Dr. Stone Chapter 89 Review by BelserionChapter Title: The Adventurers The chapter continues from last week where Chrome, Senkuu and Ryuusui are the three chosen to test the hot air balloon. Chrome is crying because of the sheer beauty of flying, something he says the likes of Senkuu and all the modern ones take for granted. Ryuusui contradicts his statement by acknowledging that while they did have things like private jets that took them to different places for leisure; this was his first time in a hot air balloon so he could definitely appreciate the moment. While Chrome rhapsodizes about flying with the birds, Senkuu cautions him that it’s no time to be happy because birds can cause accidents. Ryuusui muses to himself that he was considering dodging the birds immediately but their lift in the balloon seems weaker than it should be, wondering if he should add fuel. Ryuusui reassures the other two that steering the balloon was similar to steering a ship and that he would get them to their goal, which is Ishigami Village.
Chrome is in disbelief because it takes two days by land to reach the village. Ryuusui assures him that travelling by sky would get them there in two hours, that’s the power of the wind. While Chrome thinks flying makes travelling the distance so easy, Senkuu counters him by saying it’s not as easy as he thinks, it’s actually rather complicated. All through the day and night in Japan the wind blows eastward, so anyone could easily travel east, but since they were moving towards the west they had to do so via low pressure areas. The winds in these areas spin counterclockwise, and if they catch one that’s how they will be able to travel west. This is very difficult and carries a high level of risk, but overcoming it is what makes Ryuusui a pro adventurer according to him. Calling the other two amateurs, he tells them to leave everything to him as their captain.
Chrome is insulted at being labeled an amateur since he considers himself the king of exploration. He tells Ryuusui that while he might be a pro adventurer of the seas, he wonders how he would do on land adventures. Chrome notes that the balloon is floating along the river and that near the ground the wind takes on the features of the land and it blows alongside the river. He finishes by saying if the wind blows them out to the sea they won’t be able to get back so they should gain some altitude and that someone who’s taken the time to adventure on their own two feet would know this by feel and sense, unlike some amateur who spends his time riding ships. Ryuusui takes offense to this and the two square off with Senkuu asking them to stop their silly fighting.
Senkuu tests the winds with a water doll, and the three suddenly realize there’s a massive storm cloud approaching, Cumulonimbus, the devil of the clouds. Ryuusui calls it a battle between the West Winds and the god of the skies. He cautions that if they get caught in it the balloon will be destroyed, and urges the others to prepare to land. He urges Chrome to open the top of the balloon to let off hot air so they could rapidly descend, but Senkuu shocks them by saying the top is already open and if they open it any more the fabric will tear and they will crash to earth. When Chrome questions how that happened, Senkuu informs him it was the bird strike earlier, proving that his caution to Chrome was correct that birds were dangerous to the balloon. It also answers Ryuusui’s earlier musing of the lift being weaker than expected.
Chrome panics because they keep going higher despite not burning any fuel. Ryuusui realizes they’re caught in an upward draft and they had no way of descending. Senkuu tries to come up with something among his weapons of science, noting he only has time to come up with something until his brain shuts down from altitude sickness due to the sudden ascent. Ryuusui sees their predicament as a challenge and vows to find the hole in the wind to get them out. Chrome really wants to run away but there’s no place for him to run to. He suddenly realizes that he needs to think in terms of nature. If you run away from the likes of a bear you’ll most certainly be killed, but if you stand your ground and fight, using your head and your heart, most likely you will obtain the victory. He applies it to the current situation and urges the others to push through it instead of trying to run from it. Ryuusui and Senkuu agree that if they somehow get higher than the cloud they should be alright since the oxygen deficiency shouldn’t be enough to kill them.
Senkuu throws the last of the revival formula into the furnace in order to generate more heat for faster acceleration, since the formula is a mixture of alcohol and nitric acid and therefore very flammable. This works like a charm. The sudden acceleration took them straight through the cloud. An excited Kohaku and Ukyo watch as the balloon makes its way to Ishigami village. Chrome, in contrast to his earlier snide comments, compliments Ryuusui on his skill, saying he’s a capable captain. Ryuusui returns the compliment and says with both of them working together they’ll definitely be able to find the oil.
Personal Thoughts: I’d rate this chapter 7/10I think the chapter was supposed to show us Chrome’s capability and probably show why he’ll end up going with the crew to the other side of the world. Lately he’s been taking a bit of a backseat to newer/older characters like Yuzuriha, Tsukasa, Gen and now even Ryuusui. I think the author was attempting to remind us that he was there and still useful, but to me it came off a bit forced. Having him come up with such a simple plan like “fly above the storm cloud” while 2 geniuses in the forms of Senkuu and Ryuusui could not come up with it is a bit too much to swallow for me. Navigating is Ryuusui’s area of expertise and in my opinion this should have been his chapter to prove how capable he will be as a captain. Ryuusui showed he was fearless and competent yes, but I still think having Chrome come up with the solution was out of place and the way he did it was a bit cheesy. Overall it was an alright chapter, perhaps even a glimpse of the teamwork to come once they all set sail.
To discuss and share your thoughts on the manga, you can visit our Dr. Stone section.
