Land of the Lustrous

Episode 3

If gems can have higher cognitive abilities, why can't sea slugs? In “Metamorphose,” Land of the Lustrous stretches its fantasy premise even further, suggesting that the ne'er-do-well Phos has transferred their consciousness into the creature that previously absorbed them. It's a mental leap for sure, but told with clever whimsy and a satisfying conclusion. It resolves the situation so neatly that we end up right back where we started, giving Land of the Lustrous a sitcom feel; even when stuff happens, it calibrates right back to zero.

When Bort submerges the massive, gem-absorbing snail in salt water, it shrinks into a manageable and downright cuddly sea slug, leaving its colossal cracked shell at the bottom of the pool. This should be a somber moment, as the gems collectively realize that Phos has been absorbed and isn't coming back, but it's funny and light instead. This was my first clue that Phos wasn't gone for good. Stony in countenance though they are, I doubt that even these characters would be incapable of mourning one of their own. In that way, this episode doesn't hold its cards very close to its chest. Instead, it tries to distract us with an even more outlandish premise—that this adorable slug has somehow absorbed Phos' personality. Through only gestures and squeaks, it belies a saucy, outspoken personality similar to Phos' own.

Only Dia seems concerned about Phos' apparent metamorphosis. I'm still trying to figure out why Dia is so nice. Do they feel guilty about their considerable strength comparative to the other gems, bringing forth a protective and parental nature? Or does their inferiority complex, brought about by always needing to be rescued by Bort, make them the most sympathetic to the weakest among their gem brethren? Either way, it's Dia who approaches all the other gems with the sea slug in a bowl, requesting their aid in turning Phos back to normal. This is a pretty funny sequence, leading to lots of Phos-dissing and concluding with a poop joke. (Dia's admonishment of the sea slug for eating grass—“you'll dirty your insides!”—has me wondering if the gems eat anything else instead.) Honestly, hearing everyone dunk on Phos so much endears me more to their impulsive, narcissistic character than I've been until now.

Finally, a chance encounter between Dia and Cinnabar gives this episode the depth it was missing, delivering so much character building in just a few throwaway lines. “You and I were both born the same year, right?” brilliant Dia, lighting up the night sky, says to their exact opposite Cinnabar, eventually concluding that "This is the most you've spoken in the last 100 years.” There's also an insinuation of a romantic connection between Cinnabar and Phos, as Dia suspects that Cinnabar doth protest too much as they rail against Phos' selfishness. “Yes, you have terrible taste,” Dia says, teasing the sea slug they believe to be Phos. Only Cinnabar seems to realize the ridiculousness that this sea slug could be Phos, and only Cinnabar knows how to resolve the situation, thanks to their 100 years of solitude observing shell-dwellers along the coast.

It's here that Dia leaps into action. Dia gets both of this episode's incredible action sequences, one at the beginning and one at the end as she glides through the landscape, using trees and swampland and the slick back of the giant snail to sail balletic through the sky. Whether Land of the Lustrous is showing the natural world or the towering architectural structure where the gems live, this is an episode of huge panning shots—soaring skyscapes and echoing hallways—where everything shares the cold and startling geometry of the gems themselves. After Dia's feat, it's up to the Doctor to complete the world's most difficult jigsaw puzzle and bring Phos back to life in a surgery that stretches believability only a little less than Phos as a sea slug did. Just like that, we're back to the status quo. We've acquired a cuddly mascot who seems to be able to communicate with Phos alone, but nothing else has changed. I'm not a manga reader, so I'm coming into this clueless about the future. Will this be a set of one-off adventures in the gem world? Or will it deliver the development I crave, especially when it comes to deepening relationships between Dia and Bort or Phos and Cinnabar? It's too early to tell.

Rating: B

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

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.