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Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3 Review

Quick Summary of Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3

In Dr. Stone: New World episode 3, “First Contact,” the search for oil continues. For a long time, in fact. Summer’s over, and it’s time to harvest the wheat! Tanjiu was in his element, but everyone else was exhausted. That’s when Ryusui realized that since farm work was harder for more people than hunting, they had to sustain the population. He asked François to open a restaurant. Now, in addition to oil, they had to look for specialized ingredients! Can the village sustain that effort for long? Might there be unexpected benefits? And isn’t there a character we haven’t seen yet in this season?

Collaborating with Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime!

Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime are collaborating to review Dr. Stone: New World! This is the part where I usually ask Irina how her week went. This week, though, she’s not available, so we’re on our own for this review.

Irina is not available this week. But I think if we can get through this!

I know. It’s hard news to bear! But I think if we pull together, we can get through this. I hope.

She suggested that we resurrect a tradition she and Matt had started during one of their collaborations. The idea of replacing Irina with a sock puppet sounded funny at first! But then I realized I’d have to carefully represent her perspective, which I’m way too coarse to do. Plus, I’d have to filter it through a sock puppet persona. And let’s face it: they’re elusive creatures, and they’re hard to understand on a good day.

So, I decided I’ll give you a little insight into how we collaborate! I’ll write this as if I’m taking the lead and just leave space for Irina’s comments. I’ll put her graphic where her input would go. That way, we can keep her in mind as we review this episode.

Ready? Let’s do this!

Review of Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3

Opening Thoughts

This is where I would ask Irina if she had any opening thoughts on the episode. 

You know, this is going to be harder than I thought!

This was an interesting episode – I hope we find out what she thought!

This episode featured one quick, funny moment, plus a couple of back-to-back moments that really struck me this week. Let’s start with the funny moment.

A François By Any Other Name

In our review of episode 2, Irina noticed that the subtitles got the spelling of François’ name wrong. In my day job, I try very hard to show respect for my coworkers by getting their names right. I do the same thing in my novels. So, I resolved to spell the name correctly in these reviews.

And guess what? The artists for Dr. Stone agree with Irina! There’s a quick shot of how everyone imagines how the marque for the François restaurant would look. Sure enough, the “c” is represented with “ç” (04:44). How cool is that?

Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3: Irina was right. François is spelled with a "ç!"

See? Irina was right! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Did you notice that, Irina? What did you think of the restaurant idea in general?

I thought it was cool how she noticed that the “c” should be “ç”. Getting names right is important!

The Search for Oil in Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3

I enjoyed watching their search for oil. It was fun seeing Kohaku’s play a role, as well as the little boars that François intended to turn into dinner. It was even great seeing Suika again! I missed her energy, though I wasn’t conscious of her being missing. That’s the fun part of such a large, vibrant cast.

But things really, really got interesting toward the end. Senku needed to test two new devices: a Stirling engine for their ship, and a broadcast beacon to aid in off-shore navigation. So, Senku built a motorboat and took Chrome, Ryusui, Ukyou Saionji, and Gen out with him.

When they got out of sight of the shore, Chrome commented at one point that he’d never been surrounded only by water. It struck me in that moment how much we had lost when civilization fell. Seeing the situation through Chrome’s eyes was sobering.

Irina, what did you think?

You know the hardest part? Not getting to read her answers! She has a widely read, cosmopolitan perspective that always sees things I don’t.

Senku and Company Back on the Air

Chrome expressed fear that they’d never find their way back. That’s when Senku said he had foreseen this problem (of course) and intended to bring back GPS. What he meant was a scaled-down version that considered of an enormous radio transmitting antenna. Suika and Kaseki turned it on. The shot pulled back to show the radio waves radiating across Japan.

Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3: Yes, a radio wave can be beautiful

I admit, this made me more emotional than it should have. But I really like progress. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

You know what? To me, that was like them saying, “We’re back!” I’m a tech guy. I’m one of those folks who thinks technology gives us the chance to make our lives more fulfilling. Every time this series shows Senku bringing one one more invention back from extinction, I find myself getting a little emotional.

Before I talk about the second half of this back-to-back moment, I wanted to give you chance to comment, Irina. What’d you think at this point?

This is probably where she would suggest an alternative interpretation and very politely not call me naive! Which is very nice, but we all know she’s right.

The Enemy in Morse Code

While Ukyou tried to fix their location using his hearing and an antenna, Senku chatted with Ruri, who was back on shore with Suika. There was a small interlude where Ginrou tried to talk Ruri into confessing to Chrome. Remember how Chrome chickened out during the first test of the cell phone network?

Fresh off the warm-and-fuzzies of the broadcast tower, I thought this would be a sweet Ruri/Chrome moment. I was wrong. As everyone watched expectantly, Ruri started to speak. But static drowned her out. Gen thought it was funny. “Ah-ha, the famous trope!” he said (20:23). “Radio noise right when it’s getting good.”

Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3: Gen didn't understand the implications

Gen didn’t catch on at first. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

I confess I was proud of myself here. It didn’t sound like noise to me. There was a definite pattern in the static. Ukyou noticed it first. He also claimed it wasn’t random. It was deliberate. I was even more proud of myself that I noticed it was Morse code. 

Gen knew Morse code. Realizing that the message repeated itself over and over, he dredged up his memory of Morse code and interpreted it.

“Um,” he said (21:28), “Is that a W? H… Huh? WHY?”

Whoever was sending the signal was sending them the question, “Why?”

The animation of a skull screaming “Why?” into the camera was pretty cool.

Senku and Ryusui Are So Ready!

Did you notice which two characters seemed less terrified and more exhilarated? Yep. Ryusui and Senku. They relished this message. They embraced it.

“Hey,” Senku said, thinking of all the devastation the green beam had wrought (21:52). “Are you the mastermind behind humanity’s petrification?” 

Picking up the microphone, he said, “We finally meet. I’ve been waiting 3,700 years for this.This is exhilarating!” 

Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3: Senku understood the implications exactly

Senku is ready for the confrontation! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Irina, what did you think of this development?

Don’t you want to know her reaction to that revelation? I know I do!

Closing Thoughts on Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3

The show seriously shifted gears this week! We’ve gone from our heroes trying to stabilize their situation, to them preparing to travel to the source of the beam. Now, they seem to have discovered their enemy – or at least their signal! I’m really looking forward to seeing where things go from here!

Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3: Other Posts

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2 thoughts on “Dr. Stone: New World Episode 3 Review

  1. Some info on the Sagara Oil Field …

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagara_Oil_Field

    … and another of Perry’s videos about the accuracy of the science:

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OTEHqQnzpzY

    (He’s done videos for nearly every episode – including the Ryusui Special Episode – well worth a watch.)

    Some YouTuber should tackle the psychology utilized in the episodes one of these days: Senku and François essentially gifting Sagara to Suika was definitely morale-building (… though I suspect at their core both are softies at heart.) ✨💖✨

    Note how deferentially François addresses pretty much everyone …

    (Looking at you, Suika!)

    … and recognizes their expertise and value.

    (Looking at you again, Suika!)

    Oh, and Suika and Chalk’s reaction to bread?

    Priceless. ✨🤗✨

    Friend of mine asked why agriculture wasn’t developed earlier in the Dr. Stone timeline, question answered here: Too labor-intensive until a work force of sufficient size has been accumulated.

    As Senku said early on – paraphrasing a bit – takes a whole lot of effort just to keep even one person alive. 💪✨

    We’re also beginning to see domestication of some animals – nothing built quite right to pull a plow yet – though Senku might skip over that, and end up building tractors … 🚜✨

    So funny that François set a boar trap, while Kohaku just powered through and secured the boars herself. 🐷✨

    Some info about truffles …

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Truffle

    … which of course look exactly as depicted here. 👍✨

    An unanticipated callback to the very first episode: Somehow, I don’t think Taiju was amused by the revelation … ✨😖✨

    And then there’s that ending.

    Paradigm Shift.

    It’s been tough, not reading ahead in the manga to avoid spoilers (… and I’ve nonetheless inadvertently stumbled across a few, the reveal at the very end here being one of them.)

    Played to perfection.

    This series is about more than inventions, it’s about the re-invention of itself as well. ✨😎✨

    To date, the anime has adapted roughly the first eleven manga volumes, out of a total of twenty-six (… plus a very odd additional volume about Senku’s dad and the crew of the Soyuz, which may or may not end up being included), so many adventures lay ahead.

    1. “though I suspect at their core both are softies at heart.”

      I think you’re right!

      “… and recognizes their expertise and value.”

      François is really something. Superbly competent, immaculately courteous — it says a lot about Ryusui that he wanted to revive François as soon as he knew something big was coming.

      “As Senku said early on – paraphrasing a bit – takes a whole lot of effort just to keep even one person alive. ”

      True. Have you read The Dawn of Everything by David Graeber? It had some great insights into that idea.

      “An unanticipated callback to the very first episode: Somehow, I don’t think Taiju was amused by the revelation …”

      I felt bad for him, truth be told!

      “It’s been tough, not reading ahead in the manga to avoid spoilers ”

      For me, too. I’ve managed to avoid most, though not all. I didn’t know the reveal was coming at the end of his episode. But they played it so well, I don’t think it would have mattered if I had known. Good stuff!

      “so many adventures lay ahead.”

      That’s great news! I’m not ready to walk away from this world or characters yet.

Please let me know what you think!

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