The Protagonist who became Unrecognizable (in a good way)

THIS VIDEO HAS SO MANY SPOILERS OH GOD, anyways hope you liked it I liked making it
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PATREON: / daszombes
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VODzombes: / @vodzombes2828
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/ daszombes
/ daszombes
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Discord: / discord

[@Dukeofnachos]

Ok, but "see you in 10,000 years" is actually the funniest thing an author could say.

[@code066funkinbird3]

Yeah

[@Nakirakira]

The fact that it’s so true because Ishikawa need to go play her PS5

[@grammy_hnng]

what i love about land of the lustrous is that the author studied graphic design, so the manga is basically a massive negative space flex

[@fan4every1lol89]

No wonder. HnK style is so unique

[@qwerty975]

Where can I read more about Haruko Ichikawa?

[@Voornoek]

the internet, start with a google search.

[@qwerty975]

@@Voornoek wow, I've never thought about it. I was talking about more or less reputable sources, cos there is a lot fake info about mangakas on the internet.

[@Yuki_Seraphim]

​@@qwerty975there's an interview while she worked on the middle parts of the manga and she goes on explaining that in highschool she was taught Buddhism (without her noticing that she was going to a religious school) and how she was taught about how the afterlife in Buddhism (a pure land) is decorated with gemstones and that every living being (even blades of grass) are elevated to a higher plain of existence but the gems are relegated to being mere props, so she wondered about the gems strife. Also she revealed that HNK is just one big question. ¿What makes us human?

[@bbittercoffee]

Phos going "I could send you into the middle of the Sun to burn away forever and ever, but I don't feel like it" was so fucking badass

[@deemaske9143]

Deemo pfp :o

[@Mossenstein]

DEEMO !!!!!

[@bbittercoffee]

Holy shit deemo fans :0

[@deemaske9143]

@@bbittercoffee DEEMO FAN! RISE UP!

[@Lucamy100]

Nice profile pic bro

[@a2empo2]

The gigachad energy of finishing up a long series of arcs in your story then saying to your readers "alright, y'all can wait a bit. im gonna go play NBA" for 8 months

[@diavolojaegar]

Bro, really gave his readers on that existential story crisis arc.

[@peachesplums]

it was actually 18 months, not 8

[@MarkusManon]

I laughed so hard at that part, it's such a power move

[@Umezete]

@@diavolojaegar Ishikawa is actually a woman. Not why I replied though, the funniest bit was she was actually struggling to get a PS5 cause of the chip crunch. You'd get little tidbits in author notes about how she lost raffle y or so on. Then it's like "I got a PS5 hooray!" Next chapter: Houseki will be on a undetermined hiatus...

[@listening...-xr1kx]

​​@@Umezetethat dedication to the grind is incredible 😂

[@zekiah2]

I love how you can give a lot of spoilers for the manga and a lot of people will just not believe it. My favorite spoiler ridden story is “I thought the manga ended when everyone died, then more chapters started coming out”

[@vermillionz]

That’s one of my favourite aspects about hnk tbh. You can get spoiled the fuck outta the story and still be in awe when you see how it goes down

[@rosanero5250]

Ah like JoJo

[@Fluff_Noodles]

Please tell me what manga that is omg

[@rosanero5250]

@@Fluff_Noodles JoJo's Bizarre Adventure

[@madelinebitts2766]

@@rosanero5250 They weren't asking you.

[@HydrengeaEdelweiss]

Phos at the end is literally a god. Their first instinct upon finding a new species of rock bros is to 'help' them. Give them limbs and eyes and knowledge. But the rock does want any of that. They just happy to be who they are. They want to talk and vibe with Phos, but see no reason to accept his godly offer. Phos is at all time powerful, but also useless. And at that point when they're among people who just want to be their friend without wanting anything from them, did Phos truly happy. A sombering yet powerful ending.

[@hamanthaa]

I love getting new people to see land of the lustrous because it starts out like "aw cute rocks" and ends with never ending self inflicted misery

[@gaburieruR]

The depression trainwreck

[@AlmeaCulpa]

The manga's rolled back around to "aw cute rocks" now, but in a different way

[@Nevri.]

"It doesn't go well" pretty much sums up all Phos attempts at "helping" others.

[@superbobcat8997]

It seems like phos is similar to Taylor Hebert from worm. The changes in Taylor start off small but by the end she’s a completely different person.

[@haihuynh8772]

@@superbobcat8997 Taylor's changed so much but the more she changes, the more she stays the same.

[@fakeletobr730]

accurate, but she did pray them out of existence, if this is called help, than at least that was done well

[@fakeletobr730]

@@haihuynh8772 if she stays the same, then that just means she adapted while maintaining her true self within or even her external self, more intact as she adapts more

[@haihuynh8772]

@@fakeletobr730 Or she responded to traumas without ever really growing as an individual, still trapped in the same environment that defined her, which frankly she was. Til' the end she was still a girl vying for semblances of control over her circumstances.

[@subversiveasset]

while i'm glad the hiatus didn't actually last 10000 years, i have to say the 8 month hiatus actually being plot relevant was extremely cool

[@karayura10]

Now she slumber again before cooking the highest grade meth ever imagined anothe 6 months

[@RapTapTap69]

It's kinda awesome in a way lol. "Hey my protag has to wait for ages so my readers do too" 🤣

[@peachesplums]

it was 18, not 8

[@coriakacoron5851]

a proper excuse to go lazy

[@rexibhazoboa7097]

@@coriakacoron5851 George RR Martin should use this excuse to hide his laziness.

[@TheGalacticTNT]

I can’t bring myself to re-read this manga, seeing Phos slow descent into madness from the changes that are made to her entire body (Ship of Theseus) and the inhumane behavior of the Gems and Lunarians towards her makes me depressed… god I love this manga.

[@plantinapot9169]

Saaaame I was tricked, fooled, and bamboozled thinking it was gonna all resolve eventually but it just fuckn didn’t. And I’ll love it forever for that, but I don’t know if I can go through it again lmao

[@kirtil5177]

​@@plantinapot9169 reading it felt like the sunk cost fallacy. i thought it'll all be resolved and each 'setback' will make the payoff all the more satisfying. that not happening was simply dreadful to think of. and then the payoff simply never happens. at least, not in the satisfying, neat and tidy way ive grown to expect from practically all other anime and manga

[@beebrother928]

Yeah that was my issue, i kept thinking why are they all being so mean? Everything they did was for everyone else.

[@NoHandle44]

I think I hate that idea?

[@Akaritomi]

Phos tells them she could torture them forever and I thought to myself "...yeah that'd be fair"

[@claybowman1242]

You say that phos is happy in the beginning but the thing that messes me up the most is that their change recontextualises those old happy moments. When they relish in destroying euclase who finally admitted to needing them it shows they felt belittled by them, they crush Jade who wanted to understand them showing they alway felt abandoned by them. They insult cinnabar and shame them for siding with those gems they consider cruel, who humiliated them for being weak showing they had been hurt when cinnabar rejected them just like everyone else had, they felt betrayed by someone they considered just like them. Simply heartbreaking, great video.

[@jaysongalvez4340]

Took me time to parse "them" as phosphophyllite

[@claybowman1242]

@@jaysongalvez4340 yeah it’s a pain in the ass but gendered pronouns feel really wrong for the characters personally.

[@woomybeeb]

We love to see people making content solely for themselves about niche hyperfixations-- I might have to come back to this after watching/reading it cuz I am so normal about how that hair is animated oh my GOD

[@Shizkeb]

How hard is it for you people to say interests why does it have to be hyperfixations? Mental illness is not a personality

[@pissfi]

@@Shizkeb neurotypical people can have hyperfixations

[@woomybeeb]

I was like 60% joking and 40% commenting on the amount of passion that must be held for this media if it inspired him to make a whole video on it, lmfao

[@Shizkeb]

@@pissfi So? That has nothing to do with what I said. I don't like the word because it sounds so extra just to say "I like this thing" while also sounding like a disability.

[@pissfi]

@@Shizkeb how is it extra its 3 less words than that

[@shilohmagic7173]

HOW DID I RECOGNIZE THE SHOW FROM THE GRASS? It was such a *brief* period in my life that I watched it.

[@TheGoldenJay637]

Bro i did the same and i was NOT OKAY

[@ufusnake]

it's really nice looking grass tbf

[@shilohmagic7173]

@@ufusnake iconic

[@CrypticSpoon1]

I hadn't even watched I just knew it was "that quirky 3d anime"

[@shilohmagic7173]

@@CrypticSpoon1 Wait, is it really known for that? it just felt like... anime, to me, at the time.

[@Winteriine]

I’m so glad you pointed out the epilogue part with the rocks because m a n- that singular panel of the rounded stone, saying they were perfectly happy the way they were? Despite their perceived weakness? That BROKE me. I thought of all the ways Phos had changed, how barely any of it made them any happier, and it tore my heart to pieces. I am so happy that you’ve provided a window into this INCREDIBLE series.

[@ariyuril]

I love Phos but I also feel like I'm in the minority of the fandom that could see why the Earth gems had grown to resent Phos by the end. We read the story from Phos' perspective, and so we understand the logic for most of Phos' actions and their justifications for it. But most of the Earth gems don't know that, and don't understand what Phos was trying to do. When Phos goes to the Lunarians, all it looks like is that Phos decided to join the group that destroyed so many of their gem comrades, and thus it made Phos into a traitor in the Earth gems' eyes. It also didn't help that Phos wasn't communicating with them fully honestly either, mostly because of Lapis' influence that made them more manipulative. And so, it was inevitable that only tragedy would happen next.

[@willcomputer9978]

Yeah, I thought so too! I feel like a lot of people tend to forget that the gems back on land had no idea what happened

[@bentoarukin]

I was on this side, n i kinda hate tht i thought of tht, at least in this vids it ease a bit of tht feeling

[@scug1997]

The thing is neither the ones who stayed on earth nor the ones who went with him to the moon really cared about him, by the end they all know he was manipulated and used as a tool and they just don't care, they never cared, they never tried to understand him. They only cared for how they could use him and when they saw that "use" for him they took it and then threw him away. Because by the end they all side with the lunarians while knowing they were responsible even for Phos transformation, but they don't care, neither for the genocide and untold suffering they commited in the past, nor for the torture they're causing to their brother in the present. They abandoned him, threw him away and killed themselves

[@scug1997]

Fuck, this shitty series only worsened my depression but I still can't figure out how I feel about it

[@scug1997]

I REFUSE to accept what they did to Phos

[@lobster5210]

I pause the video to read through the manga thinking it's already done, come back to the video when I get hit by a cliffhanger just to see. "Yeah it's going on hiatus until spring 2024." You successfully doomed a new generation of Houseki No Kuni fans to suffer through a hiatus. Good game, well played.

[@karayura10]

All reader have to go through a pleasant 10000 years

[@aki3128]

Same here. Happy 10000 years everyone ;_;

[@lms5787]

Literally put this on my watch list last week and caught up to the manga JUST to receive the same fate 😔

[@ravani_]

the main reason why the pronouns are so difficult is because japanese doesn't have gendered pronouns thus making every translation using he/she/they/it all technically correct and translators need to rely on context to determine which one to use which is especially.... fun when a translator absolutely refuses to just use a neutral they when a manga/anime deliberately keeps the gender ambiguous which happens more often than you'd think

[@Squirreltasticqueen]

Especially when the character doesn't have a gender! They obviously don't have sexes but nothing about them indicates a gender, tbh tho humans have gender. Animals don't. So why would rocks?

[@alicebunnymera]

Yeah this argument is what lead to me leaving a houseki no kuni discord. Someone said the manga scanlators didnt want to insert their own opinions in but kept using he/him despite the official manga, the official subs and theofficial dub all using they/them. My partner is non binary so this series has held an extra special place in my heart and its so frustrating to see people go to insane lengths to deny representation because "direct translation" of a language that doesnt have the full vocabulary to express non binary characters ends up falling one way or another

[@jonkku]

Japanese absolutely DOES have gendered pronouns and Houseki no Kuni goes out of its way to use 彼 (kare = "him") or お兄さん/弟 (onii-san/otouto = "big/little brother") whenever the characters refer to each other, where it otherwise could have substituted in the characters' names to keep it ambiguous.

[@alicebunnymera]

@@jonkku thats likely due to 1) there not really being options for gender neutral third person and 2) adamant teaching them since he uses masculine pronouns. and a lot of the time they DO use characters names or say "that one" in order to keep it ambiguous.

[@Kageryushin]

​@@alicebunnymera This is what we colloquially refer to as a "cope."

[@RayTheomo]

"Have a pleasant 10k years" is such a petty and cold line. I fucking love it😂

[@biblicallyaccurateangel2476]

if i had a nickel for every time i saw das and immortal characters that physically cannot die even when their body is mostly destroyed id have two nickels

[@explosionspin3422]

if i had a nickel for every time i saw das and immortal civilizations doing fucked up stuff to try to end themselves I'd have two nickels

[@NO122221]

it's still rare, but it's weird that it happened twice

[@NONAME-hx7yf]

What's the other character?

[@brunaf.1842]

Fushi from To Your Eternity? Both characters have heartbreaking stories. (But I stopped after the arc of the tree, honestly it was a let down after that. But before that? Solid history telling. )

[@Zyra-Not-The-LOL-One]

@@NONAME-hx7yfprobably Five Pebbles from Rain World

[@Second_UNIT]

As someone who also loves this series and wants other people to also love it: Das left out a few things to make a more cohesive video... I think. -This manga has a lot of religious symbolism, especially buddhist. A lot of the character and their interactions with adamant and the general plot can be analyzed through this lense to get a better idea of what the story actually "is" -The collar on SleepParalysisDemon!Phos before it settles into the leaf shape is actually meant to symbolize a lotus pod, which are symbols of rebirth, denoting the role they were about to undertake. Phos is often associated with Lotuses at various stages of their story and development. -Adamant doesnt *refuse* to pray. He literally *cannot* due to events in his back story that "broke" him. Essentially , the machine grew feelings, and then didnt want the humans to all leave him alone forever, so he couldn't fulfill his role. I'm not being as specific as I'd like, but its relevant to why Phos become the only one truly able to take the role afterwards.

[@calamitysangfroid2407]

As a Buddhist this makes a lot of sense. Attachment is considered a sin, not in the typical/Christian idea of "committing the sin makes you a bad person who strayed from God's path" but "having sin burdening your soul will block your path to enlightenment and nirvana, regardless of whether you're a good person". So this made Adamant unable to achieve the purity needed to free humanity.

[@muneebhaider2286]

when i started this phos was just the purest and most innocent naive child i had ever seen and just watching them grow so quickly in the world without having time to really gather themselves which was ironic for beings that were almost immortal and had all the time in the world, it was just so tragically beautiful its the most beautiful character i personally have ever come across in my life and my favorite

[@rga1605]

I feel one thing that was important was that after their wrath subsided, their first thought was "I need to fix them". As much as Phos changed unrecognizable, they never stopped being a kind person, it just that their kindness manifested in different ways. In the end, them praying everyone away, as bitter as they were, was an act of kindness. Power can change a lot of things, but it cannot change the hearts of others, it's amazing how the series portrays power as something so vain, even meaningless. And in the end they finally received kindness back from the sentient rocks that are the most powerless creatures in the entire history.

[@Crimsontalor]

tho I believe they truly didn't deserve the peace they were given even as they somewhat paradoxically did.

[@logawnio]

why couldn't the earth gems just live their lives out forever in happiness? why did they need to be prayed away to be happy?

[@derpymule7977]

@@logawnio Because there was no way to pray away just the Lunarians, it was everyone or no-one. The reasoning behind that is unclear since Adamant clearly was able to pray away specific Lunarians before he malfunctioned, but it’s true either way and is part of the reason Adamant couldn’t pray.

[@TheGoldenJay637]

*Me, before watching the video, clueless:* Oh, i can't wait to learn something interesting about how a character matured over the course of the story! *Me, 20s in, seeing the 3D grass, suddenly nervous:* W-wait hold on, this aint what i think it is, right??? *Me, 30s in, after seeing the gem hair:* NONONONONONONONOWAITWAITWAITWAITWAIT HOLD ON NO!!!

[@yugrif4403]

same

[@MidnightDrake]

What?

[@IroWithinStars]

@@MidnightDrake basically they didn't see the tumbnail and where not expecting the video to be about houseki no kuni and they felt dread when they understood

[@Lucero_TheSilverStar]

same, my sister has read the manga, I don't (anime only). she said it was depressing and here I am... watching this video...

[@catatiel]

The lunarians are stuck in a cycle, a repeating pattern. They want a way out.

[@1th_to_comment.]

SPONGEBOB REFERENCE?!

[@bitchassmoththing]

r r r r ai n n nn wor l d

[@ZECRA602]

Phos' story and character development is a cautionary tale to not chase after other people's validation and refusing to keep your own happiness at the top of your priorities will only lead to misery and regrets. A lot and lots of regrets which Phos definitely understands all too well

[@faunixmoon]

I absolutely LOVE Houseki no Kuni. The evolution of Phos from an innocent unruly gem desperate for meaning in their immortal life... and one by one they lose pieces of themself, gaining the strength they so desperately wanted but losing everything else. They become such an amalgam, indistinguishable from what Phos used to be, its incredible and deeply saddening. I've been following the manga for a while and I can't wait for more chapters to be translated to english.

[@hajojo]

I love how you opened up the video with the preface that you *really* liked Phos without attraction and how they just make you think. All my friends think I'm 'in love' with Phos when no- they just make me think a LOT and you worded it perfectly. I also just love it in general when people talk about Land of the Lustrous and this video really felt like a love letter so thank you!

[@reddytoplay9188]

idk man the way he said thigh high phos

[@daisydusk4179]

@@reddytoplay9188 I'M CACKLING HELP??? 💀💀💀💀💀

[@endina]

Phos makes me think AND i’m in love with them 😍😍😍😍😍

[@Shythalia]

Damn, we can't say we have a favorite character anymore without people automatically thinking we are in love with them. 😞

[@zb3620]

The epilogue is genuinely the best arc of all manga. It allows the story to bloom and push beyond to truly develop a complete philosophy. It’s a great reflection on the whole story

[@colox97]

the first valuable metamorphosis she gets is actually when she gains the ability to speak with the fishes (by being eaten by bigass snail). water creatures might be kinda irrelevant in the story but by lore they are the flesh of what once was the human being so it makes sense that to become the new divine she needs that aswell

[@zwr_vitch]

I think the “holy grail writing tip” that we could learn from this series is that a truly human character is most often the most compelling, as the very nature of being human is change.

[@vantasethatsit9903]

Just adding something, Dr Ayumu, one of the last human that choose to die as one and not becoming lunarian seems to somehow have psychic abilities and seeing the future, that's why she created Adamant and foretell her own fate to one day becoming Phos, si she can't really blame anyone else but herself. It was also implied that Phos can't really forgot anything, if other rock missing their body like having you hard drive taken away from your pc, in Phos's case it's more like corrupted unreadable data, it's still somewhat there.

[@lightning4743]

beastars and trigun stampede proves that cg animation is improving, maybe someday wel get a second season with even better animation cuz studio orange is goated so who knows

[@freshlymemed5680]

The funny thing is that all 3 animes are made by the same studio, Orange. There is Dorohedoro but the animation for it isn't as smooth and isn't as pretty. But if there's any studio I know that can do CG animes well, its Orange.

[@TornaitSuperBird]

alright but Kemono Friends walked so those shows could run

[@lightning4743]

@@TornaitSuperBird YOUR GODDAMN RIGHT IT DID never thought id see someone that knows the truth

[@Snipehsheep]

Somehow I knew you'd be an HnK fan. There must be some thread connecting Rain World and anime/manga like Houseki no Kuni, Girls' Last Tour, and Made in Abyss together. They're all among my favourites as well and many of my friends who like the latter anime seem to have an instant appreciation for Rain World when I introduce it to them. Is it the post apocalyptic themes? The venn diagram of beautiful landscapes combined with a sense of loneliness and danger? The feeling that even at the end of everything, something wonderful still remains? I'm not sure but they sure all feel like they have the same vibe.

[@dianamations9371]

I believe there’s a heavy connection between Rain World and HnK with the amount of Buddhist themes implemented into them.

[@explosionspin3422]

I mean, the ancients and the lunarians have similar goals

[@scug1997]

Please don't tell me Girl's Last Tour and Made In Abyss are gonna have this same buddhist suicide void shit, my heart can't take more Rain World already made me very conflicted with its story, no matter how good it is, HnK took my already torn heart and smashed it with a hydraulic press before throwing it into mercury. I have lost my sense of identity, I don't know what it means to care, to grow and to move forward anymore. Please, don't tell me I'm gonna have to suffer through this all again

[@JoeSmith-db4rq]

Had never heard of this anime until seeing this video - it’s essentially a very convoluted version of the riddle about “if you replace every part of a ship plank by plank, is it still the same ship?” We explore a case study of a person who has been replaced (physically and mentally) by other parts, but we call them the same name - are they truly still Phos? This manga asks that question through clever story telling in a fantasy world that is interesting enough to keep the reader engaged naturally (instead of relying on its big thematic question). Dang, thanks for the video on this… I might have to watch it myself 🙏

[@Angelic_Materia]

This is the only series that made me cry at an advertisement 😭one of the chapters, I believe it's after the giant and infinite blast of nothingness, and it concluded with news of a Land of the Lustrous art exhibit. The panel had Phos smiling and waving and it made me think of the everything they lost. From being lost, to having some confidence and pride, to only become nothing again. Just the smile and welcoming wave hit me like a truck and i only hope they can obtain some peace at the end.

[@samanthaprzybylski5526]

No one mentions the flower visuals that Pho makes with her gold alloy and the meaning behind those flowers. 7:00 is her literally blooming from a Lotus Flower, which means Purity. Another example you have in the video of another flower visual is at 7:41, where she is literally standing on top of the Red Spider Lily, or Higanbana, which is literally called the Flower of Death in Japan. Its beautiful visuals that really set the tone of the situations in which they appear.

[@MysteryMedia2001]

As someone who has been following the updates for ages the “have a pleasant 10 thousand years” activates a flight or fight response.

[@HateIsJustice]

All the characters of this series are great, they really sell the setting with their individual depths. So much of the unfortunate circumstances really does the number on the heart the more you notice the nuances and subtleties between all of them. Rutile's still my favorite even after how she turns out in the end. Honestly love all the characters cept for Cairn, definitely one of my favorite series ever. It's going to be something when it's finally all over.

[@kyaksachan502]

yeah, LotL was great as you can see all the little subplots and characters react but overall have no full power over Phos' character arc. I had stopped due to the hiatus and omg I'm waiting till spring to get back into it. I can't wait 8 months, fuck.

[@chowrites6179]

The way Phos falls into madness and eventually reaches its god like ending oddly reminds me of Devilman Crybaby, the Netflix version and in an even weirder way Spawn. I don't know why but the character trope, if you can call it that, of a character just going so out of their mind they end up breaking themselves and rebuoiding again and again out of spite/hatred that they become some new god-like monster is always interesting to me.

[@riymeep6708]

My only correction would be that that the hiatus was actually around 1 and a half years, not just 8 months. I remember having binge read the entire manga and finished it at the same exact moment the hiatus was announced.

[@nathanielkershner5904]

“There must have been a day I went and left myself behind. He drifted long ago to somewhere I can’t reach, dissolved, He slept in starlight never again to rise. I hold no piece of him no more, he took it all away. I only wish I had the chance to say goodbye.” Something this reminded me of.

[@cryolitegem]

I will always appreciate the appearance of the HnK manga. It’s so minimalistic and rarely shows more than exactly what needs to be seen. Also, I’m not sure what exactly it what about the way you worded this video, but despite having watched many analysis videos already (because I am *obsessed* with anything HnK), I feel like I understand it better now. Even the ending of chapter 105 makes more sense despite you not having touched on it. I now await more analysis from you quite eagerly. Also, I can’t believe Cinnabar, one of my absolute favorite characters, was barely remembered by you. I mean I get why, but I can still be petty about it so eh.

[@Foogi9000]

Just caught up with HnK. The last time i was caught up was chapter 98. It's so weird to think about how billions of years passed and Phos is still around... (Spoilers) The sun will consume the Earth in 4.5 billion years as it then explodes and becomes a dim white dwarf. The fact that Phos has survived an unfathomable amount of time with only sentient rocks and the eye that caused the destruction of humanity is wild. I wonder how many millions or billions of years it's actually been since chapter 1?

[@cryolitegem]

@@Foogi9000 You know, when Phos was three *hundred* years old. A mere moment when measured against the current scale of time.

[@Foogi9000]

@evillord446 Yeah, i feel like the events that led up to "Human Phos" and "Divine Phos" were actually really short in comparison to the *vast* amount of time Phos has spent in these epilogue chapters. They had an eventful early life, but the rest was spent alone wishing for non-existence and to finally have peace. They have the rocks and that eye, but they are still alone because they have no one who can truly understand them. They are a lonely god in a dead world.

[@regular_user9886]

Mf grows a channel on slimy cats and then goes and makes a vid about gay stones(AND DOESNT EVEN SAY THAT LAPIS IS THE ONLY GEM), a legend, truly.

[@SmallShotay]

Phos for me represents a thought that i had "Is phos a good or a bad person now" for me, the manga really makes you think over everything that has happened over the cast, and you can't say that one is the villain, because you know the reasons as to why things happen.

[@orangejuice782]

i hope the author has fun with bg3 or whatever game theyve chosen to spend the hiatus playing! lets all enjoy these 10000 years together

[@mateuszkowalewski4303]

gods, my sister was hyperfixated on this manga for so damn long, now i finally have context for the talking pebbles and eyeball creature

[@jesuscastillo7318]

Okay so, when you mention that Phos looked like a human in that transitional period, I just realized that, by that point they would have had stuff from each aspect...And combined would make a human.

[@WiidLover]

I watched like four minutes of your video and thought that I'll go see the anime for myself, one thing lead to another and I just finished the manga like 15 minutes ago. I never felt this emotional about a fictional's journey, Phos is incredible and so is the manga. I was really caught off by the ending.

[@Probepackung]

God I love phos so much, and I loved hearing you talk about them too. This is the one manga I keep recommending to people just so I can talk about phos' transformation. I don't want the manga to end, but I do want their suffering to end

[@jasminelav.332]

Phos is what happens when you seek the love of those around you without asking one crucial question - are these beings capable of it in the first place? In their case, the answer was no. Phos wasn't useful to the gems, so they criticized and shunned Phos. They didn't realize how much Phos meant to them - not as a teammate but as an individual - until long after they had slipped into madness chasing power to win their approval.

[@t.e.archon7600]

“But you didn’t have to experience that” LIES! I was there every day of those eight months waiting for any news, counting the days. And now it’s happening again!

[@Badger_Nerd]

Thank you for making a video about this amazing manga. Phos is a tragic figure that lacked any kind of support from it's peers and abandoned time and time again despite their efforts to help everyone and destroyed themselves in the process. It's quite sad

[@GGrimmmm]

It almost seems like the lumarians are trapped in a cycle, seeking a way out. I wonder if it means something that forced unwanted immortality is a common theme

[@gaburieruR]

The theme is Buddhism, they and all characters are locked on the Samsara, the cycle of life and death, who can only be broken by reaching nirvana (enlightenment). For spoilers, the lunarians we see on the series are the rest, the more sinful ones, who can't reach enlightenment alone, so they need a buddha to pray them away.

[@MadArtillery]

So everyone becomes the ancients or is the ancients and just wants to die. No surprises I suppose you like both it and rainworld lore. Does sound like an interesting series, certainly quite the premise, I also really like what they did with the epilogue, sounds like the best closure a series could have.

[@randomassjellyfish]

Honestly I started reading the manga only because I saw the fandom said it was depressing. My first exposure to the anime was on TV, and I remember thinking, "Aww that's cute. Feels like typical shonen with unique Buddhist elements" so I had my doubts. It took me a few days to get used to the artstyle, but damn, it made me feel something no other series could. Having been bullied in my middle school years by practically the whole class and most of my teachers, I had a lot of resentment and embarrassment for myself and for all the people around me who wasn't there to help me during my roughest times. I had no one and nothing, I felt like nothing spoke to me. Then there's Houseki no Kuni. I relate so much to Phos' pain, his existential crisis and his resentment for the world. I sobbed when he was being torn into pieces. Especially because I know how it feels when you're being misunderstood, wanting to make things right but no one listens to you. Then the hostility becomes so unbearable you start hating yourself and wishing everything would end. But for some reason you still keep on living. But at the end of the day you just feel... numb. And you started hating how you acted and how "dumb" you were. But you weren't. And hell, why does HnK still make me cry after everyone's dead

[@lobstermackingcheese]

god, land of the lustrous has to be some of the BEST fiction i have ever had the pleasure of reading. it's just so beautifully made, all the characters are likeable, and the central idea of the story is wonderful.

[@725ken]

This video was actually the entire reason I started the anime and read the manga. I stopped once you warned of spoiling the series and immediately got started on it. Hands down one of the best decisions I have ever made. It was so damn good. I cannot wait to see how the manga ends and I cannot thank you enough for recommending this series. I don't think I would've started it without this video. 15:09 one thing I love about this panel is that the thing that's floating on Phos' back is a wilted flower. Specifically it's the wilted version of the flower Phos first made when they got the alloy arms. I won't say I fully get the meaning behind the flower and everything with it but the wilted imagery means to me that Phos' characters has wilted at that moment. It has turned from a gem who cared for others into a being that hates its former friends and wishes for death. Goddamn I love this manga.

[@anubion42]

I’m sold. I gotta check this series out. This isn’t the first time it’s randomly found itself in my recommended

[@anubion42]

And now I’m caught up. God damn that was really really interesting. Even after watching the video it’s still an extremely compelling and interesting story. I’m not on the boat of waiting for the final few chapters. And probably will check out the anime or re read while I wait. But I’m pretty sure I see where it’s going now. This story is tragic but so well done. Especially towards the end what even is the concept of time?

[@madsli]

I love how it goes when God-Phos encounters her/his first rock: God-Phos: Oh, you are a new life form aren't you? Just hold on a sec, I can give you eyes and the ability to move. Rock: Nah... God-Phos: what? Rock: I don't need any of that, I am content like this.

[@Krmiby]

It's a nice change of pace, all of her life she was burdened with expectations and being used by others. It was nice

[@roserocksrapidly]

19:27 Eight months? I think you meant to say eighteen months bc it went on hiatus Dec 2020 and came back June 2022 😭 Truly, the real antagonist of hnk is the ps5 😔

[@bbittercoffee]

He's talking about one of my favorites again Lets fuckin goooooo

[@coriakacoron5851]

I've always heard that Land of Lustrous has a high 'body count' and is heartbreakingly 'angsty' but in reality there's so much more to it than simply massacring a bunch of characters

[@Cieges]

I love this woman so much. She really just plays her games and drop gems for chapters every time she pleases. I aspire for this type of life.

[@evanbrooks1926]

The nowhere king from centaur world is kinda like phos in that he’s a happy character who through circumstance changes into a monster of rage and vengeance who can only be put at peace by dying.

[@sinopale0606]

So the author released a massive cliffhanger chapter and then immediatly pulled out a "Togashi" for 8 months ! LMAO

[@gaburieruR]

Yes lmao. On the manga, there's one author note on each chapter, and she said she got a PS5. And then she droped the hiatus. It was somewhat enraging, but it was somewhat thematically concise. Btw Ichikawa was working on this story for years, started on 2012 if I remember correctly, and never got a rest, so she deserved a hiatus.

[@tomc.5704]

@@gaburieruR What a legend. "Have a pleasant 10,000 years."

[@AoiFlame02]

​@gaburieruR they've also been working with pokemon co. too while working on the manga, as a character designer for the SWSH and SV games. I pretty much went aahh when i saw Oleana go rage mode im the game cus their expression was exactly like Phos/Bort screaming.

[@bahamut256]

You know they delays are bad bad when you see memes of phos and guts riding the boat together.

[@varsity1618]

All these hiatuses making me relive my homestuck days of literal years for an update

[@calebgoodman3028]

Speaking of which, they started updating again.

[@shlrup6154]

*560 days the hiatus wasnt eight months it was 560 days i was there for all of it anyway yay more hiatus

[@rosevalety3408]

Didn't know this manga, honestly your analysis is amazing. I feel like I would hate going through the story itself, simply because cutesy nd shallow relatioships always make me itching, but the journy of the main character just... Resonates with me. I have gone with severe depression when I was 15, now I'm 23, soon 24, been diagnosed as bipolar 7 to 8 months ago, probably have ADHD or some kind of neurodivergent stuff, I've always had struggles to connect with people and honestly, the void and sensation of falling apart, picking up the pieces to continue foward and the sensation of losing one self to the point of unrecognition to the breaking point in which everything seems to end, it in fact does end... Yeah, depression and despair does feel like this. And... Somehow... It doesn't end. The world ended, mistakes were made, but still... you're still there, still alive. Changed for sure but... Still, you're there, and somehow, you remember who you were and what brough you to this very instant. The world ended and yet it continues... because you're still there. And you feel alone, you need to be, but you start to understand that the world reflects yourself, you start to recognize some piece of your lost self in everything around, it's not despair anymore it's... Sadness, nostalgia, regret... And peace. The end of grief. And the start of healing. At that point, there is nothing left, and everything to create, a cycle of pain, destruction, rebirth, ascension, then life. The entire character devlopment is basically every single frickin stages of grief, deny (from the first change of Phos to serious one), anger (moon Phos and the realisation everything's been a lie), bargaining (the quest to get to get Adamant to pray, only to end in brutality because bargainning never works), sadness (human Phos contemplating the end of the world, God Phos and their loneliness) and acceptation (what comes after the start of their healing). Got emotional here. Just my reading from a video about a manga I haven't even read.

[@calebgoodman3028]

To be fair the shallow relationships are a key part of the plot. One of the biggest parts about Phos as a character is that no one tried to understand them or genuinely care for them. Which was also exploited as their growing feelings was integral to their transition into something beyond human. The relationships probably would have been more impactful if we had other characters as the lead, as they were genuinely very close before the truth came out. Rutile literally cracked from the shock of Padparadscha turning against them for crying out loud. There’s also Ghost Quartz influencing Cairngorms self harm tendencies. Oh and also the grooming situation with Cairngorm and Aechmea’s marriage, since Aechmea is doing it for his own ulterior motives, even if the love is genuine.

[@anthonylander3562]

Hey man i just gotta say whatever it is you post, i'll be there to watch it man. I really enjoy you doing what you want to do and the content you create is peak. You obviously put a lot of effort in this and i just wanna let you know that it does not go unnoticed.

[@feffermickel]

I kinda love that we had to share a little bit of Phos’ 10,000 years in the 8 month hiatus. The final enlightenment felt special. New readers won’t get to feel that.

[@pedronassetti]

I think i read it all when? last month? and it was gut wrenching seeing the spiral of misery that Phos was put Yet, seeing how philosophical its ending, it is... almost serene? i dont know how to put it now, many books and even less manga left me feeling this way also, why not consider Phos beign digested by the slug jellyfish prince guy considered its first transformation? fusing "the bone and flesh" the first step towards creating a new human and all of that?

[@Volti-Vagra]

1:58 swear i heard lumerians the first time and just heard risk of rain music start playing in the back of my brain god that was a weird feeling

[@shockwave_sfm2316]

Houseki no Kuni is such an obscure piece of media. I'm genuinely so so happy that people still openly talk about this manga and how beautifully tragic it is. Fantastic video!

[@Artsylittlewitch]

I’m writing a character who has a similar arc but it goes in the opposite direction instead. They go from emotionless robot-like being made of magic created solely for war to growing to care and love others and eventually goes against its creator

[@foxigator]

I was keeping up with this story till the hiatus and had never actually finished it but found this video that reminded me of it. It's truly a masterpiece of media and I wish the anime would come around to finishing it because the story and especially the protag is so unique and refreshing for anime. Shonen protags all become so formulaic where they get op and might experience some loss but it's very eh most the time. But this really shows true loss and true power and how it changes the protag. Amazing story 10 out of 10

[@eldritchcupcakes3195]

KZbin glitched and titled this with sections of an informational video about bears and I found it incredibly funny. You’d be talking about the horrific loss of phos’s winter friend and I’d see “spectacle bear” above the time bar

[@apotoz]

I love Phos so much. They just wanted to be loved and taken seriously, and to just help everyone, only for him to sacrifice near everything from himself. Been there. Also! Fun fact! The Lunarians COULD have left by themselves. All ppl from Earth have once been there, and most of them have been able to move on, like Shiro. The Lunarians during the time of the manga are there by their own doing. They couldn't move on because they're vain, selfish and cruel. I think before, there was a queue, where all the good people would move on first, and all that's left during the manga are the worst of the worst. They shattered the gems into dust, even though they could've just stored their pieces. I only wished Phos realized how truly cruel that is. Perhaps it was the eye..

[@thesovereignofdawn9300]

So let me get this clear. You love Hollow Knight, Rain World, Land of the Lustrous AND Bondrewd from Made in Abyss? Incredibly based.

[@levikaneovid-19]

As I wait once more for the a hiatus to end, Imma go back to makin cosplays of these rocks

[@NathanTruby]

Ah, so she went from cute bean to eldritch horror? How sad...

[@phos2994]

I love the part where you say "2'nd favorite arc, because this guy exists" *Insert bondrewd*. My top 2 used to be Made in Abyss and Hnk at one point as well (not anymore, but still absolutely amazing). Great minds think alike.

[@stefansauvageonwhat-a-twis1369]

Huh its weird that hardness determines how difficult they are to shatter, cause in real life hardness is how hard something is to scratch while toughness is how difficult something is to break. Like diamond is indeed very hard and can only really be scratched with other diamond but can be shattered easily with a hammer

[@absentapollo]

man, I watched the anime and have been reading the manga since I was in middle school (About 7-8 years now) so boy have I festered in the pain this series causes for a long time! I feel like I've grown up alongside Phos, and see a bit of myself in them and their many stages of their tragic existence, for better or worse! I told myself I'd reread the whole thing during the last 8 month hiatus (but i didn't) so this is honestly a great reminder to do that!

[@skolirramr2403]

After watching the anime and reading the manga many years ago, even after telling a number of people about it, I really thought Land of the Lustrous would forever be in obscurity. Then you come along and actually give it some recognition and the love it deserves. I feel validated for loving this anime for once.

[@lacijuhos7613]

I'm... not going to watch this video, because I already spoiled the story for myself, way more than I should've. Houseki no Kuni was actually the first anime I want out of my way to find online, and fully watch. I really enjoyed it, loved the visuals and the characters. I was hoping that the story would get a continuation (I was still new to anime, so I wasn't aware that most were based on mangas), and then I kinda forgot about it. And then (spoiler time)... while browsing Pixiv, looking for cool artwork for an online DnD game I was running, I saw an image. Took a minute to recognise it. I mean, that couldn't have been Phos. His head wasn't that shade of blue. And he wasn't wearing white clothes. But the golden arms were unmistakable, and the title said that it was Phos. This turned into a rabbithole, as I then clicked on a few other fanart images, and even some from the official manga. I had no idea what was happening, but seeing Phos like that was just... sad. I had no idea what could've happened to him, but I knew that it was probably terrible. I'm still trying to find the time to read the manga (I have a lot of things on my plate right now, and I prefer to read them in a single sitting), but I'm looking forward to seeing just how dark it can get.

[@PlatinumEnna]

I freaking love Houseki no Kuni!! I remember Watching it, then reading the manga... I couldn't stop thinking about it for three days. It really is one of those stories that make you think, and I love it

[@explosivegrape]

Rain world early access DLC already?! Didn’t expect VideoCult too put crystal creatures in the game?! But fr I’ll come back too the vid when I finish reading houseki no kuni.

[@chiiyon]

I've cried to other mangas/animes before, hell I've even ugly cried to at least 1. But this series is the only one that has left me shaking so badly i couldnt even drink water. I love this manga so much & i only wish to hug phos...

[@rodrodrodrodrod]

I like it when the funny rain world guy speaks anime

[@Tucher97]

Phos as a character is one my favorites due to their progression, at first they start out as clumsy, a novice who wants to really find their place for some fame. Though over time, they get quite a bit of a hiking trail of emotions and experience from annoyance, being forgotten, betrayal (several times over), pain (several times over in several different forms in massive quantities), though slowly, they became more knowledgable through their mistakes, even becoming a toughen badass in the end, a case of "I seen things you shouldn't, but I will share slowly and lightly". However a thing in the anime is yea you can get suitable replacements or better, Phos despite starting as a singular stone, becomes a composite (Yea I am saying it very weirdly but stick with me), though toughen in both emotion and strength, there is no sense of unearned cockiness, or atleast there was short lived cockiness.

[@samueltrusik3251]

I have only ever watched the anime, so I am not going to watch this video due to spoilers, but I am still really glad you are talking about this!

[@matchedpowerofthesun]

me when daszombes uploads a video i don't know anything about the source material of (i am going to watch it and enjoy it regardless of my understanding)

[@MagicGoatBlue]

"I have a bridge to burn"

[@smartsmartie7142]

The golden alloy and mercury forming together to create a god is a symbol in alchemy. There, gold and silver or sun and moon form the philosopher's stone.

[@Significantharrassment]

Well yes but you actualy missed one detail, it's an allow of gold AND platine, this with it makes the pearl, Phosphosphyllite, agate, Mercury, gold and platine AND lapis lazuli a reference to the secensacr3d treasures on buddhism (i think it is the seven sacred treasures)

[@cowking1st]

Read the rest of manga lately. Man it goes deep.

[@OperationWanderlust]

As far as their gender goes, that was kind of the point in the manga. They're gems. They don't have a gender. That's why they used male pronouns in the manga, while giving them more feminine body shapes. The dissonance drives the point home.

[@lakoneko]

I'm so glad to learn of the epilogue, I was thinking that volume 12 was the last one! Though not looking forward to waiting until next year for it to come out in physical form ;_;

[@AbyssalSoda]

Never really cared for this anime, but looking back at it, damn my writings have a lot in common. Mainly in the making a cheerful naive character undergo an immense amount of suffering and destroy the universe kinda way. Only for the ending to not actually be the ending but the beginning of another story which might have the true ending or might just circle all the way back to the beginning again. Let the suffering never cease!

[@prisma6799]

Reminds me of Worm, where the protagonists final sacrifice is becoming a monster that embodies every negative aspect of herself along those she hates about others.