Houseki no Kuni

Description

From Kodansha:
In a world inhabited by crystalline lifeforms called The Lustrous, every unique gem must fight for their way of life against the threat of lunarians who would turn them into decorations. Phosphophyllite, the most fragile and brittle of gems, longs to join the battle. When Phos is instead assigned to complete a natural history of their world, it sounds like a dull and pointless task. But this new job brings Phos into contact with Cinnabar, a gem forced to live in isolation. Can Phos's seemingly mundane assignment lead both Phos and Cinnabar to the fulfillment they desire?

Original Manga

Official English: Azuki, INKR, Kodansha

Note: Nominated for the 8th Manga Taisho in 2015.

Type

Manga

Related Series

N/A

Associated Names

Cəvahirat Ölkəsi

Das Land der Juwelen

Gem Kingdom

Hōseki no Kuni

Jewelry Kingdom

Kingdom of Gems

Kingdom of Jewelry

Kraina klejnotów

L'ère des Cristaux

La tierra de las gemas

Land of the Lustrous

Mücevher Ülkesi

Terra das Gemas

The Land of the Lustrous

Vương Quốc Bảo Thạch

Край самоцвітів

Страна самоцветов

أرض الجواهر

चम्किलो देश

宝石の国

宝石之国

보석의 나라

Groups Scanlating

/a/nonymous

Black Cat Scanlations

Habanero Scans

HNK Project

More...

Latest Release(s)

c.99-103 by Yaku Translations 2 years ago

v.12 c.97 by Yaku Translations 2 years ago

c.102 by /a/nonymous 2 years ago

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Status in Country of Origin

13 Volumes (Complete)

Completely Scanlated?

Yes

Anime Start/End Chapter

Starts at Vol 1, Chap 1

Ends at Vol 5, Chap 31 (Original Ending in EP13)

User Reviews

N/A

Forum

1 topics, 1 posts

Click here to view the forum

User Rating

Average: 8.6 / 10.0 (375 votes)

Bayesian Average: 8.43 / 10.0

36%

26%

20%

Last Updated

October 1st, 2025 5:54am PDT - 1 week ago

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Genre

Action Adventure Drama Fantasy Mystery Psychological Sci-fi Seinen Slice of Life Tragedy
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Categories

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Recommendations

Author(s)

Artist(s)

Year

Original Publisher

Kodansha

Serialized In (magazine)

Afternoon (Kodansha)

Licensed (in English)

Yes

English Publisher

Azuki (stream)

INKR Comics

Kodansha USA (12 Vols - Ongoing)

Activity Stats (vs. other series)

Weekly Pos #504

(-180)

Monthly Pos #1098

(-343)

3 Month Pos #1839

(-122)

6 Month Pos #2027

(-11)

Year Pos #2176

(+371)

List Stats

On 1542 reading lists

On 980 wish lists

On 358 completed lists

On 46 unfinished lists

On 385 custom lists

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Forum Posts Click to view the forum

Land of the Lustrous Manga to Conclude Next Month

2 years ago

User Comments [ Order by usefulness ]

Houseki, Phos, and the identity of the self

by bjsann
2 days ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Commenting on this manga would be a long endeavor. Houseki no Kuni was a great personal surprise for me — a story that simmers slowly, only to explode in its final arcs with a depth far greater than it first appears.

Houseki no Kuni is a profound reflection on the dilemma of the “self.” The story of Phosphophyllite (Phos) confronts us with existential questions: What makes us who we are? What is our essence when everything changes? Throughout the work, Phos undergoes multiple physical, mental, and emotional transformations, yet still retains a spark of their original being — the desire to be happy, to feel loved, and to find peace. That persistence of the soul, even amid constant metamorphosis, is what sustains their authenticity.

However, this search is not without pain. Phos suffers from deep identity disorders after losing parts of their body — and with them, their memories and history — facing loneliness and existential disorientation. The emptiness that surrounds them becomes the catalyst that forces Phos to confront their true self, their darkest desires, and their own destiny.

From a philosophical perspective, Phos reflects Jean-Paul Sartre’s existentialism: the attempt to give one’s life purpose, a reason to exist. But their journey also intertwines with Nietzsche’s nihilism, as Phos destroys the values imposed by their master and peers, seeking to attain a new way of being. In their process of self-destruction, Phos embodies the idea of amor fati — to accept and love one’s own fate — and a kind of fatalism that embraces suffering as a path to spiritual maturity.

As they strip away their “humanity,” Phos becomes a stoic being, striving to endure adversity and find meaning through sacrifice. Their path leads them to accept change, no matter how harsh or painful, with the goal of achieving a purer form of existence, even if it means losing their former identity.

In dialogue with John Locke and his metaphysics of identity, the story suggests that “we are our memories.” If identity is made up of memories and experiences, then Phos — by losing parts of their body and mind — also loses fragments of themselves. That loss leads to madness and the disintegration of consciousness, transforming Phos into a new being, yet one alienated from their original “self.”

Phos’s constant transformation can also be understood through Alfred North Whitehead’s view of reality as fluid and ever-changing. Phos experiences that fluidity through countless metamorphoses — external and internal changes that reshape their morality, ethics, and worldview. This dynamic also echoes Hegel’s dialectic, in which every contradiction gives rise to a new synthesis. Thus, Phos continuously reinvents themselves: every loss or failure becomes an opportunity to surpass their previous self and be reborn with a deeper, more fitting understanding of reality.

Finally, when Phos says, “There’s a bridge I must burn,” it represents the act of breaking away from regret and embracing complete commitment to one’s fate. The phrase symbolizes the stoic and deterministic acceptance — inspired by Marcus Aurelius — that the chosen path must be walked without looking back. By burning their “ships,” Phos accepts their role as the bridge toward a new existence, the transition between the human and the divine, between suffering and nirvana.

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Really good

by diobrandox69420
2 weeks ago

Rating: N/A

Land of the Lustrous is a slow-burn tragedy wrapped in gorgeous, surreal art. It pissed me off, made me laugh, and broke me down emotionally more times than I can count. Even with its snail-paced slice-of-life stretches and heavy philosophical dialogue, the payoff is hauntingly beautiful. Phos’ journey from the weakest gem to something else is unforgettable. Bittersweet, strange, and one-of-a-kind. 9/10.

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The later half is kinda forced and boring

by tamashi3982
3 weeks ago

Rating: 5.0 / 10.0

This has the potential to be great, but halfway through it just lost any sense. The author suddenly did a fan-service
wedding between a bratty little gem with the much older creepy prince dude, which makes me cringe so much I can't even comprehend what's going on in the author's head. Phos suddenly becomes the sacrifice - it's okay, but all of the gems' attitude is what makes me furious. Suddenly they go on with their happy life on the moon and ignore Phos's suffering, and then he just kinda accepts his fate after 10,000 years.

They say this manga reflects Buddhism's philosophy, but I call it pretending to be deep. It's a annihilation mess of nihilism mixed with failed/forced salvation. Phos doesn't reach enlightenment, s/he is forced to comply and accept fate of a disposable tool. Compared to stories by Osamu Tezuka, this is just overrated, and the latter half is just meh. I know it's hard to find proper philosophical manga nowadays, so we have to chew even this thing, but really, I don't get the popularity behind it. Wasted potential for such an interesting premiere.

If you want to see how tragic hero turns to enlightenment done right, look at Zero in Drakengard 3. This is just another depressing story trying too hard to be cool. The final chapters with the utter hate for humanity is also just negative for the sake of bashing humanity. If you know just a little about many animals' lives, you know even ants wage wars, monkeys has caste system too, and some animals can be extremely cruel within their own kind. Yeah, somehow just blame the human because that's the trend now I guess.

... Last updated 3 weeks ago

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Phos really got it rough

by Sniberus
3 months ago

Rating: 8.5 / 10.0

Homie was so selfless and tried helping out like everyone, but was met with nobody. The character development from the beginning to the end of Phos was actually crazy. The philosophical parts at the end was kinda confusing and kinda left field, but honestly, it kinda makes sense given everything that happens. Good read and quite the ending.

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What on earth (literally)

by SunshineRomance
6 months ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

Very confusing and psychological ride. I'd say the front 80% is great and has a lot of intrigue, but things get weirder and weirder towards the end.

Very enjoyable depending on the mood you're in.

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Very good worldbuilding. Awful plot.

by just.dont
1 year ago

Rating: 6.0 / 10.0

This does have very intriguing setting, but unfortunately the series are completely ruined by rather primitive and nonsensical plot.
First off, everything global plot-related happens very much exactly as envisioned by main antagonist. There's no ifs, buts, subversions or complexity.

Second,

The author absolutely doesn't mind firing a bunch of completely opposing ideas onto you. Humans are bastards and will inevitably keep destroying their environment while endlessly breeding and expanding? Sure, but the same humans (or rather their current descendants, doesn't matter) are all PERFECTLY okay with sitting on their asses for the duration of the plot only hoping to die. Well, it can't be both.

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House of Misanthropy

by Pervserk
1 year ago

Rating: 7.5 / 10.0

I dont recommend this series if you are already depressed about the state of the world or dislike sad endings. The ending is very depressing and I thought it ended in vol 12 but the author did 13th volume which instead of closure felt like knife twist in your already pierced heart after vol 12.

The series starts with mix of some really cutesy comedy and Evangelion. I see many reviews commenting about the character gender thing, maybe some languages have trouble with it but reading it in english I felt the gems being androgynous wasnt a big deal at all, fit the story and if anything makes it easier for anyone to get into it regardless of their gender.

Art style fit well and the story even if I didnt like it overall was well constructed and the author clearly had a strong vision they followed through from the beginning.

I didnt like how the other gems treated Pho, seemed borderline sociopathic in the end

nobody decided to go help Pho when Pho was scattered for 200 years?? And everyone lived happily ever after for 10 000 years and left Pho to rot? They really didnt care much for Pho did they? . I understand the gems had different perspective on time but it still seemed ridiculous when there was big time skips ! the main character is in coma for 102 years and only 2 other gems have died during that time when previously they seemed to die often and nothing else seems to not have changed/progressed. /End rant.

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Starts like Sailor Moon, ends like Fire Punch

by silverloc123
1 year ago

Rating: 8.0 / 10.0

I loved the light-hearted, friendship-filled anime so I read the manga. Boy was it a wild ride.

The main character went from the most wholesome little gem to an indifferent alloy to a manipulative rebellious teenager to a manic sociopath to Kongo, the peaceful Buddhist.

What the heck happened, what goes through these authors' minds in regard to existential crisis?

It is difficult to get attached to the main character because they change so much, but it was an interesting plot anchor-point. Overall, very unique art, great world-building, intrigue, and it really gets people hooked. If you liked Fire Punch, you will like this.

... Last updated 1 year ago

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Phos did nothing wrong

by LordRakdos
4 years ago

Rating: N/A

Just as an addition to many of the reviews here: The official German translation went out of their way to consult a transmasc writer to construct genderless pronouns for the manga, with an additional explanation and guide at the end.

Love the little sentence of "If you can understand -san, -chan, and -sama, 'xier' won't be a problem for you!"

For the manga itself, gorgeous artwork, lots of philosophy of the self and the community, and characters will have the power to invoke all kinds of emotions in you - from absolute love, to seething rage.

I don't love this manga, but I highly respect it. And that is a good thing.

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Beautiful

by DR MUHAMMAD
5 years ago

Rating: 10.0 / 10.0

Journey to becoming a human

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