Anime Review: Dr. Stone, "Lock On" (Season 4, Episode 8)

I didn’t expect Senku to get shot.

Episode 8 of Dr. Stone begins with Xeno awakening from the petrification and searching for others who may have survived. I think the soundtrack is very fitting as it adds to the ethereal beauty of nature.

When Xeno discovers nitric acid, he gets the key to bringing people back to life. Once he sees Stanley, it’s no wonder he revived him right away. Afterward, the two of them revive whoever stayed conscious and began growing their colony.

Upon the discovery of a platinum ring, Xeno obtained access to create as much nitric acid and gun power that he desired, making him a deadly weapon. One of their first inventions was a gun and they built an entire warehouse to create gunpowder.

It’s interesting that Xeno and Senku revived around the same time and both discovered nitric acid, but ended up using it for completely different reasons. While Senku uses it to save lives, Xeno uses it to take lives away. In Xeno’s flashback of the two of them, Xeno is wearing a black coat while Senku’s is white, almost as if it symbolizes their opposite outlooks on life.

About halfway into the episode, the past flashes back to the present with Stanley still hiding in the trees waiting for Luna to give him the signal to shoot. She tries to point to “Dr. Taiju” but she can’t bring herself to do it. However, she still shares information with them that there is someone on the ship named Senku.

Once receiving the message, Stanley’s group contacts Xeno and tells him that Senku is on the ship. I know that Xeno wants to be a dictator, but I didn’t think he’d give the signal to shoot Senku once he realized who he was. His eyes even lit up when he heard it was him.

It’s mind-blowing that Dr. Xeno can use the transcription of Senku’s voice to determine his height. Again, it shows how advanced their science kingdom is.

Thankfully, Ryusui caught on that there was a sniper and shouted for everyone to get down. The eerie soundtrack did a great job of building suspense with the shooting. Stanley and Senku sense each other’s presence at the same time. While Stanley prepares the shot, Senku runs to the front of the ship.

Diving under the bar, Senku combines water with starch and uses the bag as a lifevest. TMS Entertainment did an amazing job with Stanley’s shot with the bullet moving in slow motion as it neared the ship. Unfortunately, the bullet traveled through the bag and hit Senku, most likely somewhere in the chest.

The episode ends on a cliffhanger, showing us an explosion of starch and blood splatter along with a gunshot. The probability of Senku dying is low, but will Stanley leave if he realizes he’s still alive? How is Senku going to take down Xeno’s formidable forces?