Houseki no Kuni
Land of the Lustrous

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Evokes a sense of dread that few things can. Every new chapter things get a little bit worse, and worse. It's a slow buildup to complete and total disaster, and at the center is Phos. The art in this manga is absolutely phenominal, and it would behoove me to not mention the amazing adaptation of it that at the very least matched the art. The mangaka has a mastery over expression to the point that she can accurately depict what the reader is feeling as they're reading the chapters. It can easily stand side by side with things like Punpun for that alone.

This review is spoiler-free, I won't give you any information you wouldn't find out by searching it or by reading the first chapters.

An absolute joy to read, both on it's visuals and the writing.

"Land of the Lustrous" is captivating, it looks like nothing i have ever seen and has an amazing use of the constant black background to craft loads of striking scenes coupled with dialogue that perfectly fits what it's trying to convey, this wouldn't be nearly as much of a masterpiece if didn't had this specific artwork. While it may not be as detailed as most manga are, this kind of composition works ... together with the narrative to create an absolutely outstanding piece of art.

Our protagonist is androgynous looking like almost every character in the story, his goofy and lazy personality allows for a much easier start and for us to easily relate to the character of Phosphophyllite, it tries to drag you in as soon as it can and doesn't waste your time, early establishing the main, elegant-looking enemy and the element that makes the entire story flow as it does, the physicality with which the Gems are broken. Not only does it look great, but it adds to the overall whimsical feeling and plot, by chapter one you already know what can happen to these characters and the chance that they can be rebuilt, it makes you ask questions about the moon and it's dwellers constantly, but you'll have a long way ahead to get those answers.

Reading the first chapter again surprised me by how many things it established I just didn't knew where that important and the great foreshadowing, it's very clear that Ichikawa Haruko had a very good grasp of what she wanted this series to be and created a structure in which she could execute all that.

It already starts off pretty interesting and good looking, and from then on, it goes to develop and entertain you with different things that have a believable relation, I never doubted the reasons of a character to be where he is or do what he does, and I definitely never doubted the flaws the characters have, they're not perfect, you may think that they would be after knowing how they look, but the first three chapters talks about three different characters and how they are far from perfect.

While the moon is one of the main elements of the story and being taken to it is clearly a sign of the characters losing, I felt that maybe it wouldn't have too much tension and payoff to the great buildup, I was terribly wrong, i'm not talking about the answers the series gives later on, even tho they are great, i'm talking about how satisfying it is to watch our character's tales.

Every time they broke beautifully, they get rebuilt and as result become easier to be broke again. Some series where characters can't be killed use things like cutting of a limb to take something away from the characters, so having immortal characters that can be rebuilt and not knowing exactly what happens on the moon may sound like the tension would be drain out by the circumstances, but it doesn't, the series actually manages to have a incredibly good body horror aspect both visually and narratively, which creates some of the best looking fight and presentation scenes I have seen in my life.

I could go on about the specifics, but that would be spoiler territory, and I don't want to ruin anyone's possible amazing experience with this masterpiece, I strongly recommend this and it's anime adaptation to literally everyone, as even the CG looks great.

Fascinating concepts, great character development and portrayal, this manga manages to masterfully balance fantasy, horror, action and comedy in a package that I can easily say will be my favorite manga for a very good time, maybe for the rest of my life, since one of the reasons I don't read too much are because most of then don't interest me and I just find anime to be easier to consume.

I can't praise this as much as I wished to, so i'll stop here and go watch something as you go read it, and I hope you find it as amazing as I do.

it's over. it's finally over.

what started out as a charming, albeit slightly unsettling, story of cute rock humans fighting fluffy moon aliens quickly became one of the wildest, strangest and most provocative plots i've read yet in manga. seriously, this manga gets really weird. not too incomprehensible, nor pretentiously abstract, but if you want a simple action mystery story Land of the Lustrous probably isn't for you.

PLOT:
plot is good. it's not what i'd say is the selling point of LotL, but it's definitely paced well enough to never feel like a scene drags too long. the plot gets really weird halfway through, and some might ... complain that the second half feels extremely disjointed but i dont know, it works for me.

i will say, there's a portion in the middle of the manga where it does get a bit repetitive and it starts to drag a little. this is due to the setting that the manga confines itself in, which does start to get stale after awhile. thankfully there's a change in setting soon enough, and that's when things start to progress again.

CHARACTERS:
the protagonist (phos) is handedly one of the best ive seen. many amazing protagonists in manga are unlikable or not particularly interesting in the begin compared to the path they will later undertake (i.e. eren, thorfinn) but phos is immediately charming and interesting from the start. there's a sense of incompleteness in phos, which makes their development one of the most fascinating ive seen done in manga.

the other characters are pretty solid too. most of the Gems are dysfunctional in their own way, which makes for an interesting character study on each of them. they get ample page time to establish themselves, and overall i have no issues with them. they do feel set up to flesh out phos further at times, but i really have no issue with that in a manga that is laser focused on its protagonist's development as LotL.

ART:
there are two kinds of amazing art in manga. on one hand, you have the berserks, the vagabonds. those are meticulously drawn to perfection, trying to capture the human anatomy as accurately and as realistically as possible with the pen. on the other, you have LotL.

ichikawa excels at creating evocative, beautiful art while achieving a sense of minimalism in her art. there's no intricate shading, no miura-esque every-pixel-must-be-perfect philosophy behind her art style, but her impressive use of negative space, symmetry in her page compositions and panels are simply incredible. every panel flows seamlessly to the next, and it makes for a great reading experience.

only nitpick is that it can be quite tough to differentiate the Gems, especially at first.

TONE:
i love how bleak this manga can get. i also how love how hilarious it is.

the humour is a constant in the series. unlike many manga out there, where humour is often highly exaggerated and slapstick, LotL's humour is often more quippy, and even in many occasions, pretty damn dark. it's never too frequent to become grating, and the jokes tend to land well.

THEMES:
existentialism and a whole lot of buddhist motifs. sounds pretentious i know, but don't worry, ichikawa does not shove it down your throat to the point where it affects the plot. ive never read a manga with themes that get as existential and abstract as LotL, and as someone who does believe somewhat in Buddhism it is handled in a really interesting manner without getting preachy.

OVERALL:
also the ending's good. it's not anything mindblowing, but it's a fitting, beautiful ending for our protagonist.

a must-read if you're someone looking to read all the classics in the medium. i can promise that you will find NOTHING like LotL, love it or hate it. an imperfect masterpiece.

9/10

This is one of my top manga series of all time.It's going to be getting an official English release this year and despite the series not being finished yet, i thought it'd be a good time to write a review of it for anyone who's curious about it.
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Story+Characters
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The story is very interesting and contains a lot of mysteries. It presents many questions about this world and it's characters. Like, who and what are the moon people? What is the managers goal? Where do these gems come from? and is there anyone else on this world?The series is not all dark and depressing either,as there is ... a lot of comedy here too which i enjoy.

The most intriguing part of this series for me were the gems themselves. All the characters aren't just named after gems, they literally are that gemstone and take on their real world properties.For example, Cinnabar is toxic and keeps himself away from everyone, whilst Diamond is one of the strongest fighters due to his hardness level which prevents him from breaking easily.

I really enjoy all the characters in this series,while some get more time in the spotlight than others, their personalities were distinct enough that i remember them well. Phosphophyllite is an amazing main character,without spoiling anything, lets just say he gets a LOT of character development.

Also an interesting thing to note is that all the characters are androgynous and refer to each other using male pronouns. Just another element that makes this series so unique.
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Art
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Very stylish. I love how the art shows how shiny these gems are,like how their hair refracts the light onto their shoulders. Although it is a little morbid seeing a character broken into pieces sometimes.

The character designs are great too, despite how most of the characters wear the same uniform, their hair styles are unique enough to tell them apart. Backgrounds art is also great, and it really sets the mood in some scenes.I like the use of solid black.
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Final thoughts
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Since it's not finished yet and i don't know when it will i'm giving the series a 9 overall for now. If it keeps being this amazing and answers all the questions i have,when it's finished i could easily give it a 10.That's how good this manga is.
Please give this manga a go if you're looking for something different from the norm!

(I also recommend watching the beautiful anime style trailer too, so you can join me in wishing it gets an anime series someday.)

One of my top rated manga, it has an uncommon and interesting story, due to the mysterious vibes it gives off mostly because of the lack of background information. (There are many clues around the series which i personally think that they are currently in a post apocalyptic earth whose humans 'dissapeared')

Character
Although, the change of personality because of a traumatic experience is similar to other mangas such as Tokyo Ghoul. The main character of Houseki no Kuni whose name is Phos has a particular character development that differs from them. Maybe it is probably because of her/his lack of perception and the ways she/he tries ... to achieve her goals.

Overall
Aside from the character development and the unique story, I think this manga also provides a nice food for thought because of the philosophical chats about relationship, growth and others which I appreciate.
However, a negative aspect of this manga is the amount of time it takes to release a new chapter.[T_T]

Houseki no Kuni tells a strange story standing somewhere between fantasy and sci-fi, good and bad, strange and yet addicting. It is something with the overall feeling of intertwining sorrow, nostalgia, anger and hope that makes this manga enjoyable, rather than the plot and the characters.

Phos, our main character, is like the ugly duckling of the Gem Kingdom - energetic, nice and loving, but still weak and clumsy, among a nation of fighters. And the plot is straightforward - about the growing of Phos in a strange desert-like world. I would say that the manga indeed lacks something in the development of the ... characters - it is somehow missing, too slow or too sudden, which could be a plus in some cases and it does not affect how lovable Phos is, but nevertheless it somehow makes the story static.

The Art is fine, but it does look a lot like shoujo (the long limps somehow remind me of CLAMP art, I wonder why), although I would say this manga has nothing to do with the genre. It does fit seinen more and I would say the contrast between the art of the Gems and the devoid of life world is refreshing. The plot is also fine, but could be too slow or predictable from time to time, taking into consideration that most of what I've read so far was..let's say fighting.

Even though I said all of this, I would recommend this manga and I do hope they would make at least an OVA out of it. It has its bad sides, but it's enjoyable and indeed refreshing, more like your Sunday afternoon reading, than anything else. I find it addicting and I would continue to follow it, despite its downsides and I hope helped you consider reading it. It's worth for the feeling. :)

I'm not a huge fan of the way the plot has been progressing lately (spoil chapter 80).

I like this series, but I can't help but feel the quality of the writing has degraded ever since Phos went to the moon, so I thought I'd discuss it a little here and get some opinions. This might get a little long, so there's a TL;DR in the bottom.

The major issue with this arc is that we're switching from a mostly character-driven story to a mostly plot-driven story. While LotL obviously has a good plot, most of it came from how characters interact with each other and Phos ... learning about the world and changing within it. Other than "lunarians are attacking", there really isn't much happening in the world.

We take a sudden shift from Phos just wanting the truth to Phos tries to end the war between the gems and the Lunarians. The arc starts off great, because you're not sure who's side you should be rooting for, or if you should even be rooting for Phos because he seems kind of evil and suspicious trying to lure people onto the moon (granted, it's for a greater purpose, but being a lunarian spy is just creepy).

The problem with this is that after that point, we almost get no character interactions outside of Phos, Adamant, the Prince, and Cairngorm. Everyone else seems to have been thrown to the side so we can get more time to move the plot forwards. Characters like Dia, Amethyst, Alexandrite, etc have barely appeared at all in the last ~15 issues other than a few cute scenes, and we barely see the perspective of any of the gems on earth. This already makes things iffy, but lets talk a little on what the main characters have been doing in this arc.

The prince and Cairngorm
I like the idea of Cairngorm being broken of their curse and becoming more like their own character, while some people called him evil it really isn't the case, as he did thank Phos for bringing them to the moon and did show some appreciation despite everything. Other than that, the relationship between the prince and Cairngorm really isn't going anywhere. Other than Cairngorm wanting to become a lunarian, all their time spent together could've been utilized better. I'd rather have seen the rest of the cast getting some love.

Feels like some parts are missing?
Since we're mostly spending our time on the moon, we don't get any perspective for what's happening with most of the characters. We see the earth gems visibly upset about some of them leaving to the moon, but that idea doesn't get expanded at all. Also, some things that should've been there just... Aren't. For example, we never saw Rutile's reaction to Padpara being revived and shattering him other than this one panel in chapter 70 (which was heavily rushed and hard to follow imo). Considering we just had a huge time skip, I doubt they'll ever talk about this.

I wish some characters would explain how they're feeling so we can understand their perspective. Dia looks alright on the moon, but are they happy? The earth gems look frustrated, but do they not have any doubts about killing the moon gems they used to love? We never got any of that.

What the hell is going on with Cinnabar?
Cinnabar's arc just makes NO sense. The first encounter with Phos, he said he wanted to go to the moon. After that, they literally thought to themselves "If you had just asked to team up... I would've said yes". When talking about finding the truth, Cinnabar said they haven't decided on trusting Adamant or not, indicating that they're willing to work with Phos in finding the truth. In general, they're distant but very close friends with Phos. After all their interactions, Phos FINALLY tells him the truth, and FINALLY asks to team up, but CINNABAR SAYS NO?????

What the hell? It felt like they threw out all of Cinnabar's development away in one chapter. Not only that, but cinnabar treats Phos as an enemy and even attacks him in chapter 70 FOR NOOOO REAAASOOON. Literally just tried to kill the one character that legitimately cares about them. Are you telling me he didn't actually care about Phos after all this time? I hate what they did with cinnabar this arc, hopefully there's a reason for it.

TL;DR
This arc is kind of messy story-wise. Everything is happening a little too fast and we're not getting developments in the right spots. Some characters like Cinnabar aren't acting like themselves at all just to cause trouble for Phos. I honestly doubt most of them should be as heartless as they're being now. It feels like the writing has gotten a little lazier and more plot-heavy but sacrifices character development to move things forwards. Hopefully things will get better in later chapters.

I still like the story and would love to see what happens next though.

[Spoiler Warning]

I really do like Houseki no Kuni's wonderful characters and whimsical fantasy tone -- until it loses it along with most of its charm and Phosphophyllite's sanity. From chapter 19 onward, Houseki no Kuni's tone and pacing suffer bouts of schizophrenia. Excessive and often repetitive action scenes drag out the midsection of the currently released chapters, littered with gratuitous "deaths". The most interesting and nuanced characters are sidelined until all that's really left to focus on is Phos, Cairngorm, and Adamant -- and maybe Cinnabar, too, since the mangaka really likes to remind you that Cinnabar exists just as you're about to forget.

Houseki no ... Kuni's greatest sin is wasting your time, which comes to a head when Phos is forced to learn about the existence of humans again despite already learning the information some 40 chapters earlier. After 40 months (this is a monthly series, so storytelling time is precious), Phos finally learned information they had already learned and then forgotten. No new information is gained, so for the reader this is a colossal waste of storytelling time. The long stretch of fights in the midsection of the 61 chapters play like a groundhog day loop of Phos's failures, wearing down your energy to continue reading.

The art is simplistic and rough, with Clamp-like spaghetti limbs. Each of the gems wear the same clothes and have roughly the same face, making them hard to distinguish save for their distinct hairstyles. The roughness of the art begins to take its toll the more Phos's design changes with each "upgrade" they receive. These upgrades come in the form of new materials to replace Phos's lost body parts, roughly corresponding to the Seven Treasures of Buddhism and meaning to date there are likely 2 more upgrades left. This gives Phos a Frankenstein's monster appearance of mixed colours and a messy design that doesn't do the art any favours.

I really do want to like Houseki no Kuni more. A lot more. But I'll keep reading it anyway.

I will try to write my personal opinion about this fantastic psychological work with its great plot while avoiding spoilers as much as I can.This manga is about gems and the work itself is a gem:the gem that formed a big part of my character that I owe it for
Helping me and holding my hand towards the "Who are we?" and "What are we doing here?"This work for me confronts a purely existential issue that can be drawn from the sentence "Am I doing the right thing?" and "Why doesn't it seem right to others?"

The story begins with our cute and beautiful little gem called ... phosphophyllite which is an aspect of us all we once possessed: the innocence and curiosity about exploring the world around us and our very simple and superficial view of our existence.We want to do something in this world, don't we? Our gem phos sensed it and did what most of us would normally do: ask her sensei for help and then they got the job.Everything looks nice and beautiful. Finally we will be able to do something so that we feel good the satisfaction about ourselves because we see everyone doing it (???????????????)
Well, all of us, as we travel towards the discovery of the world, will discover terrible things, I will avoid spoilers here, and we will ask:What did I come from? Why did I come? How and why did this happen?Is it conceivable that my existence is a mistake made by someone else and now I have to correct it? What if that mistake was really the right thing to do? But what is my fault? Then I have to fix the world!! Hey, why doesn't everyone share my idea? Am I a sick person as they say about me? Why is everyone running away from me? But I want to help them!!OK I will do it ,You are after all fools.Hey why can't I find my happiness! I want happiness for everyone!! Why no one understands me and helps me!!I want freedom for me and everyone! I want justice! Why have I become the bad person? Why is everyone taking advantage of me! Why is the world so cruel to me! This world breaks me so much! I didn't hurt anyone. Who am I? Who are you? Why can't I stop this flooded liquid from my eyes?I'm losing all sense of my body and myself.I'm in pain, someone save me! Why is everyone leaving, I tried to help. But who is helping me? I'm broken!
I am no longer me!

The story is heading towards a dark and painful turn and a mixture of feelings, thoughts and painful events. Why is this world mad? And why is existence painful?
It is a great, important and different story in all aspects, especially that the world of the story is fantasy and the characters are agender, unique and gems. But in the end, it is a humanitarian work that tries to confront and inquire about an existential and moral crisis that mankind will live ,experience as long as he is alive.

Houseki no Kuni has a silent philosophy to it that I can't put into words – it's not a philosophical manga per se, but it builds a world, a story and a progression like a vacuum within itself (which was probably its goal with the Buddhist references). It feels brief, deterministic and the trivial daily life is only implied, in the same way the humanity of the characters, the trifles, the troubles and indulgences, the ambitions and wants are often implied.

For that I think the pace fits perfectly. The plot progresses naturally within the mechanics of the world, the main character is very likeable and ... the side characters as a whole are also great, though some have very little time to be fleshed out, which goes back to the daily life just being implied. It's still clear that such characters have a history (e.g. Neptunite, Benito, Ghost Quartz). The more important side characters have a good presence. This makes things seem a bit detached and abstract (which is a good thing for its overall feel), but simultaneously it's intimate and almost Slice-of-Life-y because of how central the main character Phosphophyllite is to the story.

Said detachment has its charm and, while making the manga's world appear cold, also brings up a lot of questions for the reader. Not about the world or the characters, but about general things. It makes you ponder. A big one is time and the perception of it, given how Houseki no Kuni moves in very big time periods. Other themes that get tackled in the manga holistically are purpose, truth, humanity, companionship, duty, *change*, courage/risk, doom. The ease in which this philosophising comes definitely needs one's preference for such a style of story, maybe sympathy for solipsism or nihilism too. It's not a quick read, but if you're invested by Chapter 40 or so, I think going the whole way will be worth it. The only trouble this manga has is lengthy exposition at times, but since it tries hard to stay consistent and whole, it makes up for it by having an intense (soon to be) complete(d) story in a little over a 100 chapters.

There's something inside any piece of fiction than always makes the spectator heart race, when you see the "magic" inside a world written down by the mind of a perturbed, fascinating, brilliant or weird insight of someone, or maybe all of them coming together to make a work so special, so unique that it feels magical. Whenever I start a manga, anime, visual novel, video game, etc I always think "Well... What do you have to offer to me?" as a way to suppress my own excitement and mind before making judgments in any work... I think here with Houseki no Kuni I found one ... of the most exciting, emotional and "magic" world this medium can offer. A work doted with so much color despite being monochromatic, a work doted with so much humanity despite not having a single human, a work so emotional despite being so draining and desolate... House no Kuni is one of those work that works because is a manga, that takes absolutely and completely advantage of the medium it is written on as to make everything more compelling and charming with its characters, narrative and drawing.

I'll make this review short. And I'll treat the gems as "she" despite being non-binary because it is more easy for me to write this down. Thank for your comprension.

Our story takes place in a world where mankind has going extinct, and the world is inhabited by gems that are invaded by lunarians, a weird race that attacks, destroys and kidnaps the gems; Phos, our protagonist, laying in the ground with nothing to do, is wakened up by one of her gems comrades for a work offer... I want to summarize it as simple as this because the twist and the progression in Houseki no Kuni makes it that looking back at this chapter holds a so significant narrative and feeling in it that it is just incredible. Basically Phos is looked down funnily by her comrades gems because the strength of a gem is based in their hardness scale... Then how do our protagonist Phos starts? And that's the first approaching with its character: Phos wants to be stronger, to be able to defeat the lunarians despite having a hardness of 3.5, making it impossible in the eyes of everyone around her and even in the eyes of the master of the gems; Kongo.

And with the main plot summarized... What's so special about Houseki no Kuni? I think everyone who has read the manga will answer you the same: Phos, we, as lectors, are drawn upon such a journey of self-understanding coming from Phos that it is so emotional driven it can make people be fond of our protagonist problems and dynamics with other: The feeling of wanting to improve, to help others, just to see all crumble as you continue still going bad ways because of the way you're hurt, that is something that resonated with myself throughout the whole manga, that human feeling of self-hate because you don't fit with everyone else, that strong loneliness of wanting to change... Just to still being unaccepted by the rest... I won't explain in too much detail about Phos journey as experiencing it reading page by page is something that will just be stuck in the lector's mind for a long time. Phos change in the entire manga feels so natural and so well calculated it just can't stop amaze me, people often think Phos is rewritten by the author to make the protagonist fit in the story and Buddhist themes more, but that couldn't be further from reality. Trauma builds character, that's the philosophy in Ichikawa (the mangaka) as she continued the series with Phos, the excessive well thought dialogue and interaction between characters works as an example.
In one of the most tragic event for our protagonist, we heard how she is entrusted with the task of "helping sensei to not feel lonely" which is a phrase that resonated so much with our protagonist to the point where we see a real and straightforward correlation between her character progression and this idea that is hurt to see, despite all her changes throughout the story Phos continues to show her self to others in some ways: when she first changed she was still playful and kind to others, after that she still considered Kongo an important piece of her life, and after that she still wanted to help the other gems. That's what is so incredible about how the dialogue is structured and how everything is delivered in this manga, because it makes a twist around our characters, specially the protagonist. Ichikawa tend to make her paneling in which two character are talking some mundane things by a strong following of little change in expression to make it feel real and alive, so when a character speak out the main topic of their exchange in dialogue we're always welcomed with a big panel focusing in their expressions and positions, why? Because Ichikawa's way of portraying the relationships in Houseki no Kuni works as a full exchange between people who are hurt with a dynamic to make it like both character are part of the problem (the examples being between Phos and Cinnabar/Diamond and Bort) and I just absolutely adore how her paneling helps build scenes and dialogue, that's why I said Houseki no Kuni takes full advantage of the medium, because the monochromatic and the like "geometry" in the drawing in Houseki no Kuni is so perfectly well crafted that help us understand more the feeling that this work delivers the best: Loneliness.

The negative and positive space just along the structure of Ichikawa's art makes it so the themes and messages are perfectly cohesive with each other. This is not a work where the art is realistic neither it tries to be, but the style it has on its own is just so incredibly good and intriguing that it just went over my favorite art in all of the medium. I love everything about houseki no kuni's style and arts decision: The fact that even backgrounds are little to almost never drawn is something that works because of how it is handled (which normally would be a lazy and mediocre choice for an artist) and how the crippling feeling of misunderstanding and loneliness is present. Ichikawa's artwork and thinking is something that deserves praise. For example, in every volume until volume 11 (where something really big, happens) there is one character that is almost always drawn; Cinnabar, but she is dawn always in the page holder, being apart from every other character... Why? Because that's a subtle way of showing, a paratextual way of depicting Cinnabar's problems and themes in a clever and interesting way that works within the medium of a written work and portrayed it in paper. The budhism messages are a touch so lovely to this work that I always felt like everything was structured so well done I felt even little myself compared to the themes.

That thought-provinkg themes of Buddhism, incredible protagonist and the beautiful writing is what makes this work feel special and so magic. Houseki no Kuni is a manga that I followed since school since I was like 13 years old and is finished now that I'm 20 years old. Is a story whose themes followed in my path of life to this day and watching the culmination and how I even managed to understand the cycles of hatred, the loneliness, the sorrow, the fear of change, the fear or forgetting and the forgiveness is something that resonated in some aspects of my life as I have grown up, and the story continued unraveling itself. I may sound silly as I also feel I went on a journey of my own while Phos was going in hers. Sometimes I wanted to give up and feel far away from the world and the people, just as Phos did. I feel like I was lost in trying to please everyone else except me, just as Phos, that's why I'll always have a soft spot to Houseki no Kuni (despite having an overall excellent quality and being one of the best), but just as Phos continued and tried and tried until she achieved peace, I still continue struggling with life too, that's how much this works means to me. A fantastic even cosmic journey of how little we could be in the big picture, about what does it mean being human and the nature itself of us as humans. This manga portrayed so many things in such a creative and interesting way that I feel like this is one of those works that I'll cherish forever in my life and a work so interesting and marvelous it makes me wonder about the structure and the dynamic of a manga. I love Houseki no Kuni and Ichikawa for this work. This review works as a way to just shower this page with my gratitude and with the love I feel for this media.

I thank you, Haruko Ichikawa, for making a work as Houseki no Kuni. I'll remember it for as long as I live.

SPOILER FREE REVIEW

Note - At the time of this review, there are only a few chapters left in the story. It is nearing it's end. I would still recommend reading it now instead of waiting for it to finish, but it is really up to the reader. Just know that there are large breaks in the upload schedule of the maga, so if you want to wait, it may be a while ven though it is only a couple of chapters left.

I've never written a review on this site before, not even for my favorite anime, but this manga just hits different. It is such ... a masterpiece that I would absolutely recommend to anyone who is willing to give it a chance. This is, hands down, the best manga I have ever read.
So I guess I should start of my review with a disclaimer that while I watch a significant amount of anime, I don't really read a lot of manga. It is much more than my profile on here would suggest, but still not a ton. I do read a lot of manhwa, though, if that counts for anything.
So, I found this series through a youtube video about how great the 3D visuals for the anime were. I had some time at the time, so for the next couple days, I watched the anime and loved it. However, it was clear to me that the story had a lot more to offer than that once I finished, so I did something I almost never do and went to read ahead in the manga. The anime ends at chapter 30 in the manga, but I started from the beginning anyway to see what changed and what stayed the same. Surprisingly, the anime was incredibly faithful to the manga story-wise, with the only real difference being in the final episode of the anime where it moves around the order of events a bit to wrap up the season in a nice spot.
IF YOU ARE GOING TO START WITH THIS SERIES, I WOULD RECOMMEND DOING THE SAME AND STARTING WITH THE ANIME. It's honestly fantastic. This manga has got to be one of the hardest to adapt into an anime, so instead of trying to stay completely faithful to the panels, they used 3D animation to play into its own strengths and it made for an incredible well-crafted experience. So, luckily, both mediums of this series are great. However, I would recommend starting with the anime and transitioning to the manga because the anime is more accessible and is also colored, which helps substantially in differentiating the gemstones.
What this manga does right:
-Incredibly well crafted world
-Huge cast of unique and fantastic characters
-A rollercoaster of a story
-Tons of character development, especially for our MC, Phos
-The best use of negative space and symmetry I've ever seen
-Uses page flips to build anticipation into breathtaking drawings and character moments
-A masterclass in page composition
-Amazing pacing throughout
-A cohesive story that was planned from the start to the smallest details
-A simple, yet effective art style that is both capable of highlighting small details and of making amazing shots
-Deep theming and buddhist imagery
-Much, much more
What this manga does wrong:
-The characters can be hard to tell apart at times. Although, even this was an intentional decision by the author and it gets easier over time as you get to know the characters. This is also a major reason why I reccommended to watch the anime first, as the color in it makes it way easier to tell them apart in the beginning.
-Long wait times between chapters. It is excruciating waiting several months for a new chapter at times, but each new chapter never fails to disappoint when it does come out. I will be patient.
-??? Literally can't think of anything else. Oh wait, I hate Ghost (name of a character if it wasn't obvious lol).

I literally cannot recommend this manga enough. It has become my all-time favorite. Just read it.

This is the one and only manga that I actually read through and finished (well it is ongoing but whatever).
After watching the anime I was basically rolling on the floor drooling for more. The setting, characters, all were so captivating. Not to mention all the Buddhist parallels and symbolism that is integrated into the plot and world. Will not discuss this here it would be way too long, but is is very interesting if anyone is curious.
The art is not the best but whatever.

In short the story is about what it means being human and the question of stagnation and suffering. If that ... peeked your interest, I'd recommend watching the anime first then reading the manga. Was totally worth it for me.

Slow burn the manga. It takes a while for this manga to pick up the pace and get good, but once it does it is easily one of the greatest manga out right now. The story focuses around a character, Phos, who is trying to find their place in a post-apocalyptic Earth where the only remaining humans are literal rock people, fish, and ghosts from the moon which are trying to collect them. With so much ambiguity, one might get the impression that the author doesn't really know what they're doing, but that is clearly not the case here. I'm gonna be referring to all ... the gems as "he", as they technically have no sex, for simplicity's sake.

To start, the art in this manga is simple, but extremely effective at displaying emotion and impact when necessary. Especially towards to end (i.e. as you get closer to the latest chapters), the art is absolutely beautiful at displaying the feelings of sorrow, pain, melancholy, and anger. Phos' face at chapter 93 (you know which panel) conveys so much emotion. I describe the art style as a mix of bubbly but dramatic, mixed in occasionally with some sharp edges used to invoke negative emotions.

The story, while doing my best to avoid spoilers, is fantastic. As I said, the pacing is slow but the build up is paid off. Although, if you're expecting a satisfying or relieving finish to this, then unfortunately (as of now), that isn't what happens. Phos and the cast get trapped in this situation where no clear solution can be seen as "correct" or as "the best possible outcome." Instead, them, and subsequently, the readers are left thinking: "what do they do?" It's not all doom and gloom in this story though. There are some funny moments, especially early on, amongst the characters. Though to be fair, this only makes the recent chapters even sadder.

Each character feels like they have great depth and a purpose in the story in this manga. Emna has to be one of my favorite villains of all time as he systematically relieves Phos of all his allies either through physical means or by psychological means. It's infuriating to see him so easily succeed but at the same time you can't just be impressed with how thorough and calculated his methods are. The main character Phos is a victim of his environment. Forced to live a life where everything seems to be going against him, eventually even his own family. Although he does use questionable methods to get what he wants, I can't say I've ever felt like he wasn't doing the right thing. Considering the circumstances he was in, he was doing the best he could. Cinnabar was also a great character. While he may come across as this generic "outcast who is actually pretty cool" character archetype, he soon becomes a way to reveal Phos' character development through the eyes of second lens. It's a unique relationship as they become further and further apart as the story goes on as Phos' physical appearance and goals begin to change. Phos gives Cinnabar the one thing he wanted, a friend. As the story goes on however, Cinnabar does end up getting more friends, but grows more and more distant from Phos. Their relationship does get quite deep as at it's peak, Cinnabar has a very strong attachment to Phos. Not romantically, as they don't reproduce like we do, but deep nonetheless.

Overall, this manga is fantastic. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in it.

How did I miss out on this when it was being published regularly and the anime first aired? It was only a few weeks ago (in the summer of 2023) where I was mindlessly scrolling through Instagram and came upon some shitpost highlighting "optimistic" and "depressing" anime/manga. You had your usual suspects- Gurren Lagann for "optimistic" and Evangelion/Berserk/Punpun for the "depressing"- but I noticed that this particular account had also included Land of the Lustrous (Houseki no Kuni) in the "depressing" field. Seeing the cover art, I was somewhat intrigued, leading me to the comments of the post and, lo and behold, someone is talking ... about how Land of the Lustrous could be summed up as just "pain".

They were right.

Without any spoilers, I'll give a quick review:

Land of the Lustrous/Houseki no Kuni is a reflection of the author's philosophical journey to find out what makes us human using characters that, despite looking human, are only partially so. In a somewhat-similar fashion to the popular "Berserk", the story (ironically) uses the lovable protagonist, Phosphophyllite or just Phos, to [very] thoroughly explore that idea. The use of the unique world building and character design being central to that idea of philosophical exploration and the incredible character development that these characters go through in the story is nothing short of stellar. I know the manga isn't technically finished, but it's on the last few chapters of the epilogue and I can already tell that it will resolve in a manner that leaves us, the audience, looking at and into ourselves if we haven't already. I strongly recommend this to anyone who wants not only a great story, but a deep dive into some tough, philosophical topics.

Easily a 10/10

Imagine a society where there is no gender, no race, no scarcity of resources and where beings are immortal. How would such a society function? Would such a society be a utopia? Would members of such a hypothetical society still fight with one another? What could even serve as a cause to fight? And if there is fighting, how would members of such a society reconcile with one other? How does one forgive an immortal enemy? These are just some of the heady themes that Houseki no Kuni (Land of the Jewels) has to ask of its reader.

Set on Earth, tens of thousands in ... the future, when mankind has gone extinct – 28 immortal jewels, all of them equal and genderless protect their small island from mysterious Lunarians who wish to abduct them for unknown reasons. One of these jewels – Phosphophyllite – a good-natured jewel – possessing no redeemable qualities, is our protagonist. The series follows this jewel’s journey as it develops from useless to useful to… well… something else completely. I won’t spoil it.

The first third of the plot can be summed as the “slice-of-life” portion of the series, the part where readers are most likely to drop the series for either being uneventful or for having wacky art. Personally, I’d recommend the anime for this portion (which I have reviewed separately) and then transition to the manga. The second third of the series is the build-up and the last third is the payoff. And what a splendid payoff it is! I won’t spoil it.

Houseki no Kuni is inspired by Buddhist concepts of suffering (dukkha), compassion (maitri) and nirvana (moksha) and is a reflection on how people who genuinely have love for one another can still end up being hurt and causing hurt. With this in mind, the series documents how society, through the suffering of Phosphophyllite, slowly enters in a downward spiral of distrust, anger and violence. And the series does this so well that it is simultaneously beautiful yet tragic, exciting yet foreboding and comic and yet deeply disturbing. While the series gets the ball rolling slowly, it is remarkably well executed. I can safely say that if this series is able to end on what it intends to deliver – the series could end up becoming as one of the finest manga that I have had the pleasure of reading my past 15 years.

So, what’s not to like?

Well, as mentioned earlier, the art is not that great. The characters are often indistinguishable from one another and some fight scenes look downright amateurish. Which is surprising because some manga panels are downright jaw-dropping gorgeous. In any case, be prepared for some sub-standard art. Also, some of the sub-plots (e.g. involving Ghost Quartz) while cohere philosophically are rather jarring (that is to say, that the subplots exist solely to make a philosophical statement rather than to take the plot forward). Finally, if you’re a reader who prefers their manga for fun and light reading or are generally put off by plots that have religious subtexts, this is not the manga for you. I, personally, come from a country where Buddhism has had a presence for over 2500 years, and where it has left and indelible presence on my country's culture, so I can readily relate to what this series has to offer. Highly recommended. 9/10.

*This review stands as of Chapter 90. I will update the review once this manga ends.

For anyone on the fence, please please read Land of the Lustrous. Land of the Lustrous is without a doubt my favorite manga of all time and possibly my favorite story in media.

The story has this level of sophistication that is rarely seen in the medium when it comes to aspects of the human condition. It attempts to answer what makes us human: our desires, passions, and values we have. I understand some of the criticism people have of Hnk has to do with how philosophic it tries to be and I can understand why it is a turn-off for some people.

But if ... you deeply enjoy psychoanalytical character studies then you will deeply enjoy Phos. Phos goes through one of the most heartbreaking and tantalizing character arcs you will see in the entirety of Animanga. But their tragic journey is beautifully and ethereally told. If you can get past the weird premise you will be treated to one of the best characters you will ever witness. For reference, LotL is very similar to something like Code Geass where much of the series's appeal is from its main character. There are still very enjoyable and well-written side characters but they take a back-row seat for Phos's development.

Basically if you love high-concept fantasy and tragic stories, Land of the Lustrous is the perfect manga for you.

This is a review up to chapter 36, because that's all I've read.

This manga is very interesting. No not interesting because it grabs your attention, but it makes me want to talk about it so much.

Let's start with the art. Although the basic art style is not anything insane, the dark shading and unique character designs are really the main highlights of this manga. Characters look unique, and most of thin and tall, often many of them have very feminine traits, like long hair, smaller hands and longer fingers, as well as more refined and smooth eyes. This adds a layer to the ... manga, that I have not seen before really, it makes the experience more mind-bending and interesting for the audience. The art sets the mood of a mysterious, unknown world, as secrets are being uncovered every chapter.

The characters are fine in my opinion. The protagonist is going through some pretty good development, and his relationship and chemistry with cinnibar is contradicting and has potential to lead to an interesting development and climax. Most of the side characters don't get enough depth for me to say that they're great, but I'm sure that will change as I read more of the manga. (also ghost quartz is kinda hot if you know what I mean).

The plot is well-written and paced, the information that we receive doesn't feel like it's coming at us at one time, nor does it rely on flashback moments to convey important information. Right now, it's more like a mystery uncovering plot, where the protagonist has to piece together little bits of information to get to the truth. Nothing too much to say here. I do want to add that the plot amour in this is very minimal, so that's a plus.


Overall, there's nothing to complain about. And I know that this is just the first 36 chapters, but trust me, it's really good, and I definitely recommend this to you if you haven't read it already. In my opinion, this would probably become the new gen evangelion or madoka magica, which means it'll probably be my favorite new gen soon.

Houseki no Kuni is a triumph of imagination paired with a mastery of the medium in which it is written. This manga is highly creative, extremely entertaining, and beautiful in its uniquely elegant style. Its also a thoughtful exploration of themes of life, loneliness, and loss of self. The main character, Phosphophyllite is fantastically realized and enthralling to follow but strong side characters also provide great support. Without spoiling anything, this manga evolves drastically around the halfway mark and that's where it earns its masterpiece status with me. I can't recommend this manga enough, just read it.

Story: 9.5/10
This story is a true joy to read ... and feels almost perfect. The writing is standout, juggling heavy themes and philosophies with a balance of humour and action. It's at times slower and more contemplative while also being ambitiously fast-paced. The humour always landed for me, making this manga funny quite often. The world is very interesting, with easily understandable main ideas but also lots of questions that get answered as you go further in. This manga has many moments that stand out and I definitely got hyped up several times.

Art: 9/10
The artwork in this manga is very stylized but is generally beautiful to look at. Black is used in a more defining role than I'm used to in manga, with many pages using white to outline detail while being black everywhere else. The style mostly works when it is trying to make things look beautiful or elegant but fights get chaotic and messy in a good way, while still being easy to follow. My only nitpick is it's not incredibly impressive at the start, especially coming from the gorgeous vibrant colours of the anime. Some characters look very similar to one another at a glance.

Characters: 9.5/10
This series is massively helped by its strong cast of likeable, interesting characters. The lead is Phos, a gem who is held back by their weak body and the unsatisfying life that they lead. As the story progresses Phos undergoes many changes and developments, with their carefree life being left in the dust. Phos's quest for the truth of their world, with their declining mental state, really carry this story in the best way possible. Phos is a perfect lead character. Other characters also have great parts to play in the story like Cairngorm, a tortured and broken soul struggling with themselves. Cinnabar is also great but I feel like for the moment they haven't lived up to their full potential as a character. The rest of the cast is good fun.

Enjoyment: 10/10
I came into this manga already a fan of its fantastic anime adaption but I was still deeply impressed by how good it was. The style the art was drawn in was really appealing and interesting to me. Like I mentioned already this story massively improves in the 2nd half, everything was so hype. Phos has become one of my favourite characters out of the medium.
I am not even disappointed by the current hiatus because it ended at a fantastic point but I still hope to read more in the future.

Overall: 9.5/10
This manga is brilliant and true landmark work, I recommend it highly to everyone.
Thank you to the author, Haruko Ichikawa for this amazing series.
Have a great day ya'll!

I think it is finally time to write my very unique experience with Houseki no Kuni. The reasons to write this review that are twofold. First, no manga ever made me experience such intense and peculiar feeling. Second, for what I gather my experience with the manga was very different from most of the fandom.

Don't let the insane phosphollyte fool you, House no Kuni at its core is a idyllic manga, what is transmit is not a story (like how in every chapters the characters become less and less interested in what Phos is doing and Achemea just keep doing that thing you don't ... know what he really is on about), but feelings. Its panel with its high contrast images that abuses of light and shadows transmit something unique, I would something lose 5 minutes in the same page because I couldn't take my eyes off of what was being shown trying to absorb every inch of it.

Take for example my favorite character, Cairgorm. For most of her life she was imprisoned inside another gem, unable to express herself or following her desires. Later on in the story after Ghost is taken by the Lunarians Cairgorm seems to be finally free, but she is still imprisoned, the wishes and chains of her former self driver her to help Phos despite her own feelings and desires and that is cause of an intense inner turmoil that leads even to suicide thoughts, a irrational desire to become whatever would make Phos happy. It is only when Aechmea, the perfect man, takes the last fragments of Ghost off that Cairgorm is free to be herself, she ler her true color shine and has a drastic change in her personality and dressing she quite literally become a princess living a happy and glamorous life, and that's what HnK is about.

This is just one tid among of the many bits I chose to show why I love this manga so much. It seems like every character is alive changing as their going through their lives, even tho most of them are immortal. I would like to go on and on and point how wonderful, fluffy and festive the moon is, about how all the gems are affected by their arrival there or to unravel the deeper meaning of the buddhist symbolism, oh, and Phos (this one deserves a essay), but I'll leave you at that for now.