Don't go to pieces! Land of the Lustrous simulwatch (completed)

First time viewer! Episode 9!

Evidently some time has passed since the previous episode and the events with Antarcticite.

This is a very sombre episode to begin with, Phos is like a totally different Phos than the one we are used to seeing. Gone is any sense of playfulness or genki-gem we are used to seeing. If I had to describe Phos is one word it would be lethargic.

Even the master seems slower than normal. His robe looking even more ragged than it did before. Red Beryl would certainly not approve.

Those new arms that Phos has are really bling though, I love them. Very stylish. A lot of people pay a lot of real life cash for gold skinned weapons in games.

The 2nd half of the episode is a stark contrast to the first. The re-emergence of all of other gem people is a welcome change of pace from the slightly lonely last few episodes. With their return is also a more general sense of cheerfulness.

Phos is getting way more attention than usual, but doesn't seem to be enjoying it.

Good to see Cinnabar as tsundere as usual. I get the impression Cinnabar doesn't like the way the new Phos is as much.

That final battle with the Lunarians was both the redemption fight, Phos showing they can do the job properly now to the Amethyst twins, and also a chance for Phos to crack open the Lunarian Kinder egg and see what toy was inside.

I'll pop back on a bit later and check some other comments people have made :)

Side Notes:
  • Gems do seem to have emotions but they don't seem to know what crying is.
  • Phos seemed to forget who Cinnabar was but when they did finally meet, Phos seemed to know they were searching for a job for them to do.
  • Still don't trust the master, when he was asked about if he felt loneliness, he used distraction techniques to avoid more questions and didn't answer it.
 
fathomlessblue said:
It's absolutely the disk, not the player. There was even a thread somewhere on this site about the problems people were having with disk 2 loading on various players. Sometimes they wouldn't load, while other times they would take a long time and make a lot of noise as the players tried to access the data. Multiple people mentioned it to MVM here, but their response was basically "Well it works fine for us, but we might give it another glance later on" cue silence as they hoped people would stop talking about it I'm generally quite positive towards MVM, but they're really not great about fixing mistakes, unless they've literally been presented with no choice.
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Thanks, that's both good to know and pretty troubling. I sent MVM an email about it earlier today, so I'll be interested to see what they say about it now.
 
Episode 9: Spring

I’ll chime in on how shocked the gems must have been to have awoken to Phos being completely different personality-wise. Them mastering their newfound gold abilities and suddenly becoming the centrepiece of conversations is a bit sad to see, considering they’ve lost much of their self in the process.
 
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WMD said:
It's so sad that it took all this for the others to become interested and chummy with Phos. These parts of the episode are more light hearted but they work to show how the dynamic has now changed. Before Phos was the childish one always looking up at the others. Now its reversed and others come across as the childish ones and Phos is often depicted looking down on them from above. Rather than becoming equals as they wanted they're further away from the group than ever.
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Yes I agree with your assessment, Phos was previously the one seeking attention, and now doesn't want it.

A few additional thoughts I had in general since my previous post + reading the posts of the rest of you:
  • Phos seems to have a connection with the sea, they have lost both their arms and legs to the sea now, and can communicate with Octowaifu and her brother.
  • I mentioned that the ice floes seemed to have a conscience of some kind, I think this is still true. In episode 8 they said that Phos needed better arms before the Spring, and without the gold arms the gems would have been struggling with defence all this time without Antarcticite around.
  • I want to see the moon but I am not sure we will see it this season anymore as the episodes go by.
  • I wonder if Phos will get another major power up event? If they lose more of the original Phos it might make them forget about the pain of losing Antarcticite. I feel like the gems in general aren't really good at handling their emotions.
 
Everyone has very nicely summarised this episode so not much to add from apart from some ramblings and musings.

There is nothing more tragic than the loss of childlike innocence that life brings with maturity and experience.
Dai said:
We're definitely not in standard shonen battle manga territory here, where getting stronger is usually a good thing, and often a self-justifying aim. I wouldn't even call this a standard coming-of-age story, with Phos growing out of her child-like ways. This is closer to an arc like Rand's in The Wheel of Time, where power comes at an astronomically unbalanced cost.
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Nicely surmised - watching this episode I was reminded of the background foreboding of "careful what you wish for" I had over Phos' chirpy ambitions in the earlier part of the season - the child forever being impatient to grow and up and be somebody, but the adult forever wishing they could go back and do over & cherish being a carefree child again.
Neil.T said:
As the rest of the gems wake from their hibernation, Phos regains a bit of her old character as she reconnects with them, and Kurosawa allows her performance to thaw just a little, balancing Phos being able to rediscover some of her old self with the inescapable fact that she'll never again be the careless and free-spirited soul she once was.
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She does capture this very well and thawing is a perfect description, given that even with the humour Phos can still generate, there seems to be a cloud or shadow over it.

WMD said:
It's so sad that it took all this for the others to become interested and chummy with Phos.
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Very true and quite the indictment of society's inclusiveness having prerequisites.
Birdie Num Num said:
Episode 9 - Phos has learned from her mistakes, staying calm in dangerous situations, though she didn't account on being overwhelmed by the other gems.

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This use of concept art per episode really is a great idea and would probably make for a good regular tradition for all future simulcasts when available, though I guess it will vary with said availability and quality.

IdiomaticLynx said:
Interestingly enough Phos can actually "understand" what they are saying. Antarcticite and master seem convinced that there's no real sentience behind it and should just be ignored. However, the ice floes seem talk to Phos trying to let her deliberately loose her arms, indicating that a solution will be found, just like it did with her legs. On top of that they even mention Cinnabar. How did they know?
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I found this fascinating though as you said, the specifics like Cinnabar being mentioned made me think it was Phos' internalisations being interpreted by themselves through the horrific sounding cries of the ice floes. Though the idea they have sentience is equally interesting with the latter arising on a microscopic/microorganism level in this world given that only gems with inclusions have the ability to be born.

IdiomaticLynx said:
After a surprise second Lunarian attack, we see Antarcticite being shattered into pieces and stolen. Phos does gain the resolve and courage to chase the Lunarians, but it's all in vain. She isn't as quick as she used to be (due to the added weight of her arms), and Master is also doesn't make it in time.
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Also interesting here that though Phos has a lot of guilt, even if they were sleeping like the other gems, chances are the outcome for Antarcticite would be no different given that the Lunarians on this occasion came well prepared using delaying/distraction techniques on Sensei and launching a second sneak attack on Antarcticite.
Lordhippos said:
A lot of people pay a lot of real life cash for gold skinned weapons in games.
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Don't forget for gold teeth in real life!
 
Episode 10

First and foremost I think the camera work needs to be addressed. It is exquisite in this epsiode. At times it feels like live action cinematography and at others like a computer game. But it's always fantastic. Diamonds escape/battle parts of the episode are so nice to watch and do things you dont normally get to see in anime.

Poor Diamond. Their obvious loneliness and sadness at Bort "leaving" is so hard to watch. That its immediately followed by their acceptance kind of makes it worse as a viewer. Diamond may be riddled with insecurities but they are mature in their own way. Diamond really steps up to plate though and shows what they can do. But wait the danger isn't over!...

I also like the way Bort is handled in this episode. Having Phos think they're calling for help only to find out Bort is basically telling everyone to keep away is a nice way to portray the tsundere type. And at the end Bort is forced to face Diamonds value as a fighter, albeit in a pretty horrifying way. Everyone is getting their share of trauma now.
 
Episode 10
Well, there's trouble in paradise; Bort and Diamond are splitsville, at least for part of an episode. The gems face a lunarian that even Bort can't handle, and Diamond goes all-out in one of the best action scenes in the series.

It was funny to see Phos man-spreading. That's the first bit of masculine body language I've noticed from any of the gems (though women do it too when they think no one's looking). Phos is clearly still capable of getting as flustered as ever, but it's sad to see that her smiles don't reach her eyes anymore, like they're just for show. We also get more reminders of how much she has forgotten. She comes across as someone with mild dementia at this point.
 
First time viewer! Episode 10!

Alex asking the same sort of question I was wondering about, how much does changing the material that makes up their bodies change them, Phos has gone quite a large personality change since the agate legs and the golden arms, I think in both cases Phos is different from before.

Not just personality but also memories. Speaking of which, Phos seems phosgetful now and a bit slower on thinking than before, but also managed to give a very detailed description of the Lunarian.

Phos and Bort working together is heart-breaking for Dia, but she takes it well considering, or at least she is putting on a brave face to the others.

The new Lunarian is something I don't think any of them have ever seen before? Alex had been keeping a record of the Lunarians but I don't think a giant one like this has been seen before, maybe only by the master if anyone.

I think Bort made the right call to retreat, lucky to only lose a shoe in that fight on the platform!

Dia's fight with the new Lunarian was pretty epic, and the hunting part was very tense. Maybe Dia will become the next gold arm transplant test subject? Giving Phos a run for their money in terms of losing limbs!

The irony of Dia saying they saw how much Bort meant to them despite having no eyes was not lost on me... 🤣

I wasn't sure of the significance of a couple of parts here:
  • Why was the mist only when the Lunarian was inside the structure? During the fight outside when it appeared there was no mist.
  • The circular mist pattern seemed to have some significance, but I couldn't see any beyond it matching the circular shape of the new Lunarians tail.
  • When Dia cut the new Lunarian it seemed to disperse into Mist, and later came back as two of them. These two didn't match the original one in terms of looks, seemed to have less arms/eyes, I wonder if they were also a bit smaller? Hard to get a good scale of the size.
  • I wrote this prior to reading any other comments, New Lunarian is a bad name, so I'm hoping someone has thought up a better name that I can use to describe them going forwards 🙂
 
Episode 10

What a superbly directed episode. The camera work all throughout was stunning and conveyed a kinetic sense of speed and movement, just exemplary really. Dia's last stand was mind-blowing. I'm guessing the annotations for the episode and respective storyboards were like "70% of total budget goes here".

Things are ramping up very nicely, if a bit faster than expected. I wonder if this will get solved without the Master's involvement and if we're going to get answers to the sleep problem, his reaction to the word "humans" and why, exactly, the lunarians bow to him. What will become of Cinnabar and Phos, really?

With only two episodes left, and already events feeling endgame important, I'm curious how they've chosen to end things.

Beast Lunarian? @Lordhippos Alternatively: East-Asia-Religion-Mythology-Inspired-Beast-Like-Multi-Eyed-Fluffy-Creature.

They've certainly got more than they bargained for this time... I like that Bort is intelligent about fighting and knows when they don't stand a chance. And I liked that the idea to team up with Phos came from them. How things have changed.

@WMD I also appreciated the focus on Bort and we got a glimpse into their way of thinking. The bell scene was a standout, for sure.
 
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Episode 10
An action packed episode. While I thought the camera work was nicely done, I did dislike the CGI of the Lunarian. It stood out a bit too much IMHO. I don't have this issue with the majority of the other Lunarians as they are pretty low contrast and seem to almost emit light themselves. This Lunarian monster on the other hand has some hair like features on the hands and quite a few scenes were indoors, as opposed to outside in full sunlight. The smoke did help blend it in a bit, but sadly not enough if you ask me.

Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the episode. Was really tense and the music was fitting.

At the start of the episode we get to see glimpses of the old Phos. For example during her inner monologue about Antarcticite or when backing off from Bort. This tells me that while Phos has undoubtedly changed, part of this change is also down to her pushing herself. Which we also get to see in the form of Phos confronting Diamond about teaming up with Bort in her place. Something the old Phos would never do.

We also get a clearer picture of Bort. She is pretty battle-oriented, but isn't just using brute strength. She has ideas for how Phos can improve her abilities. During the combat she swiftly takes action, quickly determines that they stand no chance of winning, and decides to signal to the others to hold their position. The key skill Bort is lacking, is communication, she is clearly used to fighting alone (despite always operating in a team). I take it her plan from the moment she fled, was to wake the master and avoid anyone else from getting into contact with the monster. Yet this isn't immediately clear. Even Phos assumed retreating was to band together with others to face the monster.

Despite this all, the episode actually spends a lot of time following Diamond. Since she's no longer a team with Bort, she starts picking flowers (the school can do with some decorations if you ask me). Once the Lunarian reaches the school she ends up being chased. She is full on fleeing. Finally she realizes that she should probably stand her own ground and decide to go on the offensive. It doesn't go too well, and she ends up quite battered. Nevertheless she manages to use her level 10 Diamond hardness to her advantage and cuts the Lunarian in half. All of this is seen by Bort.

I really liked the scene that followed. Diamond states the distance between her and Bort was what enabled her to see how much Bort meant for her. Bort responds that the same holds true. But I'd argue it's doubly true for Bort compared to Diamond. To some extent Diamond already knew Bort meant a lot to her. Bort on the other hand always seemed more concerned about protecting Diamond, albeit in a rather crude way. Never really reflecting on why. Seeing Diamond get in danger and, more importantly, managing to handle it by herself, allowed Bort to realize the true nature of their interactions. That's also why Bort didn't start with a "you're reckless" remark this time.

This Lunarian "monster"(?) does pose a lot of questions. Why haven't the Lunarians used it before? What is the goal? It seemed to try and kidnap Bort, and upon reaching the school try and chase Diamond. This seems no different from the other Lunarians, whereas I was half expecting this one to target the master in his sleep. What does the smoke represent? It seems similar to the smoke that delayed the master in episode 8. What did the ring shaped smoke represent?

With only two more episodes to go, I have no idea where the show will end. Given the pacing and the unresolved story points, I highly doubt it would reach a conclusion. Nevertheless I really hope it has a satisfactory end that at least manages to wrap up some important elements.
 
IdiomaticLynx said:
This Lunarian "monster"(?) does pose a lot of questions. Why haven't the Lunarians used it before? What is the goal? It seemed to try and kidnap Bort, and upon reaching the school try and chase Diamond. This seems no different from the other Lunarians, whereas I was half expecting this one to target the master in his sleep. What does the smoke represent? It seems similar to the smoke that delayed the master in episode 8. What did the ring shaped smoke represent?

With only two more episodes to go, I have no idea where the show will end. Given the pacing and the unresolved story points, I highly doubt it would reach a conclusion. Nevertheless I really hope it has a satisfactory end that at least manages to wrap up some important elements.
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Yep definitely posed a few questions on arrival, and also subsequent actions taken. Maybe they were after the diamonds in particular as the most prized gem type due to being the hardest. Otherwise possibly it was just down to opportunism, whatever is easiest to go after and attack in isolation.

We definitely need a better name for the Lunarian monster!
 
WMD said:
First and foremost I think the camera work needs to be addressed. It is exquisite in this epsiode. At times it feels like live action cinematography and at others like a computer game. But it's always fantastic. Diamonds escape/battle parts of the episode are so nice to watch and do things you dont normally get to see in anime.
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Spot on, it's the thing that really hits you in this episode and exactly as you said I felt like it was a combination of a movie like A Quiet Place and a video game like The Last of Us. Beautifully animated, a joy to behold.

My heart really broke for poor Dia in this episode, what an absolute trooper in every way possible - that's a future leader for you right there.
Dai said:
Phos is clearly still capable of getting as flustered as ever, but it's sad to see that her smiles don't reach her eyes anymore, like they're just for show.
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Very true and what Neil.T also mentioned in relation to the excellent VA in this regard. Impressive again how despite this being CGI this is definitely perceivable visually as well.

Lordhippos said:
I wrote this prior to reading any other comments, New Lunarian is a bad name, so I'm hoping someone has thought up a better name that I can use to describe them going forwards 🙂
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Seemed a bit feral & feline to me so I'll go with Lunilynx (sorry for the misappropriation IdiomaticLynx!) until someone comes up with something more imaginative. Though from the episode title I'm guessing it should be ShiroLuni. Mist seems integral to the Lunarians' make up it would seem, given they dissipate into that on destruction, and in this episode seemed to interchange to some extent between mist & physical firms indoors. I do wonder if this Lunarian is some other species, but an organic one, they acquired and merged with akin to the way Phos merges with inorganic substances.
Lordhippos said:
Alex asking the same sort of question I was wondering about, how much does changing the material that makes up their bodies change them, Phos has gone quite a large personality change since the agate legs and the golden arms, I think in both cases Phos is different from before.
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Exactly, coming back to the question of the cause of Phos' current affect not just being down to the despair they've experienced, but also actual loss of a physical (loss of their equivalent of brain matter) & mental (loss of the memories that contribute to) aspect of the personality.

All in all, a fabulous and very packed episode from the character development, lore & all out horror/thriller action viewpoints. If they can cram in this much quality into one episode, I shall remain hopeful that in the next two episodes at least a part of this fascinating story can be sufficiently concluded, whilst undoubtedly leaving us hungry for much, much more whenever that may materialise.
 
Picking this up before moving on to today's episode:

Geriatric hedgehog said:
the specifics like Cinnabar being mentioned made me think it was Phos' internalisations being interpreted by themselves through the horrific sounding cries of the ice floes.
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See, I'm with you on that one, dude. I believe that Sensei was telling the truth and that what Phos was hearing were just sounds that could be heard as words if you wanted to.

In essence, Phos was hearing what she wanted to hear.


As for episode 10, my god... I was left kind of unable to do anything much in the immediate aftermath of it, such was how much the entire thing floored me. As you've all said already, the camera work, movement and overall direction on the Dia chase sequence was just an absolute wonder; I don't think I've ever seen anything of such unrelenting quality even in theatrical anime, never mind a TV production! Just, absolutely... wow.

Trying to cobble together some coherent thoughts and put them down here in words is genuinely difficult, but one of the major points for me was just how much we learnt about Bort's character in this episode. I had completely misinterpreted Bort's facial expression at the end of yesterday's installment as her recognising Phos as having become a threat to her previously undisputed position as world's strongest — for the first time, a rival.

But I was very, very wrong; Bort isn't the type to waste time and opportunity on some petty jealousy. Her narrowed eyes were in fact down to the gears turning in her mind as she witnessed the new Phos's potential. "Hmm... we can work with this."

It honestly left me feeling like I wanted to apologise to a fictional character; I felt bad for having doubted her.

We didn't really know much about inscrutable Bort before, other than that she's patently a formidably skilled fighter, but today we learnt just how far she'll go to protect everyone, be it Dia or anyone else. What a stoic character.

Carrying on with the Bort/Dia theme, I have a little insight to offer into their relationship as it's communicated in the original Japanese script. During a conversation with Phos, Dia refers to Bort as otōto (younger brother), and during episode 10's climactic fight sequence, Bort yells out "Onīchan!" to Dia, meaning "elder brother".

And lastly for now, and continuing with the topic of language, I've been meaning for the last few episodes to drop in a quick mention that in the original Japanese, "Lunarian" is simply tsukijin (月人), which means "moon person".
 
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