12/5 ブログのポスト

Land of the Lustrous

Phos on a scouting mission

    Houseki No Kuni (or Land of the Lustrous in English) is easily one of the most entrancing anime I have ever had the pleasure of watching. From the very first scene, the world pulls you in with its beauty. CGI animation in anime is often maligned because it is often jarringly different from classic 2D animation, but Land of the Lustrous shows that a full CGI anime can be stunningly gorgeous. The next thing that the show grabs you with is its fascinatingly mysterious setting. The inhabitants of the world that the show focuses on are crystalline organisms composed of minerals with smaller entities flowing through them. These units come together to make a whole Gem as they are known. Due to their beautiful mineral composition, a moon-dwelling species called Lunarians travels to earth in order to destroy the Gems and take their bodies as decoration. The Gems all of their jobs to maintain their community and fend off the Lunarians to protect their own. Phosphophyllite, or Phos for short is our protagonist. She is one of the weakest and youngest Gems, and she has no proper position in the Gems' home base or on the battlefield. Due to her curious, spirited nature, she is given the job of creating an encyclopedia of the world and discovering new things. Her misadventures lead to her growth. The characters are incredibly well-written and sympathetic.
Lunarians
    
    The dialogue was advanced and specific to the fantasy world so it was rather hard to comprehend what was being said at some points. However, a lot of the Gems interact with each other in a familiar manner, speaking casually. I was able to understand this dialogue because it was similar to so much of the dialogue in anime with young protagonists that I have watched. The plot was thoroughly unpredictable and endlessly creative, so I could not see what was coming next at any given point.

The school and homebase of the Gems

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