First Impressions: Rinne no Lagrange S2
The girls are back for another season!
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Well, it’s back! I looked into the Lagrange PS-whatever game coming out and I can’t say that I’m all that interested (I’d be lying if I said that the random boob jiggle animation didn’t turn me off), but the second season is always welcome! It’s been a season, but I’m finally back here with Fosh, so let’s make this O Maru O!!! |
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Whooooooo! The time has finally arrived for the second season of Rinne no Lagrange! Can you feel the excitement in the air? I know the ending of season one left us with a lot of unanswered questions so hopefully we find those answers. Anyway, please join me and Kara for our first impressions of episode one for the new season of Rinne no Lagrange. |
Madoka-“Make fun of me again I dare you…” Teacher-“Oh… no…I am so scared…”
Kara // Wow, Lagrange certainly upped the drama factor right away. Far from the days of the jersey club getting along, saving random people, and helping out together, Madoka is certainly more subdued. I think this episode had more drama then the whole first season combined. This seems like this came out of nowhere since the last episode ended on such a positive note (maybe the OVA holds answers…?), but I can’t say that I minded this turn of events. If we take the first season of the anime as character exposition, like Fate/ Zero did, then this should be the part where the plot starts moving. Already, the plot seems to have set itself up (or at least the point for the next couple of episodes) too, so hopefully this goes into the whole Flowers of Rin-ne thing. Of course, it wouldn’t be Lagrange without the three girls goofing off, but having a more serious plot isn’t exactly a bad thing. I’m still betting on the reincarnation point highlighted by the title.
Lan-“At first I was so excited for the new season.”
Lan-“BUT NOW I AM SO FREAKING EXCITED! YES! WOOOOOO!”
Fosh // Whoa that was a great! I was a bit worried that this was going to end up being some lame recap themed episode and it appears that Madoka has lost some of her hyperactive power since we last saw her, but what could have caused that? First off we can tell she is down in the dumps because Lan and Muginami have not returned to visit her…I suppose that would make anyone sad and feel a bit lonely huh? Besides Madoka only has feels for Lan and Muginami! So a boyfriend is out of the question right? Just kidding I don’t really want a romance story getting in the way of my mecha series for now. Other than a depressed Madoka we have Array, Kirius and Izo working at a sea side café where they have gained quite the following, but they are worried about other things instead of earth girls like stuff in spaceeeeee~
Lan-“Sup…” Muginami-“Nothing much pretty much blowing stuff up bro.”
Lan-“I FREAKING LOVE YOU! RAAARR!!” Muginami-“I LOVE YOU TOO! AHHHH!!”
Kara // Watching Madoka all alone was heartbreaking, but so was watching Lan and Muginami fight. On one hand, they’re both being useful to their ‘onii-sama’ figures (I’m glad Mugi patched things up with Villa-I still don’t remember his full name), but on the other hand, Lan is clearly suffering through whatever experiments her brother is trying to complete. Though out of the three of them, I wonder about Muginami the most. Lan is obviously trying to comply with her brother’s wishes and get Madoka on her side however she can, but on the other hand, Lan also said that Muginami is trying to kill Madoka. It’s debatable whether or not that’s true since Lan doesn’t seem the type to lie, but she did seem desperate, she’s been through some apparently personality-altering experiments and also, we know nothing about Mugi’s motives other than she wants to stop Lan. I imagine that Mugi’s goal is the same as Villa in that he wants to stop the whole end of the world thing, but would she really kill Madoka over that? Was she actually trying to save Lan when she attacked that one time, or was she just trying to hinder their progress? Just how much did these girls change over the time skip?
Space bishies appreciation for the girls out there!
Fosh // So what is going on with quite old Lan so far and what has she been up to? How undergoing experiments to fix her “mind” to become a better pilot? I felt that scene was a bit too extreme and honestly it looked like they were reprogram her somehow, but it was her brother who seemed interested in pushing for the scientists to push Lan’s mind to the limit. Sheesh talk about some serious family issues between siblings… Thankfully Muginami arrived with her own rogue team of mechs, but I thought she was there to save Lan from her twisted brother until her team opened fire forcing them to ditch that lab and escape.
Madoka-“What am I going to do with all these old screenshots from season one?”
Kara // …The ED song isn’t quite as catchy as the first season, but I’m sure that the rapping (or whatever she’s doing) Madoka will grow on me eventually. The OP song wasn’t as fabulous as the first one either. I miss Nakajima Megumi. As for the animation, it looked as good as the first season ever was. I can’t really comment on the mecha battle other then ask where Mugi’s Vox got a new cape (plus that’s more of Fosh’s thing), but I do like the new direction this story is taking. All of the characters are present and accounted for and every single one of them has changed (minus maybe Madoka’s uncle) over the time skip. Overall, I think the time gap between the two seasons actually works really well with the gap between the ending of the first one and the beginning of this episode (it’s kind of like we experienced the passing of time with Madoka and the others). The rest of the season looks really promising
CUTE-YURI-HUG-OF-AWESOME-UNIVERSE-POWERS
Fosh // It sure looks like Muginami has certainly changed since we saw her last! She eventually arrives on earth after Lan and Madoka share a great yuri-tackle-of-cuteness. I thought it was strange that Muginami was arriving on earth to kill Madoka. Yes she had only one mission in mind, but really we all know that is just a strange way to “protect” Madoka from piloting her machine again…or is it!? I kept thinking it was like if I can’t have her then NO ONE CAN type of mentality. Anyway the best moment in this episode was easily watching Madoka get her vox machine to finally move after months of “sleeping” oh and the mech fights in general were nice especially with Lan and Muginami’s short fighting scenes.
Villagibro-“Awww you look so cute, Madoka-chan.” Madoka-“Say that to my face! I DARE YOU!”
Extra special friendship power
I sure can go for some ice cream right about now.
Commander-“Try alt+ctrl+del you fool!” Scientist-“But I have my anime running in the background.”
Required maru picture of the week.
Sorry Madoka, but you signed a contract to allow more fanservice shots this season.
Preview
Madoka-“Crap I just ran into that preschool…sorry children.”
Why are Muginami and Lan fighting? FIND OUT NEXT WEEK! Wooooooo!
About Tag Team
We live, laugh, enjoy and strictly believe on "more the merrier". When together, we usually come up with very chatty, conversation-based episodics and interesting posts.
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Yay! More Rinne no Lagrange! Lucky for me, I just finished watching the first cour last week, so it doesn’t feel like a second season (and the show doesn’t really seem to be treating it like a second season, many people numbering this episode 13, etc). It’s just a little bit bigger time skip than they did in episode 12.
I really hesitate to put *any* faith in the face value assessment of Villagiulio. It really seems like he’s playing 11-dimension chess with the whole thing, and his motives are just not clear at all. This goes back to his initial smack-down of Muginami after she got Ignis Memoria. So I’m really not believing he’s the actual bad guy. He’s just the guy opposing Dizelmine, who I get a much worse feeling from. It seemed like the point of that experiment wasn’t to make Lan a better pilot, but to try to induce the Rin-ne to bloom, or at least figure out how it happens, and it seemed like Dizelmine was willing to burn out his sister’s brain to do it, even after Moid wanted to stop. So I’m not into him at all.
I hope they can keep Izo, Kirius, and Array involved. I was a little afraid they were relegating them to comic relief characters, but they also needed a way to keep them relevant to the story.
The new OP, not so great. The new ED, while listening to it, I’m thinking “not so great”, and then proceeded to have it stuck in my head, humming it for the next hour. I’m always more forgiving of songs when they have the characters singing them, and liked that they did that. I wish there wasn’t quite so much recycled animation in both, but ya gotta save money somewhere.
Maru!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
Because I’ve been thinking about it more (and also don’t have the grace to not reply to my own comment ;)), have we ever been told *why* Le Garite thinks they need the Voxes? All I can recall is that they say they need their strength. Is there more than just the fight between Le Garite and De Metrio? Or is it just to vanquish De Metrio (whose ass they seem to be kicking anyway)? And is KISS a subset of De Metrio, or are they a 3rd party that just happens to be aligned with them against Le Garite?
I think what I’m getting at is that all we know about Le Garite is that they showed up first, and seemed believable. And they’re willing to risk the calamity described in the legend of the Vox to gain their power. I’m not saying that Le Garite is evil, but more that they’re just people, and not necessarily good. Yes, Lan seems like a good person, and Moid is good enough (if odd), but it really seems like there should be some thinking about why they’re on the side they’re on.
Yeah, this is probably overthinking it, but I like to think that they’ve left these questions open on purpose, rather than just as plot holes. Really, they haven’t shown anything that KISS or De Metrio as doing as being ‘bad’, just in conflict. Can we say that Izo, Kirius, and Array are bad guys? Heck no. They’re just guys, and they haven’t had any sort of big change of heart, except for realizing that Madoka is a person, not a demon.
I’m hoping that some more depth like that is explained through the show, because for me it adds a lot. I don’t need the whole show to be deep and philosophical, because that’s usually dull and boring. But to know that there’s the cool “Cute Girls in cute outfits fighting cool fights in cool mechs” level while it goes deeper to “why are people fighting, and is it really what it seems?” adds to the enjoyment.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Woooo! Double awesome comments for the win!
Yeah I have no idea why, but I always assumed they wanted the combined power of the three machines like when all three were there and Madoka’s had that reaction! Also I don’t know why there is a war between those two I always assumed they wanted to conquer their planet? Right 3rd party I wouldn’t mind a new team of aliens appearing.
I want to see the space bishies fighting along side of Madoka, Lan and Muginami <3 Right they are not bad guys just confused on what they should do right now! They are staying on earth for now but you can bet they will jump at the chance to fight again.
YEP! We really new more depth and less hnnnggg cute moments I want some battles and die-o-rama mixed in with plot and maybe they will wrap up those questions for us.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
YES! Things are getting so exciting now aren’t they? The return of rinne no Lagrange makes me grin so much because I have really missed Madoka, Lan and Muginami! Yeah this is technically 13…hould change that? LOL
Villagiulio is back to his old tricks I think he gets a sick kick out of messing with Muginami, but of course she thinks of him as her beloved “brother” leaving her only to try her best to win his attention.
Space bishies are back to bring some bro stuff to the series, but when are they going to fight along side Madoka, Lan and Muginami? I would die if they had some romance with the girls…then again Madoka only has eyes for Lan <3
OP = Not as flashy or addictive
ED = Madoka gets to rap! SO GOOD!
MARRRRUUUUUU!
POWUH: Meta Team and Spammy Tamer with 7115 comments
See, I don’t really get that vibe from Villagiulio that he’s doing it out of malice or because he’s trying to torment Muginami, or because he likes being a meanie. I think he pushes buttons to get the response he wants, to move his plan forward, and he doesn’t regret or feel shame for doing it, but he also doesn’t get any pleasure out of it.
We’re just thinking of him as ‘the bad guy’ because that’s how the story set it up, and because his initial actions were pretty crass. But were they necessary? If he was trying to induce the Rinne from the Voxes, he needed to set up that emotional response. Cool and calculated? Sure. And certainly not nice to Muginami. But done out of cruelty? I’m not seeing that.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Right I think he just keeps her around because of the Vox machine she has, but also what else can he do with her? She is always going to come crawling back to him every time! That and like I said she basically loves him as a brother so it doesn’t matter to her what he says.
Right if we think about it who was the real bad guy of season one? They really didn’t reveal that fact at all! We just assumed Villagio was from the start.
Well I thought he was “mean” to her just to give her a new life? Although he did not understand that she was really attached to him even if he never returned any feelings to her.
POWUH: and LOLi Defender with 10998 comments
What can I say, Tag Team?
Maru!
POWUH: Meta Resident with 1557 comments
Maru!
That is all that needs to be said.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
TAG TEAM FOR THE WIN! Also what do you think of this format? Like it or want more words? xD
MARU <3
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Maru!
‘Nuff said.
POWUH: Metanorn Regular with 77 comments
It turned awfully Evangelion-synchro-test for a bit there…
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Your avatar makes me want some BBQ right now!
Yeah Lan’s test? OH YES! Very Rei/Shinji/Asuka like especially the screaming and face reactions? I was like NOOOOO LAN! WHY WOULD HER BROTHER DO THAT!? T____T
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
If there’s any BBQ going on, then I’m joining in.
While I agree with the Evangelion similarities, there are also some Index/Railgun vibes concerning the tests. Like the MISAKA clones, Last Order and the ever continuing attempts to create a Level 6 Esper.
POWUH: iLurker with 2 comments
Really glad I only watched S1 last week, I would not have been able to wait for this. XD
I liked this episode a lot, even though it seems like a lot has changed. I agree that the first OP was better, I can’t stop listening to that song. >_<
Hopefully the whole fight between Muginami and Lan will end quick so we can get back on track with this. =)
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Ohhhh wonderful! What did you think of season one ending? I liked it, but it seems silly to cut the series in half right there…ah well this might be the new forumla in anime aka show 12 episodes skip a season continue 13-26
I know…this new OP lacks the excitement like season one, but the ED on the other hand is p much Madoka rapping xD
Yeah Muginami has always been the odd girl with all her mess of emotions? I blame Villagibro for that he loves to twist that girls mind doesn’t he? I bet he was like “sureeee go kill Madoka…”
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
The ED is catchy but it wasn’t quite what I expected given the style season one had. The OP is going to take some time to get used to but right now, I like the first OP better. It was a lot more upbeat.
Muginami being emotional and all over the place is her best trait and Villaguilio and Madoka are the triggers (It would turn bad for innocent people if she was a yandere with such things) while Lan’s is being almost cold and emotionless as her appearance sometimes shows.
POWUH: 500-599 with 519 comments
Yay, it’s finally back! It’s nice to see how all of the girls changed over the time skip. I wonder about Mugunami. For some reason, I can’t see her killing Madoka(although that would be an interesting plot right there…). All three share a pretty close bond so I think that Madoka is going to break up the squabble and then everyone is going to be semi-happy and we’re going to find out what the heck is going on.
I also agree about the OP not being as awesome this time around. It’s not as upbeat and peppy.
POWUH: Meta Team and PreCure Mastah with 9203 comments
Hooray! WE ARE BACK! MARU!
Yeah I just think we are dealing with the whole if I can’t have her then NO ONE CAN! RAAAWWWWRRRR! or maybe wrong order was given to her in the first place? I want the trio of girls to get back together and have some heart warming reunion <3
Sad but true this opening is lacking that special power...season one OP was great! Ah well I love the ED for season two because Madoka gets to do a bit of rapping hahah
POWUH: and Vampire Lover with 11746 comments
Welcome back, Rinne no Lagrange! Not only is a relief for us but also for Madoka since she looks so lost without Lan, Muginami and her Vox. Boy, did she miss her yuri friends. True, there’s a lot of drama here along with some tension. It’s doubled and right from the start. The girls have started fighting each other again and over Madoka. Here’s hoping that Madoka will knock some sense into her waifu and mistress. The real question is, who is the waifu and who is the mistress? The waifu is obviously Lan and Muginami is the mistress.
The three previous “bad guys” have quickly adapted to life on earth. A lot of time has skipped and Array is still crossdressing and completely comfortable in the maid outfit!! I’m calling it now!! Crossdressing battle to the death: Array vs. Ayumu Aikawa!! Who will win?!
Now that we have Lagrange again, it’s time to go full suspiscion again on Moid. The guy still creeps me out. I always get the feeling he has alterior motives and putting up an act. But there’s also Dizelmine who been shady since last season. I was already very sore with him the way he coldly looked at Lan during the Vox sync experiment. And it’s his own sister no less. That was borderline torture going on and he wanted to push it where her mind could start to break down. Meaning everyone is expendable so long as he achieves his goals. We have another bastard on our hands. Death to them both!!
POWUH: and Yaoi Fangirl~ with 2320 comments
Am I the only one who did not like the first episode? It feels so rushed somehow, and the shift from a slice-of-life-ish mecha to drama is too sudden. Didn’t like it that much