The epitome of a beautiful tragedy, in all senses of the phrase

In brief: in the far distant future, humanity as we know it has been replaced by its descendants in form, flesh and spirit. The land (what little of it has not been covered by oceans) belongs to the lustrous gem people, who rise out of the rock when enough of their element comes together to form a person, and who can survive immense damage as long as their pieces are put back in place. The gems live together, in an austere palace with an inscrutable Master who gives them tasks that lend their lives meaning. Those gems who have a high hardness rating on the Mohs scale tend to be employed as fighters: they stave off incursions from the Lunarians, a mysterious race of people who regularly descend from the moon to steal gems (whose remains are later seen in Lunarian jewelry and weapons). Those gems who aren't temperamentally or physically inclined to fight find work within the palace, such as crafting medicine or weaponry. Everyone has their place, except for Phosphophyllite, who is clumsy and who is near the bottom of the Mohs scale. Phos desperately wants to fight, but is their desire worth the gaining?

***Spoilers for the anime below; possible spoilers for the manga***

I heard a great deal about the gorgeous animation - yes, it is the best CGI in anime to date, and works perfectly because the gems aren't human - and about the LGBTQA-friendly depiction of the gems as truly genderless. The only characters shown to self-identify using biological gender are the sea creatures, who are the "flesh" descendants of humans the way that the gems are "form" and the Lunarians are "spirit"... and even then, the feminine leader calls herself the king, so there's no real restrictions in their culture either. There were so many gushing reviews that I had to give the show a chance.

No one warned me that this was going to follow the classic story beats of a tragedy. I am not someone who tends to watch or read tragedies; I get too frustrated when I see characters repeatedly make bad choices that cause their own destruction. Phos always leaps before they look, and wants to be a fighter bad enough to sacrifice their body, and therefore their memories, to reach that goal. The gems don't have brains and organs as such, but simply look humanoid. As each micro-organic cell of the gem stores memories, the loss of a limb results in a massive loss of memory. Phos loses everything except their torso and head, and survives by grafting on other stronger materials (this is truth in science, as this mineral is apparently known for being downright eager to accept mingling with others). This means that they are now strong enough on average to fight, but have given up their friendships, their childhood, their kindness, their inquisitiveness, their humor, their clumsiness, and so many other personality traits that are inextricably linked to memory. At what point will Phosphophyllite cease to be Phosphophyllite, and become just a patchwork Frankenstein's monster of a gem? Thus, the story offers a rare example of self-destruction that is both figurative and literal (also, here's a belated warning for recurring body horror elements for all the gems).

It's a classic tragedy of hubris and self-destruction, and while I could barely look away, I'm reluctant to see what happens in any hypothetical future season. The story is definitely not complete as it stands - the anime ends with Phos deciding to investigate a theorized conspiracy regarding the true relationship between their Master and the Lunarians - but it's consistent in showing that Phos is a danger to themselves and others, and that no one is better off for having been their acquaintance (except the sea creatures, who used them for their escape plot and who took their limbs). By the end, I was grieving for the original Phos, who has in my view effectively died and been replaced by their colder, depressive successor (the show reminds you of the vast personality differences with a heartrending blink-and-you'll-miss-it shot). A quick peek at the manga showed me that Phos is just going to keep on with their self-destruction, and if anything will widen their net of collateral damage. It might continue to be beautiful, but I'm not sure I can stand to spectate.

That said, it's well told, excellently animated, and worth your time... if you can tolerate a tragedy unfolding with agonizing inevitability in front of your eyes. Much like Cowboy Bebop, it may be something you *need* to watch, even if tragedy is not your genre, just because of its exquisite execution.