Haruko Ichikawa (市川春子 in Japanese), born in 1980, is the author and artist of Land of the Lustrous (宝石の国, lit. "Country of Jewels"). She started her career in 2006 with the one-shot Mushi to Uta (虫と歌, lit. Insects and Songs). Between 2007 and 2011, she published seven one-shots in the manga magazine Afternoon, which were later compiled into two individual books named Ichikawa Haruko Sakuhinshuu (市川春子作品集, lit. Haruko Ichikawa Works Collection). She started writing Land of the Lustrous on October 25th, 2012, which currently has 10 volumes.
In 2010 she won the Tezuka Osamu Cultural Prize for works on Mushi to Uta. She has also contributed characters designs to the games Pokemon Sun & Moon and Pokemon Sword & Shield.
this continues to be one of the best manga i’ve read the story and art is so captivating it’s hard to stop reading this volume starts to move the plot along even further i really like the pacing in the series it never feels too slow or fast
The opening scene where the gems react like little kids on Christmas morning to Phos' new arms is the most disturbing so far. None of them have any reaction whatsoever to the news of
Phos is granted a newfound respect and regard from the other gems due to his newfound strength. But he is repeatedly haunted by hallucinations of Antarcticite. If Phos was disturbed before about his lack of punishment for cowardice, being praised for the results of an even worse incident must be doing a number on him. What's more, he finds himself alone in suspecting Adamant after the "Shiro" incident. Cinnabar reveals that all the gems already suspect some connection between Adamant and the lunarians, and have simply decided to accept it. This is such a huge WTF!? moment. All of the gems know they're living a lie, but choose to do nothing about it or try to dig deeper. It overshadows the fact that Adamant is hiding things from them in the first place.
The battle against Shiro is the most involved so far, and it's well done, but it's overshadowed by the anime version. Bort being deflected by Shiro's fingernails or Diamond slicing Shiro with his arm stumps can't compete in hype to their animated counterparts. They're not bad, but I've already seen a superior version. The manga's art has lots of unique aspects not replicated by the anime, but when it comes to action, one medium has a clear advantage. Considering how mind blowing some of the battles in the latest chapters are, the lack of second and third seasons of the anime is criminal.
«—Estoy feliz de que nos separáramos. De lejos, veo cuánto significas para mí.
—Yo también».
DIOS este tomo me ha gustado mucho, es que Bortz sale bastante y yo le rezo. También ha pasado lo de Shiro, ese perro de la luna (la tensión que ha dado este nuevo enemigo me ha encantado) y se nos muestra ya directamente que el sensei es sospechoso, por si alguien no se había dado cuenta ya para dejarlo claro como el agua, y que todas las gemas supieran que el sensei tiene algo que ver con la luna menos Phos y que nadie haga nada porque han decidido confiar en él... Me parece que lo van a acabar lamentando, que el sensei los va a traicionar o algo.
Pero en fin, la conversación que tienen Phos y Cinnabar al final se ha sentido tan tabú y prohibida que me ha recordado a 1984; siempre que sale Cinnabar es genial, de verdad, y el ship de Phos x Cinnabar es 🥺
Es que no me jodas, estas expresiones son de cuando te encuentras a tu profesor en la tienda y no lo querías ver pero os reconocéis lpm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
На смену оглушающей тишине прошлого тома приходит какофония ежедневных забот. Все просыпаются, и неожиданно по истечении трагической зимы бывший аутсайдер и мисс бесполезность №1 становится самым интересным предметом для обсуждения и изучения. На фоне этой бурной деятельности особенно заметно, что двигается она, кажется, чисто на автомате. Она вроде как приобрела то, чего так страстно желала, но в процессе лишилась гораздо большего.
(знаю, что у самоцветов нет гендерного разделения, они же просто КАМНИ, но я ничего не могу с собой поделать - они все для меня девицы :с Я чуть не подавилась, когда кое-кто крайне брутальный в пылу отчаяния закричал nii-chan в отношении своей партнерши, такой нежной девочки-припевочки. WTF :с)
Все предыдущие события крутились вокруг Фос, и в основном описывали изменения внутри одного конкретно взятого героя, но четвертый том ответил на невысказанный вопрос о привязанностях и взаимоотношениях персонажей, что уже не одну сотню лет сосуществуют вместе. Не ожидала встретить такую короткую, нежную и душераздирающую сцену воссоединения :с
Narazie ostatni tom który przetłumaczono na polski który mam. W tym tomie akurat było spokojniej, ale dostajemy więcej informacji o innych klejnotach oraz lunarian. Nie mam dużo do powiedzenia, ale podobał mi się ten tom.
Continued striking elegance and tantalizing story. The mysteries remain and are compelling. Art is stunning and portrays grace and movement cut through with jarring body horror and striking jagged violence. Really liking it still.
- phos got what she wished for, or did she? - sensei is really hiding a lot of things, and i feel bad for these gems who worship him - the fight scenes are confusing, but i think watching it as an anime would be a better experience.
I wish I had a pile of these volumes to read all in a row. It's too easy to forget details. I may have to break down and start buying this series. Goodness knows where I'll keep the volumes.
If I remember right, the previous volume ended with what looked like a tragic memory loss on Phos's part - Phos gained new arms but appeared to have forgotten who Cinnabar was. This volume begins by telling readers this was a fake-out. Phos merely had a momentary memory glitch.
But that doesn't mean Phos is the same. Whereas Phos was previously childish, weak, and too fearful to engage the Lunarians in battle, they're now strangely competent and useful, to the point that Bort offers to pair up with them. It's an awkward offer. On the one hand, Phos could use Bort's strength and experience, especially since Kongo-sensei has just fallen asleep for who knows how long. On the other hand, Phos knows that there's a rift between Bort and Dia and that accepting Bort's offer may widen it.
Not a whole lot happens in this volume, but there are still some interesting developments. There's Phos's new abilities (highly reshapeable arms, an increased ability to note details during battle with the Lunarians), as well as what appears to be occasional hallucinations (?) on Phos's part. Phos keeps seeing Antarcticite, although all but a small portion Antarc has been captured by the Lunarians. I enjoyed seeing a little more of Bort and Dia and hope that they get to talk things over more (on-page!) soon. And the were cute.
This volume also adds another piece to the mystery that's been brewing for a few volumes now: what's Kongo-sensei's connection to the Lunarians? Phos has a plan for finding out more, and I'm worried about how it's going to turn out, since Phos's "plans" tend to boil down to "I'll do this thing and hope everything turns out okay." It's not like Phos has many more pieces of themselves left to lose.
All in all, I continue to be intrigued by this series and plan on reading more. This volume was a bit weak, more setup for whatever Ichikawa has planned than anything, but I'm willing to stick around and see what happens. (Here's hoping Ichikawa really does have a plan...) I do wish that the artwork were clearer during the action scenes. I had no idea, at times, what was going on during the big fight with the new Lunarian. I've now watched enough of the anime to be able to say that, yes, it's much better in that regard. And it seems like there were a few scenes even the poor animators couldn't figure out - if I remember right they didn't even try to animate whatever happened just before the Amethyst twins were attacked (events from the previous volume).
Extras:
A page of translation notes and two pages of four-panel comics. I particularly liked Alexi's efforts to explain how to predict what their reaction to viewing a Lunarian will be.
Still really enjoying this series, super intriguing world building and fun characters.
The only reason for the lower rating than previous volumes is due to finding a few scenes and translations a bit more clunky and confusing than usual in this instalment.
I would absolutely adore a full colour release for this series, it would help with the reading, as it can be quite challenging to tell which lustrous is which sometimes. Not to mention the full colour covers are just so beautiful!
Definitely want to check out the anime adaption of this series, I bet it’s gorgeous!
La pobre Phos no tiene ningún momento de descanso, después de lo que le ha ocurrido a Antarc, ahora es la encargada de realizar todas las tareas del invierno y cuando llega la primavera, le toca lidiar con la reacción de todas las demás a su nueva condición. Todas están fascinadas por los nuevos brazos de Phos y sus habilidades pero ser el centro de atención no es algo a lo que este habituada. Durante el invierno ha tenido tiempo para habituarse a sus brazos y poder enfrentarse a los Lunarians, por lo que al tener la oportunidad de enfrentarse a ellos y salir airosa, Bort se interesa en ella para hacer equipo.
Me ha gustado mucho esta interacción, puesto que podemos darnos cuenta de lo hábil, observadora y talentosa que es Bort, mientras que Phos resulta ser cada vez más perspicaz y por lo mismo valora mucho los acertados consejos de Bort.
Phos ha cambiado mucho, ahora anda como en una especie de letargo, rodeada de un gran abatimiento debido en gran parte por lo que le pasó a Antarc y en parte porque la nueva aleación en sus brazos ahora le impide moverse como lo hacía antes; si antes se llegó a sentir muy mal por lo que había pasado con Amatista, ahora la culpa debe ser tanta que por lo mismo empieza a tener alucinaciones, pero para bien o para mal, lo único que le queda es seguir adelante mientras intenta lidiar con esto. Y como al parecer no puede tener ningún momento de respiro, su primera patrulla con Bort se complica al tener que enfrentarse con un nuevo tipo de Lunarian, el cual traerá consigo más dudas y sospechas sobre toda la situación con los Lunarians.
Esto le provocará un trastorno al caer en cuenta de que algo no anda bien y de las posibles implicaciones que pudiesen tener esto, hasta el punto de querer saber qué sucede y por qué nadie busca respuestas, por lo que una vez más tendrá que buscar valor para enfrentar esta nueva situación, algo que le resulta difícil puesto que hasta ahora había estado viviendo como en una especie de burbuja y tener que enfrentar esta realidad es algo que no se esperaba.
Por lo mismo este es un manga que me gusta mucho, porque vemos un enorme cambio en la protagonista, que a pesar de lo que tiene que afrontar, de lo difícil y de lo mucho que la afecta, aun así, consigue reunir el valor para seguir adelante. De igual manera tengo que mencionar a Dia, puesto que en este tomo sale a relucir mucho y nos demuestra una nueva faceta, puesto que al ya no estar al cuidado de Bort tiene que valerse por sí misma cuando se ve involucrada en una situación nada fácil, dando su mejor esfuerzo desmostrando el gran valor y corage que siempre había tenido pero que hasta ahora no se había dado cuenta debido a sus inseguridades.
Con un final en donde nos anticipan lo que planea hacer Phos y que provoca tanta curiosidad por saber cómo lo llevará acabo.
Sin duda el dibujo sigue siendo increíble y la trama cada vez aumenta el interés por saber qué sucederá.
Why did you read this book? I liked the anime and always wanted to read the manga.
What format did you read this book in? Read the comic on ComiXology app with kindle unlimited membership.
Is this an educational book or a book for entertainment? I read this book for pure entertainment purposes.
What genres do you think this book belongs to? Art, Comics, Fantasy, Gay and Lesbian, Graphic Novels, Humor and Comedy, Manga, Mystery, Psychology, Religion, Science Fiction, Spirituality
What was your favorite part in the book? SPOILERS I think my favorite scene is when the Lunarian Shiro Is cut so many times that it becomes 108 puppies.
Who would you suggest this book to? Anyone who likes old manga styles like Sailor Moon, unique fantasy worlds, sexless characters, crystals, or the weird genre.
What is your general opinion/ rating of this book? SPOILERS This book left me with a lot of questions. All the Lustrous are shocked by the new Phos. Over time they become obsessed with her unique arms. I wonder what's in says relationship is with the Lunarians, and why he's not open about it. It’s Obvious that Shiro the Lunarian dog use to be Sensei pet. Pho starts to doubt Sensei and I don’t blame her. I also love the fact that the mini-Lunarian dogs were so popular they made stuffed animals of them. I want one of those stuffed animals.
What style of graphic novel is this? It’s in the Japanese manga style (you need to read the book from right to left).
Is the comic colored or is it in black and white? This comic is in B&W tone.
What is your opinion on the artwork? Is it older manga style with long skinny characters.
How is the type setting? Is the comic easy to read? The fonts were appropriate, there were some scenes that were hard to read. (Text was too tiny). Is this comic a part of a series? Yes, this book is part of a series. I believe there are 11 books. Unfortunately, only the first five volumes are free through my kindle unlimited subscription. I'll have to wait till the rest of the books go on sale.
Any trigger warnings? Mental Health: Romanticized Mental Illness, PTSD, Panic Attacks Disabilities: Paralyzed Violence and Death: Death?, Murder?, Decapitation, Mutilation?, Self-Mutilation, Cutting of Limbs Other: Kidnapping, Hostage Situation,
So fast-paced! Incredible in terms of the illustrations and the fight scenes.
I loved the giant lunarian that snuck into the house / school and split into pieces, caused absolute mayhem, and split into ADORABLE pieces that looked fluffy and I definitely want to pet them.
The panelling in this one is incredible, and Phos finally did something useful / is maybe more of a weapon now? Poor Dia got really destroyed in this one. I really liked watching the hair change / badassery of the one character whose gem I definitely forget because I STILLL confuse the characters.
Anyways, solid volume, maybe my favourite so far. I inhaled it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
This series is too fun. Totally operating by its own logic (a posse of gender neutral crystals defending a dead planet?), there's many times where I'm just along for the ride instead of being able to make sense of the details, but it generally all comes together by the end. The surreal visuals are a treat for the eyes and its such a unique series. I may grab a few copies ahead of where I'm at next time there's a sale because the pacing is so breezy its easy for me to lose my grip only reading a volume every couple months.
Lots of stuff is happening now that the Lustrous have woken up for Spring, including some wonder of Phos' new body and combat implications. I like that we get an inkling of larger plot and forward direction with the ending to this volume. More new Lunarian types and a bigger mystery of who Sensei is, but it looks like Phos is digging deeper into these questions instead of focusing on their own role in the Lustrous society or being revealed new information just to them. No, now they're pursuing questions, and they're taking a more active role!
I'm giving this volume a 5star because this is one of the volumes where Phos isn't annoying. The plot s slowly developing; uncovering unanswered mysteries, showing new creatures, and developing characters. I'm now interested in Phos due to her changes but the thing that still gives me hope about him is his promise to Cinnabar; I wanna know how it will turn out. Also, Bortz's and Diamond's relationship needs to be more fleshed out by having some scenes and perspectives from Bortz. In conclusion, this is a great volume and I'm on to finish the rest.