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Don't watch this anime.

Whether or not you've read the manga, you'll be extremely disappointed by this mess of an adaptation. As someone who's been with :re from chapter one, I'm actually appalled by how horrible this anime is.

The story, although enjoyable in this part of the anime, is extremely rushed. I've heard a lot of complaints about the pacing, and at first I excused it, thinking they'd fix it by episode two, since the first episode tends to have weird pacing. But no, we're at episode five now and nothing has changed. Nothing is fleshed out, the interactions are rushed, and because of this, the ... relationships between characters seem forced and fake.

The animation is what you'd come to expect by a Tokyo Ghoul anime. I didn't mind the original's animation as much, but I have to point out that the animation is as boring and tasteless as A1 Pictures's. No fluid movement, rushed, boring, and so many frames look dumb and wonky, I can't help but rush.

I enjoy the ending song a lot, considering I'm already a huge Queen Bee fan, and have mixed feelings about the opening. The music in the show is nothing to write home about- mostly just some weird synth beats that were made with no inspiration. It feels lackluster and boring and it really is. I feel like the performances of the voice actors are amongst the worst they've done, especially Natsuki Hanae's portrayal of Haise, which sounds stiff and really forced. I'm also extremely angry they decided to use a higher-pitched female voice actor for Mutsuki.

Characters are the same as the manga, but are, as mentioned before, much less fleshed out. Can't say much here.

I've been with :re since the beginning of its serialization, and what a shitfest it's been. These first three books are my favorite, and have a special place within my heart (yes, the anime got through volumes one through three in five episodes). But I can't say I enjoy this anime at all. I love Haise, so I enjoy seeing him, but other than that, I can't find myself looking forward to the episodes every week.

Overall, a three out of a ten. I'll most likely lower it.

At the time of writing this review, four episodes have aired.

I've finished catching up to the manga (60 chapters) and will be purchasing them shortly.

STORY: Gems in humanoid form fight unknown entities known as the "Moon-People", their hardness and gem type dictating their overall strength and ability to fight. The story has a very distinct feel to it, but I'm not surprised only about 20k people have this show currently listed. Although great in my opinion, it's rather niche. If you're into sci-fi type stories, this is for you. Don’t just write it off as some “Steven Universe” rip off, because 1) it was ... made before S.U., 2) it’s a worthwhile view/read. Later on in the series it will get a but off the rails and the feel of everything is turned on its head. Needless to say, dark. Despite the drastic shift in tone, I still would highly recommend watching until the end. The pacing is about one or two chapters per episode, and I find it fitting. It doesn't seem drawn out or too fast, which is great, especially for a twelve episode series. The tone shift that will occur in later episodes will without a doubt ruin it for some viewers. It all feels very left field for some, which is understandable. Just a point I wanted to bring up.

ART: Similarly to the manga, it has a very cool, stylish, and clean-cut art style that is very appealing right off the bat. Although not extremely detailed like other manga in the current market, the style has such a unique atmosphere that others lack. I feel like a lot of people dislike the 3D, as they look back to the ONA's 2D animation and find it better than what we received. However, I find it rather fitting. The ONA showcased lackluster animation, which, though most likely would have stayed more true to the manga (and allowed for more expressive animation), looked relatively odd. In the new artstyle, the hair's shine and the facial expressions are actually gorgeous, and the character mannerisms are cute and energetic. I can't wait to see how they adapt the more..."exciting" parts of the manga.

SOUND: The sounds of clanking and cracking that the gems produce are VERY nice, as it, well, sounds like gems. The voice acting is very relaxing, smooth, and high quality. Phos' voice is rather irritating, but it's fitting for their character. I’m a native Japanese speaker and I have to say that the actors are really into their role, and their emphasis on certain phrases or lines just makes the character acting so much more effective in my opinion. Especially Phos, as they have a very childish way of speaking and the VA does an amazing job of portraying this. The others aren't as noteworthy, but are stellar performances nonetheless. In terms of music, gorgeous. The OP and ED weren't favorites at first, but now they've grown on me and I LOVE them both. The OST used in the series is really nice, especially the battle theme. I can't wait to hear what other songs come out of it.

CHARACTER: Staying true to the manga. Some characters' colors are being changed from the originals to better reflect the gem they're based off, and personally, I find these versions much more appealing. (Diamond, Morganite.)

ENJOYMENT/OVERALL: Recently, I finally got around to binge-reading the manga, as I had started a while ago but never finished. Of course, I can't say much on that (spoilers and such), but I can't wait to see how they adapt some characters and their designs, as well as more exciting action scenes later on. I love Phos, I love the story, I love the sound...But Houseki No Kuni will only be receiving a 8/10 for now, as it has yet to display to me the peak of what it can accomplish with this adaptation. I hope to see a season 2, as I'm sure the 12 episodes that will be airing cannot cover most of the manga as it is.

TLDR; If you don’t like the CG or aren’t intrigued by the plot so far, you might as well skip as it’s very niche.