Land of the Lustrous

End of April 2026 Update: Rainy Weekend Watches + Reads

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This is the start of a series of miscellaneous updates that will similarly all begin: “What even happened in X month?”

Because really, what even happened in April?

Not a lot of blogging, that’s for sure. But let’s see what’s been occupying my time instead of writing.

2026 Blog Goals Reflection

1. Make it to the end of the year with all 12 monthly updates posted. We are 4 for 4 and ready for more.

2. Finish a few projects I had started/continued in 2025. I STILL think I’ll try to put out one big post with the rest of my Japan 2025 trip adventures instead of doing individual day posts. I D K WHY I’M HOLDING OFF ON IT. Probably the fatigue of going through photos and writing up descriptions for things. I’m notoriously bad about not going through my photos. In more productive news, it’s likely that I’ll pick up the Sailor Moon “Themes, Motifs, and Symbols” analysis series, starting where we left off with the third story arc. I’ve been feeling an itch to return to the Moon Kingdom.

3. Watch my entire physical backlog of anime. Once more, I bought some Blu-rays but then watched them immediately, which is VERY RARE for me. Read further to see which ones!

4. Write a reflection post for at least one anime each month. I ended up writing about Samurai Champloo for some reason this past month. The post is “Samurai Champloo: Serving Stir-Fry Style Entertainment 20 Years Later.” I would link it, but my WordPress is somehow broken and won’t let me hyperlink things anymore. ;__; Love Through a Prism is still in drafts, but I DID make some progress. Chihayafuru 3 Blu-ray arrived in the mail (yay!) so we’ll do the little Chihaya post once I’ve had time to watch the third season.

5. Watch at last 26 anime released from 2021 to 2025 (not including films). We’re up to TEN with the additions of several newer titles: Heaven Official’s Blessing Season 2, DAN DA DAN Season 2, Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, and Super Cub.

Recently Watching

Samurai Champloo – Will be adding to my collection someday. In the meantime, read all about it in my latest post!

Samurai Champloo: Serving Stir-Fry Style Entertainment 20 Years Later

Heaven Official’s Blessing Season 2 – A boosted version of everything the first season stood for, TGCF 2 adapts the exciting journey into Hua Chang’s underworld playground of novel volume 2. It speeds through some of the events chronicling Xie Lian’s past life as a State Precept and the bloody affairs he got caught up in, but it remains a highly enjoyable watch. Despite his misfortunate attraction to trouble, I adore how much the Heavenly Emperor coddles Xianle. We also got the raunchy, ill-tempered Qi Rong, one of the Four Calamities––green lantern something-or-other. THIS DIVA IS SO DRAMATIC. It’s a bit confusing how the donghua handles his family/historical ties to Xie Lian. At least, the book leaves with little questioning. I’m heartbroken by the present lack of a third season, but that’s what the original novels are for, right? :’)

DAN DA DAN Season 2 – My experience of this season spans allll the way back to last summer where GKIDS premiered the first 3-4 episodes as the Evil Eye theatrical feature. Then, my sister and I didn’t get around to finishing it until this spring, oops. Ngl, I love Jiji to pieces, but I was getting a bit tired of the “taming Evil Eye” part of the story––which ended up being a majority of season 2!! Thankfully, the last little story arc introduces not only a new character but a new sub-genre for this sci-fi/fantasy action comedy series about aliens and the occult: tokusatsu. Hells yeah. It was just the climactic pick-me-up I’d been craving, and Science Sara doesn’t skimp out on the wild animation to be had with its goofy new supporting character. Super stoked for season 3, and I will be adding the Blu-ray to my collection to join S1 as soon as it releases this summer!

Bâan: The Boundary of Adulthood – Hey look, it’s Gigguk’s 18-min anime short film that premiered on YouTube. I really enjoyed Bâan for what it offered. The idea of characters crossing into each other’s world might not be new, but the whole vibe surrounding this theme of leaving + returning home is fresh and healing. I know it released last fall, but I’m so glad I watched it now for the first time because spring, as a season of rebirth, pairs remarkably well with a narrative about leaving the nest, only to realize that home is also a wonderful place to be, too. I don’t give this remark lightly, but if you like Makoto Shinkai works, you might take away similar energy from Bâan. My two favorite elements, though, have got to be the Southeast Asian mythology rep and the original score by KEVIN PENKIN. Since watching, I’ve been listening through the OST each morning as I get ready to face the day’s challenges.

Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End – There is no way I could encapsulate everything I could say about Frieren in a breezy reflection post like this that A) isn’t a rehash of what’s already been said, and B) isn’t a severe truncation of my true feelings. Because it’s Frieren––of course it’s just as incredible as everyone’s been telling me it is. Why did I wait so long? No good explanation, really. I’m not someone who steers away from shows just because they’re popular or trendy; I’ll watch whatever I want, whenever, as long as I’m in the mood. I guess this spring I’d been searching for a journey to embark on, and Frieren gave me just that. If I had one reflection I noted about myself while watching that I’m willing to share, it’s that I definitely didn’t cry my eyes out like some people have for this series. I don’t think I shed a single tear, actually. But that’s neither a measure of its shortcomings nor my fondness for it––I smiled a lot while watching Frieren. Even parts where our semi-immortal elf happened upon old acquaintances after 50 or 80 years had me in a good mood, not a sad or overly emotional one. Perhaps it’s as the trite saying goes: Rather than cry because it’s over, I smiled because it happened. I watched Frieren subbed on Blu-ray, so I’m not sure if I’ll wait for the S2 discs or watch it online. But I adore everything about the series. Don’t even start me on the music. Yorushika’s “Sunny” was in my regular playlist LONG before I realized that it was from Frieren, and Evan Call is a wizard. CDs will need to be ordered, aye.

Cosmic Princess Kaguya! – The latest from Studio Colorido is a Netflix-produced anime original reimagining of The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter remixed for a near-future setting where idols can hold concerts in VR spaces and encourage premium level escapism. Mythology, idols, and Studio Colorido? OF COURSE I LOVED IT. What, did you think I wouldn’t? Hell, I was hyped when I saw concept art of this thing floating around awhile back. One thing I wasn’t expecting was for it to be SO high energy and comedy-centered. It’s honestly moe overload. There’s a splashy reaction to literally everything line of dialogue, and while it’s sometimes a bit much (idk how Natsuyoshi Yuuko handled all the squealing and screaming, my god), the film is too busy being a bundle of positive energy to care about moderation. Production-wise, it’s stupid how good the movie looks. Even the CG game world parts feel very in-character for the genre. Story wise, it got hit with the “Born to be a 12-episode series, forced to be a 2.5-hour film” label on Twitter, and while that may be true if it wanted to expand on more of its subplots and fascinating setting design, I’m 100% sure it’d be forgotten about as “just another loli musical idol anime” even a year or two down the line. Making it a theatrical feature retains the sharp focus about Kaguya and Iroha navigating their rising stardom as streamers while adhering to the boundaries and expectations of this being a Princess Kaguya story. I was able to somewhat predict how the ending would come together (iykyk), but in all it’s a pretty spectacular hit for Japan, especially after the raving success of K-Pop Demon Hunters. My only complaint is the present lack of any physical release license.

Penguin Highway – After having Penguin Highway on my shelf for at least 5 years and the novel for a few as well, I’d been looking for an opportune time to read and then watch. This comes TOTALLY by coincidence, as both films were animated by Studio Colorido! I’m thinking I’d like to do a short reflection post for this one . . . Until then, I’ll confidently state that this film has made my all-time favorites list. Maybe that’s the book-high feeding into my enjoyment, but what I like ever so slightly more about Penguin Highway than Cosmic Princess Kaguya! is the former’s take on how growing up can be an exciting experience. By the time we meet Kaguya‘s Iroha, she’s already committed to playing the fake perfect high school student while living an exhausting personal life in her crammed, one-room Tokyo apartment. Penguin Highway‘s Aoyama, meanwhile, is an eager-to-learn grade school kid with a bright future ahead of him, and it’s refreshing to see the boy genius trope retain its purity throughout the entire story. But I’m comparing apples and oranges here, because both films are tons of fun and highly imaginative!

Super Cub – Amidst all of these exciting journeys and coming-of-age adventures, Super Cub has been my rock. This slice-of-life iyashikei series about a reserved high school girl who gets a cub to help accelerate her life in the country is just what my brain needs between all the spring hustle and bustle that comes with working in academics. I’m normally not drawn to these kinds of shows that seem to aimlessly follow cute girls around, but Super Cub is different because it’s structured with goals for each episode and satisfying payoff when they’re accomplished. To specify further, Koguma faces a new challenge each episode that calls for an installment, repair, or maintenance to her cub and/or riding gear, and I feel like I’ve learned more about motorcycles by watching Koguma celebrate each little win in her own little way. Her fellow cub-riding classmate, Reiko, is the outgoing senpai figure who draws Koguma into not only the bike world but the broader social context as well. And this is why you watch shows like this: to sit back, relax, and watch how far the open road––and the super cubs––will take our girls. Whether measuring by miles or social bonding, you’re always left wondering “Where to next?” once the credits roll.

Catching Up with the Shelves

Spring Anime Haul

Last update, I shared a haul video from my YouTube channel, and since the spring season has brought with it another batch of anime to add to my shelves, I figured I’d share the haul here as well.

Going Through the Stacks (BL Edition)

I revived my bookstagram account @ takutoreads on IG to continue cataloging my reads. It’s not a review platform, but I like sharing pretty pictures of books that I’m reading. For the first time in YEARS, we’ve actually had April showers. So for the past couple weekends, I’ve been through my BL manga that’s accumulated over time. One title, My Androgynous Boyfriend, is not BL, but the rest are: works by the great Nagisa Furuya (Long Period), Machi Suehiro (Fox-Colored Jealousy), Quaila (I Ship My Rival x Me), Edako Mofumofu (There Are Things I Can’t Tell You), and the manga adaptation of Until I Met My Husband plus a BL First Crush Anthology to boot. Follow my bookstagram for more updates!

Reading Land of the Lustrous

My Japan import of Haruko Ishikawa’s second Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) art book recently arrived, which reminded me that I still needed to finish reading the manga! I only had the last two volumes left, but with the reading bug propelling me through my BL stacks, I opted to commit to an entire series reread. As of writing this post, I’m on volume 11 of 13. I already can’t wait to hit that Chapter 108 and achieve pure, blissful enlightenment. I’ll always champion Lustrous as the greatest manga of all time. It’s too smart, soulful, and wisely constructed to believe otherwise. Once I’m done, I’ll give the anime a rewatch too, if only just to feel something (and manifest that sequel, c’mon Studio Orange let’s Wake. Up.).

I guess I’ve been reading and watching a lot more than I thought this April. Now, my eyes are set on summer. Let me know in the comments if you have thoughts about any of these titles. ‘Til next time!

– Takuto

A Second Chance to Shine: Land of the Lustrous MANGA || “First” Impressions

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First impressions for volume one of Haruko Ichikawa’s manga series “Land of the Lustrous,” published in 2017 by Kodansha Comics.

So, I Was Wrong . . .

This is a bit of a weird post, but hear me out. The story goes like this: I’m sitting here ready to sell the first five volumes of Land of the Lustrous that I own because I wasn’t going to continue reading it. Ever since the anime enchanted me back in late 2017, I have been eager to find out what happens in the story beyond the adaptation. Everyone online is always hyping up the manga each time a new volume is released, and I wanted to join in on the fun. (This all began when the manga started being released in English, of course.)

But as soon as I flipped open the cover, I didn’t understand any of it. The characters all looked the same, the art style was visually attractive but hard to follow. None of it made sense to me. I couldn’t even get past the first chapter. So, I put the book(s) back on my shelf, thinking I just wasn’t in the right head space for reading manga.

Months pass. I distinctly recall trying out that first volume again, but didn’t get beyond the opening act. A year goes by, and this series is still sitting there looking pretty. Before I know it, 2020 is here. At some point I tried again—couldn’t do it. What was I not understanding? Was the writing beyond what I could contemplate? Why was everyone raving about this series each time a new volume was released when I couldn’t even get past the first fifty pages?

“A Perfect Adaptation”

Just the other day, Jack of Under the Scope over on YouTube put out this video titled “Land Of The Lustrous: A PERFECT Adaptation.” Now, I know Jack to be a pretty smart and reasonable guy. But this was a pretty big claim, even for him. So I watched it, eager to hear what he had to say—and what I, apparently, was not picking up.

Through his tight-knit, formal analysis comparing the anime and the manga, I walked away having entirely different thoughts about Land of the Lustrous than I held going in. I was reminded of all the wonderful things the anime series did, and why I wanted to pick up the manga in the first place. Really, my kudos go out to Jack and his editor.

I’m only writing this post now because, as you can imagine by the title, I finally completed volume one of the series—and all in a single sitting, no less! Thanks to watching Jack break down how Haruko Ichikawa constructed the manga (even if it was only his interpretation), I was able to understand so many new things about this book I had neglected for the past couple years.

For one, the panel composition is brilliant. (And no, I’m not just saying that because Jack did.) I get why it’s intelligent compositing; the word bubbles naturally guide the reader through the page, following the action, emotions, and anticipation built up before flipping to the next one. Some of Phos’s dialogue actually had me grinning, whereas many of the comments made by Cinnabar and Diamond made my heart ache with sympathy.

And the fights between the Lunarians and the Gems are unbelievably gorgeous and fluid, nightmarish and dreamlike. Ichikawa’s mastered a strong eye and steady hand for crafting all kinds of tectures: glossy hair and glassy eyes, brittle arms and blowing fields, viscous liquids and vile substances. I seen now that Land of the Lustrous is a tactile experience as it is a narrative one. Much of this is accomplished by the stark use of flat black vs. round white shapes to catch the reader’s eye, but it’s also the Gems themselves that carry the weight of this unique story.

It Was Always This Good

As graceful as the action and writing may be, a common criticism of the manga series is that it’s hard to tell characters apart. But, as YouTube friend Simply Gee pointed out, perhaps that’s part of the point. Phos lives in a world where their individuality is a stunningly hard thing to achieve, despite there only being 27 other Gems to compete against for Kongo-sensei’s attention. They all have the same body shape, wear the same clothes, and live in the same construct. Thus, it’d only be natural for characters to gradually become more defined—physically and emotionally for themselves AND the viewer—as the story progresses. Everyone will have their chance to shine eventually.

I realize this post was less of a “first” impressions and more of a commentary on the series as a whole, but the bottom line I’m getting at here is that Land of the Lustrous is very intelligently designed—and that shouldn’t stop anyone from trying to enjoy it. Heck, still I don’t know a thing about mineral hardness and Moh’s scale, but I love Dia’s caring personality and Jade’s stern, no-nonsense attitude nonetheless.

Elegant, unique, and bizarrely stylish, Land of the Lustrous is about searching for purpose in life. However, as one might expect, the book reads very different than the adaptation. In this instance, it took me needing a little push to understand why the manga is so beloved by others. But I believe learning what makes a work of art “good” will always be worth it. After all, I’d certainly rather be in the club that enjoys reading Land of the Lustrous than not—because it’s very good. Then again, I suppose it always has been.

What if you tried making a big change in yourself? Maybe try something you never do would help? — Diamond

Afterword

I can’t recall if I’ve ever written a manga first impressions before, given that I don’t read much manga. If this is the first, however, I’d love to hear what you thought, as well as whether you’d be interested in more of these! I’m definitely keeping Land of the Lustrous on my shelves, and will continue reading until at least until I’ve read those five volumes I bought a while back. After that, well, I suppose we’ll see! I imagine the series only gets better, though. Thanks for reading, and until next time!

– Takuto

My Top Five Favorite OWLS Posts That I Wrote in 2018

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Hello! Happy New Year!

I realize 2019 has already begun, but there are still a few 2018 round-up posts I plan to write, one of those being this one right here. My top five OWLS posts of 2017 listing was fairly well-received by you all, so I decided to bring it back! As I mentioned last year, it’s hard to pick favorites. But, in the spirit of the New Year and bidding the old farewell, I’ve managed to select five OWLS posts that accurately represent the sum of who I am, why I write, and what I want you, the reader, to learn!

As previously mentioned, all of my OWLS posts are my babies—in fact, they’re probably some of the best posts I’ve ever written, if not THE best of what I’ve got so far, and I thoroughly LOVED writing ALL of them—so enjoy my reminiscing, and feel free to scope them out if you missed them, or are feeling the urge to relive each month’s thought-provoking topic.

On the header/taskbar thingy of my site, you’ll see that OWLS has its own tab (and rightly so), so you can find the rest of 2018’s posts there! Alrighty then, let’s take one last look at some of the posts I wrote in 2018!

RUNNER UP:

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Tour #19 July – The Royal Tutor: A Heartfelt Lesson on Judgement | OWLS “Mentor”

Like several of the titles I featured for each month, my watch of The Royal Tutor came at just the right time. I recall desparately searching my watch catalog just nights before the post was due, and then Heine Wittgenstein waltzed into my life and all was well. Not a single episode goes by where Heine fails to offer a valuable lesson on what it means to be human, and its that strict attention to theme that gives this OWLS post an easy runner-up position on the list. Heck, Heine practically wrote the post for me!

Life Lessons Learned:

  • Before quitting something you want to do, you should always explore alternative solutions.
  • This world is very big. Do not deprive yourself of people who will understand and care for you.
  • We should all believe in second chances.

NUMBER FIVE:

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Tour #24 December – Finding a Place to Belong: Tokyo Godfathers & the Gift of Kindness | OWLS “Miracles”

Here’s another one of those last-minute struggle watches that I managed to cram in right before the deadline, and boy am I glad I finally watched this anime cult Christmas classic. In the post, I dabbled a bit on how “God’s miracles” are what guide these three crazy homeless friends through an eventful Christmas Eve in Tokyo. The unfathomable number of plot conveniences can be explained by the presence of this guiding light, and this wild series of events—which can only be described as miraculous—are what make it the perfect fit for not only the monthly theme, but the holiday season.

Life Lessons Learned:

  • Life has a funny way of dealing with some situations—embrace chaos with faith.
  • A simple conviction to kindness will surround you with good company and food aplenty.
  • We will always have the opportunity to be kind to others.

NUMBER FOUR:

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Tour #13 January – All That Glitters IS Gold in “Land of the Lustrous” | OWLS “Revival”

Similar to our first tour of 2019, “Metamorphosis,” January and the New Year revolve around change. It involves a spirit of revival, an air of renewal, and the determination to change oneself for the better. Similarly, I found Phos’ journey to find purpose and self-worth to be an excellent fit for 2018’s first monthly topic. (I also happened to be watching it at the time, but I digress.) Just as how humans are fragile beings at heart, the Gems of Land of the Lustrous can shatter into hundreds of tiny pieces—some Gems more than others, namely Phos. Although the post is a tad bit on the longer side to accommodate every aspect that I wanted to hit on, I still look back on it fondly as how 2018 started—a shimmering, hopeful time to try new things. 

Life Lessons Learned:

  • Change is scary. It can be painful, it can be sudden, and it can be dangerous. Change involves suffering, but that grief is a necessity for growth.
  • Self-worth isn’t determined by the people around you, but rather what YOU make of yourself.
  • So long as we can hope to become better individuals—actively seeking to help others in return—change and improvement just might someday find us, too.

NUMBER THREE:

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Tour #20 August – From the New World: Through Horror, Calamity, & the Truth | OWLS “Journey”

This show, oh man, how far we go back together. I find it quite rare for a series to impact my views on critical concepts like justice and dignity so easily. And then comes along Shinsekai Yori to flip everything that I knew on its head. Absolutely loaded from head to toe with painful themes of reality and the duality of man, From the New World represents so much more than sci-fi series about good and evil. Rather, it’s a journey through horror, calamity, and the truth, and how the truth can sometimes be the cruelest thing of all. Given how complex it is, I was quite satisfied with how I was able to sum up each of the story’s arcs and how they impact Saki Watanabe, the lead character. (Also, I really, really like the header image I designed for this one.) It’s riveting, it’s meaningful, it’s powerful, and of all the shows I’ve EVER scene, few deserve the title of masterpiece quite like From the New World does.

Life Lessons Learned:

  • To feign ignorance is the greatest crime of all. Corruption breeds from within when we close off our minds and our hearts to new peoples and ideas.
  • People are twisted, easily corrupted, and worst of all, easily scared. But while we are weak when we are desperate, we are strong when it counts.
  • “We have to change our way of thinking if we really want to change the future.”

NUMBER TWO:

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Tour #16 April – Yūki Hayashi: Music to Motivate the Soul | OWLS “Melody”

I try to dedicate a solid paragraph in each of my anime reviews to the series’ soundtrack composer. What can I say, I’m a music man, and Yuuki Hayashi just so happens to be my favorite anime soundtrack composer! He’s done the background music for so many of my favorite shows, and it was about time that I dedicated an entire post—a very special OWLS post at that—to Hayashi’s genius. At long, long last, I got to practically fanboy about all my favorite anime soundtracks, but there’s another reason I picked a composer rather than a single song or series to focus on. You see, Hayashi’s music isn’t just epic—it’s also inspirational, a set of notes and sounds designed to motivate the very soul. And although this one low-key has my favorite header graphic, it’s missing one final relatability factor to push it into number one.

Life Lessons Learned:

  • Music encapsulates and can provide inspiration to lift us off our feet, motivation to push us forward, heartache to make us grow, the strength to go beyond, and the ambition to fulfill our dreams.
  • Know that the view from the summit is one that exists ONLY for you—so chase after it relentlessly.
  • Try new things, make mistakes, meet new people, but never, never give up on your reasons for wanting to improve. Because maybe, in the process of overcoming your own impossible odds, you’ll inspire someone else to be a better human.

AND FINALLY, NUMBER ONE:

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Tour #18 June – Princess Jellyfish: Confidence, Community, & the Beauty Below the Surface | OWLS “Pride”

Here’s your number one for 2018! Did it surprise you? Princess Jellyfish burst onto the scene of my life and totally changed my views on confidence, community, and the inner beauty we each possess below the surface. It features a dynamic, hilarious, and heartwarming cast of otaku NEETS who are all just struggling to get by in society, as well as the one queen who will unite them all in their effort to freely express themselves. Princess Jellyfish is the epitome of pride, a story that is attest to how vast our personalities truly are, and although I was a bit long-winded with other technical aspects of the series, this post really is just one big expression of love. Princess Jellyfish is a series about loving what you want to love, and bonding with those who share that same incredible sentiment. At its very end, the story of Princess Jellyfish embodies something so pure, hopeful, and passionate that it becomes impossible to not enjoy—and it’s for all these wonderful reasons and more that I select June’s “Pride” post as my favorite OWLS post of 2018.

Life Lessons Learned:

  • Sometimes you need to see yourself in a different way in order to appreciate who you’ve been this whole time.
  • Beauty is not something you simply put on: it’s an emotion you feel when you’re at your best. 
  • Above all else, so long as you take pride in yourself and the things you love, all people—including us adults—still have plenty of room for growth and change.

A HUGE Round of Applause to the OWLS Crew!

WHEW! After binge-reading ALL of the 2018 OWLS posts from January 1st to December 31st, I can officially say that each and every one of us deserve a pat on the back. Seriously though, all of lovely individuals in OWLS are not only fantastic people, but awesome writers as well, and while I didn’t share every single post over on Twitter (for fear of clogging up everyone’s feed), each one of them most certainly deserves the read.

This post compiles my favorite OWLS posts that I personally wrote. As bloggers, I’m sure we can all identify our stronger posts compared to the rest of our catalog. So, if you are an OWLS member, I’d love to read what you found to be your own favorites! Think of it as celebrating your accomplishments for being a member of such a cool group. 🙂

Speaking of accomplishments . . . to my knowledge, I am one of the few who has posted for every single tour. That’s 24 posts since our debut in 2017! While I plan to write more posts aside from OWLS ones (as that is what became of me this year, whoops), I am happy with myself for not giving up and sticking with the group through each thought-provoking monthly topic. It’s just a small sidenote, but I’m proud for having come this far, and I look forward to hopefully adding 12 more posts come December 2019!

Anyway, that’s it for me. What did you think of the line-up? Did you have a particular favorite month to read/write for, either of my posts or everyone else’s? Or are you, like I was less than a month ago, still in the process of catching up? Haha! Either way, thank you so much for supporting me throughout my 2018 OWLS journey, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host

All That Glitters IS Gold in “Land of the Lustrous” | OWLS “Revival”

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Chances are that if you were linked here from another blogger pal, you might be new to this place. To those first-timers, “Hi, I’m Takuto, and welcome to my anime cafe!” As part of the OWLS blog tour’s first monthly topic for 2018, “Revival,” I decided to incorporate what would have been my standard review of Land of the Lustrous into a short, shimmering reflection on the main character’s journey of self-discovery, and how even though our emotional selves may fracture, we can still be pieced back together—and return stronger than ever before.

A new year implies “new beginnings.” Yet, rather than discussing the “new,” we will be discussing the “revival.” “Revival” has multiple definitions, but the meaning we will be focusing on is the improvement, development, or refinement of something. Our posts will be about characters that undergo a positive or negative transformation and what we can learn from them.

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Thanks Lyn for the prompt—what fitting way to kick of the New Year!

A brief spoiler-free discussion on the 12-episode fall 2017 anime “Houseki no Kuni” or “Land of the Lustrous,” produced by studio Orange, directed by Takahiko Kyogoku, and based on Haruko Ichikawa’s manga of the same name.

NOTE: The characters in this anime are genderless, and I will do my best to watch my pronoun usage.

Enter the Radiant Land of the Lustrous

Not all clothes are cut from the same cloth. In Land of the Lustrous‘s case, not all gemstones are cut from the same rock. Or are they? In a distant fantasy future, a new immortal and genderless life form called Gems (the “Lustrous”) roam what inhabitable remains of Earth are left. We’re not really told what happened, other than that the mainland in which the story takes place is under attack by the Lunarians (or “Moon Dwellers”), mystical cloud-like Buddha-looking beings who regularly abduct the Gems to turn them into jewelry—to turn a proud race into frivolous decor.

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Phosphophyllite, or simply Phos, is the youngest of the Gems, and though their 300 years on Earth has given them much time to play and mess around, having a hardness of only 3.5 makes them more fragile than glass on the battlefield. Set in a tribe-like school of sorts where one’s hardness determines whether they are deemed fighters or medics, Phos is neither suited for battle nor the books. As such, Phos is treated trivially, and is often met with belittlement or noisome glares by their peers.

Phos’s feelings of being an outcast diminish when Kongou (Adamantine), the master of Gems, assigns Phos the unique task of creating a natural history encyclopedia, an archive of the nature of their world. Though everyone—including Phos—knows that the pointless job is just to keep them out of trouble, no one could’ve imagined the incredible journey Phos was about to take, and the impact their transformation would have on their entire civilization.

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From the synopsis alone, Land of the Lustrous (what a cool title, BTW) already sounds plenty weird. The anime is categorized under the genres of action, fantasy, and seinen, but it proves itself even more interesting by also harboring an underlying mystery element. Who are the Lunarians, and why do they really want the Gems? What is Master Kongou’s relation with the moon people? What truly happened to humanity? Constantly, I found myself hitting the next episode button in eager anticipation of learning the secrets to this fascinating world. And the sudden loss of Amazon’s Anime Strike program (you will NOT be missed) allowed me to stream seamlessly without fear of paying double the price. I generally like to take my time watching a series; rarely do I gulp an entire series down in a single weekend, but I finished all 12 episodes in just two days. Yes, it was that entertaining. Not all my questions got answered, but it definitely ends ready for more, and it did encourage me to want to start reading the manga.

While its premise, setting, and characters are all quite creative, humanity’s nature is unchanging. Much like any child would, Phos experiences loneliness and a sense of uselessness, but through their peers, Phos also comes to understand important values like perseverance, respect, kinship, and the payoff of hard work. They also face the realities of their once thought-to-be fairy-tale world, revealing that life does have its cruelties. The anime’s messages are endearing, even if we’ve already seen them a hundred times, and that’s probably thanks to Land of the Lustrous‘s fantastic set of characters: the 28 Gems that make up this sparkling society.

Shine Bright Like a Diamond

Variety is the greatest spice of life, and Land of the Lustrous‘s gleaming cast of Gems is definitely the series’s leading feature. Ordered appropriately according to the Mohs scale of mineral hardness, the jewel people are all given characteristics that match the features of their own gemstone. Cinnabar is a soft toxic mercury ore (the same bold red used as a pigment); correspondingly, Cinnabar’s character only has a hardness of 2, and their ability to produce a lethal poison prevents them from interacting with the other Gems. And just as how diamonds are used for precious moments, and are regarded as the world’s prettiest jewel, “Dia” is literally a sparkling, pure, kind-hearted individual with hardness 10, and is almost always seen “engaged” (see what I did there) with a certain Gem.

The attention to detail here goes far beneath the surface, feeling much richer than some cheap gimmick. Here, an imaginative use of characterization births some of the most unique and heartwarming characters I’ve ever seen, and though each gem’s screen time is limited to showcase one another’s distinctive traits, you still get a wholesome feel for who most of these polished beauties are. I imagine that this show would be any mineralogist or gemologist’s wet dream!

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Shout out to all the fans and artists over on Twitter for convincing me to watch this show, and for making me love the characters beyond what the series presents! So much pretty artwork, and I can’t get enough of it! Oh yeah, and Antarcticite is best . . . Girl? . . . Boy? . . . Androgynous gem person!

This IS the Best CG Anime EVER

I was incredibly surprised with how 2017’s Kado: The Right Answer was able to shake up the CGI reputation in anime. It crafted a setting in which CG-animated elements not only worked, but actually enhanced the out-of-this-world story being told, as well as the wondrous anisotropic devices presented. Complaints were still to be made, however, most regarding that the normal people were also animated in CG when they totally didn’t need to be. In typical CG fashion, it made the character actions look a tad awkward.

But from characters to concept, Land of the Lustrous both fits as a CG anime AND looks absolutely stunning doing so. First, the CG mapping allows the character designs to appear consistently gorgeous. The beautifully colored jewel people’s hair radiates with a twinkling, glistening shine—something that could only be achieved using this 3D technique—and their fights against the Lunarians prove to be engaging, expectation-shattering spectacles! Not to mention, the 2D painted backgrounds are works of art all on their own! This 2D-3D blend was clearly well-thought out and executed marvelously, for all that glitters IS gold on the animation front.

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Before I leave the production side of things, I do want to mention that Yoshiaki Fujisawa’s soundtrack provides such an atmospheric, entrancing allure that I can only express in these words: it is a soundtrack suited perfectly for this anime.

Bonds Stronger Than Any Glue: Phos’s Transformation

As stated previously, Land of the Lustrous is a coming-of-age tale where a clumsy, useless, and worthless individual tries to find not only a reason to live, but a place to belong. It’s a story about being useful to those you value, even if those people don’t value your own effort to establish teamwork.

Like people, Gems can be brittle beings with fragile hearts. Phos both mentally and physically “breaks” several times throughout the course of the series. In the search to finally be useful to others, Phos seeks change. Phos just . . . wants to be special. Well, change of any kind comes at a price—to gain something new, something must be lost—and unfortunately, that price is the precious time of others. Or, at its worst, the life of a friend. With an almost foolish bravery and air of bad luck, Phos pursues many partners in an effort to improve—to refine those blemishes of their personality, and to forever eliminate the imperfections that cause them mockery and shame.

But change is scary. It can be painful, it can be sudden, and it can be dangerous.

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Every try, every fail—no matter what, Phos desperately continues to pursue a reason for being. And through each failure, Phos learns a priceless lesson about what it means to feel valued and helpful. Smash your frail legs? Find stronger ones to replace them. Fracture your tiny arms? Hunt for a material that can better weather the crushing pain of defeat. Lose a beloved friend:

Make them proud by living for them. Do what they couldn’t by becoming someone you would both be proud of. Being immortal means each rupture can and DOES lead to a chance to return stronger and shinier than before—to feel reborn anew, to feel revived. And Phos doesn’t let that precious opportunity go to waste.

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Putting the Pieces Back Together

Change involves suffering, but that grief is a necessity for growth. Phos will shatter again, and again, and again, picking up the sad, broken pieces of their shiny shell. Yet with the help of some friends, these shards can be pieced back together to continue fighting on. The bonds that Phos forms, unlike their lustrous figure, are unbreakable. It’s a powerful positive transformation, absolutely, but it comes at very critical costs.

Phos can do it, though. Slowly but surely, Phos comes to realize that self-worth isn’t determined by the people around you, but rather what YOU make of yourself. With great determination, Phos knows the road to truly reviving their spirit is paved with hardship and loss. The world is cruel, after all. But so long as we can hope to become better individuals—actively seeking to help others in return—change and improvement just might someday find us, too. And it’s that seemingly small sentiment that makes Land of the Lustrous shine brighter than all the diamonds in the night sky.

You’ll grow stronger. You’ll be fine . . . Somebody will figure out a way. You won’t get any worse. You must change. You must find courage. You’ll make it. But you don’t have time. – Voice from the ice floes, the reflections of our innermost thoughts

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As emotional as I make it sound, Land of the Lustrous is just such a cool, unique show unlike ANYTHING I’ve ever seen. It’s a neat twist on science matched with a budding mystery that I cannot wait to uncover in the manga! I’m awarding Land of the Lustrous with the “Cake” title, as it’s certainly an elegant show, but its lack of a “true ending” leaves many titillating questions unanswered. You ought to let me know what you thought of this anime or this post down in the comments, as this “hidden gem” (haha ok I’ll go home) was a big hit for some and a sleeper for many others!

Oh, and if you enjoyed this series, consider checking out Yuki Yuna is a Hero for scarily similar-looking antagonists (and overall concept of fighting), A Lull in the Sea for its similar take on village life and growing up, or lastly From the New World because, well, just trust me on this one. In the meantime, I’ll be praying for a classy LTD ED release of this show by Sentai Filmworks, hopefully complete with Yoichi Nishikawa’s end card art cause HOLY BAUBLES, them beauties!

This concludes my January 10th entry in the OWLS “Revival” blog tour. Moonid (Random Garage) went right before me and wrote a bit of a character analysis over Nightingale from the Chinese fantasy web novel Release that Witch. Now, look out for Zoe (Let’s Talk Anime) with ReLIFE, a title that I really need to watch, and Arata’s second chance at youth on Friday, January 12th! Thank you so much for reading, and until next time, this has been

– Takuto, your host