Houseki no Kuni Manga Thread - JFK is Inside the Moon dot com

Best Gem
	Phos
	Rutile
	Red Beryl
	Cinnabar
	Jade
	Diamond
	Bort
	Euclase
	Yelow Diamond
	Zircon
	Alexandrite
	Antarcticite
	Padparadscha
	Ghost Quartz
	Lapiz Lazuli
	Morganite
	Goshenite
	Phos, but with hosed Up Legs
	Phos, but with hosed Up Everything
	Obsidian?
	Did I already list Yellow Diamond
	The Left Amethyst
	The Right Amethyst
	Sensei
	Shiro

Sindai: Jan 24, 2007; i want to achieve immortality through not dying

it would be pretty funny if Phos wakes up and just goes "nah"

# ? Jun 26, 2022 01:32

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# ? May 23, 2024 11:46

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

Poor Phos. I still rewatch the anime sometimes, and early Phos was just so earnest and sweet.

# ? Jun 27, 2022 07:15

goblin week: Jan 26, 2019; Absolute clown.

gutterdaughter posted:

As if that little private silence were the signal, all at once a trumpet sounds from the pavilion near the starting line: imperious, melancholy, piercing. The horses rear on their slender legs, and some of them neigh in answer. Sober-faced, the young riders stroke the horses' necks and soothe them, whispering. "Quiet, quiet, there my beauty, my hope..." They begin to form in rank along the starting line. The crowds along the racecourse are like a field of grass and flowers in the wind. The Festival of Summer has begun.

Do you believe? Do you accept the festival, the city, the joy? No? Then let me describe one more thing.

In a basement under one of the beautiful public buildings of Omelas, or perhaps in the cellar of one of its spacious private homes, there is a room. It has one locked door, and no window. A little light seeps in dustily between cracks in the boards, secondhand from a cobwebbed window somewhere across the cellar. In one corner of the little room a couple of mops, with stiff, clotted, foul-smelling heads, stand near a rusty bucket. The floor is dirt, a little damp to the touch, as cellar dirt usually is.

The room is about three paces long and two wide: a mere broom closet or disused tool room. In the room, a child is sitting. It could be a boy or a girl. It looks about six, but actually is nearly ten. It is feeble-minded. Perhaps it was born defective, or perhaps it has become imbecile through fear, malnutrition, and neglect. It picks its nose and occasionally fumbles vaguely with its toes or genitals, as it sits hunched in the corner farthest from the bucket and the two mops. It is afraid of the mops. It finds them horrible. It shuts its eyes, but it knows the mops are still standing there; and the door is locked; and nobody will come. The door is always locked; and nobody ever comes, except that sometimes--the child has no understanding of time or interval--sometimes the door rattles terribly and opens, and a person, or several people, are there. One of them may come in and kick the child to make it stand up. The others never come close, but peer in at it with frightened, disgusted eyes. The food bowl and the water jug are hastily filled, the door is locked; the eyes disappear. The people at the door never say anything, but the child, who has not always lived in the tool room, and can remember sunlight and its mother's voice, sometimes speaks. "I will be good, " it says. "Please let me out. I will be good!" They never answer. The child used to scream for help at night, and cry a good deal, but now it only makes a kind of whining, "eh-haa, eh-haa," and it speaks less and less often. It is so thin there are no calves to its legs; its belly protrudes; it lives on a half-bowl of corn meal and grease a day. It is naked. Its buttocks and thighs are a mass of festered sores, as it sits in its own excrement continually.

They all know it is there, all the people of Omelas. Some of them have come to see it, others are content merely to know it is there. They all know that it has to be there. Some of them understand why, and some do not, but they all understand that their happiness, the beauty of their city, the tenderness of their friendships, the health of their children, the wisdom of their scholars, the skill of their makers, even the abundance of their harvest and the kindly weathers of their skies, depend wholly on this child's abominable misery.

This is usually explained to children when they are between eight and twelve, whenever they seem capable of understanding; and most of those who come to see the child are young people, though often enough an adult comes, or comes back, to see the child. No matter how well the matter has been explained to them, these young spectators are always shocked and sickened at the sight. They feel disgust, which they had thought themselves superior to. They feel anger, outrage, impotence, despite all the explanations. They would like to do something for the child. But there is nothing they can do. If the child were brought up into the sunlight out of that vile place, if it were cleaned and fed and comforted, that would be a good thing, indeed; but if it were done, in that day and hour all the prosperity and beauty and delight of Omelas would wither and be destroyed. Those are the terms. To exchange all the goodness and grace of every life in Omelas for that single, small improvement: to throw away the happiness of thousands for the chance of happiness of one: that would be to let guilt within the walls indeed.

The terms are strict and absolute; there may not even be a kind word spoken to the child.

Often the young people go home in tears, or in a tearless rage, when they have seen the child and faced this terrible paradox. They may brood over it for weeks or years. But as time goes on they begin to realize that even if the child could be released, it would not get much good of its freedom: a little vague pleasure of warmth and food, no real doubt, but little more. It is too degraded and imbecile to know any real joy. It has been afraid too long ever to be free of fear. Its habits are too uncouth for it to respond to humane treatment. Indeed, after so long it would probably be wretched without walls about it to protect it, and darkness for its eyes, and its own excrement to sit in. Their tears at the bitter injustice dry when they begin to perceive the terrible justice of reality, and to accept it. Yet it is their tears and anger, the trying of their generosity and the acceptance of their helplessness, which are perhaps the true source of the splendor of their lives. Theirs is no vapid, irresponsible happiness. They know that they, like the child, are not free. They know compassion. It is the existence of the child, and their knowledge of its existence, that makes possible the nobility of their architecture, the poignancy of their music, the profundity of their science. It is because of the child that they are so gentle with children. They know that if the wretched one were not there sniveling in the dark, the other one, the flute-player, could make no joyful music as the young riders line up in their beauty for the race in the sunlight of the first morning of summer.

Now do you believe them? Are they not more credible? But there is one more thing to tell, and this is quite incredible.

At times one of the adolescent girls or boys who go see the child does not go home to weep or rage, does not, in fact, go home at all. Sometimes also a man or a woman much older falls silent for a day or two, then leaves home. These people go out into the street, and walk down the street alone. They keep walking, and walk straight out of the city of Omelas, through the beautiful gates. They keep walking across the farmlands of Omelas. Each one goes alone, youth or girl, man or woman.

Night falls; the traveler must pass down village streets, between the houses with yellow- lit windows, and on out into the darkness of the fields. Each alone, they go west or north, towards the mountains. They go on. They leave Omelas, they walk ahead into the darkness, and they do not come back. The place they go towards is a place even less imaginable to most of us than the city of happiness. I cannot describe it at all. It is possible that it does not exist. But they seem to know where they are going, the ones who walk away from Omelas.

Sounds like a sweet deal for the Omelans imo

# ? Jun 30, 2022 07:37

Cephas: May 11, 2009; Humanity's real enemy is me!
Hya hya foowah!

goblin week posted:

Sounds like a sweet deal for the Omelans imo

Time to discover gender, put on a party dress, and date an eternal ageless autocrat :sparkles:

# ? Jun 30, 2022 13:17

Agronox: Feb 4, 2005

BTW a group translated the marginalia. If you (like me) had a hard time recognizing or remembering some of the gems, it might help:

https://mangadex.org/chapter/2e7d90de-7175-446b-8165-14798f36430e/1

# ? Jun 30, 2022 14:11

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

I just realized I'm completely out of the loop. The last chapter I read was something like "200 years after Phos was smashed by Bort and her pieces spread over the whole planet. Kongo had collected her and she begs him to please pray and then it ended.

Where is that in mangadex chapters?

# ? Jun 30, 2022 14:39

Lurking Haro: Oct 27, 2009

Feliday Melody posted:

I just realized I'm completely out of the loop. The last chapter I read was something like "200 years after Phos was smashed by Bort and her pieces spread over the whole planet. Kongo had collected her and she begs him to please pray and then it ended.

Where is that in mangadex chapters?

Chapter 79, "Two Hundred Twenty Years"

Surprise!

# ? Jun 30, 2022 14:48

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

Lurking Haro posted:

Chapter 79, "Two Hundred Twenty Years"

Surprise!

Well, then I have a ton of new content to read. Neat!

# ? Jun 30, 2022 14:51

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

This franchise put so much effort into "They"

Why is Phos all of a sudden a "he"?

Edit: This is completely insane.

Feliday Melody fucked around with this message at 19:44 on Jun 30, 2022

# ? Jun 30, 2022 19:33

LibrarianCroaker: Mar 30, 2010

Because the scan group did not keep it consistent.

The official TL (as far as it's gotten) still uses they.

# ? Jun 30, 2022 20:04

lih: May 15, 2013; Just a friendly reminder of what it looks like.

We'll do punctuation later.

japanese doesn't have gendered pronouns so the first scanlation group (before it got an official release) fairly arbitrarily used male pronouns for the gems and most (but not all) of the scanlation groups since have kept to that, unfortunately

# ? Jul 1, 2022 02:04

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

lih posted:

japanese doesn't have gendered pronouns so the first scanlation group (before it got an official release) fairly arbitrarily used male pronouns for the gems and most (but not all) of the scanlation groups since have kept to that, unfortunately

That feels really weird. If anything. Gendering them as girls was always the common error.

# ? Jul 1, 2022 04:40

Xun: Apr 25, 2010

From what I can remember, I think they used he specifically because the gems tend to get gendered as girls. That way they could kinda get that gender neutral vibe while avoiding using they because it's awkward sometimes. I guess a free scanlation group didn't want to spend the time worrying about that?

# ? Jul 1, 2022 06:22

Allarion: May 16, 2009; がんばルビ！

Its cause the scanlators decided to be literal instead of localizing since a gem calling each other Nii-Chan does not mean that when they got no concept of gender in the first place. The official translation is more aware of the the intent.

# ? Jul 1, 2022 07:54

lih: May 15, 2013; Just a friendly reminder of what it looks like.

We'll do punctuation later.

ah yeah it was because some of them said 'nii-chan' etc. which was the only gendered language to go on at all so not completely arbitrary but it's not a great choice to commit to it even now

# ? Jul 1, 2022 08:46

Mraagvpeine: Nov 4, 2014; I won this avatar on a technicality this thick.

Would it be confusing if a character is referred to as both nii-chan and nee-chan?

# ? Jul 1, 2022 16:08

mdct: Sep 2, 2011; Tingle tingle kooloo limpah.
These are my magic words.
Don't steal them.

Being honest, it was basically an acceptable choice because there was no other direction until it started to get officially localized, where they got a direct note from Haruko Ichikawa to use they/them and keep them completely gender neutral. At that point when it was completely clear what the intent was, and the scans continue using he/him for all the gems, that's when it's clear that they're being lovely about it because they don't want to use singular they.

# ? Jul 1, 2022 17:44

Nate RFB: Jan 17, 2005; Clapping Larry

https://mangadex.org/chapter/9ef7074f-2921-4cf0-92b2-10b4d836f682/1

# ? Jul 24, 2022 20:52

Sindai: Jan 24, 2007; i want to achieve immortality through not dying

nice drip

# ? Jul 24, 2022 22:16

Xelkelvos: Dec 19, 2012

We have transcended suffering into the land of dreams.

# ? Jul 24, 2022 23:07

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

Xelkelvos posted:

We have transcended suffering into the land of dreams.

hey now, there's still plenty of suffering to be had. the remnants of the old world didn't show up for a tea party.

# ? Jul 24, 2022 23:12

Futaba Anzu: May 6, 2011; GROSS BOY

only living beings dream.

# ? Jul 25, 2022 00:43

Xelkelvos: Dec 19, 2012

Let us pray
we're entering the home stretch.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 03:41

symbolic: Nov 2, 2014

Jesus Christ, that ending paneling. :eyepop:

The end really is within sight now. drat.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 04:04

boredsatellite: Dec 7, 2013

Oh wow phos actually did it

# ? Aug 24, 2022 06:09

Cephas: May 11, 2009; Humanity's real enemy is me!
Hya hya foowah!

boredsatellite posted:

Oh wow phos actually did it

i haven't read the latest chapter yet but this post terrifies me

# ? Aug 24, 2022 14:19

Mulva: Sep 13, 2011; It's about time for my once per decade ban for being a consistently terrible poster.

Pity their psychotic mindfuck games were rewarded in the end, but at least they were rewarded with non-existence. :byewhore:

# ? Aug 24, 2022 15:32

Ethiser: Dec 31, 2011

Really curious to see what the next chapter is.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 15:39

Wollawolla: Jan 15, 2007; Are you gonna smash my skull and breathe my blood-mist?

Are we still thinking this goes to 108 chapters? The ending feels only a few chapters out.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 15:40

symbolic: Nov 2, 2014

Wollawolla posted:

Are we still thinking this goes to 108 chapters? The ending feels only a few chapters out.

The next 10 chapters are all only a page or two each. We must suffer through waiting, much like Phos did.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 15:46

Sleng Teng: May 3, 2009

All I could think after reading this chapter was: nobody in this story has actually obtained enlightenment.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 16:16

boredsatellite: Dec 7, 2013

Cephas posted:

i haven't read the latest chapter yet but this post terrifies me

just as planned

# ? Aug 24, 2022 16:50

gimme the GOD DAMN candy: Jul 1, 2007

it's sad that phos came to this conclusion about their life and even sadder that they are correct.

# ? Aug 24, 2022 19:48

Feliday Melody: May 8, 2021

Having read all the released manga. I have no idea how the show is going to keep up.

I love the show so far. But I feel like if it followed the manga scene for scene. Then the post moon parts would probably not make for a very good show.

A long one, granted. :v:

# ? Oct 14, 2022 12:49

yum: Oct 27, 2005; _{Only good things will come

to someone like

you.}

https://cubari.moe/read/gist/cmF3L2Rzb25nYmlyZC8tbmFuYWtvcm84MS1Ud2l0dGVyLU1hbmdhL21haW4vSG91c2VraSUyMG5vJTIwS3VuaS5qc29u/99/1/

chapter 99

# ? Nov 25, 2022 00:33

Terper: Jun 26, 2012

Ultimately, the one thing everyone needs is a pet support rock.

# ? Nov 25, 2022 00:48

Squidster: Oct 7, 2008; ✋😢Life's just better with Ominous Gloves🤗🧤

Holy poo poo, my genderless sibling in Buddha, leave some suffering for the rest of us.

Poor Phos. Even Homura would have thrown in the towel by now.

# ? Nov 25, 2022 01:25

Snooze Cruise: Feb 16, 2013; hey look,
a post

lil rock friend

# ? Nov 25, 2022 05:04

Sindai: Jan 24, 2007; i want to achieve immortality through not dying

I wouldn't have been upset if the manga ended on "Now I understand." It's a fantastic 99-chapter punchline and made me laugh.

Sindai fucked around with this message at 05:21 on Nov 25, 2022

# ? Nov 25, 2022 05:18

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# ? May 23, 2024 11:46

Rody One Half: Feb 18, 2011

tbh this manga has gotten really dull

It's very dramatically unsatisfying and like, not in a Oh It's a Tragedy way, but rather in that all the actual character work kind of just gets thrown out the window eventually. You can't even say it's about character work for Phos really, because what we're dealing with is basically unrecognizable as Phos in any sense.

# ? Nov 25, 2022 05:47