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Quite possibly one of the most disturbing and grotesque things I've ever read. This was simply awful. Not awful in a 'this is bad' way, but awful in the most extreme sense ever put to words. The 'not reccomended' is because I cannot recommend any other person should ever read this, in good faith, and the low score is due to it being genuinely appalling. I definately hate this. And yet. I must also state that this was extremely fascinating in what it was and what it was communicating. Examining the nature of control through consumption and pleasure, and asking what is love? A lot ... of interesting questions and answers were provided. The artstyle ranges from morbidly cartoonish to a risque lavish style with vicious bite to it, and all of the character expressions are so piercing. Almost all of the characters are nauseating in some manner or another, design wise and personality. The story itself is outright nightmarish and provides scenerios of brutal 'eroticism'. Can it even be called erotic at this point? Was creating this is some form of insane voyeurism for the mangaka? After reading this, I was stunned, and the whole day I was left with a lingering disgust, like something had crawled its way into my stomach and nested there. Remembering it's existance makes me wince. But there must be something said about the fact that this manga caused me such deep disturbance, right? If you loved this, and found meaning in it, I commend you and respect you. I understand why it is loved by readers. Do not feel judged by my review. I hate it. The author starts this manga with a cheeky preface hoping the readers will have a 'pleasant time' with it. Perhaps some stories shouldn't be shared with the world. I wish I hadn't read it. I didn't have a pleasant time.

i watched the anime so naturally what's the next step? checking out the manga, the original work! haha yeah i'll read it! Because i loved the anime! this wouldnt affect me on a deep and meaningful level in any way! surely it won't make me feel sick! (a giant centipede materializes on the ceiling above me and drops onto my head and i scream VERY LOUDLY

if you are looking for something absolutely heart-wrenching and crazy, this is it. psychological drama has never been at a higher peak then this. the art style is FANTASTIC, and the shading techniques used are extremely effective for telling visually ... the characters' emotions and state of mind. the story will not go the way you think it will, and if you assume you are entering a joyride, then you are gravely mistaken.

did i enjoy this? would i call my suffering enjoyment? does my dread count? i cannot talk much about this work without spoiling it, but unfortunately the people on this site decided a 500 word minimum is the review posting requirement. to make up for it, i would say that it is extremely well written. its very human, while also containing an air of non-humanness to it. what else am i supposed to say? You can read any other review on here and it'll tell you the same...

in conclusion, however, god help us when this comes off of hiatus!

I wasn't expecting to like this as much as I did. This show is ultimately about the human internal struggle, but represented in literal symbols for characters. There's an element of horror in this that is unmatched by anything I've seen before. I must also allow a note that I have not read the manga (yet?), so my review is based solely on watching the anime blind.

The art direction is super solid. 3D animation is usually skipped away from in anime, and more preferably used as a backup tool, but Orange uses Land of the Lustrous to take complete advantage of it. At times, the ... 3D models do look a bit stiff and uncanny, but overall it really works in the favor of the story. The way the gem hair is textured and animated is absolutely delightful in particular! The lighting and art direction is wonderful too.

Sound direction is solid too, and I have to point out that specifically during a certain arc, the sound design works in favor of the eerie story progression. The voice acting is fantastic. The entire soundtrack is on Spotify, which is how I actually became finally motivated to try the show itself. The track Sunspot, the theme of the enemies in the show, is chilling and is easily the most memorable song. Both the opening and ending song are beautiful and grew on me quickly.

The characters are a mixed bag for me. Half of them seem to be obnoxious 'anime archetypes', but the other half show promising nuance and agency. My favorite character, Bort, is a battle-obsessed demon who cannot communicate their emotions openly, which I found very enjoyable and endearing. Phos is a very fascinating and human character, who the audience will find no trouble relating to once the story starts to kick up it's pace.

The show in general is very compact. My only true nitpicks lie with small strange things in the story itself, but those quirks can be attributed to the original writer being...possibly questionable. The relationship between the Master and the Gems can be seen as borderline weird, in which it can switch to being sweet and interesting, to possibly reflecting something off about the creator's own views. Also, there's a few ridiculous jokes, and there's times I swear when the animators intended for some shots to be sexualizing. Not funny!

All in all, it's just a good show. Nothing super groundbreaking, and it definitely feels like the manga could contain more context... I'll have to check it out.