Aired: Oct 7,2017 - Dec 23, 2017 Studios: Orange Episodes: 12 Welcome back friends! Nice of you guys to come back to my blog for some more anime discussions! This week we will look at another anime that can be found on Prime Video. I'm sorry if you guys do not have Prime Video and unable to watch these animes, but I have previously said that I have been addicted to the animes on this platform as of late. This is one of the animes that are different from others since it is created entirely from CGI. A little more on this later in the post but it caused this anime to be visually stunning and nominated for numerous categories in the Anime Awards including Best CGI and Best Animation. Shall we visit this mysterious lustrous land? Synopsis: In a future world devoid of humans lives mysterious organisms called Gems. Each Gem is assigned a role to aid in the fight against the Lunarians, a species that hunts the Gems and shatters them to collect their crystals. Phosphophyllite, or Phos for short, is the most fragile and youngest of the Gems who has no assignment but eager to aid in the war efforts. In time, she is finally assigned to compile an encyclopedia about their lands. During her expeditions, she meets Cinnabar, a Gem who assigned herself to night patrol far from their camp to prevent her corrosive poison her body creates from causing others harm. Phos attempts to find a role in which only Cinnabar and other rejected Gems can fulfill, only to find out that there are deeper secrets to their existence and purpose in life while doing so. Storyline: The world that is created before getting into the plot is fantastical and leaves you wondering what you are about to get yourself into. The opening scene is of a humanoid Gem with turquoise hair sleeping in a field of grass. Two other Gems appear to tease her when a black shape appears. Seemingly helpless compared to the others, Phos gazes on as the two run up to engage a group of humanoid clouds appear floating above them. A fight soon ensues and then is quickly resolved. All of this happens within the first five minutes of the pilot episode. To be plunged into the middle of such an intense scene from the get-go leaves the audience dazed and confused, Phos must be feeling the same way. Not knowing where they came from or why they fight Lunarians to prevent them from being collected like jewelry, Phos tries to find her place in all of this as much as the viewer. With a opening like that, I could not help but be curious about the world in "Land of the Lustrous." Similar to how "Made in Abyss" develops its story, the more Phos finds out about the world, the less innocent she becomes and the more she becomes cynical. What I love the most about the story is that through every episode, a piece of history of their world is unveiled like mapping out uncharted lands. The viewer uncovers mysteries and finds answers to them alongside the protagonist, and I love that it really feels like you are part of the journey next to Phos and her friends. This anime keeps its audience asking "Why?" when confronted with new information just like Phos and causes them to want more from the next episodes, only find that the answers they are looking for just give more questions. These types of animes are my favorite as they always have me at the edge of my seat and causes me to lose sleep since I NEED to watch the next episode because I hate cliffhangers. I swear if I did not have any responsibilities, I could have binged the whole season in one day. (*≧▽≦)ノシ)) Music: Normally I talk about how the music adds to the story line and amplifies it, but this anime is different. The music does not really contribute to the story's progress or artistic value, but is just a good compliment to what you see on the screen. The music can stand on its own, and I think that if the OST was released by itself, it would do amazingly in terms of music. The music alone has been nominated for three different categories at this past year's anime awards: Best Opening, Best Ending, and Best Score. Even though it did not win any of the respective categories, it was only short behind "Made in Abyss" for Best Score and lost to fan favorites in the former two: Peace Sign (BNHA) for Best Opening and Ishukan Communication (Miss Kobayashi) for Best Ending. I thoroughly enjoyed the music throughout the anime and may have played the OP on repeat a few times. Art: As I previously stated in the intro, this anime is 100% CGI. No drawings nor paper animation. All computer generated. I was reading an interview from the director in regards to why they chose to go 100% CGI with this series, and he said that they have tried doing CGI with drawings, but just did not feel right. They wanted to try going with just CGI, and he believed that the anime would not have been as successful as it was if it was not CG. The CGI also added to the distinctive feel that this anime brings to its viewers and allowed the production team to give the audience amazing scenes. I will post a few gifs that showcase how CGI really helped "Land of the Lustrous" stand out and why they obviously won the Best CGI category. Just like the director, I do not think the anime would have worked if it was not completely CG. Some of the fight scenes are just beautiful to watch and look crisp and smooth. The lighting plays big roles in the anime too as they reflect off the crystalline hair of the characters especially when the camera changes angles and the light changes reflection patterns when it does. It really gives you appreciation for the hard work they put in to give us such stunning visuals. I thoroughly enjoyed the art of this anime especially during the fight scenes which can be quite intense and appreciate how they kept up the quality during these scenes. Thank you guys so much for going through another review with me. I enjoyed this anime quite a bit and can not wait until the second season comes out. There are still so many questions left unanswered and I can not wait until we find out more. If you guys have not already, please follow my social media found on the sidebar on desktop sites or at the bottom of this post if you are on mobile. I would love to interact with you guys and hear your thoughts on the animes I review. My goal is to create a space where we can have discussions of the animes and mangas we enjoy and to give recommendations to each other! Let's create a community where otakus and weaboos can just nerd out without any judgement (-ω-ゞ Can't wait to see you guys again next week! Keep on weebing out!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Coffee senpaiJust an Otaku who also loves his coffee. Grab some coffee and watch anime with me ٩(θ‿θ)۶ Posts for this blog every Friday!
Archives
March 2017
Categories
|