Ruin Explorers Anime Review

Quick Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-10-01 (updated 2012-09-20)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

Ruin Explorers superficially looks like yet another silly fantasy show, but after the light opening half it builds into a straight-faced fantasy yarn. Though nothing in the production jumps out as extraordinarily good, almost every aspect of it is pleasing and solid--the art and animation are attractive, the mellow orchestral score is classy, the characters appealing with a hint of substance, the humor amusing, and the drama acceptable. The acting is even solid in both languages, with some particularly sincere Japanese performances behind Fam and Ihrie and a very smooth Lyle in the English dub. Its only real weakness is that four episodes is barely enough to fit the plot in, and doesn't provide enough time for either the light or heavy half of the story to hit its stride, nor for a smooth transition between them.

The end result is an unmemorable but all-around enjoyable little fantasy adventure.

Read the full-length review...

Full Review

• Reviewer: Marc
• Review Date: 2005-10-01 (updated 2012-09-20)
• 3.5 stars out of 5 (?)

Ruin Explorers superficially looks like yet another silly fantasy show, but it's actually a lot more Record of Lodoss Wars than Slayers. It opens with two episodes of light comedy, then in its second half segues into essentially straight fantasy. A bit short and not what you'd call original, it is nonetheless a pleasant and enjoyable little yarn.

I was surprised by how much Ruin Explorers puts into its story; the characters (despite their rather silly quirks) are relatively straight, and their quest is nothing to laugh at. By the end, in part due to some backstory that feels like more than just an excuse for swordfights, things have developed into a respectable (if not very original) fantasy quest. It even serves up a less-than-obvious twist or two in the finale.

On the other hand, the fact that the series spends its first half as a light, entertaining romp, then takes a definite turn toward straight (almost grim) classic fantasy is a bit disappointing from either end. On one hand, it took a bit of mental effort to pull myself into the not-funny fantasy mood to appreciate the second half. On the other, the fun stuff works so well I would have loved to see more of it--I was frankly a bit disappointed that all those silly character quirks didn't have more done with them.

In the end, though, Ruin Explorers' only big disappointment is that four episodes is just barely enough to set everything up and conclude the story. The concept would've easily held up through a full TV series, which would have allowed it to shift moods gradually.

Despite the lack of time, Fam and Ihrie still develop an appealing dynamic, and both have slightly more believable personalities than I was expecting. Ihrie in particular may be a standard hothead, but she isn't nearly as over-the-top as she could have been, and she has some flashes of jaded practicality that add a lot to her character. Fam, likewise, is both sweeter and a bit less oblivious than her character mold requires her to be.

Then there's Lyle; he's the textbook studly displaced prince (see: Heroic Legend of Arslan, etc), but has quite a few hidden demons, as does the villain. Don't take that to mean that any of these folks qualify as deep, but they aren't as two-dimensional as they appear at first. The three comic-relief members of the party aren't much more than fun, not that there's anything wrong with that. I do have to plug the dog, Gil--he's a dead ringer for Mutley, from the wheezy laugh to the ornery personality. He makes the whole thing a must-watch for nostalgic Hanna-Barbara fans.

Visually, Ruin Explorers is nothing special, but built on solid ground. Though lean on action scenes and relatively generic-looking, the art, animation, and character designs are all attractive. On the hardware front the weapons and classic shoulder-heavy armor are actually pretty cool looking.¹ The backgrounds are on the simple side, but there are a couple of nicely-painted locations and a neat giant tree grown out of control. There are also a few assorted flashes of artistic creativity that I rather liked; the main example is a carnival flashback of a village festival involving rather horrific masks that operates both as not-so-subtle foreshadowing and a rather cool combination of incongruent images.

In terms of vocals, Ruin Explorers is all-around solid in both languages. The English dub is actually pretty good, but both Fam and Ihrie (Jessica Calvello and Tamara Lo) have some of the most piercing, high-pitched English voices you're ever likely to hear--anyone who thinks only Japanese voice actresses have voices that can peel paint haven't heard these two scream (or whine). Other than pitches that would make dogs flee, their acting is fine. The standout, however, is Lyle--Jason Douglas turns in a good performance, and gives him a smooth British accent that makes him sound surprisingly studly (there are several other British accents sprinkled around, adding nicely to the character of the world).

Lyle is an interesting case; where most of the roles match up fairly well between the original and the dub, his Japanese voice (Hikaru Midorikawa) is very boyish--a bit too young-sounding for his appearance--where the English version is, if anything, a bit too deep for the face. Neither is bad, but it's quite a contrast.

The rest of the Japanese version is also solidly acted; most of the performances are about what you'd expect, but although Fam and Ihrie aren't the most substantive roles, there's a sincerity in Hekiru Shiina and Michiko Neya's performances that help carry the whole production. Neya's Ihrie in particular is a lot less overblown than she could have been.

In an interesting Slayers parallel, the soundtrack is one of the most memorable parts of the series, despite being the stylistic opposite of the ultimate semi-silly-fantasy franchise. Played by a full orchestra, the entire show is essentially set to a classical symphony, adding to the mellow, upbeat feel of the early parts and giving the whole thing a touch of class. The later parts are remarkably light on overdramatic themes (or any other music, for that matter), which works equally well. In all, the background music is pleasing to the ear, as is the more traditional J-pop end theme, which isn't as memorable, but is so light and sweet that it'd be hard not to like at least a little.

To sum up, Ruin Explorers is far from original, but starting out as a light fantasy romp and developing into a serious story, it isn't a bad tale either way. Its short length disappointingly doesn't allow the concept to go as far as it could have, but backed up by a great orchestral score and some likable characters, I enjoyed it in the end. If, on the other hand, you'd rather your fantasy was more dedicated to being either straight drama or silly comedy, then this series probably isn't the one to watch.

Have something to say about this anime? Join our newly-resurrected forums and speak your mind.

Related Recommendations

Most similar (despite the different sort of rune) to Rune Soldier Louie, although Ruin Explorers gets more serious toward the end where Louie pretty much refuses to. Also similar to the more serious parts of Slayers but with much less chaos and stupidity, and likewise something like Bastard!!, with much less violence and sleaze.