Land of the Lustrous

Episode 12

At the beginning of the final episode of Land of the Lustrous, Padparadscha awakes from a 231-year nap and after some fleeting conversation, they collapse into sleep again all too soon. This is a mirror for my experience of the show as a whole—so much beauty intermingled with so many unanswered questions. While every gem got a cameo in “New Work,” these glimpses of their personal dramas were as much a culmination as they were a new beginning. This season finale quietly but thoroughly summarized Phos' journey to this point while setting itself up for a sequel that I truly hope arrives.

Phos wants badly to speak to a Lunarian in order to continue their investigation on the true nature of Kongo Sensei. An impulsive chance encounter with one shows us how powerful Phos has become—even when they've forgotten their sword, their arms are more than a match for the flimsy Lunarians. The clash that follows is certainly one to remember. Cornered in a golden vault of Phos' own making, the Lunarian's eyes roll back into focus, instantly giving them an animate look. But were the melting mouth and strangled syllable an attempt at speech or simply a final gasp? Phos' answers won't come so easily when Cinnabar comes to their “rescue.” Phos' decision to thank Cinnabar at this moment is their kindest lie of the season. How far Phos has come since their days of mouthy, impetuous reactions. They've both gained (strength, popularity, responsibility) and lost (security, innocence, and memories) so much.

In fact, it takes Cinnabar to remind Phos of their earliest promise. It's tragic and a little funny that Phos has forgotten why they started on this journey of self-development in the first place—and it's adorable that aloof Cinnabar remembers every word of it with a blush. Their relationship certainly takes a step forward this episode, even with so much lost ground to recover. It brings back one of the most upsetting moments of the season for me: the moment a newly gold-limbed Phos asked who Cinnabar was. In the background of this budding relationship, we're treated to another pair—Yellow Diamond and Zircon. As Zircon strives to be good enough for Yellow under Bort's tutelage, Yellow and Rutile reminisce tenderly and humorously about the old days. (With these gems running around and Phos chasing Cinnabar later, this episode has two great examples of the one-two punchline, in which a gag is replayed immediately for great effect.)

But even though this episode nixes the opening theme, there's only enough time to focus in depth on Phos and give us a tantalizing glimpse of the daily lives of so many of their fellow gems. We've never seen so much emotion from Rutile as when they're speaking with Padparadscha, somebody they've attempted to revive more than 300,000 times. Zircon's desperate resolve to protect Yellow results in a revealing conversation with Phos, in which they psychotically consider amputating their own arms and legs in order to experience the rapid growth of their junior. And when Phos asks Alexandrite—in full Sensei cosplay—why they are so devoted to the study of Lunarians, we learn that Alex has lost somebody too: Chrysoberyl.

Season one of Land of the Lustrous was Phos' coming of age story, but episode twelve was all about hinting that every other gem has a story just as important, beautiful, funny, and tragic. The season ends the same way it begins, with Sensei giving a new assignment to a changed Phos, and the cycle is complete. Unanswered questions and all, this tense and compelling first season stands well on its own. But I'd be remiss if I didn't add that I'm hoping for more to come.

Rating: A

Land of the Lustrous is currently streaming on Amazon's Anime Strike.

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.