episode ended with a massive spoiler, similar to the spoiler Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba left us with this week. So, in Dr. Stone episode 5 we’re obviously hoping for some answers and maybe even a resolution. That’s the least we should expect, right? Anyhow, with lots to find out, let’s get straight into the review. There are bound to be spoilers beyond here…
What happened?
Taiju came running to help, but he was too late. Tsukasa walked away from Senku’s lifeless body, ready to build his new world, but then it struck him that Taiju, while not being a fighter could still cause him trouble. He turned, hoping that Taiju would back down. Taiju grabbed the biggest boulder he could find and turned towards Tsukasa flinging it into the air and then stood there, staring back at him.
Taiju knew that Tsukasa wouldn’t take his eyes off of him. That gave Yuzuriha the time to grab a pot of gunpowder and throw it at Tsukasa. He easily smashed it out of the air, but only then realising its contents. The boulder struck the ground and a spark appeared. In the explosion, Taiju and Yuzuriha grabbed Senku’s body and ran for cover. Surely, Senku wouldn’t have sacrificed himself. He had to have a plan. They just needed to figure it out.
What did you think?
This was an episode of two halves. The first half had the standoff between Tsukasa and Taiju which played out fantastically. I loved how they managed to formulate the plan without really speaking, both having faith they each understood. There was also a fantasy flashback where Tsukasa had placed himself into Senku and Taiju’s childhood. It was the youth he had always dreamt of. He never had any friends and this simple whistful act really showed you how terribly alone Tsukasa is. It’s no wonder he wants to create a new world rather than return to the old one.
Then, there was the second half, which was a flashback to when Senku had emerged from the petrification. It showed him advancing humanity at an incredible rate while a group of monkeys watched on in wonder. It was good and something that needed to be covered at some point, but not when we’re waiting to see if Senku is going to be revived. I mean, we know he will, but still, dragging out a cliffhanger over two episodes is not cool!
What was your favourite moment?
I can’t help but wonder what Tsukasa would have become had his fantasy been true. He certainly wouldn’t be the lonely and bitter man he is today. Had he been friends with Senku and Taiju, his life would have undoubtedly been different. Now, I’m not saying that his actions aren’t his own, but his past clearly has had a hand in shaping his view on life. It was actually quite sad and continues to show Tsukasa is the most interesting character in the series in my mind.
What was your least favourite moment?
That would obviously be that we didn’t find out the result of the cliffhanger from last week. All right, we may have got some clues as to how he might overcome it, but until he’s actually back walking around, we don’t have any closure. I’m also not a huge fan of the potential resurrection, at least the idea that reversing the tiny part of petrification on his neck will revive him. I feel like there needs to be more to it than that.
Who was your favourite character?
So, I had a little moan about the timing of the Senki flashback, but I also really enjoyed it, just not where it was. As such, I think Senku was my favourite character this week with his evolution from shiny ape to human. The monkeys kind of threw me with their chatter, because it wasn’t entirely clear if Senku could understand them or not, especially with the shiny ape reference. I’m assuming he couldn’t and it definitely added a bit of humour to his flashback.
Who was your least favourite character?
I’m not going to pick anyone this week as all were pretty effective, especially Taiju and Yuzuriha working together to distract Tsukasa. I think my biggest disappointment characterwise was that we didn’t get to see the new character it teased in the last episode with the smoke pillars. I was looking forward to seeing more people.
Would you like some more?
I felt like this episode was probably one of the weaker episodes so far, but I’m still very interested in the premise and with Tsukasa running around, it should always be interesting. I do feel like they need to find a way to get away from him so that they can sit down and work on some more science. It’s been fairly frantic ever since they ran away from Senku’s treehouse. I also really want to see the conclusion to last week’s cliffhanger.
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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