Dr. Stone: New World Episode 21 Review

This happens sometimes and it’s frustrating for me. I watch a perfectly fine episode, you know, nothing earth-shattering or anything but fine. I can probably find a few things to ramble on about. If not, I can at least share some yummy screencaps with you all. And then, at the last minute, not even the last minute, the last few seconds, something tremendous happens and completely pushes everything that came before it out of my mind. Now I have to write an entire post about a few seconds, and I will!

I did mention it just last week I think, but let me reiterate once more, I quite like Tsukasa. I think he was the best antagonist Dr. Stone has had. Probably because he was by far the most developed one which makes sense as he got a redemption arc. You can’t really do that without investing in some serious character development. But that’s not the only reason.

I think Senky as a character works best with a foil. And no one other than Tsukasa can really do that. In the very first episodes, Taiju would sometimes fill that role. And it actually worked out for a while. They were a classic odd couple and Taiju’s higher emotional intelligence would offset nicely Senku’s detached and practical style. But over the episodes, Senku has gotten a bit more rounded and Taiju has been flanderized. As he is now, he’s just a bit too much of a charicature to offset Senku in any way. Gen might do the trick but he’s also a bit too extreme and used way too sparingly. In fact, that can be said about pretty much every other character. Chrome is the first that comes to my mind.

But Tsukasa is perfect. He can stand his ground next to Senku and isn’t completely overpowered by the character (narratively). Moreover, Tsukasa has a genuinely different view of the world. One that the show bothers explaining. This means that there is actual substance on which to build a difference of opinion between the two characters and get some conflict going that doesn’t feel completely shallow. At least I hope so. We haven’t seen Tsukasa in a long time and I’m not sure what that will mean for the character.

As you have probably picked up on, for me the only thing that really mattered in this episode was that we are getting Tsukasa back. I liked all the father and son themes we got. Those always get to me. I’m pretty easy to please in that regard. I also think little Senku is adorable and Byakuya is the beating heart of Dr. Stone. No really, he is the emotional core of the series for me. But even with all that, those last few seconds just stole the show. To the point that I was deeply disappointed that I couldn’t watch the next episode immediately. At least there is a next episode and this wasn’t a season cliffhanger!

The idea that this pre-steam-engin civilization is going to build a rocket to the moon is pretty silly. I’m not entirely sure how to feel about the premise. Dr. Stone is a very silly show, don’t get me wrong, but it has always had a very solid premise. Execution could be hit or miss and I don’t think it has consistently exploited said premise to its full potential but that doesn’t change the fact that it’s a really great premise. I would watch another show with the exact same premise just to see where another author could take it. So adding such a silly element to the core, well it makes me a touch anxious.

But also curious. What the heck does it mean that this “Why-man” is on the moon. Is it an earth colony? Are we bringing in aliens!?! I really like science fiction and it’s not the most common genre in anime. I would love to see Dr. Stone take a classic twist and bring on little grey men or something. I’m probably not going to find out this season, am I :(. But let’s not despair, Tsukasa’s back!

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