「再会の街、鴨川」 (Saikai no Machi, Kamogawa)
“A Reunion in Kamogawa”

It’s time for the conference in Kamogawa! First of all, I must applaud Asteria once again. I enjoyed her little political mind games this episode, of first abandoning Dizelmine and Villagulio and then getting them trapped in an elevator together. To me, her choice of location struck me as quite clever. Not only did she have the plausible deniability of “oh, the elevator just stopped on its own” (complete bullshit, and everyone knows it, but it’s the kind of bullshit that a politician like Asteria can get away with peddling), but it trapped them in a situation where the two of them were absolutely alone with no ability to storm out of the room. Plus, there was the view. Perhaps I’m looking too far into it, but I think the choice of giving them an outside view – even if it probably made their bodyguards hyperventilate – of the ocean and the city was subtle genius. For kings who spend their followers’ lives like money at a casino, it’s important to not become too separated from the real people who suffer the consequences of their actions. There, looking out at quiet Kamogawa, perhaps they could have come to a more peaceful conclusion.

Alas, Yurikano fucked that up a bit. Her appearance didn’t have much “punch” to it since we already knew she was alive from last episode, save for what we saw in Izo, Kirius, and Array’s reactions. After being shackled with the guilt of her demise for so long, she suddenly appears right in front of them…only for them to not even be able to speak to her before she disappears. We’ll be seeing some more plot-important actions from them soon, I’ll warrant.

Then there was Yurikano’s deft dodge of Villagulio in favor of “Dizel-sama”. There, my heart broke a little more. That’s fitting, because it’s also what broke Villagulio, and sent him on what is looking like a determined warpath. It’s interesting how, if you change the circumstances of a conflict just slightly, the side that looks like the bad guys can change completely. Where before it was definitely Dizelmine, now Villagulio is beginning to look like the king who will drive their planets to war. Not that Dizelmine is blameless for this – the fact that he kept Yurikano’s survival a secret for so long doesn’t exactly scream “good faith” to me. That and he nakedly referred to her as a “trump card,” even if it was a card he hadn’t intended to play quite yet. Whoops.

But here’s the crazy thing – I’m not entirely convinced that Dizelmine is the bad guy he’s been made out to be. He’s cold to be sure, but he also used to be a scardy cat like Lan, and he was once best friends with the very amiable Villagulio. Then there’s the discussion in the elevator. Though Villagulio outright mentioned the rumors that Dizelmine wants to use Vox Aura to destroy De Metrio, Dizelmine purposefully avoided confirming them. Sure, part of that is undoubtedly politics, but he outright said that his plans involved Madoka, and I don’t think anyone who has met Madoka for half a second thinks she would help commit genocide on a planet, or could easily be tricked or brainwashed into the same. It’s possible that he has a third way in mind already…or he could just be trying to piss off Villagulio so that De Metrio will start the war, making Le Garite look like the victims. If so, mission accomplished.

Still, if there’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that if anyone is going to end up being the big bad (trope!) in all this, it’ll be Moid. Remember, he was the one who was supposed to place more chaperones around Yurikano so she couldn’t wander around. I don’t know about you, but I don’t think for even a second that he would make a mistake like that if he didn’t want to. I’ll bet that everything so far is going according to his plans, and that if anyone is going to end up laughing evilly once again, it’ll be him. There’s certainly precedent for it.

Next episode, Madoka is finally in space proper, but some potentially fun diversions aside, it’s another meeting with the “real” Yurikano that has me eagerly waiting. Giving up that little tidbit of information to Dizelmine could end up being a painful mistake on Madoka’s part. Hopefully her and her waifus will be able to pull something off to make their little trip worth it…perhaps with a little help from the trapped mind of Yurikano herself.

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – The conference goes to shit when Yurikano crashes the party. Now Madoka is in space & Villagulio is on a warpath. Ruh roh. #Lagrange #LagRin

Random thoughts:

  • Yuriyuri? Wait, that’s not right…
  • Even intergalactic kings have to be screened by the TSA. Lame. Ah well, at least they didn’t cavity search him.
  • So now we definitely know that Yurikano is not a clone, and also that she’s acting exactly like she did as a child, right down to wanting people call her Yuriyuri. So it’s the real Yurikano…in body, at least. Her mind, however, is clearly still trapped beyond the veil. To be honest, without that I don’t think you can really call her the “true” Yurikano. Without her memories, her feelings, and all the experiences that went into making her the person that died on Militia Zodia, she might as well be a different person. All the important parts are gone…for now.
  • Two nations are about to go to war over Madoka. Congratulations, Madoka-chan! You’ve got some Helen of Troy shit going on there, except with intergalactic superpowers instead of ancient city-states. This is the face that will launch a thousand starships, and it is maru~!
  • Animation quality took a slight dip this week. You might not even have noticed, as there were no real egregious mistakes – I know I probably wouldn’t have, were I not taking screenshots – but there was definitely an across-the-board lessening of quality. To be honest though, I count us lucky to have gotten the level of quality we got. It’s well known that the DVD and BD sales for the first season weren’t real great, so there was a distinct chance that we could have gotten super shoddy animation this season while the studios tried to eek out a profit in cost savings. The fact that any drop in quality hasn’t come at important times, and hasn’t been all that noticeable anyway, is a blessing, all things considered.
  • Muginami, your plan…Orz. You’re not fooling anybody.
  • Izo was being so tsundere there at the end. Go for it, man! Ask Sachi out! Get yourself a cute little Earth diplomat girl, ne? ~_^
  • With that ending animation, it’s obvious why they waited until this episode to switch to this one. Would have been an a bit of a spoiler before then

Full-length images: 03, 05, 38.

 

ED4 Sequence

ED4: 「忘れないよ。」 (Wasurenaiyo.) by 中島愛 (Nakajima Megumi)
Watch the 4th ED!: Streaming ▼

Preview

End Card

38 Comments

  1. Yuriyuri. Awesome nickname no? Well I guess it’s better than calling yourself “Perfect,” though makes me wonder if Muginami used Suzuki Namie before? Great ep, Tiger is totally going serious mode now that his imouto is involved.

    Kyzel
    1. Yuriyuri? Wait, that’s not right…
      I presume that Yurikano and Lord Dizelmine are fans of YuruYuri. YuriYuri is a manga, a spin-off to YuruYuri to be precise.

      Speaking of Yurikano, I find her to be a bit childish but there is a reason that she has that childishness. Off-topic, she could be a challenger for Muginami in terms of boob size.

      And judging from Dizelmine’s actions, it looks like he is the bigger bad guy. As much as I hate Villavillawhat, for once I kind of feel sorry for him.

      Madoka want to come to Lan’s home planet Le Garite to pay Yurikano a visit so she prove something to her. But first, she and Muginami have to disguise. This episode shows us Mugi with a different hairstyle and a lovely dress. She is simply gorgeous with that appearance.

      For Madoka, she has the appearance of a Texan girl but cute nonetheless. She is even cuter with braids and glasses. Braids and glasses? Is it me or did this episode make Madoka look like some love child of Homura and… guess who?

      Lan could use some new thread and hairstyle. It is a shame that while Madoka and Mugi have some, she does not. If she does, she would have been the most beautiful girl in this episode.

      So next week, we are going to have Madoka and Yurikano slapping each other. Cannot wait for that! 🙂

      Some random thought of my own:
      https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%202%20-%2004%20-%20Large%2034.jpg
      Madoka: Hey cutie, wanna join my harem?

      John Hayabusa
      1. Trust me, Madoka looks nothing like a Texan there. “Cute and nerdy” isn’t the style of choice down here, let me tell you. Mostly it’s “blonde with short-shorts.” Crucial difference.

        Stilts
    1. We could hazard to guess she was one of the original Vox pilots.

      Actually this might explain why Yurikano look physically younger as well if Asteria also went through a similar experience.

      Ani_BEE
  2. Hggk that 2nd preview image looks like the carnage the dark rinne wrought.

    although after the sudden bloodloss from the 1st preview image I’m not sure I care anymore. ^^;;;.

    Mmn, the series teased us first season, but this second season is making it ever clearer. The story hinges on Yurikano. … and Madoka may be the only way to communicate with the lost portions of her personality. Good grief those were the worst disguises ever orz;;.

    kumakaori
  3. The moment I saw Asteria smile, I knew she had some devious plan to get them alone to talk. Though trapping people in an elevator is a common romantic development cliche(rejoice Fujioshi fans for a bone was thrown to you people!). I love how this shows doesn’t forget about its light-hearted comedy amidst the serious.

    Too bad Yurikano screwed it up, for once I actually feel sorry for Dillabulio. Dizelmine is definitely looking like the bad guy here. Seriously what has he been doing with an adult child who adores him? The implications make me uncomfortable.

    Izo was being so tsundere there at the end. Go for it, man! Ask Sachi out! Get yourself a cute little Earth diplomat girl, ne? ~_^

    You do realize that Izo in love Yurikano right? Its detailed in the Prequel Manga. He’s pretty much the one with the most personal involvement with Yurikano other than Billaduio.

    Yurikano vs. Madoka b**** slap fight next episode? Hell yes, I can’t wait for next week!

    fragb85
    1. I had not realized that, no. That doesn’t stop me from enjoying him being shipped with Sachi, though. Just because he loves her doesn’t mean that love is ever going to bear fruit, after all.

      Stilts
  4. Well, well, well… I see 2 magnificent bastards at Xanatos speed chess play: Asteria and Moid. Moid 99% purposefully facilitated Yurikano’s little trip, in one masterstroke undermining Dizelmine’s secrecy about hs trump card, throwing wrench into the works of any peace negotiations planned by Asteria, and generally raising havoc Xellos style while officially being only an enigmatic minion! Troperific, isnt he?
    Asteria is not worse, she evidently was Genre savvy enough to place both kings in a “broken” elevator for some mantalk… and when faced with Moid’s diversion she was unfazed and kept Madoka’s tongue in control. I am pretty sure she purposefully let Madoka and her girlfriends to board LG mothership in effort to get more info on Yurikano.
    Last but not least I think our three-man frienemies team might see action again now they removed fishing nets from their Ovids… just a hunch…

    ewok40k
    1. Gotta love seeing the schemers go at it. After reading your comment, I’m now looking forward to a direct showdown between Asteria and Moid. I’m not sure we’ll get it, but just think about it…that’d be awesome.

      Stilts
  5. It’s obvious that Madoka’s going to confront the real Yurikano in the next episode. Notice that their talking on the beach, not on a spaceship… And I don’t think “Yuriyuri” is mature enough to slap Madoka like that.

    Mediafag
    1. At this point, it’s already obvious that the main plot revolves around solving the 1000 year problem, and the main antagonist is Moid. He’s already shown disregard for Dizelmine’s orders. He probably wants the conflict to escalate for some reason.

      Mediafag
  6. I always thought Yurikano was this legendary figure who lived 10,000 years ago and fought in the Vox and ultimately caused some sort of disaster. But I guess it was actually much closer than I thought….

    suff
    1. How did you even come to that ridiculous conclusion? We see clear flashbacks of Vivavuvio with his sister Yurikano and the bishie trio constantly refer to Yurikano as someone they knew.

      Did you pay any attention at all these past 15 episodes?

      fragb85
      1. Down boy. This is a story above all else, so people should be forgiven for messing up some of the details. Not everyone is as crazy about following the minutia as the rest of us are!

        Stilts
  7. “Two nations are about to go to war over Madoka. Congratulations, Madoka-chan! You’ve got some Helen of Troy shit going on there, except with intergalactic superpowers instead of ancient city-states. This is the face that will launch a thousand starships, and it is maru~!”

    I LoLed big time at that XD.

    Euzio
  8. and I don’t think anyone who has met Madoka for half a second thinks she would help commit genocide on a planet, or could easily be tricked or brainwashed into the same.

    She almost destroyed Earth last episode, without realizing anything was going wrong. I’m sorry to say that Madoka could, in fact, quite easily be tricked into an emotional state that could destroy a planet.

    As for Yurikano, I don’t know… she actually did react for an instant when she saw Madoka. And that rinne flower that appeared in front of Madoka after everyone in that group had moved on… Even though I was one of the ones who suggested last week that her real self was trapped there at The Beach At the End of the Universe, I’m now wondering if perhaps the real Yurikano IS here, and she’s just acting out of it as part of some scheme.

    Wanderer
    1. I won’t deny the truth of your words. The only rejoinder I have is that where Dizelmine is concerned, I have a feeling that Madoka will be far more on her toes than when she’s doing an experiment for Asteria. Still, it’s not like she couldn’t be enraged via a timely Lan-or-Muginami-death (I don’t want to think about it, I’m just saying it would work!!), so your point stands.

      Stilts
      1. I don’t want that to happen either! No one is allowed to kill my girls. They need to be together forever.

        I like Madoka a lot, don’t get me wrong. But she’s proven distressingly slow to pick up on certain things. I’m still not sure that she actually understands that the voces can and have caused destruction on a planetary (or perhaps far greater) scale. It’s not that she’s stupid, it’s just that she seems incapable of looking beyond her immediate focus. The ice-age 20000 years ago, or the destruction of militia zodia, both of those are outside her area of focus, so I’m not at all certain that she really registered anything anyone has told her about them.

        All I think we can hope for is for her plucky determination to pull everyone through. We’ll have to pray that her very lack of a plan can somehow save everyone despite the schemes of the various kings.

        Wanderer
    2. So I’m not the only one who thinks that Yurikano is up to something. I saw the recognition with both Villagiulio and Madoka and just couldn’t help but think that something is off about her. The slap fight in the preview does nothing to dispel my suspicions. Mayhaps Moid is pulling the strings here?

      AzuWolf481
  9. They really thought that they could fool anyone with the costumes, didn’t they… ?

    “Hmm… they have the same voice and hair color as two other girls I know. I wonder who they are…”

    JiCi
  10. That was pretty awesome. Though in my case I still like Villagiulio more than Dizelmine but I agree with you, seems like his emotions will make him do a big mistake. And finally Madoka is in space!! I was waiting for when she’d do her space debut. Now she needs to make all three Voces combine and make Shin Getter Captain Planet.
    It already struck me at the end of the 1st half, and I don’t dislike it, but Yurikano’s rack sure is huuuuuge…

  11. 1.) In any anime with a villain, if there’s an ever-squinting, ever-smiling person that is seemingly a side character, ALWAYS SUSPECT THAT PERSON FIRST!

    2.) Sorry Asteria, you managed to keep Madoka together with her waifus, but Yuriyuri managed to screw up your attempt at bromancing Dizelmine and Villa.

    HalfDemonInuyasha
  12. Dear god I can’t get Alice B. Rabbit out of my mind after this episode and YuriYuri behavior (and appearance). If anyone has read Pandora hearts you know what I’m thinking.

    Ani_BEE
  13. In regards to Villaguvio, I suspect he’s playing into Dizelmine’s hands. I am quite sure that Dizelmine had no intention of changing any aspect of his plans, no matter how the negotiations went, and he had to know that that alone would push De Metrio onto a more active war-footing against him. Yurikano getting her brother all riled up may simply have sped that situation along.

    Whatever his plans were, I am quite certain that he knows what Villagulio is going to do. Characters like him are all about predicting how other people react, and if he didn’t want Villagulio escalating this situation he would have handled the meeting differently.

    Wanderer
  14. Madoka’s disguise persona and design were painful to watch/listen to. Muginami on the other hand was quite delicous.

    So now Lagrande tries its hand at imouto fetish plus NTR combo, not bad, not bad at all.

    Ananas
    1. So… it has come to this.

      *Bets that Yurikano’s memories and spirit was separated from her body and is now somewhere in a dimension that can be accessed by opening the Rinne*

      The Moondoggie
  15. Moid the fox eyed bastard continues to be possibly the least trustworthy character in anime. Seriously everything about that guy just screams “HEY, I’M THE REAL BAD GUY!”

    Beckett

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