Dr. Stone Episode 23 – High Five

Can you believe there’s only one episode left of Dr. Stone? I’m really going to miss this show. I do hope it gets a second season because it was a really fun ride and I’m not sure it got the credit it deserves. Then again, I’m a bit anime clueless so maybe it’s the biggest phenomena out there… In any case, good pick Cruchyroll, this  was a great ride.

Oh and it did convince me to get a Shonen Jump subscription. I encourage to give these away as Christmas gifts. It’s fun!

What I thought Would Happen

I didn’t realize how close we were until the end of the season so I sort of thought we would get more fun cell phone component of the week episodes. Maybe this time we could have focused on Kohaku and Ginro or something as they went to get different mats.

Maybe Gen could have gotten a bit of development, he’s been pretty quiet since his face turn.

Basically I was ready for a steady as she goes episode and I wasn’t mad at the prospect.

What Did Happen

This episode was basically a condensed version of what I thought the next three episodes would be. Like I said, I lost track of episode count. That’s not to say it was rushed or anything.

To put it very concisely, it was a chance for most characters to get a few minutes of spotlight and a montage of the end of the cell phone building process. I know it doesn’t sound like much but you had to be there…

What About the Characters

Th3ese characters are pretty established by now. It is the penultimate episode after all. So it’s actually a good thing that their personalities aren’t drastically changing or being revealed at this point. Nevertheless, we did get a very sweet moment for Kaseki. Not gonna lie, it may have given me a few heart quivers.

I’ve always been a sucker for friendship fanservice and this episode had loads. Nevertheless, having old man Kaseki finally feel like he belongs with this group of wiper snappers was an adorable moment that soften all the characters yet again. The portrayals of manliness and heroics in this show are really impressively healthy.

However, there is one thing that’s always gnawed at me a bit and now that I realize the season is almost done, it’s gotten worse. What about Taiju and Yuzu? Senku seem to have had such an easy time leaving them behind with a dangerous murderer…And we might never find out what they were doing all this time!! That socks. I guess we need another season. What are you gonna do?…

What I Liked

First of all, and I know this is so minor but I liked the Tungstenosaur! I’m not sure if it’s because of Given last season, but random anime dinosaurs fill me with a delight that escapes any sort of reason. This one was no exception!

As I just mentioned, I love how the relationships are portrayed in this series. Sure Senku does have a tendency towards perfect golden boy syndrome but generally speaking everyone has a role and is treated with importance and given agency by the narrative. There’s an inclusiveness about it. In this show, characters win the day by being book smart or witty or charming or physically strong. The emphasis is on Senku’s technologically inclined intellect but the story does go out of it’s way to insist that he can’t thrive without the help of more physically gifted comrades and socially savvy friends.And he knows it as well. That’s pretty rare.

I took a minute to decide whether I liked it or hated it, but in the end Gen’s weird musical interlude won me over be it’s sheer randomness. Awesome!

And the we got to hear Good Morning World again. That’s a fantastic song!

Believe it or not, I’m trying to keep this short. I just liked this episode a lot. And finally, I love that cell phone. As in the way it looks. I wish they would sell one somewhere. It was way better than anything I imagined. Still, wouldn’t they need at least 2 to make it work?

What I Liked Less

The fact that there’s only one episode of Dr. Stone left is what I liked the least about episode 23.

Seriously, this episode just hit a lot of good beats and was thoroughly enjoyable to watch. I’ve been turning it over and over in my mind and although it’s not my favourite episode of the season, because Dr. Stone hit some impressive highs, I really couldn’t think of anything to change. I guess it was a bit odd seeing the dark smoke come out of the village chimneys as a reminder of the costs of industrialization… But that’s not really a gripe with the episode.

Closing Thoughts

I’m in this weird place right now where I can’t wait to see next week’s Dr. Stone because I really want to know what happens and I don’t want to see next week’s Dr. Stone because I don’t want it to be over.

Isn’t it great when a story can do that to you?

Mood: Oddly nostalgic