Land of the Lustrous - Ch. 108 - Land of the Lustrous

[VinDex99]

One of the best 30 minute in my life. I thought the manga ended after chapter 95, the 10000 years of waiting is worth it. And i love how phos is still worried about him self, afraid gonna ruin everthing, and i love they draw every version of him before being melted. Damn i just love this manga, and thanks to the animation to make it interesting enough to check it. How about y'all fellow rocks and pebbles.

 

[L33tSkeels]

Kino

 

[Koshin_127]

I'm really glad I could follow this story till the end

 

[BasicllyIPoop]

How nice, I'm glad I was here to witness a great story come to an end

 

[Teaborg]

the more Phos was motivated to help those around them, the worse things got. seeking the power to change and experiencing failure and loss drove that growth. ultimately it’s this destructive quality driven by kindness that saves Humanity’s collective soul. Phos’ selfless act of sacrifice even leads to paradise and they also receive salvation.

On this new world free of want, after Earth has returned to stardust, life persists. and Phos’ soul continues to inspire others (in comet form.) Machine’s task is also done and rests, until it too returns to death. Phos chips- remaining the same at the core despite everything. finally removed from the cycle of karma.

 

[Lustrist]

congratulations, phos

 

[herbderb98]

It's finally over, they're finally at peace

 

[cupnoodlehair]

Am I the only one who did not like this last arc? Sure Buhhdism symbolism, Humans are the villains because they have desires and desiring nothing like rocks is how we should be? Having desires is to be human, and so only a non-human would be able to find true peace - I get that. I also get that this whole journey is reminiscent of the one that was Taken by Buhhda on the way to enlightenment. From my perspective, I can't help but feel like this entire work is done to insult what it is to be human.

the things that drew me into this were the mystery behind the Lunarians attacking the gems and their weird dynamic with Master. I wanted to know who they were and why did they collect gems. When Phos took steps to understand the Lunarians, something no gem ever had done before I was even more hooked. The realization that the Lunarians were seeking prayers to escape this life that they had gotten bored of. Phos came back not as a hero but an enemy to the gems but then after that the Gems all side with the Lunarians something that they fought and fought and fought against with all their strength and put all the responsibility cruely upon Phos. And Phos who had lost everything whati t meant to be herself simply accepts it. Fuck that.

Phos was murderous. Set on Revenge right before those, and being tricked to end the cycle.

The Lunarians and the Gems seemed to be living in eternal paradise before this point. The Lunarians found new life through the Gems, and the Gems through the Lunarians. The Naive gems didn't realize what it meant to end their existence. Why do all these lies get to go unresolved, and why do the Lunarians get rewarded for the evil they have done?

I thought the Buhhdist Cycle of Reincarnation was going to be served with Phos taking on the role of Master and fostering the next life cycle of Earthly creatures. It felt like a huge waste, and a complete rush so that the serires could end on chapter 108 just for further buhddist symbols.

In all of this I feel alone and surrounded by nothing but praise for this work that spits on all of us for being human and rejects the notion of humanity as evil, that is not something that Buhhda ever taught. Humanity is a necessary step for Earth and the Universe to understand itself in the path to enlightment.

In the end Phos is the true villain, eliminating everything that it means to be human and cutting off the path to Nirvana for all creatures to come after humans forever. I feel lied to and betrayed at the end of this.

 

[mimicking]

i got shivers while reading this chapter. we really reached the end, wow. i feel a little empty yet complete knowing i got to see the completion of this series. 12 years serialized, and i was here for ~7 years of that as a reader. hope ichikawa is happy with how this series ended. thanks ichikawa.

 

[Bananimal]

In all of this I feel alone and surrounded by nothing but praise for this work that spits on all of us for being human and rejects the notion of humanity as evil, that is not something that Buhhda ever taught.

Nah, there's people who weren't keen on the ending either, especially outside of MD. I think you summarized exactly what annoyed me about the way Ichikawa framed the final chapters. Seems more style over substance, like she superficially inserted Buddhist imagery without trying to connect it meaningfully to her readers' lives. How are we supposed to be like rocks that don't need to eat or breathe? It's easy for pebbles to live without want when they have no needs.

To compare it to another recently completed series, Usotsuki Satsuki had a much more dull ending, but it at least gave an interesting perspective to the meaning of individual lives and why everyone is important. Houseki no Kuni just didn't have anything much to say in comparison. I'm glad actual Buddhism isn't as cynical and nihilistic as portrayed in HnK.

 

[belkrax]

Am I the only one who did not like this last arc? Sure Buhhdism symbolism, Humans are the villains because they have desires and desiring nothing like rocks is how we should be? Having desires is to be human, and so only a non-human would be able to find true peace - I get that. I also get that this whole journey is reminiscent of the one that was Taken by Buhhda on the way to enlightenment. From my perspective, I can't help but feel like this entire work is done to insult what it is to be human.

the things that drew me into this were the mystery behind the Lunarians attacking the gems and their weird dynamic with Master. I wanted to know who they were and why did they collect gems. When Phos took steps to understand the Lunarians, something no gem ever had done before I was even more hooked. The realization that the Lunarians were seeking prayers to escape this life that they had gotten bored of. Phos came back not as a hero but an enemy to the gems but then after that the Gems all side with the Lunarians something that they fought and fought and fought against with all their strength and put all the responsibility cruely upon Phos. And Phos who had lost everything whati t meant to be herself simply accepts it. Fuck that.

Phos was murderous. Set on Revenge right before those, and being tricked to end the cycle.

The Lunarians and the Gems seemed to be living in eternal paradise before this point. The Lunarians found new life through the Gems, and the Gems through the Lunarians. The Naive gems didn't realize what it meant to end their existence. Why do all these lies get to go unresolved, and why do the Lunarians get rewarded for the evil they have done?

I thought the Buhhdist Cycle of Reincarnation was going to be served with Phos taking on the role of Master and fostering the next life cycle of Earthly creatures. It felt like a huge waste, and a complete rush so that the serires could end on chapter 108 just for further buhddist symbols.

In all of this I feel alone and surrounded by nothing but praise for this work that spits on all of us for being human and rejects the notion of humanity as evil, that is not something that Buhhda ever taught. Humanity is a necessary step for Earth and the Universe to understand itself in the path to enlightment.

In the end Phos is the true villain, eliminating everything that it means to be human and cutting off the path to Nirvana for all creatures to come after humans forever. I feel lied to and betrayed at the end of this.

Same feels here. And that's not to even mention all the gem arcs that went entirely unresolved (My poor Yellow Diamond...!). And the strange, seemingly pointless developments like Aechmea talking about having a child with Cairngorm, etc... The story was initially akin to a fable, with Phos losing things and gaining things and learning to change in a world without change, but then... It became a very strange thing, it felt like reading a fanfic of itself. Again, I still treasure it to some degree because the first half might be some of the best I have read in terms of manga, but after he returned from the Moon, developments felt pointless for no purpose other than to shock or symbolism, and most characters acted in a completely ridiculous, irrational way.

 

[PintoBean]

In the end Phos is the true villain, eliminating everything that it humanity to be human and cutting off the path to Nirvana for all creatures to come after humans forever. I feel lied to and betrayed at the end of this.

I wouldn't say Phos is the true villain. Humanity is. Phos is just a victim to it.

Phos was tainted by the greed and desires of humanity. Phos was like a baby at the beginning of the story, a fresh new slate with no knowledge of how the world works. But in actuality from the moment Phos was carved into the shape of a human/humanoid, they were already tainted by humanity. Adamant has been tainted by humanity from creation and thereby taints the gems with humanity just by carving them into the shape of humans and telling them about human history.

Unlike Phos, the other gems did not have the innate curious nature that Phos had. Another important note: Curiosity is one of the defining characteristics of being human. As Phos grows more curious and gains more knowledge, they grow closer and closer to becoming a human, which im sure many readers was sensing throughout the story.

Phos' extreme curiosity was also their downfall as they sought to seek the truth about too many things and in the end experienced a full life of loss, grief, joy, and anger. The moment Phos had a desire to become stronger and make more friends and figure out the whole secret with the war with lunarians, they were already doomed, because having desires is what brought humanity to its destruction.

On a whole other side note, lunarians are also the remnants of humanity, but the greedy and dishonest part of it. When Phos finally meets them, Phos was already in a deteriorating headspace, stuck between thinking gems were good, Adamant was bad, lunarians good, or Adamant good and gems good and lunarians bad, etc.

As Phos descends into chaos and self destruction, they somehow finally become a true human, which makes the metaphorical meaning of being a human kind of sad but true as well.

And by the tricky of the lunarians, Phos was also tricked into becoming a God. When Phos awakens from their new form, their resentment causes them to wish/pray everyone away, but it leaves them entirely alone, which Phos comes to realize was never what they truly wanted.

Just like a human, in a fit of rage we sometimes do something horrible we didn't mean too, like mudering a loved one out of anger but soonafter coming to realize that they're now gone forever and we will never get to speak, see, or enjoy their comfort ever again.

So, in my opinion, i don't think Phos was ever the true villain. It was humanity. The spirit of humanity is what made Phos destroy everything. The remnants of humanity made Phos human (too human in fact) and allowed Phos a deeper sense of sentience. Someimes it is said that too much knowledge is a curse and that is basically what happens to Phos. They discovered too much, learned too much, realized too much and in the end destroyed it all because their human emotions was too much.

I think that's why after the destruction of everything, Phos begins speaking in a weird monotone and lack-of-emotion way because they're rejecting the humanity in them that made them destroy everything they loved. They hate humanity for what its made them into.

Obviously as humans, its kind of frustrating to read a story that makes humans seem so irredeemably terrible (i mean we are terrible ngl), but in a critical POV, its also important to understand the intricacies of the human spirit and all it's destructive aspects as well.

Whose to say the little rocks on paradise planet won't be tainted by humanity or just the idea of it and turn into destructive little creatures in the future. Is desire strictly a human trait or is it actually a trait of sentience? If the little rocks are sentient beings, what's stopping one little rock into growing curious and following into Phos' footsteps to discover more about their life and the world they inhabit.

 

[BookQueen]

Took a bit of time but its over

 

[juackhito21]

12 years huh
im getting old aint i?
From the moment Anime ended, i felt empty and uncompleted.
Little did i know few years later i found out that this piece has a manga and from that, the story began and it ends now.

I always wish for Phos's happiness in every chapter she suffered (which is a lot) and now that wish is fulfilled.
Im happy.
Thank you ichikawa.
See you in another universe guys.

 

[Kagurazaki]

Motherf im f crying for real. But im a man, i can't cry, but cant hold it😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭

 

[BananowyJE]

10/10
Simple as

 

[ILOVECODY]

It was quite the journey to see this to the end.

 

[Nicoxas]

This was truly maginificent.
A piece of art, I really loved it, it was beautiful.

 

[nonexistent696969]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaa

 

[AngelHQ]

Everything (bad) that happened was Aniki's fault, and in the end he gains Paradise?
Unfair.

I think it's because aniki is a machine, and even then it's played like all of this was a coincidence.

Looks like the way the author looks at the world: coincidences make it look like the universe works in a certain way, and people play their part as they interpret what they see. That may result in unfair outcomes.