Review of Land of the Lustrous

I will keep this as spoiler free as possible. Houseki no Kuni is the best anime I've ever seen. The music is expertly crafted and it knows when to pull your heart in certain ways; even the booming cinematic orchestral pieces accentuate each scene perfectly without being intrusive or too flashy. The visuals are also stunning and this anime absolutely kicks butt with its CGI to the point where you become so immersed in the world that you forget it's even there. Houseki no Kuni tackles a lot of aspects of the human condition despite its protagonists being made of rocks, and I am absolutelyenamored with the character development and storytelling. Things like grief, inferiority, identity, not knowing your place in the world, and what those concepts mean to a society of rock people who can virtually never die and whose purpose is often decided from their birth. Other than Phos, Dia's development was my absolute favorite, even though we only got a taste of what was to come in the anime. A lot of these characters are way more than what meets the eye and getting to know them more thoroughly was so enjoyable and really added to the rewatchability for the sake of seeing them in a new light.

My one criticism with Houseki no Kuni is that it's not immune to having weird fanservice. It's anime, so it's inevitable, but I didn't like when one of the gems got hung upside down by that dog thing and he got all embarrassed and held his skirt down. There's... nothing there. There's no logical reason for him to need to do that. But other than the odd fanservice moment this anime hits every beat perfectly. I just wish it got another season, because with the way it ended it felt like Phos' journey was only really starting to begin. Plus, some things were only introduced in the last few episodes. I liked Alex a lot. I wanted to see him more.

This anime is good. It's so good. So so good. I cried many times. Please watch it. You will not be disappointed.