#Houseki no kuni chapter 97 | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

ranan-culus · 2 years

Text

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

1K notes · View notes

king-paimon · 2 years

Text

Houseki no Kuni Chapter 97 Thoughts: Rebirth and Purpose

Wow...this was a very fascinating chapter. We finally get to see more of Adamant’s past and his relationship with the doctor character, Professor Ayumu. And at the end, we got to see what can be best described as Phos’s presumably final metamorphosis.

I have to admit, I didn’t think we’d be seeing this transformation so soon. Yes, I figured we’d see Phos transform again, but I thought the process was going to take a while. Like, I really thought that we’d be seeing Phos in their gooey form for another chapter or two, see them wander around and maybe even new gems or something like that. I don’t know how I feel about that just yet. Maybe it’s just me or doesn’t this feel so...sudden? Rushed? I don’t know. I’ll talk a bit more about that later in the post. But first, I want to go over the main meat of this chapter. This post may be a little messy as I’m writing this really late and I’m really, really tired. Please expect some edits here and there.

I’d also like to note: Whenever I’m talking about Phos’s current form, I’m going to call it their “Enlightened Form.” I saw a few posts calling it Phos’s “Angelic Form” and though it does look angelic, I’m going to call it Phos’s “Enlightened Form” instead. It feels more appropriate since this story revolves around Buddhism. And I don’t want to call Phos a Buddha just yet; that’ll be saved for how things turn out in the next chapter.

Also TW: Body horror for anyone who’s squeamish about that stuff.

Ok, here we go:

The Human and Her Machine

The interactions between Adamant and Prof. Ayumu were really fascinating. It’s been a while since I’ve seen Adamant be so... expressive? Youthful? It’s...so odd to see him like this, but it’s nice. And his interactions with the dog were adorable, I can’t deny.

TW: Body horror again!

Prof. Ayumu herself is fascinating, too. I really liked what Ms. Ichikawa did in designing her slowly decomposing, not entirely organic body. It reminds of some of her other trippy works. I don’t think if it was ever explained how she end up like this but I get the feeling that she continuously modified herself by replacing organic parts with robotic parts so would be able to live long enough finish making Adamant. I always find characters who would go through such modifications fascinating.

But other than her design, what intrigued me about Prof. Ayumu is her revelation about about the world and her place (or rather humanities place) within it.

These are the words of someone who realized that humans really can’t control everything. To me, she’s essentially saying: “Humans really didn’t matter in the ‘grand scheme’ of the universe. We were here by chance and now we’re going by chance. And the world will just keep changing. Nothing we/I did mattered, and that’s fine.” This revelation reminds me of some of the different Buddhism teachings that I’ve come across over the past few years, including ones from other analysist posts.

This dialogue also made me think about Phos and their experience. About their initial pursuit for finding their role in their world. And even as Phos and their goals evolved, there was still this underlining drive of finding something for themselves. Whether it be a purpose for themselves, a purpose for someone else, or just happiness. And sadly that drive also contributed to their suffering. Phos and their journey is like a reflection of raw human desires.

Reincarnation: From Human to Gem to Human again

This chapter also revealed how Prof. Ayumu and Phos are connected, with the likelihood that Phos is Prof. Ayumu’s reincarnated form. There were discussion before about how the universe had been restarted many times, but I don’t remember if reincarnation was something that was brought up before this.

If Phos really is the reincarnation of Prof. Ayumu, this could be one of the reasons why Adamant showed favoritism towards them. This was something a few fans had commented on before, and I agree with them. Now I’m wondering... Did Adamant know that Phos was connected to the Prof. Ayumu in this manner? Did he remember this small conversation after so many years had passed? And did this influence how he treated Phos throughout their life?

In my opinion, I think Adamant did remember this conversation, but I don’t think he made the connection to Phos until much, much later. In fact, I think he started to see more of the professor within Phos as they evolved. I don’t think we’ll ever know for sure.

But this scene and the next scene I will talk about brings me back to Adamant and what his possible real goal was.

Adamant’s True True Goal: Burn it all down

This. This, and and the previous dialogue that lead up to this panel really stuck out to me. Remember, these are Adamants’ memories. The professor told this to Adamant for a reason, and I think Adamant wanted Phos to see this. Why? I can’t think of any other reason other than to set something big in motion. Or rather, to STOP something that’s in motion.

(The following thoughts literally came to mind as I was writing this, so forgive me if they are too outlandish.)

For the longest time, I think many fans, including myself, have been questioning Adamant’s choice of actions both before and after he was taken to the moon. Maybe I’m overthinking this, but what are the chances that most of Adamant’s actions, including inactions, up until this point were deliberate.

What if Adamant was intentionally or subconsciously sabotaging this cycle that Aechmea’s trying to complete? What if his reluctance to pray wasn’t only because he loved the gems, but because of the last order he was given from Prof. Ayumu? What if Adamant wasn’t actually “broken”?

Remember, Adamant could only pray if he was told to by a “human.” Could the same be said if he was told to “burn the bridge”? Again, I’m probably reaching, but could this be a possibility?

Ok, before I lose track, let’s go back to Phos and this scene. There must be a reason why Phos is experiencing this. Did Adamant know that Phos would experience is? Is there a chance he hoped Phos would pick up where he left off in this regard? It’s actually hard to say, but it’s clear that Phos needed to hear this for an important reason. Adamant had to have done this on purpose...

And now I’m wondering Aechmea actually knew about this when he gave Phos Adamant’s eye. I figured he wanted Phos to experience the traumatic event Adamant witnessed, but what about that specific conversation with the professor?

And you know what, I’m also wondering back to Aechmea and Adamant’s new “partnership.” Several fans, including myself, have noted how Adamant seemed off after being brought to the moon. It felt weird seeing how Adamant is acting fine around Aechmea after seeing him fight back against him and the Lunarians for so many chapters. We could excuse this as a result of the transformation process that all the other gems had. But now, I’m again wondering if Adamant really is fine with everything or if this is somehow a ruse. I still stand by the theory that while Aechmea may be powerful and can predict certain people’s actions, he’s not omnipresent and can’t predict or control everyone. I’m hoping this is the case for Adamant.

Again, I know it’s a stretch. Maybe a part of me still wants to believe in Adamant. That there is still a sliver of defiance within him and now Phos. Well, regardless of whether Adamant is truly now on Aechmea’s side or not, I think Adamant wanted Phos to experience this scene with Prof. Ayumu. He wanted Phos to hear that final order. And I believe the outcome of this will play out in the next chapter...

But before that, I want to share my thoughts about this chapter as a whole.

How I’m feeling about this chapter: Going too fast?

I like this chapter overall, especially because we got to learn more about Adamant and their role in everything. But I admit that the last two to three pages caught me by surprise for a few reasons. The first being Phos’s enlightened form. It’s.. eerie and pretty at the same time. It’s a very unique form, and it contrasts a lot from Phos’s last two forms. I think that was Ms. Ichikawa’s intent. It’s very interesting how she incorporates Buddhism imagery in such unique and abstract ways.

But despite my fascination with this form, I still feel that we’re seeing it too soon. Like I stated at the top of this post, part of me feels like this chapter, or rather Phos’s transformation was rushed. I’m not saying this because I want to see Phos continue to suffer any more in their gooey state; in all honesty, I’m kind of happy to not see their gooey depressed form anymore.

But at the same time, it feels like Ms. Ichikawa is now running to the finish line. And after having Aechmea say that they would just supervise Phos and collect any new gems in the previous chapter, I kind expected that we would see some of that? Maybe small glimpses of that at least? Maybe it’s just me thinking this. What do you guys think?

Well regardless of how I feel about the pacing in the last few pages, Phos’s “enlightened” form is really cool. But how “enlightened” have they become? I think that will be answered by what they do next...

The final turning point...

I think it’s clear that the next chapter will lead to the next, if not final, turning point in the story. “Everyone” is here to greet the newly “Enlightened Phos.” With the Lunarians are on the left. The Admirabilis on the right. And the gems right in the center, right above Phos. This is it. All remnants of humanity are here. And Phos’s actions in the next chapter will be the determining factor in how this story will conclude. Anything can happen now, but the question is what?

Will Phos do the prayer for the remnants of humanity and free everyone as Adamant’s replacement?

Will Phos “burn that bridge” and stop the cycle somehow?

A bit of both?

Or will Phos do something no one saw coming?

Who knows. We’ll have to wait until next month to see.

But regardless of what happens next, like I’ve said in my last few posts, I guarantee there will be a lot of unsatisfied fans in this fandom and there will be anger, specifically towards Ms. Ichikawa.

But you know what? That doesn’t matter to me right now.

Despite my own conflicted feelings, I’ve been enjoying my time with Houseki no Kuni and I’m sticking to this story no matter what to the end. And if this leads to the most bitter, most anger inducing end with no happiness in sight, it’s fine.

I will have no regrets.

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #HNK #LOTL #hnk spoilers #hnk chapter 97 #lotl spoilers #hnk thoughts #buddhism #personal thoughts #hnk phosphophyllite #hnk adamant #hnk manga #hnk phos #hnk meta

298 notes · View notes