Houseki no Kuni is based on an ongoing manga series being written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa from 2012. It is a high fantasy Anime about a time when humans are extinct and all that are left in the planet are their bone, flesh and soul-You’ll see what I’m talking about soon.
In a time and place unknown, a small group of 28 immortal genderless gem people that serve as the protectors and guardians of the Region. But what are they protecting the region from? Lunarians. People from the moon come to their region in unspecified time of the day and wreak havoc, destroy gems and take them away for reasons unknown.
The story revolves around a green gem Phos (Phosphophyllite) that is really fragile and brittle yet insists on having the glamorous and prestigious job of a guard. Because of her low hardness, Master Kongo their senpai, assigns her to compile an encyclopedia (you’ll be amazed how that turns out) with information regarding how things work and what goes on in their region.
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As a whole the show is very interesting and well put considering its artistic qualities (for being mainly CGI), many a time I had found myself feeling like someone the things were overly explained or needed a little more development and was just forced upon the character to deliver. For instance, when Master Kongo explained the role of each and every individual jewel to Phos. The place and time feel kind of off.
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Even though there are some aspects of the anime that were unnecessarily explained in too much detail, there are a lot of important parts that were left out completely. Parts of the anime that needed more depth and insight. You’ll watch each episode hoping questions like ‘Who are the jewel people? What do they call themselves? Are they living on planet Earth? Is it far into the future? If it is why are their weapons permeative?’ will be answered. Also, the Lunarians are shown in an evil light but the reason is unclear? Why are the hunting down the gem? Their motives and intentions are not discussed and it’s something that will eat you up!
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And even though it is said that there are no people left, Master Kongo seems nothing like a gem nor do the Lunarians attack him, who is he? or what, is he?
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All in all I’d say the show is pretty amazing, the animation, the story not to forget the cute and charming OST that you won’t be able to skip no matter how many times you watch it! I feel like the extra mystery is added for us to notice and crave for for the upcoming episodes!
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Hope you enjoyed the article! And let us know what your thoughts are on the anime?
