Haruko Ichikawa presents us with a world where immortal beings made of gems fight for their survival against the Lunarians, invaders who seek to destroy them and turn them into ornaments. The series stands out for its minimalist style, where emptiness and crystalline aesthetics create a unique atmosphere. Each character, from the fragile Phosphophyllite to the stoic Diamond, reflects a visual fragility that contrasts with the harshness of their existence.
Animation as a mirror of mineral fragility 💎
From a technical standpoint, Studio Orange managed to translate the manga into 3D CGI with an almost obsessive precision. The textures of the gems are rendered with a level of detail that allows distinguishing the shine of quartz from the opacity of sulfur. The use of emptiness is no accident: the simple backgrounds and open spaces accentuate the loneliness of these beings. Every movement, every fragment that breaks off from a character, is animated with particles reminiscent of diamond dust.
When your body is a quarry and your enemies, collectors 🌌
The curious thing about this universe is that the Lunarians do not seek to destroy the gems out of malice, but out of pure aesthetic sense. They come from space to collect them as if they were garden ornaments. So imagine: you spend millennia polishing your sapphire personality and body, only for an alien to want to turn you into a table lamp. Good thing you can at least regenerate, even if it's in pieces.