Spoilers

Land of the Lustrous is truly a hidden gem (pun intended). The 12-episode series centers around the gem Phosphoryllite, nicknamed Phos, learning about the world around them and going on adventures. Phos and the other gems battle the Lunarians, who are their enemies attempting to take them to crush them and take them to the moon. There is also another species that inhabits their world that Phos learns about in the course of the series.

I'll continue my review by talking about specific elements I really enjoyed, and all of these are 10/10.

The general premise. By "premise" I'm referring to something different from plot explained above, because while the plot is great, it isn't the main factor that makes me love this show so much. The fact that they're gems doesn't feel like an afterthought, but is consistently developed. Making gems hibernate and stuff makes me think that they thoroughly thought through how humanoid gems might actually live. The show had me constantly googling the different gems and realizing all the little details about them. As an example, the gem Cinnabar does possess a toxic substance in real life, and she banishes herself to a cave in the show so as not to poison the other gems. Antarcticite liquifies at room temperature, and the gem in the show lives in liquid form throughout most of the year, coming out only during the winter to keep defense as the other gems hibernate.

The characters. To pinpoint two specific things I liked regarding the characters, I'd say character development and the relationships between characters. There is a good amount of character development for a show that's only 12 episodes. There's at least two specific points in the show I can think of where Phos' character develops in a noticeable way. These points are where they get new arms and then new legs after two separate incidents. Speaking of incidents, Phos is a very spunky and often incompetent character, which makes them so likeable and fun to watch. They do try to get better though, and the show doesn't try to hold them back even further for cheap jokes. Their development to become a better fighter doesn't feel contrived, and the motivation given by the deaths and injuries of their sister gems is clearly their central motivation. Even side characters have their own development, such as Diamond, who wants to be a protective older sister instead of constantly being protected by her younger sister Bort. There seems to be a hierarchy of characters based on importance to the show, and while that may be a detriment to other shows, it is a strength of Land of the Lustrous. More interesting characters are developed further than others, though all characters are still given their own unique personalities and roles. As for the relationships between characters, there are also a variety of those, including sibling and father-children relationships. The relationship between Phos and Cinnabar is a favorite of mine because of how Cinnabar is isolated and Phos wants to make her feel less alone. Cinnabar has a blunt way of speaking and just pushes Phos away, until Phos eventually requires her help for their project.

The animation. I've seen few shows with this level of beauty. The CGI never failed to impress me. The character design specifically was absolutely PERFECT for the show and I believe encompassed the way each gem would appear if humanoid. The setting was also very beautiful and well-planned. I love a show that makes me want to live in it. The animators did an amazing job with this one.

The soundtrack. I never pay much attention to soundtracks, but this one stuck out to me. It seemed to go perfectly with the action and it was able to give each scene the perfect mood.

The ending. The show ends on a cliffhanger about how Kongo-sensei is involved with the Lunarians and how Phos is going to carry out their plan to move to the moon. I think it was a great way to wrap things up. I hope Land of the Lustrous gets another season, but I'll still be checking out the manga to continue the story.