Land of the Lustrous

Episode 5

With an episode name like “Return,” it's clear we have nothing to worry about when it comes to Phos, even after that cliffhanger Land of the Lustrous threw at us last week. On the one hand, this ruins some of the tension before the episode even begins. On the other hand, it's the journey, not the destination, that invigorates “Return.” A tumultuous series of events teaches us more about the Lunarians and the gems, especially an increasingly likable Phos.

Ventricosus sells Phos out to the Lunarians, but it doesn't take these soul-beings long to alter the deal. Fortunately, Ventricosus isn't alone; her brother Aculeatus has an enormous, adorable form that can topple Lunarians like dominoes. This is the most we've seen of the Lunarians so far, and it isn't very revealing—we can't hear them speak, for one thing. We only know what's going on because of Ventricosus' side of the negotiation. But when the deal goes south, Ventricosus and Aculeatus rescue Phos as they make their escape. Phos has every right to be furious about becoming a pawn in Ventricosus' plan to get back her brother, but they're touched by the familial display of affection instead. “How am I supposed to be mad after hearing all that?” Initially vain and lazy, Phos was a difficult character to love at first, but their clear moral code endears me to them more than before.

Meanwhile on land, the other gems and Kongo are frantically searching for Phos. Even though Phos is repeatedly said to be useless, it's amazing how they constantly become the center of everyone's attention. This may have something to do with Phos being the youngest of all the gems, as we discover this episode. (Mind you, Phos' kidnapping takes place around their 300th birthday, so they're not exactly a baby either.) The gems are tirelessly searching for Phos, and when they find footsteps into the sea, they resin up and comb the ocean all night. Well, everyone except Cinnabar, who finds Phos by chance. Now, Cinnabar could have saved everyone the trouble of continuing to search, but they insist that they don't care what happens to Phos and don't want to get involved. “I never asked for this,” Cinnabar says when Dia tells them Phos is missing, and even then Cinnabar instinctively knows that Phos was trying to do them a poorly-thought-out favor, which is also a weakened Phos' first thought when they wash up on shore. There's obvious chemistry here; Phos is continuing to try even if Cinnabar is prickly to her efforts. I really just want these two to date.

As usual, there is a lot of beauty in the details. Ventricosus and her brother have beautiful character designs made better by the way they contrast with one another's appearance. Cinnabar's mercury fragments bristle and smooth out with their emotions. The glowing jellyfish seek shelter in Bort's flowing locks. Nonverbal moments communicate a lot, as in the casual cruelty of the Lunarians as they wield sticks of fire or the ground cracking beneath an angry Kongo's feet. Verbal moments were often less helpful, like the meant-to-be-funny exchange between Rutile and Phos as they bickered before Rutile realized this meant Phos no longer needed to be rescued.

One thing is certain—while the near-tragedy that befell Phos in episodes one through three left the status quo unchanged, this new near-death experience has altered it immensely. On new agate legs, Phos is downright speedy. This episode concludes with the sound and sight of the bell that indicates when the gems are under Lunarian attack, and next week's episode is titled “First Battle.” I don't need to have read the manga to guess this means we're going to see Phos participate in their first battle. Perhaps at 300 years old, this “useless” gem is about to prove themselves finally. It's a rewarding payoff to conclude a beautiful and eventful episode.

Rating: B+

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

Lauren writes about geek careers at Otaku Journalist.