Review of Land of the Lustrous

The pristine worldbuilding in Houseki no Kuni is so spotless, it almost reaches the point of sterility. It’s a beautiful and highly original concept, and this aspect seeps into every fiber of the show. The scenery, along with the fluid 3D animation, are a feast for the eyes. In a way, it’s visually stunning-- to a fault. The immaculate scenery throughout the show is its main highlight. For a post-apocalyptic world, the Earth looks quite liveable. It feels like the whole show was passed through multiple decontamination chambers, then rinsed with water. Unfortunately, its message was also hosed down in the process. The glossy sheen conceals thefact that Houseki no Kuni treads familiar territory with its message. The destruction and repairment of the Gems provides opportunity for some symbolism or broader analogy, and there is certainly some of that here. There are hints of something deeper and more philosophical, such as questions of self-identity. The immortal nature of the Gems reminds me of the dilemma: if you replaced the planks of a boat, one by one, is the boat still ontologically the same? What makes you, you? It’s certainly not your body, nor your memories, nor your personality. All of these change over time. What, if any, is the unchanging constant? Pho’s destructive method of self improvement evokes these questions, though the show doesn’t quite reach this far in its introspection. Instead, these aspects of the story serve to support the show’s hierarchical themes.

The main theme of the story is self-worth. Phos is scoffed for her inability to become useful in the eyes of others, though she’s not the only Gem who has her grievances with the Mohs Scale. Overall, the message is quite rudimentary and it revolves around the desire to become something better. However, being “better”, in the context of the show, really just means being physically stronger.

The pacing is quite slow, so it’s not for the impatient. It took me half the show to realize that not much is really going on. Despite the enormous scenery, the story is quite small in its scope. The character dynamics are useful in keeping things entertaining in the beginning, but only in the second half do things pick up. However, this buildup leads to a nothingburger of an ending. While the show acts like it’s ending, there’s a lack of finality to anything. The ending simply fizzles out of existence.

Houseki no Kuni’s worldbuilding ranks among the better shows I’ve seen, but I wish I could say the same for the characters and message. While they’re decent, they pale in comparison to the show’s aesthetic. It’s a dazzling spectacle, but don’t look too closely.