The manga this week
Dr. Stone
Story by Riichiro Inagaki, illustration by Boichi (Shueisha)
Tasuku Honjo, a distinguished professor at Kyoto University, has been named one of the winners of this year's Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. The prize was in recognition of his discovery of a molecule named PD-1 that inhibits the immune system, and his application of the discovery to cancer immunotherapy. When he first identified PD-1, however, Honjo had no idea how useful it could be. His curiosity toward things that "look interesting" eventually led to a discovery that has saved cancer patients all over the world.
This sense of inquisitiveness is the starting point and the driving force of all science. The protagonist of this week's manga, Senku, has a catchphrase to express this very feeling: "This sure gets my blood flowing!"
The story goes like this: Due to a mysterious phenomenon, all human beings on Earth simultaneously turn to stone. Then, 3,700 years later, high school student Taiju comes back to life and finds himself in a world that has reverted to a primitive state. His good friend Senku had returned to life a little earlier and has been trying to re-create civilization from scratch.
The curtain then rises on a tale of high adventure as these two high schoolers -- armed only with the extensive collection of scientific knowledge inside Senku's head -- attempt to reenact 2 million years of human evolution, from the Stone Age to modern civilization, as quickly as possible.
What's fascinating is how fast they go about the process. Senku and his friends produce gunpowder in the second volume, steel and electricity in the third, glass and lenses in the fourth, and even sulfa drugs (antibiotics) in the fifth. What's more, each step of the way is backed with solid scientific explanations.
Typical for a manga serialized in the Shukan Shonen Jump magazine, "Dr. Stone" contains its fair share of battle scenes. Though some are of course a bit contrived, they nevertheless steadfastly reaffirm the philosophy that pragmatic thinking and persistent effort are what lead humans to victory.
The idea here of reviving science after the catastrophic collapse of civilization seems to have taken a cue from British scientist Lewis Dartnell's bestselling book "The Knowledge."
Interestingly, this manga points out that "science" had not existed in Japan until the end of the Edo period (1603-1867), after which Japan suddenly became an industrial power by opening itself up to the world and devouring the scientific knowledge that the West had accumulated. In other words, the shortcut to civilization that Senku and his friends are taking may mirror Japan's own process only 150 years ago -- although this history is almost completely forgotten in today's Japan.
Boichi, the manga's illustrator, is a South Korean whose real name is Park Mujik. His virtuoso drawings are worth seeking out. As a successful example of a Japan-South Korea joint project as well as a rousing saga of scientific discoveries, "Dr. Stone" is a highly recommended manga that makes me want to say, "This sure gets my blood flowing!"
Ishida is a Yomiuri Shimbun senior writer whose areas of expertise include manga and anime.
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