The concept of edutainment is that, while telling a story with interesting characters, you also learn something about the world at the same time. Ultimately, edutainment is meant to make the learning process more enjoyable by making people excited to learn more about the subject. And the three edutainment anime I’m going to look at here delve into a variety of topics. They range from Okinawan culture to exercise strategies to the basics of mineralogy and geology. I guarantee that at the end of this article, you’ll want to check out at least one of them yourself.
Okitsura: Fell in Love with an Okinawan Girl, but I Just Wish I Know What She’s Saying
This anime is from the perspective of a high school student who moved from mainland Japan to Okinawa named Teruaki Nakamura, or Teru. He has a crush on a girl who has deep Okinawan heritage named Hina Kyan. Because of that, he learns a lot about Okinawan culture and customs at the same time. A lot of that comes from Hina’s friend Kana Higa, who has a crush on Teruaki. Because of this love triangle there’s a subtle romance plot throughout the show. However, the main focus is learning about Okinawa.
The show dives into every aspect you can think of, from the language of the original tribe on Okinawa to how weather in the region changes randomly. Information segments that the show calls Okinawan Memos tell the differences between Okinawa and the rest of Japan. These are accompanied by fun visuals that illustrate the lessons, which feature lion dogs, the mascot of Okinawa. One part of the show involves how Okinawans prepare for a typhoon, and it gets genuinely scary for Teru at one point. Luckily his friends manage to save him. The show’s humor comes from Teru’s surprise at Okinawan culture, or how the show exaggerates aspects of the culture, like how Okinawans have to dance when a certain song comes up. Teru learns to love his new home, and the romance between Kana and Teru slowly develops as well. For anyone interested in a deep dive for a particular culture, this is the show for you.
How Heavy Are the Dumbbells You Lift?
This anime is for the people who don’t know how to exercise effectively. Hibiki Sakura is a high school student who starts working out to fight against her enormous appetite. Hibiki learns about the basics of exercising along with the help of her friends and a comically muscled trainer. It goes into exercises like weightlifting for one episode, then switches to cardio exercises like burpees in another. The show gives detailed explanations for how to perform these exercises safely and effectively.
The anime also discusses the importance of food and dieting and how it effects exercise. For example, muscles need nutrients to grow. That means not eating enough shrinks the muscles, reducing a person’s metabolism. The show also keeps track of the calorie counts for every piece of food any character eats. The anime even discusses ways to use household objects like chairs or door frames to train from the comfort of your own home while on a budget. Even if you’re not interested in learning about exercising, every one of the show’s characters has a distinct personality and reason for wanting to exercise. It’s nice seeing them interact with each other. This extends to the humor of the show, which is based around exercise stereotypes and gym culture. It’s a fun show that I’d recommend to anyone interested in exercise.
Ruri Rocks
Last but certainly not least, we have the anime that inspired this article. Ruri Rocks is currently airing, and dives deep into mineralogy and geology. The titular main character Ruri loves accessories, so she goes to find some gems to make handmade accessroies. Along the way she meets graduate student Nagi Arato, who teaches her about the world of mineralogy. They show accurate depictions of mineral deposits, and talk about how they’re formed. For example, in the first episode Nagi explains pegmatite deposits, where magma seeps into bedrock, vaporizes, but the gas remains to form cavities where crystals form from all the heat and pressure. Another episode explains how topography maps work and how someone can use them to find caves and minerals. Visuals that are both easy to understand and fun to look at explain everything.
It also helps that this anime has far and away the best production values of the three anime we’ve looked at. There’s great character animation, beautiful lighting and cinematography, and the minerals and gems look beautiful, from sapphires to quartz. Through the episodes released so far, Ruri has gone from simply wanting new accessories to loving minerals in general. Even when she’s going swimming she can’t help but find a gem that turns out to be a piece of sea glass. Every character in the show loves minerals, and the show does a good job of investing the viewer in the subject as well. This is the show for you if you’re interested in minerals and want to learn more about them in a beautiful and relaxed environment.
