LogFAQs > #968425534

106. Land of the Lustrous
https://myanimelist.net/anime/35557/Houseki_no_Kuni
Fall 2017 (12 episodes)
My Score: 6/10, MAL Score: 8.40/10
Best Character: Phosphophyllite

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9MuI4gfyiA

Premise: Crystalline beings called Gems inhabit the world and defend against the mysterious Lunarians. Phosphophyllite dreams of fighting too, but its the most fragile Gem of them all.

The Good: Land of the Lustrous is an action/battle anime set in a strange fantasy world. There are gem-people of all different kinds, plus weird angelic beings who come from holes in the sky to break the gems and steal them. The animation is CGI, and while I didnt find it as impressive as most people did, it is very pretty and unique looking. It works well for the battles especially. The story mostly follows Phos, a young fragile gem who wants to fight but cant. I remember their character arc being interesting. The gems store memories in parts of their body, which means their growth isnt exactly linear. I also liked the poisonous Cinnabar a lot, though they werent as big of a presence in the season as Id hoped, they were a good driving force for Phos.

The Bad: The first season of Land of the Lustrous simply doesnt tell enough of the story. It does a good job with introducing the strange setting, and with Phos, but then it ends without really going anywhere substantial. Ive been waiting for a second season for five years now that will put all the things it set up to good use. Im beginning to fear it might never come.

Overall: Land of the Lustrous has unique CGI animation, a delightfully strange world, and a great main character in Phos. This feels like one of those anime where, if it got another season or two, it could easily become one of my favorites. Sadly, the story doesnt go far enough and by the end I mostly just felt disappointed. This would be less of a problem for people who are willing to read the source material, but Id rather keep hoping for another season someday.