Mad Science: 宝石の国 (Houseki no Kuni) / Land of the Lustrous

This series discusses some of the interesting portrayals of science and/or scientists in horror and other genres of dark fiction, as well as reality. Previously, I tried to tackle this all at once, and ended up with a list of 100+ characters who I wanted to mention in some way, all along the scale of good to evil, and this series was born.

This story is one of my favorite manga. Land of the Lustrous is a seinen sci-fi/fantasy story by Haruko Ichikawa that completed last spring. There is a single season of an anime adaptation but that is it. The story follows mineral based lifeforms based on jewels long after humans have died off on Earth and their mysterious foes, the Lunarians, who appear on sunny days to kidnap them. This simple premise crystalizes into a beautiful tragedy that spans over 10,000 years as we follow the heartbreaking journey of our protagonist, Phosphophyllite. I cannot recommend this story enough and it is relatively short at only 100 some chapters and art collected in 13 volumes.

Today, I’m focusing on 3 characters who I consider scientists in this series.

SPOILERS BELOW

Rutile

Rutile functions as the Gems’ doctor. Their hardness and durability vary, just like real gems. With diamond class needing less repairs than our lead, Phos, who is very weak in comparison. As a result, the gems break in battle and Rutile is the one who repairs them with paste. Rutile is an interesting character in that they seem like they care about their patients but merely became the team doctor as a way to conduct experiments attempting to revive their partner, Padparadscha, who can only remain conscious for very short periods of time. At first, Rutile’s obsession with finding a cure for Pad seems like they are a devoted friend, comrade, lover, etc. but the series reveals the ego and possessiveness Rutile feels over their slumbering partner. Pad is eventually cured, but not by Rutile. They are enraged at not being the one to fix Pad, and that they had the audacity to leave them behind. Rutile is clearly unhealthily obsessed with their partner and no matter what state Pad is in, Rutile seeks to cure them so they can possess them. Rutile showcases how some scientists in media are drawn into the field to either cure a loved one as well as control them.

Alexandrite

Alex-chan – Lexi, as they like to be called - is more of a citizen scientist/nerd type. They are an extremely skilled fighter but are not permitted to do so since they fall prey to utter berserker mania whenever they see Lunarians. With their strength, Lexi may shatter their own comrades during battle! Instead, they are the Lustrous’s Lunarian expert. They grill all gems who return from patrol who encounter any Lunarians for details about their foe. Lexi is rather diligent in their goals of trying to understand why the Lunarians take gems or any new models that arrive to Earth. Like Rutile, Lexi is motivated by the loss of a partner, Chrysoberyl, who was taken to the moon. Lexi apparently had a very different personality before Chrysoberyl was taken from them. They are now filled with rage towards the inhabitants of the moon, but their curiosity is more powerful. They willingly blindfold themselves and choose to visit the moon and finally meet the people they’ve wanted to know so much about. That sort of ends Lexi’s more inquisitive nature in the overall storyline, but they still play quite a role after this point. Lexi is an example of how, for some folks, their time in science may only be for a short period and/or to serve a specific goal (pass a class, local environmental and/or health concerns, hyperfixations).

Professor Ayumu

The only human from before the apocalypse that we meet. She is a talented scientist in the fields of AI, robotics, etc. She creates an AI that seems capable of spite (and fondness, perhaps). It chooses to lie about a meteor shower and purposely lets them fall on the site where the man who stole credit for Ayumu’s work was located. Ayumu sneaks her AI out though, refusing to terminate him. She creates another, one that she instructs to abandon the future souls of humanity, sending them to oblivion, and ultimately preventing humanity from ever returning at best. At worst, she hints to her second creation that it may be best to prevent humanity from reaching nirvana and existing in torment for eternity. Her intentions are vague, but she is weird as hell. She drinks her own blood and looks like she is falling apart while she calmly watches the Earth’s destruction. She does not seem to mind being one of the last humans or that humanity is being erased. Ayumu seems to represent scientists who are mistreated in the field but persist despite it, for better or for worse in this case!

There are other characters like Lapis Lazuli, Ghost Quartz, Barbata, and Amethyst 84 who are researchers/scientists in their own way. I am not discussing them since it could reveal too many spoilers for anyone who wants to check this story out. I think it is a lovely, tragic tale but worth the read.

I hope you enjoyed this entry in Mad Science and look forward to more in the future.

Follow Dee on Twitter @sirenofscience and Bluesky @sirenofscience.bsky.social