As this episode’s title implies, the Kingdom of Science builds a computer in the Stone World (as well as a fax machine). This episode provided some interesting facts about computers as Senku teaches the characters and the audience the basics of how these machines work. So without further ado, let’s recap this episode.
Last episode ended with the Kingdom of Science deciding on building a computer as the next step, but now they have to figure out how to do that. Before we get to that, we get a brief scene of the Kingdom of Science showing off their newest boat, the Demeter (Perseus, Demeter? It looks like Senku has a fascination with Greek mythology based on this theme naming). Senku explains that computers operate using on and off switches with 1s and 0s used to represent whether a switch is on or off. He has the kingdom of science do a demonstration of how flags raised or lowered to represent zeros and ones can be used to calculate and add. Effectively, it is possible to create a primitive “computer” just by waving flags. Still, the Kingdom of Science wishes to create a mechanical computer. Senku’s solution for creating a basic mechanical computer is by using copper doughnuts and making a series of switches. This basic computer can add up to 255, so it is still not advanced enough to play a video game or create the rocket they need to go to the moon and confront the “Why Man.”
The Kingdom of Science continues to depetrify everyone who was
petrified a season ago and many of them have a touching reunion. The members of the Kingdom of Science who’ve been depetrified for a while give the spiel to the newly depetrified members as to what’s going on and Senku’s mission in India to create a computer for the rocket ship.
Dr. Xeno gives Senku a major challenge of creating a fax machine in the Stone World. Senku obviously meets this challenge with ease. The crafting of the fax machine is rather rushed as it is constructed with mere seconds of screentime while the rudimentary computer had more elaboration. Senku shows off how awesome the Stone War fax machine is by faxing a photograph from India all the way to Japan.
Sai mentions that when his family took pictures, him and Ryusui were always excluded. The family seemed to treat Sai like just a tool that needed sharpening and Ryusui was the rebellious wild child. Sai hated doing smarty stuff even if his parents pushed him into it. During this childhood flashback scene, little Ryusui begs Sai to teach him chess, but little Sai denies the request. Flash forward to the present, and the brothers play a friendly game of chess. Sai shows up on the boat and agrees to join the Kingdom of Science. A sign on the screen says that Sai has joined the party. It seemed that he unofficially joined the party last week, but this week it’s officially official.
The next episode’s title is “The Truth about the Rocket,” and looks like the long awaited creation of the rocket ship is going to happen and our heroes are going to space, a plot point that has been long teased. Well, creating a rocket in the Stone Age is much harder to believe than the basic computer created here (and to an extent, the fax machine that was created mostly offscreen). This episode continued to have fun edutainment as the audience learns about the basics of computers. Next episode, we are probably going to learn about rockets and how they work.
