Ruri Tanagawa, a highschooler who loves jewelry, crystals and accessories, meets mineralogy graduate student Nagi Arato, who pulls her into a crash course in mineralogy. Before she knows it, Ruri is joining Nagi in her mineral collecting adventures and learning all about many fascinating natural treasures.

It was only a matter of time before we got the anime about cute girls getting into collecting minerals. I'm a little shocked it took this long, though I'm even more surprised that we (to my knowledge) haven't seen one about birdwatching or coins or model trains. Still, the industry's obsession with monetizing and marketing to literally every conceivable branch of nerd culture and every hobby imaginable will never cease, so I know that the arrival of Ruri Rocks (technically "Ruri's Jewels" in Japanese) just means we're that much closer to the show where a bunch of cute little Egons go all-in on their research of molds and fungi.

I'm taking the piss a little bit, of course, Ruri Rocks is totally fine. It's got perky anime girls, a niche hobby that features all sorts of intricacies and subcultural quirks that the anime can hyperfixate on, plenty of detailed backgrounds that feature the nature of Japan (specifically the nature that contains a bunch of rocks and dirt), a soundtrack that does that "plinky-plonk dootly-doo" stuff that most of the shows in this wheelhouse utilize, the works. The character animation in particular is a standout, with a lot of detail being given to Ruri and Nagi's expressive emoting and their movements through nature.

Oh yeah, speaking of the character designs and animation, you can tell that this show featured the work of at least a few exceptionally talented perverts. Please note that I am not saying this in any kind of derogatory manner--it's merely an observation born from years of observing the telltale signs that pop up in nearly any work of animation by now. This is an incredibly laborious and stressful artform, and I firmly believe that most animators and artists need to be at least a tiny bit preoccupied with their kinks to stay sane in their line of work. All of this is to say that you might notice our two girls', let's say, distinct proportions, and the somewhat frequent closeups of Ruri's thighs. Of course, the camera is mostly interested in fixating on Nagi. I looked into the manga and found out the animation team really inflated Nagi's breasts and ass and vacuum-sealed her into her button-down shirt and tight pants. Her tits and ass are so big in this adaptation, they seem to have their own gravitational pull, judging from how persistently the camera is pointed at them. You might think to yourself "Huh, I feel like this show want me to be horny for these rock-collecting cartoon girls." Your instincts do not deceive you.

That said, Ruri Rocks isn't overloaded with sleazy fanservice, or anything. It's a much more passively horny anime that a lot of other examples you could name from any given season. I just figured I'd point that fact out, since your mileage will vary on how much the blatant yet relatively restrained fanservice will affect your ability to enjoy the otherwise wholesome feel of it all.

Also, if you were a fan of the lavish travelogues of anime like Laid-Back Camp, then know that Ruri Rocks is giving it a run for its money in its own style. The tree-crowded shady areas of Ruri's local mountains create layers of attentive, atmospheric colouring for these rock walks to happen in. The running water of the rivers sparkles more than the focal gems at times. And of course there are breathtaking renderings of the crystals themselves, both small stones and huge formations that I only slightly doubt are that easy to find in real life.

Ruri's also the amusing kind of bratty to start in the story, and she forms an effective chemistry with Nagi as she's brought along into genuinely enjoying mineralogy and learning to appreciate the journey these rocks have gone on, and from my experience, it works on the audience as well. Ruri Rocks has that feel of a somewhat elevated CGDCT series, and if it can keep up these vibes, I can see this rock becoming the surprise gem of the summer.