I went into this after multiple comparisons between this and Dr Stone and I just have to say that is a GROSS mischaracterisation of both manga. The only thing they share is the basic idea of "person brings technological progress" but how they research it, accomplish it, and bring people together with it is all so vastly different. Dr Stone is fast where this is slow (almost aggravatingly slow at times). Dr Stone focuses on inventions while this is more an interpersonal story with inventions as the force driving everything else. Dr Stone improves the lives of those around him as almost a side effect Senkuoften couldn't care less about while it's Ash's entire driving motivation here. Inventions and ideas that take entire arks and volumes here due to how difficult they realistically would be to accomplish would take Senku half a minute and some scrap metal to do the same.

They are such different beasts, and the comparison means you go in expecting something this manga isn't trying to be.

And that sucks since this is a really well done manga. It's slow paced so you feel the difficulty behind most of the inventions (they do a couple a bit too fast imo but they set it up that it's not egregiously bad), characters have realistic motivations and flaws alongside the positives, and there's even loads of mystery and intrigue as you get further along. You get a wide group of people early on as a supporting cast and as the cast grows and changes it all feels like a natural extension of how the MCs worldview is doing the same.

I do wish they'd just go for the romance instead of teasing the poor FMC like they have been, you wind up feeling so sorry for her but at the same time if she'd just sack up and tell him she'd save herself so much hassle.

This is nothing like Dr Stone, and in the best possible way. It's a beautiful slow life look at how seemingly mundane inventions can be catalysts of great change, and it makes you appreciate just how far our own civilisation has come in terms of our own everyday comforts.