Land of the Lustrous (TV series)

Land of the Lustrous
Key visual, featuring the Lustrous
宝石の国 (Hōseki no Kuni)
Genre	Action[1][2] Fantasy[1][2] Post-apocalyptic[3]
Anime television series
Directed by	Takahiko Kyōgoku
Produced by	Yōko Baba Maya Fujino Hiroshi Kamei Tomoyo Kamiji Hirotaka Kaneko Mika Shimizu Yūichi Tada Yoshihiko Yamazaki Kento Yoshida
Written by	Toshiya Ōno
Music by	Yoshiaki Fujisawa
Studio	Orange
Licensed by	NA: Sentai Filmworks UK: MVM Films
Original network	AT-X, Tokyo MX, BS11, MBS
English network	SEA: Animax Asia[4]
Original run	October 7, 2017 – December 23, 2017
Episodes	12
Anime and manga portal

Land of the Lustrous (Japanese: 宝石の国, Hepburn: Hōseki no Kuni, lit. 'Country of Jewels') is a 2017 anime television series based on Haruko Ichikawa's manga series of the same name. It is produced by the computer graphics (CG) animation studio Orange and directed and written by Takahiko Kyōgoku and Toshiya Ono, respectively. It follows the Lustrous – immortal humanoid life forms who are the embodiments of gemstones – who defend themselves against the Lunarians, who seek to harvest their bodies for decorations. Phosphophyllite is the youngest of the Lustrous, and is given the task to assemble a natural history since they are too brittle to fight.

Orange created the series with 3D animation as a base, a decision made partially due to the difficulty in depicting translucent gemstones using hand-drawn animation. Yoichi Nishikawa's concept art greatly influenced Kyōgoku's vision for the series, with several shots directly based on Nishikawa's art. While the manga is more ambiguous and subtle, the anime had to be clear on a single viewing, so Phos was given more close-up shots and repeated lines to give them a larger presence and more easily identifiable goals. As Kyōgoku was used to writing teenaged characters with clear motives and desires, he initially had problems with portraying Phos, but his image of the character solidified after hearing Tomoyo Kurosawa's performance as them.

The series was well received by critics, frequently called among the best of the 2010s and a turning point for CG anime, and convincing skeptics that an action series could be well done outside of a 2D production. The writing was also positively received, with critics calling the characters and world likable and intriguing. It received several awards and nominations, namely for its visuals.