The following contains spoilers for Dr. Stone: New World episode 5 titled "Science Vessel Perseus", now airing on Crunchyroll.Officially, Dr. Stone New World has adapted the entirety of the Age of Exploration Arc. Overall, it hasn't been great, but the ending, as it usually happens, left a better flavor and hopeful note for what's coming next. Until this point, the introduction of the Why-man was the only exciting part of the show.
Francois' presentation had some flaws and the rest can be summarized as a lot of inventions lacking detailed explanations and a poor sense of time. The timing though was finally fixed during Science Vessel Perseus.
The Free Time Paradox
Plenty of interesting details portrayed in this episode allow for a more thorough analysis. One of them is a rarely explored situation in the Dr. Stone world, what happens when there is no immediate goal to pursue? The episode starts with the realization that the original boat design won't work, since the Why-man threat has changed their timelines and now they don't have unlimited time to make adjustments or fix what needs to be fixed.
From that point on, the restart with a yacht based on Ryusui's design will take about a year, and like Senku points out in multiple occasions, some things can't be pushed. That creates a lot of time when they simply can't work due to climatic conditions among other things. The first half of the episode shows them focusing on having fun, snowboarding and skiing, creating a chocolate supplement, celebrating Valentine's Day, making a photograph collection signed by its protagonists.
Dr. Stone seemed like a classic idea of capitalist progress without room for anything else. All they seem to care about is jumping from one invention to the next as alienated workers without real feelings or worries beyond completing a task. In a lot of ways, Dr. Stone characters are similar to how NPCs are depicted in construction and management simulation games. An argument can be made about how the inclusion of free time in this episode is just an accessory that goes back to disappearing when they can return to their usual roles.
The references Dr. Stone often displays to this kind of video games may be a way to acknowledge the character model used for the series. Earlier it was shown how Francois is pretty much a tool, just there to fulfill a need. But taking the whole plot into consideration, the same can be said about almost everyone else. Even if they include a few classic over-emotive anime scenes for them. This core issue inevitably affects the reception of the series. If they only exist as a labor based object they lose a sense of humanity, thus, making it harder to relate to them.
A Contextual Arc
The Kingdom of Science finally completed their ship, Perseus, and set sail. It marks the end of the Age of Exploration Arc after Senku announces to everyone's surprise that before the cross the Ocean they need to make a quick stop on Treasure Island, where the astronauts who survived the petrification landed and where the 100 tales began. It's undeniable that it's not the greatest arc, but it's not supposed to be either.
The purpose of these episodes was to explain how can a primitive civilization can build a boat capable of crossing the Pacific and what changes had to be made in order to survive in the sea for a long time. At first the timeline was rather confusing. Time-skips kept succeeding without a real sense of how long has passed. Every character looks exactly the same, even the children. They finally fixed it with a date for when the Perseus was completed, September 10th 5741, almost 3 and a half years since Senku broke free from the petrification.
Timeline inconsistencies aside, this arc adds a very important piece of context. The Why-man is shocking indeed, but it needs to be to make them understand that they are not alone in the world, a hint for what's coming next. The purpose was to find the source of the petrification, but thousands of years later there wa no assurance of anyone else being alive in the entire planet. Besides what the Why-man might actually, it won't change the fact that their outlook on the world changed dramatically.
What To Expect From The Treasure Island Arc
The wait time is over. The slow start got to its conclusion, and now it's time for heartbreaking cliffhangers, action-packed scenes, new mysteries and a much faster pace. Treasure Island hides more than just whatever Senku's father left behind. The events centered around what the Kingdom of Science will encounter there are set to complete this 24-episode season.
It was already announced that the third season will be split in two cours like Attack on Titan, which means they will probably stop the Treasure Island Arc at a critical juncture, not the greatest news but if that's the way to guarantee the best quality for the anime so be it. A lot of new characters will come into play, specially one that was always there but tried to slip past unnoticed, more will be revealed about the petrification and Senku will find himself at his wits end once again. On top of that, they already said that a couple of past enemies are on board, just in case they need them as a wild card. Plenty to be excited about for Dr. Stone New World, even if a pause is expected after episode 12.