Let There Be Light
Dr Stone Episode 9
Apparently ramen is every bit as popular in a stone world as it is here and they quickly recruit the labour force needed to heat the furnace. Seeing the villagers enjoying the green ramen was a bit weird given it really didn’t look that enticing to me, then again I have more options. However, Dr Stone isn’t going to let this turn into a cooking show and so we introduce Gen, our two toned hair, purple jacket wearing visitor.
I’m a little stuck on Gen as a character. I’m not sure if he woke up by himself or whether his presence indicates Tsukasa woke him up. More than that, the fact that Senku knew who he was from their old lives just seems an unnecessary addition. Throw in the fact that he talks a lot of rubbish and you have a character who performs a very necessary role for the plot but isn’t all that fun to spend time with.
However, he does work in this episode and he does at least provide the audience, and Senku, with some reassurance that Taiju and Yuzuriha aren’t dead. Plus, with Senku and Tsukasa at completely oppositional points of view, and Taiju and Yuzuriha completely loyal to Taiju, having someone who is happy enough to bend whichever way the wind is blowing makes for a more interesting plot going forward. Providing of course he doesn’t just throw in with the science group three seconds later.
Whether you like Gen’s character or not, the real star of the episode is of course the lightning. Sure there’s some more conflict stuff with the blonde guy in the village, but let’s focus on Senku’s goal of using lightning to make a magnet so that he can generate electricity.
Affiliate Link – Soundtrack for Ore Monogatari
There’s a moment where Senku is explaining to Chrome about how light conquered darkness in our world, 24 hours of the day, and while for someone who is scared of the night because he can’t see it makes sense this sounds lovely, but I notice Senku didn’t go into the whole issue of light pollution, disrupted sleeping cycles, and ongoing issues with sustainable energy. Why put a downer on the science and it was a really nice moment where Senku almost seemed wistful.
I haven’t really complimented the visuals in Dr Stone in previous episodes, largely because while they work it is all very samey; however there are a couple of beautiful night scenes throughout this episode that really just were lovely to look at.
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Karandi James
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Images from: Dr Stone. Dir. I Shinya. TMS Entertainment. 2019.
>you have a character who performs a very necessary role for the plot but isn’t all that fun to spend time with
I find those characters interesting… Especially, as in this case, when they’re not a stock/trope character.