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Dr. Stone: New World Episode 19 Review

Irina

Well finally. After the Science gang first got their hands on the Medusa device, it only took like 3 more episodes for them to actually secure it. But this time feels like it might be for keeps. Man, if they lose their grasp on it within the first minute of the next episode, I’m going to feel really silly.

I basically spent the last episode building up my expectations for this one, and against all odds, I am not disappointed. The biggest question I had coming out of last week’s Dr. Stone episode is how they are going to explain the fact that Senku didn’t get petrified. I had a few ideas but none of them turned out to be true. Which is a little embarrassing since the answer was pretty obvious when you think about it. But that’s the sign of a good setup, isn’t it? An answer that is completely obvious and in line with the fiction and yet it just doesn’t occur for some people…like me…

It’s not perfect, it still leaves me with a few questions but it’s pretty good.

One thing I have to retcon in my head is that I thought the green light was what was responsible for the petrification. And it is but not like I thought. Let me try to clarify. Basically, I thought any animal cells exposed to the green Medusa light would be petrified (since we know plants don’t seem to turn into statues). I’m not sure how it interacts with bacteria, like our gut flora for instance but let’s not overthink this (*I say like it’s even an option…). But it doesn’t seem to be the light itself but rather the moment of contact with the light. Once it has initially passed through, it’s okay if you’re still exposed. I think this because Senku got doused in the reviving fluid just as the light passed by him and he was likely still bathing in this light for at least a few seconds before it disappeared, but he did not get petrified a second time. Either that or I got the timing wrong somewhere which is possible. The scene was a bit fluid with the timeline.

So that was the plan. Chrome having noticed the constant expansion allowed them a quick way to calculate it which in turn made it possible for Senku to throw the vial of revival fluid in such a precise way as to immediately land back on his petrified body. You have to accept that Senku had a lot more physical prowess and precision than I assumed he had but otherwise, it’s actually a really cool explanation.

But now what. I mean this is only the opening act of the episode. We need something to fill out the rest of the airtime.

Well, what we get is a classic good vs evil confrontation. It was fun in an action-shonen type of way. Here are the moments that stood out to me.

I liked how difficult to overcome Ibara was. It felt like a real challenge but it was also consistent with his character. It made sense that he would know how to avoid the Medusa better than most. It also made sense that as far as direct physical confrontation goes, he would be stranger than Senku­ He is after all a warrior. I was surprised that he could overcome Ryuusi though. That guy looks ripped and you build a lot of muscle sailing, but I’m willing to accept it.

Speaking of Ryuusi, I’m glad he had a part to play. I thought they were going to make it into a Senku one man show but seeing him collaborate with someone else is always fun. I might have preferred Gen but in the circumstances, I’m not sure how useful he would have been. The same goes for Chrome I guess. But the fact that the show is slowly allowing for Senku to need help is nice. It adds a bit of vulnerability to the character, and I think that makes him better.

Finally, I actually enjoyed that odd introspective moment Senku had at the end of the episode. Thinking that once again he was literally all alone in the world. Again, this is basically just humanizing the character through a glimpse of vulnerability but this time it’s interrupted by the villagers checking up on him. And I felt the relief and connection right along with Senku.

This feels like a big deal. A game changer for the entire series. If Senku and the Kingdom of science have access to the Medusa device, what does that mean? Can they run it in reverse and revive the entire planet in one fell swoop? Would that be horrific for the broken statues? Can they use petrification and revival to heal Tsukasa? He is technically still frozen, right? Is it over? Is this basically the end of the series and all that’s left is to tie up the loose ends?

I guess we’ll all get to see in the coming weeks!

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