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Review: Dr. Stone Episode 14 – Best in Show

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Quick Summary

In Dr. Stone episode 14, “Master of Flame,” Kinrou’s honesty proves his undoing as Magma stages a comeback while Kinrou consults with the referee. Kohaku still hasn’t returned from searching for Suika, and if she doesn’t make it back before her bout starts, she’ll be disqualified. That would leave Chrome to face Magma — and we all know what his chances are. Can Kohaku make it back in time? If not, can even Senkuu think of anything to do to improve Chrome’s chances?

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

Best Moment in the Show

Chrome had to dig deep if he had any hope of beating Magma. Though that alone wouldn’t be enough. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

It’s a good sign when the episode makes it hard for to pick a single favorite moment. Assuming, as is the case here, that the “problem” is too many moments to choose from, and not a lack of moments.

Kohaku has hogged the spotlight so often that I want to give other characters a chance to shine. So, despite Kohaku turning in a heart-warming scene with Suika, I’m going to give the nod to Chrome this week.

After Magma basically tricked Kinrou into losing the match, our heroes’ hopes were sagging. Treachery got Kohaku disqualified, so their best remaining trained fighter was Ginrou. As a result him ingesting a ton of caffeine, he managed to win. However, the heavy gastronomic price he paid left him less than capable for future bouts.

The one thing Chrome had going for him is that Kinrou really worked Magma over. The big man was tired, though still very capable of fighting. Magma proved as much when he pummeled Chrome mercilessly — even threatening to leave him crippled and unable to walk (13:30). Despite the severe beating he had to endure, he came up with a plan to use Suika’s remaining lens to catch Magma’s fur clothes on fire. He even knew to correct for the convex shape using his own sweat and tears — much to Senkuu’s relief.

Chrome’s victory was the triumph of civilization. Capture from the Crunchyroll stream.

However, he needed to find some way to get Magma to stand still for 60 seconds, which is what Senkuu calculated was the length of time needed to generate enough heat. Fortunately, Gen chose that moment to return. Sizing the situation up instantly, he used his mentalist skills to convince Magma he’d been cursed so that if he moved, his heart would burst — but that Gen was tiring fast and could only hold the curse for 60 seconds.

The trouble was, Chrome was not only tired, but he had been badly beaten. He was having trouble just standing. Every shake disturbed the layer of water on the lens and extended the period of time that it would take to catch Magma’s clothes on fire.

So Chrome told himself to calm his mind (20:44). He remembered the time he spent with Ruri when they were children. He reminded himself that his goal was to save her.

“Senku’s science,” he said (21:03). “Gen’s magic, my tenacity… With our strengths combined, the light will set a fire.”

And it did.

It occurred to me that this is the foundation of a complex modern society: people of different backgrounds and skillsets working together to move forward. Of all of the inventions that Senkuu has shared with them so far, this cooperation might be the most profound.

Because though he couldn’t do it alone, he was still an integral part of it.

What did you think of Kinrou’s fight? What was your Best in Show moment? Let me know in the comments!

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2 thoughts on “Review: Dr. Stone Episode 14 – Best in Show”

  1. This played out well and ended up being a lot more interesting than I expected. Honestly, I ended up very surprised by how invested I was in Chrome’s fight by the end.

    Reply

    1. “Honestly, I ended up very surprised by how invested I was in Chrome’s fight by the end.”

      I expected him to get knocked out instantly! Then, it became more clear that he was just the tip of the spear, and that Gen (what an entrance, BTW!) and Senkuu had both contributed something to the effort. It was like Chrome had gathered up everyone’s hopes and dreams in a much more tangible way than just protecting the tribe from an idiot leader.

      I want to study this episode to see how they did that so effectively.

      Reply

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