Desslock Theater Presents: Infinite Ryvius

[Leader Desslock]

Originally Posted by Arch-Defender

Well I guess my first question is now that you've seen the show to the end, what do you think of the characters, bet you got a few surprise near the end

The only one that threw me was the Ferret Priestess of Uranus. I knew she was obsessive, but I didn't think she was completely unhinged.

I guessed that the Sphyx (Naya) was the OSB commander's "daughter", or at least in her form. I think I pegged that one the moment they mentioned her in that briefing on Earth.

Lucson had his moment of Awesome, troperiffically enough. I knew the couples would return at the end as they did.

I did think that a lot more people would die, but knowing that the creator of Planetes was involved, that's not his storytelling style. And it wasn't necessary, the way the Allegory played out.

Who did you think I'd be surprised by?


EDIT: By the way, I think this bears mention because this is meant (to me) to be an exercise in understanding another person's mindset and how they watch media...

Everything I wrote here is exactly how I watched the show. It slowed me down to write it all, obviously, but I didn't watch it any differently than I would've if I hadn't been writing a thing. I also didn't write a bunch of stuff to sound critically astute that I didn't actually think while watching the show. Everything you see in this thread is how I watch shows. Hopefully you (or anyone else) can read this an understand my normal thought processes while watching anything, be it Evangelion, M.D.Geist or My Little Pony.

That said, when you write up your viewing journal of Planetes, I expect you watch shows quite differently. Your writing style should match your thought processes. Don't try to write what I wrote, if it's not what you're thinking.

[Arch-Defender]

Originally Posted by Leader Desslock

Who did you think I'd be surprised by?


That said, when you write up your viewing journal of Planetes, I expect you watch shows quite differently. Your writing style should match your thought processes. Don't try to write what I wrote, if it's not what you're thinking.

First the fanatical nutcase, then Ikumi. Maybe its just me but I never figured Ikumi would go vigilante on us after the assault on his girl and take control of the ship with the mech because the event stired some old scare with his insestuous sister


Never planned to, I'll watch the show the way I watch everything and write down as I go. Since you want to see what goes through my head when I watch a show I'll do just that.

Though its too bad you didn't ask me this before I watched Death Note, my thought process on that one was "colourful" to say the least, I guess it all depends on who you're rooting for

[Leader Desslock]

Originally Posted by Arch-Defender

First the fanatical nutcase, then Ikumi. Maybe its just me but I never figured Ikumi would go vigilante on us after the assault on his girl and take control of the ship with the mech because the event stired some old scare with his insestuous sister

Yeah, reading back I can see that I predicted Ikumi's system of leadership coming to the fore, but I was completely blindsided by the way it came about. I thought it'd happen due to another discussion on the bridge or something.

Reading back through this thread, it was fun to see where I was completely wrong about some aspects of the show, particularly in the beginning.

When Ikumi finally broke down crying and blurted out the bit about the incestuous sister, I laughed aloud. I wanted the bystanders to all get squicked out by the admission, while Kouji said, "Dude! Too much information, ya know?"

Originally Posted by Arch-Defender

Never planned to, I'll watch the show the way I watch everything and write down as I go. Since you want to see what goes through my head when I watch a show I'll do just that.

Sweet! That's exactly what I had in mind.

I hope you got a chuckle or two out of this as well. I had fun writing it. I swear that I just do NOT know the name of the Ferret Priestess of Uranus, but I will always remember her as such. I really wish she'd been named that in the show. It would be hilarious to hear her paged that way over the ship's intercom.

[Arch-Defender]

Personally, when I first watched the show I labelled Ikumi as the ultimate nice guy and when Kozue was beaten (personally I fear the way the scene was made it insinuated it was something worse) I figured Ikumi would cry and stay by her side in an ultimate angst fest, that did not happen (or rather it sort of happened but in a way that's a thousand times more awesome. Beat people and make a coup first, cry with your girlfriend later). What would have been really hilarious is if when he was making his threats to the ship the 3 girls who attacked Kozue had been listening saying "Is this our fault?" I can definately see them trying to change the subject when people ask what the heck got Ikumi's panties in a bunch.

As for ferret girl (Fina) I just called her Baltar after she got a religion in her room

[MechaFan]

Out of the huge cast of characters on the Ryvius I enjoyed Stein the most.. Not to mention he has that epic moment where he sees the squiddies and flips out "NO IT CANNOT EXIST!! I REFUSE TO BELEIVE IT!! I CANNOT LOOK AT IT!" or something along those lines.. I 'd pretty damn hard.. Characters like Stein, Oberstein (LOGH), and Lecoque (Dougram) are some of my favorites; always working behind the scenes to cause some kind of trouble and then blame it on 'logic.'

I also thought the moment Aoi broke down into Koujis arms and they finnaly kissed was a pretty good scene also

[Leader Desslock]

Okay, so... the more astute among you might've noticed that I wrote a thematic discussion of the entire series right up until just shy of the end. I didn't forget, I just wanted to hold back for a moment until I could ask:

Arch (and you too, MechaFan, and really, anyone else who wants to comment): What'd you think of the series thematically? I realize that you probably didn't watch it the way I did, but after a certain point (when they're actually tossing around labels like "realist" at one another), you had to spot the thematic significance of the various systems of government being tossed around, the role of the individual in society, etc. I know MechaFan saw it, 'cause he specifically called my attention to it early on.

So... once you spotted all that going on behind the characters and the action and odd goings on with the Space Squid... what'd you think of it? Did any of it matter to you? What'd you think of the author's final message, how it was delivered? Did you agree with the message and his portrayal of the individual in relation to society and all that, or did you find yourself disagreeing with parts of it? What parts?

I'm just curious to hear what either of you (or anyone else) thought along those lines, if anything at all.

Originally Posted by Arch-Defender

As for ferret girl (Fina) I just called her Baltar...

Didn't think of that, but it fits.

[Arch-Defender]

Personally I noticed the theme of the show since the very start because MechaFan told me but as for how it mattered to me, unless a theme really grabs me I'm not much of a theme person so it mattered to me because it was the most significant part of the show. I enjoyed seeing the different governments come to power and see how they fell and how that affected each character and the Ryvius' order but I can't say I was amazed by the theme itself. In other words we both liked it but we got different things out of it.

My favorite system was Ikumi's, if Stein had been taken care off I'm sure it would have been much smoother and more than a fit for a crew such as the Ryvius'. Though I'm pretty sure MechaFan will disagree or even flip when he reads I wanted Stein to be "taken care off"

I wasn't too hot about some of the ending, on one hand I'm pleased Kozue, Ikumi and others got over their issues in the Ryvius and had somewhat a happy ending but I'm also not too sure about how they made them all come back so soon after the incident, I doubt everyone would be trilled to come back so soon afterwards. I'm also not sure its a good idea for Kouji to go see Ferret Girl, I mean what does he want, for her to finish the job

You know its strange, I wanted to comment on the last incident onboard the Ryvius but I can't remember a thing outside of what happened: I remember Ikumi pointing a gun to Kouji's head, his brother saving him and the mental breakdown of Ikumi but somehow I'm completely blank to everything Kouji said in that scene, even though I know it was important.

Also Desslock, did you notice that thing about Criff?

[Leader Desslock]

^ Which thing about Criff?

[Arch-Defender]

Originally Posted by Leader Desslock

^ Which thing about Criff?

Originally Posted by tvtropes
Transsexual: Criff. For all intents and purposes she's a woman but at one point Michelle calls her "big brother."◦ Confirmed by the official character profiles

Not exactly thematically deep but it sure took me by surprise I want to see the scene where she tells Charlie

[Leader Desslock]

^ Voiced by Rarity, from MLP:FiM. I suppose that explains Criff's fashion sense. The fact that her name is "Cliff" is what made me laugh when I found out, 'cause I thought, "A woman named CLIFF?!?!"

No, I entirely missed that. I probably dismissed Michelle calling her 'big brother' as just one of Michelle's quirks.

[MechaFan]

I actually read quite a bit about the show before hand and so like you guys I knew the whole 'forms of government' theme before I started watching.. But what I liked about the theme was how it potrayed each forms fatal flaws.. Not even democracy was safe, it was slow to take any kind of action on the ship and ultimatley was a breeding ground for corruption.. I like how IR didn't really take any sides; it would've been the easier to just paint democracy as the end all be all form of government like many other animes have done before.

Also, I thought Kouji in the end was an interesting enough lead.. While everyone around him was changeing with the tide of the Ryvius he kept to his non-violent ways and was one of the only people on the Ryvius who manages to stay 'civilized' through out the ordeal.

As for the final episode itself I thought it was pretty good.. While like Arch I don't beleive everyone would actually show back up on the ship or that Kouji would ever wanna see Fina again I think it still gave the closure the series needed..


Btw goodluck 'takeing care of Stein' he pretty much 'ran' the ship like a well oiled machine from start to finish


Oh, and Desslock, what do you think happened to Kozue?? I thought maybe she got sexualy mutilated in some-way or something but Arch pointed out she probably got raped because Ikumi beat up all those girls and guys during that one scene after he found out what happened.. Also, did you ever figure out what that wrapped up thing was floating off the ship that they showed earlie in the series?

[Leader Desslock]

^ As far as what happened to Kozue... it makes sense that she was raped by the boyfriends of the girls who beat her up, and I hadn't thought of that. It makes a lot more sense out of Ikumi's reaction once he gets back on ship. I think I assumed she was beaten up and sexually mutilated (cigarette burns or cuts on her breasts or somesuch) by the girls, and that Ikumi beat up their boyfriends when they tried to protect the girls from his wrath. Your interpretation makes more sense, especially given the state of the ship at that time. It's known that a girl walking alone is in danger, which means people know why.

I had originally thought Blue told the Ferret Priestess of Uranus to remain on the bridge as a serving wench was so that the Blue's team could use her as a 'comfort maiden'. Yeah. There's a good euphemism. Anyhoo, I was surprised when she really did turn out to be a waitress for the bridge crew.


I thought it was just a touch ... insensitive? for Kouji to want to go to Titania. I can't imagine anyone on board had good memories of Titania, so I thought he should've headed for someplace they hadn't been, like Jupiter or Venus. I thought Aoi should've slugged him for the suggestion. I can see why he might want to talk to the Ferret Priestess of Uranus (to share his newfound - and matured upon reflection - sense of individual responsibility regarding one's past).


As far as the 'wrapped up thing', I actually meant Naya (Creepy Geduldian, The Squiddaughter). But any other wrapped up thing being spaced around that time would have to be the last person the Ferret Princess of Uranus decided "belonged in her past". When she cuts ties with someone, she actually uses scissors.


Stein was a seriously dangerous bastard. It's entirely possible that Ferret Priestess wanted to implement a Theocracy, and Stein shut her down by simply saying "No."

You know, now that I think about it - she kind of did set up her own little cult, and she did it right around the time Ikumi set up his Justice Society and Stein started Minimizing Variables To Make The Math Balance. All three of those are different forms of the same thing. They all wanted to achieve the perfect world, but they had differing ideas of what constituted 'perfect'. And they were all there in the Lift Ship's control room to be confronted in the end by Kouji, who refuted them down sequentially.

Yeah, that was intentional. That's what was going on. I'd missed putting all those pieces together into a solid whole, so Kouji's final expression didn't seem as thematically solid. Now it does.


I liked Kouji as a lead, and when the Ferret Priestess initially told him to throw away his past, I mentally responded "No, that's not what he has to do. He has to accept his past. It's who he is. Running away from his past is what Ikumi's doing, and that doesn't work."

I actually liked most of the characters. The notable exceptions were:

- Sparky The Thirteen Year Old Kid Who Plays With Robots. It was like Jar-Jar meets Scrappy Doo.
- Yuki. He reminded me way too much of CamEEEEL Bidet, from Zeta Gundam. I got the whole "rebel without a clue" thing, but... Sweet Jesus, he flipped out constantly over nothing. Dude. STFU.
- Aoi's last roommate, The Ferret's Claw. I did not feel bad for her in the slightest when Ikumi shook the Ryvius and she collapsed in terror that he was coming for her.


One character I quite liked was Yuki's girlfriend. Incredibly insightful lass, that one. She said more to Yuki in fewer lines than anyone else managed to tell him the entire rest of the show.

[Jon]

I'm glad someone else got to enjoy the greatness that is Infinite Ryvius. It's been one of my favorites ever since I blind bought it at Best Buy for $20.

If you HAD to give it a rating (1-10) what would you give it?

[Leader Desslock]

Probably 9/10. I was debating 8/10 until I figured out that last Ikumi/Stein/Ferret trifecta of simultaneous Utopianism being rebuffed by Kouji's resolution of the Individual in the final confrontation. That tie-in alone bumped it up to a 9.

[Arch-Defender]

Yeah initially I thought the girls had just roughed her up but then I was wondering why they needed to take her away for that, then I saw her in the shower and I immediately got what it meant. Then she goes into private quarters she almost never leaves and Ikumi flipped so hard it would have been stupid if it was just girl fighting that had happened. And Kozue's former friend says she didn't think they'd take it this far, so she knew they were going to do something (which I assume is at least roughed her up) but she didn't think they would do whatever they did (I'd assume I'd be something big at that point or at least worse than the initial assumption) Also, Ikumi beat the guys in that room senseless and yet the girls seemed only a little roughed up, meaning he wasn't willing to hurt girls that much even after what happened (he doesn't physically harm Kozue's former friend either, just scares the shìt out of her). So it would have been stupid for him to completely knock out a bunch of dude who did nothing and leave the girls in far better shape if they were solely responsible. Also, while normally I'd assume the series didn't take it this far Taniguchi clearly has no beef with going all the way on such matters, when Michelle is captured she's put in a cell with her legs spread and then you see a guy pulling up his pants and telling another guy it wasn't all he thought it would be and then the other says they must never give away the prison cell key. Frankly at that point I knew they weren't going to kiddyfy any situations.

Yeah the way they asked Fina to be on the bridge I never thought she'd be showing up as a waitress either.

As for people returning, I can see Yuki, Kouji, Aoi and even Ikumi to some extent coming back after so short a period if they think they have to for humanity but Blue (I think he'd be ill received by most of the non-main cast personally) and Kozue (seriously, I'm not saying she shouldn't get over what happened or anything but I sure as heck wouldn't go back if I was her). Though in a way it did offer a nice happy ending and give a sense of resolution on most of the characters so I liked it for that too. It would have killed me if they had ended it like many other series and only gave us resolution on Kouji (the lead) and leave everything else ambiguous but they actually took an entire episode to settle things with the characters

I also wasn't surprised when Fina was revealed as a murdering psycho, I was a little taken by the severity at whcih she went but the second she was painted as a religious fanatic I figured she'd do completely insane stuff.

I didn't like sparky either (I'll use your name bacause I don't remember his real one) but I thought Yuki wasn't so bad, unlike Cameel (which I hated) he actually could fight and did go with Ikumi in taking over the ship, though that doesn't mean he wasn't a huge dick personality wise. TBH in people you didn't like I thought the Zwei girl (Ran I think) with a shotacon complex for Pat would be on top of your list.

Originally Posted by Leader Desslock

...or whether he'll say "it would have been a better show if Kouji had dumped Aoi for Ferret Girl, 'cause I think they'd make a better couple".

To answer your earlier question, hell no Personally I thought Aoi and Kouji formed a nice couple and, like MechaFan, I liked the moments they had together. I still think Kouji was a huge idiot for leaving Aoi alone so often after what happened to Kozue though, its like he was asking for her to get attacked or if Ferret girl had told him "Hey Kouji, I want to kill your girlfriend so mind leaving her alone this afternoon?" Kouji: "Sure, no problem!" I mean WTF dude, didn't you think I'd be a good idea to at least pretend you were trying to protect her.

Originally Posted by Leader Desslock

Stein was a seriously dangerous bastard. It's entirely possible that Ferret Priestess wanted to implement a Theocracy, and Stein shut her down by simply saying "No."

I don't think so, otherwise Stein would belong to her "past" at that moment