To come to acceptance with things and feelings is rare and to accept them completely is a miracle. It's impossible to make that moment come faster by yourself. Someday it comes unexpectedly. In order to not become warped or heartless, let it go in a natural way. Let yourself feel sad when you are, and let yourself forget when you do.

Contain spoiler for post-anime content

It is a fulfilling feeling when you create something with your mind and provoke deep feelings in those who read, watch or experience your fantasy treasure. But those who just enjoy other people’s imagination are really lucky to be alive today, as well. Today, when you have so many books, movies, and games at your feet. And manga, of course. So, now, let me introduce you to another man’s fantasy treasure presented to us by the name “Houseki no Kuni” (also known as Land of the Lustrous). Explained in one sentence, it is a fantasy manga about a new jewel-like race that fights against the Moon people (Lunarians) on planet Earth many, many decades after our current time.

With its simplistic and stylized art style which is majestic and beautiful, notorious for the one-and-a-half-year long hiatus author Haruko Ichikawa took two years ago, and another an indefinite hiatus as the story is drawing to a close, Land of the Lustous is a story that explores human nature. It’s a coming-of-age story to the extreme. It appeals to the more mature demographic as it is being categorized as seinen. It has 13 volumes and it is easy and fast to read. But then again, if you’re not much of a reader, you can watch the anime adaptation first which was released 7 years ago (still praying for season two i don't care).

Land of the Lustrous takes place in a world where humans no longer exist, and instead, beings based on a different gem or mineral, live together in a tight-knit community. They are hunted by beings called Lunarians and are split into fighters and administrators. The Lustrous’s role in life is often determined by their level of hardness. The youngest Lustrous, Phosphophyllite or Phos is tasked with compiling knowledge into an encyclopedia, having a hardness too brittle to participate in combat against the Lunarians. However, after meeting an outcast Lustrous named Cinnabar, an outcast whose structure is surrounded by mercury, making them a danger to those around them. But despite all of that, Phos determined to figure out a way to get Cinnabar to join the main group, making them a danger to those around them. It’s a bit of the hedgehog’s dilemma, especially as Phos develops in their determination and characterization.

Phos's life isn’t particularly exciting at the beginning of the story since they start off as a “useless slag” who aimlessly wanders around the school and bothers other people with their comical laziness. Because of their physical defect, a hardness of only 3.5, and their clumsiness, Phos struggles to be useful to others. They have nothing they are good at and fail at every job they attempt. But once they strike out into the world and start losing some of their body parts (as well as their memories), the plot get thickens. And after a huge incident during the winter Phos set on a new goal and that is to find out everything they can about the Lunarians so that they can rescue the gems taken by these mysterious moon people.

The whole lore and world building of the story tailors to the narrative it tells. In the setting of this manga, gem people’s bodies, made of gem, can break and be pieced back together, so in theory they are immortal. They don’t understand the concept of death and they don’t feel fear if the winter will be too cold, or summer scorching red. However, because their memory is stored inside their physical body, if they lose a part of their body, they lose their memories as well. What is interesting, these gems their bodies are made of, retain memory, so even if they stay fractured for a thousand years for example, they can still regain consciousness after gluing those parts back together. But then again it's a horrific experience and definitely a risk that they have to take since they fighting the lunarians all the time.

Phos, just like all other Gems, strives to make Sensei happy and proud. For him, they will fight and shatter, and fight again. And they never question him, his decisions, or who he is. But Phos lacks the skill of battle, and the path in front of her isn’t an easy one. Throughout the story, it is just a matter of belonging, friendship, acceptance, and purpose they wish to understand. As time goes by, Phos will discover new talents and change. They will mature, change, take on a new role, and as they grow up, they will start to question everything she was taught before. After tasting the initial advantages of accidentally losing their legs being able to move faster, Phos fell into the mindset thinking that they would be better off losing other parts of their body so they can be more capable and useful to their peers. Incited by this toxic self-loathing and desire for self-improvement, Phos loses their arms. In finding the replacement to their arms, the life of Phos’s most trusted friend Antarc is lost. The new alloy arm allows Phos to fight, but the grief of losing their friend/mentor takes a toll on Phos’s mental state.

Phos started to question everything even began suspicion of Sensei, Phos even asked him does he send Lunarians back on the Moon, believing he shows mercy which he shouldn’t, but he simply responds how he helps them find peace.That single moment lets Phos see something that was hidden, something that was taken as an undisputed order from Sensei by other Gems. They never question him, but at that moment, a doubt was born in Phos’s heart. There was a moment where she even stopped for a moment and thought to herself, “Have I just allowed myself to imagine the unthinkable?”. Did she just dare to question their leader, their father figure, their Sensei?. And because of those massive curiosity they have, Phos decided to learn more about Lunarians, try to catch one, and establish a conversation with them. Learn about them and learn from them, are Lunarians more than just enemies who hunt them for their bodies. Could they know something more? Something that would change the entire game of cat and mice they play for centuries?. And because of that, Phos’s body becomes a physical manifestation of the trauma they went through and the evolution of their desire. Throughout their journey, Phos loses their legs, arms, head, and eyes, then eventually loses their innocence, initial desire, and their humanity. The readers are prompted to ask themselves: After all these changes, what has Phos become after all? Is Phos still Phos?.

During the moon arc with a series of choices thrusted upon Phos, Phos’s physical body and mental state changes and deteriorates. I looked around at the other characters, but saw no solution. Even those who around Phos like Diamond, Yellow Diamond, Caingorm, whom Phos could rely on, were not there to help.This change illustrates perfectly what growing up is like. With great knowledge comes greater responsibility, and you realize that the people who you used to view as grand and unformidable are in the end also people just like you, and they are just as confused as you are about their own ordeal.

Even though Phos is the main highlight of Land of the Lustrous, other characters are quite memorable and very different from each other, personality-wise and appearance-wise especially Cinnabar because she is separated from the others. The reason is her poison that drips from her body and is harmful to other gems, which she cannot control. So, Cinnabar keeps her distance from others so that she doesn’t cover their bodies with this poison. They won’t die because of the poison, but the sun won’t be able to light up those parts and they won’t be able to move. That’s why they have a special doctor who scrapes that poison off or heals them if they are in need of anything else. At the same time, she feels lonely, useless, and unwanted. She is a very contradictory character. On one hand, she keeps resisting the Moon People, and on the other hand, she wants to give up and let them take her away.

Another one that is stand out for me is Diamond who is the shiniest and doesn’t break easily compared to others, but she doesn’t see herself as perfect. She strives to be like Bort. Strong, unbreakable, a better version than what Diamond is now. The anime is better in this area since you can see the color of each character’s hair the entire time, while in the manga you only see it in some instances. Every Gem in this story has struggles, desires, specific movements and it actually invites you to care about them. Wishing you could extend your hand and help them. They don’t seem unbeatable, but rather the opposite. They fight for hundreds and thousands of years and they still lose their companions, they still get shattered and they still wish to be useful to their Sensei. It is a fantasy to us, but an everyday struggle and survival for them.

The buddhist symbolism is also one of the main highlight of Land of the Lustrous. It's fascinating to read a story that uses the religion as a basis for its theming and symbolism. Phos's journey follows the traditional narrative of the Buddha: they leave their sheltered home to witness the horrific suffering in the world (such as Cinnabar’s exile and the gems losing their partners to Lunarian attacks), embark on a quest to alleviate that suffering, and will presumably come to some kind of enlightenment at the end. And as a result, Phos goes through a type of reincarnation experiencing change on a level that organic beings normally do. By the end of the series, Phos seems to have entered into samsara, the cycle of birth and rebirth. They have willed themselves to change through sacrifice and sheer determination. The series sees change as complicated and messy, yet ultimately worth it, with an ending that stays with you long after the final credits roll.

Land of the Lustrous is an unusual series, it's a gorgeous, inventive series with mesmerizing visuals that enhance the storytelling, instead of taking away from it. The characters themselves are a joy, with fun and well-developed character dynamics. While story very much centres on Phos, the way their arc intersects with the colourful cast, gives a brief yet compelling insight into the Lustrous community. It isn't just a beautiful sweeping story about sentient minerals. It’s also wacky and fun. The series has random, bizarre moments that will leave in fits of confused laughter. Especially in the anime somehow is charmingly goofy and strange. Its ability to balance deep character drama and poignant moments with off-the-wall humour makes it a joy to watch.

Through this story about the surreal world of the gems, the author poses the fundamental existential question about human existence: Are you the same as you were when you were born? What makes you you? Your memory, your body, your emotion? Your action and the taking of their consequences?. The readers break, watching the cute, enthusiastic Phos become, to be quite honest, a monster. I have more than once paused amidst the densely packed storyline and asked myself: What would I do in Phos’s place? What took us to this point? What got us to this point where Phos is so totally alone and lost with no one to trust?. The rich characterization, themes of finding your true potential, and unique art direction, make this series really stand out from the others and i'm very happy that its finally coming to an end after a 12 years of serialization.