In the mysterious future, crystalline organisms called Gems inhabit a world that has been destroyed by six meteors. Each Gem is assigned a role in order to fight against the Lunarians, a species who attacks them in order to shatter their bodies and use them as decorations.
Phosphophyllite, also known as Phos, is a young and fragile Gem who dreams of helping their friends in the war effort. Instead, they are told to compile an encyclopedia because of their delicate condition. After begrudgingly embarking on this task, Phos meets Cinnabar, an intelligent gem who has been relegated to patrolling the isolated island at night because of the corrosive poison their body creates. After seeing how unhappy Cinnabar is, Phos decides to find a role that both of the rejected Gems can enjoy. Houseki no Kuni follows Phos' efforts to be useful and protect their fellow Gems.
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
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Comentários
MetaThPr4h
Absolutely beautiful, Houseki no Kuni sadly flew under the radar of a lot of people due to the lack of initial hype, but I hope this changes over time because this anime really deserves a lot of love. The setting is so interesting and full of mysteries and unknowns to discover, what happened to the world to become like this? Who are the gems, or the moon people that seem to be after them? Houseki knows how to make the events ocurring hooking to watch and it's such an enjoyable experience from start to end. Along with the intriguing story we also have a fantastic castthat brings it life, the characters are inmortal humanoid gems with the qualities that represent them (like Diamond being the hardest mineral, but relatively easy to break in comparison), their interactions are interesting, varied, and at the same manage really funny when the situations requires it, this anime handles very well the comedy and it fits nicely without breaking the mood of the scenes. Phosphophyllite (or Phos in short) is the protagonist and goes through fantastic development over the duration of the series, becoming a very memorable character.
Now it's time for the art department and I will be honest here: if every CGI anime has to look like Houseki, god, I want so many more of them! The animation is amazing and had some scenes where I just had to replay them of how good they looked, and the excellent cinematography that goes with it just makes it even more impressive, with some shots that left me speechless. The use of this type of animation is also really fitting considering the constitution of our characters and for details like how they can break depending on the situation, which looks better with this style.
The music is also a strong factor of the series, always fitting with the tone of the scene and improving them, the theme that plays when the Lunarians appears gets an special mention from my part because it never failed to make me shiver, so unsettling. The opening and ending themes are also great in both song and visuals and grew on me as the series progressed, definitely playlist worthy.
Houseki no Kuni was an unique and fantastic experience I really recommend everyone to try out, you won't regret it.
Eanki
The GRRM Reaper once posited the Furniture Rule: that at its core, literature is an exploration of the human condition; the rest is fluff, furniture. Houseki no Kuni begins as a simple story of immortal, genderless life forms, the Gems, with each individual based around a gemstone from which they take their physical characteristics. They are being hunted down by Lunarians for what seems to be collector’s fancy. Slowly, the story moves on, teasing the layers of mystery of its world and a more intriguing aspect of the entire dynamic unravels, one more conducive to philosophical discourse. The introduction of a third faction, the Admirabilis, elevatesthe nature of their conflict and is poised to bring the series higher should its story continue.
The CGI nature of the show doesn't really take away anything from the narrative but rather enhances and prepares it with its CGI portrayal of the three factions telling a story: the Gems, with their janky yet solid movements, aimless and unmotivated beyond mere survival; the Lunarians, ethereal and eternal, purposeful in action; and the Admirabilis, frills and filaments galore, excess made manifest, seductive and ephemeral.
Underneath the trappings of a fantastical concept, however, Houseki no Kuni is a thesis of how our place in our world is intricately intertwined with our purpose. It's a story about identity.
It's a story of Dia, valued, vaunted, a tier above other gems, yet struggling to find a moment in the light under the vast, dark shadow of a peer better and stronger.
It's a story of Cinnabar, self-exiled, isolation poisoning the mind, bereft of a shoulder to lean on.
Most of all, it's a story of Phos, aimless slacker, wanting to do more than just making an encyclopedia that has no equivalent value assigned by other Gems. Phos wants to fight, swept up in the idea that Gems prove their worth in the only way their circumstances allow: fighting the Lunarians. Phos' initial value was demonstrated when, devoured and broken to bits and pieces, the grim, though temporary, fate evoked nothing but cruelly nonchalant reactions from fellow gems.
How can someone so brittle prove their value when, to paraphrase Einstein, the fishes are judged by their ability to climb a tree.
Houseki no Kuni’s approach to the problem is a rather straightforward one. Instead of changing the playing field to a pond, our little fish is given an opportunity to be better, losing parts of itself in the process. Part of its identity must give, in the hopes that the best version of itself can be achieved. And that hopefully the best version of itself is its truest self. Whether it’s true or not remains to be seen.
And I must say, this conflict of identity and the show’s solution ties in fully with the larger, grander aspects of the narrative: the three factions, each crucially lacking traits the other two possess. Can the three factions be so much more together much like how Phos had become much more than the Mohs scale of hardness? We'll see.
For now, enjoy one lost little fish trying to scale a tree, struggling to find the right balance lest it loses sight of who it is.
psuedonymph
I am writing this review because I believe I hold an uncommon opinion. Don’t worry, it’s spoiler free. Allow me the time to tell you a story. Once upon a time, a little boy was shopping at a mall with his mother, when he passed by a brightly lit shop window sporting an inviting neon sign at the entrance, labelled simply “Candy.” The display case under the sign had a large, swirly lollipop in it, each swirl being a different color. Eager to satisfy his taste buds with the sweetness of a candy he has never ever seen before, the boy tugged on his mother’s coatcollar, begging for her to buy him the seemingly delicious treat.
The mother, not even bothering to look at the price tag, took a single glance at the ridiculous lollipop and told her son, “It’s not worth it, I’ll buy you something else.” Being a stubborn little boy, he sat down onto the floor and refused to move a single step. Exasperated, the mother led the boy into the shop and paid for the candy.
The boy, overjoyed at his victory over his mother, licked his lollipop with vigor. After a few licks, he noticed the lollipop didn’t taste proper. Taking a look at it, he noticed that he’s been blending the different colored swirls with his disobedient tongue. Despite realizing this, the boy noticed that there was nothing he could do to salvage his ruined lollipop. Not knowing what to say to his mother, he finished it silently.
Later that night, the mother asked the boy, “how was that lollipop?” The boy, not wanting to admit his own wrongdoing, plastered a smile over his face and replied, “it was great.”
What is the moral of this story? There are a few.
1. Just because something is new and fancy, it doesn’t mean that it’s good.
2. A weird blend of themes and flavours will not always leave a good taste in your mouth.
3. Mainstream consumers do not want to admit the faults in their initial judgement.
<Artstyle and initial thoughts: 10/10>
How does this relate to the anime Houseki no Kuni? It should be quite clear. The “innovation” in this series is the usage of CGI. In the brief history of anime I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing, there has not been an instance where CGI was used well. Naturally, a show that executes a controversial style well would receive positive attention. Admittedly, the artstyle for this show suited its purposes well enough, so I have no complaints. In fact, talking strictly cinematography, art and sound, this show is unparalleled at creating an immersive atmosphere. Now, if that’s the case, why did I imply that the show “isn’t good?” Speaking of the show’s purposes, you’ll see soon enough.
This show is complicated in many ways. Plot, characters, setting, all of it. Allow me to clarify. Complex shows are not intrinsically bad, in fact, that’s far from the truth. However, shows that end up complex due to blatant execution issues are BAD. Not even god tier art can carry such an aimless, thoughtless story.
<Setting and Plot: 3/10>
Let me start with the setting. The worldbuilding in this show is highly fantastical, and the explanation behind how everything ended up the way it was sounds like something a 13-year-old whose idol is his geologist grandpa would come up with. Sure, it’s ludicrous, but there’s nothing wrong with a good laugh, but I digress. The premise of the show is surprisingly amazing for philosophical explorations on rational sentience and immortality. On top of that, the CGI artstyle compliments this setting very well, leading to some extremely beautiful scenes. Sounds like fun and lollipops, right?
No. Here comes the plot. The first two episodes work to introduce the characters and the world, but it suffers from a major writing issue. It leads you to believe that this show is a social commentary emphasizing on the hierarchical nature that results from self contained communities, and how each character suffers as a result of their own mental insecurities and lack of identity. That doesn’t sound too bad, if it actually followed up with what it set itself up as.
After a series of slimy (ha, ha.) events, you find yourself in a confusing spot halfway through the show where you start to wonder where this show is going. Remember what I said about the setting being an optimal one for philosophical exploration of unique themes? You actually get some of that. Just three lines of dialogue unrelated to the plot, then the show wants you to forget about everything that happened in the first half of the show in favour of some shounen style character development, which is carried out for the remainder of the show, to my massive disappointment. Sadly, the first half of the show provided weak narrative exposition at best and pretentious, irrelevant babble at worst, and this was actually the good half of the show.
Do you like repetitive, meaningless fights with no emotional implications or plot strings attached to it? This was the case with most of the fight scenes in Houseki no Kuni. The typical end result of each fight is that our main character "develops." You'll see what I mean.
<Characters: 2/10>
Don’t we all love that classic slice of life “conclusion,” where a stupidly dramatic event drastically alters the characters beyond recognition, in a weak attempt to add dimension to the cast? Wait a second, I hate that. Referring back to the plot section, I mentioned that the first two episodes set the show up for a character oriented exploration? I guess it wasn’t completely off the mark, if Dora the Explorer is your type of “exploration.”
The supporting cast is usually defined by a single, one dimensional trait that dominates their entire character. This is evident in Diamond, Cinnabar and Bort. The rest of the many characters are not worth mentioning. There is some very weak development by the end of the show, but this was not the anime’s focus.
My dear Phosphophyllite. You developed so much, its almost as if you underwent a chemical change (pun and sarcasm intended). This character’s journey of self discovery was the aim of the show, yet her changes are not only inconsistent with her former self, ridiculously dramatic, but also violates the laws of chemistry. The sequence of events that led up to who the character became by the end of the show was definitely the result of inadequate planning and incompetent writing, evident by a chain of stupidly dramatic incidents that served no other purpose than to turn Phos into a more dynamic character.
Perhaps you don't agree with my criticism that Houseki no Kuni's characters lack depth, if you've seen the show. It's difficult to argue this point without spoiling anything, but I'll say this: our only knowledge of Phosphophyllite is her current desires and motivations, which progress from a linear lack of self worth to a sentimental attachment to a certain dead character following a short time skip. Both of these plot devices lack narrative backbone and portrays Phosphophyllite as incredibly shallow and her actions extremely simple. There was not a point in the show where I questioned the motives or psychological states of a single character, because this shallowness is present in the entire cast. There simply isn't enough information or character exploration in the show.
My last point lies in my disappointment that the basic premise of immortal people was not evident at all in the characters’ behaviour. In fact, every member of the cast acts like a 21st century high school student, which ruined the immersive atmosphere the art desperately tried to create.
<Final Thoughts and total score: 5/10>
It may be clear by now, but my biggest issue with this show is the obvious lack of direction in its narrative, mismanagement of dramatic structure and insignificant ending. I am aware that the anime does not adapt the entirety of the manga, but hey, I’m just reviewing what’s here right now.
Would I recommend this show? If you’re interested in sitting through a 12 episode tech demo, be my guest, but don’t place many expectations on the storyline to provide a compelling analysis of a theme, or the characters to bring any entertainment.
I will reiterate that the art was beautiful. There is no denying that. After all, isn’t a big, swirly, colorful lollipop enticing? Just don’t forget, mommy warned you...
LIQfilms
Over the last few years or so the discussion regarding the use of CGI in anime has grown all the more prominent which in turn has led to disdain from fans, devaluing any show that would dare to use it. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but the overreliance on this technology and the way in which it incorporated with traditional animation, unfortunately, leaves much to be desired. The end product is usually a show that looks bizarre as the two modes of animation don't make clear, visual, coherence sense. CGI is a wonderful tool and I believe it should be used in anime, butthat usually comes with an asterisk. Ideally, CGI should be used to enhance shots or backgrounds, adding in small details that should hopefully blend them seemingly into the world. Anime doesn't really do CGI well. I still have nightmares whenever a CGI crowd is used in a show. Platic and emotionless humans. Just like my soul. But, what about anime series that are ALL CGI? You probably know where I am going with this segway and I would like to say, for definite, here and now, that the best CGI production in anime is none other than... Gantz O. BUT Land of the Lustrous ranks a close second and gives me hope for the future of CGI TV anime. And I believe this series is an important stepping stone in the evolution of the medium, something I don't say lightly.
Set in the distant future, Land of the Lustrous tells the story of a group of women. But instead of flesh, bones, and the number one thing on a top ten list that hates me, these women are instead made out of gems and rocks. Along with a balding, seemingly human monk who possesses grand powers, have to fight off against a race called the Moon Dwellers; race of strange creatures who descend from said place who maintain the objective of capturing these characters. Much of the series focus is placed onto the protagonist, Phosphophyllite, as she slowly comes to age and grows not only into a more developed, eh, "gem" but also physically too.
Land of the Lustrous has this way of immediately immersing me into its atmosphere and world, not only through its wonderful use of music and beautiful looking scenery but just from all the nuances the narrative provides. The fact that each gem has specific characteristics, and is classed in accordance with their strength. The fact that they can be broken into tiny pieces and stuck back together again. They can lose their memories if certain body parts are missing, that they have to hibernate over winter as they grow weaker and tired, and that they can potentially be combined with other elements for different effects. All of these small pieces of worldbuilding may seem like throwaway pieces of exposition but when viewed in their totality creates a distinc and interesting setting. Every sm It’s the use of these creative elements that makes Houseki such a wonder to watch, and helps to differentiate it from much of its ilk; its these elements and ideas that I can’t get anywhere else, but they are not simply played as gimmicks either, but as an integral aspect of the setting and narrative.
Additionally, the show has this overbearing sense of mystery, and almost whimsical sense to it as well. Much like our protagonist, Phos, who knows nothing of this world, so do we as an audience, so we experience the world and learn new things about it as does Phos, which not only helps us grow more attached to this character as well, but the rules and mysteries of this world are dished out to the audience in a consistent pace, keeping the narrative interesting and fresh. Moreover, the show has several mysteries as well, such as what the true nature of the Moon Dwellers actually are or the state of humanity, evident in a scene where Phos is trying to recollect the events that transpired earlier in which she (yes, for the sake of convenience I'm going to be referring to the gems as "she"; I apologise for being a CIS white male and assuming gender) can’t remember as she had lost some of her body parts, but mentions the word “human” which greatly alarms that of the Sensei, the guardian and father figure of the Gems, giving us insight into the seriousness of the memory Phos has, and sliding little hints to the audience about the true nature of the Sensei character himself. The show even dabbles in some philosophical ideas too in the fifth episode, regarding what it means to truly be human and what it truly means for someone to die, as the very concept of death is foreign to the Gems, and while it is not explored to much substantial merit, the show does throw around this idea, making the Gems feel more believable with a greater sense of purpose.
There’s even a genuine sense of narrative stakes and ambiguity too, not only from the idea that we never know when the Moon Dwellers will attack next, but the general sense of uneasiness the narrative presents too. There’s always a sense of danger in the air; a sense of looming dread and fear, which permits itself into much of the narrative, which actually does a good job at making me fearful for each one of the Gems, and there is a genuine sense of sadness and melancholy when one of the Gems is defeated and taken away. You feel the weight of this loss, as the other Gems do, making it all the more powerful when these moments in the show do occur. The show does leave many questions unanswered however, and some plot points haven’t yet been resolved as the manga is still running alongside the show, but what the show does cover manages to provide a solid foundation for a second season to greatly build upon, with enough time in this season devoted to establishing the world and the way in which the gems work in said world, all of which is solid enough to stand by itself I believe.
Perhaps the show’s biggest strength is in its characters and their charming and fun interactions between one another, and, despite not each one receiving development or attention, their unique personalities and characteristics result in some wonderfully funny moments and scenes which makes the characters rather likeable, and these were some of the best moments in the show for me. They all have delightful chemistry, and one of the best examples of this great character dynamic is a scene in which all of the gems freak out at seeing Phos’ newly gained abilities and seeing how each different gem reacted was pretty damn sweet, adding onto their respective characters. All of the characters, in some form or another, is given some level of introspection and time to breath, allowing the audience to understand their perspectives on the world, from Yellow Diamond’s perception as a result of being the eldest, to Antarcticite regarding her unique, and isolated role during the winter, all adding onto our understanding of the world. There are plenty of characters I could talk about, but I’ll just discuss the characters with the most bearing on the plot.
Phos, our main character, is one in which is a representation of a child growing up in harsh world, and learning to mature in that time. Being the youngest of all the gems, and wanting to grow and prove herself, she eagerly jumps into action in order to do so, resulting in many accidents in which she has to either be saved, or put back together. You may find yourself kind of annoyed by how much Phos messes up at first, since it seems that almost every episode she ends up having to repeat this process, but these mistakes end up shaping the person she will become in the future and aiding her development. As the series progresses, and she realises the gravity and danger of fighting against the Moon Dwellers, after seeing one of her friends perish protecting her from them, her character embarks on a change into maturity, with a much more serious demeanour than before. In the final episodes of the show, she even reflects on her past self, stating that she was jealous of her immaturity, reflecting in her change of character as a result of the harsh reality of the world. Phos character, while perhaps coming across as maybe rather obnoxious, especially in the beginning of the series, was still able to make me laugh a numerous amount of times and I could excuse most of it on the grounds of her age and lack of knowledge about the world. Her character is pretty reltable as well, since we too have been in postions where the world seems to treat you like a child, and that feel of wanting to desperately grow into maturity is one Phos manages to encapsulate rather well. She is also pretty damn likeable, I would argue anyway, which helps the audience to become more invested in her character from the get-go, and the mental trauma and hang ups she faces in the latter half of the series is genuinely interesting. Much of Phos’s drive in the narrative, mainly in the earliest parts of it anyway, was her desire to help a fellow gem by the name of Cinncibar, a gem who secluded herself away from the rest since her body secretes a poison. While you may find yourself kind of frustrated at first since this plot point is kind of negated for a while, it does see some kind of resolution in the final episode of the show.
Another character whom gets a nice amount of development is Dia. Aside from being best gem in the series (seriously, I wanna hug her so damn bad) Dia’s development, and character arc in general is all about proving to herself, and to the person whom she loves, that being Bort, that she is more than capable of looking after herself and in the tenth episode of the show, there’s a wonderful moment where indeed she does do so, when fighting off against one of the new Moon Dweller types, cementing her character as one that is grounded in the narrative, and has a lot of emotional weight behind her too, so much so, that I generally care for her whenever she is in danger or feeling melancholic, and many of the characters presented in the show are like this too. Whilst many are fairly simplistic, again, they feel like genuine people in this world, and have enough in the way of distinguishable personalities to carry the emotional weight of the show, while also showcasing different levels of complexity and depth, such as in the case of the Doctor of the gems, who we learn later on pursues the art of the gems in order to help her long lost friend, or in the case of Antarcticite when she hugs the sensei, believing nobody is standing there to see her do so, revealing a softer side to her character than we were led to believe at first. The characters in this show are easily the strongest element and is the main reason why I had so much fun watching this show.
In terms of animation, Houseki is pretty damn solid overall! The CGI in this show looks damn amazing, and move with not only a lot of fluidity, but also quality too. They move gracefully when in combat, and it never comes across as jarring or clunky in the slightest. I also just love the designs for each of the gems too, in particular, their hair. I love the way in which it sparkles, gently illuminating the gems’ uniforms, with perhaps Dia looking the greatest in that regard. The fight sequences are also of a damn great quality, with dynamic and interesting cinematography, and just the way the grass is animated too, and how beautiful it looks, are all small things that I can appreciate, and, again, help the world feel more alive and vibrant. The OST for the show as well does a fantastic job at immersing me into this world, with its often whimsical and mystical tone, complementing the sense of ambiguity the narrative tends to encapsulate. The opening track as well does a great job at capturing the feel of the show, mainly used to represent the loneliness and isolation of Cinncibar to master fall affect.
In conclusion, I loved Houseki quite a fair bit. It’s narrative and world is immediately captivating to me, its characters all feel memorable and have wonderful chemistry between one another, grounding them in a sense of believability, and the animation is some of the best I have seen from a CGI production. Surprisingly, the director of Love Live, actually directed this show too (goddam Love Live will follow me until the day I die, I swear), and he did a good job, especially when we compare the CGI in both respective series, and see how much of a jump Houseki was in overall quality. While certainly not a perfect show, Houseki represents what I love in anime, and that is passion. It feels as if so much love and work was put into this production, and it really does show in many faucets of the show, and I would greatly recommend this. While I didn’t go into as much detail as I usually do when reviewing a show, as I wanted a potential new viewer to watch this show without knowing too much, there is still a lot of potential things to discuss regarding the narrative, with the biggest one being the obvious allusions to that of Buddhism the show seems to have, which I never even touched upon, and a deeper speculation into the sensei character and who he truly may be. Houseki, is truly the gem of the year in my opinion, and sadly one that will be greatly over-looked, but hopefully I may have convinced someone out there to give this show a shot… maybe. (Just remember to say that Dia is best gem or else I'll sleep under your bed at night!)
literaturenerd
Overview: Houseki no Kuni was one of the most beloved anime of 2017, so I immediately put it on my watch list...where it sat until last month. I went in really expecting to love this series, but I didn't know anything about it besides apparently there are gemstone girls. Maybe they'll sing about making a giant woman? Point is, I'm going in fucking BLIND. The show has areas where it sparkles, but I found myself more bothered by the flaws. Visual aesthetics and animation: The big thing about Houseki that makes it unique is that it's among the first "good looking" entirely CGI anime. I put good lookingin quotation marks because I utterly despised this show from a visual perspective. It's true that Studio Orange knew what they were doing. The CG animation isn't simply incompetent and laughable like Berserk 2016 or 2017. The problem is that this final product was exactly what Orange intended...and it makes Bug's Life look like staring into the face of God by comparison. I want you to think about that. A Bug's Life was made in 1998 using computers that are fucking DINOSAURS and written with laughably obsolete programs.
CGI does cut labor costs and makes it so studios don't have to pay tons of employees (like Kyoto Animation does) or outsource to Korea. However, it's been over 20 years and CGI in anime overwhelmingly still sucks. (pulls out giant clock) IT's TIME TO STOP! If Studio Orange is the glorious standard bearer and it's getting destroyed by 90s Pixar, that's a bad sign. The best CGI action scenes in Houseki look marginally better than the vector fights in Elfen Lied. Congratulations Orange, you beat a D-list hentai studio from 2004. You still cower in fear of Toy Story 1 from 1995.
Another problem with CGI in anime is that it ages so poorly. Stand Alone Complex looked ungodly awesome when it came out; however, it now looks clunky and dated. This isn't true for everyone, but I have far less tolerance for bad CG than I do for bad hand drawn animation or bad practical effects. I have a large collection of schlock OVAs from the 90s that were made by mediocre studios, and every one of them looks better to me than Houseki. Nobody has a lot of love for Oriental Lights and Magic, who made the original Berserk and Pokémon. They liked to animate as much as I enjoy eating tar. All they do is still images and recycled loops. However, OLM made this schlocky OVA called Gunsmith Cats about cute girl bounty hunters in Chicago. This wasn't a high budget project and wasn't expected to be a major success, but it looks AMAZING compared to any CGI anime I can think of. I would rather anime go back to bargain basement OVA quality from the 90s than continue on its current CG route.
Setting and characters:
I'm going to avoid spoilers, but Houseki is about Earth in the distant future. A meteor blasted Earth into several pieces and fragments of human DNA managed to evolve over a billion years into several different species. These species represent the human body, mind, and spirit. While this isn't exactly how evolution works, this is NOT a hard science fiction. It's 1 billion+ years in the future and the Earth's climate seems unchanged. At that point, the Sun would be a red giant and Earth couldn't possibly have liquid water, let alone plant life. There are around 25 gemstone people and they're all immortal. However, the Angel people from another chunk of Earth wish to break them into pieces and use them as jewelry for...some reason. I have no idea why an energy based species from a billion years in the future would have the concept of jewelry and be attracted to shiny things like primates are. The gemstone people, who are asexual but present as cute girls because marketing, must protect themselves and fight off the invaders.
Our main character is Phosphophyllite, who is the weakest of the gems using the Mohs hardness scale from human geology. Yes, they are using a human scale invented 1 billlion years in the past. I don't know how they found out either. Phos is loveable enough clumsy girl who everyone thinks is good for nothing. She is assigned to become a researcher and learn more about the planet, themselves, and their enemies. They are immortal and have existed for thousands of years, but apparently they still need to learn these things and haven't assigned a researcher before now.
This brings me to my last problem. Houseki has some of the worst exposition dumps I've ever seen in an anime, or really anywhere. Phos is constantly learning stuff about her species so she can explain it to the audience. We're supposed to believe she is thousands of years old and doesn't know basic things about her anatomy. Characters will spout dialogue like "I'm a diamond, so remember I'm the toughest on the old human scale!". You've known this person for 3,000 years! I think she remembers you're a diamond sweetie! Imagine if I went up to my co-workers that I've known for 6 months and just announced "I'm WHITE! My skin burns easily according to the melanin scale!". These gem girls have known each other for 6,000 times longer, so it's 6,000 times dumber than that.
Overall:
Houseki does have positive aspects. Some of the fight choreography is really cool. The characters gradually grow on you and their desire to change both physically and mentally could provide for some fascinating psychological drama in the 2nd season. It deals with questions of identity that have the potential to go somewhere interesting. This anime just wasn't for me though. I had to absolutely force myself to sit though it and I won't be checking out season 2. If you liked Houseki though, more power to you. I'm a weird guy with some pretty awful taste in anime.
RebelPanda
"Constantly, I think to myself that I would like to be reborn…" -Phosphophyllite Do you ever wish you could change and transcend the limitations of your body? Phos' journey in Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) is a compelling exploration of a person who desires to physically and mentally change themselves. Studio Orange's adaptation of Haruko Ichikawa's manga is unlike any anime you've ever seen. Stunning CGI, visceral yet graceful nature to which it portrays bodies, and a dense analysis of the human condition makes it unforgettable. In the distant future, Earth has been ravaged by six meteors. The meteors broke off parts of the planet andformed six moons. Earth has been reduced to one single shore, and the rest of the planet is the ocean. This single shore is, while beautiful, has entirely infertile land. Only one organism populates the ground because they don't eat food. They photosynthesize. Evolved from the microorganisms that live in the ocean's depths, they became beautiful gems who reflect sunlight with every move they make. Creatures that live on one of the moons known as Lunarians travel down to Earth to capture the gems for their desires. The prettier gems being the most desirable. As long as the moon hangs above the characters' heads, there is a constant feeling of fear for their lives. In turn, this creates continuous suspense for us as viewers. We can never be sure if a character may be swept away or shattered into pieces (and no amount of perceived plot armor will stop them). We continuously see a full moon in the background with gems framed below its vastness as if it is preparing to encroach upon their temporary safety.
Land of the Lustrous tells the story of the youngest of the 28 gems, but they're all immortal. Our main character Phosphophyllite brought to life by Tomoyo Kurosawa's exquisite performance that can capture such a wide range of emotion and tone, is inherently relatable thanks to a lack of seriousness and plenty of recognizable mannerisms.
Phos ranks near the bottom of the "Mohs Scale" used in real life as well, which dictates how high or low a gemstone's hardness is on a scale of 1-10. If you're born with a low hardness in the society they live in, you have no choice but to take on a role suitable to you, but if you have a high hardness, you're expected to protect others in combat. And because they're immortal, positions are permanent. Unchanging. It's a roulette that's spun for the gems, spun for us all. It doesn't matter what body you get because you'll be stuck with it. It's up to you to decide what to make of the body you're given. However, Phos is so useless in their society that they fill no niche or role. Thanks to their upbeat and irreverent personality, they're able to live optimistically, if pointlessly. It's a stark image of the unmotivated youth, struggling to find direction or even motivation. An idea that I resonated with immediately. And more than likely, you'll appreciate the path Phos takes to better themself and help their fellow gem suffering from a similar struggle, Cinnabar.
In the beginning, Phos is descending into pointlessness (like an actual rock), berated by the other gems for lack of talent. They say things like "Are you good for anything?" and "You don't do anything at all." It's all played off for laughs, if a bit mean-spirited, but the truth is, Phos only has a 3.5, which is so low that they're not even allowed to fight. Phos would fall to pieces if they were shot by just one of the arrows the Lunarians use. Phos comes to hate the limitations of their body, regardless of how desirable the Lunarians find their peppermint green color. And other gems envy Phos for their alluring color, of course, without Phos fully understanding that they have qualities worth being jealous of. This is just one of the many ways the show incites introspection, saying that we all have some notable characteristics no matter who we are.
While Phos doesn't technically break themselves, throughout the show, they throw themselves into danger with the desire to be broken, hidden beneath their silly personality. Through being broken with intense physicality and repeatedly being put back together with a light but audibly satisfying sheen, Phos grows to become a new person from who they originally were. After all, if the gems lose a piece once broken, they lose an equally sized chunk of their memory. Occasionally, after a battle, one of them may forget the other's name, but in more severe cases, there are harsher consequences later on. In one of the most chilling moments of the show, Phos is beckoned to danger by an unseen force (assumably their desire) that says, "You must change." It's that scary feeling we all have at one point, and Land of the Lustrous delivers fear-inspiring moments like these now and then, but most of them come in the later episodes. These moments successfully connect the viewer to the central character and their turmoil by vivid fever-dream visualizations. Phos' journey is the central narrative throughline of the show, and thank god for that because seeing them grow and learn more about their world makes for a rewarding adventure. The main character isn't the only one suffering from inner turmoil. Every gem has some sort of anguish that torments them. Even Diamond, with a hardness of 10.0 who Phos idolizes, feels excellent envy for the slightly more challenging Bort. These subtle nuances to each character aren't shoved onto us either. They're minor details, subtly woven into the script so that the generally upbeat mood doesn't become melancholy. Still, it's enough for you to pick up on, so it will feel rewarding to see their progression in the background of Phos' story.
Make no mistake, this is not only a compelling journey through the main character's struggle against themself, or even about the three-dimensional supporting cast that serves as foils to Phos. It's about bodies—how you deserve to live in harmony with it rather than in spite of them.
Bodies are treated as sacred totems in Land of the Lustrous. They're quite literally artifacts that glisten in the sunlight. The gems are constantly framed with vast negative spaces highlighting how valuable their beauty and vibrant color is to the desolate world they grace by inhabiting. The director displays the gems in symmetrical shots as if they are the focal point of a work of art, hanging in a fine art museum. Even the more enigmatic supporting characters like Bort and Antarcticite are portrayed with beauty and elegance through their immaculate fighting style that each gem uses. The fighting choreography appears as graceful as a ballet dancer but has the visceral impact necessary for them to take on a fleet of eldritch creatures. The action is unlike anything you'll ever see. And it's brought to life amazingly with the most stunning CGI I have ever seen in a TV series. The previous works of the director Takahiko Kyogoku include another CGI oriented show (Love Live! School Idol Project), and it shows because he's improved on that show's animatronic dance numbers in just about every way. Action scenes are where the director shows us his best abilities, and they only get more impressive as the show progresses. The "camera" work during action scenes is so dynamic. The smooth camera motions coupled with the gems' fluid movements make for scenes that entirely devour your attention. Even during the scenes with less action, the gems are still quite vibrant. Their vividly colored crystal hair causes light to reflect off of them, always making the visuals eye-catching.
The respect that each gem's body is treated with makes it all the more distressing when they're shattered in combat. This, coupled with intense visual and audio feedback, makes the battles to be some of the most thrilling action I've ever witnessed. Even though the gems are immortal, there is still a fear for their lives. If they are broken and become immobile, then they will be trapped in their bodies forever. Endlessly. Arguably that is a fate worse than death. Even worse, the Lunarians may repurpose you into a weapon or jewelry (as seen in episode one).
The orchestral soundtrack backing most scenes maintains the mystifying tone of the show and is fantastic throughout. The music swells during combat, and during some scenes, it matches the instruments the Lunarians play when they come down to capture a gem. Sound effects are also incredibly satisfying on the ears; the sheen of a gem being put back together after a tough battle, the airy wisps of the cloudlike Lunarians, the clinking sound that can be heard as gems walk across the marble floor of their home. Lustrous is never harsh on the ears, yet it has an intense audible impact. Both the opening and ending credits are quite good. The ending Kirameku Hamabe shouldn't be understated. With awe-inspiring images of the moon, the poison metal alloy that flows around Cinnabar, and a few references to the later turns the story takes, the ending perfectly encapsulates the darker themes of the show. To contrast this, the song that supports the visuals evokes hope. Beyond just being an audio-visual wonder, Land of the Lustrous is an analytical masterpiece. The director brought excellent talent to the table, but the source manga by Haruko Ichikawa deserves credit for being rich with symbolism. Thankfully, this carries over into this compact but well-paced adaptation. Not a second of screentime is spared. When we're not delighted whimsical conversations, mesmerized by the visuals, terrified by the Lunarians, or sometimes all at once, we're being delivered the themes through visual imagery.
The thematic throughline in Lustrous follows the idea of change. The changing of one's self, the change that Phos and their fellow gems desire. As such, concepts like death and rebirth are showcased with symbolism. When are gems are broken, they're placed in black bags that strangely resemble body bags. It's as if they've died are being remade once the doctor puts them back together. This intrinsic connection the show shares with death explains why each gem wears a black tuxedo resembling funeral attire. As if they're mourning for the pieces of their comrades (and selves) that are lost in battle. The show is also doused in Buddhist imagery at nearly every corner. Whether it be the enigmatic "Sensei" that all of the gems respect and rules over them like a deity, the ritual-like behaviors and designs of the Lunarians, and the frequent references to rebirth. If you know about the Buddhist philosophy, you'll see the religion's goal is to relinquish the body that carries your soul so you can be liberated and proceed on to Nirvana. There's even a scene in which a particular character is supposedly reborn as a small animal to more suit the karma that they obtained in life. It can't get any more clear than that. Seeing all of these different concepts clash together with excellent visual quality and artistic direction makes for one of the most bewildering yet beautiful experiences ever. No details added to Lustrous were done, so without reason, everything is purposeful. Everything is necessary. It may have helped me learn about Buddhism in tandem with Lustrous' tv airing, but knowledge of these themes enriched my experience. Keep in mind, there are many interpretations with such an abstract and ambiguous story like this one, so you may find different meanings in the show from the ones I did.
Before closing, it's worth mentioning that this anime does not have a complete ending as the source material is still ongoing. Enough plotlines ended on a satisfying (if incomplete) note, and a few new ones were opened to give you a sense of the direction the next season will take. The story is not over, so I will be patiently awaiting the second season, but until then, I'll be happy to dig through the show's lore and alternate meanings as there is plenty of rewatch value.
Land of the Lustrous is, for the most part, a joyful adventure that may even inspire laughs, but let your guard down too long, and the Lunarians will steal away all you hold dear leaving you devastated. At its heart, it is a pure and simple story about how impossibly flawed we are as people. How we'll always search for means to become better, endlessly until we finally reach the end of the cycle. Whether or not this series has all of the answers, you'll want to listen to the tale it has to tell about the questions.
Echinodermata
So Houseki no Kuni. Wow. I managed to miss this one last season and just caught up with it over this weekend; I had nothing better to do last night, so I thought I’d investigate the first episode of the weird CGI mineralgirl show. …and then marathon-ed the whole thing from start to finish. Literally sat there without getting up for anything like it was a five hour movie. It’s brilliant; I had no idea there was something out there that could so easily topple Made in Abyss from my AOTY spot for 2017, but there it was (and I really liked Made in Abyss). If you’renot already aware, the very basic premise is that a small society of immortal, androgynous mineral-people are fighting a thousands of year long war against creepy, shiny buddhist ghosts called ‘Lunarians’ who want to kidnap the mineral people and take them away to the moon. …even if it wasn’t also brilliant, it has originality going for it in spades! Should you have the ability and time, I strongly recommend you at least give the first episode of this a try, so here are some (spoiler free!) reasons to do so;
First of all, the hybrid 2D/CGI animation is gorgeous in a way that I’ve never seen anywhere else. Anyone who avoided this one because of a prejudice against CG animation, please give this one a chance! I think the slightly surreal and artificial setting helps, but the way the show takes advantage of the underused strengths of CGI and the seamless blending with traditional 2D is stunning. I’ve always been a big advocate of the Polygon CGI shows and movies, but the natural movement and expressiveness of the models in HnK make the characters in Sidonia and the new Godzilla look like awkward plastic mannequins in comparison.
It’d be easy to point to the fantastic gem effects as the biggest strength of the CG stuff, but to be honest it ended up being the ‘camerawork’ that really impressed me there. There’s a scene in particular in Episode 10 where a character is running and hiding from a pursuer, that’s done in a single long, unbroken take following them around the room; it massively ratchets up the tension in the scene, and it’s something that just wouldn’t have been practical to do in 2D with the time and budget constraints of a TV anime. There are also several action scenes that reminded me a lot of the best 3D manoeuvre gear fights in the recent run of Attack on Titan, but the CG elements that make that kind of movement possible are much more fluidly incorporated here in HnK.
This isn’t CG for the sake of saving money or cutting corners. This is properly harnessing the ‘new’ tech to do things you couldn’t achieve with the traditional methods.
Second is the writing. I’m generally not a huge fan of single-cour shows; the vast majority of them feel to me like two-cour scripts that have been viciously hacked down to 12 or 13 episodes. The pacing is often odd, character development gets weirdly accelerated or suddenly cut off, endings come out of nowhere or are disappointingly anticlimactic. It’s only very occasionally that something like Death Parade comes along, where a single cour manages to feel like a complete and satisfying experience. Houseki no Kuni is definitely getting added to that short list.
There are characters in this show that get introduced and have complete arcs across 20 minutes of screen time that I cared more about than protagonists from shows that ran to 50+ episodes across multiple seasons. The simple but memorable and conveniently colour-coded character designs do a lot to make every one of the fairly large cast distinctive, but the writing and direction is a masterclass in characterisation using small moments and minimal dialogue. Unusually again for a mostly CGI show, there’s always a lot going on in the background in HnK, and even the most minor characters all get to display plenty of personality in their expressions and reactions to events, rather than just standing around like inactive NPCs in a video game.
The protagonist, Phosphophyllite (Phos, for short) in HnK is a joy to watch. Superficially, they come off as a stereotypical ‘cheerful well-meaning klutz’, but there’s a subtle introspective depth to them right from the first episode that sets them apart from your run-of-the-mill MC. They start out the show as the youngest and weakest of the group, but the fact that this is a group of powerful, ageless immortals where you could be the useless youngest and weakest individual *literally forever* gives the standard underdog story an edge of hopelessness that really made me feel for poor Phos right out the gate.
Phos’s character development over the course of the series… Well, I’m not going to spoil anything at all on that, but it was definitely the most compelling character arc I’ve seen in any anime for a long while. Again, HnK managed to do more with Phos in 12 episodes than I would have thought possible in that limited runtime.
On top of all that, it has some great comedic moments through all twelve episodes. The personality clashes between the various characters often play out in a way that’s totally hilarious, and every joke also ends up giving you more of an insight into them at the same time. The integration of comedy with more dramatic scenes is also done almost perfectly, something which a lot of shows that try to blend the two can stumble on (I’m looking at you, Mahoutsukai no Yome). The comedy always feels natural, and never ends up undermining the drama like I’ve often seen elsewhere.
Third is the art direction and music; Houseki no Kuni is gorgeous, and not just ‘for a CG show’. For me, it’s right up there with Made in Abyss for the best looking and sounding show of the year. The island setting is beautiful, but at the same time bleak, cold and vaguely ominous, and the silent, shining, smirking ‘buddhist angels’ that make up the Lunarian antagonists of the story are unconventionally terrifying.
The muted colours of the backgrounds are contrasted by the brightly coloured crystalline hair of the gem-people, the style and exact shade of which was chosen well enough that I don’t think I over had problems telling apart the otherwise identically-dressed characters.
These character designs remind me a lot of one of the best things about Kemono Friends; in that show, each character’s personality was really cleverly crafted to match the nature of the animal represented in the design, and here they do a similar thing with the real-life gemstones the characters are made of. The gem is reflected the character design, the character design is reflected in the personality of that character, and it gives the whole thing a sense of consistency and verisimilitude.
The music is also fantastic, switching between upbeat ‘adventure-ey’ orchestral stuff for the more relaxed antics of the main cast, chilling ritualistic percussion for the terrifying Lunarians, and some really beautiful pieces on the Chinese Erhu and piano in some of the melancholy moments. Unfortunately not on Spotify (yet!) but I’m definitely going to see if I can get a hold of this one to listen to independently of the show; it’s that good.
…I should probably stop typing now before this gets any further out of hand than it already has. So sue me, I really enjoyed this and I want to spread that around as much as possible!
TL;DR: Houseki no Kuni is great. Put aside any preconceptions you have about CG animated shows and go watch it.
CodeBlazeFate
Gems are regarded as precious things. There are a plethora of these beautiful, varied jewels, each with distinct colors to catch the eye. Out of this shimmering rouges-gallery, the most popular one may be the diamond. Diamonds are overvalued. They may shine bright but aren't as uncommon as some like to feel they are. However, they are special for some reason or another, above most other gems. Houseki no Kuni, or Land of the Lustrous, really is a diamond in such a sense, fittingly enough. Not the hardest gem or material ever conceived, and more like the character of Diamond in the show, where despiteits hardness, some cracks can certainly show. However, there is a certain charm, a certain beauty to this series, and in fact, a certain catharsis that comes to myriad individuals who have often doubted CGI shows and the inclusion CGI in anime in general, as well as to the people who saw that it could be done right, without a hitch. That last part may not be entire true; a diamond is not without fault. This show is a Diamond, after all, which feels odd given its initial reception.
In the early days of Fall 2017, this shimmering beauty was not watched by too many, and its reception was lukewarm at best. I distinctly remember a score of 6.98, a score that most in the community would mock given how it seems like anything under a 7.15 is considered to be a waste at best by the community at large, with exceptions to those who see something others clearly don’t and are oft not outspoken. You could say that throughout the the better part of its run, this show really was a “hidden gem”, slowly getting better and better, ever more popular, and better-received by the day. Obviously this isn't the case anymore thanks to all the passionate fans that spread the news of this lustrous jewel throughout the 12 or so weeks of its run. Now, it is more akin to a “dark horse”, ironically enjoyed given the vocabulary thus far. Would I claim this is the best of the year? Certainly no. There are a handful of choices that stand out and shimmer even more beautifully, however that is a small handful of gems, not all of which truly got to shine in front of everyone underneath all the rough this year had provided.
Gems are oft valuable, tremendously so. Their value is virtually everlasting. Meanwhile, more than half to more than three quarters of a year’s anime offerings are left in the dust within half a year, either deprived of their insignificant value by time, or with none to begin with. Whist Houseki no Kuni’s value is certainly not everlasting, it is one of the few from 2017 that will be fondly remembered for at least a couple years to possibly even a decade, as many gems should. Yet despite how marvelous this jewel turned out, its luster didn't entirely shine initially. It cracked, and it wasn't as beautiful. However, as stated earlier, much like its protagonist, Phosphophyllite, its pieces were picked up, and it hardened, turning from a blight few cared of, into a far more respected work of craftsmanship. It became even more beautiful, intriguing, and varied as well, much like said character. This applies to the visuals and the narrative at large, even if not all the prices were really put back together.
Said character, Phosphophyllite, reminds me of an exaggerated version of myself. Lazy upon most tasks found to be terribly uninteresting at best and mind-shatteringly stressful at worst, more than willing to get out of said tasks to the chagrin of the one who assigned them, mocked and challenged by many colleagues, frail, quick to aggravate, understood well by a particularly feminine individual considered to be keen on fictionally romantic situations, and sought after by a specific few for a specific quality. My persona reflects this to a large degree given my wording, though my ordinary self embodies much of this as well, with some applying to one part of me than the other. Indeed, this kind of protagonist embodied some aspects I disdain of my two selves, so warming up to it had to happen, which was thankfully effortless to accomplish the more I related on the whole. Not to knock many of the other, mostly less interesting characters with fantastic chemistry with this one to the point of leading to myriad moments of sheer hilarity. However, it is rather apparent that Phos is the true standout of this show, above all else, with the visuals, and the slimy creature, Ventricosus, who managed to perfectly fill most of Phos’ roles in episode 3 to the point of convincing many, including myself that she actually was Phos. The admittedly decent, yet immense and relatively unexplored cast was ultimately saved from mere relative decency by Phos almost exclusively thanks to the charm Phos has and the chemistry it and the other gems have, which is unfortunate, though other anime that concluded this season with an unexplored cast and a main character that grows a ton and learns about the world, have fared far worse in this regard. The fact that Phos develops in ways that affect it detrimentally as a living being as more of the Phosphophyllite we once knew is stripped away, including any sense of satisfaction of accomplishing anything anymore, is also engaging, even if sometimes it feels like we only really see the results of the development, feeling as if we skipped an episode dedicated entirely to said character growing weary and possibly depressed after the new powers acquired after a situation that sparked this gigantic change in Phos’ life.
Another monumental aspect of this series’ charm and acclaim, as well as the largest point of the overvalue is the visual department. The CGI character designs are certainly fantastic, especially in terms of the shimmering and detailed hair that dictates which gem each individual is. The hair sometimes goes above and beyond, such as with Diamond’s hair that constantly shines multiple colors and creates a heavenly light in the dark. I do find it odd that the series focuses more attention on their attention-grabbing derriere than even Code Geass and Sword Art Online, especially when all of them, despite most of them being abjectly feminine in nearly way, are considered genderless. Even worse, the models have absolutely sluggish frame rates, and when they move in tandem to the well-done environment, the difference in frames feels awkward to put it politely. However, the choreography in the fight scenes is rather impressive, and combined with the dynamic camera movement a CGI series allows, as well as the stellar designs and interesting effects of the anthropomorphised gems and materials, it isn’t a surprise that this show is heralded as a fantastic action show, let alone a fantastic CGI action show. Special praise must also be given to the visuals of the ending theme for its magnificent 2D visuals that are unlike anything I have seen, to the point where I cannot accurately describe what kind of two-dimensional visuals they are, other than magnificently colorful and charming. I can certainly say as well that the issues the first episode presented, visually speaking, got relatively ironed out over time minus the frame rates in the models, like when we reserve 2D for that fantastic ending credits sequence or for impact-related dust clouds and whatnot. Not to sing this series’ praises in terms of visuals as much as others have, but when we see improvements being made to an already visually unique series, especially one done almost entirely by three-dimensional computer animated models, it is certainly cathartic, notably as of 2017, to agree with the visuals looking splendid on the whole. Combining everything with some interesting and trippy moments of introspection with great directing by Takahiko Kyogoku, the team at Studio Orange did a really interesting and relatively fantastic job here.
And whist the narrative is rather inviting and willing to slowly reveal more over time, including themes about what humanity was like in the distant past, about life, and how immortals still have plenty to fear much like mortals do, among other things, there are some fundamental issues. For one, for a 2.5/10 hardness rating, Phos is so fragile and weak at times that I could almost swear she was 1.5; even a 2.5 wouldn't break just for stepping on a rock. It also raises consistency issues with how fragile or study Phos is, especially when another gem with a slightly higher rating can take so much more and is infinitely stronger. Also, you have to learn via commercial break and return eyecatchers that the hardness rating is out of 10 unless you already have such knowledge; while it turns out that ultimately, the Mohs scale makes it so that even a .5 difference is monumental, most viewers would be uneducated on the subject and this would need to be told by the series in order to really buy this, which they aren't. Given how memory is stored in the actual gems within every fiber of their being sans their hair to the point of every single shard comprising of memories, how do they consistently gain new memories, and given the seemingly finite amount of space, and their immortality, how can they continually gain new memories for all of eternity? They don't seem to physically grow. When Phos loses her legs, she manages to retain nearly everything important and only really lose memories of one individual and a location she had seen for the first time? Up until the halfway mark, the gems seemed to have photographic memory, and even afterward they mostly do, so it seems like Phos and other can't remember some things for the sake of convenience or emotion, as contradictory as it seems to what impressive memory they seem to display. Given that there are two amethysts that are numbers 33 and 84 respectively, how many of each exact gem are there? The yellow gem has lived for thousands of years, over 3,500 in particular, so you are left to ponder of the age of the likes of Bort and Sensei, who are much wiser and more battle ready? Has sense lived for tens of thousands of years? How long has this conflict gone on? Are none of them tired of life barring CInnabar, who is only sick of everything due to how no one respects it or can find a use for it given its hazardous condition? How exactly does this gooey material all gems have inside them really connect the missing pieces together, and how come we never see any of it splash out when a gem gets slashed or downright shattered into a cornucopia of shards and pieces?
I could go on and on, but the point has long since been made clear as crystal; that being: all of this serves a grander dilemma in that we do not know well enough how this species of gems work, as an inhuman amount of aspects about them are contradictory and unfathomable to try to answer. Not to mention other issues like how only one of them has any semblance of knowing how to use a projectile, and none of them have ever tried that or coming up with experiments to allow long-range combat on their end to possibly surpass the projectile-heavy weaponry of the Lunarans. There aren't too many problems with the active narrative in terms of holes, errors, and progression (at least in the first half), barring a few conveniences and contradictions mentioned earlier and not mentioned at all, as well as a few real issues towards the end, but when it invites you to learn as much as it does, and you try to think of everything, or beyond the most obscenely basic understanding of how the gems work, you end up with myriad questions the series cannot tackle about the world-building or the novel species it is depicting. It would be like a high school biology teacher trying to explore how humans work in an attempt to invite others into such knowledge, yet she only understand a minute aspect of their biology and psychology, infinitely less than the still limited knowledge we already have acquired within the best two centuries about our species, leaving you disappointed as you already know more about the subject than she does by the time you’ve taken the midterm, and there are no more classes on the subject at your school. One could counter back with “the series doesn’t need to know everything, it even admits that it doesn’t”, however most stories that explore a fictional species do so enough for you to get the gist of things without delving deep enough and doing things that make you question everything about said species. This clearly wasn’t one of them, and it suffered for that. The fact that they sorta dodge showing us some of the processes involving healing other gems only makes this burn even harder, and the ending is certainly nothing satisfying, amounting to a “we made it this far and covered ground; wait for more or read the source material”. And you wonder why I'm such a curmudgeon.
Oh, and also, while the show does present a few interesting themes to explore, including how these characters deal with immortality, don't be surprised when they start leaving those in the back-burner at best or drop them like flies at worst. It is another glaring flaw in this show preventing it from being one of the crown jewels of the year.
There are other positives I want to throw out there to really sell that despite the major problems the show has, it is still a laudable show, particularly involving the character arcs Phos and Diamond go through, but I cannot really mention much without spoiling them other than the premises of said arcs. I already mentioned Phos’ so Diamond’s is about learning to get stronger and do things on its own, which while executed almost how you would expect, there is a brutal twist to it near the end of episode 10, to leave it at that for you to speculate. I cannot really do the narrative any more justice in a spoiler-free review, so let me just say that the humor is gut-busting to me and that the show does throw in a few wild surprises in there, some of which nearly had me rolling on the floor in terms of comedy. So now, let me transition into what I feel truly shines as the best aspect of the show: the music.
The enchantingly melodic tunes of the pieces such as “Lunarians” and immensely memorable and emotion-intensive pieces such as “Danger” and especially “Cinnabar" and "Breaking” make particularly the action scenes and emotional scenes leave even more of an impact than otherwise. Even if some tracks get played too frequently, they simply sweep you into every scene in a way that really invites you in and immersed you. The OP, "Kyoumen no Nami (鏡面の波)" by YURiKA, is among the best this season has to offer, exemplifying a lot of what I mentioned previously about the OST, and the vocals make my love for the song reach ever more. The ED, "Kirameku Hamabe (煌めく浜辺)" by Yuiko Ohara, is also fantastic, and is also one of the more emotionally resonant pieces of music in the series, especially combined with its stellar visuals. All in all, the music is simply fantastic, sweeping, and emotional, and I had no idea what to expect from it overall, nearly getting floored with some of these pieces the first time. Unfortunately, only a handful of tracks really get to stand out this way, but it's still more than many have managed to do.
So, this was Houseki no Kuni. A gem that shines bright enough to become a dark horse of its season and captivate the hearts of many for weeks, as well as set a new benchmark for full CGI anime in the future to strive to live up to. I had a good time viewing and appraising this jewel, even if it isn't as lustrous as its title suggests. So, as always, with all that said, I bid you adieu.
Andy_Yang
Note: I have not read the source material (manga), so this review will be based on the anime alone. The only word I could use to describe the world of Houseki no Kuni (Land of the Lustrous) is “bizarre”. It certainly takes an amazing amount of imagination and a dose of craziness to come up with an unique world like this, but I can’t help but feel that this is also exposed as the anime’s weakest point. It took a lot of time and effort to explain even the basics of how the world works, and even then the world feels difficult to understand. This isnot helped by the fact that unlike sci-fi or fantasy worlds based somewhat on reality, the viewer can’t populate the background of Houseki no Kuni with activity. It's just a barren world that is hard to believe in.
This overly simplified world is contrasted with a huge ensemble of mostly forgettable characters, often appearing for only a few seconds at a time. This is not helped by the fact that they have long and convoluted mineral/gem names, making them even less memorable. When a character is promoted to the center of the story, they feel as if they serve no further purpose than to forward the plot, and (with the exception of one) become irrelevant within two episodes. The main character Phos is the only one with any semblance of development, but while its shift from from beginning to end is striking, barely anyone else mattered.
The ending is obviously incomplete. While there is a nice connection to the beginning, ultimately it shows you the door to its manga continuation more than anything remotely satisfying.
It's a unique story for sure, but as a whole I don't feel like it's gone anywhere in these 12 episodes, and an overall disappointment.
The art of Houseki no Kuni is marked by its generous use of 3D animation, which is both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, it presents the textures and reflections of the gems very well, and makes for some VERY dynamic fight scenes, but on the other hand, facial expressions and tiny movements (such as head tilting) feels rigid and unnatural.
That said, this is still probably one of the best and most extensive use of 3D animation I’ve seen so far, and it would be hard to imagine some of the scenes (especially towards the end) without it. But I wouldn't rate it as an unmitigated success -- whether or not it's good is still pretty much up to personal tastes.
The OP and ED are nice, memorable tunes that aren't too generic, but it's the OST and insert songs that shine here. There's an varied selection of styles, and many of the tracks fit the mood of the scene nicely.
In the end, Houseki no Kuni is a puzzling anime for me: Puzzling world, puzzling story, puzzling characters, and a lot of it remains unresolved till the end. I would suppose the Manga would provide a lot of answers to my questions, but as a non-manga reader, it's hard to give it a more satisfactory score until the second season is out.
TomtheGamer2
My only problem with this show is that mainly all of the character development goes into Phos and no one else, which kind of ruined her character for me. As she change too much, too fast and she ended up as a completely different character by the end which I didn’t like. All the other characters in the show either get no development or very little development. Also the show hints at lore for the world but then drops it immediately and never goes back to it. Overall, I don’t like Phos, the story could be better but the visuals are great.
Estheliel
THIS REVIEW WILL BE SPOILER FREE Outstanding anime, this is my absolute favorite of this year along with Made in Abyss. Story : The premise of the story makes it sound like something you wouldn't expect at all after you're done watching this. It's really misleading, making people think this would be another "cute" anime centered around girly characters. Oh it's everything I just described and so much more. It starts slowly, developing the main character takes a good chunk of episodes and initially I felt unsure as to why were we supposed to get attached to her. You understand why very soon.Throughout the story it did a job of explaining the nature of this setting and how it comes to be, though be wary of cliffhangers, they're an absolute killer. It does a good job of making the world immersive raising questions after an episode. Even after this first season, one of the entities remains a mystery to the viewers that aren't familiar to the manga, and in a very good way.
Art :
Wow! It's CGI, expect way better than we've seen before. I loved every minute of it, and there are some outstanding shots in the anime that do the manga a lot of justice. The cinematography is outstanding, especially in one particular episode (you'll know which soon), they've outdone themselves and whoever tried CGI before. Good job to studio Orange.
Sound :
Ahhh, loved the OP. It's very calming, a soothing voice. The ED is just as good, do listen to the full version of those on Youtube, really nice.
The voice acting is very good, especially the main character and the best girl of the show, loved them. Battle sounds, overall scenery and the music is done really well and it blends in with the scenes.
Character :
It has a very nice cast of different characters, each with their own virtues, humor and troubles. Not all of them are well developed in this first season, time constraints in mind, but those that do get a lot of screen time are very enjoyable, and funny.
Overall :
This was a great experience, and I intentionally left the character section somewhat empty as I would love for you to go in without any spoilers in this show, it's outstanding. I loved every moment of it and will be jealous of you for having the pleasure of watching it for the first time.
10/10
Injenss
BEAUTIFUL. STUNNING. GORGEOUS. LUSTROUS! This anime, by far, is the most beautifully animated series I have ever seen. It is a shining example of how 3D Animation is the future of anime. I have seen a lot of beautifully animated series in my life, but this one, in my humble opinion, out shined them all. It was easily the biggest draw of the anime. I can't ever remember a time where I would rewind just to watch a character run. But, the animation combined with the motion and camera angles made even running, a spectacular sight. Naturally, becauseof the high level of animation, the battles were superb to watch. Especially in later episodes, as the protagonist, Phos, develops. Additionally, the character design was fantastic as well. The gems (who to me seem like girls, but are gender neutral) are all given these incredible hairstyles that are almost translucent. They were as beautiful as real gems to look at, especially Dia.
I also really enjoyed the unique premise of the anime, which as you know from the synopsis, follows 28 characters who live alone on the Earth fighting off the Lunarians who want them as decorations. This threat loomed constantly over the girls who were deeply bonded by centuries together. So, even though they were immortal, you still felt the loss if someone was taken, through the other characters. There is a mystery to this anime, that I can't wait to see unraveled in a season two.
However, that speaks to an issue with this anime that more and more animes are starting to have: Cliffhanger endings to seasons that don't give any kind of feeling of resolution. It hurts the story when creators look to angle for a second season by not properly wrapping up the first season in any meaningful way. What if you don't get a second season? Cliffhangers are irritating by themselves, but when done in lieu of any kind of ending whatsoever, it's deeply damaging to a series. This same thing is found in Land of the Lustrous. Either set up two main driving plots and finish one and leave the other for the second season, or just end the first season properly.
However, the creators got what they were looking for, because I enjoyed this anime so much, and I want to know what happens next, that I will definitely be looking out for season 2.
As far as the characters are concerned, I liked them all, with the exception of Bort. The supporting cast was filled with likable characters like Dia, Rutile, Alex and Kongou. But, Phos is easily my favorite character of the season, and the way this anime handled her maturation as a character was well done. You watch as event after event changes her in serious ways both physically and mentally. While physical changes in anime are regular, you rarely see mental changes in MCs that totally redefine the character. Most MC's finish with the exact same personalities that they started with, no matter what traumatic events or swerves they suffer. Not so with Phos. The changes to her mental psyche are a big part of the anime and an example of proper character development.
Outside of yet another cliffhanger non-ending, Land of the Lustrous was a fantastic anime, the beauty of which I can't stress enough. Definitely check it out.
Story: 9
Art: Over 9,000!!!
Sound: 10
Character: 10
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9 (Non-ending hurt it).
N0T3LI_
The most beautiful anime that will probably never receive a second season. Don't let the fact that this anime primarily uses CGI fool you- it is likely the BEST that CGI has ever looked in an anime- and the world that Houseki no Kuni resides in is equally as beautiful. Sprawling fields of green, the glistening ocean that surrounds a singular continent- and most of all the wondrous cast of characters all attributed to different kinds of "Gems". Set sometime in the distant future, Earth has been ravaged by 6 meteorites. Humanity was able to survive the hits of the first 5, but the 6th destroyed mostof everything- causing the race that ruled to flee into the ocean. Over time, in the deepest recesses of this new world, a new race emerged... An old myth describes ancient Humans who split to survive. Flesh, Bone, and Spirit. Bone, the Gems- immortal creatures made purely of Diamond, Jade, Alexandrite, etc. These creatures protect the Earth under their Master from the people who live on the Moon. The Spirit- Lunarians, striking their attacks to retrieve these Gems as "decorations". The Flesh, a race who has been subjugated on the Moon by the Lunarians.
The worldbuilding in this show is simply amazing. As you continue on, you learn more about the simplistic yet brilliant land that draws you nearer. I loved each and every one of these characters, and how they interact as a big family. Seriously, one of the most adorable anime I've watched. Our main character in this world is Phosphophyllite, the most useless of the Gems. Purpose. Phos is constantly trying to be useful, to find a purpose- to try and be more like her siblings- to be smarter, to be stronger, to be quicker- but with a hardness level of only 3, He breaks at a mere touch. At the ending of the first episode, Phos does receive a goal- to find a new job for Cinnabar, a Gem forced by their power into solitary, lacking PURPOSE aswell.
The fight scenes in this show are also top notch. The designs of the creatures they fight, Lunarians, are a mixture of pure beauty and terror. Every scene flows so well, it's candy for the eye. If you're a fan of this kinda stuff, you certainly wont be dissapointed by what Houseki no Kuni has to offer.
Over the course of this series, CHANGE is also a huge theme. Phos changes for others in many senses of the word- through trauma, he slowly loses the parts of himself that made him him. His joy fades away. Phos also loses parts of himself physically- and by grafting new materials onto himself becomes a stronger version- "but at what cost?" This imagery resonated with me heavily, and is an extremely tragic character study. I won't spoil anymore than that- but this series will BREAK YOU.
All of this culminates in a definite favorite for me. Though, it's been nearly 8 years and no news of a second season... I don't know why. HIGHLY RECCOMENDED!
ScraF
How many times have you gone past a river with plain grey rocks residing on the riverside without paying attention to any of them? However, on each of those riversides, there is an exceptional rock. A rock that catches your eye, even for a slight moment. In that single moment, your attention was on that rock. Despite never caring about or seeing that rock again, it managed to divert your attention on itself for an entire moment. All because it stood apart from the regular grey rocks, the ones you can always see. It was a true gem. The word Phosphophyllite is derived from its chemicalcomposition, phosphate, and the Greek word for “leaf”. Phos starts the series as this exact definition. They are nothing but a name, symbolizing a leaf. A simple leaf on a large tree, dashing along with the others as the wind comes and goes, eventually withering away slowly as the winter grows closer. Phos, however, decides to make a change. Instead of striving to survive, Phos chooses the other path; to live. To make a change is to completely throw away what one has achieved in the past, throw out everything unnecessary and focus entirely on the end goal. While being one of the lowest Gems on the Mohs scale, rated a 3.5/10, Phos is repeatedly ridiculed for their small hardness, albeit in a playful way. As Phos encounters new foes, their body changes. Learning what it means to be betrayed, what it means to be helpless, what it means to truly lose someone, what it means to unveil a small secret that leads to a mystery of an unimaginable scale. As Phos grows, so does the world around them.
Houseki no Kuni was a peculiar watch. On the surface, it seems like a playful ride with a plethora of characters and a wide color palette with an underlying dark bottom that was yet to be uncovered in the 12 episodes. Upon taking a deeper look, there never was a playful ride, it was a dark, bottomless pit all along, with nothing but despair laying in wait for the characters. Houseki no Kuni handles its atmosphere amazingly, having the aforementioned atmosphere change, just like the seasons in the show do. The Winter is presented as cold and unforgiving, bloodlusted and dangerous, whilst the Fall is hot on the surface but can become a storm in an instant, fitting for the events that happen during these seasons.
Handling of atmosphere and the central idea of the main character is unfortunately where the positives end for Houseki no Kuni. With the youngest of the Gems, Phos, being 300 years old, the amount of basic things that is unknown to them or the other Gems is simply astonishing and completely ruins the learning experience of the world with the show treating the audience like they are completely unknowledgeable about basic gems. The show feels the need to present Diamond as the most beautiful and hardest Gem, something which everyone that has ever talked to another functioning human being should atleast have a somewhat of understanding on. Having known someone for 300 years and them still introducing themselves as the hardest gem would eventually just make me stop talking to them entirely. How egotistical do you have to be to continue rubbing it in my face? Touching upon the way the Gems are structured again, the audience is somehow expected to not know anything about diamonds but is supposed to have complete understanding of the Mohs scale. In the Mohs scale, even a slight difference of 0.5 can have a huge difference in how hard the gems are, this is not accurately depicted in the series at all. Whilst still having a relatively small hardness, Phos should still be able to withstand a decent amount of pressure before breaking, however, that is just not the case in Houseki no Kuni where Phos is repeatedly broken down in the dumbest ways ever, one of them being literally walking on rocks.
Establishing an idea for the direction of the show but then throwing it away can be extremely infuriating to watch. Houseki no Kuni is a master at this, seeing as it repeatedly does this to the point where it makes me want to jump out of my window. The first 2 episodes perfectly set the ground for a critique on society and how to overcome stereotypes and what it truly means to be unique, not just below average. Houseki no Kuni then just decides to not use that and throws it away. Later in the series, a similar thing is shown when the show is given the perfect opportunity to take a risk and go to an entirely psychological approach, which could have made perfect sense considering the massive potential the psychological side of immortality has and the impact the theme of immortality could have had in Houseki no Kuni.
There are 3 letters most anime fans, mainly Attack on Titan fans, dread the most when it comes to animation. CGI. CGI is repeatedly frowned upon as inorganic, clunky and weird, Houseki no Kuni, however, has some of the best CGI that has ever been seen in anime. It somehow feels deep, yet fluid, sharp, yet smooth. There is this unknown feel to it that makes it a joy to watch.
Houseki no Kuni is in desperate need of one thing and one thing only. A second season. Even with a 2nd season, the show would by no means be perfect, yet, because of the sheer amount of unanswered plot threads and questions, a 2nd season on its own would become great just by answering these questions. As it is right now, Houseki no Kuni is just wasted potential. What could have been a critique on society, what could have been a dive into the psychological side of immortality and is it truly worth to be immortal, what could have been a psycho analysis on Phos and the toll their experiences have had on them, what could have been a fun series with a deeper side, Houseki no Kuni is unfortunately just a plethora of “What could have been?”. In the end, what could have been an amazing series is simply an empty shell with the only thing in it being a trailer for the manga. Whilst by no means bad, it could have been so much better to the point where it is aggravating.
M1c3f
*Minor spoiler ahead* A geologist was in search of his perfect stony SO in the sheer endless waifu universe but couldn't find the perfect match so in his rocky might he created himself a gemstone universe. In this or a similar way Houseki no Kuni was created. Houseki no Kuni has something of a curse to it. It is incredibly remarkable on various levels which I've never experienced in an anime or even any TV show before, at least not to the extent Houseki no Kuni does. The turnoff that surfaces with being this extraordinary is that flaws even if they are just minor are more outstandingand bothering than they should usually be.
The story mainly consists of building the unknown and mysterious world and environment while slowly revealing small pieces of background knowledge. In many cases these circumstances result in a disconnection between the viewer and the world and its inhabitants however for me that was not the case with Houseki no Kuni. I was hooked and immersed from the get go. The world and environment use a familiar "post human" scenario but in a special way you will most likely never have experienced before. Where there's lacking emphasize on an orthodox story line, resources and effort is put into creating plot points that are highly supportive for Houseki no Kunis greatest element characters.
Everybody develops wishes, hopes and dreams. Some of them may very well be achievable, but there are also the ones that unfortunately rather unrealistic or even mere fantasy. Role models or idols, most people have someone they look up to or aspire to be like. What happens when our dreams do come true how unrealistic they may be? How do we change while pursuing others. How did we manage to achieve our dreams? What did it cost? Are we happier than before? Was it actually our hearts true desire? These are just some questions with which I try to sum up the overall development of our main character. It's so highly facetted I am otherwise unable to describe it. The world and elements in it shape Phoses character and I mean that literally. Every interaction be it verbally between characters or physically as well psychically within the world has consequences. Each supporting character does exactly what they are supposed to do: support our main character. Although they are by far not as complex as the MC and almost entirely limited to a certain trait that's exactly the right approach. Why would you build up unnescarily diverse side characters when there's already barely enough time to focus on your main character. Because the side cast consists of just the right amount of characters and they are all entirely different there's still a good diversity. It feels like they all work together as a unit complementing MC's personality, emotions and actions, each other and the world. This is another reason why on the first episode this anime made it into my favorite list. I instantly felt attached not only to the world but also to the characters. Almost every good aspect of this show shines from the first episode on. Every action or behavior will be led by a fleshed out persona as well as deep emotions and feelings from every character complex or not. Furthermore, all of this is interconnected with the characters being attributed by gemstones in their design. And there are even more magnificently outstanding aspects they offer if you know what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).
Matching the anime, as we are midway through the review lets face the flaws I mentioned earlier. There will be a time when story progression (world development) and character development drift off into a weird and shallow shounen like style. For a short period of time the complex personality of MC is kinda thrown overboard while her actions and behavior are not as thoroughly backed as before and her achievements feel rather effortless. I mentioned before that after watching the first episode this already became one of my favorites. At a certain time I was about to revert my decision, out of frustration. Looking at it after watching the whole show, all in all that phase wasn't even as bad as it sounds. It just felt out of place while the rest of the show ends up almost flawless.
The show also scratches many fascinating psychological and philosophical themes and topics unfortunately the most attention they receive is a side note in dialogue at best.
Let's keep going with the good stuff again shall we? I have yet to see an anime, no any show, that manages to combine so many genre elements together without being a terrible and or inconclusive mess. There's just the right amount of everything. Comedy, witty dialogue, action, drama, mystery. It somehow just works.
Animation wise Houseki no Kuni is a milestone in CG animation. While hardcore CG tends to look a bit "wonky" Houseki no Kuni can't entirely fix that however the overall style and design fits the environment and characters. Because most of the entire series is made in CG it doesn't look as sharp "of" to the eye as it is the case within mixed productions at the time.
When the soundtrack kicks it frigging hits. And it kicks nonstop. These few words should describe it pretty well. There are so many designated themes which complement each character and key moments. Especially the character themes are well done and thought through resembling their attributes and elements. It's incredible how divers the soundtrack is while mainly using orchestral and occasionally piano and basic synth elements.
Its-Maki-kun
Years and years, we live in the age of CG anime equals bad anime. Finally, we have something to brag to the world that not all CG anime is bad, in fact it could be nearly perfect. An anime adaptation of a manga created by Haruko Ichikawa, Houseki no Kuni, came to us with a handful of good things that CG anime could do. Because this is a CG anime, we should really talk about the CG of this anime. Finally, someone utilizes the CG to the camerawork of this anime and gives us the thrill of running through the beautiful night with Diamond, fighting Lunarianswith Bort, or frightening tense while Diamond being chased by Shiro. Those scene would not be captured perfectly if they did not utilize CG technology. In the end, the CG in this anime made a perfect cinematography and an example of what CG anime do next.
Ah, soundtrack. I would say the soundtrack of this anime could come toe-to-toe with last year's Made in Abyss' soundtrack. They have this feeling build in the beginning, becoming more and more intense, ended with a perfect closing in every single of their tracks. The soundtrack is one that you should not miss.
The story itself was very outstanding with the character building that I would never forget. I never found myself cried because some character building but Houseki no Kuni successfully broke that and made me cry just because seeing how Phos growing each episode.
Overall, this anime is one anime that you should not miss. After I watching this anime, I have this large grin of accomplishment and wished for more. I was a bit disappointed with myself because I did not watch it when it was airing. Man, why did I not realize a great potential when it was airing?
AmishaelMA
Very, very different to anything I’ve experienced before. Watching it felt more like watching an RPG’s cinematic sequences than an anime. It was captivating, multi-layered, and so beautifully crafted I was in sheer awe throughout the majority of the show. The anime felt strangely tranquil, even throughout its action scenes, even as the mystery was built up. After it was over it left me pondering for quite a while. The story was incredibly unique; I was enthralled from the get-go. There was very little context to go on, which matched the character’s lack of understanding about their world perfectly. All we received was a short backstory aboutthe history of their world, which was as original as it was fantastical. Most of the story revolved around getting to know and understand the gems’ way of life and mentalities, with the mystery elements – what are the lunarians? Why do they really want the gems? What is their relationship to Sensei? – not being explored until near the end of the series.
Each aspect of the Gems’ world was interesting: their different jobs, their home, their hierarchy (which used the hardness and age of each gem to determine their place), and their interactions with the rest of their mainly desolate world. There were some similarities to the way human society works, yet there were far more differences, and this is what made watching it so fascinating. The differences were mainly due to the lifespan of the gems; an immortal views existence differently to those who have death at the end of their road. For an immortal it is all about finding something to give eternity meaning, finding a reason to want to live, and not just exist. Humans have that too, but not to the same extent.
As the anime compellingly puts it ‘death takes everything, but in return it gives meaning to life’. A profound quote, and one that made me stop and think about life and death in general. However I didn’t really feel the existential dread one would expect throughout this anime. To the contrary I felt…peaceful. Serene. There were a few cleverly done tense parts in the story, but they didn’t negate the overall tone.
The pacing was also perfect, neither too fast nor too slow. I felt there was enough time given to absorb each new detail without feeling either overloaded or bored.
The art and animation were phenomenal. The colours were vibrant, with shades of green, blue and pink I’ve never before seen in an anime. And as for the use of CGI, let me put it like this: this anime better be the winner of the best CGI category in the awards this year, because it beats everything else hands down. Each pane was flawless. Even the characters’ hair was a work of art.
The sound was unusual, yet fitting. the op was…jerky, for lack of a better way to describe it. It took some getting used to, but I did come to see how it matched the overall tranquil tone of the series. The ed was very nice; that’s about all I can say about it.
The characters were loveable. The character with by far the most development was Phos – as expected from the MC. His/her development, though, was wonderful. Starting out as a virtually helpless, perpetually restless, and irritatingly spoiled child, by the end of the series (s)he had grown to understand the world, to look beyond his/herself and his/her own desires and actually think in a mature way. The transition was smooth; (s)he didn’t change overnight. Rather each event impacted his/her psyche a little more, culminating after a particular incident about two thirds of the way through the series. It was remarkably executed, and evident that the underlying Phos was the same, no matter his/her changes.
The other characters had varying degrees of development. The most intriguing of the secondary characters was probably Antarctictite, whose interactions with Phos contributed to both their developments – they rubbed off on each other and both came away the better for it. The others were mainly defined by how they contributed to the community – they were developed more as different features of the community were explored. Diamond, Bort, Cinnabar, Rutile, Jade and King were noteworthy characters, but more because of their role in Phos’ development than on their own merit. Regardless, they were all splendid to watch - Diamond in particular had some superb action scenes that also helped flesh out the story.
Conclusion: it’s the world-building that wins it for me. That, and the overall tone of the series. I couldn’t find a single reason to give it less than a perfect score except for the sudden ending (I would have liked to see one or two of the burning questions answered). And thus, a perfect score was what I gave it. A work of art that thoroughly deserves its praises. XD
NB: I’d recommend this series to deep thinkers or anyone looking for something new and creative (adults and kids alike). I wouldn’t, however, recommend this series to people looking for a fast-paced comedy with lots of romance, because this story doesn’t have that. (Thankfully it doesn’t have any fanservice either). It’s a fantastical coming of age story, and should be viewed with an open mind.
That said, go and watch it! I hope you’ll like it just as much as I did. 😊
P.s. There better be a season two. I could do with some answers.
EnZanity
Ok, let’s get it over and done with. We all know what you’re waiting for. Those “hilarious” statements that everyone is making. Hidden gem of the season. Diamond in the rough. Beating every other show by a landslide. And hey, everyone is right with the overused puns. Houseki no Kuni is fucking great, it really does outshine the rest… I’m sorry I’ll stop. For a show that could be tagged as a tragedy, it’s really lighthearted. Sure it establishes the consequences of their world, with the Lunarians shattering every Gem they can get their grubby mitts on, but you don’t really get a sense of misfortunefrom this story until much later on. Maybe it’s because the characters can’t actually die and can be put back together if they’re taken back from the enemy, but the show does a really good job of switching between it’s serious and comedic moments. One moment someone is drowning in acid or having their eyeball smashed out of their head, then the next everyone is poking fun at the youngest member for being useless. You’re constantly switching between shock and amusement that every scene has much more impact then it would have without it. Many shows try to do the same thing, but often times their comedy can overpower the drama and make it feel too silly. Houseki is able to keep both sides balanced so that it can switch tones with ease.
You could also consider the story to be a bit of a mystery as you’re left in the dark with some elements of Kongou-sensei, their supposedly trustworthy and parent like master. You get glimpses of moments where things aren’t exactly what they appear to be, leaving you curious for more. However, by the time you reach the last episode, it’s clear the story isn’t made to fit into a 1 cour anime. The story is left unfinished and you’re left aching for a sequel, which is a bit disappointing considering how greatly it drew you into the show.
The Gems act as the cast for Houseki and they are quite the funny bunch. They don’t sit around acting gloomy over the fact that they’re being chased after by giant wax figures that rip holes into the sky, (Yeah the Lunarians are really creepy when you think about it) most of them act a little like children. Of course, each one has their own jobs that they’re serious about, like scouting, fighting and repairing. They all have this youthful curiosity about them which can be seen very clearly whenever they encounter something new and unknown. Their mentality contrasts against the harsh situation of being kidnapped, broken and rebuilt against your will. Although, with such a big cast of 28 characters, (Probably less since some have already been taken by the Lunarians) only a select few get some proper exploration. If only the show had more time to actually polish a few more of the other Gems so none of them are left to waste, the show would be significantly better. Ha get it? Polish. Gems. Ahahahaha sorry.
Of course, we have to talk about the CG animation before we finish up the review. There are some people that say the show looks laggy to them, but in my honest opinion, I don’t see what they are talking about at all. This is some of the best 3D animation I’ve seen from anime. The assortment of hairdos flowing across the screen, the light refracting off each character, and the manipulated liquid being controlled by certain Gems, it’s breathtaking watching the show every week. The action as well really conveys the frantic panic and trouble they are in when a dangerous Lunarian appears, with the camera continuously pursuing characters as they run, dash, swing and jump into their battles. It’s almost like watching a boss fight in a video game, with the same level of tension and nervousness as you hope everyone will be safe by the end. Houseki no Kuni really makes me excited to see what else I’ll get to see from Studio Orange
I have nothing more to say. This anime blew my eyes out of their sockets with how great it looks, and the story accompanying it is so full of intrigue and suspense that I fell in love with it immediately. The issues I do have with the show are really minor in comparison to everything else it does well, and I highly hope that every else checks out this spectacle for themselves.
FrozenRoy
I was recommended this anime by a friend of mine and entered it with a sort of cautious optimism: A quick look at the MyAnimeList page and a Google search showed that this was a rather well received anime with character design that appealed to me that had somehow totally slipped under my radar. I wished to avoid spoilers for the show, so I did not look further, and instead dove right in. The show starts off rather quickly and right off the bat, introducing the viewer to the relevant characters and plot points in a swift yet efficient manner, a good pace to start offwith. The setting of the show is interesting and provides for some beautiful scenery shots with the rather nice CGI effects. The CGI might be a turn off for some people, but, well...given my RWBY avatar it should not be surprised I am less bothered by it. It is also rather nicely woven into the show as it enables the characters to look particularly gem-like against the world around them which is most especially notable in the varied, frequently sparkling hair of the cast. Liquid effects, especially some of those later on, are also of notable high quality that contribute to the feel of the show, and plenty of other such things.
The story itself concerns the life of living gem-people protecting their home against the mysterious Lunarians, who wish to turn them into gems for decoration. More accurately, though, the show is a piece of character examination with other show elements sprinkled in, most prominently mystery and some action to go alongside it. This is largely packed into our main character, Phosphophyllite (mostly known as "Phos" because...you try pronouncing that constantly as a voice actor), who undergoes quite a large transformation throughout the 12 episode run time. This is probably the most striking part of the show and alongside Akko from Little Witch Academia felt like some of the most natural and realistic character developement I have felt in a while, with changes to how one views the world connecting to goals, outward and inward personality, reactions from others and more. I won't get into much detail since I would be spoiling it, but it is actually quite an impressive feat and while Phos probably wouldn't make my Top 10 anime characters, she has a good argument to be close.
Although the story does firmly focus on the character developement, the other elements of the show are still handled fairly well through it, such as the notable and consistant tone of mystery to it. Not just in the enemies but the setting itself and more which then feeds into the feeling of the setting as this kind of introspective and quiet world. The break of this into action is usually rather seamless and helps keeping the anime from feeling too sleepy, especially with some nice (though not top tier) monster designs. The introspectiveness of the setting feels like it meshes nicely with the high focus on "change" as a thematic motif.
Packed alongside Phos is a colorful cast which is quite expansive, especially given it is a 12 episode anime. In fact, if anything, the cast is perhaps a bit too expansive: Being based on an ongoing manga plus the fact it is clearly gunning for more than one season means it is clearly setting up characters for later story developements or as more one note characters fitted to fill roles other characters could not. The fact that this show nonetheless does them well, however, makes this more of a minor complaint. Another complaint I can file with the show is that it feels like the importance given to Cinnabar fails to match her screen time and ability to get to know her, which can leave some scenes as coming off a bit less emotional than intended. This is the more major issue of the two: It did not grate on me really, but it does hitch the story a little.
This is contrasted by other characters being handled well, with Antarcticite being a standout for me...although I cannot talk too much about them thanks to spoilers. Bort and Diamond are also handled well, their toxic seeming friendship/relationship and how it leads into latter events especially since at first it feels more minor. Or even stuff like Rutile's desire for medical dissection and reconstruction feeds interestingly into later events, giving it more depth to something appearing minor. While I wouldn't call most characters amazing I also wouldn't say a single character actively annoyed me which is rather rare for me.
The animation in this show is gorgeous, although it can at time look a bit too much like a CGI game. The animators are very well aware of how CGI can work and utilize to their advantage: Using the natural shininess and unrealisticness of a lot of CGI, for example, to create the shiny Gems and contrast them against the alien and unnatural feeling Lunarians or the more human Master Kongo. The hardness of the Gems is contrasted by their enemies often having very soft features, dissipating into wisps or even fluffy features and thus create contrast. And both of them look great due to affixing them to the CGI style well. Another thing this show does well? Using the CGI and the fact Gems can be put back together (Not a spoiler, this is established in the first few minutes) to create scenes that would UNDOUBTABLY raise the rating substantially if done on flesh and blood humans...and on top of that, the CGI style makes it all look quite amazing. By eschewing trying to make the CGI look extremely realistic, it instead does amazingly at making it look fantastical. And if you like beautiful 2D animation, the ED of this show has got your back. Also, the action is pretty well animated in this show if often a bit basic for my tastes, and the perspective and movement shots in Episode 10 are gorgeous.
The sound is quite good, with pretty strong voice acting from the cast all around and some memorable scores such as the sound of the Lunarians approaching. The sound effects on most anything gem-related is nice. The OP is somewhat forgettable, but the ED is pretty nice. The sound is also pretty good at fitting the mood, overall it is pretty good although I would not say it meets he very upper echelon of anime.
Houseki no Kuni is an anime about change. What does it take to change, what does it mean, will you be happy when you do? So interwoven is this theme throughout the anime that to discuss it without spoilers is difficult. But the show tackles it, it tackles it well and it tackles it in a way that left me interested throughout the show. It can start off slowly, too, but that is no reason to fret: Shows, too, can change. While not the best anime ever, I heartily recommend Houseki no Kuni to anyone who is interested in a strong character focused piece and impressive animation. And I am very excited for the prospect of a second season.
