English Dub Review: Dr. STONE “Let There Be the Light of Science”

Overview (Spoilers Below)

While Senku and his village team are passing out the ramen, a mysterious visitor sneaks a bowl, who Senku recognizes as Asigiri Gen from his old world. He was a “trashy” magician/”mentalist” who was famed for writing psychology books. The gang accuses him of working as a spy for Tsukasa, but he denies all claims. Just like everyone else who took a bowl of ramen, though, Senku puts them to work pumping oxygen into the furnace. There, Senku calls Gen out on his lies, based on perception. Gen then spills the beans, saying he was sent by Tsukasa to make sure Senku was dead. However, Gen reveals his True Neutral nature and says that he was only working for Tsukasa because of how he’d get to live under his rule. When Gen sees Senku’s technology-based society, though, he changes sides to benefit his comfort. Senku sways Gen with his plans to make a generator.

In order to make a generator, they use the iron crafted from the furnace and take advantage of the lightning storm above. When lightning strikes the iron rods, they turn into giant magnets. Using flattened copper discs and lacquer wares, the team bribes Kinro and Ginro with new weapons, to use their muscle power to get the generator going. With that, Senku creates the first light-bulb there’s been in thousands of years.

Our Take

So far, there’s yet to be an episode of Dr. STONE where there’s been a drop in quality. Nearly ten episodes in, and it’s been consistent in its voice acting, art, and storytelling. “Let There Be the Light of Science” is no exception to this, and only adds more color to an already colorful show — in a metaphorical and literal sense.

To start out with, the art in this episode was pretty breathtaking. Certain shots — such as when Senku is retrieving the iron rods after the lightning storm, or when he and Chrome are igniting the light-bulb — were more than just frames of a show: they were pure art, invoking the spirit of what makes animation, as a medium, special. On the flip-side, there were also a variety of character expressions that demonstrated the other end of what a cartoon is: silly! Exemplified by moments such as Gen’s face when Senku tells him that they’re creating a generator, this episode really hauled in all aspects of its animated form.

Acting-wise, Gen’s voice seems to be just as expressionistic as the others. All of the characters are as properly cartoony as the show demands — which is great to see with the blend of serious overtones. As always, episodes of Dr. STONE always introduce scientific concepts that may be unfamiliar to the viewer. Iron bars being used with electricity to create magnets was another neat tidbit of applicable real-world info.

There are so many reasons to keep coming back to this show: whether it’s to learn something new or be part of the groundbreaking, yet simple victories, this show really knows how to bring a little light into the world of anime.