Land of the Lustrous Volume 2 Review *No Spoilers
The Origin Story Revealed
To avoid spoilers, I will spare details. However, this is undoubtedly the most important part to the whole volume. After all, combat-ready-sentient-crystal-beings is a little bit of a hard sell for anyone who likes logic. Any explanation is greatly appreciated, and is arguably necessary for readers to continue to be able to wrap their minds around the workings and interactions of the individuals in this world.
Though the explanation for the world order is still a little bit on the fantastic side at the end of the day, it does feel plausible and interesting.
So do not fear, logical readers. This volume does present a creation story to help explain the WHY behind the characters presented.
The Main Protagonist Gets More Relatable
For me, it was very difficult to have Phos be so useless. She does not give the impression of someone “smart,” she is not strong, and she is not exceptionally kind to the people around her or help them in a meaningful way. In a way, she is a waste of space.
If anyone else got these impressions from her, and found it a little bit hard to get through the volume due to this, be assured. Phos does get to spread her wings a bit more and evolve.
Final Thoughts
All in all, volume 2 is washing away some of the potential weaknesses from volume 1 that could have crippled the series if they were allowed to remain strong themes. There is now a story behind their world for readers to find some understanding behind the basic existence to these characters. In addition, Phos is evolving very quickly. So far, I am very happy with this series, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who likes cool, anime-like fights or to anyone who is interested in earth studies.
Land of the Lustrous was written by Haruko Ichikawa and is published by Kodansha Comics. I am not paid for my reviews. Thank you for reading!
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