Land of the Lustrous is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa and published from 2012 onwards. It is published by Kodansha in Monthly Afternoon magazine and ten volumes compiling the chapters have been released so far. Set in a world inhabited by "jewel people," it chronicles their efforts to find the place where they belong and defend their way of life. An anime promotional video was released in July 2013 by Studio Hibari, and a 3D anime television series adaptation by Orange that covers 31 chapters of the manga aired between October and December 2017.
Synopsis
Land of the Lustrous is set in a far, distant future where the Earth had been struck six times by meteorites, ravaging it in the process. All of the remaining land was reduced to a single coast, whereas nearly all life was destroyed. Over vast stretches of time, a new race of sentient lifeforms emerged; immortal jewels that take the form of people. Phosphophyllite is weak and considered useless by their peers. Phos asks their aloof but wise colleague Cinnabar for help after they receive an assignment to create a natural history encyclopedia, thus beginning their friendship and personal growth. Meanwhile, the "jewel people" are at war with the Lunarians who want to take advantage of their luxury value.
The Land of the Lustrous manga began serialization in Kodansha's Monthly Afternoon magazine on October 25, 2012. The first tankōbon volume was released on July 23, 2013, and the most recent volume, volume 10, was released on August 23, 2019. Volume 4 was released in two editions, a regular edition and a special edition, which included a card game. Volume 6, Volume 7, Volume 9 and Volume 10 were also released in two editions, with volume 6 being released with an additional limited edition, Volume 7, Volume 9 and Volume 10 being released with an additional special edition. Kodansha Comics announced during their 2016 New York Comic-Con panel that they have licensed the manga in North America in English. The first volume was released on June 27, 2017.
Volume list
Anime
aired in Japan between October 7 and December 23, 2017. Takahiko Kyōgoku is directing the anime at the Orange CG animation studio. Toshiya Ono is in charge of the series scripts. Yohichi Nishikawa is creating the concept art. Asako Nishida is designing the characters. The opening theme is "Kyōmen no Nami" by Yurika and the ending theme is "Kirameku Hamabe" by Yuiko Ōhara. Sentai Filmworks have licensed the series and streamed the anime on Anime Strike. MVM Films has licensed the series in the UK. The series ran for 12 episodes, which will be released across six DVD and Blu-ray sets in Japan.
Reception
Volume 1 reached the 47th place on the weekly Oricon manga chart and, as of July 27, 2013, has sold 21,204 copies; volume 2 reached the 35th place and, as of February 2, 2014, has sold 44,511 copies; volume 3 reached the 30th place and, as of August 31, 2014, has sold 56,765 copies. It was number 10 on the 2014 Kono Manga ga Sugoi! Top 20 Manga for Male Readers survey. It was number 48 on the 15th Book of the Year list by Da Vinci magazine in 2014. It was nominated for the eight Manga Taishō in 2015.
