Copyright © Sunrise * TV Tokyo

The Sunrise animation studio has been producing a string of outstanding anime series lately, such as BETTERMAN, SEIKAI NO MONSHOU and THE BIG O. With their latest series, MUGEN NO RYVIUS (Infinite Ryvius), Sunrise sends a group of teenagers into outer space and sort of strands them there. Will this series be worth your attention, or will it end up being overlooked like TURN A GUNDAM? Read on and find out...
The world of RYVIUS is both strange and familiar. In the year 2225 AD, the solar system is awash in a sea of plasma and cosmic rays as a result of an unusual solar flare that occurred in 2137. The nebulous sea, called the Gedoult, is a navigational hazard for space travelers, crushing unfortunate ships that wander too deep like empty cans. Despite such danger, mankind has established outposts in the outer reaches of the solar system.
With all the technological advances, life on Earth still resembles life in the late 20th century. This is shown at the beginning of the series with the introduction of Aiba Kouji and Houshin Aoi, the two characters who will be the linchpins for the show. Both Kouji and Aoi are serving as astronauts-in-training aboard the Liibe Delta, a space station in Earth orbit that is monitoring the Gedoult. When we meet Kouji and Aoi's inner circle of friends, Oze Ikumi and Izumi Kozue, we find they all seem like typical teenagers who hang out together.
Other members of RYVIUS's massive ensemble cast make their first appearances in the beginning episode. There's the bridge crew, led by reluctant leader Yuirii Bahana. There's also the OUTRO gang led by secretive Airs Blue. And then there are various individuals, such as Kouji's hotheaded brother Yuuki and attractive Faina S Shinzaki. One character seems to be based upon the comedian Nasubi who appeared on the SUSUME! DENPA SHONEN TV program in a TRUMAN SHOW type segment where he spent a year in solitude, starting out with nothing (not even clothes) and had to earn everything like food and toilet paper by entering mail-in contests.
The series' main plot unfolds over the first few episodes, beginning with the sabotage of the Liibe Delta. As the space station sinks into the Gedoult, the trainees are forced to evacuate into the Ryvius, an experimental spaceship that was hidden in the core of the Liibe Delta. The adult instructors are killed during the evacuation, either through self-sacrifice or by the saboteurs, so the trainees are left to their own devices. At first, it seems like a utopia aboard the Ryvius, but it doesn't last long before one person usurps control. That person is Airs Blue, who seizes command with a gun confiscated from a saboteur.
Instead of heading toward Earth, Airs Blue orders the crew to take the Ryvius toward the outer planets. When another group from Earth attacks the Ryvius near Mars, the teenagers are forced to defend themselves with the Ryvius's battleguard, a giant robot controlled by a smaller craft like a marionette. In the battle that ensues, the battleguard defeats the enemy ships, but the massdriver in Mars orbit is damaged. This act causes Earth to brand the crew of the Ryvius as terrorists, thus ensuring the Ryvius's course toward Jupiter.
The main plot may not seem like much from the above brief description, but it sets the stage for one of this year's most gripping series. The situation aboard the Ryvius is reminiscent of William Golding's LORD OF THE FLIES, with various factions vying for domination, and that is what makes the show so compelling, especially with so many characters in the cast. There are so many motives to question. Why does Yuuki have such a big chip on his shoulder whenever he's around his older brother? Why does Kouji bother interceding on behalf of Yuuki? Why did Airs Blue want to go to the outer planets? Why is seemingly happy-go-lucky Ikumi so emotionally volatile?
The biggest question of RYVIUS is probably who or what is Neeya? Dressed in an outlandish idol singer costume, she awakens in the first episode after the Liibe Delta is sabotaged. Right away, you can tell that Neeya's not an ordinary girl when she makes brief appearances throughout the Liibe Delta, repeating the thoughts and emotions she encounters as if she didn't understand them. The first person to converse with Neeya is Kouji when she asks him if he wants to die. Confused, Kouji doesn't give her an answer right away until the moment the Liibe Delta's core plunged completely into the Gedoult. Upon hearing Kouji's answer, Neeya activates the Ryvius, so we know that she has some connection to the ship. But what is the exact nature of that connection, especially when we discover that the Ryvius isn't the only experimental ship with a battleguard?
RYVIUS is an ambitious series, and it succeeds in many ways. For a series with so many characters, RYVIUS does a skillful job of weaving the characters' story arcs in and out of each episode so that the viewer isn't overwhelmed or bored. One particularly amusing sub-plot involves Kibure, the dinosaur-costumed girl who appears in the background of every episode. The number of characters is not the only factor that lends to the story's complexity; the story also deals with different levels of development. The average age of the Ryvius crew is 16, so RYVIUS depicts their coming of age, and for all of them, it is a turbulent one. What makes RYVIUS difficult to watch is that THE LORD OF THE FLIES setting aboard the Ryvius allows emotions to be exposed raw like scraped skin. Like salt on open wounds, the reactions to these emotions tend to be unpleasant, but you may care too much about some characters to be able to look away.
Since Sunrise is the animation studio behind RYVIUS, it's no surprise that the show maintains a consistent standard of quality. The character designs don't share the same sort of detail as the designs of other Sunrise TV series like BETTERMAN or COWBOY BEBOP. In fact, the character designs look bland at first glance because they seem rather simple. To the character designer's credit, each character has their own distinctive look, and to the animators' credit, you can see the subtle changes in emotional expressions, even without the aid of the voice acting. RYVIUS shines in the mecha design department, which is again not a surprise. The technology of the RYVIUS world is well thought out, from the exotic designs of the battleguards to the mundane designs of PDAs. The series seems very keen on showing off the technological advances and how they've been incorporated into everyday life. The animation quality is about average for a TV series, but it doesn't get worse, which is quite a feat considering the size of the cast.
The musical direction of RYVIUS is noteworthy for its use of modern j-pop music. The soundtrack isn't mostly techno/dance material, although that description fits the opening song, "dis-," with its drum machine percussion. The music sports a street smart sensibility of urban rhythm that's highlighted in the commercial bumpers. There's even a Japanese rap song used as background music in a few other scenes. The soundtrack appropriately reflects the youth and energy of the crew aboard the Ryvius.
The recent TV anime crop has yielded some excellent shows because the producers took creative chances. Both IMA SOKO NI IRU BOKU and MUGEN NO RYVIUS feature emotionally intense stories with believable characters who have their own agendas and with plots that have stunning repercussions. RYVIUS takes things a step further with a large cast, which is made possible by the series' longer length. Sure, there are some spaceship battles, but the main reason for watching is the variety of conflicts aboard the Ryvius. The show is both compelling and repulsive because MUGEN NO RYVIUS is a look at the darkness within the human psyche, and hopefully by the end of the series, we shall know whether or not these teenagers can find the strength to conquer that darkness.

Currently on the air in Japan
TV Tokyo (Weds 6:00PM)