Land of the Lustrous
Land of the Lustrous is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by. It was published by Kodansha in Monthly Afternoon magazine from October 2012 to April 2024, with its chapters collected in thirteen volumes. Set in a world inhabited by Lustrous—immortal humanoid lifeforms who are the embodiments of gemstones—it chronicles their efforts to find the place where they belong while fighting to defend themselves against the celestial humanoid race known as the Lunarians. A 3D anime television series adaptation by Orange 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, and nearly all life was destroyed. Over vast periods, a new race of sentient lifeforms emerged: immortal humanoids embodied by gemstones known as the Lustrous. Phosphophyllite is weak and considered useless by their peers since they are too brittle to fight. 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 twenty-eight Lustrous led by their master, Kongo, are fighting to defend themselves against a celestial humanoid race called the Lunarians, who inhabit the Moon and invade Earth every few days to take advantage of their luxury value while seeking to harvest the Lustrous' bodies for decorations.Characters
Jewels
;Phosphophyllite;Cinnabar
;Diamond
;Bort
;Morganite
;Goshenite
;Rutile
;Jade
;Red beryl
;Amethyst
;Benitoite
;Neptunite
;Zircon
;Obsidian
;Yellow Diamond
;Euclase
;Alexandrite
;Peridot
;Antarcticite
;Sphene
;Tourmaline#Color
;Hemimorphite
;Heliodor
;Padparadscha
;Master Vajra
Admirabilis
;Ventricosus;Aculeatus
Lunarians
;Prince Yama in world religions;Cicada
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by, Land of the Lustrous started in Kodansha's manga magazine Monthly Afternoon magazine on October 25, 2012. The manga entered on hiatus from December 2020 to June 2022, and later from October 2023 to February 2024. It ended serialization on April 25, 2024. Kodansha has collected its chapters into individual volumes. The first volume was released on July 23, 2013, with a promotional video by Studio Hibari released on the same day. The thirteenth and last volume was released on November 21, 2024.Kodansha Comics announced during their 2016 New York Comic Con panel that they have licensed the manga in North America in English. The thirteen volumes were released from June 27, 2017, to November 4, 2025.
Anime
An anime television series adaptation aired in Japan between October 7 and December 23, 2017. Takahiko Kyōgoku directed the series at the Orange CG animation studio. Toshiya Ono wrote series scripts and Yōichi Nishikawa created the concept art. Asako Nishida designed 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 was released across six DVD and Blu-ray sets in Japan.Reception
Land of the Lustrous was number 10 on the Takarajimasha's Kono Manga ga Sugoi! list of top 20 Manga for Male Readers in 2014. It was number 48 on the 15th Book of the Year list by Da Vinci magazine in 2014; and 46 on the 20th edition in 2020. It was nominated for the eighth Manga Taishō award in 2015. The series ranked 19th in the first Next Manga Award in the print manga category. The series won the 2024 Sense of Gender Awards Grand Prize. In 2025, the series won the grand prize at the 45th Nihon SF Taisho Awards and the Seiun Award in the Best Comic category.By October 2017, Land of the Lustrous had over 1.4 million copies in circulation. By April 2018, the manga had over 1.8 million copies in circulation. The first volume of the manga series reached the 47th place on the weekly Oricon manga chart and, by July 27, 2013, has sold 21,204 copies; volume 2 reached the 35th place; and, by February 2, 2014, has sold 44,511 copies; volume 3 reached the 30th place; and, by August 31, 2014, has sold 56,765 copies.