Dr. Stone Episode 10 Review: A Filmsy Alliance

The fun and games are over in this week’s episode of Dr. Stone. After one of the members of the Kingdom of Science is brutally attacked, the group switches their focus. Instead of slowly winning over the villagers, an upcoming competition proves a perfect opportunity to earn their loyalty. But this is no easy feat. Chrome will need to put aside his love, and others will push their bodies to the limit while Senku has his own mental battle to face with Asagiri Gen.

Original Japanese title: 薄っぺらの同盟

Plot

After the triumph of creating light, the Kingdom of Science is at a high but there’s still the question of what to do about Asagiri Gen. While they discuss, Asagiri is left alone outside where he is attacked by Magma and his grunts. Kohaku reveals that Magma is trying to weaken her as she is his main competitor in the upcoming bout. There, the men of the village will fight to win Ruri’s hand in marriage and become the village chief. The previous year, Kohaku won and was then disowned by her father for disrupting the ceremony. Kohaku trains Ginro and Kinro to enter the bout with her, while Chrome and Senku continue working on a cure. Recovering from his wounds, Asagiri makes an important decision on which side he will ally with.

Episode Highlights

Another appearance: Ahh I can never get enough of young Senku, especially his hair! It’s like the reverse of seeing young kids with bags too big for them, Senku’s hair literally towers over him. He’s so precious!

The Kingdom of Might: This week we had a sneak peek into what Tsukasa’s kingdom might look like, and wow Senku has his work cut out for him! Tsukasa seems to have gathered an army of the strongest and toughest. He’s hand picked those that he thinks will best suit his needs. I wonder how many prodigies like Asagiri Gen are amongst them.

Magma and the fight: While I’m happy that we learnt a bit more about the village, I can’t say I’m particularly surprised by the way the ‘chief’ is chosen. It’s such a boring idea – have a big fight, win the princess (or priestess in this case), rule the village. Surely they could have been more creative with the upcoming conflict! It also doesn’t really explain how Kohaku was expelled from the village, all we get is that she was a troublemaker. So what? If it’s just harmless pranks, it doesn’t make sense to kick your daughter out into the wilderness.

Comments

Last week, I knew Asagiri would be one of my favorite characters but I never thought he’d be so relatable. If I woke up tomorrow in the apocalyptic Stone World, I’d be dying for a Coca Cola as well! As funny as the tradeoff is between him and Senku, to be very honest it’s not like Asagiri really had a choice. Senku and Tsukasa are pretty evenly matched. What Senku is lacking in strength he makes up for in his innovation and genius, and vice versa. But that isn’t to say Tsukasa is a dummy; he’s smart, but he’s creating a society based on violence – a ‘might is right’ ethos. There’s no way that that is stable, and no way it suits someone like Asagiri Gen who thrives on clever words and slight of hand. On an even more basic level, I can’t imagine anyone who has grown up in the modern world would not crave for it. Tsukasa can provide protection, but he can’t create modern luxuries. No toilets, no medicine, and no light in the darkness. Life in the Kingdom of Might is survival of the fittest – physically demanding and mentally confronting. One must rise to the challenge of living with nature, and Asagiri Gen doesn’t strike me as the type that could do so.

I can’t finish this review without mentioning Magma’s villainous-speak-as-loud-as-I-can monologue. Kohaku is standing opposite him, there’s people surrounding them, and he’s just yelling ‘OH YEAH I MIGHT KILL THE PRIESTESS SO I CAN BE CHIEF LMFAO! I’M A MAD LAD!’. And nobody except Kohaku hears this? I’m sure she brought this up to her father; after all I can’t imagine murder flies in Stone Village and yet she’s the one who gets kicked out? I had to pause the episode for a few moments to scratch my head and move past the ‘what on earth is going on!?’

The ‘Share a Coke’ Campaign Has Come to Life!

A storm is brewing in Dr. Stone and Senku will need to brace himself for it. Tsukasa is leagues ahead of him in the creation of his own nation and the villager’s grace can only last so long. The time for action is now and Senku will need to seize any opportunity he has to win over the village. This is Dr. Stone’s first big chance to show an extended mature, tense conflict. I sincerely hope it delivers.

NEXT TIME: Clear World