First Impressions / Rinne no Lagrange

「鴨川スイマーズ」 (Kamogawa Suimaazu)
“Kamogawa Swimmers”

It feels like I’m just repeating myself every week when it comes to Rinne no Lagrange, as the unassuming and unpretentious robot anime doesn’t miss a beat when it comes to delivering twenty solid minutes of entertainment. I never quite know what I’m in store for each week, but I never seem to be disappointed either as everything just comes together remarkably well time and time again. At this point, I dare say the show can do no wrong, given that it knows how to seamlessly switch over to the lighthearted side of things and just have “fun” with the premise. In this particular episode, I loved the comedy involving Todakoro, who went from Novumundus Commander to whipping boy in an instant before Youko and her friend/Madoka’s P.E. teacher Iwabuchi Machiko (Asakura Azumi). There’s just something really funny about seeing someone of authority brought down to everyone else’s level, especially when it’s by his own subordinates. The comedic pause in that scene was pretty spot on, just like it was for Madoka’s unbelievably slow thought process that had me chuckling as well.

The highlight of course was Muginami transferring to Kamojo High and stirring things up just like I had hoped. Her mission on Earth remains a mystery, but I’m starting to think that she’s a member of the “Chivalrous Thief Alliance Kiss” headed by Kaburagi T. Kotetsu Villagiulio (played by Nakamura Yuuichi in an unnaturally deep voice), judging from their similar-looking fluffy jackets. If not that, then I suspect she’s from another planet/affiliation altogether, seeing as nobody seems to know who she is. What we do know is that she’s aware of Madoka and Lan’s Memoria, the markings on bodies that signify their contracts with their Voces (plural for “vox” in Latin), and the fact the Lan is the princess of Le Garite — something that we only learned for the first time here. (Up until now, I figured that Lan was someone important based on how Moid addresses her, but the princess of Le Garite wasn’t what I had in mind.) We also know that she eventually pilots Vox Ignis, so that would presumably put her at odds with Villagiulio if he does turn out to be the person who helped Array escape. (Villagiulio destroyed their ship but wants to team up with them for some reason.)

In any case, the comedic fallout of Muginami’s formal introduction to the series was my favorite part of this episode, as a jealous Lan was really cute to see. I felt sorry for her when she turned out to be a klutz, but at least there was a niche customer base that she appealed to. Muginami on the other hand just had to be the complete opposite — a seemingly air-headed girl who’s quick to adapt — which warped my image of them further. The end result was pretty fun to watch, and was very much in sync with how the series turned out to be something really different from what I originally thought (in a good way). During all the waitress hijinks, we also got to see more of Youko’s father/Madoka’s uncle, the surf shop/”B.W.H” restaurant owner Nakaizumi Hiroshi (Hamada Kenji), who’s easygoing like Madoka but very perceptive of a situation. I’m not sure if he’ll have a major role in this series, but he’s already proven to be the “cool uncle” who deserves some extra screen time.

Next time, it looks like Muginami might reveal who she is.

* It wasn’t mentioned in the actual episode, but the official website states that Kiss is a “Chivalrous Thief Alliance”.
* Vox Ignis was discovered way back in 1820, while Vox Lympha was discovered in 1960. There was no mention of Vox Aura though.
* Full-length images: 05, 12, 18, 25, 26.

 

Preview

End Card

37 Comments

  4. With 3 episodes of action, I almost forgot there were some Slice of Life moments. But i guess this show needs a breather. It’s funny how casual the residents took the whole Giant Robot Fighting in their city. Especially the school scene: “One of your students is now a giant robot pilot fighting aliens. Mmmkay?”

    Also “No traditonal romance” my ass! Either the director is lying or he’s doing a phenomally bad job at NOT stoking the Les Yay. Lan has pretty much become a jealous stalker and making my Yuri Radar go crazy. Not that I mind, I think she’s adorable the way she flails around. Muginami on the other hand is clearly smarter than she looks, although it seems she’s not immune to Madoka charms. Madoka now has her harem at school, in her club, in her part-time job and living in the same roof. She scored a jackpot!

    P.S. Muginami has the same goggles as Lan. Guess they aren’t for Yuri.
    P.S.S. I think this show deserves a few points for showing proper CPR. American TV and movies are notoriusly bad at this.

    fragb85
    Reply

    1. Also “No traditonal romance” my ass! Either the director is lying or he’s doing a phenomally bad job at NOT stoking the Les Yay.

      true that. as the romance expert, there definitely is some romance. maybe only a bit but still enough.

      amado
      Reply

    2. P.S.S. I think this show deserves a few points for showing proper CPR. American TV and movies are notoriusly bad at this.

      If you are talking about live action shows, there is a reason it looks bad. You can’t really perform CPR on a live person. Also, the Red Cross now recommends no breaths, just chest compressions. Even so, they did do a good job.
      So I guess Lan’s species does have a heart in a similar place. Interesting? That’s almost too similar?

      bertman4
      Reply

      2. I’m expecting some sort of eve online thing: Lan/Muginami’s species of human is the same species as Madoka, but wormhole/spacetravel went wrong and humanity got split in half. They advanced separately, until one found the other.

        This is a huge guess with no evidence whatsoever, but its fun to think about!

        Broxis
        Reply

  7. Muginami quite obviously is OBFUSCATING STUPIDITY. Her allegiance remains mystery but now we know there are at least 3 sides in the conflict, the Kiss being probably some sort of not-entirely-law-abiding neutral faction.
    I loved how great this show is at creating characters and making them do fun things, from leads to second (cousin and teacher abusing the defence commander) and third plane (I dont collect girl figurines!)
    The entire series is Yuri fanfic fodder already, from the jealous Lan to the CPR kiss of life…
    One thing that made me go “hmmm…” was the stone tablet recovered from the underwater dig site showing the Voces elemental “domains” and quite literally missing the Earth one…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  8. Dammit you guys! You posted all the shows I wanted to comment about at once!

    Anyway, it is now clear to me that this show is about a lesbian love triangle that JUST HAPPENS to have giant robots that may or may not bring about a prophesied armageddon.

    And honestly, I’m into that idea.

    Da5id
    Reply

  9. Hahahaha I thought of the same thing, that Muginami and Kotetsu… I mean Villagiulio are on the same side because of their jackets. I want one too…
    Also I’m happy Muginami isn’t clumsy. I like her the most between the three.

    Rockmanshii
    Reply

  10. interesting to note how muginami and lan are opposites. lan seems serious but is a klutz while muginami seems like a ditz but is quite sharp.

    ah, rinne no lagrange has managed to turn production IG from being a total bad studio when doing anime original *looks at bloodC and GC*. hopefully they dont flunk it like those other two.

    amado
    Reply

    1. Didn’t they used to be pretty well considered before those two? Or was it only for their animation quality?

      Well unlike BloodC and GC I had absolutely no expectations for Rinne, but it’s turned out to be a really nice surprise.

      mada
      Reply

  13. Lan is adorable – I could watch this show just for her.
    Now that we know that she is a little bit of a klutz — does she know that
    her WAN is a little bit dorky? (think about it)

    Also I hope they will join forces with the intergalactic team rocket in the future
    (those 3 seem to be really nice)

    zuuuul
    Reply

  16. I think Muginami may already have her memoria actually. From what I remember after she found them on Madoka and Lan she held her stomach and said something like “that’s where yours are” implying, to me anyway, that she has one on her stomach.

    estron
    Reply

  21. I like that Rinne no Lagrange doesn’t take itself too seriously and this show screams fun fun fun.
    Fans of the awesome OP should check out the ballad version “TRY UNITE! -Rasmeg Duo-”
    Also, the fact that Madoka has taken an instant liking to Muginami tells me one thing… she likes them BIG 😉

    Seishun Otoko
    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *