Review of Land of the Lustrous

I was recommended this anime by a friend of mine and entered it with a sort of cautious optimism: A quick look at the MyAnimeList page and a Google search showed that this was a rather well received anime with character design that appealed to me that had somehow totally slipped under my radar. I wished to avoid spoilers for the show, so I did not look further, and instead dove right in. The show starts off rather quickly and right off the bat, introducing the viewer to the relevant characters and plot points in a swift yet efficient manner, a good pace to start offwith. The setting of the show is interesting and provides for some beautiful scenery shots with the rather nice CGI effects. The CGI might be a turn off for some people, but, well...given my RWBY avatar it should not be surprised I am less bothered by it. It is also rather nicely woven into the show as it enables the characters to look particularly gem-like against the world around them which is most especially notable in the varied, frequently sparkling hair of the cast. Liquid effects, especially some of those later on, are also of notable high quality that contribute to the feel of the show, and plenty of other such things.

The story itself concerns the life of living gem-people protecting their home against the mysterious Lunarians, who wish to turn them into gems for decoration. More accurately, though, the show is a piece of character examination with other show elements sprinkled in, most prominently mystery and some action to go alongside it. This is largely packed into our main character, Phosphophyllite (mostly known as "Phos" because...you try pronouncing that constantly as a voice actor), who undergoes quite a large transformation throughout the 12 episode run time. This is probably the most striking part of the show and alongside Akko from Little Witch Academia felt like some of the most natural and realistic character developement I have felt in a while, with changes to how one views the world connecting to goals, outward and inward personality, reactions from others and more. I won't get into much detail since I would be spoiling it, but it is actually quite an impressive feat and while Phos probably wouldn't make my Top 10 anime characters, she has a good argument to be close.

Although the story does firmly focus on the character developement, the other elements of the show are still handled fairly well through it, such as the notable and consistant tone of mystery to it. Not just in the enemies but the setting itself and more which then feeds into the feeling of the setting as this kind of introspective and quiet world. The break of this into action is usually rather seamless and helps keeping the anime from feeling too sleepy, especially with some nice (though not top tier) monster designs. The introspectiveness of the setting feels like it meshes nicely with the high focus on "change" as a thematic motif.

Packed alongside Phos is a colorful cast which is quite expansive, especially given it is a 12 episode anime. In fact, if anything, the cast is perhaps a bit too expansive: Being based on an ongoing manga plus the fact it is clearly gunning for more than one season means it is clearly setting up characters for later story developements or as more one note characters fitted to fill roles other characters could not. The fact that this show nonetheless does them well, however, makes this more of a minor complaint. Another complaint I can file with the show is that it feels like the importance given to Cinnabar fails to match her screen time and ability to get to know her, which can leave some scenes as coming off a bit less emotional than intended. This is the more major issue of the two: It did not grate on me really, but it does hitch the story a little.

This is contrasted by other characters being handled well, with Antarcticite being a standout for me...although I cannot talk too much about them thanks to spoilers. Bort and Diamond are also handled well, their toxic seeming friendship/relationship and how it leads into latter events especially since at first it feels more minor. Or even stuff like Rutile's desire for medical dissection and reconstruction feeds interestingly into later events, giving it more depth to something appearing minor. While I wouldn't call most characters amazing I also wouldn't say a single character actively annoyed me which is rather rare for me.

The animation in this show is gorgeous, although it can at time look a bit too much like a CGI game. The animators are very well aware of how CGI can work and utilize to their advantage: Using the natural shininess and unrealisticness of a lot of CGI, for example, to create the shiny Gems and contrast them against the alien and unnatural feeling Lunarians or the more human Master Kongo. The hardness of the Gems is contrasted by their enemies often having very soft features, dissipating into wisps or even fluffy features and thus create contrast. And both of them look great due to affixing them to the CGI style well. Another thing this show does well? Using the CGI and the fact Gems can be put back together (Not a spoiler, this is established in the first few minutes) to create scenes that would UNDOUBTABLY raise the rating substantially if done on flesh and blood humans...and on top of that, the CGI style makes it all look quite amazing. By eschewing trying to make the CGI look extremely realistic, it instead does amazingly at making it look fantastical. And if you like beautiful 2D animation, the ED of this show has got your back. Also, the action is pretty well animated in this show if often a bit basic for my tastes, and the perspective and movement shots in Episode 10 are gorgeous.

The sound is quite good, with pretty strong voice acting from the cast all around and some memorable scores such as the sound of the Lunarians approaching. The sound effects on most anything gem-related is nice. The OP is somewhat forgettable, but the ED is pretty nice. The sound is also pretty good at fitting the mood, overall it is pretty good although I would not say it meets he very upper echelon of anime.

Houseki no Kuni is an anime about change. What does it take to change, what does it mean, will you be happy when you do? So interwoven is this theme throughout the anime that to discuss it without spoilers is difficult. But the show tackles it, it tackles it well and it tackles it in a way that left me interested throughout the show. It can start off slowly, too, but that is no reason to fret: Shows, too, can change. While not the best anime ever, I heartily recommend Houseki no Kuni to anyone who is interested in a strong character focused piece and impressive animation. And I am very excited for the prospect of a second season.