Manga Review: Houseki no Kuni (Land of the Lustrous)

By CHENGYUE  ZHANG ’24

Houseki no Kuni (also know as Land of the Lustrous) with its simplistic art style and stylized use of black and white contrast is the first manga that I have read. Notorious for the one-and-a-half-year long hiatus author Haruko Ichikawa took last year, there is again an indefinite hiatus as the story is drawing to a close. To me, Houseki no Kuni is a story that explores human nature. It’s a coming-of-age story to the extreme.

The main conflict in the story is Phos’ insecurity in their usefulness. 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. Such aimlessness and a desire to be useful drives Phos’ quest to explore the world and find a purpose in life. This simple desire leads an unexpected and excruciating journey.

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. However, because their memory is stored inside their physical body, if they lose a part of their body, they lose their memories as well.

Throughout the story, Phos goes through multiple dramatic physical changes and the mental changes follows. 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’ one 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’ mental state. 

Phos’ 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 is Phos after all? Is Phos still Phos?

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’ 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? 

During the moon arc with a series of choices thrusted upon Phos, Phos’ physical body and mental state changes and deteriorates. I looked around at the other characters, but saw no solution. Phos had friends and allies—Cinnabar, Ghost Quartz, Canigorn, Antarc—but it seemed that these relationships all fell apart over time. Even the initially knowledgeable, experienced mentor figures — Kongo-sensei, Paradara, Rutile, Yellow Diamond — who 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.

Additionally, in the more recent chapters, as Phos gathers parts of all three creatures in the world — the gem, the flesh, and the moon people — Phos is said to obtain the body of a ‘human.’ So what does this implication say about human nature? The experience of loss and suffering? Its complexity and irrationality? Or its tendency for tragedy?

So, if you care for a unique, thought-provoking story, read Houseki no Kuni or watch its anime adaptation. I didn’t spoil too much of the plot.