madhavan02
New Member
some one pls tell how i can start this anime i m not finding any watching icon
Dr. Stone: Stone Wars
- Thread starter Damias
- Start date
sphinx1987
New Member
i have the same question
AliveGhost
Member
Yep, that's definitely the feeling I get from Hyoga.Episode 10:
I only feel that its appropriate to post this song in regards to Hyoga. Besides the fact that he was supporting natural selection, he was still rebellious as a character, when compared to Justin Timberlake. That and the taser part.
Nice team up attack with Senku and Tsukasa by the way.
Cherstal
Well-Known Member
Episode 1:
I've been following along the dub which got delayed pretty bad due to the Texas snowstorm and covid, so I'm a bit late to the party, but now that the dub's up and running it's time for some Stone Wars!
I've been following along the dub which got delayed pretty bad due to the Texas snowstorm and covid, so I'm a bit late to the party, but now that the dub's up and running it's time for some Stone Wars!
It was nice getting another "let's make x from the ground up" type episode, towards the last third of S1 they started speeding up the explanation pace which was fine for the plot, but I really do enjoy the good vibes of chill inventing episodes like this. Not to mention the fact that the theme of this episode's invention--freeze dried ramen-- is a direct callback to one of my favorite bittersweet moments of S1 when Byakuya tearfully reassured his dying friend that one day humanity will progress back to the point that people are eating ramen in space. Byakuya look at your boy go... he's doing it just like you believed he would...
Okay this is probably gonna get long, but for context I've listened to the soundtrack of S1 more times than I should've, and one of the best things about Dr. Stone is it's consistently great sound design! I'm talking banger after banger songs with heavy thematic relevance level of good sound design. So going into this season, how they were gonna handle the soundtrack was one of my biggest questions, 'cause what makes a good S2 soundtrack is a bit different from what makes a good S1 soundtrack. Unlike the original, the sequel soundtrack needs to not only introduce new songs, but also balance that with already existing musical canon. (One example of what happens when this goes wrong is the new Star Wars trilogy which relied too heavily on the classics while not bringing enough of its own to the table, therefore making the music feel stale and lessening the impact of the original songs). So while I'm watching this season, I've decided that I'm gonna just include a section here for each episode where I can ramble about soundtrack developments 'cause screw it, this soundtrack is sick as hell and deserves some words.
Right off the bat, episode 1 started off with a new track that pretty much embodies everything I was talking about with carrying on the spirit of the original while still bringing in new ideas.
Senku's Story
This is the song that plays during Gen's retelling of... Senku's Story. Yeah the naming's pretty literal on this one. But what makes this one interesting is the way it incorporates motifs from several of S1's most iconic tracks. The haunting choir of Turned to Stone, and the xylophone backbone of Beginning, but it also introduces a grander, epic orchestral sound later on that's unlike anything else we've gotten from Dr. Stone's tracks! (check out 2:40 to see what I mean, it's some real Intro to Civilization type shit). This could be meant to reflect the new, more intense direction that Senku's Story is about to take with the Stone Wars entering full swing. And yet at the same time, this is only The Beginning of his story.
This episode also gave us the return of Strong Desire!
For context, Strong Desire is a song that throughout season 1 was exclusively used for scenes of characters revealing their strongest desires. Senku declaring he'll revive human civilization and Taiju that he'll save Yuzuriha, Tsukasa that he'll purify the world, Gen's simple request for the comfort of a cola. This time, Strong Desire makes its appearance during Gen's speech, "with my plan we can defeat the Tsukasa Empire and save seven billion people with a bloodless siege. But if God really is watching us, then surely Ishigami Senku and Asagiri Gen will be keeping each other company in hell forever". This is...an interesting place to use the track. At first I was unsure if they just gave up on Strong Desire's theme and just used it 'cause it sounds cool, but on reflection I think it still fits. Using Strong Desire here might've been meant to highlight how strongly Senku and Gen want to save the world without any deaths, that they want the bloodless solution so much that they're willing to do terrible things and ruin their own reputations just to make it happen. It shows quite a lot of character development for Gen especially, self-proclaimed shallowest man alive, that he's now got his eyes set on the greater good of everyone.
Finally, we also got a new jam with Rising Fire!
The first half of this one is what played when Chrome agreed to help Gen and Senku carry out their plan. I don't have too much to say about it yet since it's completely new, but damn that's a jam. "Rising Fire" could mean a lot of things, maybe it's like... the fire of their determination/spirit? And this is the moment their determination is gathered and rising? I dunno, gotta keep an eye on this one to see how else it's used..
Right off the bat, episode 1 started off with a new track that pretty much embodies everything I was talking about with carrying on the spirit of the original while still bringing in new ideas.
Senku's Story
This episode also gave us the return of Strong Desire!
Finally, we also got a new jam with Rising Fire!
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Cherstal
Well-Known Member
Does it count as multi-posting if I'm the only one still posting due to the dub delay? Either way--
Episode 2:
Episode 3:
Episode 2:
Action animation? In my Dr. Stone??? It's more likely than you think!
Nah but for real, considering that Dr. Stone isn't really a combat show, this is turning out great so far. I like how while individual fighting ability does matter somewhat (they never would've been able to physically chase & capture Homura if it weren't for Kohaku) it's really the communication and coordination that determines the outcome here. It's simple, but some morse code and a pincer attack is all it really took. While some of the plan reveals were unexpected, they did make sense based on what's been established before (the UV ray gun, the gravesite). Even Homura sussing out that the KoS is up to something worked--normally I'd call BS on an enemy having that good of a memory, but considering that Homura's done nothing but chill in the woods and spy on them for at least a solid couple months, I'd believe it. Speaking of her, I love that she's actually a character now lmao. Her and Kohaku smack talking during their chase scene was pretty great.
Also, THAT PHONE CALL REUNION. DAMN OKAY DR. STONE YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DO ME LIKE THAT! I love the first arc of Dr. Stone and I love Senku, Taiju, and Yuzuriha as a trio so so much, this reunion was years and a whole ass several arcs in the making and it paid off
"And I'm not worried at all about my friends. They're a tag team of diligence and guts. No matter how well it's hidden, those two will find it."
Y'all..... The amount of confidence Senku has in his friends....
"I missed you guys so much, I could almost start crying.. Even your ridiculously loud voice, you big oaf..."
Y'ALL
I love the village gang, I really really do, but the Kingdom of Science just isn't complete without the duo who've been by Senku's side since the very beginning. And Senku actually showing some brief emotional vulnerability with his oldest friends.... that's the good shit right there.
Nah but for real, considering that Dr. Stone isn't really a combat show, this is turning out great so far. I like how while individual fighting ability does matter somewhat (they never would've been able to physically chase & capture Homura if it weren't for Kohaku) it's really the communication and coordination that determines the outcome here. It's simple, but some morse code and a pincer attack is all it really took. While some of the plan reveals were unexpected, they did make sense based on what's been established before (the UV ray gun, the gravesite). Even Homura sussing out that the KoS is up to something worked--normally I'd call BS on an enemy having that good of a memory, but considering that Homura's done nothing but chill in the woods and spy on them for at least a solid couple months, I'd believe it. Speaking of her, I love that she's actually a character now lmao. Her and Kohaku smack talking during their chase scene was pretty great.
Also, THAT PHONE CALL REUNION. DAMN OKAY DR. STONE YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DO ME LIKE THAT! I love the first arc of Dr. Stone and I love Senku, Taiju, and Yuzuriha as a trio so so much, this reunion was years and a whole ass several arcs in the making and it paid off
"And I'm not worried at all about my friends. They're a tag team of diligence and guts. No matter how well it's hidden, those two will find it."
Y'all..... The amount of confidence Senku has in his friends....
"I missed you guys so much, I could almost start crying.. Even your ridiculously loud voice, you big oaf..."
Y'ALL
I love the village gang, I really really do, but the Kingdom of Science just isn't complete without the duo who've been by Senku's side since the very beginning. And Senku actually showing some brief emotional vulnerability with his oldest friends.... that's the good shit right there.
Continuing the trend of having songs dedicated to specific scenes/themes, this episode gave us a new track called Kohaku VS Homura for, you guessed it, Kohaku versus Homura.
Something interesting about this track is that it looks like, according to the official upload on spotify, this song was guest produced by an artist named RIN. I'm guessing they might've been the one to do the rapping since this song's got a different singer from the person who did all the rapping in S1's OST. It's a nice touch that they went out of their way to find someone (who I'm assuming since I couldn't find any info) is a woman to guest rap for the song dedicated to two of Dr. Stone's fiercest ladies duking it out. All in all it's a fun battle theme!
Another S1 classic made its return this episode: Humanity's Scientific Endeavors
This one shows up twice in S1, first during the iconic "are you afraid of the night?" lightbulb scene, and again during Magma's redemption episode when he reveals himself to truly be on Senku's side "[looks like he's about to murder Senku & Chrome with a pickaxe] Ha! I don't care about that, 'cause the fact is I was gonna kill ya! I just had a change of plans! [swings pickaxe at Tungsten deposit]".
I personally interpreted this song as representing the physical manifestation of scientific ideals. When you take an idea, a hope, and bring it to life swinging into the real world. For the lightbulb scene, it was the idea of science as a tool to conquer humanity's limitations and make the most of our time here on Earth. For Magma's scene, it was the manifestation of what Senku said earlier that episode about ideal society being achieved through the collaborative efforts of all different kinds of people working together with their own strengths.
In this episode, it shows up when Senku reassures Kohaku that thanks to the phone they've made they'll be able to capture Homura unharmed and there'll be no need for Kohaku to kill her, and they plan out the pincer attack. This scene right here shows the benefits of information warfare in real time--if all they had were soldiers and spears, they'd have no choice but to kill Homura to stop her. But with the technology they've created through their endeavors during the past year, they've gained a wider scope of tactical possibilities which eliminates the need for loss of life. And in a way, that brings the Kingdom of Science one step closer to the kind of ideal future they're working towards. A society that cannot handle conflict without bloodshed is incompatible with a society that incorporates the inherent differences between people.
It's fitting then, that the song that plays for the actual scene of Homura's capture is Strong Desire.
Rather than the desire of any individual character, I think this moment captures the collective desire of the Kingdom of Science as a whole. For a successful nonviolent victory--no one killed, no one hurt, nothing lost. Looking back on it, I think this is the first time in all of Dr. Stone that they've achieved that? In just about every other victory or draw, it came at some kind of cost. Senku got his cervical nerve snapped. Chrome got beaten bloody. The village burned down. But this right here? This is the best possible outcome. The Kingdom of Science moves forward, refusing to be built on the foundation of the deaths of their enemies.
Finally ('cause jfc this got long), Rising Fire is back once again for the best scene of the episode!
Episode 1 gave us the preview, but this right here is Rising Fire in its full glory. When the brass hits (1:58) right when Taiju starts crying... [head in hands] B R U H
(Also love the bits of electronic in this! I'm glad that if this is gonna be a new main staple theme for S2, they added some new sounds to help keep it fresh).
Something interesting about this track is that it looks like, according to the official upload on spotify, this song was guest produced by an artist named RIN. I'm guessing they might've been the one to do the rapping since this song's got a different singer from the person who did all the rapping in S1's OST. It's a nice touch that they went out of their way to find someone (who I'm assuming since I couldn't find any info) is a woman to guest rap for the song dedicated to two of Dr. Stone's fiercest ladies duking it out. All in all it's a fun battle theme!
Another S1 classic made its return this episode: Humanity's Scientific Endeavors
This one shows up twice in S1, first during the iconic "are you afraid of the night?" lightbulb scene, and again during Magma's redemption episode when he reveals himself to truly be on Senku's side "[looks like he's about to murder Senku & Chrome with a pickaxe] Ha! I don't care about that, 'cause the fact is I was gonna kill ya! I just had a change of plans! [swings pickaxe at Tungsten deposit]".
I personally interpreted this song as representing the physical manifestation of scientific ideals. When you take an idea, a hope, and bring it to life swinging into the real world. For the lightbulb scene, it was the idea of science as a tool to conquer humanity's limitations and make the most of our time here on Earth. For Magma's scene, it was the manifestation of what Senku said earlier that episode about ideal society being achieved through the collaborative efforts of all different kinds of people working together with their own strengths.
In this episode, it shows up when Senku reassures Kohaku that thanks to the phone they've made they'll be able to capture Homura unharmed and there'll be no need for Kohaku to kill her, and they plan out the pincer attack. This scene right here shows the benefits of information warfare in real time--if all they had were soldiers and spears, they'd have no choice but to kill Homura to stop her. But with the technology they've created through their endeavors during the past year, they've gained a wider scope of tactical possibilities which eliminates the need for loss of life. And in a way, that brings the Kingdom of Science one step closer to the kind of ideal future they're working towards. A society that cannot handle conflict without bloodshed is incompatible with a society that incorporates the inherent differences between people.
It's fitting then, that the song that plays for the actual scene of Homura's capture is Strong Desire.
Rather than the desire of any individual character, I think this moment captures the collective desire of the Kingdom of Science as a whole. For a successful nonviolent victory--no one killed, no one hurt, nothing lost. Looking back on it, I think this is the first time in all of Dr. Stone that they've achieved that? In just about every other victory or draw, it came at some kind of cost. Senku got his cervical nerve snapped. Chrome got beaten bloody. The village burned down. But this right here? This is the best possible outcome. The Kingdom of Science moves forward, refusing to be built on the foundation of the deaths of their enemies.
Finally ('cause jfc this got long), Rising Fire is back once again for the best scene of the episode!
Episode 1 gave us the preview, but this right here is Rising Fire in its full glory. When the brass hits (1:58) right when Taiju starts crying... [head in hands] B R U H
(Also love the bits of electronic in this! I'm glad that if this is gonna be a new main staple theme for S2, they added some new sounds to help keep it fresh).
Episode 3:
This might be my favorite episode of Dr. Stone yet. Like, I gave the first season a 10/10 but this STILL blew me away. It's got everything I love about Dr. Stone-- the great comedy, clever planning, on point pacing, heartwarming character interactions, and above all else the genuine passion for humanity and all the little things that make us human. For as wild as Dr. Stone gets with its character abilities and its science, this show gets people.
Nikki being a Lillian stan is honestly a stroke of writing genius--it's the worst and best thing that could've happened, she's likely the only one who could've seen through their ruse, and yet she's also only one who'd be convinced by the honest truth. And it's also not that strange when you consider that if Lillian is basically as popular as someone like Taylor Swift, it makes sense that at least one person revived could be a big fan.
Also, unironically, I 100% genuinely love Nikki. I stan this stan. Yeah she may have fucking decked my man Taiju, but she's great and looked badass doing it.
This scene. Oh my god this scene. I'll admit it, I cried. Multiple times.
If you couldn't tell by all my ramblings about soundtrack stuff, I like music. A fan, you could even say. And to see Dr. Stone so unashamedly, so wholeheartedly honor the power of music and what it means to people... well, it hits. It hits hard. Huge kudos to Nikki's English dub VA, she knocked it out of the fucking park! Her delivery of the line "Do you have any idea? How much I listened to this? It must've been hundreds of thousands of times" might singlehandedly be my favorite line in all of Dr. Stone, and I haven't been able to stop replaying that clip ever since. It's so human.
There's something powerful about not only that message, but also showing it via the sheer amount of love that a 15-year-old girl can have for something. There's not a sliver of irony here, or any jokes at her expense. In a world where most teenage girls get made fun of, called crazy, or cringed at just for being expressly passionate about something, there's value in treating Nikki's passion with respect like any other. As someone who also used to be a 15-year-old girl at one point in life, I wish we got to see stuff like this in media more often.
In theory, someone like Nikki is the last person who'd need to hear their favorite song again. She's listened to it over and over, so many times that she's probably memorized it. And yet, even though she's heard every beat and every lyric a thousand times over, getting to hear it just one more time means the absolute world to her. That's music. It's a comfort, a source of stability, a way of finding yourself. It's been around as long as we have, evolving over decades and centuries in an ever-continuing stream of artists sharing their voices. Like science, music is the result of countless people's contributions passed down through generational knowledge/influence. It's existence is inextricably tied to science's, through evolving technology dedicated to creating, preserving, and spreading music.
This, this is why I love Dr. Stone. Why I'm here in this forum thread at 2AM in the morning trying to put my feelings on an anime episode into words somehow.
At the end of the day, Tsukasa may have the strength, charm, and numbers. But the truth is that what really sways people the most are the seemingly inconsequential things--a cola, a song, the unassuming little things that make life a whole lot more enjoyable. And that's what I mean when I say that Dr. Stone gets people. 'Cause I know for a fact that if I was in the Stone World, and someone offered me a diet pepsi or told me that the last remaining song in existence is one of my favorites, I know who I'd be siding with in a heartbeat.
Nikki being a Lillian stan is honestly a stroke of writing genius--it's the worst and best thing that could've happened, she's likely the only one who could've seen through their ruse, and yet she's also only one who'd be convinced by the honest truth. And it's also not that strange when you consider that if Lillian is basically as popular as someone like Taylor Swift, it makes sense that at least one person revived could be a big fan.
Also, unironically, I 100% genuinely love Nikki. I stan this stan. Yeah she may have fucking decked my man Taiju, but she's great and looked badass doing it.
This scene. Oh my god this scene. I'll admit it, I cried. Multiple times.
If you couldn't tell by all my ramblings about soundtrack stuff, I like music. A fan, you could even say. And to see Dr. Stone so unashamedly, so wholeheartedly honor the power of music and what it means to people... well, it hits. It hits hard. Huge kudos to Nikki's English dub VA, she knocked it out of the fucking park! Her delivery of the line "Do you have any idea? How much I listened to this? It must've been hundreds of thousands of times" might singlehandedly be my favorite line in all of Dr. Stone, and I haven't been able to stop replaying that clip ever since. It's so human.
There's something powerful about not only that message, but also showing it via the sheer amount of love that a 15-year-old girl can have for something. There's not a sliver of irony here, or any jokes at her expense. In a world where most teenage girls get made fun of, called crazy, or cringed at just for being expressly passionate about something, there's value in treating Nikki's passion with respect like any other. As someone who also used to be a 15-year-old girl at one point in life, I wish we got to see stuff like this in media more often.
In theory, someone like Nikki is the last person who'd need to hear their favorite song again. She's listened to it over and over, so many times that she's probably memorized it. And yet, even though she's heard every beat and every lyric a thousand times over, getting to hear it just one more time means the absolute world to her. That's music. It's a comfort, a source of stability, a way of finding yourself. It's been around as long as we have, evolving over decades and centuries in an ever-continuing stream of artists sharing their voices. Like science, music is the result of countless people's contributions passed down through generational knowledge/influence. It's existence is inextricably tied to science's, through evolving technology dedicated to creating, preserving, and spreading music.
This, this is why I love Dr. Stone. Why I'm here in this forum thread at 2AM in the morning trying to put my feelings on an anime episode into words somehow.
At the end of the day, Tsukasa may have the strength, charm, and numbers. But the truth is that what really sways people the most are the seemingly inconsequential things--a cola, a song, the unassuming little things that make life a whole lot more enjoyable. And that's what I mean when I say that Dr. Stone gets people. 'Cause I know for a fact that if I was in the Stone World, and someone offered me a diet pepsi or told me that the last remaining song in existence is one of my favorites, I know who I'd be siding with in a heartbeat.
When Nikki confessed to "Lillian" about how much her music meant to her, Thousands Of Years May Have Passed... from S1 started playing, which was a nice touch :)
In S1 this song played only twice; when Suika first looked through her glasses, and when Senku first looked through his telescope. It's a pretty sentimental song, for scenes where someone does something for the first time in the Stone World that used to be normal 3700 years ago in the modern age. So I think it's fitting that it plays for the first fan meetup of the new world. Thousands of years may have passed, but Nikki still feels all the same amount of love and gratitude for Lillian that she did all that time ago.
In S1 this song played only twice; when Suika first looked through her glasses, and when Senku first looked through his telescope. It's a pretty sentimental song, for scenes where someone does something for the first time in the Stone World that used to be normal 3700 years ago in the modern age. So I think it's fitting that it plays for the first fan meetup of the new world. Thousands of years may have passed, but Nikki still feels all the same amount of love and gratitude for Lillian that she did all that time ago.
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Rascal
Gold Supporter
Man, it is great to read commentary from someone who loves this show about as much as I love assclass XD it's really inspiring, i wanna watch this dubbed now.Does it count as multi-posting if I'm the only one still posting due to the dub delay? Either way--
Episode 2:
Action animation? In my Dr. Stone??? It's more likely than you think!
Nah but for real, considering that Dr. Stone isn't really a combat show, this is turning out great so far. I like how while individual fighting ability does matter somewhat (they never would've been able to physically chase & capture Homura if it weren't for Kohaku) it's really the communication and coordination that determines the outcome here. It's simple, but some morse code and a pincer attack is all it really took. While some of the plan reveals were unexpected, they did make sense based on what's been established before (the UV ray gun, the gravesite). Even Homura sussing out that the KoS is up to something worked--normally I'd call BS on an enemy having that good of a memory, but considering that Homura's done nothing but chill in the woods and spy on them for at least a solid couple months, I'd believe it. Speaking of her, I love that she's actually a character now lmao. Her and Kohaku smack talking during their chase scene was pretty great.
Also, THAT PHONE CALL REUNION. DAMN OKAY DR. STONE YOU DIDN'T HAVE TO DO ME LIKE THAT! I love the first arc of Dr. Stone and I love Senku, Taiju, and Yuzuriha as a trio so so much, this reunion was years and a whole ass several arcs in the making and it paid off
"And I'm not worried at all about my friends. They're a tag team of diligence and guts. No matter how well it's hidden, those two will find it."
Y'all..... The amount of confidence Senku has in his friends....
"I missed you guys so much, I could almost start crying.. Even your ridiculously loud voice, you big oaf..."
Y'ALL
I love the village gang, I really really do, but the Kingdom of Science just isn't complete without the duo who've been by Senku's side since the very beginning. And Senku actually showing some brief emotional vulnerability with his oldest friends.... that's the good shit right there.
Continuing the trend of having songs dedicated to specific scenes/themes, this episode gave us a new track called Kohaku VS Homura for, you guessed it, Kohaku versus Homura.
Something interesting about this track is that it looks like, according to the official upload on spotify, this song was guest produced by an artist named RIN. I'm guessing they might've been the one to do the rapping since this song's got a different singer from the person who did all the rapping in S1's OST. It's a nice touch that they went out of their way to find someone (who I'm assuming since I couldn't find any info) is a woman to guest rap for the song dedicated to two of Dr. Stone's fiercest ladies duking it out. All in all it's a fun battle theme!
Another S1 classic made its return this episode: Humanity's Scientific Endeavors
This one shows up twice in S1, first during the iconic "are you afraid of the night?" lightbulb scene, and again during Magma's redemption episode when he reveals himself to truly be on Senku's side "[looks like he's about to murder Senku & Chrome with a pickaxe] Ha! I don't care about that, 'cause the fact is I was gonna kill ya! I just had a change of plans! [swings pickaxe at Tungsten deposit]".
I personally interpreted this song as representing the physical manifestation of scientific ideals. When you take an idea, a hope, and bring it to life swinging into the real world. For the lightbulb scene, it was the idea of science as a tool to conquer humanity's limitations and make the most of our time here on Earth. For Magma's scene, it was the manifestation of what Senku said earlier that episode about ideal society being achieved through the collaborative efforts of all different kinds of people working together with their own strengths.
In this episode, it shows up when Senku reassures Kohaku that thanks to the phone they've made they'll be able to capture Homura unharmed and there'll be no need for Kohaku to kill her, and they plan out the pincer attack. This scene right here shows the benefits of information warfare in real time--if all they had were soldiers and spears, they'd have no choice but to kill Homura to stop her. But with the technology they've created through their endeavors during the past year, they've gained a wider scope of tactical possibilities which eliminates the need for loss of life. And in a way, that brings the Kingdom of Science one step closer to the kind of ideal future they're working towards. A society that cannot handle conflict without bloodshed is incompatible with a society that incorporates the inherent differences between people.
It's fitting then, that the song that plays for the actual scene of Homura's capture is Strong Desire.
Rather than the desire of any individual character, I think this moment captures the collective desire of the Kingdom of Science as a whole. For a successful nonviolent victory--no one killed, no one hurt, nothing lost. Looking back on it, I think this is the first time in all of Dr. Stone that they've achieved that? In just about every other victory or draw, it came at some kind of cost. Senku got his cervical nerve snapped. Chrome got beaten bloody. The village burned down. But this right here? This is the best possible outcome. The Kingdom of Science moves forward, refusing to be built on the foundation of the deaths of their enemies.
Finally ('cause jfc this got long), Rising Fire is back once again for the best scene of the episode!
Episode 1 gave us the preview, but this right here is Rising Fire in its full glory. When the trumpets hit (1:58) right when Taiju starts crying... [head in hands] B R U H
(Also love the bits of electronic in this! I'm glad that if this is gonna be a new main staple theme for S2, they added some new sounds to help keep it fresh).
Episode 3:
This might be my favorite episode of Dr. Stone yet. Like, I gave the first season a 10/10 but this STILL blew me away. It's got everything I love about Dr. Stone-- the great comedy, clever planning, on point pacing, heartwarming character interactions, and above all else the genuine passion for humanity and all the little things that make us human. For as wild as Dr. Stone gets with its character abilities and its science, this show gets people.
Nikki being a Lillian stan is honestly a stroke of writing genius--it's the worst and best thing that could've happened, she's likely the only one who could've seen through their ruse, and yet she's also only one who'd be convinced by the honest truth. And it's also not that strange when you consider that if Lillian is basically as popular as someone like Taylor Swift, it makes sense that at least one person revived could be a big fan.
Also, unironically, I 100% genuinely love Nikki. I stan this stan. Yeah she may have fucking decked my man Taiju, but she's great and looked badass doing it.
This scene. Oh my god this scene. I'll admit it, I cried. Multiple times.
If you couldn't tell by all my ramblings about soundtrack stuff, I like music. A fan, you could even say. And to see Dr. Stone so unashamedly, so wholeheartedly honor the power of music and what it means to people... well, it hits. It hits hard. Huge kudos to Nikki's English dub VA, she knocked it out of the fucking park! Her delivery of the line "Do you have any idea? How much I listened to this? It must've been hundreds of thousands of times" might singlehandedly be my favorite line in all of Dr. Stone, and I haven't been able to stop replaying that clip ever since. It's so human.
There's something powerful about not only that message, but also showing it via the sheer amount of love that a 15-year-old girl can have for something. There's not a sliver of irony here, or any jokes at her expense. In a world where most teenage girls get made fun of, called crazy, or cringed at just for being expressly passionate about something, there's value in treating Nikki's passion with respect like any other. As someone who also used to be a 15-year-old girl at one point in life, I wish we got to see stuff like this in media more often.
In theory, someone like Nikki is the last person who'd need to hear their favorite song again. She's listened to it over and over, so many times that she's probably memorized it. And yet, even though she's heard every beat and every lyric a thousand times over, getting to hear it just one more time means the absolute world to her. That's music. It's a comfort, a source of stability, a way of finding yourself. It's been around as long as we have, evolving over decades and centuries in an ever-continuing stream of artists sharing their voices. Like science, music is the result of countless people's contributions passed down through generational knowledge/influence. It's existence is inextricably tied to science's, through evolving technology dedicated to creating, preserving, and spreading music.
This, this is why I love Dr. Stone. Why I'm here in this forum thread at 2AM in the morning trying to put my feelings on an anime episode into words somehow.
At the end of the day, Tsukasa may have the strength, charm, and numbers. But the truth is that what really sways people the most are the seemingly inconsequential things--a cola, a song, the unassuming little things that make life a whole lot more enjoyable. And that's what I mean when I say that Dr. Stone gets people. 'Cause I know for a fact that if I was in the Stone World, and someone offered me a diet pepsi or told me that the last remaining song in existence is one of my favorites, I know who I'd be siding with in a heartbeat.
When Nikki confessed to "Lillian" about how much her music meant to her, Thousands Of Years May Have Passed... from S1 started playing, which was a nice touch :)
In S1 this song played only twice; when Suika first looked through her glasses, and when Senku first looked through his telescope. It's a pretty sentimental song, for scenes where someone does something for the first time in the Stone World that used to be normal 3700 years ago in the modern age. So I think it's fitting that it plays for the first fan meetup of the new world. Thousands of years may have passed, but Nikki still feels all the same amount of love and gratitude for Lillian that she did all that time ago.