Set in a very Slayers-ish era of swords and sorcery, our two heronies Fam and
Ihrlie search for the Ultimate Power -- a power with vague legends surrounding
it. Each is lucky enough to be able to use magic, but Fam doesn't want to, and
Ihrlie can't do so without 'something' happening to her.
Along the way they gain the company of several different, chaos-inducing
characters, and a prince named Lyle -- who unintentionally draws them into a
personal quest for revenge.
Ruin Explorers Anime Review
I can find only one problem with this series -- it is way too short. Not that
they didn't make perfect use of the four episodes, but by the end I was still
itching for more. Maybe it's because of how much I ended up caring about these
characters. Each one seemed to have found his or her own place in my heart,
and I think that's impressive for four episodes. However, characterization is
not the only thing Ruin Explorers has going for it.
The background music is entirely orchestral, and ends up sounding like an old
Disney movie -- but in a good way. The opening theme, Magical Beat, places a
grin on your face that will remain there until the end of the episode. Dear
Myself, the ending theme, is a very sweet, but introspective song.
The character designs are deceptively simple. They have that professional yet
amateurish look, which, when combined with the fluid animation, extensive
shading, and breathtaking backgrounds create a very pleasing overall scenario
-- which is something I wish more anime titles had.
Ruin Explorers's plot itself is fairly dark, and includes a villain who becomes evil
through the corruption of power. But what I find especially captivating is the
fact that he isn't purely evil. He's real. Nobody is completely good or
completely evil in life.
Everybody is layered, and that fact is neglected in a lot of entertainment
features. It's refreshing to see a villain whose side you can almost take, who
you can almost feel sorry for. But what works best in this series
(and what there is the most of) is the comedy. Ruin Explorers anime is one
funny show.
Since the plot is on the dark side, the humor comes almost entirely from the
relationships between the characters. The scenes where Fam and Rasha are
fighting over Prince Lyle are just gut-bustingly hilarious, as is Ihrlie's
little "problem", and Galaff's compulsive greed.
Everything right down to the anime version of Mutley from Wacky Races. You'
just gotta love these characters, and this show. Rent it, buy it, borrow it...
whatever it takes! It's definitely worth it.
Miscellanies: Ruin Explorers
Why isn't there a soundtrack for this? The Ruin Explorers DVD contains all four episodes.
Ruin Explorers (Hikyou Tanken Fam & Ihrlie) | |
| Genre | Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy |
|---|---|
| Episodes | 4 |
| Status | Finished Airing |
| Aired | Jun 25, 1995 to Feb 25, 1996 |
| Producers | Bandai Visual, animate Film, Movic, Nippon Columbia |
| Studio | Ajia-Do |
| Rating | R+ |
| Themes | - |
0 comments
Post a Comment