Infinite Ryvius Volume 6: Absolution (DVD) - Anime Reviews


	Number of Episodes 4 Language Options English/Japanese/English Subtitles Released by Bandai Entertainment Extras - Textless Openings - Ryvius Illusion - Art Gallery/Audio Drama
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Infinite Ryvius Volume 6: Absolution (DVD)

In order to survive, the students aboard the Ryvius must not only battle the Orbital Security Bureau but also themselves. During the battle with the Vaia ship Grey Gespenst, the unwanted students have been locked away and abandoned. Kouji must confront Ikumi to convince him that his solutions are only causing more problems. The Vital Guarder is barely able to fight off the Gespenst, and Orbital Security soldiers begin to board the Ryvius. Does this mean they are finally rescued or something else?

Ikumi’s solution to use the Vital Guarder as a threat has created a forced peace, and his “Guardians” are wrecking havoc across the board to make sure that there is no more violence. Even the peaceful Faina has been using her influence to physically intimidate Aoi. Faina insists that the forward base at Uranus will take them, and it’s only another 20 days away. All of the heroes seem to have cracked, and no one knows that Kouji has the only gun from Blue. How will he use it?

Episode 23: Torn Past

Ikumi and company have come up with a new idea to help them maintain order: they are going to reassign quarters to people based on their abilities. This move will allow them to more easily control the “undesirables” by placing them all together. Juli tries to voice her position against it, but when she cannot gain enough support, she decides to step down and remove herself from the command group. As a final slap, Heiger moves Kouji, Aoi, and Juli to the lowest group. Once all people are moved into their new areas, the partitions are dropped locking each group into their new quarters and the lights in the lowest section are turned off. The group begins searching for any way out, and while looking around, Kouji comes across Neya. After she asks him if it will be alright, he responds with his true feelings about the situation – she then opens a path into the higher areas of the Ryvius for him. Immediately, Kouji comes across Heiger, Ikumi, and his brother. Confronting Ikumi about the situation and telling them about how Aoi was attacked, Kouji asks for the system to be changed. Yuki assaults Kouji after hearing about Aoi, for once he fights back knocking off his brother and pulls his pistol on the trio. Despite having the upper hand, he is tackled and the gun is wrested away from him – the three then

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realize that he was the one who helped Blue escape, and Ikumi then shoots him in the arm. Now bleeding, Faina comes up to the wounded man and begins beating on him and asking why he didn’t choose her. Just as she is about to kill him, Neya confronts her and explains that killing him won’t erase her past. Meanwhile back in the locked down area, one of Faina’s assistants just tried to kill Aoi again but her screams brought help and the group has now captured the attacker.

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Episode 24: Kouji Aiba

Neya carries the lifeless body of Kouji back to the new living area

to Aoi. Looking for someone with medical experience, the only person is Criff and she is reluctant to help (fearing that she isn’t the best person for the job). The group believe that they’ve found a path to the medical ward, and are going to take Kouji in for surgery. Using a lie for their presence in the surgery ward, they are able to buy some time for Criff to remove the shrapnel from the gunshot wound; but they are discovered and are forced to barricade the door (they don’t realize that they are saved by Blue who defeats all of the security single-handedly). Outside, the Ryvius has come across an opening in the storm and it is filled with squid-like creatures all of whom are putting off more power than the ship can. Ikumi heads to the Vital Guarder with Kozue (so he can protect her in person) and Yuki continues to stew over the fact that Aoi has chosen his brother. A trailing ship, the Grey Gespenst catches up to them in the open space and rams into the Ryvius – the collision causes serious ship wide damage and the Vital Guarder still has not had the chance to deploy yet.

All of the squid-like creatures head towards the Grey Gespenst and fuse with the larger ship, and increase its’ power. Fearing the worst, Heiger suggests a retreat and Ikumi agrees. Heading for normal space as fast as possible, they leave the Gelduld only a day’s travel away from Uranus, but the Grey Gespenst has matched speed and is right behind them. Seeing no better way, Heiger evacuates “most” people to the drop ship and launches the Vital Guarder against this attacker – however, the Ryvius is now without shields. Juli leads the group to the now empty bridge and tries to set up some semblance of defenses, but most systems are without power; and Kouji regains consciousness and asks permission to head over to the drop ship with Aoi.

Episode 25: In Order To Stay As Myself

Kouji convinces Juli to let him transfer over to the drop ship with Aoi, and heads out into the battle between the two Vital Guarders. Against the superior power output of the opponent, Ikumi and company can’t turn the tide against the larger and more agile ship and are taking a beating. On board the Ryvius, soldiers have now entered the ship and are taking prisoners and knocking out any resistance non-lethally. They continue to report that they are looking for the Sphix and have not found it yet. Outside, Neya continues to talk to the totem for the Grey Gespenst and their actions mimic the battle behind them. Barely making it on board the drop ship – Kouji locks Aoi into a room then admits that it was Ikumi that shot him, and tells her that he is going to confront him. Heading to the control room, Kouji stumbles towards Ikumi and tells him to surrender to the other ship; but Ikumi insists that he must defend Kozue and will not stop fighting, even if it means controlling those around him with the only gun. He reveals that there were still people on board the Ryvius – so it is shown that Heiger sacrificed all those people, and Faina tries to get Ikumi to kill Kouji but he reveals that he knows about her past killings (to which she falls to the ground).

Onboard the Ryvius, Blue has finally shown up again and is helping to secure the bridge from the attacking soldiers. Leading the final charge against their attackers, he leads the rest of the men on the bridge on a last ditch counter-attack. The bridge of the Grey Gespenst has a visitor in Neya, and the captain is stunned to discover that it looks like his daughter. Unable to kill her, he finally reveals to his crew that the Ryvius is piloted by children, not separatists like they had been told and orders them to save them before killing himself. Back on the drop ship, Ikumi still points his gun at Kouji and he intends to kill him to maintain control – Aoi has broken free and when she sees the scene, she yells at Yuki to help save his brother. Yuki finally awakens and saves his brother from being shot again. Just as Ikumi regains control and is going to shoot Kouji, Juli leads a group of soldiers onto the drop ship and tells everyone that they are being saved. Back on Earth, it has been made public the truth about the Ryvius and the attempts to cover up the incident.

Episode 26: Tomorrow

Now back on Earth, the crew of the Ryvius have returned to their homes and are settling back in. Kouji and Yuki are living with their mother once again, and Kouji is dating Aoi now. The two are doing quite well, and Kouji has definitely become less reserved and is more open with his feelings. One of the members of the Ryvius project comes to see Yuki and Kouji with a strange request: he wants the two to return to the Ryvius to work with the ship more. Since their flight, no people have had the same success with the ship since the children left, and the project team wants to learn more from watching them interact with Neya and the Ryvius. Original upset that anyone would ask him to relive the incidents – he strikes the man and tells him to leave.

Six months later, Kouji has decided to rejoin the Ryvius crew and sneaks out of his home to go to the launching with Aoi. He tells his brother Yuki what he is going to do but nothing more. On board the Ryvius, most of the original crew has returned but there are some amazing changes – Charlie has lost a lot of weight, Criff has cleaned up her act, and Ikumi has returned but looks very dour and doesn’t have the same energy as previously. Once he talks with Kouji and the two jump in to stop a fight, some of the old energy returns to his features. But once he sees Kozue, we get the old energetic Ikumi.

The last disc of Infinite Ryvius was good for the first three episodes with some excellent drama and action for our main characters, but the last episode was a bit of a cop out with no true resolution for many of the people. Almost as though some people met with giant revelations about life and others changed not at all; and all of them decided to head back to the most traumatic experience of their lives with no reservations. A tad unbelievable; so discounting the last episode, a good ending to the series.

- Tazman

(October 9, 2005)

"You know for three years the Viet Cong couldn't get me to admit to things I actually did. I don't think please is going to cut it."

"Pretty please?"

- Jack and Gil (Greg the Bunny)


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