Ruri Rocks

Episode 7

Ruri was only recently turned onto rocks, but what about those kids who've had it as a special interest their whole lives? Meet Shoko Seto—she's only been formally introduced into Ruri Rocks as of this week's episode, but I would already die for her. It helps that she's led with a heinously heartstring-tugging opening to the episode, demonstrating her appreciation for cool rocks that probably would have let her get on well with BanG Dream!: It's MyGO!!!!!'s Takamatsu Tomori. But really, little Shoko just needed any friend at all, as neither her young peers nor her teachers could see what was so neat about mineralogy. Even her parents, well-meaning as they were, couldn't fully support Shoko's interests on the basis that they might not lead to a lucrative career. It's a crushing couple of minutes, tempered only by how the audience already knows shinier pastures are awaiting Shoko.

It makes it only a little funny that Shoko's Introduction to Mineralogy has nothing to do with rocks themselves and instead is based on her correcting Ruri on what isn't a rock. I'm proud of myself as I also quickly clocked that the shiny shard that Ruri recovered from the ocean was not a stone, but seaglass. However, what might be an amusing aside does end up being the full focus of this entry. As detailed in this episode, glass is sand, and sand is minerals; thus, glass is rocks, so technically it still works. But beyond that and the environmental-history edutainment endemic to Ruri Rocks, this seaglass sidebar is about the different angles elements can be looked at, and where value can be found.

Specifically, this subject addresses the idea of value and how that's assigned. Upon learning that her sparkly shard is glass and not a gemstone, Ruri is ready to declare it worthless. You'd think she'd have learned better by now, but then she is genuinely out of her element in this case. Instead, an Imari-spurred trip to check and collect trash on the beach leads back to the regular Ruri Rocks lesson of how much value can be found in the information uncovered by these kinds of excavations—and that includes the value of so-called "trash." Just as Shoko's interests were regarded as disposable and non-valuable, polished seaglass has not only an aesthetic appeal, but also lessons about human history that can be appraised from its condition, placement, and other aspects.

Beyond the simple reveal Shoko receives at the end, that geology is a legitimate career to pursue populated by cool people like herself who do it, this instills in Shoko what the broader value of her interests can be. It goes so far beyond the monetary concerns her parents held, letting her forge connections like a meaningful friendship with Ruri (to say nothing of what appears to be a precocious crush on Imari). I know some variant of "Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way" has been the thesis statement of just about every episode of Ruri Rocks. But I'll stop positively appraising the show's ability to deliver that lesson when it stops being so earnestly good at it.

This is just an extra-nice episode in its introduction of Shoko and the meaning it imparts to her joining with the geology gals. The attention to character acting detail from the crew at Studio Bind imparts personalities in a way I particularly love seeing here. There's a knowing sense to seeing how both Shoko and Ruri are predisposed to notice the sparkle in the water. But then the difference in their personalities and approaches to the mineralogy hobby comes through in how Shoko stands off from inquiring about information, while Ruri has no problem running up and asking questions. Yes, that's partially down to the familiarity Ruri has with Nagi and Imari, but guess what, that's a character element to be communicated by the animation too. Witness as well how Nagi and Ruri's bond is demonstrated in them bouncing around in the background, beachcombing, while Shoko connects with Imari and takes a more calculated approach, searching in the foreground. I'll even give the composition the cut to a shot of a hermit crab—a symbol of having found a home—because even if it's obvious, damn dawg, that's sweet as hell for what it symbolizes for Shoko, and I already told you I'd die for her.

It's all alongside the customary gorgeous background art this week, depicting the glittering sea and the beautiful blazing sunsets of the beach. That's the true appeal in an episode that does treat viewers to some swimsuit fan service of Ruri and her friends for just a little bit at the beginning; they know audiences are here for the lovingly detailed drawings of washed-up beach garbage. It all elevates what could have been a simple new-character-introduction showcase, depicting why these kinds of studies are so important to Shoko, and how learning about the science's overall value is such a crystallizing moment for her.

Rating:

Ruri Rocks is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Chris doesn't know much about cool rocks, but he could talk your ear off about cool anime and cool Transformers. Catch him doing so over on his BlueSky, or see previous posts over on his blog.

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Disclosure: Kadokawa World Entertainment (KWE), a wholly owned subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, is the majority owner of Anime News Network, LLC. One or more of the companies mentioned in this article are part of the Kadokawa Group of Companies.

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