Houseki no Kuni does a great job replicating the 2D anime look and feel. Sometimes it's almost impossible to tell the difference, and other times the glassy textures and reflections from the characters' jewel-colored hair makes me wonder if 2D animation could have that same stunning appeal. The many strange solid and liquid substances in the anime are a fantastic fit for the CG. They look so malleable that it looks like I could touch it.
When the characters are in the school or roaming flowery fields, it's just fun to see them bounce off each other. The protagonist, Phos, is especially expressive in both animation and acting. Even when plot things start to happen, Phos somehow manages to pick herself up and brighten the mood again soon after.
Yet the show is surprisingly contemplative, more often than what the bubbly protagonist might suggest. Finding purpose in one's life is a heavy theme all throughout, and it especially matters for the jeweled girls because they're immortal. How can you live for hundreds of years without losing your sanity in silence and boredom? Find something to do, and something only you can do. For most of the girls, the main antagonistic force, the Lunarians, create that something.
The mysterious, alien-like Lunarians are the catalyst for most of the show's developments in character and plot, and it unfortunately works to the show's detriment. As the antagonists, they aren't interesting. They appear the same way each time, through wormholes that suddenly appear in sunny skies. They usually appear when Phos is around. The gemstone girls usually travel in pairs, so it's usually Phos and one or two or other characters that have to deal with it. Inevitably, one of them screws up, and the others have to salvage the situation and literally pick up the broken pieces. There are very few developments that aren't reactive in nature, so it feels like the characters are just waiting around for the Lunarians to show up and speed up the plot again. In-universe, the characters DO essentially just wait around for Lunarians to come and attack them, and it's kind of boring.
The action itself makes up for it somewhat. Since all the girls are gemstones, their body parts break away depending on their durability when they take damage. It makes combat feel more visceral when a character has to break off part of their body in order to finish off a Lunarian. There are definitely intense moments to be had watching characters struggle with their last limb; it's just a shame that there aren't more interesting enemies to fight.
But while the Lunarians feel like cheap plot devices, the character development they instigate is fantastic. It's quite a sight to see how far Phos grows in such a short amount of time, and from the way the season ends, it feels as if she still has room to change. Other characters have nice moments of characterization and development of their own, so if nothing else (besides the visuals), the show leaves me satisfied on the strength of its characters.
Of course, there is still the looming mystery of why the Lunarians exist at all and their relationship with the gemstones, but I highly doubt that would change my opinion on the encounters in this season. A second season or a manga reading could answer some of those questions, but the season doesn't make me interested, despite its effort.
Houseki no Kuni is definitely unique, and I'd say it's strongest points are worth watching for. The weaker plot elements left me with a strange dissatisfaction, but not enough to regret watching it, not when there's nothing like it at the moment.
