Welcome to This Week in Shonen Jump, our weekly check in on Viz’s various Shonen Jump series. Viz has recently changed their release format, but our format will mostly remain the same. We will still review the newest chapters of one title a week, now with even more options at our disposal. The big change for our readers is that, even without a Shonen Jump subscription, you can read these most recent chapters for free at Viz.com or using their app.
This week, Walter checks in with “Dr. Stone.” If you have thoughts on this or any other current Shonen Jump titles, please let us know in the comments!
Dr. STONE Chapter 186
Written by Riichiro Inagaki
Illustrated by Boichi
Review by Walt Richardson
If there’s one thing that’s fairly consistent across the post-apocalyptic genre, it’s a sense of cynicism. In settings where scarcity and danger are omnipresent, it’s typical to emphasize the dangers of trusting your fellow survivors, especially outsiders. As such, these stories can sometimes come off as misanthropic, with some even calling comics/shows like “The Walking Dead” and “Attack on Titan” fascistic in nature (I am not one of those “some,” but only because I haven’t read and/or watched much of either, so don’t try to argue with me about it in the comments).
In this context, “Dr. STONE” is a bit different from its contemporaries in the genre. There’s an optimism to the series that is refreshing, a feeling that above all Senku and his science team want to make the world better for everyone, friend or foe. And, more importantly, the narrative does not portray our protagonists as being foolish for doing so. This latest chapter is a prime example. After the previous chapter ended with Suika revealing her hidden position to save an enemy combatant, a “grimmer” story might instead focus on how “foolish” her actions were. Instead, Francois commends Suika for her actions, albeit at least partially for utilitarian reasons. Indeed, a key element in this chapter is not only Suika and Francois valuing human life, but trusting in the basic humanity of their opponents. It’s genuine enough that I won’t even crack a joke about trusting soldiers to not kill civilians (well, okay, I guess that counts as cracking a joke).
We also get a solid character moment for Ginro. For a while he’s been more of a joke character, relying on his devotee Matsukaze, and even at his introduction he was the less serious of the guards of Ishigami village. But, as he realizes in a decisive moment, he is still a capable person, especially when he must be in order to protect others. This is another aspect of the series’ optimism: everyone, no matter their faults, has a moment where they repay the kindness of others, whether it’s the cowardly Ginro or the boneheaded Magma. Sure, it may be short-lived (after a brief cool moment of defiance Ginro gets re-captured), but that doesn’t undercut the overall theme of looking out for your fellow human beings.
That being said, Ginro somehow not being completely airholed by the automatic gunfire that obliterates his weapon stretches even my appreciation suspension of disbelief for the sake of optimism a bit far.
As always Boichi elevates Riichiro Inagaki’s story even further. From the first page the action is high with multiple dynamic cut-ins that set the stage. Panels that dynamically portray Suika’s chase are contrasted with panels that convey tension as Francois struggles internally with trying to figure out how to save Suika and her comrades in a matter of seconds. Matsukaze grabbing the knife thrown by Francois, Ginro’s successive moments of crisis, breakthrough, and failure — every page in the first half of this chapter practically thrums with energy. The second half is mainly dialogue, and so Boichi has less room to explode off the page, but even so he manages to keep the excitement through intense expressions and framing. Boichi is an artist whose art almost always looks great, but he’s also a highly gifted storyteller, and this chapter gives us the full range of his prowess. There aren’t even any questionable portrayals of the female figure to complain about in this chapter (what the hell was going on with that woman’s body when she was bitten by the spider last chapter?)!
“Dr. STONE” has its ups and downs, and it sometimes feels like it loses its narrative focus in favor of showing off cool science facts (which, granted, is partially the point of the series). This latest arc has been a shot in the arm for the series, and this most recent chapter is a great example of Inagaki and Boichi operating at their best. You can maybe say that the series is a bit too optimistic, but we have to remember that, as much as they might attempt to cater to older teens and young adults, Shonen Jump series are ultimately for kids. Art doesn’t need to be moralistic, but I think showing kids that basic human decency can (and should) survive even apocalyptic scenarios is far from naive.
Final Verdict: 8.0 – A nice dose of optimism to go with some excellent comic book-ing.
