I have to admit, I find the driving force behind this episode to be silly at best. Senku and the others need access to the ship’s mobile scientific laboratory. Oh, but it’s not to build a weapon or device that will help you destone your friends. Rather, they need it to create modern cosmetics, because Kohaku is so hideous that she’ll never be cast as a perverted old man’s sex slave without them!
Maybe this is an art style issue. I’ve always been under the impression that Kohaku was one of the most physically attractive characters in the series. After all, except for his hairstyle, he is drawn almost identically to his sister, who is considered the most attractive female among the native humans. The “unattractive” part of Kohaku (to the men in the series, anyway) is his personality. She is outspoken, quick to anger, and self-assured (ie, she knows that she is physically stronger). In other words, most of the men on the show find her intimidating because she doesn’t fit into established gender roles. In this episode, however, her friends treat her like she’s ugly inside and out, and I just don’t see it.
Fortunately, as much as she is the butt of the jokes in this episode, she also proves that she has the brains to match her strength. Although she lets her hot-blooded nature get the better of her when she sees Chrome (meaning her friend and the person her sister has a crush on) shattered to smithereens, she is able to turn that for her benefit. As she fights with Kirisame, she realizes that if anyone on the ship is still alive, she can get their help by speaking in code. She specifically yells that she “wants the lab” because she knows these natives won’t know the word “lab”. Therefore, when Senku arrives, she pretends to be a boy named Lab, that is, her lover, and that they coincidentally used this place as her secret date. In all honesty, she’s a clever subterfuge and one that proves that she can be as crafty as Gen from time to time, even if she’s not the best actress.
And from his act, we learn that there is another survivor from the ship besides Senku and Suika’s group. Unfortunately, it’s Ginro. While he’s willing to give it his all when things are bad, he’s a coward by nature, and he’s not the person you’d want on a stealthy mission. In fact, despite hearing Kohaku’s message, he is more focused on getting them to help him than what Kohaku wanted him to do.
Fortunately, Suika is also on board and can cover for him. While Ginro has been hiding in a barrel ever since she struck the lightning, Suika quickly concealed Senku’s small motorboat, returned to the ship, and then slipped in unseen. With the youngest member of the team in her element, we’re set to see her and Ginro bring the science lab to the next episode of Senku. Sounds like a fun moment with two of our most underused characters.
Classification:
Random thoughts:
• I wonder, is Senku asexual or is he so driven that he refuses to think about any personal desires until he has saved humanity?
• Senku deciding that the petrification device is a science thing and not magic because it follows rules is a bit strange to me. After all, many magic systems (referred to as “hard magic systems” by fantasy authors and fans alike), are built entirely around strict rules.
• You know, if the bad guy is so observant that he can notice a barrel moved a few millimeters, you think he’d notice the sweaty watermelon.
• The more I think about it, the more I wish that Yuzuriha was also left unpetrified. It would be a nice addition to her arc if she focused on bringing Taiju back just as she had been when she was first petrified.
Dr Stone: New World is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.
