Aniosophy

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Prefix:
Have you ever taken just one look at a series and I knew there was something special about it? That without even knowing the plot, the narrative themes, the characters, or really anything at all, you could tell there was something intrinsically interesting about an idea? That is how I feel about Land of the Lustrous. This is a series that somehow merges the complex and the simplistic, while it examines complex philosophical ideas and deep-rooted mysteries within its plot, at the same time this is a series about something simple, family, and to what extent the bonds of family can be tested before they break. It is about how to internally deal with the loss of family members, and it is about dealing with the uncomfortable thoughts that come along with this depression. It is about feeling comfortable in one's body and stopping the feels of inadequacy one gets from comparing oneself to others. This is not a happy series, if you are here for that you can leave now, but it is a series that examines fundamental ideas within the human psyche, and for that alone, I feel it is a worthwhile watch. While this is not necessarily a happy series, it is an extremely interesting one, because of the way it examines these fundamental ideas and how it portrays what might happen if one line of thought is followed through to its natural conclusion, making this into one wild ride of a series. If this has already convinced you enough great, go ahead and stop reading now, if not, let's get into all the aspects that make Land of the Lustrous one of my favorite series of all time.


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Story:
This section is quite hard for me to write about, because I can't really talk about the story without spoiling some part of it, this show's premise is so unique and the fact that a major part of this series is the mystery surrounding what the actual plot is, makes talking about said plot quite hard. But I think it's ok for me to at least mention things you find out within the 1st episode, so here we go, if you don't want to know anything, and instead you want to go in completely blind, then stop reading this part here and skip to the next one.

The main premise this show introduces is, that there is a group of sentient immortal gemstones who have been living on this island for in some cases millenniums, you don't know how they got here, and you don't even really know if this is earth or not, the only character who even resembles something from earth like a human is the main father figure within the family who is a monk, but of course, from the fact that it is stated he had been there since the beginning, it is implied he isn't human either. The gemstones live a mostly peaceful life on this island except for random attacks by the Lunarians, a people who we know virtually nothing about, except that they come from the moon (hence their name) and that they collect the gemstones to break them up and turn them into jewelry. And that is about all I feel comfortable saying about the story without spoiling anything, the story, of course, grows into a much more complex and intricately laced narrative, but even trying to discuss what the story eventually evolves into, I feel would spoil the experience for new people, so I will leave it at that.


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Characters:
What part of you makes you who you are? Is it your hands, your feet, your heart, your brain, or maybe it is the memories that are held within. There is a philosophical dilemma called the “Ship of Theseus”, basically the idea proposed in this metaphor is when does this ship stop being this ship? overtime any ship will need to be refurbished and repaired, but because more and more parts of the original ship are discarded, does that mean eventually the original ship disappears? and at what point does this happen? I bring all of this up because this is an idea that is at the very core of this series when it comes to the characters, and it is presented most vividly within our main character, Phos.

Like I mentioned in the story portion of this review, this show centers around sentient gemstones, and as such they are prone to shattering, some more often than others, and our main character Phos (Phosphophyllite) is one of the most fragile of them all, and as such she embarks on this mental journey revolving around at what point when she's getting put back together is she herself again? The anime dedicates a lot of its runtime to this question alongside the main mystery, and while it is a very interesting question, it does inadvertently create one of only two major criticisms about the series. One of which is that the large cast of colorful characters do not get nearly enough screen time to really be fleshed out as complete people compared to Phos.

Yes, All the main character traits are quickly established in many of the reoccurring characters, and personally I think they work out quite nicely for a 12 episode series, but that doesn't change the fact that the main focus of this show is the internal dilemma within Phos, and because of this, character grow for any other character is basically nonexistent. However, I will say as someone who inevitably read ahead in the manga before writing this review, this problem is almost entirely solved later on, so if it bugs you I recommend reading ahead after you complete this anime, but I do think I should at least mention it in case this is a big negative for some people.


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The Look:
As it is probably obvious from all the promotional material and trailers related to this anime, the entire show is completely 3D animation, but unlike whatever preconceptions you might have about this medium, Land of the Lustrous proves that if done right 3D, in its own way, can look just as amazing as any 2D show. The 3D in this series is actually one of its biggest assets, in fact, the 3D in this series is why it can look so beautiful and cinematic. Cinematography is not a topic I usually bring up in my anime reviews, however, in this case, the benefits from having a completely 3D animated show, are truly eye-catching to see. The camera isn't limited by the careful planning that is required for a traditional 2D animation, instead, you can really see the freedom 3D animation provides. Other obstacles to the story have been almost completely removed because of the fact that this is completely in 3D, animators don't have to worry about the fact that almost every body in this series is made up of reflective gemstones, an obstacle that would have been nearly impossible to deal with in traditional 2D animation. Additionally, because of the way this show is animated it makes every single screenshot from this series look like the perfect background, every scene in this anime carries a beauty that would require significantly more work if it was done solely in 2D. I know this gets praised in every review of this series so it might sound like a bit of an echo chamber, but I really can't emphasize enough how beautiful this anime truly is.


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Music:
I don't consider myself some kind of music connoisseur, but the OST for this show is something I really want to highlight because of how it sticks with you even after the show ends. Something about it having the perfect balance between feeling whimsical and youthful during the times when is needed, versus the tracks that invoke an almost lovecraftian terror of the unknown, really just elevates this OST in my mind. There are songs in this series that make me terrified in a way I have never experienced before, terrified not because of the outcome I suspect will happen, but because you genuinely can't even comprehend the unknowable desires of the beings that appear in this world. Yet there are still moments of childlike happiness that take place in this anime, and it is this contrast that really elevates the narrative that is being told. As our main protagonists grows up, you can feel how the music grows up with her, and ultimately, over time, you can see how the happiness of those younger days slowly dies within the music, eventually being replaced with the realism that is omnipresent in adulthood. The OST for this series truly reflects the narrative that is being told, which is something I genuinely appreciated while watching this series. Not to mention, the OP and ED are also great and really matched the themes that are being told within this series, it just so happens that this time around the OST is what stuck with me more.


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Conclusion:
But not everything in this series is perfect, with there being one final criticism that I feel I really should mention about this series, and that is there really isn't a conclusion to be found. Yes, the creators of the anime do try their best to find some semblance of a conclusion for this “season”, but ultimately the ending that we have feels abrupt and ultimately ends the story right when you really begin to truly be invested in the mystery this series provides. No spoilers of course, but I will say that at some point the mystery that you feel lurking in the background of this series starts to become more center stage, and right when this happens its when the series ultimately ends. Now, I will say like I mentioned in the character portion of this review, this is a problem that is significantly resolved in the manga, and if you are willing to read the manga after you finish this series like me this probably won't be a turn off, but I did at least want to acknowledge it here so you are not completely blindsided by this fact once you embark on this journey.

Ultimately, this is a series that I truly fell in love with, so much of this series is just so interesting to me that I genuinely can't stop myself from giving it all the praises it rightfully deserves. Land of the Lustrous has easily become one of my favorite series of all time, with the manga also genuinely becoming one of my favorite mangas, and the fact that the anime was able to bring to my awareness such an amazing work, I will be forever grateful. In the end, I am pleased to give this anime a 90/100, with it obviously eventually getting raised to a perfect score once the rest of the manga is finally animated, but until then we'll leave it there. This is a series I did not expect to fall in love with on so many different levels, but ultimately I did, and for that reason I highly recommend you give this series a chance, if anything I've said up to this point has interested you even a little, please check it out. My words can't do this series justice, something about this series makes you want to read it till the very end, within its uniqueness and philosophical dilemmas is a mystery that you genuinely can't pull away from until you find the answers you are looking for. I hope you end up liking the series as much as I did, so until the next review, さよなら 😉