WARNING: SPOILER REVIEW

I jst finished the series and my memory is still fresh, so i guess i'll add my 2 cents here.

I would like to preface this by saying this anime is NOT for everyone. It's very boring in a sense. If you're willing to give it a try, watch the first 3 episodes. If it does not hook you in by then, I recommend you drop it. If you do stick around, trust me, it's a ride that's fully worthwhile.

I think the reason why this anime is so strong is that the underlying concept behind each character is really easy to understand. Having something like the mohs scale really helps viewers understand the inner workings of each character, as their hardness is directly tied in with their tropes. This avoids viewers like myself struggling to remember each characters typing. As a numbers guy myself, having that really helps understand the characters in a way i find comfortable. the problem with psychological shows i've watched is that they tend to portray the characters in a very complex way, often doing silly, irrational things because they're quote unquote teens... now, the major point that this anime tackles is character development.

As gems, they physically and mentally should not be able to change, for they are not humans. But we see throughout the anime that Phosphophylite's character develops, both mentally and physically. The decisions he takes eventually, whether he likes it or not, forces change upon his life i.e. getting sucked into the ice floes causing him to lose his hands and going out of his comfort zone to go into the sea causing him to lose his feet but also find the required materials to fix it. These decisions that Phos takes shows character development, but the show solidifies this (literally) by providing him new abilities with those new parts he obtained. The show doesn't end there though. The MC doesn't simply become overpowered (ahem SAO ahem), but instead the viewers realize he's not the old Phos anymore.

And boy what a great take that is. We can't progress forward unless we sacrifice some parts of ourselves. Some days we'll have thoughts (like that of Phos) that we are envious of our old selves, the carefree, whimsical, naive, and charming person we once were before we decided to change. That's really what I took from this anime. Change. Change requires effort and risks, and once we are rewarded for taking those we will look back upon the choices we made. But we have to keep moving forward. At the end of the day who cares if our choice was right or wrong. We'll look back on the decision, with envy, fear, joy, tears, and laughter. There might be a hint of regret too. But that's reality, and I think this anime is the closest I have ever watched to an anime that depicts life and the choices we have. A brilliant show, and I am surprised how little people know about it.

The music and animation in this show is some of the best I've seen in a long while. I can't tell you how immersive the world-building is with the adventurous soundtracks unless you listen to them yourself. The use of CGI in this show is impeccable. Studio Orange did a great job here, and I have no complaints at all. Unfortunately, the ending isn't fully satisfactory, as the manga is currently still ongoing and many questions are left unanswered regarding Sensei. However, that does not take away from the series being a one-cour masterpiece, and even if it does not receive a sequel the story as a whole across 12 episodes is cohesive enough for this to be rated a 9 in my books.