Dr. Stone Volume 1

Synopsis 

Enter the Stone Age or the new Stone Age that happens due to an unknown giant flash of light that turns humanity (plus a few birds) into stone. While humanity sleeps, seemingly entombed forever in a rock-like prison, thousands of years pass, and Taiju (our love-sick simpleton hero) emerges from the stone only to find his best friend, Senku. Senku, our science-loving protagonist with an extravagant spiky hairstyle, has been awake for months trying to discover what caused him and his friend to be sprung from entombment. In this volume, Taiju and Senku work together to find a cure to bring back humanity and bring society back to somewhat of modern civilization. 

Review and Recommendation 

I found this book to be delightful. The main protagonist (Senku) and his friend (Taiju) are exciting characters that complement each other well. Despite their intellectual differences, they rely on each other to survive this post-apocalyptic world. There’s also survival and mystery as new characters and issues are revealed. The book focuses on science, and scientific jargon is thrown throughout the story. I’m not entirely sure, but it piqued my interest in learning about science and survival. 

*Spoiler Alert* (A spoiler alert is being issued because there are mentions of specific plot points that could be inappropriate for some readers.) 

This type of manga is classified as shonen, which means that this book was written for boys between the ages of nine to eighteen years old. Having read the manga, I do not believe that the themes and images presented in this book are suited for ages thirteen and below. For example, in the first volume, the characters wake up after being preserved in rock for thousands of years which causes their clothing to deteriorate over time, meaning they woke up naked. Although the book does its best to keep the images clean, there are a few suggestive moments that I consider to be questionable. There is also a brief reference to alcohol and how to make wine. The two main protagonists discover that one of the secret ingredients to bring humanity out of its rock-like prison is alcohol. The segment then continues with a small how-to on making wine. Still, it does end with the main protagonist breaking the fourth wall and reminding the reader that making alcohol and consuming it underage is illegal. This brings us to one of the series' main themes: who is worthy of being revived in this newly developed and somewhat utopian society? The antagonist (Tsukasa Shishio) believes that only the young should be revived because they are innocent, which contradicts the protagonist’s belief that everyone should be revived despite their shortcomings. This disagreement leads to a smashing (technically murder) spree by the antagonist. Overall, I think this is a well-written book with an engaging plot and complex characters.