「曇り のち 鴨川」 (Kumori nochi Kamogawa)
“The Cloudy Kamogawa Afterward”

The poverty-stricken past, the female bonding, the midnight skinny dipping, the mispronunciations of Villagiulio — can this show ever do any wrong? There wasn’t a single Vox in sight this episode and it was easily one of the best so far, further emphasizing the multifaceted nature of this original series that keeps me coming back for more. I normally approach series without too many expectations so that they have ample opportunity to pleasantly surprise me, but with Rinne no Langrange, it’s starting to look like I can have relatively high expectations every week and it would still somehow exceed them.

The mood of the series hasn’t changed much since the first episode, but the depth has increased immensely, moving beyond the Vox legends and onto down-to-Earth characterizations that anyone can appreciate. Madoka’s frustration and Muginami’s guilt were developed really well in parallel, and in Muginami’s case we saw just how sentimental apples are to both her and Villagiulio. The depictions were powerful, and as I suspected from the preview last time, made it very difficult not to be more understanding of Muginami’s situation. Even some good ‘ol fan-service care of Lan didn’t take away from the sentimental mood, as I found myself getting a little choked up at the sight of the tears that Muginami couldn’t hold back any longer. It was all very sweet — especially when Madoka pulled out the note that Muginami responded to — and portrayed well enough that the sight of Lan stripping down in a hurry didn’t even take away from it.

Looking back, it’s a bit dumbfounding how three girls stripping in hurry — all of whom are too good for underwear — didn’t even feel like fan-service, as it was a tsundere spur of the moment thing that actually fit what was happening. The same goes for the bath scene between Madoka and Muginami, where the characters’ emotions far outweighed the fact that they were pressing their naked bodies together. So with that, it would appear that this series doesn’t only blend mecha action and comedy perfectly, but characterization and fan-service as well — something that probably warrants an “anime case study” so that future series can learn from it.

All the while, the underlying plot is still moving steadily along, with confirmation here that Le Garite and De Metrio were once allied planets that are now at war, and even the subtle confirmation that Villagiulio is a complex antagonist who put up a mean act with Muginami so that she could break ties with him (and the war) and lead the normal life she’s always wanted with Madoka and Lan. As such, I’m already looking forward to the girls’ next encounter with the ex-Prince of De Metrio, but not before I get to see Lan gush over killer whales. At first glance, the next episode looks like a side-story episode, but as we’ve already seen many times already, things can switch over to a more plot-centric development in a heartbeat. At the very least, I’m willing to bet that there’s going to be more than boob-grabbing.

* Full-length images: 13, 16.

 

Preview

End Card

72 Comments

  1. HELL YEAH! FANSERVICE EPISODE!

    Eel catching? OK! Skinny dipping? OK! Maid uniform? OK!

    So now that the trio has said everything to say, for now, I’m really looking forward for their future adventures…

    But still. I need to make a gif out of that skinny dipping scene…

    The Moondoggie
    1. I noticed your post had a negative vote ratio, so take an upvote. Sometimes it feels like reddit in here, with people downvoting for no reason because it’s so easy… There’s nothing wrong with your post at all.

      Enmire
      1. But I can see a few reasons why they will downvote me:

        1. My post is dripping with praises for fanservice. There are people who hates fanservice of all manner. I dunno why though. Not all fanservice are bad: There are innocent fanservice and there are those that makes a character looks like a slut. You can only find innocent fanservice types in Rinne though.

        2. There is not much content: May be they are expecting some awesome post like Divine’s. In which case I might just as well take over blogging Rinne so I can help Divine too. Two birds; one stone.

        3. They hate me. Simple as that.

        4. Trolling, because they know I hate trolls.

        5. They made a mistake of clicking the red instead of the green…

        I don’t really give much care for red points, as I have said before. Thanks anyway for the upvote. But whether positive or negative as long as I have posted my view and they have read it: Mission Accomplished.

        The Moondoggie
      2. Well it could also be partly because you’ve been known to spoil certain scenes and imply superiority over other people’s opinions. It’s possible dislike from that could leak over to here. But on post about a show that’s liked by the majority, this shouldn’t be an issue.

        And yeah, ultimately upvotes and downvotes don’t matter too much.

        Da5id
      3. Well it could also be partly because you’ve been known to spoil certain scenes and imply superiority over other people’s opinions.

        LOL, if they’re butt hurt due to spoilers, that’s their problem.

        And I do not imply superiority. Where the hell did they get that? If anything it is they who imply superiority by passing off trolling and imaginary nitpicking as constructive criticism. If it is, where’s their explanation about it? Explain “bad writing”, is it a “my opinion” thing or is it a real general attribute? Or what is wrong with “plot driven” stories? Or what is wrong with “fanservice”?

        Can you even explain the sense of “So bad it’s good” idea?

        I wish to get facts straight, meaning I would like to understand why you think that way, if possible with examples. Because I cannot see the meaning of criticizing an anime. Praising it? Yes. Enjoying a fan’s conversation about it? Yes. But bashing it? No sense, Da5id. There is just no sense in doing it.

        The Moondoggie
      4. Okay, but, and hear me out…calling someone “butthurt” when they react negatively to something that’s usually unwarranted, and, in this case, explicitly discouraged, such as the spoilers, is something that usually falls under “troll-like behavior”. But at least you toned it down recently, which definitely helps.

        And the “my opinion stuff” is just that, opinions. If they were trolling, they’d be making baseless negative statements just for the sake of making huge arguments, like that guy in the Gundam AGE thread who kept saying that it sucked because it was kiddie. I can only speak for myself, but the GIANT WALLS OF TEXT I make about GC week after week are observations I’ve made about the show. If there’s anything I want to come out of those, it’s a legitimate discussion about the points I’ve made, not to just piss people off or make them feel bad for having different interests. From what I can tell, you aren’t trolling either when you defend it…at least when you stick to talking about the show and don’t call people masochists for liking a show because it’s bad.

        “So Bad It’s Good” is pretty simple: A show or movie or whatever is so bad that it is entertaining for its faults. There’s even popular internet shows that make their bread and butter ripping on movies and shows that fall into these categories. Two examples of this are The Nostalgia Critic and Linkara from Atop the Fourth Wall. Since you put links to TV Tropes so often, you should have seen the article for this. http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/SoBadItsGood

        If you go to the anime section, you’ll notice GC amongst them.

        And criticisms are just as legitimate form of discussion as praising it. Unfortunately, my laptop is almost dead, so I’ll have to finish this another time when it’s charged.

        *bwooooooooooo*

        Da5id
      5. Okay, back. Anyway, early on during the show, I did just latch onto the negativity without any basis. Remember when you called me out on not watching the show? Everything before that was pure trolling. I admit, I have been a troll. Now however, i’m making an informed opinion when I point out a show’s flaws. Hopefully that link I posted can help you get an idea of what I’m talking about. Now let’s wait till the next GC post comes up to continue arguing.

        And for the record, I freaking LOVE fanservice. It can get overboard sometimes, but this season’s batch is perfect.

        Da5id
      6. While I do appreciate both of your guys’ well-written opinions and comments, this conversation is getting a bit off topic. Might I suggest joining us on our IRC channel (which can be found in our sidebar) and continuing this fine conversation over there? Keep up the great comments guys, and hope to see you all on IRC sometime.

    2. Downvotes can hide your comments, and that is a form of pussy censorship. No matter how much I dislike an opinion I am not going to put it behind bars as tempted as I may be.

      I only approve (and use) the downvoting for spam or pure persistent flame (not just some comment you don´t agree, grow a pair, discussions are part of life) and it’s clearly not the main reasons here.

      I dislike the voting system… Wait…

      Lectro Volpi
      1. Are we defining Shuutler disease as bashing Shu on a non-GC post?

        We might as well call it Gai-Win’s Law: As an anime blog post grows longer, the probability of comparison involving Shu Ouma and every male anime protagonist approaches 1.

        Similar to Godwin’s Law: “As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches 1”.

        Da5id
    1. Shu has a basic design common to anime male characters. You can transform Shu into another character from another series by just changing his clothes.

      Example: Take Shu and slap brown long shorts, blue shirt and a white vest. Add a red bandana that sports two feather accessories. Add red scarf.

      Now he’s Aldo from Summon Night: Twin Age.

      The Moondoggie
  2. Yeah, closed eyes guy is definitely the bad guy in my mind. No good guy mashes up a beautiful looking parfait like that. Especially when talking about politics being more important than feelings.

    baltar
  3. A good breather episode after getting past the first quarter (remember, there’s a second season coming in July).

    The title for this episode should’ve been “How Madoka Got Her Groove Back”. It acted as an aftermath for last week’s first group mecha fight, and even showed that Madoka herself isn’t the Mary Sue people thought her to be early on. She acts rashly and out of her own will to help, which can sometimes, like in Muginami’s case, be pretty unwelcome, if for a bad reason. We even learn that there’s a softer side to Villa…vill…ah, fuck it. I’m calling him Gelato and that’s that.

    This was also the first time that the ED really matched the mood to the end of the episode. Everyone’s friends now and the story can move forward.

    And then Lan strips to the buff out of jealousy.

    And then so do the other two.

    …okay, cool.

    Da5id
  4. Muginami joins the harem and my Yuri Radar broke. AGAIN!

    Seriously though, I loved the whole make up scene. I’m a sucker for the sentimental stuff, especially when Madoka calls them family and Muginami gets all teary. Of course its immediately followed by an awesome skinnydip that Lan(of all people) suggests. All in the name of YURIFRIENDSHIP of course. Then maid outfits. Oh and the eel scene before that. Lagrange knows how to bring out MANLY TEARS, fanservice and character devlopment and I love it.

    On the overall setting, I liked the reveal of U-GO. Its nice to see that have a mention of this Polyhedron Alliance and that isn’t all pretty paradise galaxy. They certainly revealed more of the nature of the war and Villajuju’s backstory. Villabubu is still a mystery though, I’m still not sure what his intentions are.

    Moid is clearly a villain. What kind of bastard murders a perfect dessert like that!?

    fragb85
    1. Well, my Yuri Goggles with built-in radar need fixing too, they are stuck on 9000 and cant get lower reading ever since this episode…
      Other than that, the “penal colony” world with it’s eternal winter and darwinian society is complete contrast to the sunny and high-tech LeGarite. My suspicions that once allied, now LeGarite and DeMetrio are at odds (and LeGarite probably invaded DeMetrio and deposed its rulers, sending Villagiulio to exile at U-go). Which again raises my suspicions about Moid T(reachery) and his motives for joining Earth, as even the not-really bright cpatain of the Earth forces seems to be getting the idea Moid is not telling everything he knows…
      As a final thought, swimsuits are good, skinnydipping is better!

      ewok40k
    1. I could only remember Mai Otome being the last time I saw anything that resembles an eel used for fanservice. It feels good that we can still find rarely-used tropes like this even now. XD

      The Moondoggie
  5. Does anyone else think there will be a 4th Vox? The 3 we know so far are affiliated with wind, water, and fire; so it seems to me that there should be one with earth power to complete the four Greek elements.

    suff
  6. I’ve come a long way towards accepting this show. Like you said, it blends genres pretty well, though I’m still not a big fan of the mecha action. The pay off for me is seeing the girls come together as friends outside of the cockpits and away from battle. I’m anxious to see how the narrative and that three-way friendship carries over into the next episode.

  7. Totally agree that this episode blew away my expectations, but seeing Lan take off her clothes really broke my suspension of disbelief towards the end of this episode. I can understand her wanting to take a bath with the other two, but I felt like midnight skinny dipping is far enough of a stretch from taking a bath that it felt out of place. How come nobody stumbled upon them? Doesn’t Lan always have Moid watching her progress?

  8. Nothing happened yet everything happened. Slowly but surely they are filling in the back story. We still have no idea what the hell happened at the end of last episode. But who cares? They’ll get to it when they get to it. And that’s fine with me. This show is hitting all the right notes.

    On a side note, I don’t think pale blue is Muginami’s color. I hope they get their personalized waitress uniforms, just like their mecha (what’s the plural of Vox?).

    bertman4
    1. Assuming this is Latin for “sound,” the correct plural form of vox would be vōcēs.
      it would decline like this:

      Nominative: vox, voces (The vox was damaged)
      Vocative: vox, voces (O vox, please fight with me)
      Accusative: vocem, voces (There are currently three known voces)
      Genitive: vocis, vocum (This is my vox)
      Dative: voci, vocibus (I ran to the vox)
      Ablative: vox, voces (I fought with the vox)

    2. I’ve heard a lot of viewers say it would have been better to show the actual galactic war but its clearly not what the show is going for. The setting takes place in a provincial city, with a down-to-earth protagonist who provides a down-to-earth charm when she interacts with others. Its actually more like how a war takes place while the story focuses on a backwater place caught in the middle. I really like that tone and a midst all the robots and aliens the show keeps that simple earthy charm that entertains me.

      fragb85
  9. Aw dang, Madoka might actually learn to say Guiviguivi’s name eventually. I enjoyed it every time she screwed up his name.

    After seeing Muginami’s past, I’m really curious as to what was going through Villaguivio (on purpose, yes) head when he shot that mega-particle cannon at her. I really hope his charismatic ass was not seriously that heartless and ungrateful. I’m hoping he knew that the Vox could have withstood the attack.

  10. You liked this episode? Seriously it was just plain lame! The eel fanservice? WTF was that all about? Just some studio exec dialing in some tentacle rape for the kicks:( I mean i like this show alot but this really was a lame episode. If you want to see fanservice done properly watch what SHAFT are doing

    Scruffy
    1. Did you miss the part where Divine said this episode integrated the fanservice and character development? Because that was the important point of the episode.

      How exactly did SHAFT do it better? Was there actually a point to showing Karen and Tsukihi naked in bed other than to see them naked? Make no mistake, I enjoyed that scene but its fanservice at its crudest.

      The fanservice scenes in Lagrange did in fact have a point. The eel scene was there so that Machiko can notice that Madoka was upset and lecture her for it. The bath scene was there to exposit Muginami’s past to Madoka. There was even some symbolism when Madoka hugs Muginami, her hair comes down to show the wall between them is gone. Lastly, the skinny dipping scene was basically there to affirm that the three girls are in fact close enough to be frisking about. Lagrange was able to give eye candy as well as develop its characters seamlessly.

      fragb85
      1. There was absolutly nothing integrated at all about the eel fanservice. That had absolutly nothing to do with the plot. The skinny dipping I didn’t mind too much but that pool part of the episode was pure shit

        Scruffy
      2. Yes it did. I’ve already explained it. Madoka needed to participate in a Jersey Club activity. Amidst the eel pool fanservice Machiko discovers that Madoka didn’t have a jersey on or tied her hair up. She concludes that Madoka is in a funk and gives her a motivational speech to apologize to Muginami.

        It helps a lot when you actually pay attention.

        fragb85
      3. Sure .. there needed to be some ‘activity’, but please explain why said activity involved eel’s being shoved down swimming trunks and simulated tentacle rape? Hmmm … nope, can’t find one.

        Scruffy
      4. You’re just looking for excuses to bash the scene now.

        Its fanservice. Fanservice is gratuitous by nature. You could have the Jersey Club brush the pool with wet uniforms and still be gratuitous fanservice. What matters is how they were able to mix gratuitous fanservice with plot and character development. The point of the scene would still be that Madoka had an epipphany.

        There’s nothing wrong with having your cake and eat it.

        fragb85
      5. I’m bashing it because it deserved to be bashed. There was nothing inherent in the fanservice itself that related to the characters or the story apart from showing clumsy Lan to make her more MOE. Let’s compare it to the SHAFT fanservice mentioned earlier. That actually has a point to it

        1. It was HOT …. yeah well just fanservice but still
        2. The look on Araragi’s face as he saw Karen and Tsukihi nude. There was quite a few emotions that seemed to pass over him from shock to enjoyment. He is a siscon after all and it was shown here.
        3. Emphasizing a rather odd relationship between the two sisters. That ‘yuri sisters’ line was pure gold.

        Just to be clear, I like fanservice. But it has to be more than just pointless drivel otherwise why not just go and watch hentai. In my opinion the fanservice in this ep ruined an otherwise quite serious episode as it went over Muginami’s backstory.

        Scruffy
      6. I’m bashing it because it deserved to be bashed.

        So basically you’ve got nothing.

        By your Logic:
        Lagrange Eel Fanservice- Used to develop Madoka’s character to a more accepting person
        Nise’s Yuri Fanservice- Establishes Araragi as a siscon

        And you actually think Lagrange’s was “useless drivel”? Wow.

        fragb85
    2. I like nise as much as the next person. But the fanservice in this current series is as bad as dxd. I mean seriously, what point is there in showing karen and Tsukihi naked on the bed. What point is there showing a gratuitous belly shot of shinobu? What point is there in CONSTANTLY panning on a naked kanbaru rather than one quick pan. What point is there in having focus shots placed on characters cleavage like the shot of tsukihi when she is lying ont the cushion. What is the point of shooting the twister scene like a porno, rather than flashing through it quickly.

      Nise, will always be words, with some action, and gratuitous fanservice. It doesn’t pretend that it’s something more, that’s what it is. If you think that’s fanservice done right, you should have no problem with fanservice in any show. They are doing fanservice for the sole reason to titalate the viewer.

      Rinsako
  11. The best parts of the episode for me:

    1. https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2016.jpg (Reminds me of the Sakurai Rihoko route in Amagami SS+ Plus)

    2. https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2030.jpg (I shall now call her the “Exhibitionist Princess”)

    3. https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2031.jpg (Madoka was actually well-endowed for a tomboy?)

    4. https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2032.jpg (Lan has some pretty nice tracts of land. I thought she was a DFC)

    5. https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%20-%2007%20-%20Large%2035.jpg (Madoka’s uncle is a genius)

    MARU! XD

    The_Magus_Killer
  12. NUDE GIRLS EVERYWHERE I LOOK! First this with the fan service and I was like “haha, bath scene, I was wondering how long that’d take” and as I smirked to myself I put on Aquarion EVOL as I watch a few shows in a sitting everyother night. I watch as everyone rips their clothes off”WOW this really goes to the music from the original aquarion!”. The exposed skin is actually made to be WAAAAY deeper then was lol but Fudo can get away with it. I laughed as both shows had so much emphasis on it. Then I put on Symphogears and watch as it opens to them bathing with eachother.”Are you kidding me?! Straight out Rinne no Lagrange!” XD I laughed pretty f*cking hard. Did everyone coordinate their fan service to be in one week!? Oh man here I was 52 minutes later in life with minutes and minutes of fan service catalogued permanently in my memory. Oh anime. YOU’LL never change!

    KRILL
  13. Aaw yeah Muginami!!

    I was still having doubts thanks to last episode but after the flashbacks on this ep and rewatching ep5, I can finally agree and say that I’m sure Villa was acting back then. He made up his mind to dump Muginami right when Madoka said that she matters to her. What I’m not sure of now is that if it really was to get Muginami out of war or to piss off Madoka to activate the flower thingie or both. Which leads me to say that I’m a bit disappointed they didn’t explained what that flower thingie was (I never really liked it when scriptwriters do that kind of thing, cuz you know, that was obviously an event that can’t be gooood, then wait until the end/midway to explain what it was), and how Tadakoro captain (sorry if I got the name wrong, can’t check right now) didn’t press Moid any further to get an answer. That’ll come bite him later. I mean, didn’t they see him laughing like a good old vilain in last ep? They have cameras everywhere on their ship.

    I totally agree with you about the fanservice as I was too busy getting overwhelmed by aaaaawness to even care.

    Just you wait Moid, Chiaki chan will kick your ass for brutally murdering that parfait.

    Rockmanshii
  14. Lan is love!! That awkward yet ever-so-sweet skinny dipping scene gave me the daaaaws, big time! When she gets jealous and wants some yuri-love, she doesn’t mess around!

    Muginami’s backstory wasn’t really surprising, but it was revealing. With history like that, you can see how she’d always be so desperate for Villa’s approval, and how a day with Madoka and Lan was pretty much paradise. Glad Lan actually helped Madoka out with Muginami, really showed how much she cared about Madoka, and Muginami too. Her jealous outside the bath was priceless! XD

    Moid… the hell is wrong with you?! No desserts should have to suffer that fate, you soulless bastard!

    Aex
  15. I have this sudden craving for unagi-don after watching this episode.
    Joking aside, Rinne is one of the shows I am looking forward the most. I have yet to be disappointed. ^^
    Also, Muginami’s flashbacks were well made and even if I was expecting her past to be harsh, the impact was made stronger due to the cuteness of her character. No verbal interactions and still passed the message loud and clear.
    It’s also been awhile since I have come to decide which of the main characters I like most. Madoka is amazing in all sort of ways, Lan is just too moe adorable and Muginami pulled up to be much more than just an apparent airhead.
    MARU!!! and yes, WAN!!! (both were missing this episode)

    Shinji
  16. Does anyone else notice how Madoka kind of describes herself when she’s fuming about Villagiulio?
    They seem to be mighty familiar… Somehow, I get the feeling that he’s only an asshole to Muginami because he feels it’d be better for her here…

    I’m sorry, ok? That Kotetsu face keeps me thinking that he’s more than what he seems!

    Zero
    1. I kind of teared up at the end with Muginami.

      I’m not sure why as it’s not like me to get all the water works going this far into a series (it’s usual at a climatic ending) but she got to me.

      Ani_BEE
      1. Me, too. Knowing now Muginamis past, and her new “Family” Friends.. Water Works, got me too. The Story Telling Timing was just Perfect. I Bow in respect of this well played Card…

        Germanguy
  17. well if you ask me Madoka’s portrayal as center chara is more like a tom boy and the all girls in her school like her and Lan seems to be a little possessive of Madoka stating that
    she also wanted to take bath with her with blushing face signing that she was not in a good mood when asked by oji san if she also wanted to join them in bath showing a little jealousy towards Muginami being alone with Madoka and showing desperation saying that she being the princess made the rule right there and then stripping her clothes off, I’d say its a girl with
    girls harem with Madoka as main,Lan as primary harem candidate and Muginami as the 2nd well
    with her mixed feelings towards that V jello guy whatever since all the male teens being the
    antagonists so pretty much yuri ofcourse and all the other yuri show share the same plot as
    far as I have seen.

    shiki999
  18. Madoka knows when to apologize. Madokka can undo Muginami’s hair with manly words. Madoka can get girls to strip effortlessly.

    Madoka is the best male lead of this season, hands down.

    Stilts
  19. Hmmm… maybe its my dislike for the genki girl archtype but I can’t seem to warm up to Madoka. She really annoys me for some reason and I cannot pinpoint why (downvotes incoming). She gets points for noticing her mistake but I also think all her helping people persona is just for self gratification and I hope the plot explores that. Muginami, on the other hand, changed my whole opinion of her character. She seems like a real person which is more than I can say for the other two girls (I like Lan though). Hopefully the following meetings with Villagiulio show more of her conflict instead of the writters having her discard what was the pillar of her life in favor of absolute allegiance to a nice girl she met a week ago. Human relationships are not something you can turn on and off like that.

    Sirius
  20. So ends the arc of the 3 Vox pilots 😛

    Next ep comes Asteria the oujo-chan of the Novumundus Foundation.
    Looks like she’s the proxy chairman.
    Voiced by Ika-musume.

    The female Kiss pirate in the flashback appeared in the official site’s characters listing.
    Villa’s right hand and frontline commander.

    Wonder why did Villa got kicked out.
    Could Lan’s bro find out something about Polyhedron then kicked Villa out to save him?
    Or could Lan’s bro be controlled by Polyhedron’s boss?
    Or is Villa framed for something?

    For now the scale and hierarchy of Polyhedron is still unknown.
    All we know is the 2 planets that are part of it (couldn’t be only 2, I suppose).

    Also according to the JA wiki, Izo, Kirius, Array, Villa and Yurikano are all from De Metrio.
    So I suppose Villa and Yurikano are siblings?
    Ok, so could De Metrio be forcefully assimilated into Polyhedron?
    Something that manga side story could have touched on?

    iron2000

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