Ruri likes bright, shiny things. So when a crystal pendant catches her eye at the shopping mall, she begs her mom for an advance on her allowance, dancing on the spot and whining like a three-year-old, though she’s probably more like thirteen. When mom tells Ruri that grandpa used to come home with those “pointy clear rocks” all the time when picking flowers in the mountains, Ruri heads off to the nearest rocky wilderness to find her own materials for the accessories she’s been dreaming of. But what she finds is something altogether different: A graduate student, an education in mineralogy, and a passion for a new hobby. After gathering her fill of clear crystals, Ruri convinces Nagi-san to bring her along for the garnet-hunting trip she’s planned, and pretty soon the two are happily wading in a calm river, panning for gold, er, red crystals. Ruri learns about how rocks travel and tries to wrap her head around the vast timescale of their existence. She doesn’t really get it, but she certainly does get the bug for mineralogy, and pretty soon, she’s begging her mom for an advance on her allowance again, only this time, it’s not for clothing or makeup. Are we about to witness Ruri growing up?
I’ve been looking forward to this one since the stunningly animated trailer came out last season, and it did not disappoint! It is gorgeous! The animation team at Studio Bind has done an especially spiffing job of capturing the way light sparkles, not just on crystals, but also on water, and on crystals in water. Honestly, the backgrounds are dazzling! The character designs have a welcome dash of distinctiveness to them, while the use of forced perspective makes for the kind of dynamism you wouldn’t expect from a series about looking for rocks. Ruri herself is terribly childish, and a whiny note slips into her reactions pretty often. But given that she’s contrasted with the cool, calm, and collected Nagi-san, I think we’re in for a satisfying maturation arc for the girl. Just witness how quickly she learned to dress more appropriately for rock hunting between their two outings: She sports proper shoes and shorts rather than a skirt and sandals when going for garnets. She’s growing! Her genuine delight and bubbly joy are also pretty winsome. Meanwhile, I definitely jive with the way Nagi embraces the opportunity to fan the flames of the next generation’s interest in her research topic! And props for the way she firmly establishes boundaries for the rampaging Ruri, who is used to getting her own way. The educational interludes are handled deftly, being integrated smoothly into dialogue and ad breaks in a manner comparable to Yuru Camp. What’s more, for the uninitiated like myself at least, they are pretty interesting! Can’t say that I’ve ever considered the movement of stones before, but now I’ll be thinking of it the next time I go for a trek. And that’s reason enough—especially when combined with the artistry of the animation and the promise of some character growth—for me to look forward to tuning in again. Rock on, Ruri!
Ruri Rocks is streaming on Crunchyroll.
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[…] For context, Ruri (left above) is an amateur mineralogist, and she’s on a mission to find sapphires. Not content with the (literally) microscopic ones she’s scored from river sand, Ruri is going for the source, and she’s powering ahead toward this goal on pure instinct and energy. Surely, she’ll be rewarded with her heart’s desire if she’s enthusiastic enough, right? So when Nagi-san, a PhD student with a fair few years of spelunking experience under her belt and a boatload of expertise, reins her in and insists on methodical, consistent data collection, Ruri is not a happy camper. They’ve got a lead already on one branch of the river, so why are they investigating other tributaries? Such a waste of time and effort. […]