"Dr. Stone" is a science fiction survival manga written by Riichiro Inagaki and illustrated by Boichi, which began serialization in Weekly Shonen Jump in 2017. The first season of the anime aired from July to December 2019, with the second season scheduled to begin in January 2021. Senku, the protagonist, is obsessed with science and conducts experiments almost daily in high school. One day, Senku's friend, Taiju, summons Magari to a camphor tree to confess his feelings. Suddenly, the Earth is enveloped in a mysterious light, and all humanity is petrified. Taiju wakes up to find himself in a stone world where human civilization has been wiped out. Taiju is the only survivor in this world. Senku, a boy studying chemistry, is the one who revives him. Senku and Taiju resolve to save all humanity in this stone world, where everything has been lost, and rebuild civilization from scratch. This article will review the first half of the first season, which serves as the prologue to the series. Watch this and get ready for the second season of the anime! This post contains spoilers, so if you haven't seen it yet, be careful!
A Mysterious Light Suddenly Appears on Earth
Taiju, who has always loved Magari, finally makes up his mind to confess his feelings to her, summoning Magari under a camphor tree. The other students who witnessed this predicted a 100% rejection. Surprisingly, Senku seemed confident that he wouldn't be rejected. Senku and his friends were living peaceful lives like this, until suddenly, a mysterious light covered the Earth. Anyone exposed to the light was instantly petrified, including Senku, Taiju, and the others, who were helplessly petrified. In an instant, the Earth becomes a stone world, and the civilization that has been built up to that point collapses. The story of "Dr. Stone" begins with a powerful start: the collapse of civilization.
Resurrection from Petrification
Taiju, with a strong desire to convey his feelings to Magari, remained conscious throughout the years. When a crack appeared in his petrification, Taiju broke out of his shell from the inside, finally resurrecting from petrification. Thousands of years have passed since then. The Earth has changed dramatically, and no one has ever been resurrected from petrification. However, the camphor tree that summoned Magari remained in its original form, as if protecting him. Taiki conveys his feelings to the petrified Magari and vows to rescue her. However, Taiki, who lacks physical strength, has no idea what to do. Then, Taiki discovers a message written on a tree that reads, "Go Down the River, Big One."
Senku is Alive
Following the message, Taiki finds Senku. Having revived more than six months before Taiki, Senku has established a life on his own and is waiting for Taiki's return. While no one else was around, Senku was making preparations assuming the Great Tree would be resurrected. It's clear he has a great deal of trust in the tree. Even so, Senku's tenacity and determination as he continued to count numbers because he needed an accurate calendar...it's almost superhuman (lol).
Creating civilization from scratch!
Even Senku, a scientific genius, struggled to create a living infrastructure on his own. Building a civilization requires manpower. The return of the Great Tree, boasting limitless physical strength, inspired Senku to decide to create a civilization from scratch. Senku takes charge of the brain, while Taiju takes charge of the body. This is the start of a reckless yet tempting challenge: to leap back two million years from the Stone Age to modern civilization in one go.
The top priority is to increase the human population.
Increasing the human population is essential for the development of civilization. Senku suspects that nitric acid is the reason the fossils were dissolved, and he collects nitric acid from bat droppings in a cave. Believing that there is always a rational reason for coincidence, Senku believes that this nitric acid is the key to reviving the fossils, and he continues to experiment alone.
Steady Effort is Science
Making wine from grapes, and then making brandy from wine. After a year of painstaking effort, Senku and his team finally succeeded in creating the Resurrection Liquid. Senku credits Taiki for finding the grapes, and asks him to decide who will be the first person to be revived. Of course, the answer is already clear. The two head to the camphor tree where Magari is hiding with the Resurrection Liquid. Just as they were about to pour the Resurrection Liquid on Magari, a lion, the king of beasts, attacks Senku and his team.
The Strongest Primate High School Student
3,700 years in the future, the Stone World is a world of the survival of the fittest. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain. Senku and his friends have no choice but to flee, but even if they manage to escape, they're doomed if they're attacked again. Since they're doomed anyway, they take a gamble and use the resurrection fluid they had intended to use on Kabane on Tsukasa Shishio, the strongest primate high school student. The resurrected Tsukasa instantly understands the situation and defeats the lion in an instant. Tsukasa promises Senku and his friends that they'll never be in danger again. Taiju was overjoyed at Tsukasa's return, but Senku felt threatened by Tsukasa's extraordinary strength.
Two People Complementing Each Other
Taiju believes that Senku's scientific knowledge is the last bastion of humanity, and is willing to sacrifice himself to save Senku. However, Senku believes that without Taiju's physical strength, civilization would be impossible to advance. Without either of them, humanity has no future. They must escape together. Senku tells them to think rationally, but Senku is not one to sacrifice others to survive.
Dr. Stone, the Stone of Life
With Tsukasa joining the team, Senku and his friends no longer lack prey. The thing they need most now for the advancement of scientific civilization is calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate can be made by pulverizing shells, and can be used to level up agricultural soil, create mortar like Cement Child, and create soap that purifies bacteria. In Stone World, illness means game over, so soap is truly the Stone of Life, Dr. Stone.
The Bargain Between Senku and Tsukasa
Senku says there are four uses for calcium carbonate. Tsukasa praises Senku's scientific knowledge, saying that Senku could even create a civilization from scratch. Senku, feeling uneasy about Tsukasa's words and actions, only explains three uses for calcium carbonate and hides the fourth use from Tsukasa. Senku's actions make Tsukasa feel uneasy. The battle between Senku and Tsukasa had already begun.
Tsukasa Reveals His True Nature
Knowing the corrupted nature of adults, Tsukasa saw the petrification phenomenon as an opportunity to purify humanity. He sought a world where only pure young people could be resurrected and where they could live in harmony with nature without any vested interests. However, Senku, a boy who loves technology, wants to use the power of science to help all of humanity. The two are in direct conflict. Senku felt he had to hide from Tsukasa the secret to reviving the petrified, the miraculous water in the cave. At that exact moment, Taiju arrives, yelling loudly and bringing the miraculous water (lol). Senku, now aware of the water's existence, lies to Tsukasa, saying he's short on some, and sends him off to the cave. While he's there, he revives Magari and attempts to escape.
Reunion with Magari
While Tsukasa is away in the cave, Senku and Taiju revive Magari. It's a touching reunion after 3,700 years, but there's no time to linger. Senku forces the two to choose between fighting together or fleeing together. Taiju, who has absolute confidence in Senku, immediately responds, and Kayaku, who also trusts the two, immediately decides to fight, even though he doesn't fully understand the situation.
The Greatest Invention in Human History: Gunpowder
Tsukasa stops a crossbow that exceeds 200 kilometers per hour. Senku believes that the only way to stop this monstrous strength is to advance civilization and create gunpowder. A race begins: if they can complete the gunpowder, they win; if Tsukasa finds out before they can, they lose. Senku and his friends head to Hakone to obtain the raw materials for gunpowder. They obtain sulfur in the hot springs of Hakone. At the same time, Tsukasa realizes that Senku and the others have headed to Hakone to make gunpowder. Will they be able to create black powder before Tsukasa arrives?!
Senku's Death
Senku and the others discover a smoke signal and realize there are other survivors. Taiju and Kabata set out to gather wood to send a signal. However, the smoke signal reveals Tsukasa's location. Kabata is taken hostage, and Tsukasa demands that he tell them the recipe for the resurrection liquid. Senku thinks rationally, but he cannot abandon his precious friends, Taiju and Magari, and cannot defeat Tsukasa, who has nothing to lose. Magari tries to sacrifice himself, but Senku gives him the recipe, and Tsukasa kills him, no longer of any use. Taiju and Magari take advantage of Tsukasa's opportunity and use the black powder Senku left behind to escape from Tsukasa.
Senku bets on a way to save everyone
Taiju and Magari take Senku and escape into the forest. Senku will not sacrifice himself for anyone. Taiju had always thought he would find a way to save everyone, based on their relationship up to that point. Magari realized that Senku had been deliberately guiding him to aim for his neck. Taiju also remembered Senku's strange habit of cracking his neck. When the two examined the back of the neck, they found a part that was still petrified. Taiju had heard that small damage would be apparent when the petrification was undone, so he poured revival liquid on it, betting on a slim chance. Senku had calculated that this was the best chance of saving everyone. Thanks to the surrounding repair effect of the replenishment, Senku was miraculously revived.
Each on their own path
Resurrected, Senku decides to split off with Taiju and Kagami to oppose the Tsukasa Empire. Tsukasa believes Senku is dead. If Taiju and Kagami infiltrate the Tsukasa Empire as spies, Senku's movements will remain a secret, while his opponents' movements will be completely visible, putting him in a very advantageous position. Taiju and Kagami infiltrate the Tsukasa Empire, while Senku allies himself with the mysterious group who raised the signal fire and establishes a Kingdom of Science. Until they meet again, they trust each other and move forward toward their goal.
Meeting the Mysterious Beautiful Girl, Kohaku
Kohaku had been watching the entire fight between Tsukasa and Senku. As soon as she encountered Tsukasa, she attacked him. However, she was no match for Tsukasa and was crushed under a tree. Senku found Kohaku and assured him that if he persisted, it would take time, but he would definitely rescue her. Senku made full use of all his inventions and rescued Kohaku. Moved by Senku's unwavering conviction, Kohaku decided to lend him her power. And so, Senku gained a new ally.
A village already existed?!
Kohaku offers to lend Senku his strength as he fights Tsukasa, guiding him to his village. Kohaku, unaware of modern civilization, is not a human resurrected from petrification. And the fact that the village already exists means that someone was resurrected from petrification long before Senku and his friends. Thinking about this, Senku is about to enter the village when the gatekeepers, Kinrou and Ginrou, stand in his way. Kohaku, who owes Senku a debt of gratitude, and the Kinrou and Ginrou, who abide by the village rules, stand in his way. With the two sides on the brink of war, Senku creates soap bubbles to toy with the Golden Wolf.
Genius Sorcerer: Chrome
Called by the Silver Wolf, the sorcerer Chrome appears. The villagers, unfamiliar with modern civilization, seem to refer to science as "sorcery." Chrome quickly discovers the true nature of the soap bubbles and challenges Senku to a battle of sorcery. However, to Senku, all of Chrome's sorcery is merely elementary science. Chrome loses the challenge and hands over the warehouse to become a member of the Kingdom of Science.
Scientific Panacea: Sulfa Drugs
Ruri, Kohaku's older sister and Chrome's love interest, is suffering from a mysterious illness. While diseases that were mysterious in primitive civilizations have been explained in modern civilizations, many illnesses have been uncovered. While the name of the disease is unknown, Senku believes that he might be able to save Ruri by creating a panacea: antibiotics. Antibiotics include "penicillin," made from living organisms, and "sulfa drugs," made from stones. While "penicillin" is difficult to create in the Stone World, "sulfa drugs" can definitely be made with patience and manpower. Thus, Senku and his friends begin working on creating the sulfa drug to save Ruri.
Before Season 2 of the anime begins, here's a recap of Season 1 (Part 1 - Spoilers Ahead!)
What did you think? Season 1 of the anime is the prologue to the story. This first part covers volumes 1-3 of the manga. Be sure to check out Part 2 and prepare for Season 2!
