Jan 18, 2024
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
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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.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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