While "Dr. Stone" depicts the classic battles and friendships typical of shonen manga, it also allows readers to gain scientific knowledge. Manga that allows readers to enjoy the story while learning something is rare, isn't it? While there are other works in the same genre, such as cooking manga, that teach about cooking, this work's appeal lies in its combination of learning and action, allowing readers to gain culinary knowledge while having fun. The use of science as a theme, in particular, makes it easier to depict battle scenes. By using science as a theme, this work brilliantly overcomes the weakness of cooking manga, which often lacks flashy action and instead reverts to cooking competitions. In this article, we'd like to introduce the benefits of the combination of science and action, which is the greatest innovation in this ingenious work, "Dr. Stone"!
An educational manga that lets you learn science while having fun!
First, let me explain the basic structure of this work. The story follows the scientifically-savvy protagonist, Senku Ishigami, as he struggles to restore civilization in a world where almost all of humanity has suddenly been turned to stone.
Science x Battle
The main goal is the advancement of science, but along the way, the story also depicts confrontations with organizations that seek to thwart scientific advancements and battles with new species that have emerged in the thousands of years since humanity was petrified. This is a work that allows you to enjoy both science and battle.
A wide variety of characters appear, including navigators, blacksmiths, and martial artists.
In addition to Senku, who specializes in scientific knowledge, this work also features experts from various fields from the pre-petrification world, conducting a thought experiment to ask what would happen if professionals from each field came together from scratch. As the story progresses, the number of these characters increases, which is an impressive way to follow the classic Jump genre.
Dark fantasy is on the rise, so I recommend you read it!
Recently, even Jump titles have been increasingly featuring graphic content, making these works more likely to attract attention. Even in this climate, this work's reputation is one of its earnest efforts to create an informative, shonen manga without forgetting its original role as a children's manga.
Science Made Easy with Illustrations!
In particular, the depictions of science in this work are illustrated in ways that even children can easily understand, making this work highly informative even just by looking at this page. It's precisely because this is a Jump work that is read by so many children that it's meaningful to use such easy-to-understand illustrations.
As science advances, the applications of technology increase.
Furthermore, there's another aspect that makes this story so interesting precisely because it depicts science. That is, "as science advances, the applications of technology increase." Unlike battle manga, where characters train their bodies and their fighting power gradually increases, this work's goal is the advancement of civilization. Therefore, there's no training required, and progress is depicted in a gradual, even fashion. As technology advances, the applications of that technology increase, so civilization advances before you know it. This makes for an enjoyable story with a very fast pace.
Many topics are actually covered in science classes!
Furthermore, the series features many early examples that anyone could easily try. As a result, there are many examples that can be used in science classes after reading about them. Events that occur in the manga are actually recreated in the real world at school, making it a work that easily links reality and the world of manga.
Understanding the Fun of Science
And best of all, this show allows children to learn the joy of solving problems with ideas, which is the fun of science. Rather than memorizing the contents of textbooks at school, children can learn through this show questions like, "Why is it important to study science?", "What would happen if science disappeared from this world?", and "How has science developed?", making it a more enjoyable way to learn science.
The Fun of Building a Civilization from Scratch
As you can see, this work is not a purely science-based manga, but rather has the unique elements of a shonen manga that make it a fascinating read. I think the work is particularly focused on "depicting the fun of building a civilization from scratch."
Minecraft Manga
The game Minecraft also fulfills a similar role in "portraying the fun of creating a civilization from scratch." While games like Minecraft, where you have to think about and create from scratch, are relatively easy to enjoy, the difficulty of depicting this in a manga, where the reader is merely watching, is that it needs to be portrayed without losing its appeal.
Resolved with Comical Characters and Easy-to-Understand Illustrations
Creating a civilization from scratch presents various challenges when depicting it in a manga. However, this work brilliantly overcomes these challenges by introducing comical characters and using illustrations to explain science as easily as possible.
A One-of-a-Kind Work
This work is acclaimed not only for its entertaining quality but also for its uniqueness, precisely because it uses various ingenious techniques to fully depict the excitement of creating a civilization from scratch, something that is normally difficult to depict in manga. Even when looking at other works, there are few that depict science in such an easy-to-understand and comical way, making it a work that not only science buffs but manga fans alike should pay attention to.
The Effective Contrast of Physical Ability vs. Science
Among the ingenious ways used to portray science in this work, one that deserves particular attention is the effective contrast between physical ability and science. From here, I would like to introduce the "physical ability vs. science" structure in this work, which is what makes this work so outstanding as a battle manga.
Ultimate Physical Abilities vs. Ultimate Scientific Knowledge
This work depicts the conflict between the Tsukasa Empire, led by Tsukasa Shishio, who possesses ultimate physical abilities, and the Science Empire, led by Senku Ishigami, who possesses ultimate scientific knowledge. These two groups are the modern equivalent of the science and athletic teams, a conflict that is also present in modern society. This allows readers to align themselves with either side, making it very easy to empathize with the story.
Even Ultimate Physical Ability Requires Intelligence
What's even more interesting is that the Tsukasa Empire isn't the ultimate muscle-brained organization. While they understand their strengths in physical ability, they also excel in intellectual battles. Many readers have heard that top athletes are intelligent, and in this work, the more physically capable a character is, the more intelligent they become.
Will physical ability or scientific knowledge win?
In this way, this work is not only a fun way to learn scientific knowledge, but it also has the appeal of being a battle manga, as it asks which is more advantageous in a situation where civilization is at zero: physical ability or scientific knowledge.
A Scientific Society Needs Diverse Talent
Also, in the latter half of the series, characters with physical abilities who were once enemies begin to cooperate with Senku and his friends. This is another very interesting point, as the series illustrates how characters with excellent physical abilities are essential for the advancement of science.
Procurement of necessary materials, assembly, etc.
No matter how impressive a design a science major draws, it can't be realized without someone capable of assembling it. And someone capable of gathering the precious resources needed for assembly is also needed.
Diversity and Science
As such, for the advancement of science, even if a person specializes in a particular field, if they become too biased, they will not be able to fully develop their entire field. This work also teaches us why diversity is important, as is the case in modern society.
Also great for social studies
As you can see, this series not only teaches about science, but also teaches us about the rules necessary for many people to live together.
Summary
What did you think? This article introduced the contrast between science and the human body depicted in "Dr. Stone." While there are many works with a science theme like this one, there are few that are as entertaining and aimed at boys as this one. The anime series is also doing well, and I'm sure there will be many developments in the future, so be sure to keep an eye on it.
