Introduction
Magic is believed to be the foundation of all that exists in this world. Kingdoms rose and fell in battle over the spirits who governed it. Today, only remnants of those grand civilizations remain. In search of lingering sources of magic and buried fortunes, brave souls scour these ruins from a bygone era.
Fam and Ihrie, two such explorers, are on a quest for the fabled "Ultimate Power"—magic said to grant any wish. However, the prize is highly coveted by many other hunters willing to stake their lives, few of whom are pure of heart. Strength of mind and body alone will not be enough, but camaraderie among an unlikely party just might!
[Written by MAL Rewrite]
Audience reviews
9 · Sample from the first available page, separate from the total number of ratings.
Dogsmic
Just generally a really great fantasy OVA. The characters are all great and have wonderful dynamics between each other, watching them interact is always really funny, it's just full of that light fun fantasy adventure charm. The backgrounds and environments deserve particular praise as well, the show's world is consistently beautiful in how it's drawn. It's hard to find much else to say about the show, there's only so much you can say about 4 episodes after all, but the whole thing has this really fun, pleasant energy to it, there's this intangible love for the world and its characters the show clearly has that makes it endlessly endearing and fun to watch. And besides, like I said, it's only 4 episodes long, it's not like it's much of a time investment.
Read at the sourceTerriblePuns
Before the review: This show, like many older shows, contains flashing scenes which may trigger seizures in some people, and which many others will find distracting or annoying.
If you're looking for that special something that some 90's anime stories have that you can't find anymore look elsewhere because there is none of it here. With the exception of 2 or 3 quirks you've probably already seen, heard, or read this before. Whether or not it was clever for its time the writing has aged terribly.
The animation was surprisingly satisfying, not just from the innate charm that pre-digital art has, but also because this show is better about not using pan / zoom / still filler effects than most other anime of the time, at the very least they're not for very long. Only having 4 episodes and b…
Read at the sourceBrave_Owl
It's some good 90s fun.
The english dub is serviceable, the animations are nice and I especially love the designs of the characters.
The artstyle is very reminiscent of the late 90s series like early Pokémon and especially Slayers given the fantasy setting.
The story is like a mash of every JRPG you've ever played so it's nothing unpredictable, although that isn't a bad thing, honestly it was a fun watch and the length of 4 episodes was the right choice.
I think it's a good show to put on when you don't want to pay too much attention and have a bit of light hearted fun.
Read at the sourceAgentDuck
This is an excellent OVA series that exists in almost total obscurity, for while it is short it is definitely sweet. For a type of person like myself who is looking for something very specific in terms of good fantasy anime with a style unlike that of the hackneyed DND wannabes, with good character dynamics and excellent design, this series is a must.
The story, while not exactly unique in it's themes (the search for the handwavy 'ultimate power' that possibly doesn't exist but possibly does.) is excecuted well, and the short series manages to get you invested even in it's fleeting duration, mainly due to the fact the characters are both interesting and likeable.
The setting itself is also compelling, with great ruins spanning huge portions of the mostly wild landscape. Deserts and grass…
Read at the sourceSgtSalamander
Listen to me. The fact an anime like this can exist in total obscurity is proof that there are priceless treasures lying in wait for anyone who dares to go looking. The overwhelming catalogue of anime is like a vast and teeming ocean, and as new seasons add yet more to this unfathomable magnitude, some treasures are bound to go unnoticed, and perhaps be lost forever. Ruin Explorers Fam & Ihrlie is one such treasure. Indeed, with a clumsy name and under 9,000 members on MAL, chances are that I probably would have never known of its existence, were it not for finding it on an interest stack. It was short and seemed like fun, so I filed it away for when I had some time to kill. Then, from the very moment the intro ended, I was met with nothing short of a masterpiece. Over the course of these…
Read at the sourceSidewinder51
Rate a 7
English Dubbed
Story
Use of tapestry and voice narration made for a delightful introduction. As for tapestry not only illustrated time era of story but added royal mention. Both of which vital to story's plot.
When one watches a story they expect a criminal and a hero. Little do they know both of which were heroes in their own way. Sadly, one grew stronger than the other. Although, in the end it all worked out. Would have been nice to see what would have happened if story matched up to 'alleged ending' but this ending was just as good. For while it did lack in comic spin as original could have brought instead demonstrated a more selfish cause and slight emotional impact.
Art
No complaints. Although, legs of a character or two appeared to be stick like. Not bad just a little a…
Read at the sourceParaturtle
Story:
Stereotypical classic JRPG nonsense. Heroes are on a quest to retrieve a set of magical items that a powerful villain is searching for as well. Beyond that are plot points that become disposed of quickly and by the end of the 2 hour run-time you're comfortable not knowing the ending to a few sub-plots. The narrative doesn't take itself very seriously with a plethora of jokes hackneyed throughout, and at the points it becomes somewhat serious it's still rather basic and doesn't try anything fancy. Straight forward, but not schlock. Thank goodness. All of this comes together to become a check-list of classic fantasy adventure tropes that get checked off one by one. That's alright, since I wasn't really asking for much more after 2 episodes in. It satisfied me enough and I found it pre…
Read at the sourceInverse81
Note: I watched this a few days prior to writing, so i may be a little hazy on a few details. And first review :D
I heard about this anime a long while back and in a fit of boredom and curiosity, i decided to take a look. Unfortunately the 2 hours i spent watching this could have been used to watch something more interesting.
The plot is fairly straight forward, the two main protagonists, Fam and Ihrie, are two female treasure hunters or "Ruin Explorers", on the quest to find the Ultimate Power
One of the main problems i had with this series is it's short length. At only 4 episodes (each around 30 minutes, so around 2 hours in total), i feel that the story could have been much more interesting and memorable if they had more time to flesh out the characters and show us some more scenes o…
Read at the sourceN41X
Ruin Explorers are just like the name states: Something you look at in hopes of finding a treasure but you need to first search it in order to see whether you´ll find a treasure or just piles dirt. So what does this 4 episode OVA hide inside ?
Story: 7
The story takes us to a fantasy world where people called Ruin Explorers do their work in order to either stay alive by finding at least something valuable or they search for mythical treasures of immense power. In this world Ihrie and Fam are on a search for the “Ultimate Power” in order to fulfil their wishes. Along the way they meet a few other characters with the same idea on mind as them, a prince who wishes to avenge himself for the demise of his kingdom and you can pretty much guess how it all turns out. By now you may already think…
Read at the source