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, Robbie 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 196
Written by Riichiro Inagaki
Illustrated by Boichi
Reviewed by Robbie Pleasant
Say what you will about “Dr. Stone,” there’s no denying it’s a series unafraid to take risks and change things up. The past few chapters have been some of the most engaging and exciting yet, leaving us uncertain how the characters would come through and putting them in their most dangerous and painful situations yet. After the characters had to make a risky play that jeopardized not only their survival, but the lives of basically the entire surviving world, survival of humanity was left in Suika’s hands. Now, after a chapter showing her struggling to survive on her own, we get to see her at work.
Chapter 196 draws many parallels to when Senku experimented with creating the revival fluid, but this time, Suika is the central viewpoint character. While Senku used his scientific knowledge to discover the formula from nothing, Suika’s case is the opposite – she has a formula to work with, but lacks the scientific skills to make it work easily. This builds upon a core theme of “Dr. Stone,” in how all advancements and discoveries are built on those that came before.
Naturally, this brings us one of the core recurring elements in the manga: the SCIENCE MONTAGE! In this case, it really focuses on the trial and error, as we see Suika learn as she goes and patiently repeats her attempts to get it right.
If you didn’t like Suika as a character before now, these last few chapters will absolutely change your mind. Good job, Suika.
Of course, as always, the science montage and character moments are made all the more poignant thanks to Boichi’s artwork. I’ve praised his style in the past, and everything I’ve said then remains true today. The detail and shading makes every panel and character clear and filled with personality, giving the manga a very unique look that adds depth throughout the scene.
Boichi’s work with facial expressions is impeccable too. Even with Suika alone, we get a wonderful variety of expressions, from solemn determination to cartoonish confusion to a hilariously detailed look of disgust when she realizes part of the recipe she’s working on requires literal crap. (And yes, Boichi even puts a lot of work into detailing the turd for comedic effect.)
This artwork brings the science montage to life, making each step along the way a visual treat. While I’m not going to say Boichi’s art is beyond reproach (let’s face it, there are some times when his past habits as an ero doujin artist come through in how women are posed) this is a chapter that really shows off his strengths, and I honestly believe he’s one of the top artists in Shonen Jump these days.
As the chapter ends, we find out how much time has passed with a new character design (and I sincerely hope Boichi does not do anything to sexualize the post time-skip Suika, because as far as I’m concerned she’s still a child who wears a watermelon helmet), leading us to a setup for next week’s chapter where we begin an exciting new arc in “Dr. Stone.” After these past few chapters, it will absolutely be the first thing I read.
Final Verdict: 9.0 – “Dr. Stone” continues to be one of the most impressive series in Shonen Jump both visually and narratively, using this chapter to give us a new perspective on the science montage and build Suika’s character.
