#houseki no kuni analysis

[king-paimon]

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 107 Thoughts: Goodnight, Sweet Phos...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay with this post. I originally intended to finish it and post it on Wednesday, but you know.... life happened.

Another month has gone by and now we're on our second to last chapter for Houseki no Kuni. That's right; it's been confirmed that the next chapter will be the last chapter. Can you believe it? If you've seen my previous posts, I'm sure you have an idea of how I feel about this news.

But that'll be for the end of this post. For now, let's talk about this chapter! I don't know how long this one will be, but I'll still warn you that it might be longer than intended, which is the norm for me. This post is a bit too messy for my liking so I might end up making some edits to it later. For now, I just want to have it posted.

As always, please feel free to share your own thoughts in this post! Here we go!

Visual Storytelling Through Change in Style

The first thing I want to talk about is the visuals for this chapter. It greatly contrast with the visual style of the previous couple of chapters. In those chapters, the art was loud, intense, and chaotic, and yet mesmerizing and immersive. The heavy use of black, sharp lines and patterns emphasizes on the harshness of the changing environment. And in many of those page, Phos looks so small, as they are literally being consumed by their surroundings. Even though there were many panels where Phos, Eyeball, or the pebbles are the focus, the background is still very overwhelming in comparison.

Now contrast that with most of the visuals in this chapter. Most, if not all, of the intense visual motifs from the previous chapters are gone; no sharp patterns, black is subdued significantly, and the background isn't overpowering the characters.

The intensity of the visuals were cut back significantly and were traded in for simplified line art, heavy use of the white negative space, and soft hues that make everything airy and dream-like. This is especially true during Phos's sequence. I like how there are very few thick continuous lines in the artwork. These illustrations are mostly made up of light, loose broken up short lines that create abstract structures. And I like that as the regression continued, Phos's design simplified to the point that they were just a small abstract face.

This art style literally and metaphorically showed us the deconstruction of Phos. It's so simple, and yet so impactful.

This is also the case for the last two pages.

The change in visual tone does a nice job emphasizing the literal and figuratively change in scenery. To be more specific, the drastic art style changes can symbolize the final metamorphosis of the remaining characters and the story itself. With Eyeball and the pebbles, the style emphasizes how they've transitioned to a whole new place in a literal and allegorical sense. And with Phos, they're style does the same by emphasizing on the deconstruction of their being during their final moments.

I apologize if what I said was confusing (I also got myself confused for a moment haha) But I'll just end this section with this: I liked the art in this chapter.

Now then, we should jump into the meat of this chapter....

Phos's final curtain call.

Phos Can Finally Rest...

Like I stated before, I found Phos's pages really beautiful for different reasons. In terms of visuals, it's nice seeing some softer imagery after having nothing but sharp, chaotic ones. And story wise, it's nice to see Phos finally letting go and feeling fulfilled.

They are finally free, for real this time. Free from heartache, pain, existing. Phos is no longer held back by the sorrow they had been carrying, and they are free of regret.

They are finally at peace.

And would you look at that? We got to see Pho's original face one last time. And they were happy.

Good for them.

Before going to the next section, I want to quickly talk about this page:

When I first looked through the spoiler tag for the previous couple of chapters, I remember seeing some posts from people who seemed unsatisfied with how the story progressed. From what I understand, many of them didn't like that Phos decided to forgive the remnants of humanity. With this latest chapter, I'm sure there are fans who were also not happy that during Phos's final moments that they are thinking about wanting to see their old families again. I can understand the sentiment, though I'm not surprised with this development.

Despite everything that had led the story to this point, Phos did not hate their old families. Yes, they harbored malice towards them during different points of the story, and it would have been justifiable for Phos to punish them along with the other remnants of humanity came to them to pray. But instead, Phos chose to forgive and free them.

I originally saw Phos's actions as their way of finally cutting ties with their families and relieving themselves of the emotional baggage that they burdened them with. But it's been hinted for a while that despite everything, Phos still loved their families. And the fact that Phos wishes they could see them again solidifies this fact.

Though I can't say if I like this revelation or not, I still find it interesting. But again, I can understand if some readers disagree with Ichikawa's writing decisions. If you have your own thoughts about Phos's final moments, please feel free to share them!

But regardless of everything, I still think this was a wonderfully fitting send off for Phos.

But I'm not done talking about Phos just yet.

And Start Anew...

I'll admit that having the first image I see be Phos's last gem piece shatter was not the welcoming image I wanted to see. For a moment, I thought my hope that there was a chance the small piece of Phos would grow sentience and live a new life was shattered (haha.)

But hooray, for that theory became a reality! Despite Phos's last piece breaking up again, a small bit remained and is evidently showing signs of life. It was wonderful how the pebbles immediately recognized that small piece as their brother, showing once again how open and welcoming their are. Small Phos is so lucky.

And how ironic is it that this Small Phos is considered the smallest, (in some ways) youngest, and most fragile new member of this new family... much like how Phos was with the gems at the beginning of this whole story. (I know that Phos was the same height as the other gems, but because of their makeup and position within their society, Phos can be considered less significant or "smaller" than everyone else)

Hm. With that thought in the air... I hope the parallels end there and this doesn't mean that this small and untainted piece of Phos won't be subjected to a similar treatment of their predecessor, right?

...right??

Nah, it should be fine....Unless Aechmea somehow comes back-

Created Their New Path: Final Act of Defiance?

The second to last thing I'd like to talk about is this page because it had me thinking about few things.

It made me think back to the previous chapters, namely the crazy, nearly perfect plans perpetuated by Aechmea and the Lunarians. It's been emphasized many times how calculated Aechmea's plans were, especially when it came to Phos. He nearly predicted every action Phos would make and kept planning and manipulating accordingly until things go the way he wants. And in the previous chapter, it was also heavily implied that he and the other remnants of humanity counted on Phos, Eyeball, and whatever new organisms they came across, to get onto the Dues Ex Machina ship. In some way, they predicted correctly.

But now I must ask these questions:

Did they also count on the possibility of Phos not entering the ship?

Did they also count on Eyeball switching off the ship's autopilot, manually controlling it, and subsequently crash landing it on a planet that more than likely wasn't the original destination?

For these questions, I want to say no.

It's interesting how even though at this point in the story, both Eyeball and Phos seemed resigned to the fact all of their actions were a result of them being manipulated, even after the perpetrators were long gone. But funny enough, I think that their very last actions were entirely their choice. For Phos, staying on the planet and ceasing to exist was entirely their choice. And for Eyeball, choosing to meddle with the ships settings to grab Phos's last gem piece and boost the ships' output. I don't think Aechmea counted on Eyeball doing that. If Eyeball is correct and they did pass the planet that Aechmea had possibly prepared for them, then this means that Eyeball had in many ways changed the trajectory of his and the pebble's lives, albeit unintentional. This could all mean that are all finally free from Aechmea and his long-game, 4D chess plans.

Phos and Eyeball have finally and truly defied Aechmea and humanity.

...BUT THEN AGAIN.. there's always that dumb chance that this was ALSO somehow part of Aechmea's plan. I highly doubt it, because that would be very ridiculously convoluted, even for this story. But then again, you never know with this author.

But for the sake of this post, I want to believe Phos and Eyeball came out on top in the end by intentionally and unintentionally forging paths that wasn't previously made for them. Even though Phos's final choice was somewhat influenced by the professor, it still felt like it was truly their decision.

I hope this doesn't unravel somehow with the final chapter.

Speaking of which-

The Final Stretch...

I can't believe it. This story is about to end. We'll finally almost done and what a journey it has been. I can't believe I started getting into this series almost over 6 years ago. Many things have happened since then, and during this time, this story had sent me on such an emotional rollercoaster. Though there are many things within the story that I wish was different or handled better, I still think this was a very wonderful and thought provoking story.

Now Ms. Ichikawa has to stick the landing. This could make or break this series.

After everything you put us readers through, I hope the true finale will be worth it.

[mieowkoid09]

THEY LOOK SO SAD IN THIS PAGE... DID THEY LOSE SOMEONE TO THAT MISTAKE?? Omg... headcanons/theories incoming

What if the gem Bort lost was Heliodor? The timings match up seeing as how Dia said that "Bort is getting so strong lately."

...Basically. implying this is a recent occurance. And you know who got caught recently?

Heliodor.

I'd also like to point out that Heliodor was captured at the cape of emptiness, aka where Cinnabar is staying. So its also an interesting detail to CinnaBort.

Ugh i need to see cocky Bort getting absolutely traumatized plz

[terri-schmerri]

Mini character analysis:

(BSD and HNK spoilers)

I've been looking up HNK x BSD crossovers for no reason in particular, but one thing I've seen is Akutagawa and Atsushi being compared to Bort and Diamond respectively. Mostly because of personality

However, I believe it would be better flipped. Ignoring aesthetics, Diamond's internal struggle with being overshadowed by Bort and their one main flaw of their perfect cleavage (being able to be split perfectly once hit at a weak point) is much more like Akutagawa and how he is weaker with his illness and constantly compared to Atsushi in his and Dazai's mind.

Whereas Atsushi is stronger physically like Bort who when hit at a weak point can still be fine and is often more praised by the other gems

The only problem is their personalities and aesthetics which are opposites, but I believe Dia and Bort's later personalities in the manga do fit more

It's a very similar dynamic except they seem to develop opposite to eachother

I'm too tired to think anymore so uh yeah, thanks for coming to my TEDtalk

[weebookey]

Land of The Lustrous: Looped Ending & The 28th Gem? [THREAD]

Ichikawa really hinting at that looped ending

— Volume 1 introduces how the gems strategize as duos — either as a fighter or a watcher. Phosphophyllite naturally wants to help fight like the rest against Lunarians, but Kongou disapproves of this request due to their clumsiness and low hardness.

— Phosphophyllite and Kongou are clearly antithetical — Phos, being 'perfect' within the imperfect body; and Kongou, the imperfection within perfection itself.

— Unlike the other Gems, Phosphophyllite has always opposed Sensei in light of curiosity and truth, although he fails to confess because of his functionality, it doesn't stop them from seeking out answers no matter what, even if its going to the Moon...

— But if Phosphophyllite is truly a fighter, then whom is the watcher? Someone that has been here the whole time... Kongou's Brother? Although it was stated that they have no traces of humanity in them, is it a safe theory to make that Kongou mistook it for a gem?

— These are memories, so let's believe the location of the city is relative to Phos and this is where Kongou's Brother misdirected the meteors. It's possible that the dormant remains of the box would still be within range of the original setting at the school.

— If we assume they are made of the same material, then what actually separates the two? Is this Ayumu tinkering with herself? The fact that the "Lustorus-to-Lunarian" machine works with Kongou despite not being being a lustrous, but containing traces of Humanity interests me...

— With the relationship between Kongou and Aechmea still unknown, anything is on the table for the conclusion. The shared dialogue was incredibly suspicious during the 10,000 year wait and there has to be more history between them and Dr. Ayumu

— I'm sure it doesn't really matter anymore, but regardless of what the answer truly is, they both share an entertaining affinity with another 🍿

— END —

[lunar1an]

Ghost as Phos: An Analysis

Now that HnK is done it's fascinating to go back and comb through the story beats and try to tie them together. In particular there's a really interesting pattern to notice in all of Phos's partners, or rather, a pattern break.

For the purpose of this post I'm considering Antarc, Ghost Quartz, Cairngorm, Padparadscha, and on a symbolic level Cinnabar* as partners. For the most part, they fill the following functions: they tutor or discipline Phos in some aspect, they're stabilizing forces that rein them in, and they all have some degree of care and love for Phos. Cinnabar repeatedly gives Phos advice, urging them to think through things more. Antarc genuinely believes in Phos's ability to do better, urging them to rise above their defeatist nature. Cairngorm, despite what Cairngorm says, seems to have genuinely wanted to protect the idiot who lost Ghost but gave them their first non-Ghost name. Padpa regards Phos like a little sibling they have to babysit, but still goes to great lengths to help them.

And then there's Ghost Quartz. Ghost is in a weird, kind of liminal place in the narrative. Ghost comes about at a time when Phos is arguably at their second lowest point -- without knowledge or a way forward, breaking down under the weight of isolation and their conspiracy. Ghost doesn't last long. In fact, they partner up with Phos for less than a day before sacrificing themself for them, leaving Cairngorm behind. But hey, a lot of these other partnerships don't last long either. Padpa only had one raid and then one rescue mission, and wasn't even an "official" partner so much as the one who took on the Phos babysitting responsibility.

But either way, Ghost was still a partner. I'd probably put the start of Ghost trying to fill that role after they thought Phos was trying to reach out to help them, up until their sacrifice. So. What do they do, as Phos's partner? How do they stabilize them?

Pictured: Ghost and Phos soon to start the worst mutual rebound in gem history

They try to get Phos to allow them to help, immediately, almost forcing the partnership onto them. They latch onto a false idea that Phos was trying to save them and say Phos reminds them of Lapis. They commiserate over feeling stupid and express a desire to change.

If anything, Ghost was a more passive, enabling personality. When Phos says they're researching Lunarian communication, Ghost tries to help, and later on doesn't stop them from investigating a large group of Lunarians.

In Ghost's mind, Phos seems to be placed as the competent, smart figure, who reached out to them and showed the bare minimum care for them.

Sounds a bit familiar, doesn't it?

The context is different, but there's more parallels elsewhere.

Ghost is a gem who hadn't appeared at all in the story, up until a mention in volume 4. They're seemingly absent from the daily social life of most gems. They aren't even present around Euclase or Lex when they deal with paperwork. The library, when we visit it, is a lonely, dark space. The convalescent chamber just has a bunch of inactive gems sitting in boxes. They confess to Phos that both of their jobs -- the library and the convalescent chamber -- are barely jobs at all.

There are two other gems we see with similar roles. The first is Phos themself at the beginning, who didn't have any job. The second is Cinnabar, who runs a pointless night patrol. Both of these gems are outcasts, and unsuited for gem society -- Phos is too brittle and weak, and Cinnabar is overflowing with mercury that forces them to isolate themself. Antarc is pushed to the sidelines as well, being liquid outside of winter, but they at least found a useful role and place in the world.

We know what makes Ghost "unusual", of course. There's a Gorm in there.

As Ghost's inner layer, they're troublesome and said to do surprising things, such as climbing on top of the concealed Lunarian to check for Lapis. Even before going to the moon Cairngorm had a notably rougher, bolder personality than Ghost.

So imagine how that plays out for every other gem, before Lapis. Imagine if Ghost is out on patrol, and they see a Lunarian. Cairngorm rushes in when they aren't supposed to, and someone gets hurt or taken because of it. You could draw parallels to how Phos, even after getting powerful legs, froze up when the Amethyst twins were captured instead of going to get Sensei.

Their nature makes them unsuited to fighting. It makes them troublesome to their fellow gems. Is it any surprise they were given the convalescent chamber job, which has little to no chance of Ghost's inner layer acting out and causing serious harm or inconvenience?

Lapis was the exception -- someone who didn't see their nature as a burden, who their inner layer actually listened to. And then Lapis was taken, leaving Ghost blaming their own nature for their incompetence.

Similarly, Antarc refused to let Phos blame their hardness for all of their woes, having a low hardness themself, and they did have a successful Winter partnership for a while. When Antarc gets taken away, Phos blames their own body and uncooperative arms for their inability to rescue them.

As an aside, this is all rough for Cairngorm too. Being stuck inside another gem, with that gem being the only one everyone else sees? Wanting different things and only really being able to express that through acting out? Only being known as something 'troublesome inside Ghost'?

It's fucked. Sensei and every other gem could have done better, to make sure Cairngorm's personhood was recognized. Instead, Ghost is left feeling shame and hate towards their inner layer, and Cairngorm ends up with an identity complex and feels haunted in a way that Aechmea later exploits.

Anyway. If you could say that Phos's partners parallel Antarc in role and behavior, Ghost turns it around. Ghost parallels Phos. They want Phos to be an Antarc/Lapis for them, because now that Phos is useful and strong, they're someone who can give Ghost a sense of being loved.

And at this time, Phos is very much trying to be an Antarc and not a Phos. Phos has a shorter haircut to better resemble Antarc, they take their lessons to heart and farther, overworking themself in an effort to be disciplined and useful.

This inversion is unsustainable. Phos isn't an Antarc or a Lapis. Antarc did all of that because of their love for Sensei and Phos. Well, not exactly love in Phos's case but there's a definite care and desire to protect them.

Phos acts like Antarc out of grief and suspicion. They go after the Lunarians relentlessly to get Antarc back. They continue acting "courageous" and overworking themself so they can find out what the connection between Sensei and the Lunarians is. They're given multiple warning signs that this search could harm those around them -- Padparadscha warns them about the truth, and Cinnabar practically goes "hey phos this sensei thing isn't fun i just want to spend time with you". Hell, Phos stops helping Ghost in order to see what Sensei will do.

(boy i sure hope phos learns from this experience and does not continue to neglect the gems around them while furthering the lunarians' goals)

It all comes to a head when Phos gets distracted and gets shot. Ghost has to jump in and save them, sacrificing themself in the process.

When Phos lost Antarc, there was some level of...lack of agency, I suppose? Phos was in the role of the mentee or younger sibling. They did something reckless, with their arms being lost as a result, but a lot of what happened was out of control. They couldn't have predicted the Lunarians emerging that day or trapping Sensei. They couldn't have predicted the metal would attach to them, and furthermore imprison them while Antarc was being taken. They were still "the useless one".

But now Phos is the Antarc. Ghost is supposed to be a gem they protect, like they protected the Amethyst twins by easily dispatching a Lunarian. They had every possible red flag telling them that messing with these Lunarians was a bad idea. But they didn't. They couldn't have predicted their alloy would stop working, but their negligence did lead to them being shot in the first place, and Ghost getting taken.

It's interesting in that while losing Ghost is a breaking point that leads to Phos's complete mental break shortly after (forcing Cairngorm into the Alloy Box), followed by them mellowing out at least a little bit (up until they lose their head protecting Cairngorm in a much more suitably 'Antarc' move), the harm Phos does to the gems only escalates.

As the useless child, a gem who chose to look after them gets lost. As the competent fighter, a gem they had a responsibility to look out for gets lost. As a wiser, older figure with Lapis's head (no longer the youngest gem, deliberately framed as a mentor for the younger Morga and Goshe), they have Cairngorm attack and send them to the moon, reigniting god knows how many traumas in Cairngorm, and making all the gems believe they're dead. As an important figurehead in the community, who's the only gem they know who came back from the moon, they shatter that community. And eventually, as the savior of gems dusted and alive from the Lunarians, their actions lead to the ultimate extinction of gems as a species.

So maybe Ghost was the first warning sign, on a lot of levels. A stand-in for Phos themself, or someone a lot like them. Like the story was practically screaming at Phos "hi, there's someone who understands your loss, another outcast who you can confide in, two of them even"!

But Phos let them be harmed in pursuit of their goals, goals they eventually lose sight of until it was too late.

Or alternatively Ichikawa just killed Ghost off because if they got attached to Actual Phos and not the Lapis 2 they projected onto them god knows where this series would have gone. This is the fucker who spends 10,000 years on the moon preserving every trace of the past/Lapis's legacy and Not Letting Go Of Their Attachment, from what Party at the End implies. If I were Aechmea I'd be terrified.

* = never officially a partner, but had the same function and role in Phos's life in the background, and is grouped with Phos's partners in the narrative (hangs with Antarc and Cairngorm on the moon, later seen on the same side of Sensei as Ghost and Antarc when being prayed away). I suppose in that regard Padpa isn't an official partner either really but they definitely acted as one.

[cody-00]

Euclase and Motivation Boredom

Note: this has been taken from my Twitter thread, but there's some edits I've been wanting to make, and generally multi-platform access is a good thing, especially here with how tags work on this site as well the amount of Euclase metas already present here.

It may feel awkward for this post to be based off of a source based in Western philosophy knowing the series' Buddhist influences, but the former's concise terminology helps illuminate the series without any evident conflicts. Conveniently, I have only needed to base this thread off of one article: "Immortality and Boredom" by John Martin Fischer and Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin.

If one believes that immortality necessarily causes boredom, Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin have observed two notable ways in which one could make this argument. One way, coined as "content-boredom", argues that immortality would eventually exhaust the supposed finite amount of desires that would drive a person to live (Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin 355). This is partially shown through the Lunarians. Their desire to pass on stems from the resignation that they have done everything that could bring any sort of pleasure. The Lunarian's problems regarding immortality do not stem from content-boredom, for there is a more existential component present, but it is a real factor. Content-boredom is limited to the Lunarians, for they, outside of Kongo, have lived much longer than anyone else.

The other way to argue immortality that causes boredom is to say that an immortal life would not be constrained by time, and, therefore, lack a certain urgency. Lacking the energy to actualize one's desires and complete projects would make life dull. This is labeled as "motivation-boredom" (361). While perhaps not as intuitive argument as content-boredom, motivation-boredom is an application of the common practice of procrastination at its most extreme. Where one may put off a task until the last possible moment despite wanting and knowing that they should have started that task earlier, people who support the idea of motivation-boredom believe people can and will put off everything indefinitely since there is no last possible moment. Motivation-boredom is best substantiated through the Earth Gems, but most importantly, through Euclase, an elder gem who displays more apparent control over the Earth Gems as the series progresses. Showing how this is the case is what the real substance of this post is.

First of all, Euclase's role in demonstrating motivation-boredom is something only Euclase can properly do. The other elder gems (i.e. Yellow Diamond, Padparadscha, and Alexandrite), are caught in problems regarding immortality that are outside of boredom. The same reasoning applies to Kongo.

Ironically, they acknowledge the idea that immortal existence fundamentally differs from mortals in a psychological sense, but they (through their own admission) ultimately seem unaware of how motivation-boredom affects their judgments. Before any budding criticism comes to mind in how the previous tweet is phrased, Euclase does only mention that an immortal being's sense of danger being distorted—not necessarily an immortal being's sense of urgency being distorted. However, the following paragraphs should demonstrate the compatibility and sometimes interchangeability between the two traits. Euclase's distorted sense of danger is actually rooted in Euclase's distorted sense of urgency.

Relative to other gems in the series, Euclase's conversations take a lot of focus on temporality. There are many examples. In fact, Chapter 4, their first major appearance, foreshadows this tendency. The third image shows a juxtaposition between Euclase and Phos in valuing time.

Another example early in the series (one in which credit goes to Shamu, for he pointed this out during our note-taking process of this video) takes place during Chapter 7 when Jade reports that Euclase dropped their schedule and is in need of more time to reassign roles for the future. The reason is indirectly linked to Phos, which hints at how Phos will impact Euclase’s future.

Euclase, contrasting from the Lunarians, values the benefits that come from the lack of urgency. With infinite time comes the infinite opportunities for conflicts to resolve. The earliest moments where this sentiment shows itself is through Chapter 41 and Chapter 58.

While a bit digressive for this post, Euclase's word choice incorporates time once more to compliment Phos' condition by returning from the moon in Chapter 58. There is an irony here in that Euclase's support for the idea that a lack of urgency eventually will towards positive outcomes through patience is vindicated through Phos. Euclase's encouragement to Phos could have only happened through the systemic neglect that Phos is under.

Chapters 60 and 61 display where motivation-boredom's consequences start to directly impact the plot. Euclase recognizes the threat Phos poses but fails to enact any action outside of sharing their suspicion to Jade and expressing an ambiguous threat towards Phos. Euclase failure here stems from two reasons. One is that Euclase misreads the identity of Phos. Lapis is a gem known for their analysis paralysis. Euclase, by believing Lapis has the most control over LaPhos, assumes that Phos would not follow through any plans with such haste. Furthermore, by predicting their actions through the Lapis-colored lens, they fail to consider what would happen if really is Phos in control, a gem that carries human-like tendencies to carry out tasks with an urgency.

The second reason originates from Euclase's inability to detect time constraints. Notice the juxtaposition between Euclase and Phos here: the threat not only fails to prevents the gems departing for the moon but actually hastens the result.

Even though Euclase manages to prevent a few gems from leaving the moon, it's a pyrrhic victory, suggesting once more how Euclase's inability to feel urgency causes negative results. Consider Rutile, whom Euclase successfully prevents from going to the moon. Rutile could have served as a pivotal piece in preventing the departure to the moon, for they were the only one to consider disseminating Phos’ plan to Kongo. Instead, Rutile’s psyche starts to take a turn for the worse in the series. Euclase’s failure here is multilayered.

Euclase starts to recognize urgency more due to Phos. Kongo's pending request for a self-imposed exile forces Euclase into action. Why Euclase feels compulsion to stay on Earth is slightly outside the scope of this post, but Euclase's argument for staying on Earth lies in identity and its connection to time. Note that Euclase's urge to make up each other's shortcomings results from Phos' actions as well as Kongo's response being tied to the relationship future life forms and the present day.

The scouting mission in Chapter 69 implies that Euclase's natural state is one that tries to maintain a state that avoids urgency when they can. Pad's analysis, considering their constant state of inactivity, suggests that Euclase's character has been unchanging for a while. The threat of Phos does urge Euclase and the Earth gems to respond with a defensive plan, however, as seen in Chapter 70. The following interaction between Phos and Euclase centers once more on time.

Euclase's decision for everyone to rest after the night raid lies upon the premise that relationship between Phos and the Lunarians is currently one of dysfunction. Urgency to act only comes when the danger is immediate and the time constraints are evident for Euclase.

When Phos is separated for 220 years, Euclase once again approaches the problem under the assumption that the amount of time to solve all the conflicts with Phos is not constrained by time. The following chapter shows Euclase's belief that Phos no longer endangers their safety; the small amount of motivation they have to ask Kongo to pray is caused not out of sympathy for Phos but instead of out consideration of the possibility that that Lunarians might invade.

While Euclase's reasoning to delay cleaning up during Kongo's birthday party may have justifiable reasoning, it does show how motivation-boredom even plays a part in casual situations.

Upon recognizing danger from Phos' imminent invasion, Euclase's response is to buy time, which seems rather indicative that their response to urgency is infinitely delay whatever causes urgency.

Through Alexandrite's action sequence, due to the positioning of Euclase at the start of the sequence compared to the other images, it almost seems as if Euclase is trying to delay inevitable danger by using their companions to buy time.

Based on Euclase's previous actions, their reasoning for their negotiation plea towards Phos expresses sincerity. However, as time has proven before, Phos shows that they need to be the danger in order for goals and desires to be reached. Euclase's shortcomings show that becoming immortal does not mean everything can be put off until later.

When wondering why Euclase fails to get anything done later in the series, a serious factor to consider is the influence of motivation-boredom. Euclase's passivity may not be entirely based on intentional callousness, for their existence and their relation to time distorts all decision making, and living as they have distances themselves from a perspective like Phos' and reinforces those distortions.

To wrap everything up, Houseki no Kuni frequently criticizes immortality. Does the depiction of both kinds of boredom claim are aspects that necessarily happen to those who have immortality? No. In a sense the two types of boredoms oppose one another, yet they coexist in this story. However, having these two kinds of boredoms correspond to a respective immortal species shows how these criticisms could happen to those who are immortal. Additionally, unlike content-boredom within Houseki no Kuni, motivation-boredom does not directly lead to unhappiness for reasons concerning the lack of energy to fulfill desires like its supporters suggest. Instead, the manga shows that those in power who lack urgency due to their immortality can lead to excessive and idle conservatism and eventual, destructive consequences by not recognizing and responding to time-sensitive issues. To me, that sounds more like a warning rather than a criticism.

The paper summarizes both types of boredoms, but interestingly, they reject these two concepts as sufficient reasons to oppose immortality. Originally, before making this post, I did not think either forms of boredoms had any merit, but analyzing Euclase has shown me that immortality would, while not necessarily causing motivation-boredom, a distortion of urgency within projects that would require it, thereby risking to harm one's quality of living. Furthermore, for supporters of content-boredom, reading "The Makropulos case: reflections on the tedium of immortality" by Bernard Williams may interest you. For supporters of motivation-boredom, I cannot say I have read them, but Fischer and Mitchell-Yellin's response on content boredom is based off of Todd May's "Death" and Martha Nussbaum's "The Therapy of Desire".

Fischer, John Martin, and Benjamin Mitchell-Yellin. “Immortality and Boredom.” The Journal of Ethics, vol. 18, no. 4, 2014, pp. 353–72. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43895884.

[randomnumbers751650]

THE FINAL CHAPTER IS TITLED LAND OF THE LUSTROUS!

ABSOLUTE CINEMA MANGA!

[penebui]

Euc is seen as a good leader when others see Phos as a shit leader, and its such a cool foil bcause effectively they are the opposite

Phos is proactive, and Euc is really not that, theyre reactive. It's not Euc's fault necessarily.

Once Euc is established as "leader" they quickly fall into the same type of limbo Sensei had been in for years. They have constant ideas on how to combat their problem and try to move forward to a mutual understanding, a form of peace, and understand why Phos is doing what he's doing.

But they ditch all of their plans, because the general consensus of the earth gems is to just. Shatter Phos. They're constantly hostile to anything that resembles a form of letting Phos even move. Any form of compromise that Euc thinks of, they know their fellow gems will not accept because they'll interpret it as some form of compliance (letting Phos speak and at least try to understand why they betrayed them and took the other gems).

Euc doesn't know what to do with Phos's remains that'll satisfy what they want to actually do and what the gems think should happen, which is why Shinsha making the suggestion to hide parts of them was a saving grace.

Euc stops pressuring Sensei to pray after years and years, because they finally understand. They don't know why he refuses to pray, but they know the stress that comes with wanting to keep others happy while having ideas that they can't enact.

They're seen as a good leader because they follow the others, but still at times voices and chooses to make a decision to put things into motion. No one did anything when Sensei revealed himself a robot. Euc was the one to accept him first.

In high stakes moments, when no one else is around to hear, they actually do what they want to do without the fear of peer pressure.

The scene where Euc manipulates Phos before they're crushed by Cairn? It's what they actually wanted to do. They don't want Phos to be outcasted, hated, or lonely. They knew Phos would choose earth over the moon once they heard that. They don't have enough time to articulate, they're fighting each other of course. That's why they said it. And that's why Cairn crushed Phos, and why Padpa doesn't exactly reprimand her.

When Phos crushes all the gems, Euc relents and begs him to take them to the moon to work things out. This mightve been what Euc wanted to really do, a long time ago, with their other ideas. They've been around the others for so long that they haven't seen Phos's descent into pure madness and hatred despite Phos's very disfigured appearance which indicates their mental state, because everyone slowly began to accept their circumstances and not work to improve them, a stark contrast to Phos's loud determination to change everything. And who could blame them? Phos was the first of their kind to show genuine hate, and a desire to destroy with no mercy. True malice. They only saw that in the form of lunarians, who they only saw as mindless drones until they all had the chance to turn into lunarians.

The last time Euc voices their decision, is when they're a lunarian like the rest. Even after everything, they know Phos is only a gem, a child who wanted to be loved and was effectively, lonely. And even then they only do this after the gems 'closest' to Phos said they'd forgive him. So they ask, "is there anything we can do for Phos?"

Phos, is seen as a bad leader. Whether it's because the gems are scarily quick to accept their circumstances and once again, not thinking of ways to improve them and liking things as they are, or because of Phos's brash, arrogant, and loud personality. Everything they do directly opposes and disrupts the lives of everyone around them. They break the peace. But they're constantly making decisions that move them towards their goal.

They make the decision to reassemble the gems with the hardness of 5 and up, even though the gems under that will be forever lost. They decide to stage a night raid, they decide to go back on their own and try to convince Sensei to pray. They meet with other head figures to discuss what needs to be done. They're constantly doing something.

So why the fuck does everyone hate them? One, they're selfish. Not in the bad way, but in the way you can tell that this kid is also just a kid. They chased Shinsha once (lightheartedly). Before the moon, Phos used to tease Cairn like a sibling would. After the moon they argue with Cairn and become petty, because that's effectively in line with their personality.

Constant kerfuffles like this serve to show that Phos wasn't supposed to become like this. Wasn't supposed to make big decisions at the age of 300, relatively young for a gem, and decide the world is a fuck and things could be better for the gems because there was a possibility that peace could truly happen. It's like giving New Goshe trauma by taking New Morga and then pushing them saying "go and solve all of the world's problems!". Because that's quite literally what happened.

Its also why Phos doesn't give into peer pressure if you ignore the other major factor of being so far removed from relationships and being lonely. They're rebellious, so they never gave two shits about things like that even though they so desperately wanted to be loved.

The only leader that the gems know are Sensei and Aechmea. Sensei, is calm and collected, and tries his best to stay away from personal relationships because in the end the gems will get taken to the moon. But he also taught and raised them and tries his best (even though he gives up pretty quickly) to help. Aechmea is the embodiment of what a good leader should act like, even though he's probably one of the worst beings in all of the earth and the five moons. Charismatic, all welcoming, technically an extrovert, great personality, everyone loves him! Even Euc shares some qualities with these two, and why they're also seen as a good leader personality wise.

And then there's Phos. Who is the total opposite of all these things.

They think of every possibility, but also forgets about the unpredictability of the situation. They didn't expect 88 to switch with 34, they didn't expect New Goshe to sneak in, they didn't expect Padpa to decide to become an absolute killing machine during the night raid, Cairn to dump them, and everything in between. And when unpredictable things happen, their personality shines through.

They constantly drop their leader facade, and are unprofessional. The thing is, their leader facade was only there because Antarc was taken from them. The personality change was from trauma, and when they slowly recovered and their mental state improved, they went back to being snooty Phos.

The next form of personality change was because of Lapis Lazuli's influence, even then that didn't last long.

And unprofessionalism? They've always been like that.

Aechmea was proactive, and Sensei was reactive. Phos became proactive, and Euc became reactive.

The constant negative feedback eventually crushed them, the doubts and things the gems would say ate at them, and their resolve crumbled and they stopped being a leader the moment their nervous breakdown still continued even after being put back together. The only one who saw all this was Aechmea, who effectively did nothing because it furthered his plans and agenda. Phos was never meant to be a leader.

Euc never stopped being a leader, but being more removed from the gems like Sensei and Aechmea were seem to give them more confidence in their decisions even if we only see like, one instance of it. Euc has the personality, professionalism, and already had experience at being a leader. The only downside that they had was that they gave into peer pressure because of the personal level they were at with their peers. Euc effectively is fit for a leader.

Its why Euc is seen as a good leader to the gems, and why Phos is seen as a terrible one.

[vikuku]

Loneliness and Empathy in the world of Houseki no Kuni

Hii!! I have been keeping this in my head for while and I ended up deciding to do a blog regarding it (my first blog here!) and I think I have everything done to be able to explain my point of view of something have seen in Houseki no Kuni.

I watched Houseki no Kuni in 2020. the anime beautiful landscapes immediately caught my attention, but as I saw more, I had a feeling of loneliness in the series backgrounds even though the characters were there.

The landscapes really show how lonely everyone is.

Even though they live together and fight as a team, they still seem isolated. Most of them don’t really care about each other's well-being. It’s like the only thing that matters to them is getting the job done. They wouldn’t even think to ask someone to hang out or see how they’re doing, there’s no real sense of friendship.

At first, Phos was weak, so the other gems didn’t pay much attention to her. But after she got new legs, more of them started talking to her. It feels like they only cared about her once she became useful and wasn’t a burden anymore.

I don’t remember a lot, so feel free to correct me :)

[aquillwieldingmagpie]

Dan Heng once Dan Feng once Yubie Honkai Star Rail 🤝 Phosphophylite "Phos" Houseki No Kuni

Ship of Theseus themes, Samsara themes, "How much of me is what I was made of and how much of me is my experiences", not really being the person you once were, Haunted by The Horrors™ of their existence, Memory Related Issues, several Buddhist themes attached to them.

I shall not elaborate at this time due to sleep deprivation.

[king-paimon]

I've read up on your blog through a lot of Houseki no Kuni's manga. I liked your analysis though I gotta say come the last chapters, specifically since chapter 95, I didn't always agree with them.

I didn't need the end to be happy sunshine and rainbows, or the opposite, for Phos to go all revenge monster on the gems either. But at the end there, I felt like we all just accepted everything Ichikawa threw at us with no criticism, all that torture flattening the narrative's nuance, and if I didn't like it, I was seeing it through the wrong angle.

I know you don't act like that, which I appreciate. Throught all your reviews, you expressed understanding on why so many people disliked the story. Thank you for that, thank you for not being judgemental. And I'm glad you enjoyed the ride.

I just couldn't help but feel like so many story threads were left lose, and so many complete 180°s were thrown that didn't match the story or it's characters. Some people described it as a self-sabotaged narrative, and I see it. It wasn't enough to give me catharsis - especially with the character set up as the villain getting everything he wanted.

I guess I just had higher standards, which the story didn't meet. That is not a bad thing, after all.

I think my biggest gripe is with how Cairngorm's character was handled, and I'd like to include this here. The ambiguity of their predatory relationship was in poor taste, and remained unaddressed. I can see why so many of my friends left the series when that plot point happened. They deserved better.

Hi @intoxtinction! Thank you for sending me this message and sorry that it took me so long to finally respond. Real life has been kicking my butt and free time to do anything on here is a rarity. But I still wanted to write a response to you because I really loved your response! And yes, I saw the comment you left on my last HnK meta post. You're good; don't worry about it!

Thank you again for your kind words. I'm glad that you like my posts, even if they sometimes become long, nonsensical rambles and especially if you don't agree with some of my points! I love that. Whenever I wrote my posts, I always try to keep an open mind and take into account that all fans are different and would have different views when it comes to works works like HnK. As far as I can see, HnK is one of those works that is supposed to draw up conversations because it's not a simple, straight forward story with clear distinction between black/white moral characters. Everyone who reads it is going to view the events in the story differently based on their own beliefs and even if everyone's views conflict with one another, I think it's fascinating and even wonderful. So even if I may not agree with some fans when it comes to certain aspects of HnK, I never hold it against them. I don't want to demonize anyone for how they interpret the story, at least not too harshly anyways. I know when I'm biased, but I don't let that stop me from at least trying to understand where other fans are coming from. HnK was such a fascinatingly complex and unconventional story, and the fact that it can spur many views and feelings from people is one of the reasons whyI liked the series.

With that being said, however, I also think it's important to be open to properly critique our favorite works. HnK is not immune from these critiques, because for as much as I enjoyed following the story over the past couple of years, there are many aspects in the overall story that were far from satisfying. So many loose ends, incomplete character arches, and questionable story decisions... After being away from the story for some time now, it's become more apparent that there were many aspects to the HnK that has me question Haruko Ichikawa's story telling abilities. Don't get me wrong, she's shown to be a very fascinating storyteller and I overall liked what she created. But when it comes to the incomplete story threads for all of the other characters besides Phos, I can't tell if some of Ms. Ichikawa's decisions were intentionally left up for interpretation or if their stories were just not important to complete since at the end of the day, HnK is about Phos's story. One of these decisions I question the most about is Cairngorm's story arch, so I couldn't agree more with you, @intoxtinction. Cairngorm was done dirty in so many ways and they deserved a more satisfying ending to their story.

I was planning on writing two last posts that would be focusing on these topics. But because life has been kicking my butt too much lately, I don't know when they will be out, if at all at this point. But if I'm able to complete them, I hope you'll get the chance to read them and share your own thought. And again, it's totally fine if you don't agree with my points; I'd still love to read them!

[mieowkoid09]

WAIT WAT

I have no idea what this means... is there a connection between water/ice that makes the ones living in/are liquid that makes them prone to knowing things others dont? is that why Phos is also liquidish in their latest form!? did Antarc subconsciously know that Phos is going to become something more than a lustrous??? and since light can be considered a liquid, is that why the lunarians are such know-it-alls'??? I am so confused-

[raichubork]

I finished reading the HNK manga and watching the anime a while ago but I still have the notes on many chapters without much context, so...I thought that some people may wanna read 'em? This will contain spoilers for the entire series.

I think that the main message is : Be careful what you wish for and be grateful for what you have.

Something I'm upset with is the Fu...A...N? bit getting lost in translation. Yk, when Phos strangles the tsukijin, accidentally blocking their airways? And then Phos is in the library, thinking about what the tsukijin said and Ghost scares them? "fuan" means "anxiety/uneasiness/apprehension" etc. and I think that moment has a unique feel to it that also helps cement Ghost's character.

CH39

Phos' gold expands in their head and explodes because of the trauma caused by the Antarc incident.

Cairngorm understands Phos' situation with the gold arms because they themselves have lived beneath Ghost Quartz's skin. Phos' gold, just like how Cairngorm has lived, has a mind of their own.

And it's likely the arms that acted up and called Cairngorm "Antarc".

When beneath Ghost's surface, Cairngorm did something as reckless as trying to get caught by the tsukijin because of Lapis being taken away, similarly to what Phos did because of Antarc

CH42

THE TSUKIJIN LEARNED TO CHUCK BITS AND PIECES OF GEMS AS WEAPONS BECAUSE OF THE TIME WHEN SENSEI DID

CH43

THE FORESHADOWING

F U M I N G .

CH45

Whenever the alloy kept expanding and contracting, Phos would crack and chip away because their memories were affected by the trauma.

CH46

Guess who's gonna go to the moon...(it is Phosphophyllite)

CH47

Lapis looks kinda evil

CH58

Phos is going to feed every gem the information said gem wants/needs little by little. They are going to maintain the original personality in order to attract no suspicion.

CH59

You're gonna hate that love because you don't understand it??

CH67

Is the prince offering false freedom?

Also, having your old self eat away at you, making you unable to progress is a beautiful message.

Cairngorm would've been more hostile towards Phos if it weren't for Ghost's influence. Cairngorm was like that in the beginning because they had more control over themselves, likely due to the strong emotions caused by Ghost being taken away.

CH71

Cinnabar decomposes into Hg and S at a minimum of 235°C. That means that either the Earth's atmospheric temperature is as high as that, or Cinnabar's internal body temperature is. And that's how they create that "poison" floating around them, which is definitely mercury. Or maybe they can make it float, like Phos can control the alloy that makes up their arms?

Phos may be more fortunate than Cinnabar, yet the latter appreciates themselves enough to not be eternally greedy and obsessed with changing themselves.

+Cairngorm new fit kinda looks like a chess piece maybe

CH72

Teetering at the edge between two extremes, Phos can't fit in anywhere.

CH75

The way that they're forcing gender norms on a genderless gem makes me feel uncomfortable on a deep level.

CH76

People go along with Phos out of convenience and because their ideas slightly align, not because they care about the gem. However, the gems on Earth care about both Euc and Kongō, hence why they happily stick around

CH78

I don't think anyone who's on the moon reeally misses Phos...

CH79

NIGHTMARE FUEL.

Phos lost "Phos", so of course "Phos" was not memorable to the other gems after a long time has passed. Also, what a Frankenstein. Get boxed.

Phos must tired because of the lack of sunlight.

So now they want Kongō's light? After rejecting it??

CH80

The Lustrous may be pure and kind in all they do and are, just like the prince is saying. Going by that logic, Phos has always had good intentions but has been a mess since from start to finish.

CH99

Phos resembles a sea angel to me...which is kinda interesting, since they both hail from the sea. Phos also looks like a combination between the 3 races that derived from humans and none of them at the same time.

Some extra things I want to add:

After CH99 I kinda just started binge-reading everything that was left and I was too impressed by everything that was happening to actually have any thoughts about it. I just felt at peace reading it, somehow.

Anyway, a nice touch that the ending had was Phos disintegrating, essentially "peeling" every layer off and returning to their original state...I got very emotional.

Also, I hate Aechmea with a burning passion. At first I thought they were this evil guy but in the end they were relatively harmless but GROSS AF. I had to force myself to get through all the chapters when they were interacting with Cairngorm because I FELT UNCOMFORTABLE ON SO MANY LEVELS.

Regardless, thank you for reading if you did 🫶

[le-panda-chocovore]

I only now start talking to people in the HNK fandom (I know this manga since years but I have never met someone who like it) so I'm only now realizing that many people hate on Cairngorm ????? And I'm like ????? What ???? Why ??????? She's so cute !!! (I use she/they for her because it's canon that she prefers fem gender expression)

Like I understand that she's kind of an insufferable bitch on the moon but guys '? She's so happy ?? And free ??? She's finally able to be her true self and THIS is who she is ! She didn't betray Phos, she has never liked him from the beginning. She was only influenced by the remanent of Ghost Quartz (whom I love entirely) and kinda manipulated by Phos (who forced them to do things they explicitly didn't want to). This was never a friendship. This was a toxic co-dependant relationship about a traumatized gem who was more focus about their goal than people's concerns until those people were hurt then they lost it because PTDS, and a gem who didn't have a sense of self therefore needed to be told what to do and who they should be.

Phos always supposed that Cairngorm would be on their side, and when they was finally free Cairngorm said "Sorry but no, I was manipulated by my past self, I don't want to help you" and this was very honest and clear. She deserves her liberty and happiness. And if this means they're going to be an egoistical bitch then so be it ! Go girl I'm 100% with you !!!

aight mfs this is gonna become a cairngorm support blog

[kimenochan]

Just watch about 7 video analysis of Houseki no kuni without watching the anime nor read the manga

So I thought I’d just put the siblings into some nice uniform:D

[barksenji]

Houseki No Kuni is amazing.

In my formative years, I delved into the depths of the internet, navigating NSFL content and explicit material without restraint. Unrestricted by parental oversight, I became desensitized to disturbing imagery, fostering an emotional detachment. This exposure, which was not positive, undeniably left an indelible mark on me.

Venturing into horror movies, graphic manga, and unsettling videos failed to evoke amusement or fear, until Houseki No Kuni entered my life in 2020.

This isn't an attempt to sensationalize; it might not strike you as the most terrifying experience, nor bring you to tears. It probably won't, tbh. Yet, its impact on me was pretty profound man. Unlike my usual obsessions that (sometimes) bring joy, this manga drew me into an obsessive immersion, blurring the boundaries between fiction and reality. The disorienting feeling lingered, isolating me with thoughts that couldn't be easily shared.

Consider my current interest: One Piece. It is a source of joy combining emotional moments with triumphs, excitement, and learning. Houseki No Kuni, however, charts a different course. If you know, you know, lmao. Its unsettling nature deepens with each read, weaving a narrative that connected with my own reality. After finishing a session, lying in bed, the story intertwined with my thoughts, creating a bridge between both worlds. The resulting blurred lines had a profound impact, it's kinda stupid but it's true.

I refrain from offering a comprehensive analysis; others likely share similar sentiments. Yet, isn't my experience a testament to its exceptional writing? As a writer myself, I aspire to captivate readers as this story did for me. The insights gleaned are invaluable, showcasing the narrative's ability to resonate. While I may not revisit it for evident reasons, its oddly beautiful impact continues to impress me.

Idk, I probably need to sleep, lol.