Anime Best in Show

Review: Dr. Stone Episode 02 – Best In Show

Quick Summary

In Dr. Stone episode 02, “King of the Stone World,” Senkuu and Taiju Ooki prepare to revive Yuzuriha Ogawa, the young woman (now not so young — over 3,700 years old!) to whom Taiju wanted to confess his feelings. But Taiju discovered what was to him a huge problem: she would be naked when she revived, so he wanted to carry her back to camp first! Seeing Taiju’s resolve, Senkuu agreed, and they started back. That’s when they realized they weren’t alone: a pride of lions whose ancestors had lived in zoos attacked them. Cornered, they realized they had stopped by the stone statue of Tsukasa Shishiou, who they had nick named “Tarzan” before the were stoned. Using the acid they’d intended to use on Yuzuriha, they revived him, and he easily defeated the male lion. The others retreated. Taiju is elated: he himself is brawny, but he’s terrible at fighting. Senkuu is less enthusiastic. Can they trust Tsukasa, even though he’s bringing them plenty of game for food? Or does he have some other plan — a plan he could back up with ridiculous strength?

Note: This post may include spoilers, so be cautious.

Tsukasa tried to hide his intentions behind his smile, but I don’t it fooled Senkuu. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

Best Moment in the Show

Beautiful moments are fragile things. Heavy-handed plotting, off-character actions, or any number of other missteps can destroy them. Their rarity is one of the reasons I pursue them — enough to start this site! So I was extremely enthusiastic about one of the scene we got in this episode.

Taiju seemed to have accepted that Tsukasa was trustworthy, for a very simple reason: he brought them meat. That, and he rescued a young woman’s stone form from underneath a boulder. But it was clear that Senkuu had his doubts. 

One night, Tsukasa told Senkuu that he was “an amazing man” (17:29). He added some details about how Senkuu had calmly analyzed the situation with the lions and had communicated it to Tsukasa as soon as he had revived. Senkuu then showed that this genius wasn’t confined to chemistry and materials. 

“A man who praises a man to his face is full of ulterior motives,” he said. He came right out and asked Tsukasa what he was trying to say.

Humans are still human, even if you petrify them for 3,700 years. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

The bigger and more physically powerful man said that Senkuu had misunderstood. He further dissembled by saying that he thought Senkuu really could rebuild civilization from scratch. 

The looks they gave each other were perfect: The larger man trying to smile to put Senkuu off the track; Senkuu pensive, yet utterly vigilant. Their polite veneer was still in place, but it was absolutely clear that the battle lines had been drawn. Both men knew the other was a threat; they just weren’t sure what form that threat would ultimately take, though I suspect, based on what came later in the episode, that Tsukasa had an idea. 

When just the looks they gave each other were filled with such understated drama, I’m a happy camper! I’m going to enjoy this series if they can come even close to keeping this up!

What did you think of Tsukasa in this episode? What moment was your best in show? Let me know in the comments!

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