Houseki No Kuni, also known as Land of the Lustrous, is a beloved anime series released in the fall of 2017 in the genre of action and fantasy. This series, which is popular worldwide with its anime, is also very popular with its manga. The anime is based on the manga of the same name written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa. Created by Orange animation studio, popular with 3D CG illustrations, the series is the work of the same studio as Beastars. Returning to the screens with its second season on January 7, 2021, Beastars delighted its fans. Now “Land of the Lustrous” fans are eagerly waiting for the second season. The anime’s first season licensed by Sentai Filmworks was originally aired on local broadcasters AT-X, Tokyo MX, BS11, MBS from October 7, 2017, to December 23, 2017. With its broadcasting on Amazon Prime Video, the anime gained viewers from all over the world. Let’s see what we know about the series and the second season so far.
What is the plotline of Houseki No Kuni?
Houseki No Kuni was one of the most striking animes of 2017 with its drawings, theme, and music. Our topic is the status of the new season, but let’s briefly remember the story. The story of the manga, from which the anime is adapted, is about a new way of life, “houseki” (Jewels) emerging in the distant future. 28 jewels are at war with the “tsukjin” (Residents of the Moon), who attack to turn them into ornaments. Each jewel was assigned roles such as warrior or health worker, but among these 28 jewels, only Phos was not given any role until the Jewelry Director Congo gave him the task of editing a natural history magazine.
Will there be a second season of the anime?
As of June 14, 2022, at the time of writing, studio Orange or any related company has yet to renew the Houseki No Kuni anime for a second season. No matter how much time passes, anime may have a new season. This is an ordinary situation that we often encounter in animes. In the absence of an official announcement, it is only possible to speculate about the new season at the moment. Manga source material availability, popularity, and financial issues are the most important key factors in the anime’s approval for a new season. Let’s look at the new season possibilities of the series under all the known hints.
Second season possibility in terms of “Manga status”
As we mentioned at the beginning of the article, Houseki No Kuni is adapted from the manga written and illustrated by Haruko Ichikawa. The manga series published by Kodansha is also published in English by the same publisher’s NA branch. Readers can follow the manga without needing any fan translation.
The last volume of the manga series, which started to be published in 2012, was released on July 20, 2020, and reached 11 volumes in total. The first season of the anime covers the first 5 volumes of the manga. There are 6 volumes left. The remaining stock material seems sufficient for the second season. Besides, since each manga volume contains an equal number of chapters, it would not be wrong to make this ratio. There is no obstacle in terms of stock material availability for the anime’s second season, and this is news that will always keep the possibilities of the second season alive.
There is also other good news on the manga side. The manga took a hiatus in December 2020, and there was no clear information on whether it would return. According to an announcement in The July issue of Kodansha’s Afternoon magazine on May 24, 2022, the manga series now returns, and volume 8 will be released on June 24. The good thing about this news in terms of anime is that the brand will continue to work on advertising. An anime season always increases manga sales, and creators can think from this perspective and evaluate the possibility of a new season.
BluRay and DVD Sales of the anime’s first season
Disc sales are very important for anime, most of the animes are prepared to focus on disc sales or to advertise the manga. For an anime to be financially profitable, it is expected to have an average sales volume of at least 4,000 disc sales. Houseki No Kuni reached 6,200 units in its first volume of disc sales. Anime disc sales seem to have reached the target, and this amount of sales is another detail that increases the chances of the second season.
Other factors to see the second season
The anime ranked 474th on Myanimelist based on popularity and this score is quite adequate and above average for the second season compared to other anime scores. We can see similar results on Twitter and Google Search data (70.7k followers on the anime page on Twitter).
We also know that the anime is published in Japan by exclusive distributors such as the D anime store, U-Next, and Hulu. It provides an income in addition to disc sales to prepare the second season of this anime. The fact that the anime is released by Amazon Prime worldwide is another main reason that increases the second season’s chances.
The Orange studio managed to attract attention with Beastars released in 2019. Although Land of the Lustrous is not as famous as Beastars, it is one of the most valuable series in the studio’s hands. We believe that the studio, which received the second season approval for Beastars, will not say no to the Land of the Lustrous, and from the studio’s perspective, it is not an obstacle for a second season.
When is the second season of Houseki No Kuni?
The second season of the series has not been confirmed yet, but as a result of our evaluation, we see that; disc sales are above average, overall popularity is above average, everything seems fine financially, and most importantly, the manga provides enough source material to prepare a second season. We think that the anime may have a new season, but it is uncertain when it happens. The best estimate in this regard shows around 2023 – 2024. We will notify you when the second season confirmation arrives.