Quick Summary • Best Moment • Setup • Delivery • Other Posts
Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 20 – Quick Summary
In Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 episode 20, “FIRST DREAM,” Senkuu had to decide who to un-petrify first. He followed a logical, methodical process to decide who – including how hungry he was. And though there was a lot of celebrating as more and more of the crew were revived, something became clear. Ruri had not called Senkuu by accident at the end of the previous episode. There was a reason she called – a very specific reason. What’s going on back home? What can Senkuu do about it? And will the revival fluid actually heal Ginrou?
Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.
Favorite Quote from Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 20
Well, of course they are! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
I have to admire the show’s audacity. It’s scientific accuracy, too, at least to the extent I can determine it. Sure, there are some Rectal Extractions here and there (I would say ass pulls, but I didn’t want to sound crass). But overall, the show’s accuracy has kept me entertained.
But in this episode, they upped the ante. My favorite quote shows just how high, and I have to say, I’m dying to see how they pull it off. Because, damn, they’re about to go into a field I’ve studied on and off (as an amateur) for years, and how they might do it has me stumped.
It was shocking enough when Ukyou announced that it was Senkuu’s simulated voice that tried to trigger the Medusa device to envelop the entire planet. But it was even more shocking when Senkuu triangulated the source to our own Moon.
I did not see that coming. But after I accepted, if I had had time to think about it, I could have predicted what Senkuu could say next. Which was (22:07): “We’re going to the Moon!”
Well, of course they are! That’s impressively audacious, and I’m really curious to see how they pull it off!
Favorite Moment from Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 20
I don’t know exactly how they feel about each other. But this says a lot. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Setup: Robo Senkuu Meets Nier?
I swear, if it turns out Robo Senkuu has joined the Council of Humanity, I’m going to be so pissed! It’s not that I object to a Dr. Stone/Nier cross-over. It’s that… just no.
Though it could be cool to see Kohaku meet 2B. 9S would probably get along well with Chrome, too.
I was tempted to go off on a rant about the complexities of going to the moon – of the need for a global communications network, the need to manufacture ridiculously complex machines, and the like. But then I wondered: knowing all the mistakes NASA, JAXA, Roscosmos, ISRO, and everyone else has made… what might Senkuu be able to achieve? Heck, even if it’s not realistic, I think the thought process itself might be entertaining enough to carry the show!
That’s part of why discovering that the Vocaloid version of Senkuu’s voice was behind the attempt to re-petrify the planet wasn’t my favorite moment. Because in terms of dramatic punch, that moment qualified! Instead, it went to a lower-key moment that I found even more powerful.
Okay, that’s creepy as hell! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
Senkuu had just revived Ginrou. There was a bit of dramatic tension as I wondered just how well the Medusa device could heal the damage that Ibara had inflicted on him. But I need not have worried. Ginrou came back at 100% health. Which he demonstrated by rushing to hug Kohaku out of gratitude. At least, that how I honestly believe it started. Then he just went for a grope. You can imagine how well that ended for him. I’ll just say I’m glad the Medusa device restored him to health, or his impact against the tree might have been fatal.
Delivery: Kohaku and Senkuu’s Embrace
But then, Kohaku and Senkuu became aware of each other. Remember her statement of complete faith in him, as the Medusa device turned her to stone, back in episode 13? Remember Senkuu’s expression when he learned Ibara had used the Medusa device on Kohaku, in episode 14?
When their eyes met in this episode, she hurled herself towards him. Senkuu turned towards her, which signaled an acceptance that’s not typical for him. And they hugged (08:07).
The Reddit discussion (see below) had a thread about how the writer would never let Senkuu and Kohaku be a couple. Just look at Taiju and Yuzuriha. Taiju waited almost four thousand years to confess his feelings, and they still aren’t dating.
This moment felt right. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.
But I’ll say this. Kohaku not only has faith in him. She admires who he is – his intellect, certainly, but his understated courage also appeals to her. He calls her “lioness.” At first, it might have been a slam, but lately, it sounds more and more like admiration.
Are they an item? I don’t know. But I do know this: whatever they have, it doesn’t have to fit into a neat compartment. I’ve watched their relationship grow since they first met back in episode 6 or episode 7. Whatever they feel for one another, it has developed naturally, and it’s been great fun to watch. I don’t mind that it’s not a traditional romantic thing. It’s their thing, whatever it is, and seeing that hug felt right.
What did you think of Kaseki grumbling about the amount of work waiting for him every time he’s revived? What were your favorite moments? Feel free to let me know in the comments!
Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 20: Other Posts
Other Anime Sites
- Reddit: Dr. Stone New World Part 2 – Episode 20 discussion
- I Drink and Watch Anime: Dr. Stone: New World Episode 20 Review
This Site (Crow’s World of Anime!)
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 12: The Kingdom of Science’s Counterattack
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 13: The Medusa’s True Face
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 14: Deal Game, Test of Wit
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 15: Battle in Three Dimensions
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 16: Total War
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 17: JOKER
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 18: Flicker of Doom
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 19: LAST MAN STANDING
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 20: FIRST DREAM
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 21: Treasure Island
- Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 22: BEYOND THE NEW WORLD
So much to talk about this week …
– Neat! Revival effect as seen from the affected individual’s P.O.V.
– Both OP & ED Themes have grown on me more than a little. 🎼🤗✨
– Does François wear that greenery as a collar to hide an Adam’s Apple, or lack thereof? 🤔✨
– Oh yeah, Taiju missed out on the whole ‘Marriage/Divorce’ arc (… all three minutes of it.) ⏰✨
– During Taiju’s brief ‘Shakedown’ of Senku, the music track associated with the Cotton Candy Machine plays.
– Magma has a great range of expressions in this episode.
– Somehow, Senku turning into Kohaku’s embrace carried far, far more emotional heft than the earlier fake smooch.
– Did ‘Why-Man’ simulate Senku’s voice because it would be more likely to be listened to?
I remember an old “Jackie Jokers” comic where Jackie had to use ventriloquism to throw his voice and impersonate the over-the-phone voice of an Underworld Boss he’d never heard before: His solution was to imitate the voice of the person on the receiving end of the call, figuring that “… he had to listen to himself, right?” ☝️✨
– I’d noted that ‘Mystery Statue’ Taiju had retrieved, knew it held some significance but hadn’t imagined it being a narrative window back to the arrival of the Petrification Device(s).
– The revived Perseus crew includes a few seldom-seen (… and still unnamed) minor characters from the ‘Stone Wars’ arc.
– Could have sworn Mantle stayed behind.
– Almost missed Kirisame bowing reverently to Soyuz: It’s slightly more prominent in the Manga.
– Oarashi and Magma definitely share ancestry (… though I suppose pretty much everyone does.)
– “Food as Celebration.” ‘Nuff Said.
– Adored that Senku and Chrome worked out an order for revival, at least up to the point at which they wouldn’t starve.
– There’s something profoundly uplifting about seeing former enemies partying together after the conflict.
– The sound mix tends to be under-praised, the cut to the ‘Why-Man’ flashback sent chills down my spine. 😱✨
– Seems that Kohaku currently has possession of the Medusa.
– Matsukaze’s de-Petrification was hinted at in the OP – He & Senku are among the scant few to retain their de-Petrification scars, Mirai and the popsicled Tsukasa being others.
– Adapts Chapters #138-139
The Moon. This would’ve been a great (… and terrible) place to end the season.
We’re way into the narrative now, yet we don’t understand the ‘Why’ of the original Petrification: I’d always suspected it might have been intended as a way to survive climate disaster, though that’s merely one possibility.
Is the Moon-Based signal an automated A.I.? Or are there humans there as well?
One of the Mission Statements of Dr. Stone as a series has always been to rebuild Civilization to its current height of technology, and a Moonshot is very much emblematic of that. It also harkens back to the rocket experiments Senku conducted in pre-Petrification times, bringing the narrative full circle.
It took most of the season, but the ED in particular really speaks to me now.
“Somehow, Senku turning into Kohaku’s embrace carried far, far more emotional heft than the earlier fake smooch.”
I thought so, too. For him, that was almost gushing with emotion! It was such a subtle thing, too. Very effective!
I’ve been wondering why Why-Man imitated Senkuu’s voice, too. I’m not coming up with any answers that make sense.
“There’s something profoundly uplifting about seeing former enemies partying together after the conflict.”
I’ve always liked that trope, when it’s executed well like it was here. Farscape did it well, too, with Scorpius and Crais.
“The sound mix tends to be under-praised, the cut to the ‘Why-Man’ flashback sent chills down my spine.”
That was literally chilling.
I’m still puzzling over how the moon fits into this. Like I mentioned in the review, it gave me Nier vibes. Part of me hopes it’s not aliens; another part doesn’t see how it could not be aliens, given that Senkuu’s dad and the ISS seemed to be the farthest out humans had gotten, after the moonshots.
Good point about Senkuu’s interest in rockets. I’m really interested in seeing how they make this happen!