In the year 2225, educational space station Liebe Delta is sabotaged by a terrorist group, and the entire adult population of the station sacrifices their lives to save the nearly 500 students who remain. The students drift through space waiting for someone to rescue them; however, certain contents on the station -- particularly the mysterious battleship Ryvius -- ensure that the students are met with aggression, and they are forced to fend for themselves for months. As time drags on, the situation onboard gradually grows more chaotic, and everyone is stretched to their limit as order needs to be restored.
Infinite Ryvius is often described as anime's Lord of the Flies; that is definitely an accurate assessment. The series is unflinching in its depiction of the breakdown of social order aboard the station. Although the ending is mostly positive, this series does not have a particularly glowing view of humanity -- there are people who will stand up for what is right, but there are also people who are lazy bastards and will only get things done and think about people outside of themselves when they're kicked in the ass. It probably says everything that the station is run best when those in charge rule with an iron fist. Wishy-washiness does not get people very far here.
The story itself is fairly exciting and, to me at least, relatively low-key in that it grabs the viewer into the flow of everything (even among all the coups through the series), until the very end when everyone is at their breaking point. That isn't to say that Infinite Ryvius is not intense or dramatic, because that is not the case; however, the intensity goes up bit by bit, and it's easy to get caught up in and used to how the show's dramatics unfold. It's really at the end when everyone is stretched to their limit where Infinite Ryvius gets that melodramatic Sunrise touch. It's directed by Goro Taniguchi (Planetes, Code Geass, Scryed, etc.), so it's inevitable that there will be at least some melodramatics, but they're well done and make sense considering how tightly wound everyone is.
I also like how most of the characters are written. Because of the situation on the ship, they are presented in a way that emphasizes their deep flaws as much as their strong points, and with that style of writing, it's difficult to make characters likable and sympathetic while also studying them. For the most part, Ryvius handles that well. I can think of only one or two characters who basically get uglier as the series goes on and have, like, zero good points, which isn't such a huge problem with me. Every character is going to give you some cool moments, and every character will make you want to scream at them a few times. For instance, the main character, Kouji, can be incredibly bitchy and frustrating, but he can also get things done pretty well when he sets his mind to it. His brother, Yuuki, is an absolute asshole but is well equipped to thrive in this environment. And so on and so forth.
A unique property of the series is its predominately hip hop soundtrack (although there are smatterings of electronic music throughout the show as well). Infinite Ryvius began airing in 1999, and after asking around, I can't come up with another series (or even a movie or OVA) that came out before Ryvius and utilized hip hop to such an extent. (Samurai Champloo aired in 2004, Afro Samurai was released in 2007 and so was Gurren Lagann.) What's interesting is that other than the graffiti-styled eye catch, Ryvius doesn't really strive for a hip hop atmosphere; the songs are treated like normal background music, and it absolutely works. Never feels out of place, never fails to underscore the drama and is always kickass. Whoever had the idea (and the balls) to take the plunge with hip hop deserves a promotion.
If I had to think about one thing I don't like about Ryvius is that certain storylines go a bit too far with the melodrama by the end and stretch the limits of believability. For instance, the character arc for Kouji's best friend, Ikumi, is just ... "Wait, are you fucking kidding me?" It's just so thoroughly insane that I think my mind blanked while watching it, haha. But I guess those are the chances you take when you delve into melodrama: When you hit the mark, it is intense and powerful, and when you don't, it is absolutely ridiculous, which is why melodrama is so fun.
Overall, Infinite Ryvius is a damn good series and a unique space opera of a type that doesn't really get made anymore in anime. I recommend it, though I have to say I am not fond of the English dub. Made me want to pierce my eardrums, ick.
If you like this series, then watch ... : I haven't seen many of the space operas that are closest in style to Ryvius, so I'd just say you're good sticking with watching the rest of Goro Taniguchi's shows if you like this series. The guy has his failings, but I haven't seen a show of his so far that I didn't like.
