MANGA REVIEW | "Dr. STONE" - Volume Twenty-Seven
Hold up. Didn’t I review the final volume of Dr. STONE two years ago? **checks website** Yep, says so right here! Oh, that sneaky duo! Just when I thought that I had seen the last of the Kingdom of Science, Riichiro Inagaki and BOICHI have unleashed the legit final tale of Dr. STONE to be told. And thankfully, this isn’t some cash-grab story; it actually does a great job with giving our heroes a proper farewell.
Most of the final volume focuses on Senku’s quest to build a time machine. But first, our always-excited scientist finds himself in the middle of the ocean, with nary a clue as to how he got there. However, when he figures out what’s going on thanks to the foray of clues he uncovers, it becomes a race against time to reunite with Kohaku, Chrome, Taiju, and the others.
This first story is a great way to remind readers of who exactly everyone is, and why they’re important to Dr. STONE. The brains, the brawn, the workers, and the thinkers are all there to showcase how they were part of the grand scheme to revitalize humanity and reach Why-Man. It also shows some hints of how some of these people have grown since we last saw them, be it via their skills or — dare I say — romance. (I honestly can’t say I expected to see Senku and Kohaku as a legit couple, but I’m all for it!)
It all leads to the big story: building a time machine. Yes, the science of such a thing doesn’t exist in the real world, but there’s bound to be a bit of mumbo-jumbo magic involved with this series. (I mean, we also don’t have a petrification device, which is the key to this whole manga!) Yet I can’t help but feel like these things that Senku and the gang are hints of what may be real later in Earth’s lifetime. That’s when we’re treated to a beautiful sight that was built on the hard work of these creators, and I’m not talking about BOICHI bringing us short-haired Kohaku.
However, it’s not Dr. STONE without some twists and turns, and this final volume does give us some of those. The reason behind Senku’s desire to make a time machine winds up being a farce, a heartbreaking situation that’d shatter anyone…except Senku, who’s constantly ten billion steps ahead. Nevertheless, even if the reason was a lie, that lie led to the Kingdom of Science to find new ways to make the futuristic invention part of the present day. As such, it winds up being all for the better that such a ruse was pulled.
Riichiro Inagaki and BOICHI make it very clear in the beginning that this is the final volume of Dr. STONE. While it was great to see these characters once more, I get why this is a one-off return. And perhaps that’s for the best. You don’t want to go too long to the point where your story gets stale, and the reason for the story gets lost. (Looking at you, Case Closed. You should be a grown-ass man by now, Conan Edogawa!!!)
Still, Volume Twenty-Seven of Dr. STONE gives our heroes a final send-off worthy of any shonen manga series. And as Kohaku says right at the end, “Maybe it’s the young people reading this very story who will be the ones to create a time machine someday.” I couldn’t agree more, and I hope some young lover of Dr. STONE is putting his nose in a science book, raring to create the next big thing to change the world. Just the mere thought of that is enough for me — and the rest of the world — to get excited.
FINAL GRADE:
Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.
