Ranked #2730

Rinne no Lagrange Season 2

Watching Rinne no Lagrange II is like taking a walk on the beach but with a breeze of fresh air where you feel and experience the fun as well as the joy of being young. But somehow, some way, this series at times seems like one of those titles where you can watch through but feel bored of the somewhat repetitive moments. Those moments are heartwarming, filled with joy, but occasionally also has emotions that can be connected to each of our own young lives. At any rate, this series seems be one of the most underrated titles of this summer. But that's ok because Rinne no Lagrange II isn't here for a popularity contest but rather to deliver entertainment that the audience deserves.

Rinne no Lagrange II (also known as Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne Season 2) is the direct sequel of the original series that takes place several months after Lan and Muginami leaves Earth. Homesick yet? Well, Madoka should be but thankfully, she gets a surprise visit soon. Now that she's a high school student, Madoka has responsibilities to handle but with a little bit of help from her friends, she can do just that.

Like the original series, this sequel is also lighthearted with an atmosphere that is suited for more of the younger demographic audience. That doesn't mean it's for little kids though as there is some drama and intensity involved later on. But still... if you're looking for some sex, gore, or mindfuck, then this sequel might disappoint you. (unless a small bit of yuri is part of your taste category)

The setting of the sequel is roughly the same. Friendship is one of the key themes in the original series and as such, the Jersey Club is reformed once again and becomes the flower of hope. It's more about cute girls doing cute things although at times it is, especially some of the filler episodes. Speaking of which, the story itself in this sequel plays a more direct approach and addresses some more sibling-like dilemmas involving the brothers of two main characters in the series. It becomes more emotional and dramatic to watch and sheds some of that lighthearted feeling. Still though, the filler episodes added in occasionally gets quite bothersome. It certainly isn't “maru!” like Madoka often yells throughout the series. No, it's not perfect and the story does seem to lose touch at times.

Thankfully though, we have the Jersey Club to make up for that. The club still consists of three members:

Madoka Kyouno – She is a cherry young girl who is now attending high school. Often or not, she's very cheerful, friendly, helpful, and patient with dealing with not only with her problems but those who she cares for. When she accomplishes something or likes what she sees, the term “maru!” comes out of her mouth. She is an adorable character in this sequel especially in some of the latter episodes that explores more of her inner self, in more places than one.

Laffinty Fin E Ld Si – or simply just Lan! This girl is a strange one in this sequel alright even from the original title. Her personality hasn't changed much although from the beginning of this sequel, she seems to be off balance a bit. Thankfully though, there's the Jersey Club who help the helpless. And of course, being a prominent member herself, her cute “woof” personality is retained in this sequel.

Muginami – the dramatic character of the trio. In this sequel, she still has that witted personality. Her motivations are to be what's best for her friends and maintains a good relationship with her beloved brother. But at times, she shows her emotional self and is even willing to harm others to protect what she treasures the most.

These three girls still brings forth entertainment, joy, and also emotions in this sequel on a peaceful Sunday weekend.

Well, not exactly. Not everything is peaceful because there are still conflicts. In the latter half of this sequel series, there seems to be troubles brewing among the older peers concerning past events that have left both physical and emotional scars. Beyond that, a new character named Yurikano also joins the series who has one hell of a time during a particular episode with our Jersey Club member, Madoka. She is a strange character to say the least that seems to blur the lines between cheerful and moody. How do I say this? Sometimes, she seems bossy but other times is more emotional especially with Diselmine whom she shares a special bond with. On the more antagonist side, Moid loves brewing trouble and shows his colors to the audience later on.

The artwork and battle scenes in this sequel remains relatively the same. Production I.G. delivers that lighthearted style of the typical cool life with the bright sunny daylight and cherry atmosphere. Some of the battle scenes inspire some thrilling action but mostly still retains that lighthearted style of fighting. It's not something like Muv Luv: Total Eclipse where aliens are out to eat you alive and have to be exterminated immediately. No, it remains its typical lighthearted Rinne no Lagrange style theme with the girls half naked riding those bad boys (Ovid) in combat. It's amusing to watch again in this sequel and brings some chuckle to our heads thinking the way they fight with the danger it poses yet to them, it's like playing a video game without the joysticks. Overall though, the art is alright. Not too special but to the point.

The soundtrack of this sequel remains somewhat intact although I have to admit that the original OP song has a better rhythm to it. "Marble” by Megumi Nakajima does not seem to work here in my opinion. It lacks a sort of rhythm that the original OP song bought to the viewers. That and the fact that it's a near replication montage of the Jersey Club girls is a bit repetitive to watch. Jin Aketagawa (Honey and Clover, Nodame Cantabile, sola) is someone who has experience with creating lighthearted music. In this sequel, he once again presents that soft touch of Rinne no Lagrange-like melody that is dramatic to the ears. But at the same time, it seems to lack any flavor and inspires more of that boredom. It's hard to judge but give or take, the music is just so-so.

Rinne no Lagrange II is a fun series to enjoy and watch on a bright sunny weekend. You know the first thing you wake up, open your windows, and smell the morning breeze? Ya, that's a similar feeling you get when you play the episodes. It's not all about play and games though as there is a story going on here. Unfortunately though, the story seems be a bit out of shape although it comes together at times. Pushing forward and rushing it through the story is not a good idea and in this sequel seems to repeat a bit of that mistake. But at the same time, the series presents entertainment of the Jersey Club that is enjoyable to watch. Cute girls doing cute things may be a bothersome at times, but I'm sure Madoka has a few things to say about that especially since her hobby is to help others in need. It's not bothersome to help people and you'll feel good about it. That's what the Jersey Club is there for and in this sequel, it's exactly what they do.

Ultimately, Rinne no Lagrange II isn't a “Maru!” or “perfect” as Madoka states. Yet, it can be a relaxing, enjoyable series to enjoy on a weekend with the Jersey Club.


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Like would be the case of any enjoyable series, when Rinne no Lagrange's second season was confirmed still in the middle of the first season I was obviously really excited. The first season was a pleasant surprise, so of course I was looking forward to more of the same... same? What was Rinne no Lagrange about again? Well, it was a very lighthearted friendship-themed show, but at the same time it constantly brought up things that looked like they could only be foreshadowing of heavy things to come. That vague mix of opposites combined with adorable lead characters was what always kept me on my toes and interested. But in the sequel, when the girls start to unravel the mysteries and save the world from its prophesized doom, the delicate balance is lost. We don't get more of the same, we get something different and worse.

Overall, things move forward pretty fast compared to the first season. The plot doesn't unfold on the level of character-specific developments and worldbuilding anymore, instead there's progress towards clear goals; the girls who had gone their separate ways have a heartwarming reunion after some drama and then begins their journey to get to the bottom of these war schemes and Vox-related mysteries. Still during the first half, there are some rare occasions when the story is engaging and Jersey Club's girl power is amusing enough to keep everything from collapsing. Unfortunately, when all that is used up the series is only halfway over.

There are a couple of very uneventful slice-of-life episodes during the second half. The prequel has some as well, but those in a completely different league. In addition to involving actual worldbuilding and characterization alongside the daily life scenes, the first season's slice-of-life episodes benefitted considerably from a tangible contrast between serious wars and prophecies and carefree Kamogawa days. It was clearly a primary goal to have the story influence the slice-of-life rather than the other way around. But the sequel goes and crushes that tension way too early, and it does a half-assed job with it on top of that. Some light gets shed on matters and they get half-resolved, meaning they lose all their sense of mystery yet still remain around like hazardous waste.

At that point the storyline is no longer useful for its original purpose and the low-quality plot is really powerless on its own, but it still gets forcibly resurrected at the end for a "serious climax" using some idiotic plot devices. Obviously that could only lead to an weak storyline with largely groundless plot developments. Not even once will anything that happens towards the end make you go "that's awesome" or "it all makes sense now" , the reaction is "that's it?" or "where did this come from?". During the first season the serious story was a good mood-builder that had potential to be very interesting on its own, the potential only gets wasted here.

The outcome is pretty pitiful. Not mostly for the disappointing story, but more importantly the slice-of-life side has a clear focus that could have worked out really well if it had any support. The theme of leaving behind a heavy past or a pleasant present in order to move towards countless possibilities of the future is constantly visible in dialogue starting from the very first scene. Too bad it just has no substance or credibility, there's next to no synergy with the story side this time. The mood and characterization simply don't support one another, most of the time it feels like everything is going backwards when it's supposed to be going forward. In short, the significance of carefree days is lost.

Crazy fun mech battles are both pretty much gone, we get some battles in space instead but those didn't manage to be very interesting in any way, it all feels too distant. Space looks pretty decent, but nothing in there is comparable to what the first season had to offer. Overall, there isn't really any consistent direction in terms of anything, the same seaside scenery looks somehow lifeless compared to what it once was and the lack of specific direction leaves only the blatant art quality flaws to stand out. The soundtrack, which remains the exact same as the first season's and it fit the series back then, barely ever suits any kind of purpose for the series anymore now that it has changed considerably, even Madoka's "Maru" feels so forced now. But that's to be expected since the sequel clearly has problems defining any kind of purpose for anything it does.

Character chemistry between the girls is still fun, but none of the girls show any interesting new sides of themselves. They show stupid and melodramatic sides, yes, but nothing you'd want to see. The earlier parts hint at some kind of heavier burdens for the girls, but that's nipped in the bud anti-climatically as if there never was any kind of tension, the serious mode is rarely anything more than a shocked expression that lasts a couple of seconds. Even the girls' future dreams are vastly underdeveloped as far as storytelling goes, which is a shame since they should have felt very respectable and serious. And the side characters, they aren't technically lacking depth, it's just that their motives for doing idiotic stuff aren't really convincing or fleshed out enough to feel reasonable, and to top it off in the end nothing really means anything.

So while the girls save the anime from being completely worthless, it's horribly bad as a sequel, even the better first half of this season doesn't really measure up to the distinct strengths the first one had. The characters were more lovable during the first season when there was a sense of urgency to give the fun they had together even more value, and the finale of the first season is way stronger and on top of that better at handing the themes that were squeezed into this season. Unless you are in a desperate need to see a bit more of Jersey Club in action it's better to avoid this cluster of horrible disappointments that destroys almost all possible enjoyment value it has.
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Rinne no Lagrange Season 2 is one of the more enjoyable series I've watched recently, although it's a little hard to explain why. To put it bluntly, this is a horribly written series, and there isn't much to like from an objective standpoint. And yet I still liked it.

Taking place several months after the conclusion of the first season, it follows Madoka and her two alien best friends, Lan and Muginami who with the power of their magical mechas--the Vox--they try to persuade Lan and Muginami's older brothers Dizelmine and Villagilio (respectively) to stop warring with each other, and prevent an apocalypse that's somehow connected to the Vox.

And that's pretty much half of what I could give as a summary to the plot. The story of Rinne no Lagrange is a confusing one, in that it's a fantasy series where none of the fantasy elements are ever given explanation. What exactly are the Vox? Are they bad or good, and how are they related to the apocalypse? Why are the nations of De Metrio and Le Garite warring with each other? What is with those huge flower things in the sky? None of this is given a clear answer, and since these are the things which the main story revolves around, it causes the whole thing to fall apart.

And yet it's all tolerable to the point where it's actually rather enjoyable in a non-ironic way. Most of the characters themselves are well-written; I wouldn't exactly call them deep or anything, but they have likable personalities, and they're dramatic needs were believable and clearly expressed--even if the plot surrounding these dramatic needs was not. You may not understand why Madoka and the others are battling against the powers of darkness (or something), you still enjoy watching them do so because of how likable they are.

This in part is due to the slice-of-life qaulities of the first season, which allowed you to feel more attached to the characters. The first season also had the problem of infusing these qualities with the more dramatic parts of the story, which consequently made it hard to take certain scenes seriously. Although the straight-up slice-of-life scenes are toned down in Season 2, it still has the problem of having a light-hearted atmosphere when it would probably have done better if it could have taken itself more seriously.

It seems as if the writers put so much focus into the characters and slice-of-life elements, that they never bothered to put much thought into the actual plot. Nothing was really even presented as "questions"--all of the characters just went along with the flow of events as if they already knew the nature of the Vox, or why De Metro and Le Garite were warring.

Despite this, Season 2 still manages to have its share of emotional moments, which only get better as the series progresses. However, sometimes you'll be enchanted by one of these wonderfully presented scenes, only for some other aspect of the plot to ruin it--canceling out what could be seen as a redeeming quality. In fact, the plot pretty much cancels all of the good qualities that the show has to offer, no matter how enjoyable they might have on their own. read more

Warning: this review contains spoilers.

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Story
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Rinne no Lagrange is just an overall “fun” show. And while it has other things going for it, which I will go into greater detail later, I find that it is this “fun” factor that keeps the show enjoyable. The story itself was interesting enough. What started off as a typical “kid pilots robot” story quickly evolved into one of interstellar strife spanning dozens of millennia. There never was a moment when I wasn’t looking forward to the next episode to find out how the Jersey Club pulls through its latest struggles. But as great as the ride was, I found the ending to be rather lackluster. There were just too many things left unresolved or unexplained.

In particular, there was just something “off” about the entire final arc. Everything had been all hunky-dory up until the “resolution” of the interplanetary conference. And then Dizelmine had to renege on his word to find a peaceful solution to the Polyhedron problem, making all the previous developments seem pointless. The absurdity of the Polyhedron problem itself can be brushed off with a little suspension of disbelief, but the sudden twist and the set-up of Moid as the “final boss” was very poorly poorly executed and honestly unnecessary. I personally thought that the show could have done better by instead focusing on the Jersey Club and the respective members’ plans for the future.

Now, that’s not to say that the series couldn’t have attempted the premise of the final arc. It certainly had the potential to answer the questions we had about the Rinne, and perhaps that’s what the producers had in mind. Except they didn’t pull it off properly. Instead, we were left with more even more questions and a sour taste in our mouths. Moid’s identity aside, his motives for triggering the Rinne again were very unconvincing. Even the circumstances of his “demise” were dissatisfying and unexplained. After all he put the Polyhedron through, I thought we would at least get to see Madoka confront and beat some sense into him. Instead, he just fades away? I was as surprised as he was when that happened.

Aside from my gripe with the final arc and ending, though, I would say that the rest of Rinne no Lagrange is fairly solid. The ending of the “first half” before the break also had a sort of “well that escalated quickly, now what?” feel, but that could be forgiven since the series was slated to continue. Overall, the mostly lighthearted feel of the show, despite its serious moments, made for a very entertaining watch.

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Characters
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Rinne no Lagrange certainly had some very engaging characters. The main trio aside, it was nice to see the antics of the Ovid pilots. Perhaps one of my favorite moments in the entire show was when Izo decided to challenge Madoka to a duel. The misunderstanding with the other Kamogawa girls and Kirius meeting Madoka without realizing it were some of the funniest character interactions I had ever seen. But of course, the show always made sure to balance its comedy with a good measure of seriousness, which is one of its strengths in my eyes. All of the characters had their own issues, which were believable and drew us further in to the story without coming off as overly dramatic.

The revelation that Youko-nee looked up to Madoka’s mother as much as Madoka looked up to her is one such example of the great character developments in the show. Learning that the Jersey Club that Madoka was inspired by, and inherited, was actually founded by Youko to help herself cope with the death of Madoka’s mother really gave us a fresh perspective on how fragile yet strong the characters are. In fact, this “cycle of support” really resounds with the strong “circle” theme present in show (maru!). I could go on and on about all the different characters and how they interact with each other (take Dizelmine and Vilajulio for instance), but that would just be excessive. Suffice it to say that the developments between the characters, as well as individually, are one of the stronger points of the show.

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Production
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Oh boy. This is actually one of those shows that has music I enjoy. I remember watching the first half of the show and being immediately impressed by both the opening and ending themes. This doesn’t happen everyday. Sometimes I might like one or the other, but most times neither particularly catch my ear. The fact that the first opening went on to be incorporated as bgm only further increased my enjoyment of the show. And that’s not all. The ending of the second half took things up a notch with its sublime horn section and upbeat pseudo-rap. If I had to describe the song with one word, I would definitely have to go with “funky”. The best part is, the whole song actually consists of three sections, each sung by a different heroine. Getting to hear three different takes on the song was a very nice touch, and the transitions between each of them were just as catchy.

Moving on to visuals, Rinne no Lagrange is very obviously well-done. I didn’t notice any dips in quality at all, but perhaps that’s to be expected of Production I.G. They do have a reputation for high quality, after all. Everything from the Voces to the space ships to even the Rinne itself looked absolutely top-notch. One thing of particular note, though, is the color palette. I’m not quite sure what it is, but the show always had this sort of weird tinge to it. It’s hard to describe, but I guess the closest thing I can come up with is that there was a “washed-out” effect. This isn’t a bad thing, though. If anything, it gives the show a really stylized feel that sets it apart from most other anime I’ve watched. Long story short, it’s a little weird at first, but I like it.

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Overall
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Rinne no Lagrange is easily one of my favorite shows of all time. It’s obviously not perfect, and unfortunately suffers from “bad ending syndrome”, but almost everything else about it is very well done. Catchy music? Check. Consistently high quality? Check. Engaging characters? Check. The list goes on, but I digress. If you’re looking for a show that will grab your attention and keep it, then Rinne no Lagrange fits the bill. read more