REVIEW: ‘Dr.STONE New World’ Episode 11 — “With This Fist, A Miracle”

In the finale of the first cour of season three, Dr.STONE New World Episode 11 packs a considerable punch. While the story on the new island has yet to resolve itself, there’s a definite closure of this chapter, even if it ends on a chilling note, promising greater hurdles for Team Science. But it’s not so much the main narrative itself or the act of finding the platinum that offers the greatest moments. Instead, the finale soars because, once again, the writers and animators understand and unpack the levels of devastation that pulsate through the series. While it may distract us with the endless exaggerated contortions of the character’s faces, each new one as grotesque as the last, at the heart of it is the story of humanity laid to waste due to an incomprehensible power and a young man who wields his intellect to bring those petrified back to life.

Beyond that even, and something that’s further expanded on in Dr.STONE New World Episode 11, is the private tragedy of Senku. His family is one of the very few who is, no matter his scientific achievements, lost as he charges ahead to try and bring that turned-to-stone back to life; episodes such as “With This First, A Miracle” wound with the reminder that his father, Byakuya, can’t be brought back. Senku so often is the voice of reason, a monotonous droll in the back of excitable and frenzied voices, making the fact that the two moments he’s gotten emotional — or nearly so — involves his father. His father, who, due to his limitless faith in his son, has a part in saving civilization.

Having learned and absorbed plenty of knowledge that Senku has exhibited, Kohaku understands that any natural resource has the capacity for some unknowable power. After cracking the surface of the spaceship housing what she believes to be platinum, she smuggles to Senku and co., what looks to be gold dust, figuring he at least will be able to figure out if there’s something worthwhile to it.

Despite finding a few grains of platinum within the findings, Senku believes they’ll still have to wait until getting to the spaceship themselves for further exploration until they have enough at their disposal to start making the revitalization solution. In one of the most chill-inducing moments in the series, Senku begins to find more of the platinum until there are beakers worth. Byakuya, like his son, dedicated his life to arduous labor for the sake of scientific gain.

Even though there’s no denying the heart the show can possess despite the constant humor, “With This Fist, A Miracle” still manages to surprise with its sheer abundance of it. The entire last portion of the episode finds us following an aging Byakuya who scours the island’s rivers in his remaining years, determined to find and store away any natural minerals he can before he passes on. It’s backbreaking, diligent work that suffers little weariness from the worker. He would give away his time and efforts for a future he will never experience, for a son he’ll never see again.

The direction from Nana Harada is gorgeous in how it intersects Byakuya’s story with Senku’s. As Senku counted to himself for thousands of years to keep his mind oriented and alert in case of possible solutions while also tracking the time that passed, his father lived out the rest of his days, channeling his belief in his son’s intelligence into work that would benefit him. That unwavering belief is brushed aside by Senku earlier in the episode before shifting once he realizes the work that was put in. As Gen points out, the two are very similar. Senku, to Suika’s surprise, mentions how the two weren’t related by blood, Byakuya having told him when he was younger that he was “his friend’s kid” who he took in. It never mattered to Senku, though, having all of the proof he needed of who his father was right before him and, now, in the lasting effects of his love that have given him the tools he needs to reawaken his crew and all of humanity.

Their similarities drive so many of the strongest moments, but perhaps none touch the sheer simplicity of the line by Byakuya:

“I’m an astronaut—the last one on Earth. I work for the future of science. That’s my job. I’m linking it up for the next astronaut.”

Even in this post-apocalyptic world, he still believes his son will make it to the stars, which makes his death scene all the more potent. He falls forward in the water and expresses gratitude because, on the surface, he can see space, saying he doesn’t mind “not being the one looking up.” He gets to see space from a star’s point of view.

Season three of Dr.STONE has run into a few stumbling blocks along the way, mainly through getting characters from point A to point B, with the transitional episodes suffering the most. On the whole, though, it’s nearly just as strong as its first season, and the first part finale doubles down on this with the allowance of humor — Ginro, in particular, shines as the doofus he is — to the gorgeous landscape and background animation allowed to shine with significant emphasis on the night sky.

Dr.STONE New World Episode 11 is a strong close to the first part of the series’ third season, with anticipation having accelerated as the island leaders have realized they’ve been infiltrated. With the heartfelt story at its center about fathers and sons and the resilience of humankind to persevere no matter the odds, “With This Fist, A Miracle” isn’t just a standout episode of the season but one of the finest installments of the series so far. October and the second cour can’t come soon enough.

Dr.STONE New World is available to stream on Crunchyroll.