Dr. Stone: New World episode 20 showed that the series will continue to deliver great episodes even when the story is in between story arcs. The entire Kingdom of Science is back together as they set course for their biggest goal yet — the moon — and more challenges await. In a bridge episode where we received humor, plot development, and even a little bit of action, Dr: Stone New World proved once again that the series doesn’t need something drastic to happen for fans to enjoy it.
Everyone’s Return
The first half of this episode felt like one gigantic reunion that even I wanted to be part of at one point. Arm wrestling competitions, a buffet of food, and having drinks on a boat under the starry night sky sounds like a blast. It was fun to see everyone getting along and enjoying each other’s company after an arc of nothing but stress, worry, and multiple run-ins with death.
I think this episode was also a good reminder that Senku is really building a kingdom with him at the center of everything even though he’s just doing what he has to do. At one point he even says he has no time to get angry because he’s so busy all the time now. Even so, it felt good to see Kohaku back along with Ryusui and Francois. Senku choosing to revive Chrome before anyone else was a touching moment that even Senku got slightly emotional during as well.
Choosing Chrome first over anyone else because he is obsessed with science wasn’t just a logical choice on Senku’s part either, it was a human one. The last episode ended with Senku feeling lonely before reminding himself that he’s living in a world that’s the total opposite. So seeing Chrome be his first choice definitely comes from a friend-line of reasoning. I have to say, when they high-fived each other it was impossible not to crack a smile because while Senku isn’t one to say “I rely on my friends for help”, he has his own way of showing it in very small ways as he did in this episode.
Kohaku’s return was emotional in a different way. Love interests aren’t necessarily a primary dynamic in Dr. Stone and it’s one of the reasons why it’s a shonen that stands out to me, but it’d be ignorant to say the ship isn’t there ready to sail. Once again, Senku’s soft smile at Kohaku and his squinted eyes when she hugged him proved that he has a soft side, especially for her. I also love how Kohaku’s head in the shot is blocking his clear-as-day smile as well.
Kohaku said at the very beginning of the series that she “might fall for” him. And in this arc alone, we got her “kissing” him and giving him a giant thank-you hug. I just love how Amaryllis was there to clear the air “Hey this isn’t that kind of hug” while Kirisame is in the background blushing not fully understanding the context of it. All of the characters in Dr. Stone are written so well that they’re constantly showing their strengths in a fast-paced environment so in moments like this it’s fun to see everyone’s true sides come out…then there’s Ginro.
The Start of a New Arc
In Dr. Stone fashion, we already enter the new arc of the series right as the last one officially ends. And what better way to kickstart the new arc than the goal of going to the moon in the Stone Age as a bunch of teenagers? Senku has this allure of “you haven’t seen anything yet” when it comes to what he plans on doing next. Just a couple of days after nearly dying his mind is already on space travel. I think we can all sympathize with Gen here wondering how in the hell that’s even possible.
This is where the story will start to go a lot more fast-paced than usual. New characters will be introduced, inventions will be made in a jiffy, and the Kingdom of Science will soon be within arm’s reach of Why-Man’s exact location on the moon. What will undoubtedly be the most incredible feat of the story has yet to come and now we’re excited to see how they will manage to get there in the first place. Who will be revived? Where will they head next? The setup for a new season is now in place and now it’s time to get excited.
Production
The production for this episode was surprisingly well-done. The use of the soundtrack and solid fight choreography between Kirisame and Kohaku were just a couple of things that stood out to me. The animation and creativity influxes were nice. Going from beautiful almost-standstill shots like Kirisame on the boat to an almost cartoonish style as Ginro was running through the woods, which was an anime original scene, showed there was a lot of fun to be had with this episode.
Dr. Stone will never be part of the discussions when it comes to series nowadays with the best animation. But there’s no denying the voice cast and production crew go all out to make it a fun and unique experience. In the manga we see a small panel of Senku smiling before Kohaku hugs him. But in the anime, there’s a specific shot of where his feet turn before Kohaku hugs him instead and we get the shot I showed earlier in the article. I like the little difference because it gives a bit more wonder to the imagination.
The shots of the hug in the manga and anime also differ ever so slightly. In the anime, Kohaku runs to the right of the screen to hug Senku while in the manga she’s running to the left. I don’t particularly know why that was changed, maybe for a progression metaphor that things can move forward? I guess that could be left up to interpretation. As another example, all the choreography we saw between Kirisame and Kohaku was anime-original as well and it looked fluid. So there’s no doubt the production for Dr. Stone: New World constantly goes at 10 billion percent.
Dr. Stone: New World Episode 20 Wrap-Up
Episode 20 of Dr. Stone: New World is yet another prime example of how every week is a new episode to be excited about. It’s simply a series that doesn’t fail to meet expectations and continues to grow more exciting with each passing story arc. With one of the biggest arcs having come and gone, the modernization of the world Dr. Stone is about to take off!
Episode 20 rating: 8.5/10
If you enjoyed episode 20 of Dr. Stone: New World, then make sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 21 of Dr. Stone: New World will air on Thursday, December 14. Crunchyroll is steaming Dr. Stone: New World with English subtitles.
Screenshots via Crunchyroll
©Richiro Inagaki, Boichi/Shueisha, Dr. STONE Production Committee
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