What are we watching: Land of the Lustrous
What’s it about: In the mysterious future, crystalline organisms called Gems inhabit a world that has been destroyed by six meteors. Each Gem is assigned a role in order to fight against the Lunarians, a species who attacks them in order to shatter their bodies and use them as decorations.
Phosphophyllite, also known as Phos, is a young and fragile Gem who dreams of helping their friends in the war effort. Instead, they are told to compile an encyclopedia because of their delicate condition. After begrudgingly embarking on this task, Phos meets Cinnabar, an intelligent gem who has been relegated to patrolling the isolated island at night because of the corrosive poison their body creates. After seeing how unhappy Cinnabar is, Phos decides to find a role that both of the rejected Gems can enjoy. Houseki no Kuni follows Phos’ efforts to be useful and protect their fellow Gems.
Studio: Orange
Director: Kyougoku, Takahiko
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIYgPnSvnCE
Where can I watch it: https://twist.moe/a/houseki-no-kuni-tv/1 , https://nyaa.si/view/991627 , https://cytu.be/r/chapochat (At select times)
Honestly now you've said it, it's borderline explicit how clear Phos can be as a trans allegory, there are definitely some points later in the show I wont discuss here that I can see in a new light. I think part of the reason I missed it (rather than just my own self projection) is the genderless society, which does both obscures and highlight the idea of gender dysphoria, by making it not technically about gender anymore but showing the pure emotions of it, removed from our societal constructs.
Though it is a weird feeling to have a character I so deeply related to, suddenly gain potential depth I wasn't aware of/and can't fully relate to. Again I'm cis and this is outside of my experience, so please trust I mean no offense by anything.
I think that's another very important and interesting thing to think about in the entire topic. Huge numbers of people are capable of relating to and empathising with a character that is based on the trans experience... And yet the moment you try to explain that to a large amount of the audience their reaction would be pure hostility or denial of her status as a character intended to represent trans problems.
People can't relate to the causes of trans pain, but they can relate to the symptoms because the mental-health outcomes ultimately manifest in many things most people related to.
Many of those people would be part of the societal group that would say "No, you can't change yourself, you are not a fighting-type and therefore are not allowed to change yourself, this is unnatural!"
It is in recognising the similarities that we can say "You know what, I'd rather you weren't cripplingly depressed and in pain so you definitely should do whatever it is that stops you experiencing that." Anyone that experiences depression should feel this way about anyone else that also experiencing depression regardless of what causes their depression.