Ruin Explorers: Quest for the Ultimate Power!

Amazon.com

This four-part adventure combines sword-and-sorcery derring-do with slapstick comedy, in the tradition of El Hazard. The brassy Ihrie wanders through the ruins of an unnamed planet with her partner, the elfin "Wiccan" Fam, in search of three enchanted treasures that can unleash the Ultimate Power. Along the way they're joined by the devious merchant Galuff; the sorceress Racha; the swordsman Migel; and Lyle, prince of the destroyed kingdom of Rehbart. Lyle is seeking revenge on the wizard Rugudorull, whose deadly magic devastated Rehbart. But Rugudorull's fate is tied to the Ultimate Power and the three magic objects: the Proof of Royalty, the Mirror of Truth, and the Sword of Sargus. As this unlikely band joins Lyle in his quest, they forge an alliance, with each character bringing a special strength: Migel, his skill as a warrior; Fam, an ability to talk to spirits and a pure heart; Ihrie, a particularly powerful magic--although using it temporarily turns her into a mouse. The climax is confusing but also suggests the possibility of a sequel, if viewers take Ihrie and Fam into their hearts. The four episodes: 1. "As I Command Thee," 2. "Oh, Spirits that Reside in the Air," 3. "Let the Light of Admonishment Shine Upon the Fools," 4. "The Skies, the Sea and the Woods." Not rated: suitable for ages 13 and up for violence, nudity, and occasional profanity. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

Great, short anime, but the ending's a bit disapointing........2004-05-11

O.K., here's the story: it's set in a fantasy world where adventurers go exploring ruins searching for treasure and any magical items they can find. If this sounds like any D&D game you played, don't let that throw you off. This has enough action and comedy to satisfy most. I mean, it's not DRAGON HALF, but then few shows are.

Our protagonist is Ihrie, a tomboyish sword fighter who due to a curse inflicted on her years ago is unable to use magic, at least not without a price. (You find out exactly what the curse is in episode 2. Let's just say it's simular to Ranma Soutome's.) To make up for this short coming, she brings with her Fam, a ditzy wiggen (half human, half cat creature) who draws her power from the spirits but often blunders in all things, including magic preforming. They are on a quest for the fabeled Ultimate Power, which could supposedly grant the lucky finder whatever s/he desiers. Ihrie and Fam soon run into another team of ruin explorers-Ragna, another sorceress who has a secret phobia of mice, and her arrogant swordsman partner, who start off as rivals but eventually form an uneasy alliance with our heroines. They are joined by a slimey merchant/con artist, and Lyle, a former prince whose kingdom was wiped out by an evil wizard and who has embarked on a quest for revenge.

The only thing that knocks this down by one star is the ending. Read no further if you hate spoilers. Well, lets just say that I thought Ihrie was supposed to be the main hero, but in the final battle she ultimately didn't seem to really do anything useful, despite her efforts. Also, I wasn't really clear exactly on whether she ever got her curse removed or not.

Anyway, this one is highly recommended.

Fun-Short-Series.......2002-10-17

Ruin Explores is a very short, 2 hour long, 4-part series that contains everything necessary for a great story. All of the characters are basic, but well developed for the story-line. Nothing is missing, no questions unanswered.

The story goes as this, six companions are in search of the Great-Power, all for their own reasons. Selfish, greedy, personal or for a kingdom. All of the reasons are described in some way or another. I don't want to give anything away. Then comes the "bad-guy", with reasons of his own. A big fight and then the end.

This anime is the reason why animes are fun. It contains a great story that could never really be done with real people, or atleast as fun, well developed characters, Fast-paced as far as anime is concerned, good animation, very good English-Dub for us non-Japanese speaking people, and good sound.

Not a lot of extras, but this doesn't really matter to me.

The only complaint is the ending, it feels as if this series could go on, the further adventures of the Ruin Explorers.

Buy-it Rent-it Watch-it!!

Amazing........2001-12-29

Isn't it amazing how an anime can be so similar to the Slayers series, yet still be so completely different hurts? With such crazy antics and super deformed modes from Dragonhalf, this anime can prove to be an hour ((or more)) of sheer delight or extreme boredom ((to those of us with lives and no sense of humour)). Ruin Explorers is a cheerful combination of The Slayers, Dragonhalf, and somewhat like the Record of LoDoss War. Anyone who likes decent halfwitted anime comedies about a tom-boy sorceres who turns into a cute little mouse will absolutely adore this anime. Cheers!

Fam you idiot!.......2001-12-20

Ruin Explorers, a.k.a. Fam & Ihrie, is the story of two adventurers pillaging the ruins of an ancient civilization for the "Ultimate Power". Though this could easily be bad from the start, the slapstick humor and goofy characters are surprisingly entertaining. The 4 episode series only begins to falter when the heroines and their rivals get caught up in someone else's quest for the Ultimate Power. Unlike Nadia where there is plenty of time to explore the Nautilus' goal and how the main characters fit into it, the shift of focus is too quick and just doesn't come off right. The music, performed by the Versailles Chamber Orchestra, is above average. The English dub is quality stuff; Jessica Calvello's Fam is superb. The Japanese track is equally as enjoyable and both audio tracks are Dolby Digital 2 channel. The menus are pleasant to look at and browse. A small cell gallery is included as an extra. The strength of the duo of Fam and Ihrie really outshines this 4 episode OAV series, and would be great material for a TV show. I give this disk 4 stars for the strength of the first few episodes and the quality DVD. For a fantasy fan there is a lot to like about Fam and Ihrie, others may find the story not quite enough.

Ruin Explorers -- A Wonderful Artifact!.......2001-07-10

...Though short, this series was far from lacking a good storyline or character development. In fact, this series houses two of my all-time favorite anime characters: Fam and Lyle. And though this will never be my favorite anime series, it will certainly always rank pretty high on my charts. This was a joy to watch, and I've seen this series many times over. It had an endearing, bittersweet story, plenty of action, romance, and even a few comical moments. And the animation isn't anything to be sneezed at, either! And for you bishonen lovers out there, check out Lyle! With a well though-out and drawn-out plot, with interesting characters and cool animation to boot....

Average customer rating:

Ruin Explorers, Vol. 1
Starring: Ruin Explorers
Manufacturer: Adv Films
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Anime & Manga | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Animation | Genres | DVD | Video

( R ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
ASIN: B0002I83S6
Release Date: 2004-08-31

Description

Fam and Ihrie will do anything to make a buck. So when these debt-driven damsels discover the potential profits to be had in recovering a dangerous mystical object, it means peril for an entire civilization.

DVD:

DVD

DVD