ANIME REVIEW | "Ruri Rocks" Mines a Shiny Educational Jewel
There must’ve been one time in my life where I’ve uttered the phrase, “You could make a ‘cute girls doing cute things’ anime about rocks, and people would watch it.” Lo and behold, manga author Keiichiro Shibuya did exactly that with his creation Ruri Rocks: Introduction to Mineralogy. Even more wilder is that it got an anime adaptation from Studio Bind, the same folks behind Mushoku Tensei and Onimai: I’m Now Your Sister! And as you can imagine, with such a powerhouse behind it, Ruri Rocks is a wonder to watch!
The titular Ruri (Miyari Netomo) loves jewelry and accessories. Sadly, it’s a costly hobby, one that her allowance can’t afford. So she decides to head into the woods to find crystals to make her own jewelry. Naturally, Ruri finds it a lot more difficult to find these crystals than she imagined. Fortunately, she runs into the perfect person that can help her with her quest: Nagi Arato (Asami Seto), a college graduate majoring in mineralogy.
With Nagi’s help, Ruri learns the wonders of all things rocks and minerals. It starts with quartz, the material the necklace she wanted was made from. Not only does Nagi assist with finding the material, she also teaches Ruri what pegmatites are, as well as how plate tectonics and erosion play a key role in how these minerals are made. Once Ruri discovers the visual and creative beauty of minerals, she finds herself wanting to learn more.
Much of Ruri Rocks follows a similar pattern. Ruri gets a craving to find a mineral; she and Nagi seek out the mineral, whilst Nagi shows her the ropes of mineralogy; and then, there’s either success or failure in finding the mineral. Thankfully, while the pattern may seem the same, it’s not at all a copy-and-paste mechanic of storytelling. Instead, each episode emphasizes the excitement and importance of minerals, injecting in science every step of the way.
Ruri’s transformation from stubborn high schooler to rock lover doesn’t happen overnight; it occurs gradually at a realistic pace. Under the guidance of Nagi and her friend Yoko (Yume Miyamoto), Ruri takes note of every little detail during each mineral escapade. She learns how to properly chisel for crystals, pan for gold, and even use magnets to seek the tiniest of iron ore pieces. With every new discovery comes a feeling of accomplishment for Ruri, with her love of crystals slowly turning into a fascination for mineralogy as a whole.
Of course, it helps that every moment of Ruri Rocks and the titular character’s journey is captured in the most beautifully detailed animation this season! The shine coming from the crystals, the way the rivers flow, and even the expressions of joy that Ruri shows when she finds the mineral she’s been seeking are shown with delightful care. Moments where Ruri, Nagi, and Yoko are experimenting in the lab go to great lengths to show the steps on how it’s all done in a realistic fashion. (Okay, it also doesn’t hurt that Nagi is drawn like a true goddess, mom jeans and all!)
Having to talk about mineralogy in a passionate way does require passionate voice acting. Nemoto is very energetic and spunky as Ruri, as she does a great job portraying her growth into a lover of all things minerals. Seto brings a guiding voice into her role of Nagi, one that really brings her love for her major into every fact she speaks. Miyamoto also does a good job with that passion as Yoko, but also adds a hint of realistic doubt in her voice whenever she’s not entirely sure of something.
Its soundtrack, composed by Daisuke Achiwa and Kazuki Yanagawa, jumps back-and-forth between classical orchestrations and poppy melodies. Both styles complement the scenes they’re used in, with the former showcased alongside nature shots and the latter for the more slice-of-life aspects of the anime. Opening theme “Hikari no Sumika” by former Genki Rockets frontwoman Rei Yasuda meshes well with the beauty of the nature that’s presented in the anime. Meanwhile, Hana Hope’s “Sapphire” is a lovely soft folk rock song that feels right at home with a show about the beauty of Mother Nature’s gifts.
So yeah, Ruri Rocks did it. They showed that you can make a “cute girls doing cute things” about anything, and make it both entertaining and informative. There are moments here that would even act as solid visual aid in actual mineralogy classes. But even if things like sapphires, sea glass, or manganese don’t fancy you, the fun characters and the beautiful animation will no doubt make Ruri Rocks something you’d chisel some time into your schedule to watch.
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Ruri Rocks can be viewed on Crunchyroll, and has been licensed by Crunchyroll. Episodes 1-10 were observed for review. Promotional consideration provided by Crunchyroll.
