Anime doesn't hit like this anymore.
In order to talk about this anime, I think I need to talk about how western fantasy became introduced to Japan. Here's a butchered summary.
Introduction of Western Fantasy to Japan
D&D was introduced to the Japanese market in 1985. There was a Japanese gaming group, Group SNE, who published summaries of their sessions called Record of Lodoss War Replay in a magazine. These replays were popular and so the group wanted to turn their stories into a book. TSR wouldn't license Lodoss, and so Group SNE created their own TTRPG called Sword World RPG in 1989. Sword World RPG overtook D&D in Japan. Lodoss influenced fantasy in Japan. Then fantasy in Japan went from niche to mainstream.
Japan's Version of Western Fantasy
Ask a Hollywood filmmaker to make a movie about shinobi, and you get the Hollywood ninja. The idea gets passed through an American lens and gets Americanized. Similarly, if you take western fantasy to a Japanese creator, the idea goes through a Japanese lens and gets Japanized. As it happens, the Japanese take on western fantasy in the 90's is actually really damn cool. Everyone has big ass shoulder armor, impressive silhouettes, and magic-users all have cool capes instead of robes and pointy hats.
Seriously, robes and pointy hats? Come on guys.
Japanese TTRPG Inspired Storytelling
I can criticize modern D&D for its lack of niche protection. Anyone can do anything. This trivializes some characters. I read Sword World RPG. I'm not kidding. I did! Sword World RPG uses a 2d6 + bonus, roll-over mechanic. This means the rolls form a bell curve. The way this math works, characters with a specialty reliably succeed at what they specialize in. Characters attempting something outside of their specialty reliably fail. This means niche protection.
Niche protection encourages collaborative group play. The party has to rely on the specialist and give them their moment in the spotlight. This game has an anime aesthetic, and this emphasis on defined roles and teamwork feels Japanese.
Ruin Explorers
In a harsh world filled with dangerous, treasure-filled ruins, adventurers who brave these ruins are called ruin explorers. Ruin Explorers begins with two ruin explorers named Fam and Ihrie in search of something called the ultimate power that can grant any wish. Fam is sweet and naive. Ihrie is more complex. Together, they have a sisterly dynamic with a generous amount of slapstick. They meet a merchant who sells them a dungeon map. They clear the dungeon but get stuck in the last room. Then there's a twist. That's episode one.
The anime starts with two characters but grows into an ensemble cast of six that feels like a group of TTRPG players. Everyone has a class, a quirk, and they want treasure. Everyone gets a turn to be special. Everyone gets their moment to contribute and be valuable. The characters' personalities outshine their adventuring classes. Together, they pursue an evil wizard who's also seeking the ultimate power.
Style
This is 90's Japanized fantasy before gaming conventions became ubiquitous. It felt fresh and new. It's much simpler and low key. Magic is uncommon, very flavorful, and it feels like it has rules. The fantastic elements do not overwhelm the setting. Nothing bugs me about fantasy more than ridiculously large swords, outrageous powers that are commonplace, overly designed outfits, and architecture that could slay a kaiju. With few exceptions, many clothes, objects, and pieces of scenery look practical and befitting a lived-in world.
This restraint separates old fantasy from new fantasy which treats fantasy like this familiar thing. When only a few things are fantastic, you want to see what else is fantastic. When everything is fantastic, what's left to wonder about? Too much extraordinary stuff diminishes a sense of wonder, and it's also cringy and nerdy in a bad way.
Summary
I'm not saying Ruin Explorers is great and deserves a place among the greatest of anime, but if you've only seen more modern anime, you should also see some older anime to round out your perspective. Ruin Explorers hits in a way modern anime doesn't because of its older influences, different storytelling priorities, and because older anime felt more about art than commercialization. Emotional moments feel earnest. It doesn't undermine them with comedy or self-awareness. The pace slows. Emotion isn't explained with clunky exposition, it's shown. It lingers and allows you to feel it. Its storytelling feels less mechanic and more artistic.
The anime is only four episodes so you can watch it in one sitting. It's compact, but it doesn't feel rushed. Nor does it feel like something's missing. Stakes aren't huge. Only one character has personal investment in the main conflict. That simplicity is part of the charm. I got hooked by the expressiveness of Fam and Ihrie. Once the story hits its stride, I got invested. The ending delivers with a cool fight. All in all, I would give it a six out of ten, and I would absolutely rewatch it to share it with a friend.
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