Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8 - Their Faith in Each Other

Quick Summary of Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8

In Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8, “FINAL BATTLE,” after confirming through Ukyou that Tsukasa was far away, Senkuu, Taiju, and Gen pilot their gorilla tank straight for the Miracle Cave. Kohaku, Kinrou, and the others from the Kingdom of Science fan along side them. Senkuu knew they had 20 seconds from the time he fired the main cannon until Tsukasa’s troops regrouped, and they needed to make the most of every second. They couldn’t know that Minami Hokutouzai saw the battle start and ran off to inform Tsukasa and reinforcements. Will Senkuu be able to seize — and hold — the Miracle Cave? Or will Tsukasa perform a repeat of the last time he and Senkuu met?

Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8: My Turn to Host!

Welcome to our collaboration review of Dr. Stone Season 2, Episode 8. Irina from I Drink and Watch Anime and I have teamed up to give you play by play and color commentary on the latest episode.

Before we get starting, do you have any opening thoughts, Irina?

A little part of my heart squeezed when I saw that episode title. Final Battle. Sounds like the season is just about over, doesn’t it? And that makes me sad.

I think I’m pretty much sold on just catching up with the manga as soon as the season is over. Then again, I do have a lot of manga I want to read, so if they announce a 3rd season soon, I might be able to hold out a bit longer. Not sure.

Also, we are tweaking a bit the formats of these reviewposts to try to find the best flow. So guys, please tell us in the comments what you prefer and what you would like to see out of these reviews. That would be really appreciated!

I’m in plain text; Irina’s bold; and there will be spoilers. In fact, the next paragraph contains one!

Review of Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8

Strong Emotional Resonance

My Anime List says that Dr. Stone Stone Wars has 11 episodes, so I was pretty sure that going into this episode, we wouldn’t see the conclusion to the fight between the Kingdoms of Science and Might. Fortunately, from the perspective of dramatic tension, I was right. What we did see was a focus on what makes the two Kingdoms different.

Two scenes highlighted this difference. Remember in our previous review how Irina described the touching reunion between Senkuu, Taiji, and Yuzuriha? Those people honestly care about one another. I can’t imagine Tsukasa getting emotional about any of his people — or Hyouga, either.

See, I completely disagree. Rather I half disagree. I think Tsukasa gets very emotional about his people. He was at the grave site to bury Yo’s stone fragment as a sign of respect for a fallen comrade. He also frequently talks about what he owes his lost brethren and to me, he seems genuinely aggrieved that he had to lose anyone. I do believe that he sees death as more of a necessity than Senku does and therefore is more willing to accept it, but I wouldn’t say he cares about his comrades any less.

On the other hand, Hyouga seems like a psycho. You might be right about him.

I see what you’re saying, but his expressions of affection are generally post mortem, aren’t they? To be fair, we don’t see much of the inner workings, so maybe he’s more open in private.

Senkuu’s Resilience, with a Little Help from His Friends

In this episode, when Tsukasa returned and it looked like our heroes were toast, Taiju almost gave up. For him it was too much like the time he watched Senkuu die. Senkuu, in typical understated form, reminded Taiju that they had friends now — friends who were with them. The bond of affection really stood out to me.

Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8: Senkuu isn't alone anymore

Senkuu had to remind Taiju: This wasn’t like last time. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Kohaku’s words near the end went beyond mere affection. It’s one thing to like someone enough to hang around with them, even feel like you’re in the same family. It’s quite another to go into harm’s way because you believe in them. Kohaku decided to charge Tsukasa, and Kinrou asked if she had a plan. Her response was beautiful.

“Obviously not!” she said. She went on to say that they just needed to buy time so that Senkuu and the other science users will surely clear us a path to victory.”

Those are the kinds of moments that make this show so danged enjoyable.

See, one of the things I enjoy about Dr. Stone is that so far, we don’t really have any death seekers or righteous sacrifices. I’m not a fan of either trope. Kohaku went in without a plan because she was confident that they would win anyways. It’s not the brightest course of action, but it’s sweet.

Strong Choreography

The entire 20 second assault was rather well choreographed. I really liked the sonic weapon and I loved how Taiju decided to use it when all seemed lost. I have no clue why he didn’t get affected by the sonic blast like everyone else but I’ll let it go since I think it might have been the smartest thing Taiju ever did!

Behold the power of Taiju’s roar! That was some quick thinking! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

It’s Taiju. Didn’t he take a direct hit (once!) from Tsukasa back in season 1? Or maybe I’m just hoping he could… Anyway, dude’s pretty much indestructible.

I feel like Taiju has never had many allies. He had Yuzuriha for the past year, but that’s about it, and they were constantly surrounded by foes. But even before that, it was him and Senku against the world. They weren’t bullied and seemed to have had good childhoods, but they were always a bit apart. I think this is the first time Taiju has ever felt truly part of a community and that’s bound to have some impact on him.

I think that’s a good insight. He seemed to fit in with the others in the Kingdom of Science almost instantly. The feeling seemed to be two-way, too!

I enjoyed every minute of those 20 seconds! And the cliffhanger is pretty great as well. Or it will be once they confirm that Ukyo’s going to be alright. Cause he needs to be alright…

I’m worried about him. He was losing a lot of blood.

Final and Closing Thoughts

My last thought is this, I hope they don’t actually beat Tsukasa. As in, I hope they won’t make gunpowder real quick and then just overpower him. So far the clash in strategies has been one of the most interesting elements in the show, so I want Senku to think his way out of it either with bluff or an actual compromise.

Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8: Tsukasa is a strong character. That calls for a strong ending!

Tsukasa is a heck of a character. That calls for a heck of an ending! Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

It’s interesting. In my notes, I said, “I really, really just want him to think something up.” That’s something I’ve loved about this show, too. I’m hoping for an actual compromise, something that makes Tsukasa if not rethink his world view, at least acknowledge it might not be perfect. He’s a powerful presence, and I’d hate to lose that.

Any closing thoughts on the episode, Irina?

At this point it might as well be my Dr. Stone catch-phrase: I can’t wait til the next episode.

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Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8 – Their Faith in Each Other

Quick Summary of Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8

Dr. Stone Season 2 Episode 8: My Turn to Host!