DESCRIPTION

CAST

ANIME ActionDr. STONE
MANGA ActionDr. STONE
MUSIC AdventureKoe Dake ga
SPECIAL ActionDr. STONE: Ryuusui

REVIEWS

• 

  leesonTV

  78/100
  A solid continuation to the story with a neat overarching objective, missed potential in character development though

  In terms of a sequel or continuation to the story, Stone Wars does the first season justice in that regard. However, there are some things I want to address about Stone Wars that just didn't sit right with me.

  But firstly, what's the plot? So from S1, we're getting the idea that the Tsukasa Army is declaring war on the Kingdom of Science in Ishigami Village, and so in the last few episodes of S1 and the first few episodes of S2, we see them preparing for war through making things like phones, instant ramen as well as a steam-powered vehicle which later gets turned into a tank, as something to distract and invoke fear into the Tsukasa Army.

  As well as this, the main objective in the story falls upon Gen and Senku forming a plan to get allies within the Tsukasa Army using Gen's ability to imitate voices and the phone they constructed. They know that since Lillian Weinberg is a figure that most of the modern humans recognise and rely on, Gen will use Lillian's voice to convince quite a few to join the Kingdom of Science and bring down Tsukasa's Army. I do like this tactical approach to the plot actually, gives Gen a moment to shine here and can catch Tsukasa's army off guard to give Senku the advantage in terms of tactics and allies.

  I do have a few problems with this though. For one, I feel as though ever since the end of S1, the pacing was just going a little bit fast for my liking when they were creating the phone but here in S2, the pacing is way too fast whenever Senku creates whatever he needs to create for the war. I get that Senku is reusing materials from what he has already collected and that it's supposed to be more fast paced and full of action considering this is only 11 episodes instead of the 24 from last season... but I feel as though it was more fun to have a progressive build-up from collecting all the materials they need to finally put everything together in its place just like in S1, it was satisfying to reach that point but now, it just doesn't feel like anything significant anymore.

  A second thing that really bothered me was Tsukasa's motive behind the war. I get that he didn't want to start a war with Senku unless he absolutely had to, but that was under the assumption and the paranoia that stemmed from bringing back everyone in the fear that Tsukasa would witness a war filled with weapons of science... even though he just started a war to witness that either way. It's a bit of a hypocritical choice on Tsukasa's part if you ask me... unless it was mostly spearheaded by Hyoga but I don't know. Other than those two things though, the plot did make sense for the most part.

  In terms of characters, Senku is the smartass we all know and love him for, Chrome got some major development in this arc and is finally becoming that "science user" we wanted him to be, Gen and Senku's relationship and bond was getting stronger, Tsukasa and Senku working together in the second to last episode to beat Hyoga was bliss and probably one of my favourite moments from the season and we finally get to see Tsukasa's resolve and atonement for his wrongdoings as Senku has kept to his promise but Tsukasa broke his at the start of S1, and so he was willing to change that in that scene which I just loved. Hyoga himself I kind of knew that he would betray Tsukasa after how they portrayed him this season but he's not really a twist villain, he only really acts on his own accord which I can respect but to be honest, he's not as good as I wanted him to be. Other than that, most of the characters... just feel one-dimensional to me. Sorry, there just wasn't that much development to any of them at all and that was also a gripe I had with S1, some characters just didn't feel polished whatsoever, Kohaku especially.

  The art here is as great as always, TMS did a great job in adapting Boichi's magnificent artwork. Not much else to say other than that, it's definitely a good adaptation.

  With the OP, they decided to go a route that I didn't expect, more mellow, chilled and laidback. The OP does fit though and is probably behind Good Morning World in terms of ranking, really solid stuff. The ED is also probably my favourite from Dr. STONE period, the guitar and vocals just go off, not much else to add there.

  With that, overall, I consider Stone Wars to be a solid continuation and a solid season in its own right. The plot is good, the score is really nice and the art which has been adapted is also really solid. Characters still need working on in my humble opinion though, it could do with some characters actually receiving some form of development in the next season, honest missed potential that could be rectified in S3. A very strong 7 definitely fits here, it wasn't as good as S1 but it still had the same qualities to it as S1 while adding quite a few more which I still enjoyed throughout the runtime.

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• 

  Lenlo

  65/100
  Trade your beakers in for spears as Dr. STONE shifts focus from science to war, and not necessarily for the better

  

  Dr. STONE returns for a 2nd season! If you haven't read it yet you can find my review for the first season over here or on my personal blog. If you already have or just don't care then welcome to Season 2, Stone Wars. Produced by TMS Entertainment and directed once more by Shinya Iino with the original story by Riichirou Inagaki and original art by Boichi. This is the premier non-battle-battle Shonen except this time with more... well, actual battling. Interested? Then lets jump right in and Warning: There will be spoilers.

  

  Animation/Art

  As always with an anime we need to start with, well, the animation and art. And just like the first season this is where Dr. STONE does the worst. Simply put, this is not an action anime. Action, movement, combat, its good at none of those. Instead Dr. STONE's strength lays in its picturesque nature and its ability to imbue individual still frames with incredible detail and emotion. Whether it be the stunning Ishigami forest in winter, a sunlit beach as twilight falls or the small creases of emotion on a characterss face during a confrontation. These small and expressive details hold Dr. STONE together visually. Of course none of these work alone, the VA's and OST do their fair share of heavy lifting to. But as far as animation goes? Well lets just say you won't be seeing much of Dr. STONE on Sakugabooru.

  If that's the case, if Dr. STONE really is a picturesque series, then why is it visually weak? Why is poor action such a big deal? Two words: Stone Wars. For better or worse this portion of the narrative is heavily combat focused. Dr. STONE does its best to get around this with clever science inventions but it doesn't change how combat is a driving force behind the season. And the sad thing? Most of it looks like shit. From inconsistent locations during battle to still-frame characters sliding across the scene to downright janky hand-to-hand choreography, it doesn't look good. There are the occasional cuts early on the season but that's basically it. Just like in the first season, Dr. STONE relies heavily on sfx and camera pulls to give the illusion of motion rather than actual motion. Will this ruin the show for you? No. But it is noticeable.

  Luckily for Dr. STONE while the animation leaves much to be desired the direction is good. Director Shinya Iino once again did a good job of interpreting the original manga. Of bringing the series to life through a great use of lighting, timing and shot composition. Though this time it appears he has taken a more literal approach to the process. While his decisions in regards to timing and lighting are all his own, and great, he seems to have relied much more on the manga's composition this time around. Lifting entire scenes with minimal extra effort on his part to really make them fit the anime. This isn't the worst thing in the world, Dr. STONE was a good looking manga to begin with. But there comes point where you have to ask why you shouldn't just read the original if the adaptation is going to be 1:1.

  All in all no one can say that Dr. STONE is a visual powerhouse, especially compared to others in the season. It lacks the polished nature of Wonder Egg Priority, the kinetic energy of Jujutsu Kaisen and the bombastic style of Sk8 the Infinity. But through some clever direction and solid stills along with well incorporated music Dr. STONE manages hit highs just as emotional as its peers. Hopefully one day it will get the level of animation it deserves. Until then we will just have to count ourselves lucky that Dr. STONE doesn't need smears or Keiichiro Watanabe to stand out from the crowd.

  

  Narrative

  Moving on we come to the narrative portion of this review. Conceptually this should a slam dunk. Aggressive primitivism vs scientism, brain vs brawn, Senku vs Tsukasa. On paper this should work. But with this shift in focus from pure invention and celebrating the progress of humanity towards actual philosophical combat comes 1 thing: Action. And as we figured out above, Dr. STONE is not good at action. The focus on war really hurt Dr. STONE this season. It influenced not only what kinds of inventions can be made but also just how many are allowed to be made. If Senku ever progressed to much to quickly then Tsukasa would stop being a threat. Because of this Dr. STONE's greatest strength, it's fun and heartwarming inventions, took a hit.

  Obviously they still exist. This wouldn't be Dr. STONE and I wouldn't still be giving it the score I am if they didn't. But for every celebration of music and its effect on humanity we get a bronze sound-cannon. For every telephone or paper craft armor or steam power car we get a tank or exploding arrows, etc. Things that are fun on the surface but don't give me that emotional high that most of the other inventions come with. They lack the same heart behind their invention because they are made for war, not progress. I'm sure some may disagree with me. The cool inventions themselves are the draw, not the humanity behind them. Well to those people I say: Write your own damn review, this one is mine and I'm sticking to it!

  That said, it's not like these moments don't still exist. Early on in the season before the war gets into full swing we are given plenty of emotional highs to tide us over. Meanwhile the finale is quite possibly one of the best of the season. Dr. STONE manages to take what I have criticized as an overly action focused conflict and shift to a "Humanity Fuck Yeah" style of finale. It gives Tsukasa a chance to talk, to explain himself and to justify his actions to Senku. Whether or not he is successful is up to you. But where once his plan was comically evil and poorly thought out we are now shown how Senku's was as well. So while Dr. STONE's narrative wasn't perfect and certainly dragged in the middle, I have to give credit where it's due. The series managed to both start and end strong.

  

  Characters

  Speaking of Tsukasa, this leads me to the characters of Dr. STONE. And if you've seen the first season then you already know most of them. Yuusuke Kobayashi reprises his role as Senku while Gen Satou and Kengo Kawanishi return to voice Chrome and Gen respectively. This is but a small fraction of Dr. STONE's cast however. There's also Kohaku, Taiju, Yuzuriha, Kinrou, Ginrou, Nikki, Homura, Kaseki, the list the goes. In fact I would say that the list becomes bloated rather quickly. One of the biggest issues with Dr. STONE's cast is its sheer size. There's an entire village worth of people we are expected to know but only around 10 are ever actually relevant. Sometimes this is used to good effect when a crowds reaction is required or to fill out a scene. But overall Dr. STONE definitely suffers from character bloat.

  While the size is ridiculous however the core cast fair much better, Taiju, Yuzuriha and Chrome especially. After their exit early on in the first season we never saw Taiju and Yuzuriha again. But in Stone Wars the pair are reintroduced and folded back into the main cast quickly, slotting well into their own roles. Beyond an emotional reunion and helping with Senku's plans however neither has much of an arc. In fact the only character to really get an arc among the good guys is Chrome, who comes into his own well this season. I won't spoil you just yet but his transformation from "follower" to "sciencer" is one of the better stories of the show. The evolution of his friendship with Senku from hero worship to equal is very compelling! Sadly though that's one of only 2 real character arcs *Dr. STONE has for us. And the other?

  Well the other is Tsukasa and you'll have to click to find out. Warning for spoilers about Tsukasa's arc ahead. If you don't want to spoil yourself here's a spark notes: Tsukasa becomes good whenever he shares a scene with Senku. That out of the way, lets talk details.

  Tsukasa is a weird character because he is simultaneously a nothing-burger and the most character interesting character in the show. When alone with his posse he's the walking quiet stoic strongman stereotype. But any time Senku shares a scene with him its as if a switch is flipped. He becomes all soft smiles, contemplation and "remember the good times". That's a bit of hyperbole of course, but the point is that he's only good half the time. But when he is good he's the best damn thing in the show. The finale with him, Senku and Hyoga, their teamwork and his final scene of idle chatter before being put to rest... It was beautiful and the culmination of 3 cours of Dr. STONE. His relationship with Senku is at the core of this show and we don't get to see enough of it.

  And that's really the rub with most of the cast isn't it? Gen, Chrome, Tsukasa, everyone revolves around Senku. There are a few personal relationships such that don't involve him such as Kinro and Ginro. You might also include Chrome and Kaseki in there as well if you are being generous. But anytime a character isn't interacting with Senku, odds are they're boring. Senku is the driving force behind every single plot and character decision in the show, for good and ill. It's good in that it makes Senku a fantastic lead. One with just a pure heart and ideals but just enough scumminess to be ok with lying to hundreds of people. But bad in that everyone else feels lesser for it. It's a shame and something Dr. STONE tries to address moving forward. But I can't judge on future seasons and right now, Senku is all it has.

  When all is said and done, Dr. STONE doesn't have the deepest characters. Their arcs aren't complex, their stories relatively short. But their interactions and the heart they bring to the story more than make up for it.

  

  OST/Sound Design

  Finally we are at the OST portion, the last "serious" part of this review. And just like much of the rest of Dr. STONE "its pretty good". At first I was confused, it sounded as if Dr. STONE was just reusing a bunch of its Season 1 tracks. But upon listening to the whole OST in one sitting, outside the show, it became clear to me: Tatsuya Kato and Hiroaki Tsutsumi have done it again. They have managed to create an OST that is truly unique, giving Dr. STONE it's own unique sound that nothing else can match. The rhythm, style and breadth of instruments used is simply staggering. The way it go can from wild and untamed drums, free and flighty wood winds, to rap, rock and electronic while still feeling like a cohesive whole is... It's hard to describe. So instead how about you just listen to it?

  First take the slowly evolving piece "Senku's Story". As the name implies it takes us through Senku's entire journey so far in the series. His slow awakening to a new unfamiliar dawn as he breaks free from the stone. The chimes and quick beat as he begins to explore and feel out this new world, the woodwinds picking up as his excitement grows. Everything becomes stable has his life finds consistency only to explode into action as Tsukasa enters the scene. From there follows him as he splits from Taiju and Yuzuriha, discovers the village and begins to create the Science Kingdom. That's a lot to talk about for one track huh? And I could have easily said more. But I don't want to wow you with the single good track in the OST and then ask that you trust my word. So here's a few more to check out.

  Sticking close to our primitive and stone roots how about ["Jailbreak"(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZH9yjAH9j0&list=PLOseTNHq-FlcL6wruxVkK3Sbr1WZJ-tNK&index=6)]? The way it slowly leads us in with simple percussion and flutes before slowly introducing more and more modern instruments. Working in guitars, horns and who knows what else I can't pick out. Or what about "Sniper's Eyes", a more modern piece for the character of Ukyo, its peaceful and energetic melody fitting him well. If that wasn't enough Dr. STONE also spread its wings a bit this season by introducing more vocal tracks as well. We have the return of "One Small Step", sung by Laura Pitt-Pulford. Maybe you're looking for something quieter though, like "The Plan" with its somber rendition of Tsukasa and Senku's relationship throughout the show. And this isn't even half the music I wanted to show you!

  Suffice to say, Dr. STONE's OST is pretty damn good. And should it ever come out on Vinyl I will be adding it to my collection without a second thought.

  

  Science Over Conflict

  This brings me to something unique that I like to do: The personal section of these reviews. This is where I talk about my personal experience with a show. Where I typically focus in on one specific aspect that really spoke to me, for good or ill. If that doesn't interest you then feel free to skip. This has absolutely no bearing on the final score and is really just a place for me to talk with you one on one about Dr. STONE. And yes, there will be spoilers. Sound good? Lets go.

  I love Dr. STONE. I love all of Boichi's works to be frank. I'm current with the manga and I generally think its one of the strongest series still in Weekly Shonen Jump. But just like in the manga, the end of Stone Wars really didn't click for me. I've talked about it a bit before in this review but the focus on conflict over science really hurt it. Not only did it limit the kinds of inventions Senku could create and how he could use them but what he created lack the heart I had come to love. Take the nitroglycerin for example. This was an on the spot asspull of an invention. And however correct the science might be to make, it feels wrong for it to be the solution to the problem. Not to mention the sheer absurdity of its explosions.

  It's similar with stuff like the Gorilla Tank. This doesn't feel like something Senku/the author wanted to make. It didn't feel like they cared about it, there was no heart in it. Rather it felt like something put there because its "cool". Because this is a science series and we should make a tank. As if Boichi and Riichirou Inagaki were unsure of what to do with the series as their first major arc ended and were trying things out. Or perhaps their editor told them to try and be more like other battle manga. I can never be sure. But what I can be sure about is that this is the last major hiccup before Dr. STONE finds its stride. From here on the conflicts are tailored around the science, rather than science around the conflicts. So I could not be more excited for a season 3.

  I hope you are to.

  

  Conclusion

  This brings us to the end of the review and, all things considered, how was Dr. STONE? And my final verdict is... Good, but not as great as Season 1. Stone Wars had a strong end and a strong beginning, that is undeniable. And some of its highs, the finale especially, match up well with Season 1. But the middle section with the cave and the shift in focus to conflict over science really hurt it. Tack on to that the continued sub-standard animation and you have something just below a 7/10. Now is Dr. STONE still worth your time? Yes, absolutely, especially if you enjoyed Season 1. Don't just see a score and assume its terrible, I wrote 2700 words for a reason you monster.

  And if you enjoyed Stone Wars even more than I did? Then get hype because Dr. STONE: Stone Ocean Season 3 is announced. And I think its going to be pretty freaking rad. See you then!

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• 

  Iero

  80/100
  L'arte della scienza lascia spazio all'arte della guerra (no spoiler)

  Dr. Stone è tornato, e in grande stile, seppur con dei toni leggermente diversi rispetto alla stagione precedente. Il manga di Boichi, l'indiscusso maestro del disegno, e Riichirou Inagaki era già stato adattato soli 2 anni fa in una serie da 24 episodi che aveva lasciato tutti DI SASSO (chiedo perdono per la terribile battuta). Il suo stile narrativo unico unito ad una trama senza precedenti gli hanno permesso di incuriosire persino gli spettatori più datati e stanchi dei soliti archetipi da battle shounen; la scelta di incentrare l'opera attorno alle accurate spiegazioni scientifiche di Senku e il contrasto con il mondo attorno a lui da vita ad un intrattenimento puro e genuino, senza farsi mancare però scontri, intrighi e colpi di scena. Lo scorso arco si era concluso con l'imminente scontro con l'impero di Tsukasa e la difficile realizzazione del telefono come arma segreta da sfruttare in battaglia; scopriamo dunque se questo sequel riesce a mantenere alto il nome della serie e insegnarci qualcosa, nel vero senso della parola.

  

  Pronti all'imminente battaglia, Senku ed il villaggio di Ishigami sono pronti a fronteggiare l'invincibile Tsukasa e suoi ugualmente forti sottoposti, in uno scontro per il controllo della Grotta dei Miracoli e la propria sopravvivenza. Attraverso la sua mente geniale, egli sfrutterà ogni mezzo a sua disposizione per salvare tutti e trovare la soluzione più logica per la pace. Con il ritorno di Taiju e Suzuriha, oltre all'aiuto di nuovi alleati, ci sono tutte le carte in tavola per vincere e portare il progresso nello Stone World.
  Il personaggio di Senku, che abbiamo imparato ad amare durante la prima stagione, rimane sempre accattivante e riesce a riempire lo schermo con una presenza scenica davvero invidiabile. I momenti in cui si perde ad illustrare gli innumerevoli processi chimici che lo porteranno a creare ogni sorta di gadget della scienza, sono come sempre i più interessanti e danno all'intera serie un ritmo facilmente gestibile e una narrazione ordinata e logica, esattamente come il suo protagonista. A splendere meno sono invece gli altri personaggi, che in questa stagione in particolare rimangono abbastanza anonimi e di contorno, per lasciare spazio invece alle battaglie mentali e fisiche tra i due schieramenti. Non mancano i momenti in cui alcuni coprotagonisti si mettono in mostra e lasciano intravedere nuovi lati di se, però sono sempre brevi e limitati, coperti da un patina di comicità o messi in secondo piano. Un vero peccato, soprattutto se consideriamo che molti dei luogotenenti di Tsukasa inizialmente sembravano davvero interessanti e degni di un approfondimento; solo per poi essere nuovamente messi da parte o risolti molto velocemente.

  

  Visivamente la serie mantiene una qualità molto elevata. Studio TMS Entertainment si lancia spesso in primi piani e pose plastiche che mettono ben in mostra le espressioni facciali e le muscolature dei protagonisti. Del resto il maestro Boichi è proprio famoso per i suoi personaggi estremamente tonici e a volte sessualizzati, elementi enfatizzati sempre dai contrasti cromatici tra personaggi e sfondi e una cura maniacale nel dettaglio. I giochi di luci e ombre enfatizzano ancora di più questi meccanismi e mostrano un'attenzione per i fondali ed il colore degna della prima stagione; il tutto come sempre accompagnato da un comparto sonoro estremamente variegato, da un'intensa musica pop all'emozionante canzone di Lillian nei momenti più dolci. Sono proprio le OST incredibilmente azzeccate di questo anime infatti ad alleggerire gli episodi e i momenti più lunghi e pesanti, rendendoli di fatto abbastanza scorrevoli. L'impatto dei colpi e la consistenza degli oggetti sono resi abbastanza bene, facendo sembrare l'universo narrativo tangibile e reale, elemento davvero fondamentale in una serie di questo stampo. In generale sulla qualità grafica di Dr. Stone: Stone Wars non vi è molto da dire che non si possa allargare anche alla prima stagione: si tratta dunque di un prodotto eccellente, che punta sugli elementi giusti ed evita pesanti o palesi scivoloni, seppur nemmeno qualcosa di incredibilmente sopra alla media.

  

  Oggettivamente, a livello puramente narrativo, questo arco è più debole dei precedenti. Incredibile a dirsi ma i combattimenti e le tattiche belliche per una volta lasciano il tempo che trovano, e risultano spesso un intermezzo tra una nuova invenzione e l'altra. In 11 episodi il tempo speso a combattere alla fine è relativamente poco e la maggior parte degli sforzi e delle mosse dei due rivali vengono fatte in preparazione allo scontro finale; una scelta da manuale per una serie breve e intensa con tanti elementi da dover inserire, ma che finisce purtroppo per togliere molto tempo proprio a quello che è l'elemento più caratteristico, ossia la scienza. Le creazioni di Senku restano le protagoniste e ci dimostrano ancora quanto potenziale sia possibile tirarne fuori ad ogni episodio, attraverso montaggi ben studiati e la scelta di dedicare il giusto tempo e attenzione ogni volta per illustrare il necessario e non sfociare in una noiosa lezione di chimica. I combattimenti d'altra parte sono brevi ma intensi, e ad avere la meglio non è la forza bruta, ma la tattica ed il cervello, con una politica perfettamente in linea con l'ideologia della serie; questo però li rende anche spesso anti climatici e frettolosi, togliendo così pathos a quelli che dovrebbero essere i momenti più attesi di un anime che può vantare tra i suoi generi anche quello di combattimento.
  Questa piccola debolezza strutturale crea un ritmo e un'atmosfera a volte altalenanti, non così tesi durante le scene più drammatiche e importanti e non così rilassati duranti i momenti comici e di spiegazione, creando la sensazione che molto del potenziale latente di situazioni e personaggi non venga sfruttato a dovere.

  

  Dr. Stone è una serie unica all'interno del suo panorama di riferimento. La sua capacità di canalizzare l'attenzione su cose che altrove sarebbero probabilmente la parte più noiosa dell'intera opera e renderle invece il perno vincente della storia sono senz'altro elemento che gli vanno riconosciuti; sfortunatamente in questo sequel tutti questi elementi tipici finiscono per ammorbidirsi per esigenze di trama, portando ad una conclusione soddisfacente, seppur non quanto probabilmente molti avrebbero potuto sperare. Ci troviamo così di fronte ad un'ottimo sequel di una serie di tutto rispetto, leggermente meno impattante rispetto al suo predecessore, ma ancora in grado di sapersi distinguere per uno stile ed un gusto tutto suo

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