‘Houseki no Kuni’ Season 2 Release Date: ‘Land Of The Lustrous’ Anime Spoilers Based On The Manga

The mysteries surrounding the Land of the Lustrous, the country of jewels, almost demands that Houseki no Kuni Season 2 be made by anime studio Orange. After all, unless you read the Houseki no Kuni manga, many questions will be left unanswered. Who is Kong-Sensei, really, and what is his connection to the Lunarians? Why are the moon dwellers attacking and kidnapping jewel people like Phos in the first place?

Thankfully, there seems to be enough source material that the second season of the Houseki no Kuni anime could be released relatively soon for an anime sequel. The story of the Land of the Lustrous manga first began serializing in Monthly Afternoon back in late 2012. Written and illustrated by mangaka Haruko Ichikawa, a new chapter is released monthly on every 25th day of the month.

As of this article’s publishing, the manga is up to Houseki no Kuni Volume 8, which concludes with Chapter 60. The release date for Houseki no Kuni Volume 9 has not been announced, but at the manga author’s current publishing rate, there will be enough chapters by the spring of 2018. The manga series will be up to Houseki no Kuni Chapter 63 by the end of 2017.

Kodansha Comics started publishing the English translation of the Houseki no Kuni manga in 2016, and so far, three volumes have been released. The anime adaptation of the story is ahead of the English manga as of December of 2017. The English Land of the Lustrous Volume 4 will be released on December 26, 2017, while Volume 5 is scheduled for March 13, 2018. Volume 6 is set for July 17, 2018.

Houseki no Kuni Manga Enough For A Second Season Of The Land Of The Lustrous Anime?

The Houseki no Kuni anime followed the source material very well, so far. The biggest notable change was that the anime’s character designs were notably more feminine instead of androgynous. Any other changes were additions by the GATE director that was not filler content. The fight scenes are more dynamic and physical comedy works better in the anime. Combine the CG visuals with the creepy sound effects and the OST and even many manga fans believe the anime is the better version. (“Heresy!” says the uber-manga fan, who cites the striking art style of the manga.)

Episode 11 introduced anime watchers to Shiro, Kongo-Sensei’s “dog” that was sent down by the Lunarians. The gems ended up slicing this monster up into 108 pieces (which is a sacred number in Buddhism) only to be confronted by a horde of overly adorable puppy creatures. The end of this episode was covered in manga Chapters 28 and 29. (Also, puppy Shiro plushies are on sale from Natalie.)

Although many anime directors like to end a season on a high point with a big battle sequence, Takahiko Kyogoku chose to bring the character development full circle by offering a poignant coming of age story. Episode 12 covered the awakening of the “so flashy” Padparadscha, Phos’ desire to find the truth about the moon people, and Cinnabar being offered a new type of job. While that offer connected to the promise made in the beginning, the ending was tragic because the previously carefree Phos was offering a selfish desire rather than solve Cinnabar’s plight.

Called “New Work,” Houseki no Kuni Episode 12 provided an ending based on parts of Chapters 31 through 36 (which are contained in Volume 5) but skipped a major battle sequence that started in Chapter 33. Thankfully, that means there will be over 30 manga chapters available for making Houseki no Kuni Season 2 by the summer of 2018.

Land Of The Lustrous Season 2 Release Date

As of this publishing, anime production company Orange has not announced anything official about the Houseki no Kuni Season 2 release date, although this article will be updated as soon as the anime sequel’s premiere is confirmed. However, there can be reasonable speculation about when, or if, the Land of the Lustrous Season 2 air date may occur.

If the anime is merely intended as an advertisement for the manga, then it succeeded at its job. Released in November, Houseki no Kuni Volume 8 placed No. 4 on the Oricon charts in its first week and sold 134,303 copies over the next month. That’s more than double the success of the series’ previous manga volumes.

The success of the manga may justify creating a second season of the anime, but it’s also the Blu-ray/DVD sales that determine the anime’s future. The anime is being released in six Blu-ray box set volumes, each coming with two episodes.

Thankfully, the anime series has ranked in the top 10 on the Oricon charts so far. Volume 1 sold 5,321 copies in its first week and Volume 2 was number one ont he charts with 5,413 copies sold. Digital streaming sites have also become a large source of income to the anime industry in recent years, so the money generated from being an Amazon Anime Strike exclusive is probably a significant factor.

Unfortunately, anime projects take years to develop and the manga creator needs time to get ahead of the anime. Considering that the anime industry’s schedule is already booked up years in advance, studio Orange will probably not release Houseki no Kuni Season 2 in 2018, although it’d be nice to be wrong. Stayed tuned for news updates!

Houseki no Kuni Season 2 Spoilers: The Truth Shatters

Ever since Phos heard Kongo-Sensei call the Lunarian dog monster Shiro, the jewel has suspected something is wrong. Her suspicions are heightened even further in Chapter 33 when she follows Sensei during a battle against three Lunarian vessels, a very rare attack that is intended as a trap for the gems. When the Lunarians begin to exhibit odd behavior by wrapping themselves into a tight ball, Phos wants to investigate this unknown phenomenon but Sensei forbids it.

When it appears Phos is about to openly defy Sensei, the scythe-wielding Ghost Quartz jumps up onto the sticky ball. Ghost is suddenly grabbed by arms reaching out of a rip in the air. Phos reaches to rescue Ghost but then stops herself when she realizes it’s an opportunity to see what Sensei might do.

Before Ghost could be snatched away entirely, Sensei squeezes his own arm tightly and breaks off tiny fragments of his body. He hurtles these fragments, tearing into the rip in space, and frees Ghost from the trap. When Sensei realizes Phos saw what he did, he asks Phos to keep it a secret from everyone.

It’s secrets like these that are the catalyst for Phos asking Cinnabar to help her investigate Sensei. The newest manga chapters focus on introducing new characters and Phos researching the Lunarians, but by Chapter 53, she eventually goes to the moon itself to find answers.

Phos manages to sneak onto the moon by pretending to be unconscious during a battle with the Lunarians. They snatch Phos up whole and teleport back to the moon. On arriving, the Lunarians all start chattering up a storm.

“Look, look! We’ve got a great catch today!” one Lunarian proclaims to the crowds on the lunar city.

Without warning, Phos’ golden arms slice the crowds into bits and a terrified hush overcomes the Lunarians.

“You’re talking just like us,” said Phos. “Did you take us for fools?”

And with that, Phos tears into the city on a mad hunt for Antarcticite, the winter friend captured long ago. Unfortunately, it is discovered that the Lunarians are decorating their home, the moon, in a manner most unexpected.

Phos is also surprised when the Lunarian prince, Aechmea, is willing to answer questions even after Phos’ body is dismembered by these foes. They even give a tour of the moon after Phos’ fragments are put back together!

Warning: The following contains major anime spoilers based on the manga. The second season will heavily focus on Kongo-Sensei’s identity and the motivations of the Lunarians, so do not read it if you don’t want that part of the story spoiled.

While Phos thought the Lunarians were conspiring to return to human form by gathering the land-based jewels and the ocean-based Admirabilis, the truth turns out to be more complicated. The humans are indeed all of their ancestors, but when flesh, bones, and spirit are separated, it turns out the mutated human souls could not pass onto the afterlife without being cleansed.

For the purification of souls, living beings are needed, and without these prayers, the wayward spirits became stuck on the moon. In order to solve this problem, a prayer machine was built so that the last humans would not be lonely. This creation was also a machine of destruction since it could split the human soul from its body. This prayer machine is named Kongo-Sensei.

Aechmea claims that Kongo-Sensei broke down over time and stopped purifying the souls of humans. The Lunarians want Kongo-Sensei to resume praying for the souls stuck in limbo and relieve them of their eternal suffering. To encourage Kongo-Sensei to give in to their demands, Aechmea says his people began kidnapping the jewels since they are cherished by their sensei. This war has been waged for millennia and they’re uncertain how to convince the gems’ master to change his mind.

With that major discovery, Phos offers to conspire with the Lunarians against Kongo-Sensei. But if you want to know what happens next, either read the English translation of the Land of the Lustrous manga or wait to watch Houseki no Kuni Season 2!