Infinite Ryvius comes to an end in volume 6, and what a finish! I half expected a Shakespearian ending full of dead bodies and tragic irony, the way things were going. Who would have wanted that, though, after all we've been through with these kids? English majors, put your hands down. The finish for the series turns out to be fitting if unusual, and does not lack excitement.

Last time I talked about a narrowing of focus to a subset of the main cast - about six of them. Now those characters are semi trucks with no brakes, barreling down a mountain toward each other. There's little room for rational thought at this point but Kouji (who else?) keeps trying to exercise his Persuasive Compromise Powers (PCP) to a fault. It's almost funny (if pathetic), except for the fact that it could get him killed. Joking aside, the strength of the series has always been the strong sympathetic reaction it evokes. Especially now, we want them to find a solution to end their predicament.

Among the other goings-on, the series performs housekeeping that's typical of a [proper] series end. As the ship just happens to arrive at an area holding a Big Secret, we learn everything we ever wanted to know about the Ryvius, and more! And of course, you can't end a space opera without an Epic Battle with the Final Boss.

After the obligatory genre material is out of the way, the series hits its climax. (For those who watch hentai exclusively, it's not what you think.) I won't spoil it for you, but I was surprised - not only at its intensity but also its outcome. At that moment, one can truly appreciate the incredible job the writers did in balancing the character traits. It's really something.

Neya just found out that people are laughing at her outfit.	Kouji uses his newly-acquired backbone to fight evil.

The final volume of Ryvius comes standard with more textless opening variants, more audio drama goodness, and the final installment of Ryvius Illusion. Yep, that means no more silent films with Neya, no more of Yuuki beating the crap out of Kouji, and no more Ryvius Academy - the school that's run by its students. I'm sad.

Infinite Ryvius is a standard-setting anime - a reminder that even television animation can produce powerful results when combined with good writing. The series produced many interesting characters, all starting with the common ground of fear and confusion and then adapting as they could to survive. Toward the end, each character had some surprises up their sleeves, and it was quite interesting to learn who the most level-headed were, and who weren't as strong as they appeared. The folks at Sunrise did well with this one.

Video Quality: A
Audio Quality: A
Presentation: A
Content: A+
Overall: A+