Review of Land of the Lustrous
*Minor spoiler ahead* A geologist was in search of his perfect stony SO in the sheer endless waifu universe but couldn't find the perfect match so in his rocky might he created himself a gemstone universe. In this or a similar way Houseki no Kuni was created. Houseki no Kuni has something of a curse to it. It is incredibly remarkable on various levels which I've never experienced in an anime or even any TV show before, at least not to the extent Houseki no Kuni does. The turnoff that surfaces with being this extraordinary is that flaws even if they are just minor are more outstandingand bothering than they should usually be.
The story mainly consists of building the unknown and mysterious world and environment while slowly revealing small pieces of background knowledge. In many cases these circumstances result in a disconnection between the viewer and the world and its inhabitants however for me that was not the case with Houseki no Kuni. I was hooked and immersed from the get go. The world and environment use a familiar "post human" scenario but in a special way you will most likely never have experienced before. Where there's lacking emphasize on an orthodox story line, resources and effort is put into creating plot points that are highly supportive for Houseki no Kunis greatest element characters.
Everybody develops wishes, hopes and dreams. Some of them may very well be achievable, but there are also the ones that unfortunately rather unrealistic or even mere fantasy. Role models or idols, most people have someone they look up to or aspire to be like. What happens when our dreams do come true how unrealistic they may be? How do we change while pursuing others. How did we manage to achieve our dreams? What did it cost? Are we happier than before? Was it actually our hearts true desire? These are just some questions with which I try to sum up the overall development of our main character. It's so highly facetted I am otherwise unable to describe it. The world and elements in it shape Phoses character and I mean that literally. Every interaction be it verbally between characters or physically as well psychically within the world has consequences. Each supporting character does exactly what they are supposed to do: support our main character. Although they are by far not as complex as the MC and almost entirely limited to a certain trait that's exactly the right approach. Why would you build up unnescarily diverse side characters when there's already barely enough time to focus on your main character. Because the side cast consists of just the right amount of characters and they are all entirely different there's still a good diversity. It feels like they all work together as a unit complementing MC's personality, emotions and actions, each other and the world. This is another reason why on the first episode this anime made it into my favorite list. I instantly felt attached not only to the world but also to the characters. Almost every good aspect of this show shines from the first episode on. Every action or behavior will be led by a fleshed out persona as well as deep emotions and feelings from every character complex or not. Furthermore, all of this is interconnected with the characters being attributed by gemstones in their design. And there are even more magnificently outstanding aspects they offer if you know what I mean ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°).
Matching the anime, as we are midway through the review lets face the flaws I mentioned earlier. There will be a time when story progression (world development) and character development drift off into a weird and shallow shounen like style. For a short period of time the complex personality of MC is kinda thrown overboard while her actions and behavior are not as thoroughly backed as before and her achievements feel rather effortless. I mentioned before that after watching the first episode this already became one of my favorites. At a certain time I was about to revert my decision, out of frustration. Looking at it after watching the whole show, all in all that phase wasn't even as bad as it sounds. It just felt out of place while the rest of the show ends up almost flawless.
The show also scratches many fascinating psychological and philosophical themes and topics unfortunately the most attention they receive is a side note in dialogue at best.
Let's keep going with the good stuff again shall we? I have yet to see an anime, no any show, that manages to combine so many genre elements together without being a terrible and or inconclusive mess. There's just the right amount of everything. Comedy, witty dialogue, action, drama, mystery. It somehow just works.
Animation wise Houseki no Kuni is a milestone in CG animation. While hardcore CG tends to look a bit "wonky" Houseki no Kuni can't entirely fix that however the overall style and design fits the environment and characters. Because most of the entire series is made in CG it doesn't look as sharp "of" to the eye as it is the case within mixed productions at the time.
When the soundtrack kicks it frigging hits. And it kicks nonstop. These few words should describe it pretty well. There are so many designated themes which complement each character and key moments. Especially the character themes are well done and thought through resembling their attributes and elements. It's incredible how divers the soundtrack is while mainly using orchestral and occasionally piano and basic synth elements.