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tama1313 · 1 year

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(HNK spoilers!) Trying to explain why nobody likes Aechmea...

Disclaimer: Everytime I criticize something, I already expect someone to comes after me, telling "You shouldn't consume medias you clearly don't like!!" I DO love HNK! I love the characters, the plot, the meaning behind! If I didn't like it, I wouldn't be here, wasting my precious time at writing this.

After this premise, let's start!

(I apologize in advantages for this wall of words, but I need to say something...)

So, it's pretty obvious that at least the 95% of the active fandom doesn't like Aechmea and hoped for a punshment for his actions (that never happened)

Yet at least a big part of that group likes/enjoy the meaning and the plot of HNK, so it's also pretty obvious that the main problem is not in the storywriting, but into Aechmea and the Lunarians'.

One of the main themes of this manga is the criticism about the myth of being immortal, and tbh that's one of the things I like the most about hnk: the fact that we have plenty of representations throught the characters how being immortal is often only tiredsome and doesn't give any actual advantage, is something really interesting and often overlooked in any other medias (as far as I know).

I know a similar topic can be hard to discuss, expecially due to the many different cultures around the world, but there's nothing wrong to test/uses overlooked topics for your story! It can make it original and feeling "fresh" unlike many other more famous medias. Same goes with having morally grey characters (90% of character in hnk)!

However, to make everything works together fine, an hard work is needed otherwise most of the pubblic won't enjoy the final product (or at least, they'll feel dissatisfied).

And this is exactly what happened to the Lunarians character concept:

In just a few words, what we know about them is that they are the remains of human souls, that overtime got tired of this and all they want is simply stopping to exist (here's the whole thing about the praying machine, becoming nothing, etc...).

As said before, hnk criticize very much this topic, hence it's easy to understand Aechmeas's reasons... but only rationally

Rationally, any of us has understood what the author wanted to tell us about the lunarians, yet none of us like them as characters...

This is due the fact that the character of Aechmea lacks of simpathy: during the course of the story, besides a few pages where he tells the lunarians' past, there aren't any other events to make us, the pubblic, feeling simpathetic toward him and rooting for his action.

The lunarian are meant to be "misunderstood villains"?? You as the author must work on this so us the pubblic can feel it emotionally

This may seems meaningless but it's actually very important in the storytelling, even if said character doesn't represent the morals!

The main reason why people consumes medias nowadays is to find something to relate to (which can be characters, situatuions, backstories, etc...) otherwise medias such as cinemas, comics, mangas, etc... wouldn't be so popular

The only exceptions to this are the unmorally villains (the ones that commits so many disgusting actions that no one on earth could like them. Examples: Ozai from ATLA, The Emperor from Star Wars, Niragi from Alice in Borderland, etc...), but to this case, again, there should have happened more events that make us like Aechmea and Co.

Another important theme that follows strictly the main plot is the "unability to leave the past behind to try something new" therefore the Lunarians are also meant to be somehow the final solution to get free the gems from their phisical/"flawed bodies", but there wasn't anything that I could actually like about this:

the gems that should have represented the theme of "breaking free" better (Dia, Cairn, etc...) instead of getting better as characters, their development only got worse at the point to ending up being hated by most of the pubblic (Dia only joined the massacre of the other gems not even to help Phos, but only to have some emotional revenge over Bort. Cairn got only selfish, bragging and uncaring toward everyone, after they got "freed" from "Ghost's control". You can't tell me these are good things)

The only "escaped gem" that shows some likability throught their action is Benitoite (who should be only a boring secondary character) by trying to save the gem that they despise (an that in my opinion has a far stronger/deeper meaning that anything else having to do with the other gems, beside Padpa and Yellow development, ofc!) and this is very ironic, knowing that they had little screentime than the others.

The whole things about all the gems that didn't joined as lunarian at first now wants to become like them, sounds very iffy to me too (much like they were "forced/manipulated" by the others. You know, the "since everybody do this, I'm doing it too" trope, which is really contrasting with the theme that this story wants to show)

Lunarians are meant to be human, but ironically the "actual villains" (Kongo and Euclase) show to be much more humans than them (the unability/pain to not let go the past is a very human feeling and even if they are in the wrong, we are still able to like them at least a bit), which is something that lack in Aechmea's character:

On top of this, he is also full of contraddictions: he grinds all the gems he caught, but later he is seen even being actracted by them, at the point of keeping Ghost's arm and flirting with Phos and Cairn. He is shown to welcome the Admirabilis when they are in desperate need, but later he does agree with Phos to kidnap and uses them to collect all the gems shard (I'm not too sure about this point, because I don't remember very much that part, so feel free to correct me). And I'm pretty sure there are other topics/ about this.

In general, he should have been the "desperate anti-hero", the only certain thing about him is his manipulatoy behaviour and his obsession with the final goal (interrupted sometimes only by he and Cairn's cringey flirting), and this is not enough to deserve to be eradicated from the reality with anyone else.

The ending is acceptable, but Aechmea's fate is not. No matter how strong I try to accept it rationally: it doesn't feels right!

The Phos's character development is a different kind of this: the meaning of "you tried to satisfy everyone, you ended up being alone" and "you are perfect as you are, no need to fit with everyone" is not only true, but allows the pubblic to simphatyze with our protagonist very much. Phos is simpathetic! And it's very easy to see ourself in them: from us, people phisically/mentally disable that have this internal pain of not feeling accepted by the others, to simply people that are "different" and wants to be recognized as valid ("different" meaning anything that doesn't hurt anyone. Don't get me wrong).

Therefore I still love HNK ending despise everything and Phos has officially become one of my favourite protagonists ever!

Perhaps, the only right thing that could have been done with Aechmean, would have been that, while all the others become nothing, he being locked forever in a human body made out of flesh, bone and blood, able to decompose but unable to die (much like Rock's fate from Warriors Cats)

(Maybe this is a bit too sadistic, but for sure I would have liked it more)

Ok, I'm done! Once again, sorry for this wall of words and if you disagree with me or have other thoughts, let me know through reblog or comment

#houseki no kuni #hnk #houseki no kuni spoilers #hnk spoilers #aechmea #land of the lustrous #phosphophillyte #Hnk aechmea #Cairngorm #Dia hnk #phos hnk #spoilers #Tama's thought

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whitewingsh · 1 year

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Dear Hnk writers (or writers in general)

I want sm I want sm you can make. I need it, I crave it.

I beg you please, please! Never craved fanfic or even small scenario, one shot or sm like that in my life.

I'm desperate. Please I need more of it. I'm begging.

If you're willing to write something, anything like that please tag me or message me (even tho I'll be searching for it and I'll probably find your post that you'll write if you will, just please use tags if you able)

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king-paimon · 2 years

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Houseki no Kuni Chapter 98 Thoughts: In the eyes of the beholder....

Sorry for the long delay. I had a lot of important life stuff going on that needed my attention, so writing my thoughts on the newest chapter was a last priority. I actually wrote most of this post last month but things kept on popping up so I had to delay finishing this even more. Again, sorry for the delay. With that being said... Wow. Both to the chapter and the fandom’s initial reactions.

It’s been a while since I’ve seen the fandom have such varying opinions about what happened in a new chapter. The main opinions I’ve seen the most thus far are fans not liking how the story progressed nor do they like the messages Ms. Ichikawa is seemingly projecting through Phos. It’s understandable why these fans feel this way. It’s also understandable why there are also fans who love the chapter and/or like Ms. Ichikawa’s interpretive message. It’s clear that this is one of those special chapters that are impacted by personal beliefs and interpretations. An “in the eyes of the beholder” chapter that doesn’t offer a clear cut answer for whether what happened in the chapter was good, bad, right, or wrong. To me, this is an interesting way of storytelling, though I can understand why this can be frustrating to some. I’ll try to talk about this further in this post.

The first thing I want to talk about is Phos, their prayer, and what I think it means.

BTW: This post is based on my own initial reaction to the chapter and everything that transpired in the fandom. Some thoughts I had hear may be different now after seeing some of the other posters’ thought and I’ll make sure to add them.

Phos’s prayer: Finally Free

This was the action many fans were hoping Phos wouldn’t do as a form of defiance again Aechmea and the others. And even in this chapter, Phos verbalized their anguish and desire for retribution, which I’m sure some of the fans would have liked to see. But in the end, that’s not what Phos did. They wished to join everyone in turning into nothingness and prayed.

I can understand why people are upset with the chapter. I’ll go more into this in the next section but I just wanted to mention how I’ve already seen a few posts talking about how upset they were with this chapter and the events leading to it, and I won’t say that what they are feeling is invalid. It’s a reasonable reaction.

For me, I will admit that part of me was not entirely pleased at first. Even though I had a feeling this was going to be the direction that it was going to go, I part of me did want to see Phos defy Aechmea and deny the prayer.

But I also realize that doing that wouldn’t solve anything. Phos and everyone else have been in varying states of limbo throughout the course of the story, and refusing the prayer would put everyone in another state of suffering limbo. Even if refusing prayer prevented everyone else from being free, as a form of retaliation, it would have prolonged Phos’s own suffering even longer and they’ve already suffered enough. Phos has had enough of that.

No more of that.

They are truly done with everything.

No more sadness, anger, hatred, or anything...

They don’t care.

Phos is choosing to let go.

They are choosing to be free. Of everything.

After the initial shock, Phos’s actions made more sense to me. Even if it means that Phos is giving Aechmea and the others what they want, this was Phos’s way out. Which leads me to my very hot take...

Forgiveness Vs Just Letting Go (Hot take!!)

I don’t see Phos’s final act as a show of “forgiveness”, “mercy,” or “being the bigger person” for the others, or at least not fully. This action feels like...some form of relief for Phos. It reminds me of this mentality of forgiving a wrongdoer, even though that person may have seriously hurt you. Some people do this as a way of showing kindness to the wrongdoer as part of their religious or personal beliefs. To take the moral high ground essentially. But I know some do it more so for themselves rather than the other person. The action of forgiveness in the later case, is a way of absolving oneself from the connection they would have to the wrongdoer. An action that frees oneself from eternalized torment that is intended or unintended by the other party. Affectively breaking the chains built by often justifiable anger and resentment.

To me, this was one of the main reasons why Phos chose to pray. By praying, Phos finally freeing themselves from the cycle of suffering by severing their tie to everyone and everything. Phos is letting go of all of the pain and hatred that once drove their actions. Phos is letting go of the negativity that they once harbored towards others and themselves. They prayed for the others so they can be free. Yes, it means that Aechmea got what he wanted in the end, but that doesn’t matter to Phos anymore. They don’t care.

This form of “forgiveness” is one that I’m very familiar with and its a mentality that I sometimes find myself conflicted with, especially if the forgiver ends up getting hurt more as a result. I can understand why some people choose to forgive for this reason, though there are circumstances where I can’t really agree with their logic. But in the end, it’s up to personal views on the concept of forgiveness.

I’m wondering if this belief is also connected to Buddhism teachings, but since I don’t know enough about this, I won’t go into it much further and leave it to people who know more than I.

Long story short for this section, I’m essentially saying that while Phos did do the prayer, I think Phos did it more so for themselves than everyone else. Yes, Phos’s actions show that they’ve taken the moral high ground but as far as I can see, that’s not their motivation. They are freeing themselves from this cycle of pain and hatred towards others and themselves.

Perhaps this action is Phos’s way of ending the cycle. "The Burning the bridge” request from the nihilistic Professor during her last moments. Maybe it’s up to interpretation. Speaking of which...

Good or Bad Story Telling?: A Fandom Conflicted

When I first saw the leaks, I had the feeling that fans weren’t going to be happy. After several days since the translation, this was proven correct. Like I said at the top of this post, I totally understand. And I can even understand why some fans are discrediting Ms. Ichikawa for how she progressed her story. Now, while I can still understand these feelings, I can’t. Not yet anyway.

One thing that I found interesting was how I saw a few posts from people still hoping Phos would still seek revenge against everyone after everything they went through. And yeah, I can see the appeal. It sounds nice and poetic.

But... I think it’s been made clear that this isn’t the type of story Ms. Ichikawa intended to convey. From what I can see, Ichikawa showed how that the violent type of vengeance can only go so far and while the feeling it would bring to Phos/audience feels good and cathartic... it’s only temporary and it doesn’t solve anything.

So as satisfying as it would been to see Phos cause some kind of damage to Aechmea or the other human remnants, this would just continue to feed into the cycle of pain and self-hatred Phos was in and it wouldn’t end. Yes, the others would have suffered to an extent, but would it have been worth it if it meant Phos’s suffering had to continue? To me, that would have been pointless. I understand if you don’t agree with this sentiment; this is just how I’m trying to rationalize this part of the story. I could be completely wrong and I’d love to hear your thoughts about this.

Other than that, the dissatisfaction many fans have felt is very apparent. Again, their reasons and feelings are valid, including how some felt that the other characters were getting rewarded thanks to Phos’s sacrifice and mistreatment. But what did surprise me was how there were a good number of fans who loved the chapter! They too had very good reasons for doing so. Like I said at the top, seeing these differing opinions fascinated me as much as the chapter itself did.

I think this chapter, as well as the overall direction the story has taken, just shows how atypical this author is when it comes to her story-telling. This is not a typical action or “shounen/shoujo” story where things are clear black and white and the hero gets the best imagined ending. From start to finish, this story was filled with characters in varying shades of gray and all have committed acts that can easily change how the reader sees them; though I think many can agree that Aechmea belongs on the far dark side. It really shows how Ms. Ichikawa does a pretty good job creating a divisive story, which can be very difficult to do and I commend her for that at least.

HOWEVER, this positive view of her storytelling style greatly depends if this was her intention or not. Since it seems that the next update may be the last, I want to reserve my true final judgement by then and since it looks like it’ll be a while until then, I have plenty of time to really think about it.

Side Note: I also remember seeing a few posts from fans who were in complete denial about what happened and were either claiming it was a dream sequence or were holding hope that the author was going to do another twist that would lead to Phos taking vengeance again. Sorry guys... it did happen. But if by some weird chance this chapter was a dream...then I would rethink Ms. Ichikawa’s writing, because that would be straight out cop out. I’d be so disappointed if this happens.

Now, despite my fascination of this chapter and the fandom’s split response to it, there are some things that weren’t clear that did bug me...

Personal Criticisms and Inquiries

While I’m with the few people who don’t hate this chapter and story’s direction in general, there are still some things that are not addressed that leave me not satisfied. If anyone has answers to these or their own interpretation of an answer, please feel free to comment because I would love to hear them.

Adamant’s and Aechmea’s so-called “Gift” for Phos:

What exactly was Aechmea's and Adamant’s solution to Euclase’ request in chapter 96? Was it having everyone appear to them in their enlightened form?

Everyone’s knowledge of what’s happening:

Was everyone aware of why they were there? I know Aechmea, Adamant, and a few of the gems were aware. But what about everyone else, including the Admirabilis? Did they know that they were going to Phos so that they could pray for them? It seemed like this is the case but part of me isn’t sure...

Adamant: Despite the rollercoaster of conflicting emotions Ms. Ichikawa has made me go through when it came to this character, I still wanted to believe in him. Believe that he had something planned that even Aechmea couldn’t predict. But I’m left asking myself...what was it?

Was there a plan? Was Adamant following through the Professors last command? Was what transpired in this chapter part of the plan? Or...was all of this wishful thinking? I still don’t know.

Lastly, I’ve stated in previous posts how I felt the pacing in these last few chapters felt oddly fast. Some of you gave your opinions on what I wrote about this and you guys made some solid arguments. After reading this chapter, I guess I don’t feel like it’s as rushed anymore, but it seems clear to me that Ms. Ichikawa is about ready to end this story.

How will this all end?

I have no clue. After everything that we’ve seen thus far, I can’t fathom how this story will end. And you know what? I’m glad. Surprise me in a good way.

I’m positive many fans have mentally checked out of the story now because of this latest chapter and I can’t blame them. But regardless, I said I was going to stick to it till the bitter end and I fully intend on doing so. Because despite my personal grievances with the story and even the author, I still enjoyed it a lot. And I enjoyed being in the fandom, even when I didn’t agree with the majority when it came to the story and characters.

I want to see how this ends, regardless if it ends beautifully or crashes and burns.

And unlike before, I’m no longer worried about what’s to come.

Lay it in me, Ms. Ichikawa. You monster.

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badlydrawnhouseki · 2 years

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cairngorm divorce arc

ill be honest idk why we all hate aechmea/enma

#land of the lustrous #hnk #houseki no kuni #lotl #land of the lustrous spoilers #cairngorm hnk #hnk cairngorm #aechmea hnk #hnk aechmea #anons #i have never ever looked at a reference for aechmea for this blog

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anradalikesfish · 1 year

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Aechmea and cairngorm's relationship is concerning-

#i dont like him #hnk #hnk cairngorm #hnk aechmea #hnk spoilers #cairngorm #aechmea

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randomy-chan · 2 years

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The most human emotion

After having given it some thought, and also considering Chapter 97, I’ve thought a lot about what Enma said in chapter 88.

Of course, back when Phos went onto their revenge spree, most of us were on board with it, especially since the gems have wronged Phos greatly. But I never couldn’t really agree with what Enma said, especially since he considered Phos too pure after they got their gold aloy and agate legs.

And exactly that thinking is why the Moon people can’t pass into Nirvana. They considered Phos, while they were looking monstrous and only were out for blood (inclusions?) the most human that they’ve ever been,

while Adamant considered Phos human enough before (or rather saw Doctor Ayumu in them) that state.

If there is one thing that keeps getting Phos closer and closer to humanity, then it was them reveiving or showing love. When Ventri gave them the agate legs, she also gently petted over their broken face, or when they lost their arms, Antarc got themself into danger to get them new ones. Even receiving Lapis’ head was an act of love from Cairn. After each of those times they developed further and changed more.

But when they got to the moon? They were forced to have the pearl eye, they were forced to wear the lunarian clothes. That is when they stopped developing and were stuck in that Laphos phase.

Through the moon they ended up desiring vengeance, which made them lose sight of who they originally were. So it’s notable, when they got the final and last treasures, Sensei’s eye and Cinnabar’s mercury that they radically changed again. One was due to a promise that was fulfilled and another to give Phos the chance to pray.

But they truly became enlightened through a motherly kiss.

Phos wasn’t human because they wanted vengeance, but because they love. The lunarians are so focused on wanting salvation, that they could never consider love as a way to reach Nirvana. They only hurt and destroy, because that’s the thing that got them onto the moon in the first place.

So in a way, a rock amalgation becoming a divine figure is more human than any human souls that are residing on the moon.

Because the most human emotion is love.

#I don't know what I was going for here #but maybe that's why the artbook of ichikawa #is called pseudomorph of love #houseki no kuni #Houseki no kuni chapter 97 #Hnk #land of the lustrous #Lotl #Phos #phosphophyllite #Dr Ayumu #kongo sensei #Adamant #Aechmea #Enma

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shimamom · 9 months

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#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #hnk #lotl #cairngorm #aechmea #tw cairnmea #tw suicide ment #meme

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killything · 1 year

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Fan art I drew of aechmea dying in a glue trap

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #aechmea #hnk #lotl #honoring the original intent of the meme #my art

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mieowkoid09 · 9 months

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Do what you will with this parallel

I can now tell why Phos was so jealous of Welegato and Aechmea's relationship. Adamant couldnt even tell Phos that he was worried about them

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princessinyellow · 1 year

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As a trans woman, I've obviously had many trans woman friends. Many of them have told me about how people suddenly disliked them after transitioning, and obviously I'm aware of the big groomer scare whipped up by far right bigots. I could never really relate to those issues on a personal level though, until I read Houseki No Kuni and saw how the fandom reacts to Cairngorm.

Reading the manga for the first time, I started to feel like I was reading my own story. Like Ichikawa had written my life, and yes that includes realizing that I was trans thanks to a creepy partner. And Ichikawa gave me a happily ever after! The character most like me gets everything I could ever want! (My ex wasn't even rich, popular, smart, or pretty)

Then I looked for what other fans think, and they fucking HATE it! They despise the happiness she gets, to the point of trying to avoid or deny it by making up grooming conspiracies and acting like she's the absolute worst character ever written. They wish she never transitioned, never got to be her true self. People will bring her up out of nowhere just to complain that she even exists.

On a certain level, I do get it. The moment is meant to be jarring. The story of HNK is that of Phos always almost finding what they wanted, then losing it at just the last minute. Their partner meets this skeezy guy they've been trying to deal with, then suddenly changes everything about herself to date him and starts being way more mean and yes, even a bit selfish.

Rather than accept and try to process this intentionally sudden shift, it seems most of the fandom has just gone hard into denial. It's like... Did you people even read the same manga as me? Do you not see how much happier she is living more feminine? Not perfectly happy, she's VERY often horrified, annoyed, and frustrated by things Aechmea says/does. But she's also happy a large portion of the time. UNLIKE with Phos, where she was almost always blatantly miserable. She was suicidal! Again, as a trans woman that's a VERY familiar feeling!!!

The negative reactions she gives Aechmea are actually very strong evidence against him completely manipulating every aspect of her personality btw. She shows NO hesitation in telling him off, insulting him, and doing things he doesn't want. Not exactly the hallmarks of someone whose entire identity and personality is the product of grooming or abuse, are they?

The fact that he kept her old arm and built her a super-shielded safehouse proves that he really loved her. Their entire relationship was not a ploy to pit her against Phos. Keeping the arm was a purely sentimental act that provides NO value in manipulation, and if anything risked pushing her away from how creepy it was.

Similarly, the eye replacements weren't mind control, because if you wanna start making assumptions like that then we can go all day just making up stuff that just straight up didn't happen in the story. Maybe the moon is made of cheese at that point.

Anyways Sensei Kongo LITERALLY groomed the gems but I don't see anyone denying the evident personalities of the others.

#spoilers #hnk #hnk spoilers #houseki no kuni #cairngorm #houseki no kuni spoilers #HNK Cairngorm #Cairngorm Cairngorm Cairngorm #moon queen #aechmea #HNK Aechmea #Phos #HNK Phos #transition #gender identity #honestly it's a lot of major internalized transmisogyny

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mikenogen · 4 months

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So what was Land of The Lustrous trying to say about Humanity?

Land of The Lustrous was one hell of ride. I just caught up with the manga few days ago and I could say this is probably one of the greatest manga I've read. Ichikawa truly created a masterpiece.

This might be what I considered a perfect manga, there's so many great thing about the story, the character, the theme, and philosophy surrounding it.

But, I still can't put this in my top 10 manga. There's just things that still bugs me and confuse me about the story. That is:

What is the point of this all?

This is probably my biggest criticism of the story. In these last few chapters, humans were painted awfully. And what makes it worse is that the reason why Phos had to suffer was because he is becoming human, more precisely developing human emotions: wanting to change and seeking truth.

As the the story goes, Phos developed an urge to change his situation (stop the gem from being kidnapped by the Lunarians) and finally seeking truth. We all know that the other gems doesn't care about Kongo/Adamant's connection with the Lunarians. Phos is the only gem that wants to know the truth.

There's nothing wrong in wanting to change and seeking the truth. He just want the gems to stop suffering (at least in the beginning). But in the end he has to suffer from his curiosity. He has to suffer all the consequences while the gems he tried to protect lived and "died" peacefully.

Even Aechmea who manipulated Phos to the point of no return, who IMO displayed the worse of humanity, doesn't suffer any consequences. The only thing we got from him in the end is that he felt bad and sorry for Phos.

It kinda sucks that if you think about it, Phos wouldn't have to suffer and any of this wouldn't happen if he just did the encyclopedia job like he was told to.

In the end I'm really confuse of what message Ichikawa wants to send. Is it that Human is evil so they need to disappear? Is she trying to tell us that nothing matters so why even try to change anything? Is it wrong to find answers?

Is it wrong to be human?

I've stuck in my mind for a couple of days and it just won't go away. I just can't comprehend this, or maybe I just can't accept the message. Maybe because my ideals crashes with what Ishikawa believe or what this manga trying to tell.

Maybe, I need to reread some of the chapters. Maybe I missed something important that would eventually answer all of this question. Or probably I just need to wait a little until this story finally ended so I it finally answer my question.

Overall, I just want to get this out of my head. Still, I'm very grateful for Ichikawa Sensei for telling this story. May you enjoy your Suika game in peace.

side note: WHERE THE HELL IS SEASON 2

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #phosphophyllite #phos hnk #hnk #lotl #manga #manga art #anime #anime and manga #houseki no kuni phos #aechmea #haruko ichikawa

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houseki-no-suffering · 2 years

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not entirely related to ch 96 but the thing i'm most fascinated by, in this whole ordeal, is that in his millennia of confinement on the moon aechmea didn't understand a damn thing about salvation.

first, humanity creates a robot to do the praying because they can't be bothered to be good people themselves or pray genuinely for salvation (which might be among the things that condemned some to the moon in the first place)

then, the robot breaks and instead of finding a better solution, dickmea orders genocide on the lustrous to try and force said machine's hands.

finally, when genocide doesn't work he thinks 'well, then i must create a human to do the praying' which seems perfectly reasonable if you ignore the immense amounts of pain phos had to go through for that to happen but THEN

then, instead of asking the new human to please pray for eveyone's salvation, he decides that the best course of action is to make the human inherit the powers of the machine. basically creating a new machine

sensei probably gave phos the 'eye' because he genuinely wanted them to be happy and, as a praying machine, that act was the only thing he could think of. if phos is a human and has the powers to pray and save everyone then why shouldn't they pray for themselves, first and foremost?

and it baffles me that at this point, after everything, after forgetting even about shinsha and their promise, phos is still kind. their first thought after acquiring the eye is that they should piece every gem back together. they have changed, but their core hasn't: they're still a kind child

aechmea, on the other hand, is just repeating the whole process that condemned him in the first place over and over, hoping that it works and without learning the actual lesson or changing

and since change is the core motive of hnk and since everyone is so damn bad at changing, besides phos, i'm pretty sure this new praying system also won't work.

#houseki no kuni #hnk spoilers #aechmea #sensei #phos #meta #some nuances are escaping me cause i havent reread the whole thing and it's been more than a year #but still

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dragonkeeper19600 · 1 year

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How I Would Fix Houseki no Kuni

By now, you guys are probably more familiar than you’d like to be with the numerous posts I’ve made about what I see as the many narrative failings of Houseki no Kuni.

I’ve already written extensively about my gripes with this train wreck of a manga, and as much as I’ve said already, I could keep going. However, over the past few days, I’ve found myself wondering what I would change to make the story stronger. After all, it’s easy enough to identify a problem with a story, but it’s a great deal more challenging to come up with a solution. I’ve already suggested some potential changes in other posts, but I thought I’d assemble all of my brilliant ideas in one convenient location.

So, without further ado, here’s how I would fix the garbage fire that is Houseki no Kuni:

First, I’d have Phos keep the encyclopedia job longer. It always seemed weird to me that this story mechanic was dropped so soon after being introduced, and I don’t think that was to the story’s benefit. Phos becoming more devoted to and more competent at the encyclopedia job would showcase his growing maturity, plus it would lead to a growing curiosity. A big part of what sets Phos apart in the original story is how willing he is to question things that the other gems don’t, such as Sensei’s possible connection to the Lunarians or whether there’s another job for Cinnabar. You could have his desire to learn more come from his desire to get the encyclopedia job right because he’s already fucked up everything else he’s ever attempted, so this is his last chance to be good at something.

Similarly, I would not make Phos a fighter, or, at least, I would wait until later in the series to make him a fighter. Manga and anime is already oversaturated with stories about people who learn how to fight. Having a protagonist who’s strong suit is not fighting would make Houseki no Kuni stand out from other seinen series. Instead, Phos’s usefulness to the war against the Lunarians would be as a tactician, using the information he’s collected from other gems (such as Alexandrite’s obsessive knowledge of the Lunarians) and his own observations to help the other gems fight more efficiently. Phos accepting that he isn't cut out to be a fighter would be yet another sign of his maturity. In my version, after he gets his new agate legs, he decides he can ditch the encyclopedia job and become a fighter like he’s always wanted, just like in the original story. However, after he sees the Amethyst twins shattered by the Lunarian weapon made from Sapphire, he realizes battle isn’t cool and badass like he thought but scary and really tough, and he decides the encyclopedia thing is where he’s needed.

Of course, Phos would be forced to take up arms and finally fight later in the series as the war with the Lunarians is ramping up. Phos would have a moment to muse on the irony of finally getting to be a fighter just like he always wanted after already deciding he didn’t want it anymore.

One more thing about combat is that the gems would wear actual armor into battle. Red Beryl’s job wouldn’t be just to make cute moe moe outfits for the gems to strut their stuff in but to forge armor to protect the gems from the Lunarians’ weapons. The Lunarians would find ways to get through the armor, of course, but it would be better and more believable than sending these rocks into a war zone wearing but ties and shorts too tiny to pass a public school dress code. The gems can still wear their uniforms when they’re just hanging out at the school, that’s fine, but when they go on patrol, they suit up in fucking armor. The fact that they don’t wear their armor around the school could actually lead to some tense scenes where the Lunarians attack the school directly and the gems there are caught unprepared and underdressed.

Phos’s motive for not hibernating during the Winter Arc would be, again, to observe Antarcticite and the winter season for the encyclopedia. However, and this is big, by the time winter ends, Phos would come to blame Sensei for Antarcticite’s shattering. This is a change I suggested in a previous post. The exact scene I described back then is that Phos sees Sensei shatter Antarcticite himself, but I don’t think you need to go that far. Phos’s blaming of Sensei doesn’t even need to be justified; he could just be lashing out at Sensei out of misplaced grief. But something needs to happen during the Winter Arc, while everyone else is asleep, to make Phos suspicious of Sensei. Perhaps Phos actually sees the Lunarians surround Sensei and tug pleadingly at his clothes, like they did in the actual manga, and comes to realize that the Lunarians and Sensei are connected. Perhaps Sensei hesitates to strike back against the Lunarians, because he’s guilty about not being able to help them or whatever, and that hesitation leads to Antarcticite being shattered.

At any rate, by the time winter ends, Phos is the only witness to this suspicious side of Sensei, and he finds that nobody will believe him about what he saw because the others are all refusing to accept that Sensei is less than perfect. The only one who’s willing to listen to Phos at all is Cinnabar because Cinnabar is grateful to Phos for listening to him. Plus, since Cinnabar is already isolated from everyone else, he’s less willing to keep so strictly to the party line. While he still loves Sensei, he’s less complacent than the others. I suggest these changes to the Winter Arc and its fallout because I always thought the chain of events that led to Phos being suspicious of Sensei in the latter half of the anime was pretty week, plus Phos being able to turn to Cinnabar for support would make Cinnabar a more prominent part of the story instead of getting shunted aside like he is in the manga.

Speaking of the Lunarians, I would change basically everything about the Moon. The Moon is not a high tech, utopian society full of karaoke bars, ramen joints, labor unions, advanced laboratories, and all that other stuff, but a surreal, Lovecraftian landscape that looks as beautiful as an ink painting of the Pure Land but is actually nightmarish and hostile. The Lunarians are supposed to be the tormented souls of human sinners unable to pass on to the afterlife, and their world should reflect that. In my version, the Lunarians have been driven insane by their long perdition, and while they look like divine figures from a Buddhist scroll, their behavior is so weird and alien to the gems that they find it hard to believe that these creatures were ever human. They can’t even communicate with the gems because their minds have deteriorated to the point that they can’t even understand language. The only Lunarian who’s coherent and rational is Aechmea, and even he’s starting to lose his sanity after running the asylum by himself for so long.

Aechmea himself would also need to be radically changed. Somewhere along the way, the manga kind of forgot that Aechmea was supposed to be the villain. They try for this reveal that Aechmea was actually benevolent all along, and it 100% doesn’t work because A. a lot of his wicked acts are just gratuitously cruel and don’t further his supposedly well-meaning goals at all and B. the Lunarians aren’t really suffering anyway. To fix Aechmea, his sympathetic qualities and his villainous qualities both need to be enhanced.

So, my version of Aechmea is a well-intentioned extremist who chose the path of the bodhisattva but doesn’t have the supernatural patience and wisdom necessary to handle it. His backstory would be the same, but because my version of the Moon is a hellscape where he’s the only sane person around, his desperation to get Sensei to pray to free both the other Lunarians and himself is way more understandable. At the same time, the story would condemn the cruel things he’s doing by pointing out that he’s got no right to make the other races suffer just to save his own people. Aechmea would be portrayed as a lost soul, pitiful, yet misguided. And, above all, the Lunarians’ salvation cannot come about because of Aechmea’s manipulations. The story needs to show that the path Aechmea is choosing to try and save them is the wrong one.

On a similar note, Aechmea can’t make Phos into a human. I’ve already made a separate post about this note, and the reception to it was pretty positive. If Phos becomes a human/enlightened/bodhisattva/whatever, it needs to be in spite of Aechmea, not because of him. Phos needs to become human through his growing experience and his own choices, not Aechmea’s.

Instead, in my version of the story, Aechmea chooses Cairngorm as Sensei’s replacement. Aechmea chooses Cairngorm because Cairngorm has been sealed inside of Ghost Quartz for most of his life, and thus, has never had any real agency. Hell, maybe Ghost Quartz is shattered specifically so Aechmea can then swoop in and claim Cairngorm, all so he can groom him into becoming a new prayer machine. It’s a sad fact that abuse victims are often abused multiple times in their lives by different people, and oftentimes, their current abuser is someone who “rescued” them from a previous abuser. When Aechmea “frees” Cairngorm from Ghost Quartz’s influence, he portrays himself as a savior who will show Cairngorm what he’s “really meant to be.” Aechmea and Cairngorm’s relationship in the manga already comes across as super predatory and sus, so I think the story would be better if it actually acknowledged that Aechmea grooming Cairngorm is bad instead of portraying their wildly unequal marriage as the “happily ever after” that it does.

Phos, on the other hand, would become a foil to Cairngorm because their growth and change happens because of their own choices and not because of Aechmea’s (you know, like the opposite of how it is in the manga). Phos would also choose to replace his body parts, instead of his body parts being lost through circumstance or being swapped out for him by other people. Him losing his legs can still be an accident, but it has the effect of showing Phos that his inclusions are special because they can assimilate basically any other material while still leaving Phos’s consciousness in control. However, after he gets his agate legs, every other new body part has to be a deliberate acquisition. For example, when he finally decides that he has to fight, he intentionally seeks out the gold alloy to replace his arms, whereas in the manga and anime, his arms were taken away by the ice floes, and replacing them with gold alloy was Antarticite’s idea.

Finally, the ending. In the manga, Phos is essentially tricked into enduring 10,000 years of mind rape to become the new prayer machine. In my version, Phos chooses to undergo the 10,000 year transformation, knowing that it’ll be tortuous and awful, because he’s willing to make that sacrifice to bring the Lunarians peace and finally end the conflict. The gems don’t become Lunarians in this version. My version of Lunarian society isn’t idyllic the way it is in the manga, so the gems wouldn’t want to join them, plus my Lunarians don’t have that kind of technology anyway. The sacrifice in this case is that Phos praying will also cause the gems that have been shattered to pass on as well, meaning Phos will never see Antarcticite again, and all the other shattered gems will be dead for good. But Phos is okay with that because 1. They realize from their interactions with the Lunarians and Yellow Diamond’s declining mental state that immortality is a curse and 2. They’ll still be around, and they’ll still remember Antarcticite, which is specially poignant because Phos has lost so many of their memories by now.

There’s also some tension because when Phos makes this choice, no one is sure that he’ll be able to handle the nightmarish transformation without going insane the way the Lunarians did, and there’s a chance he’ll emerge after the 10,000 years as some kind of monstrous eldritch abomination. And because he looks so weird and alien after the transformation is complete, the surviving gems aren’t sure if he’ll actually be able to pray the Lunarians away or if he’ll become a new threat.

But, ultimately, he shows that the transformation was a success, and he prays all of the Lunarians away. Yes, even Aechmea, because for all the evil he’s done, he also lived every day in pure agony, so there’s no point in punishing him any further.

The surviving gems would still be alive, as would the Admirabilis. (Yeah, the plot point about the living races descended from humanity also being wiped out in the prayer is really contrived and makes no sense, so I’m chucking it entirely.) Phos, however, would no longer live among the other gems because he’s become so enlightened that the other gems can’t relate to them anymore. So, Phos remains aloof. But the other gems know where he is. When a gem is finally ready to die, they seek out Phos, who will ensure that they pass on. Phos vows not to pass on himself until the last gem has been shattered. Phos, the little gem everyone called worthless, has become the benevolent bodhisattva that both Aechmea and Sensei failed to be. End.

#houseki no kuni #hnk #fix fic #alternate ending #phos #phosphophyllite #antarcticite #aechmea #kongo sensei #adamant sensei #cairngorm #lunarians #cinnabar #the thing about the armor is particular is a real pet peeve of mine #red beryl is so terrible at their job i'm surprised the other gems haven't tarred and feathered him already #i don't plan to make any more posts about houseki no kuni #because i'm so sick of this series taking up valuable brain space without paying any damn rent

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