-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 and formed 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.
