Review of Land of the Lustrous
When I first saw the announcement for this anime, I thought it wouldn't do well since pretty much every other CGI anime has a low rating and is poorly done. However, I decided to give it a try, mainly due to the fact that I'm a sucker for vivid colors and high contrast as well as the fact I just really like gemstones. I came into the start of the first episode expecting to drop it after a couple of minutes, however that minute turned into several and I ended up finishing the whole episode ready for next week to come. Houseki no Kuni does aphenomenal job at pulling you in and keeping you interested for the entirety of an episode, every episode; something that many other anime fail to do.
The story is very interesting and one that gives you many questions to think about as you progress through the anime. The one thing that made this story more exciting for me was the fact that there were several times where an event happened that I did not see coming. Too many anime today are oh so very predictable and leave you bored, but Houseki no Kuni? There's twists and development that I never could have guessed even with years of experience watching a variety of anime.
The backgrounds and characters are all simple yet unique at the same time. Every scene shown is done to the fullest with a high quality animation. The fight scenes are fast paced showing several perspectives as you watch the character whip around the enemy and attack with such grace, something that you would never expect to see with CGI. Even with the large quantity of characters, each one has their own unique personality and quirks that make them seem so real rather than just a boring supporting character that caters to the main character. The music too fits very well with each scene done and the mood each character makes for the scene.
I can honestly say that this anime is by far one of my favorites from this past year and really is a hidden gem. I still remember when the PV's came out and hardly anyone was interested in it and yet today it's here with an 8.48 rating ranked by more than 12,500 users. I really hope for a season 2 because this anime deserves so much for the effort it was given by it's creators. PLEASE, give this anime a shot. Turning it down because it's a CGI anime before even seeing what they have to offer is a huge mistake.