Shingo Fujii's (藤井慎吾) last outing at Studio Bind came with a gorgeously produced gender-bend coming-of-age story that did have its questionable moments, but also had tons of heart and charm to it. it was also easily one of the most aesthetically beautiful shows of the year. Incredibly bouncy character animation, elevated by Ryou Imamura's (今村亮) wonderful designs and Masayo Kobayashi's (小林雅代 ) beautiful art design to boot. Suffice to say, when his next project- Introduction to Mineralogy (more popularly called Ruri Rocks) was announced, I was pretty stoked. A show about something as niche as geology, featuring a cast of cute (and incredibly hot) girls? I was in. Perhaps not in a way that made it something of a priority for me. Especially in such a bizarrely stacked season like Summer '25, but definitely enough that I would have given it 3 episodes minimum even if I hadn't gelled with it much. Fast forward to the end of its 13 episode runtime, and not only is it one of my absolute favorites of the year, it's also a show I am ending up writing my first review about! Although, perhaps that's less by virtue of me going out of my way to do so and more just my inability to stop gushing about the show to my friends, and having several disconnected rants that neatly slotted in into this piece. And hey, that's probably a compliment to the show all by itself.

Do you know that feeling of finding a throwaway note in a RPG? Something you would find in the hands of a dead skeleton passed away in a narrow crevice, or washed up in a bottle on the shore. It's the sort of cryptic, somewhat nonsense but eerily whimsy inducing writing that makes you think about what it means and why its pointing to something. Be it a specific kind of place, a sound, a scene or even a smell. You keep that in mind and try to look for it, maybe not actively but you start noticing clues and hints and then somehow end up stumbling onto a long breadcrumb trail of evidences that points you to something you genuinely did not expect, but is simultaneously all you could have hoped for. Ruri Rocks succinctly captures that feeling of being rewarded for paying attention to the most minute of things and pursuing those threads to their logical conclusion. There is a degree to which it commits to all the things that form the basis of why I am so passionate about research, making notes, following the proper steps and the joy in deducing the ways something works and how it came to be, that made me feel so very seen by the show. Especially at a time of my life where I have chosen this academic path that's so very long and winding, Ruri Rocks serves as a stark contrast in how it's not very concerned with things on such a grand scale at all. It settles for the moment that is now, the here and present.

I would be remiss not pointing out how much of a consistently gorgeous looking show it is too. In a way, it stands out even more than Onimai despite the focus on a more grounded naturalism, compared to the watercolor-esque backgrounds of the latter. The focus on natural highlights, deeply saturated hues and rich compositing make for a world that is able to effortlessly move a slider between understated, quiet tones and stark moments of awe. Norimitsu Suzuki's (鈴木典光) ED is also a highlight for me. I can't quite find the words to elaborate on his affinity for diegetic animated effects and beautiful rotational cuts but paired with Hana Hope's melancholic song it made for a perfect end to every single episode.

As an aside, the OST for the show is really quite special. It manages to weave whimsical, ambient tunes with such grand, orchestral scores that feel just as extraordinary as the moments experienced by the characters. Not to mention how good it can be at capturing those quiet, melancholic moments too. It's just really good.

As far as individual episodes go, #07 is a clear stand out to me. Boarded by Kyoto Animation alumni Shinpei Sawa (澤真平), debut Enshutsu Masaho Hori (堀雅歩), alongside Hiroki Uchiyama's (内山玄基) debut as Sakkan and Shingo Fujii himself taking up the role of script writer for the first time, it's an episode exclusively focused on delivering a compelling character introduction for Shoko, an important supporting character for the rest of the show. And what a spectacular episode it is...

I adore how much Sawa's boards and usage of layouts stand out in a way that genuinely pulls you in but he's also so good at seamlessly fitting into the general style and tempo of the show. The AD work is astoundingly good too, a bit less squish and more sharp edges compared to Toshiyuki Satou's (佐藤利幸) work in the excellent #06 (which is incidentally boarded and directed by TNK) but it's a wonderful debut! Especially appreciate the restraint showcased on just leaving a lot of the cuts like Takeshi Maenami's (湿気った皆絵馬) uncorrected and left to retain this really interesting variety in drawings.

Maenami goodness...

Uchiyama's cut on this episode is also incredible (0:38 onwards)

In a similar vein, I adore Miton's (みとん) SB/ED debut in #09. His penchant for close up skybox shots is what immediately stands out in his boards, but he also has an eye for blocking and making use of the physicality of the world itself. Very effective use of drawn out shots and creating a sense of place in that world too. There's this atmosphere of summer and torrential rain that permeates the episode in such an effective way. What stands out the most however, is his usage of lighting and how much shimmer he uses as a director on a lot of his shots, harnessing very tasteful light flares and natural bloom that adds to the scene's atmosphere quite a bit.

Of course all of this is paired with the fact that it's also brilliantly written when it comes to its character writing, thematic motifs and just the bonkers amount of research and effort put into exploring geology and connecting it to this beautiful philosophy of life, legacy, what's come before and how even the tiny things we do now can have such cascading effect on the future. There's such a sense of wonder and hope it exudes, even when the characters face setbacks and falter in their steps of research, tracing their way back to the roots of the myriad of minerals or even just in their own life, stumbling through the throes of finding their own passion or coming to terms with what they want to do. But it's never, ever something insurmountable.

The show constantly emphasizes the sheer power of knowledge and how empowering the will to learn is no matter what. So many of its episodes thus, are focused around failures in one way or another. But even in those moments it finds a way to let its characters learn and grow. To realize new things about the world, and themselves that slowly but surely lead to those climactic successes that take your breath away. Nagi and Ruri's relationship and banter form the backbone of the show's early episodes and nowhere is this philosophy more true but in those little capsules of gem hunts and Ruri's constant want for pretty things. But like all good stories, as the knowledgeable but sorta-recluse Imari, and the ever-curious but logically driven Shoko join the cast, it makes all of those themes and motifs fold into something more abstract. Letting their lives simmer, and their individual stories coalesce into something that gives each of them these little moments of ephemeral connection to the people around them and the world they inhabit. That moment when it all clicks, or rather when things just start to tick. Their own individual cryptic note they finally figure out. And it works so very well.

It's easy to feel tiny, a speck in the history of our universe when it comes to the passage of time and the monumental scale at which the universe operates. Yet at the same time everything we do is constantly defining the shape that world takes. It's in those very moments of quiet understanding, and all the minor bits and pieces of information the characters pepper the viewer with, that start to paint a picture of how much we mold the world around us. Be it out of necessity, or otherwise. And it really makes you wonder how different the world will look millions of years in the future. And even in those abstract terms, it makes you feel singular. It makes you matter.

The show's exploration of the joys of research are plentiful, but it's also that sense of tangible physicality that really stands out for me. The dirt under our feet, the river cold to touch, the sun leaking through the leaves, the trees rustling in the wind, the coves damp and moist and the skies oh so very blue. At its core, it's simply a show about admiring nature, the earth and all of its wonderful, surreal mysteries. And that's why it rocks. Thank you for reading.