“Land of the Lustrous” Anime Review: The Lustrous Hope of 3DCG Animation

It is a Story about Growing up and Finding a Purpose in Life

However, if a talented 2D animator can already create whole cuts of a scene, why make it 3D? Why not just make 2D animation from those cuts? Is there any necessity to create this anime as 3DCG animation?

In an interview, director Takahito Kyogoku stated that Land of the Lustrous is animated with 3DCG because of aesthetic reason. He believes that traditional animation cannot captures the looks and feel that the original manga builds, which is understandable. The original manga has some kind of simplistic, yet elegant art design. It translates well in 3DCG. The gems actually have the same body shape with “rocky” feel. The hair, however, have beautiful crystalline look with distinct forms. Those complement the elegant design the characters have in the manga.

Not only the gems, the lunarians also get special touches. The lunarians’ 3DCG are rendered with photorealistic look, making them feel out of place compared to the background art. This is deliberate, because lunarians are supposed to be an alien race that aren’t part of the gems’ world.

Visually, Land of the Lustrous is not a disappointment. It successfully captures the vibrant world of the gems and its elegant characters. It beautifully accompanies the story of Phos, as he tries to help Cinsha finding their place in the gems’ world.

While Land of the Lustrous has a lot of comedic moments, the story itself is actually quite serious. Phos promises to help Cinsha out of pity. but they take that promise wholeheartedly. However, the problem is that Phos, like Cinsha, can also be considered an outcast. So before Phos can help Cinsha, Phos has to change.

Unfortunately, changing yourself is not that easy. Not only because Phos is born as a weaker gem, but also because Phos is still mentally immature. Phos may have a kind heart, but they are ditzy, whiny, and clumsy. Some viewers probably will question whether Phos really needs to change because it seems that the harder they try to change, the more danger they actually incites. In the earlier half of the story, Phos really becomes a trouble magnet that put every other gems in peril. Seeing other gems have to undergo such dangerous situation because of Phos feels infuriating. Viewers can easily relate to Phos’ insecurity, but sometimes it is upsetting to see the main character that they should emphatize constantly screws things up.

Eventually, creating mistakes is a part of growing up. By reflecting on their mistakes, along with the sacrifice that other gems made, Phos becomes more and more mature. Seeing Phos’ journey to become better gem is really fascinating.

However, the smarter Phos become, they began to learn about the harsh truth of the world they inhabitate. As the story progressed, more secrets are revealed, which made Phos questions many things. Is it worth to sacrifice? What would happen in the end? Why do they even do this in the first place? Growing up is hard not only because of difficulty of the journey we take, but also because while we are doing that, something will always makes us question the path that we took.

But there is no journey without sacrifice. By making a choice to help Cinsha, Phos has changed. They become wiser, smarter, and stronger, even though they may not be the same Phos as they used to be. In the end, growing up can be a painful experience. However, it is important to remember what is your purpose in life, and then use that as motivation to move forward.

Land of the Lustrous is an anime that proves 3DCG animation can be a visual spectacle. It is beautiful, crafted with care, and provides some of the best looking cinematography in 3DCG anime. Moreover, it also tells a coming of age story about a gem named Phosphophyllite as they try to fulfill a promise to Cinnabar. While the main character is only a humanoid gem, the conflict is actually quite reflective of human experience of growing up. Unfortunately, the assumption of bad animation will be always there for 3DCG animation. But similar to Phos, 3DCG anime itself will continue to growing up. Some of those anime probably will make mistakes like Phos did, but some of them will learn from that and continue to challenge that assumption. Land of the Lustrous definitely is not the last to do that, but right now, it stands among the best.

The Indonesian Anime Times | by Dany Muhammad