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SUMMARY

In the year 2225, space travel in the solar system has been severely restricted, due to a solar phenomenon called the Geluld Field.  At the Leiba Delta satellite, young men and women train to work and operate in the intense pressure of the Gelud Field. 

There are more dangers in the solar system than natural ones.  A group of soldiers have invaded the station, and killed most of the instructors.  Sending the ship on a dangerous dive, they are awaiting a rendezvous with a mysterious ship, commanded by a man named Campbell.

During this event, several people rise up to the challenge.  Cadet Juli Bahana and her bridge crew attempt to launch the training ship and save the 400+ cadets on board.  Navigator-in-Training Kouji Aiba and his partner Ikumi Oze attempt to rescue a young woman before they are trapped in a sealed off corridor.  Even resident bad boy Aris Blue pitches in, trying to stop the soldiers from killing everyone on the ship.

The reason for this attack may have something to do with a mysterious ship that the cadets discover.  There is also a girl that roams it's corridors, able to read the emotions of those she comes in contact with. The name of the ship is The Ryvius, and it may be the salvation of the cadets, or the cause of their death!

DVD VISION TEST

VIDEO: The quality is excellent.  There are no pixels or errors noted.  The colors are solid, and the motion, fluid.

AUDIO: There is very little difference between the Japanese and English 2.0 audio tracks.  What difference there is in the volume and the surround sound elements.  It will depend on your equipment on which one sounds better.

EDITS: No edits.  Everything is exactly as it was in Japan.

EXTRAS: Perhaps some of the best extras ever in Bandai's "Platinum Edition" series.  First we have the typical textless open and close.  Next, we have the not as common inclusion of original Japanese commercials.  Then comes a pretty cool VJ Mix Video, made just for Ryvius.  Last is a very cool feature called Ryvius Illusion a collection of short, flash-based, internet features.  Recreated for your DVD viewing pleasure, these are very funny, Super Deformed (SD) clips that will leave you chuckling with delight.

WIDESCREEN REVIEW

STORY: Welcome to "Dawson's Space Station".  Don't let the science fiction trappings fool you, this is a teen drama.  Yosuke Kuroda and his team of writers really play up the angst elements of the story.  It seems like every kid has some sort of emotional or spiritual damage they are trying to work through.  What keeps things going isn't the level of action, it's the way the kids deal with a very unusual situation.

ACTING: The acting is pretty solid on both tracks.  While no one really stands out, each actor infuses the right amount of youthful enthusiasm and dark foreboding.

FAN SERVICE: Nothing I would get excited about.  No panties in this one.  The space ship designs are very cool, and will please the mecha heads.

CONCLUSION

Infinite Ryvius screams hip and trendy teen drama.  From it's hip hop inspired soundtrack, to it's obvious collection of kids from both sides of the tracks, this series is aimed squarely at the younger fans.  In many ways, this would be the kind of show most of the characters in Ryvius would watch.

There is a lot that goes on in these five episodes.  Early on, you learn that a solar flare in the 22nd century has blanked the solar system in this blue fog-like curtain called the Gelud.  The only way to survive is to know how to navigate this deadly field.  This is where the training program at space station Liebe Delta comes into play.  Training the next generation of space pioneers, these teenage cadets are willing and able to become the best astronauts in the system.

Kouji Aiba is one such hopeful.  Also attending the school is his estranged brother Yuki.  It seems that the two of them are always at each others throats.  It's become very obvious that "space punk" Aris Blue is trying to find a way to use this rift to his advantage.  Blue and his gang spend most of their time skulking around the station, beating those that either get in their way or have information they need.

Then there is childhood friend Aoi.  She is a rather naive young woman, who thinks that just because Kouji and Yuki are related, they should stick together.  She believes that her view of the universe is correct, and when anyone challenges it, she gets moody and defensive.

At the top of the food chain is the Zwei Cadets, the best of the best.  While the rather pompous Lucson Houjou thinks he is in charge, it's actually Juli Bahana who has her head on straight.  She is the one who figures out a way to rescue the 400+ students, launch the training ship, and calm the fears of her fellow cadets.

As you can guess, eventually there is going to be a clash between the Zwei and Blue's gang, with Kouji and Yuki in the middle of it.  As typical of most teenagers, there is a lot of drama between the cliques, and not everyone does things in the best interest of the ship.

These characters are pretty dense, like most teenagers (I know I am going to get hate mail with that statement). They are so focused on themselves and what they think is right, they fail to notice that their actions have consequences that affect everyone involved.  While their actions are annoying at times, they are real reactions to the situations they face.  I give credit to the writers for giving us fairly realistic portrayal of human beings.

The only big question mark is the deal with the Ryvius, the girl and the military trying to capture it.  We don't know who built this massive ship or why. What is it about this ship that is so important that they are willing to kill everyone on the space station?  We also don't know what role the empathic girl has in all of this.  Some of us suspect that she is part of the ships computer, while others think she is a "Christ" figure, ready to lead the crew to the promised land.  Ryvius has some serious explaining to do.

The animation is very well done.  Nothing ground breaking, but plenty of detail and impressive mecha design.  The character designs are nothing special, but like the animation, they are solid and fairly easy to tell apart.

The BGM is an interesting mix of Hip-Hop/R&B and orchestral.  Since this series is aimed at the teens, it's logical that the music would be influenced by it's listeners.

I love the opening theme "dis-" by M.I.D and sung by Mika Arisaka.  For those of you who like the R&B inspired music of "Bird" will find Mika Arisaka's vocals just as powerful and soulful.  

Bandai has done a fine job with this DVD.  The video, audio is excellent and the extras are plentiful.  I love the SD Ryvius Illusion segment.  Each one indeed "twisted my guts and made me numb".  I would have liked number 1 to have sound, but I guess that is the way it was originally made.

Infinite Ryvius is truly an anime for the next generation.  It's blend of science fiction and teen drama should appeal to those who enjoy shows like "Firefly" and "Dawson's Creek".  I look forward to the next volume.

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