Episode 16 of Dr. Stone: New World aired on Thursday giving fans more thrills than previous episodes as things get moving. Adapted from chapters 126-128 of the manga, Dr. Stone is now entering the darkest part of the Treasure Island arc. With this season’s new journey essentially halfway over, there are still a lot of events to unravel.
Nothing outstanding
I think I’ve noticed when writing these reviews that each episode always has moments that stand out for me, but I can’t seem to get there with this episode. Even though this time the adaptation is almost 1:1 of the manga chapters, there is one part that I still enjoyed the most when reading the manga and it involves the most unlikely character—Soyuz.
Earlier in the season, I praised Soyuz for being the most random new character that could join our favorite characters on their quest for the petrification device. That being said, the moment of his fleeting memories of his parents becomes a bit clearer in the anime and I really appreciate the production team for that.
In the manga, Soyuz only has one flash memory, literally two, of his mother hugging him and his father looking at him. So adding those little bits of dialogue into this episode for his dad made the emotions that Soyuz was going through a little heavier. Other than that, the episode really did everything the manga intended. Senku’s sense of Ibara’s intimidating presence was showcased wonderfully in this episode. Ibara’s voice actor, Yutaka Aoyama, really captures the pure sinister mood Ibara exudes when he’s serious.
Yet again, this time there was nothing noteworthy for me. It was another great episode with more of Gen’s humor, funny facial expressions, and everything I love about Dr. Stone. The animation isn’t the best the series has seen, but that’s okay. Dr. Stone doesn’t necessarily need Jujutsu Kaisen-like animation to be such a good series.
Tip of the Cap
What I have to acknowledge this time is not the production team but the series author Riichiro Inagaki himself. Dr. Stone is a world of never-ending conflict after conflict no matter how big or small. So being able to constantly have certain situations lead to the next situation is great storytelling. There was never a moment in this season of Dr. This Stone where you sit there and think “When is something finally going to happen?” Seriously, let’s break it down in the most basic way.
Ryusui is revived along with his butler Francois at the beginning of the season, bringing new dynamics to the cast and story (also a labor economy). Senku invented the first camera of the new era. They learn proper farming practices. They built a giant steam-powered ship to reach this island that Senku’s father lived on when he was one of the only people left to find the titan. Senku hears a mysterious voice for the first time in the series.
The last island they reached was inhabited by humans and they befriended one in the Amaryllis. The crew is turned to stone. Senku now knows that they have the petrification device. Senku had to organize a plan to revive them. Amaryllis infiltrates the village with Ginro and Kohaku. Basically, Ginro was brutally killed by Ibara but Kohaku made them use the petrification device on Ginro and herself to save Ginro.
Kinro is revived and is very angry. Moz discovers the truth about who they are and what they are planning, and adds a special twist to the series. Senku invented the first gun of the new era. They begin the battle with Ibara and the villagers. And now, as a cliffhanger, they will directly confront Magma as the owner of said gun in the next episode.
So to sit there and say that this season hasn’t delivered any great excitement, let alone humor and great science lessons, is a bold statement for anyone to make. Who. There are things that are constantly happening and they’re all in sync with each other. Senku and company don’t have time to sit back and relax in this arc and I think that’s also why so many people consider this the best arc of the series. The writing for this one is near perfect and the artwork is fantastic, especially the highly detailed character close-ups.
Just in this episode, Senku had to completely compete in “Brain no jutsu” because Ibara was one step ahead of him. Seeing Senku calculate everything surrounding the threat of “Medusa” being thrown into the air and concluding that it was a fake before Kirasame could think of throwing the real one was something of a fantasy. I don’t know how anyone could sit there and not enjoy that.
Dr. Stone: New World Episode 16 Summary
Once again, Dr. Stone delivers an enjoyable episode. It’s not overly impressive but certainly not dry and dull. It’s another episode that keeps you watching the entire time and without the slightest feeling of boredom. But with the real action starting next week and possible foreshadowing between Senku and Ibara from this episode, I don’t see Dr. Stone: The New World so much that I’ll be bored in the 23 minutes of trying to watch it .
Episode 16 rating: 8/10
If you liked episode 16 of Dr. Stone: The New World, then be sure to vote for it in our weekly poll! Episode 17 of Dr. Stone: New World will air on Thursday, November 16. Crunchyroll is streaming Dr. Stone: New World with English subtitles.
Screenshot via Crunchyroll
©Richiro Inagaki, Boichi/Shueisha , PhD STONE Production Committee