Bruce Von Stiers

There are a couple of treasure seekers who get into a whole lot more than they bargained for in this animated feature from ADV Films. The title of the film is Ruin Explorers. It was directed by Takeshi Mori and based on a comic from Kunihiko Tanaka.

Ihrie and Fam are two adventurers who go into ruins and try to find treasure. They aren’t always too successful. Sometimes the traps in the ruins almost get them. They end up at a tavern trying to sell some booty that was found in a ruin. The tavern owner doesn’t want the stuff but some other guy does. He buys the stuff and the girls get a room at the inn. In the morning the man, Galuff, sells the two a map for a mighty treasure. The two adventurers find that that the treasure has special powers that, combined together, with be the Ultimate Power.

Now, Ihrie is human, but Fam is an elfish kind of being. She is really cute though. The two of them are like oil and water. Why they are partners is anybody’s guess.

There are four episodes in the film. Unlike most of the shows that are packaged this way, this one has a complete story line that ends with the fourth episode. The episodes are As I Command Thee, Oh, Spirits That Reside in the Air, Let the Light of Admonishment Shine Upon the Fools and The Skies, the Seas and the Woods.

This was a DVD version of the film that I got a chance to look at. Some of the extras included were a scrapbook with stills from the film, previews from 12 of ADV Films other titles and language selections of English, Japanese and a combination of subtitle choices.

The animation in the film was pretty decent. The face of the villain was drawn sharp and dark. And the adventurers were well drawn, including muscles for the guys and nice figures for the girls. Some of the scenery was vividly sketched, especially a few of the flashback scenes.

Ihrie and Fam get tricked by Galuff and his companions, Rasha and Migel. Galuff steals a magical ornament from the girls that are a part of the elements for the Ultimate Power. The two adventurers are left for dead But they escape and chase after the trio of crooks.

In the second episode, the two adventurers have a falling out and Fam goes off on her own. She meets a young man named Lyle who is more that what he seems. A little later we find out that Lyle is a Prince and he is seeking an evil man who was responsible for the downfall of his family’s kingdom. It seems that Regudorull was once a great man in the kingdom and power changed him into a monster. He destroyed all that was around him. Now Lyle wants to exact vengeance against Regudorull. With the help of Ihrie, Fam, and begrudgingly, Rasha, Migel and Galuff, Lyle just might get the job done.

The third episode finds the entire group on a ship sailing towards where Lyle thinks he will find Regudorull. Rasha and Fam are fighting over Lyle’s affections. Eventually the two of them get together so that Fam can learn some spells. Ihrie and Lyle learn sword fighting from Migel. The group has an interaction with Regudorull in which he gets all of the parts he needs to harness the Ultimate Power.

The fourth episode wraps everything up in the storyline. The gang finds out where Regudorull is and have a final showdown with him.

Ruin Explorers is a classic good versus evil, too much power is a bad thing, kind of tale. We find that power corrupted Regudorull and it could engulf Lyle in misery if he wasn’t careful.

Ruin Explorers is on store shelves everywhere. If you can’t find a copy, or want more information, check out the ADV Films web site at www.advfilms.com.