Dr. Stone: New World

Episode 14

The cat is out of the bag. Ibara knows who the spies are, Ginro and Kohaku have been turned to stone, and Moz now knows where our heroes have been hiding (thanks to trailing the escaping Amaryllis). Yet, even as everything is in flux, our heroes get to work putting together the clues of what Kohaku learned in her final moments. They now know there is only one petrification device (Kirisame's)—and that Kirisame doesn't know that the Great Master is petrified. Of course, how all of this information will be of use is put on hold once Moz appears in the (not-so-secret-anymore) secret cave.

While Moz is the focal point of this episode, he's not that interesting of a character. Sure, he's strong (maybe even Tsukasa-level strong) and decently intelligent but when it comes down to it, he's a man focused on his base desires. What he wants is to maintain the status quo—though with himself in Ibara's place. All he cares about is women (and the power needed to get himself an endless supply of them).

Because of that, this is a Gen episode more than anything else—which isn't a bad thing since he hasn't had much to do as our heroes have been in hiding ever since the moment they set foot on the island. Sure, he's had his moments—like prepping the infiltration team and figuring out Ryusui's Morse Code message—but since his whole deal is exploiting human nature, he kind of needs enemies to manipulate to reach his full potential.

As Moz is more cunning than most (as he'd have to be to reach his current position and hold it), Gen is forced to pull out all the stops. But rather than trying to be subtle, Gen makes it obvious that he is trying to manipulate Moz. This in turn lets him hide manipulations within manipulations—like using a foghorn to hide another sound or potent perfume to hide another smell. And as Moz is just clever enough to realize when he's being conned, he never suspects that he's already fallen into Gen's trap.

All Gen and the others want is to live through the next few minutes. Getting Moz on their side, even temporarily, is a bonus. They never expected even for a moment that he'd let them have the device and allow them to leave the island with it—it is the source of the Great Master's “divine power” after all. However, by making themselves seem like fools who thought they could manipulate Moz, Gen was able to do just that. Let's hope he gets that downtime he so dearly wants (though I doubt he will).

Rating:

Random Thoughts:

• While I understand reviving Yuzuriha, Ukyo, and Chrome, I'm surprised they didn't pick any fighters. Nikki, Kinro, and Magma aren't quite as strong as Kohaku but they're far from useless—especially with a big fight coming up.

• Is there anything cuter than Suika making paper hats for everyone who usually wears one once they're brought back?

• It seems to me that Kirisame is a far better potential ally than Moz. After all, she is a true believer—and with the Great Master being turned to stone and Soyuz his potential offspring…

• I wonder if Moz realizes that Senku's team can depetrify people. I don't think he does.

Dr. Stone: New World is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.