Name: A wonderfully charming series about girls and rocks!
Item: Ruri Rocks
Rating: 86
Author: PrecipiKitten

Waifra

A wonderfully charming series about girls and rocks!

For something relatively niche like mineralogy, this anime makes it accessible and entertaining in such a fun way that never feels boring or patronising to me. Part of that is allowing characters to figure solutions out on their own without having things spelled out, using the knowledge they have from previous episodes to piece together the puzzles they face and further their relationship with rocks. Part of that is also how genuinely great the characters are.

In the following section, characters that appear later on in the series are discussed, but other than that there are no explicit spoilers.

Ruri and Nagi are such a perfect protagonist duo to boot, Ruri's enthusiasm surrounding rocks but quick to bore attitude is handled perfectly by Nagi's patient teaching. They never feel like they're annoyed by or frustrated at each other, which to some might sound unrealistic but I honestly find endearing. Besides, the momentum of their relationship as the series moves makes so much more sense when you just watch them have fun together, Ruri learning and Nagi teaching.
Imari and Seto are both given proper time to introduce themselves without slotting into the group out of nowhere like some shows attempt, which is one of the strengths of these characters. Another is that despite all getting along well, you can really feel how different everyone in the group is by how they connect to each other in such openly varied ways: Seto finds Imari more reliable, while Ruri consistently goes to Nagi for help. Imari and Seto are very clear foils to Nagi and Ruri respectively, which is something that works well to highlight how it is each character actually appreciates rocks.
Imari's preference for in-house study over outdoors research is not only relatable, it comes in handy plenty of times, teaching Ruri and Nagi about problem solving to help expeditions (and Nagi to catch up on her written work). Conversely, Nagi's preference for working outdoors of course helps out constantly too.

As with Shingo Fujii's series directorial debut, Onimai, the animation is a charming combination of cute and absolutely stunning throughout all 13 episodes, which works shockingly well for an anime about minerals. There's a sort of juxtaposition between the stylised moe cast of characters and the very real world they inhabit, but honestly I felt that it only made their adventures more enthralling. The chibi explanation scenes worked so well to introduce these complex concepts in an entertaining fashion without breaking the bank too, it's a very smart move.

From here on out I will discuss major plot spoilers.

Spoiler, click to viewclick to hide

As for the plot itself, I found it moved at a really nice pace honestly. Every episode was self-contained and it doesn't rely on massive cliffhangers to keep you invested, it just trusts that you'll want to see more which is something I always appreciate in shows that do actually make it worth it to watch more. That said, it still does have a plot which moves along almost unnoticably until you realise how far we've has come. When the absolutely beautiful opening theme plays through the radio, it just makes sense. When we learn about Nagi's decision to turn down a museum curration job in favour of her dream to become a professor, it just makes sense. When Ruri starts to feel left behind as she's not nearly as sure of what she wants as everyone else in the main group is, it just makes sense. When Ruri finds meaning in one of the final scenes of the show it also just makes sense.

What doesn't quite make sense to me is the decision to end the final episode on a graphic of Ruri grown up, now a geologist. I understand that this is likely a moot point to most, but I really believe the ending would be much more impactful without a look into Ruri's adulthood. I think part of what resonated with me about the message of the final couple episodes is that she didn't have to become a geologist in future. She could and it would be amazing if she wanted to of course! But she felt so out of place for not being sure, and I think a message of "it's okay not to know whether this will be your life or not, because you'll move forward and you'll find more joy and friends no matter what you do" hits a lot harder without telling us that this will be her life after all.

Ultimately I didn't find it the most impactful or life-changing anime I've ever watched, but hell, if nothing else it managed to get me into rocks too! Not to discredit its accomplishments though, I did love it the whole way through and would absolutely be there for more if there ever was.