Dr. Stone Episode 6

Dr. Stone Episode 6

Two Nations of the Stone World

Senku said the number 10 billion three times this week. He also used the words millimeter and ultra in similar fashions. I’m starting to think this series would actually be better off is he really died from Tsukasa’s attack.

My hatred of Senku aside, this week’s episode, while not necessarily good, was definitely better than the series has been. The petrification phenomenon was discussed and explained a bit more, and we met the first character who seems to have been born within the stone world.

Because of this, the title “Two Nations of the Stone World” could have two different meanings. I think the most obvious reading of this title is in reference to the so-called Tsukasa Empire and Revolutionary Army formed after the split between Tsukasa and Senku’s group.

However, an alternate reading could be in reference to the “modern” world and the stone world. For the first time — that we know of — people from before and after the petrification event have come into contact. And these two groups have very different understandings of the world in which they live.

Secrets of the Stone

A few weeks ago someone mentioned that the E=mc² on Senku’s shirt was important to the story. I was pretty sure this comment came from someone on Twitter, but when I went back to find them so I could mention them here, it appears the tweet has since been deleted.

Anyway, the relevance of this equation in the story has now been (partially?) revealed. However, even if the equation is relevant to the story, I don’t see why Senku had to write it on his shirt, which was my initial complaint. Also, I think we first saw it sewn onto his shirt, but now it’s stained on with his blood — nice inconsistency.

Senku writing E=mc^2 on his shirt in blood from the anime series Dr. Stone
Senku writing E=mc^2 on his shirt in blood

So why does this equation matter? Senku’s hypothesis is that he was able to break free from the stone thanks to his being conscious during the 3,700 years. However, being conscious at all uses up energy which his body would have had to replace somehow. Figuring out how his body was replenishing its energy may hold the key to solving the mystery of the stone.

It’s also reconfirmed that while the revival fluid has healing properties (only when breaking off the petrification), it cannot heal dismemberment. Sure, it healed Senku’s broken neck and also brought him back from the dead, but if your arm broke off as a statue, the revival fluid will not heal that injury.

In fact, it seems that even if the dismemberment injury wouldn’t have killed you while you were alive, if it happens while you’re a statue you die. So, to use that same example, if your arm broke off as a statue and then you are “revived,” you will be dead.

It’s also further revealed that petrified humans are like onions — or ogres — they have layers. How exactly this affects things has yet to really be explained.

Science or Fantasy?

The real question right now though isn’t actually, “how do we fix the petrification?” Instead it’s, “what caused the petrification?” Without understanding the root cause of the event, fixing it is like using duct tape to reattach that severed arm I mentioned earlier. It’s not really going to solve the problem in the long term.

So what could have caused the event? Senku comes up with three possible scenarios. The first involved aliens, the second involved a mad (Nazi) scientist, and the third involved some sort of virus. In one of my previous episode reviews I contemplated some of these same scenarios, but they each have flaws.

The virus scenario is the most “realistic,” especially since it could explain why only humans and swallows were affected. However, the flaw with this theory is that it doesn’t explain how every human became petrified in the same instant.

The more I look at the possible causes for this event, the more I think a more “fantastical” cause may be the real one. Was it magic? Was it an act of God? I don’t necessarily think those would be as interesting. It would probably turn into some science vs. religion thing, and that’s already pretty overdone in the medium of anime.

But I think the biggest problem for this series is that the petrification event itself isn’t realistic. Even science fiction is a subset of fantasy, so whether this series chooses something like magic or a mad scientist’s experiment, it’s still not a realistic plot point for a series “based on science.”

And I get it, neither is the time travel in Steins;Gate technically, but that’s a science fiction series through and through. It never really tried to be anything else.

Kohaku & the Sorcerer

Finally, we meet the new character first shown back in episode 4, Kohaku. It’s unclear exactly how old she is, though Tsukasa calls her young so we can assume she’s a high schooler at the oldest — though based on her body proportions, I wouldn’t exactly say she’s a child, just short.

Kohaku is an interesting character. Well, she might be a terrible and boring character, but she introduces some interesting points for discussion. The main one is about how people who were born into the stone world view the world in which they live.

3,700 years have passed since the initial petrification event, but we don’t know exactly how long it’s been since the first humans “woke up.” And because we don’t know this, we don’t know how many generations Kohaku is removed from the first generation.

Kohaku fighting Tsukasa from the anime series Dr. Stone
Kohaku fighting Tsukasa

With that said, we can assume she’s not a member of the second generation. Kohaku has no real sense of what science is. She has tools like knives and a shield, but she doesn’t seem to have much experience with critical thinking. Though that’s not to say she’s incapable of it by any means.

She’s far enough removed from the first generation to lack a “fundamental” understanding of how the world works. For example, she believes that volcanoes are gods and that science is sorcery. Unless she was far removed from the first generation, she wouldn’t think of the world in these terms.

Also, what does this say about humanity in general? After how many generations would we forget the advancements of our past? If we lost the internet today and never got it back, how long would it take for humanity to think of sending messages instantaneously through the air as magic?

Conclusion

What did you think of this week’s episode of Dr. Stone? What do you think caused the petrification event? Let me know down in the comments along with any thoughts on the implications Kohaku’s existence has for humanity.

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My review of the next episode is available here.

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