(This is NOT a spoiler-free review.
More than a structured review, this is a compilation of thoughts I had while and after reading the manga)

I would start by saying: I absolutely love this manga. I ABSOLUTELY hate how everything turned out, yet I wouldn’t change the tiniest thing. It’s the kind of story that stays with you for years after you read it, and moved me enough to write my first-ever review.

The worldbuilding and story progression are quite similar to those of Code Geass and Attack on Titan, yet they are complex in very different ways. I would even argue that Phos’ character arc is comparable to that of Lelouch and Eren. For this reason, it felt familiar despite elements that couldn’t be more different.
The introduction of a structured society, an oppressing force, a seemingly unending, timeless struggle, the mystery of the world beyond, and an ambiguous, almost anti-hero protagonist at the center of it all, all contribute to that feeling.

Yet Phos is different, fundamentally so, right from the beginning. In a world of sentient, almost one-dimensional gemstones, Phos is too human, far too human,even before their “humanification process” begins. While it may be argued that the other gemstones had struggles of their own, they were too complicit, too absorbed in their routines, and too unwilling to change anything.

Phos challenged every restriction placed on them, driven by curiosity to the point of losing too many parts of themselves—leaving behind little more than their core; yet somehow not losing who they are at their essence, owing to sheer willpower. Perhaps that was their tragedy.

Unlike the other protagonists I compared Phos to, who at least had some semblance of a plan or foresight about what they were doing (let's be honest they had everything planned out down till the very end), Phos was entirely at the mercy of circumstance and the consequences of their own actions. They had no inkling that they would spend 10,000 years on Earth, become a ‘God’ of sorts, and ultimately free everyone else while being left behind, all alone.
It was not a fate they predicted, but one they unknowingly chose.

The betrayal by the other gemstones (those who didn’t travel to the moon), despite my anger and disappointment, is not entirely incomprehensible. Nor is their indifference. Phos challenged their comfortable reality - called it an illusion - and sought to change it. It is unlikely that beings with such vast lifespans, almost akin to immortality, who have repeated the same routines for centuries (if not millennia) would accept a complete upheaval without resistance.

They clung to what was familiar and comfortable, under the guise of their love for Adamant. I’m not denying that love, but it hardly justifies their hostility toward Phos’ attempts at persuasion, which were largely civil and rooted in negotiation, at least until tensions escalated.

(Case in point: Rutile absolutely losing it after Padparascha is taken to the moon by Phos, yet isn't the slightest bit happy/relieved to see them all fixed. Rutile didn't even hesitate to attack them. Wasn't this the person you dedicated your entire life to "fixing" ? It was ultimately more about the loss of their assumed purpose and identity, less about their loyalty to Adamant/hostility towards Phos.)

However, after all that resistance, their sudden acceptance of the Lunarians upon arriving on the moon, discarding their previous beliefs and even choosing to become Lunarians themselves almost instantly, is laughable. Deplorable, even. That moment alone highlighted how shallow their critique of Phos truly was. The hypocritical self-righteousness fell right through.

Their inability to show even a trace of gratitude or regret for Phos’ fate is what disgusted me most. And yet, with a heavy, conflicted heart, I can still say I understand them.
They were finally freed from the endless cycle on Earth. Life on the moon was nothing short of paradise. And, aside from the last 300 years, Phos had always been little more than an aimless little airhead in their eyes. It’s unlikely they would prioritize Phos over their newfound reality and the identity shift that came with it.

Phos’ transformation into a godlike being toward the end is heartbreaking. It makes me reflect on how deeply depersonalizing godhood can be, being worshipped and valued only for what you can provide, rather than for who you are.

Say, if Phos could not grant them the nirvana they sought, if they could not pray them away, what then? Would they still be loved? What would've been of Phos then? It's something I often think about.

I’m still angry that everyone else got to enjoy 10,000 years of peaceful, carefree existence on the moon, while the one who made that possible remained alone,enduring who knows what.
Did Phos deserve that? No.
Did the others deserve their blissful existence? Debatable (what I mean by that is no)
But stories don’t exist to satisfy our sense of fairness.

Final Thoughts:

Land of the Lustrous is very close to my heart, it is a beautiful, thought-provoking exploration of human nature, ironically, through beings that are no longer human. The idea that the kind of suffering humans create can persist for millennia after their disappearance is unsettling… yet not surprising. A glance at the present state of the world is enough to confirm that. This isn’t something that can be washed away easily.

P.S. I didn’t focus on other characters in this review because, to me, this is Phos’ story, Phos' tragedy, and everyone else mostly just makes me angry.
Cairngorm (DO NOT GET ME STARTED), Cinnabar, Aechmea and Bort in particular.
Padparadscha, Ghost and Antarc are cool though, and I’ll give Adamant a pass. He did his best.

I understand them all. And I still hate them. It's very conflicting. I wish they could've done better. I wish Phos did throw them into the sun...and I wish someone could've just given Phos a hug.