Dr. Stone Episode 23

Dr. Stone Episode 23

Wave of Science

It was brought to my attention that apparently I didn’t complain about Dr. Stone episode 22. So to make up for that, I have some complaints about episode 23. But actually, I do have a couple of complaints regarding this week’s episode, and I was going to bring them up anyway.

My first complaint is that this episode was basically just an invention montage episode. We don’t really get any development aside from the fact that Senku completes his “cell phone.” But, Ishigami Village does get upgraded in the process, so I guess there’s that.

The other complaint I have is that Gen breaks out into song randomly in the middle of the episode. I should honestly drop my rating of this series down a point just for that, but I’ll hold off for now. Seriously though, I hate when anime break out into song for no reason.

Dr. Stone isn’t that good of an anime to begin with, so the addition of musical elements is just that much worse. If it was actually a good anime I might be able to overlook it a bit more, but it would still have made me consider dropping my score.

Maker Friends

Perhaps you remember way back when Kaseki was first introduced into the series. I’m pretty sure at that at that point I commented about how he would be little more than a background character. Well, it turns out I was somewhat wrong, and the Kaseki montage in this episode helped me realize that.

I mean, he’s not a character who gets very much screen time in most episodes, but he has been instrumental in the construction of just about every invention since his introduction. And this week we finally get a little bit of background information on him, though it doesn’t really matter.

Kaseki crying from happiness from the anime series Dr. Stone
Kaseki crying from happiness

Apparently because he was the only maker in the village, he was always a bit of an outcast. So to make sure he was accepted by the other villagers, he always used his crafting to create things which would improve the lives of everyone else. In fact, he’s even the one who originally constructed the bridges.

However, we don’t have to feel too bad for Kaseki because he’s no longer alone. He now has Senku and Chrome as his maker friends, and I guess Suika too, but she’s not a real character so she doesn’t count.

Chieftain Senku

Now, the only part of the episode I’d say really mattered was when we were shown Ishigami Village being upgraded by Senku’s inventions. Yeah, Kaseki’s background was nice, but it was also really short. And the “cell phone” invention is still something I think is pretty worthless at this point in the story.

But the upgrades to the village do matter. They mean that the quality of life will improve, villagers will be able to live longer, and perhaps other people from the Tsukasa Empire will be enticed to join the Kingdom of Science.

Kokuyo leaving Ishigami Village in Senku's hands from the anime series Dr. Stone
Kokuyo leaving Ishigami Village in Senku’s hands

And these upgrades to the quality of life of the villagers is something I mentioned in a previous episode review (I don’t know which one). Although Senku has these road maps to create his big inventions, all the little inventions along the way have their own uses.

This is something the previous Ishigami Village chieftain, Kokuyo, realizes in this episode. Yes, Senku invented oven things to help produce components for his “cell phone,” but they can also be used to keep the villagers warm throughout the winter.

“Cell Phone”

For a few weeks now, I’ve been mentioning how the thing Senku is building isn’t really a cell phone. Yes, it’s a radio wave transmitter and receiver, but that’s not exactly what a cell phone is. In fact, what he built has nothing to do with the “cells” the word “cell phone” is derived from.

But that’s not really what I want to discuss right now. No, what I want to discuss is the “cell phone” itself, and how there’s no way that Taiju and Yuzuriha are going to be able to hide it from Tsukasa and his underlings — especially while under 24 hour surveillance.

First of all, it’s large, as I had previously pointed out it would be. Second of all, it’s not nearly as robust-looking as one would probably like. I don’t think that “cell phone” is going to hold up for long if it’s out in the elements. And lastly, they have to build a second one now for Taiju and Yuzuriha to use.

Wouldn’t it have been easier to communicate in basically any other way? Yes, the village got some upgrades along the way, but using these “cell phones” without being found out is completely absurd. What, is Taiju going to hide it in his cave and nobody from the Tsukasa empire is going to check?

Conclusion

What did you think of Dr. Stone episode 23? Did you like the fact that the episode was basically one, long montage? Did you like Kaseki’s backstory? What about Gen breaking out into song randomly? Let me know in the comments (unless you actually did enjoy Gen’s song, then keep that information to yourself).

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My review of the final episode of Dr. Stone season 1 is available here.

2 Replies to “Dr. Stone Episode 23”

  1. Senku installed a domestic factory in the village, wasting resources and emitting carbon dioxide inside the houses, and puts CHILDREN and ELDERS all day working to produce cables

    Villager1: -Why do we spend all day making cables to kill a guy we don’t even know?
    Villager2: -I don’t know, I voted for Magma

    And yet the anime tries to make Senku the “good” guy in the story

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