First Impressions / Rinne no Lagrange

「鴨川上空衛星軌道にて・夏」 (Kamogawa Jouku Eisei Nite – Natsu)
“In Orbit Above the Summer Skies of Kamogawa”

Another fine offering of Rinne no Lagrange. I’d like to take my time getting into this, but it’s late and Stilts is as tired as Lan trying to keep Madoka and Muginami away from her poetry journal, so let’s jump straight into this.

First off, Dizelmine. In my constant search for the proper bad guy for this show (other than Moid), Dizelmine is now making a solid play for the title. For instance, I’m sure I’m not the only one who found his sudden charm offensive utterly transparent, though not for lack of skill on his part (the dudes smooth). This distrust proved well placed, because as the episode moved on, revelations – some unexpected, some less so – added up to what amounted to a great big glowing sign that says “BAD GUY” floating above Dizelmine’s head. I mean, look at those wicked grins he was throwing out! That just screams bad guy, right?

Still, I’m not sure I disbelieve Dizelmine when he says that he still considers Villagulio his one and only best friend. Though certainly cold and calculating, Dizelmine is a leader trying to do what is best for his people, and if that means that other people must die in the process, well, many other kings have made that very same decision countless times before him. Whether Dizelmine is the bad guy is, honestly, a discussion I’m going to leave to another time, probably a Stilts Out Loud post that I’ll write sometime this week (hopefully). Feel free to throw out your thoughts in the comments below, or just wait for that. For now, moving on.

While it was Madoka and Muginami who were holding up the fanservice this week, it was Lan and Muginami’s attempt to save Madoka that really made my body hot (from the warm fuzzies, you perverts!). As with Dizelmine’s nice guy act, I didn’t believe for a second that Lan had turned on Muginami. Yet, it was the way they went about their rescue attempt – Lan providing the distraction while Muginami fingered a key and snuck around towards Madoka – that showed how close they have become. I’m not entirely sure they planned all that beforehand, though I think that’s why Muginami grabbed Lan’s arm, and besides, doing all that without discussing it beforehand is a bit of a stretch. Still, apparently that kiss brought them closer together than I thought, ufufu~

But the most interesting part of this episode was undoubtedly the meeting between Yurikano and Madoka. The revelation that Yurikano’s mind was trapped beyond the Rinne was no surprise, but it was a nice touch to zoom in on the moment of her death when Madoka went into her mind-trance. On that, a quick detour: so apparently Yurikano committed suicide to prevent Dizelmine and Villagulio from fighting. That does not compute. But no, then she says that she did it to stop Dizelmine from using her power to destroy De Metrio. That does compute, even if I can’t help but wonder if there was another way. Find it, Madoka. Find it!

But I digress. I absolutely loved the scene where Madoka and Yurikano faced off. Loved it. Two proud young women who, now that words have failed, are intent on conveying their feelings in the only way people like them know how – with their whole hearts, flying straight forward with everything they believe in. You thought I was going to say their fists, didn’t you? Well, that too, certainly. Though outside of fiction I think that most violent conflicts are senseless, even then sometimes a punch-up truly is the only way to get to a problem’s natural resolution. A large part of me is sad that Lan and Muginami interrupted Yurikano and Madoka’s clash. The rest of me is glad, and looks forward to it being continued at a later time, preferably on better terms.

…is what I started to write, until Madoka opened her eyes and spoke in Yurikano’s voice. “Holy $%@^!” I exclaimed out loud, literally. That was a wonderful little twist there, at least in my eyes, though I have a feeling quite a few of you will (understandably) disagree. After all, putting Madoka’s brain in Yurikano’s body was the entire point of the whole exercise, so it stands to reason that if it succeeded, Yurikano’s mind would need to go somewhere. There’s also the fact that something as slight as Muginami breaking in shouldn’t be enough to instantly stop Dizelmine’s plan from happening. Still, all the clues were pointing towards that, and it all happened so relatively fast that I didn’t have time to consider this alternate possibility before it had happened. Perhaps a lucky bit of storytelling magic that only worked on a few, but enjoyable nonetheless.

Anyway, it looks like next week we’ll get to see what Lan and Muginami will do when they find out that their beloved Madoka is trapped in a comatose body. With Izo, Kirius, and Array launched, and the three Voces launching on their own power, there’s a powder keg brewing…especially now that Yurikano’s powers have apparently been released. I’ve stopped trying to anticipate this show, save to say that I think I’ll enjoy next week’s episode. Seems a pretty safe bet by this point, eh?

tl;dr: @StiltsOutLoud – Dizelmine reveals his true plans, Lan & Muginami perform a daring escape, & Madoka faces off w/ Yurikano…w/ a twist #Lagrange #LagRin

Random thoughts:

  • Muginami is a great imouto, which is to say, a great person. I loved it when she said she hoped that Villagulio, Dizelmine, Lan, and Yurikano would all be together again soon. Even if it means her becoming further away from her beloved onii-chan, even if she has to share him, she still wants them all to be happy. Fortunately, Lan intends for Muginami and Madoka to be there this time too. They’re all good girls, through and through.
  • …I just got it. Be With Hiroshi. BWH. Breast, waist, hips. Three sizes. Oh Hiroshi-ojiisan, you magnificent stealth pervert you. My hat is off to you even more than it was before, sir. Bravo.
  • Lan, you’re an adorable genius. Muginami, you’re a sneaky genius. Madoka, you’re an idiot…but I like you that way.
  • I just realized that Rinne no Lagrange is a story about two warring factions who are fighting over a superweapon that can destroy worlds. When you put it like that, it almost sounds like the second coming of Star Wars, doesn’t it? Only, you know, better. And I say that as a huge Star Wars fan too, though those prequels did immeasurable damage to my willingness to admit that. Really, all the children too, Anakin? What a dick.
  • Villagulio is actually going to charge out alone so he can duel Dizelmine one-on-one. Bets on how Dizelmine feels about fair fights? Never been much of a fan of them myself, at least when I’m involved. I’d be careful if I were you, Giuvi-nii. Dizelmine isn’t as much of a kind and reliable onii-chan as I am.
  • This is your regularly scheduled reminder: Lan is still adorable. Thank you. Have a nice day.

Full-length images: 01, 19, 39.

 

Preview

End Card

32 Comments

  1. This episode is great. Madoka and Muginami reading poor Lan’s cute poetry and messing her stuff. Blushing Lan is so cute! We get a bath scene where Mugi proves to be as boobilicious as ever.

    At first, Lord Dizelmine does not seem to be really evil. That is until his true intentions are revealed. Dizel wants to bring down Villaguilo and De Metrio. His first plan is to merge Madoka’s mind with Yurikano’s body. Madoka sadly falls for his experiment.

    Lan and Muginami would really make a cute couple. I thought Lan betrayed Muginami and join with her heartless brother. It turned out that it was her and Mugi’s plan to save Madoka. Nice plan and acting by the way. I wondered what could have been if Lan really betrayed Mugi and Madoka. She could probably have had Madoka all to herself.

    Lan’s speech is really interesting: carrots, green peppers, salami, BWH pizza, and a really odd dream about… nostrils? But the best part is definitely her poem! It takes a lot of guts for her to say all those embarrassing things so that Mugi would have enough time to find Madoka.

    Madoka finds out what happened to Yurikano before she vanished. Later, the two get to meet again and Yuri tells her her real motives. I was expecting their fight to be a long catfight.

    Mugi has some nice ninja skills. She manages to find Madoka but things have gotten worse from there.

    Dizel and Yuri are pretty much alike: they have hidden agendas and are not afraid to shoulder some burden.

    So next week, Madoka and Yurikano have switched bodies! I love Lan’s suggestion of them headbutting each other to get back to normal.

    John Hayabusa
    Reply

  2. Stilts, you didn’t catch the three sizes reference in the first episode of this season? I could’ve sworn they had actually referred to it as “three sizes” before. Literally made me laugh out loud when I first saw the pre-airing.

    Really can’t wait for Dizelmine to get punched in the face.

    R
    Reply

      1. Honestly Stilts, I too just realized the BWH meaning while watching this episode. I think the reason I didn’t catch it earlier is that I usually like to watch shows raw. However, I make an exception for Sci-Fi shows as I have no way to understand techno-babble. So, my mind gets lazy and stops listening for the specific words the characters are speaking and I merely read the subtitles.

        catalyst
        Reply

  3. Its been awhile since I’ve been this excited for a cliffhanger. Its really sweet that Lan and Muginami are practically in the same wavelength now. All for their waifu of course.

    Something tells me that Dizelmines plan isn’t going to work. I’m pretty sure the Rinne power doesn’t involve a physical body but rather emotions and soul. Someone hasn’t given him the memo. Not to mention, anything involving Madoka will pretty much be guaranteed to screw up anyone’s plans. I’m going to guess that Midori will be able to tell who the real Madoka is.

    Still, what happens to Madoka really depends on what exactly happened on her catfight(hot!) with Yurikano in the otherworld too bad they cut it before any details are given.

    fragb85
    Reply

  4. Thank god there were no damaged detectors for this week.

    Anyway, for once I truly thought that Lan double crossed her friends and I only realised that she was trolling us and her subjects when her televised address started to get random.

    c2710
    Reply

  5. “I just got it. Be With Hiroshi. BWH. Breast, waist, hips.” Huh, I thought that was rather obvious.

    Love the endcard as always. 🙂 I think Lan is my favorite girl in this series. Soo adorable. Love also the spilling of Lan’s secrets and embarrassing moments. ^^

    Yurikano vs Madoka… If only they managed to connect those fists. Oh Muginami, your timing was just horrible. What exactly Yurikano’s power anyway?

    Hmm, it is just me or this series feel better marathoned? Or is it because half an hour of Rinne no Lagrange is simply not enough? I feel rather ‘huh’ with the end scene. Somewhat anticlimax. Cliffhanging it just after YuriDoka’s ‘where am I?” would better I think.

    Salbazier
    Reply

  6. Loved how Muginami told Disel that his little sister would be number 1 when it comes to wearing wet clothes. Sooo embarassing for Lan. 😀

    Dizel actually planned to put Madoka’s mind in Yurikano’s body, which probably succeeded, but didn’t expect that Yurikano’s mind would be pulled back from the Rin-ne back into Madoka’s body?
    Does that mean that Madoka’s mind is now mostly in the Rin-ne. Maybe she’s is no coma and we’ll see both Yurikano and Madoka in a classic bodyswitch episode next week. 😉

    boingman
    Reply

    3. I think his plan was to switch their bodies then send Madoka’s empty body back to Earth and take off before anyone figures it out. He’d basically be able to also because who would ever suspect he took her mind out of her body before returning it. I think that Yurikano showing up in Madoka’s body would through a nice wrench into his plan though. Either way this is starting to get very interesting as both sides are starting to get serious.

      estron
      Reply

  7. LagRin ups the ante again with some bitch slappin fun. I wonder what’s in store for us next week ufufu~
    Looks like we’ll finally be getting some mecha action next week and that’s the one thing that’s been missing from this oh-so-glorious anime =3

    Seishun Otoko
    Reply

  8. From now on, Lan should be appointed to make all the speeches in the world, lol.

    “Oh, I seem to recall having a dream where my left and right nostrils were switched”. Whole ship was probably all “WTF?!?!?!?” lol

    HalfDemonInuyasha
    Reply

    1. Dizelmine didn’t plan for a body switch. The way it was phrased, Madoka’s mind (and her power to open the Rin’ne) would be trapped within Yurikano. Since child-like Yuri is under Dizelmine’s control he would have just used her as the weapon with Madoka’s power. Of course all that went down the drain at the end of the episode.

      LightHawk
      Reply

  10. No ramblings today, just want to shout out that this episode totally pulled off a Kokoro Connect here.

    I absolutely love this series for how well it balances serious business (ie the second half) and yuri/dere Lan/fan service/whatever (ie the first half) so perfectly.

    Oh the visuals for this episode was stunning and notably much better than the previous, dem delicious..I mean HQ caps. *erhem*

    LightnDark
    Reply

    2. Seriously. After this + Kokoro Connect, I feel like Japan has been putting me through the ringer. I don’t know who to trust anymore…but whatever the case, it’s probably going to be awesome 😀

      Stilts
      Reply

  11. Well, Yurikano thought she was the only one able to pilot Vox, and trigger the catastrophic damage syndrome. She was wrong. Furthermore, she didnt take into account Dizelmine’s tenacity in pursuing what he considers only proper course of action.
    I am really expecting some nice mecha action soon as both “frienemies trio” in their Ovids and the 3 Voxes on “autopilot” are heading for girls location.
    Also, props to the Lan/Muginami duo for doing one of best “deathstar escapes” in history… they both used their backgrounds and skills, so different, in a perfect combination…

    ewok40k
    Reply

  13. Why is Dizel evil? I made a post trying to sum it up elsewhere, let me see… There’s a lot more that can undoubtedly be said about it, but I think this expresses my opinion fairly succinctly.

    “He was willing to sacrifice Yurikano’s life for his plans. He tried to murder Madoka to further his goals. He tortured his own sister and would have killed her as well had Muginami and De Metrio not interfered. He admitted outright this week that he intends to destroy De Metrio, thereby killing billions of innocent people. He talks so much of sacrifices needing to be made, etc., but he sacrifices things that belong to other people. He has no claim to the lives he intends to sacrifice: they are not his people, nor his life, yet I am supposed to believe that he’s going to feel guilt for killing them? When he starts grinning like a lunatic when his ship is being destroyed around him? No. He is evil.

    Most of all, he has no business being king. A man who is willing to sacrifice anything is a man who can be trusted with nothing. He is not worthy of the responsibility of his rank. ”

    On that, a quick detour: so apparently Yurikano committed suicide to prevent Dizelmine and Villagulio from fighting. That does not compute. But no, then she says that she did it to stop Dizelmine from using her power to destroy De Metrio. That does compute, even if I can’t help but wonder if there was another way. Find it, Madoka. Find it!

    Yuri believed the two things were related: without her power to let him destroy De Metrio, Dizel would have to back down from that plan and come up with something different, which would presumably not set Le Garite and De Metrio against each other. She has apparently failed to realize just how single-minded Dizel is. Rather than coming up wtih a new plan, he has spent years working on a way to try to make his old plan still function. Which, if you ask me, is stupid because they have yet to prove that the voces even can stop a stellar collision, and he’s wasted all that time that could have be spent working on ways to evacuate the people from those systems.

    Oh, and Stilts, I think that your first “Madoka and Muginami” link in the first paragraph is pointing to the wrong image. I’m not certain, but given the context I think you intended to use this image: https://randomc.net/image/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange/Rinne%20no%20Lagrange%202%20-%2005%20-%20Large%2001.jpg instead. I could be wrong, though.

    Wanderer
    Reply

  14. The (in case everyone missed it) subtitle for this episode is —

    When immovable object meets Madoka!

    Can’t wait for next week!!!!!

    Stilts, glad you’re covering this. Thanks again!

    mac65
    Reply

  16. Maple Syrup Pie… If I ain’t mistaken it’s a Canadian traditional dessert.

    And seems like Yurikano got ported into Madoka’s body. LOL at Dizel’s attempt: the opposite actually happened! >:)

    The Moondoggie
    Reply

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