Review of Land of the Lustrous

My score: 8/10 What it deserves: anywhere between 7-10/10 This show is extremely hard to rate and pinpoint to one very specific number, and so this review *SPOILER FREE* is going to be an insight as to why. I've put off this show despite such acclaim because of a few simple reasons: a) CGI is not really my thing b) how does a story about gems even work?? c) the hype was that the art was beautiful, but I'd heard nothing else, and so not much else drew me in. But the score here on MAL finally pushed me to give it a chance. And what a ridethis was.

Let's put the art and CGI aside for a moment and talk about Houseki no Kuni as a show itself.

STORY & CHARACTERS:
How do I even start on this..

I truly had no expectations from the characters at all. Usually, even if the art, story etc are incredible, the characters always fall flat. They don't elevate, or they focus on just three typical characters and ignore the rest, or everyone is a lazy old stereotype.
HnKuni has quite an extensive list of characters. You can see the stereotype that was chosen as their base, sure, but the development just kept piling on, evenly, throughout the cast.

I think it's impossible to disconnect the characters from the storyline. These two are so intricately woven, that as one progresses, so does the other. The story builds with character upon character, building up one person and tying back to another.
Honestly, the most irritating character of them all, although perhaps a driving point for our main Phos, hardly shows up at all (and given how they were my least favorite, I was quite relieved by that).

Instead, event after interesting even happens, a series of twists, cliffhangers and development, that you just can't help but keep watching. Admittedly, I did have to play the old '3 episodes before dropping' with this, but honestly, I cannot stress how glad I am that I stayed.

By the end, the writers had become masters at molding together the incredible with the disturbing, the happy with the unnerving. Characters kept coming in, and I kept growing fond of them; personalities kept changing, but with perfect balance of the old, that you can feel the pain and frustration that led them to where they were.

ART & MUSIC:
This is what the show stood out for, and although there's no shortage of praise, I'm going to insert my 2 cents as well.

CGI opens up a whole other dimension to explore, and the brilliance of having CGI here is that since we are dealing with crystals, it adds that depth and breathtaking brilliance to the world. It fleshes out their reality, immersing the viewer with their vision, and then hooking them there with the story and characters.

However I do see how the CGI can be slightly off-putting, enough for someone to even drop the score for it (that's why I mentioned the score could range from a 7 up). But I am confident that even if the CGI isn't your favorite, you'll stick around for the story and the incredibly bright world Houseki no Kuni has built.

The music was not the best, by any means. In fact, it was probably the weakest part of the entire show. And yet it didn't drag it down. It certainly added to the chilling attack scenes, which, by the way, were a sight in and of themselves. Fluidity and force came through very clearly.

So why not a 10?
10s are reserved if it made me cry, and had me moved throughout. 10 is an emotional number, and Houseki no Kuni didn't have the crying/feelsy thing happening.
And perhaps not a 9 (although honestly I can argue it deserves one) because 12 episodes just isn't enough for all the mystery and strangeness that exists. Every character can have their own mini-series dedicated to them alone, not even starting with the changing and dynamic world around them.

Let me be clear though!! This is not to say the 12 episodes are in any way rushed, or details brushed over. Honestly, the pacing is just perfect, fast enough to keep my hyperactive mind attentive and focused, and slow enough so that it by no means glosses over development story or build-up - quite the accomplishment.

But just because of sheer lack of episodes, which reduces depth slightly, I would say drops the score a bit.

IN SUMMARY:
It's so hard to describe this story. I don't think I can do it justice, and I've never been so frustrated while writing a review. It's just so creative and imaginative, pushing the lines of art and storytelling. It's so rare to see a fantasy world so utterly immersive, so extensive and beautiful, riddled with mystery and awe. It needs soo many more episodes to do it justice, and I have no doubt another season should be on its way.

As confused as I am on how to describe my feelings on this, one thing is for sure: I will NEVER forget this show, or the incredible thought and details put into it.

Should you watch this?
If you like fantasy worlds with a story that keeps growing, keeps expanding, with a wide array of characters that never ignores/focuses on any one of them, topped with fluid action scenes, sprinkled with the eerie and sinister, then you will probably like this.