Ep 1. Phosphophyllite

In the anime series Land of the Lustrous, the first episode introduces us to our main character, Phosphophyllite, a young and immature gemstone who is struggling to find her place in the world. She lives in a world inhabited by sentient gemstones, who form a society and defend themselves against mysterious beings known as Lunarians.

Phosphophyllite wants to be useful to her community, but her low hardness makes her unable to fight against the Lunarians and her fragile nature means that she keeps breaking apart. She is constantly criticized by the other gems for being weak and useless, which only adds to her frustration.

One day, she is approached by her mentor, the wise and calm gemstone, Cinnabar, who tells her about a task that she might be able to handle. Cinnabar is a gemstone with a special skill: She can create toxic fluid that is lethal to the Lunarians and helps the gems eliminate them. However, the fluid is too powerful, and if it falls into the wrong hands, it can be deadly for other gems too. Therefore, Cinnabar's task is to patrol the perimeter of their territory, making sure that the fluid never gets into the wrong hands.

Cinnabar's task is tedious and lonely, which is why she asks Phosphophyllite to keep her company. At first, Phosphophyllite is reluctant, but Cinnabar's promise of finding a new way for her to be useful sparks her interest.

During the patrol, Cinnabar notices a strange pattern in the sky that turns out to be a Lunarian trap. As she is about to warn the other gems, the Lunarian's presence triggers her toxic fluid, putting her at risk of breaking apart. Phosphophyllite, seeing her mentor in danger, decides to take action. She uses her expertise in collecting minerals to make a makeshift weapon, which ends up working better than expected against the Lunarian. The creature retreats, and Cinnabar is safe.

Realizing that she might have found her calling, Phosphophyllite decides to take on the task of collecting minerals to create new weapons for the gems. Her enthusiasm is short-lived when she realizes that the other gems are still not impressed with her and her fragile nature makes it difficult to handle heavy minerals and metals. In the end, she decides to take a break and enjoy the sunset, only to discover a mysterious gemstone in the distance.

The first episode of Land of the Lustrous introduces us to a world where gemstones live and think like humans. The story follows Phosphophyllite, an immature gemstone who struggles to find her place in this society. She goes on a perilous journey to prove her worth, eventually discovering a new interest that may lead her to become useful to her community. The animation is captivating, and the gemstones are given unique personalities that make them easy to follow and relate to. There is a subtle air of mystery that leaves the audience intrigued and eager to find out more about this intricate world of sentient gemstones.