Madoka Kyouno is an energetic girl who is full of passion. As the proud, and only, member of the Kamogawa Girls' High School Jersey Club, she goes around helping people in need.
Madoka's life is turned upside down when she is suddenly asked by a mysterious girl named Lan to pilot a robot. Motivated by her desire to protect the people and city of Kamogawa, Madoka agrees to pilot the resurrected Vox robot to fight against extraterrestrials that have come to attack Earth.
(Source: VIZ Media)
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Comentários
_mahoushoujos_
Most people did not enjoy this show. However, I did. Maybe my opinions are highly flawed. I doubt I'm the pinnacle of good taste, so you shouldn't take my review as the word of God. But the fact remains that I liked Rinne no Lagrange while many others did not, so here's me telling you why. Story: 7/10 The plot of Rinne no Lagrange is not very complicated to begin with, at least not to me. A lot of people found it a bit confusing and the back stories not fleshed out enough, but keep in mind that this is a two-season anime. I expect, with theending presented in season 1, the reasons behind what happened in these 12 episodes will be further explained. But overall, I found the story to be quite interesting. Basically, a girl named Madoka is chosen to pilot a mecha along with two other young girls. And stuff happens.
It's not unique at all, but I felt that the way it was presented was rather refreshing. Rinne is a show that has serious undertones and darker elements, without actually taking itself too seriously. It's a precarious balance between light-hearted and the somber, and I'll admit that this doesn't always work out so well. But while Rinne's story is far from perfect, I honestly did like it.
Art: 8/10
When I first started watching this show, I had to watch the early release version streaming. I honestly thought the art sucked. But once I began downloading episodes in higher quality, I realized that the art in this is actually very good. The special effects are all done beautifully, and while some of the daily life scenes aren't animated as well, overall I thought the animation was quite good. The character designs were all very interesting as well, and I liked the idea of giving the aliens multicolored "anime hair" while giving regular earthlings normal colored Japanese hair.
Sound: 7/10
The music in Rinne didn't actually start getting good until the later half. The first few episodes had alright music, but in some of the battle scenes later on the soundtrack was just lovely. I liked the voice acting as well, so no problems there. There were times in the series when the uplifting string music gave the rather bleak images an eerie tone, but that was very minor and not often. Overall, the music was nice when there was music, and the acting was fine.
Character: 7/10
Depending on how you feel about moe, the character section will vary greatly for everyone. Madoka, Lan, and Muginami, the three young female protagonists, are clearly there to attract the older male otaku audience. They each have their own cute little quirks, and each of them have their "cute girls doing cute things" moments. However, unlike actual moeblob shows, the three girls in Rinne actually go through a lot of hardship and emotional suffering as the series progresses. There are moments where you know for sure they will be fine as long as they have each other, but there are many other scenes where you question whether or not anything would be the same again. It's not a "tear them up from the inside out" kind of show like another famous series with a protagonist named Madoka is, but the characters do go through enough development to make you laugh and cry with them.
Enjoyment: 8/10
I suppose this show doesn't appeal to everyone. It's not a universally likable show. It has tons of moe fan service (though very little of it is sexual), and seems to attract the older male otaku population rather than everyone. However, as a teenage girl, I can say that I highly enjoyed Rinne. I liked that it started out light and happy, with only a few glimpses at the underlying darkness, and just when you think it's all going to go downhill, it returns to being the same kind of cheery again. This type of emotional setup is not for everyone, and it will confuse a lot of people. But I liked it, and I found it to be rather clever.
Overall: 7/10
If you are looking for a mecha show with badass little girls piloting giant robots and fighting aliens, then this is not the show for you. If you are looking for something more nuanced; something character driven; something that confuses your emotions but still leaves you wanting to know more, then by all means, watch Rinne no Lagrange. It's not perfect or amazing by any standard, but it's good. I can't quite explain in words how I felt overall about Rinne. But I suppose...it was good. Sometimes, it was just fine, and at other times, it was great. So...good would be the right way to express it.
michalpelszyk
I was severely disappointed by this show. Mind you, I am paying a lot of attention to the creation of the world itself as well as plot and characters. I found myself rolling eyes a lot when watching the series - the tropes are a plenty here - and what makes it worse is the mediocre execution What I liked: * The "stick to what you decided" theme * The older cousin character * Art was good What I disliked: * Holes in the plot * Incomplete world (examples: mecha get damaged, how do they become functional again? What really happened in the past between the main character and the mecha? Staffconveniently out of the way when they would be restraining main characters.)
* The Loli, even if she is older than she looks, or maybe that's what makes it worse
* "PEEERFECT" and "ROOOGER THAT!" - significant contributors to "eyeroll factor"
Monjoex
Oddly enough, while it appears to be a typical show about mecha, it has much less to do with the mecha themselves than you would think. It actually focuses more on the characters and their interactions with each other. This is not necessarily a bad thing even if you were looking into this series for the mecha, because they do have some visually stunning battle scenes. Lagrange did a steller job keeping a good balance between the sci-fi mecha, high school life, and character drama. The pacing is back and forth. Afew episodes seemed a bit sluggish at times, while others felt flew by like nothing. At least those instances were few and far between. The main character, Madoka, is probably the most likeable character in the entire show. Her companions, Lan and Muginami, are also incredible and the three girls compliment each other quite well
With a strong opening and more than fitting ending, this overall is a fun and enjoyable show for any audience. The story is not fully explained and there are some issues with it,
I did feel that the Yuri undertones throughout this series came off a bit strong and hold a little too much presence. But if you aren’t the kind of person to be bothered by this, there’s nothing to worry about. Even still, it’s not blatantly thrown in your face, so even if it’s not your cup of tea, it’s not enough to outright ruin the show for you.
If you’re looking for a mecha series, you won’t be entirely disappointed, but keep in mind it’s no Gundam. However, on the flip side, even if you don’t like mecha anime, it’s still a fun series to watch for the characters.
platinumSKIES
I didn't really know what to expect from Rinne. Considering that, during the Winter 2012 season there were two other 'scifi-girls' shows, I wondered how this particular anime would stand out. And how did it? By being as much of a character piece as it was a mecha show. Story (7/10): With our lead heroine Madoka and the two friends that she acquires in aliens Lan and Muginami, you get a sense that the story wouldn't have worked nearly as well without the dynamic that they build up over the course of 12 episodes. We have an alien war going after the Vox mechs andthe town of Kamogawa is stuck right in the middle. It's interesting in how much of the first half of this series is built just around the back stories of everything, and when you see a good chunk of the plot just there, it means that we can expect good things from the second season. It has it's funny moments, it's sad and heartwarming moments, and it's dramatic and action scenes, and it does handle them all pretty solidly and fluidly. There also seems to be a theme of showing both sides of the conflict and making you connect with them. It's definitely interesting and I'm excited to see how much farther they take it in S2.
The story does have it's faults, though. It takes a while for the plot to really kick in (probably around episode 4 or so would be my best guess, with episodes 1-3 acting as a really long pilot episode), so you may or may not lose a slight bit of interest in the mean time. It also has the distinct problem in not knowing how much of the high school life of our 3 girls to put into the show (I honestly feel bad for their classmates, since it feels like they just pop out randomly), along with strange time jumps here and there that can distract you from whats going on.
Art (9/10): Those mechs are pretty as all hell. Well, the whole show is pretty, but there has to be some props to Nissan for the great designs for the Vox mechs (in both robot and plane mode). The main Ovids are also interesting looking, though I'm not a big fan of the purple that they're mainly designed with. Also, I'm glad to see that Xebec has gotten out of there rom-com style here and helped make the show look nice (not saying they still don't do that, but for a mecha anime, they did a good job with the help of Production I.G.), though you can still see their distinct character designs here and there. Really, the show just looks good. Plain and simple.
Sound (7/10): The only piece that stood out for me, as it usually does, is the opening "Try Unite!". It does a good job of capturing the scifi quality of the show, while still being a nice song to listen to (also, it becomes pretty haunting in the slower version that plays during episode 12). The ending wasn't bad, but nothing really interesting. Otherwise, the show sounded nice.
Character (9/10): Where Rinne shines is it's characters. Madoka get's a metric ton of development, changing from just the spunky, jack of all trades that we're introduced to over the course of the season. Lan breaks out of her shell, into a sweet girl that would do anything for friends. Muginami learns that others are more than willing to be with her, and that she doesn't need her 'brother' alone to feel like she has people that love her. The 3 pilots Array, Izo, and Kirius change from what we think are typical bad guys into noble people...
What I'm trying to say is that all the characters in this show are great and I'm hyped to see how they change further in S2.
Enjoyment (8/10): I'll be honest here- at first, I really wasn't that interested in anything that was going on. The first three episodes went on too long for me and I was just waiting for something cool to happen. But I'm glad that I stuck it out. I got to see wonderful characters, interesting dilemmas, really cool action...basically everything that I was hoping that this show would provide. By the end of episode 12, I was pumped and completely interested in what would happen next that I was sad to realize that I would have to start watching the second season.
Rinne separates itself from the pack by being a mecha show with a little more just waiting for you underneath. Definitely worth a watch and a total recommendation for all. Off to season two!
Maru!
jeffreyhou1997
I remember watching a bit at "bad anime night" at my friend's house. I thought it was good at the time, but I just finished it today, 2 years later. The positive feelings I had towards the show were probably contextual. It was really painful to watch. It might have been because I stick to dubs, but the English translation was really irritating. The lines sounded like they had been run through a translation program, nothing like what an actual person might say. Soundtrack was good though; I think the singer also sang as Ranka from Macross F. The story sucked, there's no other way to phraseit. They'd hint at something important then make it seem inconsequential the minute after, but part of that could be attributed to how badly the characters, especially main character was written. There's no way to take the plot seriously with how oddly Madoka acts. The other two girls weren't as bad, they could have fared better in another show. Lan was the biggest reason I was able to get through the latter episodes.
Hopefully the second season is better.
6.2/10.0
ktulu007
Rinne no Lagrange is a sci-fi series written by Suga Shotaro, known for working on several really strong titles such as Stand Alone Complex, Le Chevalier D'Eon, Brotherhood and some others. It sounds promising so let's take a look. Kyouno Madoka is a young high school student and the only member of the Jersey Club, a group that aids other student organisations. One day she's approached by a strange girl and taken to a battleship to pilot a giant robot called a Vox that everyone seems to want to possess or destroy. To make things more complicated, there's a disturbing legend about the Vox. That's thebasic story, it seems like there's a lot of material, especially for a relatively short anime, but all the material gets covered really well. There's a lot of intrigue and the mixture of occasional serious moments with mostly light-hearted fun is well executed. The only real story issue is the pacing. Everything does get covered, but some parts have a really hectic pace, especially at the very beginning and end, while others are more relaxed and it makes the story seem like it's moving far too fast at those points which is a bit disorienting.
The anime focuses more on the characters than it does the story, which does make things interesting. The main cast is well developed and they get a lot of great interactions. The major interactions revolve around Madoka, Lan and Muginami (who can't seem to figure out when things between Madoka and Lan are getting intense and polite people would leave the room). The three of them are spectacular characters. Even the supporting characters and antagonists feel fleshed out and interesting.
The art is good. It's nice and vibrant, which suits the content well. The backgrounds are lively. My one issue is that there's quite a bit of pointless fan-service and it gets pretty facepalm worthy at some moments. That being said, at least it's equal opportunity fan-service.
The voice acting is well done. Seto Asami, Ishihara Kaori, and Kayano Ai especially do well with their roles. The music is upbeat, catchy and really well done.
The yuri factor is a 6.5/10. You can probably guess this from the characters paragraph, the relationship between Madoka and Lan is extremely homoerotic, and Muginami gets a few moments with them, so maybe it's not that she can't read the mood maybe she just wants to be involved. Youko and Machiko also get a couple moments, but the main les-yay focus is on Madoka and Lan, the last episode especially.
My final rating for Rinne no Lagrange is a 7.5/10. It has some awkward pacing and far too much fan-service, but overall it's a delightful series with lots of fun moments and wonderful characters. If you're a fan of Sky Girls or Canaan you'll probably like this as well and the best part is that a sequel is set to start airing in July. Here's hoping that it's even better and that Madoka and Lan get to officially become a couple instead of just being really homoerotic.
Lanf
If you are looking for hardcore mecha action along the lines of NGE, this show won't deliver. If you are looking for an intriguing story, this show won't deliver. This show has more appeal to those who enjoy slice-of-life, as what really carries this show is the art and characters. We have 3 main heroines in this story; Kyouno Madoka - the lead, an energetic, cheerful girl with natural leadership talent; Lan - the mysterious klutz, with tsundere elements; and Muginami, a mischevious, carefree girl, though the most perceptive of the others' emotions. The story of is simple. In short, waves of mechas attack earth, and onlydefense is 3 teenage girls. Some basic politics takes place internally, and bilaterally, but no grandiose strategies, atleast, none that are cared to be explained. There is backstory to the characters, and revelations are, though few, usually explained well enough, if explanation is necessary. The show is more talking than action, though the amount isn't oversaturating, but some of the dialogue is profoundly uninteresting.
As for a more indepth view of the characters, only the 3 main characters are really blessed with a good degree of depth. That said, all 3 of them have a good backstory, which not only serves to explain their motives, but doesn't drag out so much to take precedence over the present events.
Kyouno is very much an opposite of NGE's Shinji or other similar teenage boy lead protagonists who could be described as 'pathetic'. Kyouno is eager to get on with what she needs to do, which makes her enjoyable to watch, certainly not overly frustrating. She drives the story forwards well, without the story becoming too centred around her. Her biggest flaw, if anything, is that she is too... 'nice'. Whilst she won't pull punches to set people straight, her personality can at times be overly bland.
Lan on the other hand, differs from Kyouno quite significantly, she is quiet and to begin with, it is difficult quite understanding her actions, not due to their complexity, but due to a modest level of strangeness. Lan is my favourite out of the 3, as she interacts with the other 2 main characters in ways very entertaining to watch, but usually at the expense of her dignity. Lan just about covers enough various minor elements from other stereotypes to avoid falling into a set rigid one, which serves to make her character relatively unique.
Muginami joins the main cast a little later. At first, I was worried her generous endowments would make her simply the fanservice character, but once it delved into her backstory, I was satisfied that she is certainly much more than that, she has real personality. Generally more cheerful than Lan, who she often finds herself at odds with, she is often seen reacting to the other 2's moods and responding in trolling ways. Muginami's motives, reasoning and loyalty is often all too wishywashy though, so it would have been good to see a bit more consistency in her personality.
The villains of the show, however, rarely have, or at least show clear motive, asides from control. They are generally lacking in depth in their personality, and often don't even appear to be antagonistic at all. This would be a factor that'd add depth, if their actions were overly coherent enough to even form a gray area, certainly, the main antagonist - Villagiulio - lacks good presence, and even more so for his subordinates, who are perhaps the blandest of the them all. The protagonist supporting characters vary from some of the major ones doing nothing asides from issuing orders, to those with mixed motives, to those that are there to set Kyouno straight and give her support when she needs it.
On the art front, this show is brilliantly animated. From the character designs to the backgrounds, everything looks good, moreso than that infact, its visuals often left me in awe, something relatively unusual in anime - ironic, for something that many people may have started the show, by watching the low-quality preair. The scenery is colourful - very vivid colours, especially with the sky and lighting make for fantastic eyecandy. Even better when the 'Flower declaration of of your heart' becomes more literal.
As for the character designs, we have the sleek looking Voxs - the mecha piloted by our 3 saviours of earth. Somewhat based on modern fighter jets in their default form, these are very sleek beasts, looking something akin to the Arwings from the Star Fox video games, albeit with more curves. The antagonists' mecha aren't nearly as good looking, a more generic affair, but still, they are fitting.
For the people, the designs vary a fair bit for the characters. Many will look, as expected, generic, but clear - there is a certain simple refinement to all the characters, everything is crisp. As for our main characters, Kyouno is relatively normal looking, but her given colour, (Each of the 3 main characters represent a colour, which is also their mecha's colour) a nice shade of green looks good when in her pilot's suit, and her token jersey gives her an appearance that does help her stand out, without breaking what would be expected for a schoolgirl to wear.
Lan and Muginami though, show the strongest designs. Lan's sleek blue is represented in both her light blue hair (which doesn't come across as obnoxiously unnatural) and her usual attire, which looks good without being too skimpy. Muginami's orange theme is also represented in her hair, though her outfit also is fortunately reserved, but not quite so much as Lan's, as she could have very easily been a pure fanservice character with a more revealing outfit. Though Muginami's bust isn't really 'exploited' as such, disapointing those who'd want more ecchi elements to the show, she comes across as strong and sexy, which is what I'd prefer.
As for the villains, these guys have pretty plain designs, making them quite forgettable. This can also be said for some of the supporting protagonists, however, but it is a shame to have no distinctively cool looking villain.
As for music, the OP is again, a delight for the eyes with visuals, with a fitting song, though the jpop/dance isn't to my preference, it is still worth not skipping it, simply to see the rich colours in motion. The ED goes for a more laid-back jpop song, with simpler visuals, but simple in the sense that it discards the unnecessary, which makes it an interesting contrast to the OP. The BGM is for the most part, well fitting, but somewhat bland - whilst this doesn't come across as overpowering, it rarely invokes much emotion either.
Rinne no Lagrange on the whole, is a show that proves to be mostly balanced, but lacking in terms of story. I say again, this show is likely to appeal to those of slice-of-life, because, for a good portion of the show, it is one, certainly once all 3 main characters are brought together. It is the subtle nuances of the characters, their interactions and development that is what should appeal most, along with the fantastic art, that doesn't so much follow a niché style, but is wonderful regardless. This is a fun show, that is somewhat serious, but intertwines this with good mellow sections in a way that works but can leave some wanting more of one aspect and less of the other. It wouldn't hurt to try this show, don't expect big things, but you're likely to be pleasantly surprised if the current MAL rating is a little off-putting.
Worth noting is that there is a second cour coming 3 months from now, though this didn't result in this season having a bad ending, it was acceptably satisfying for now.
mouthpiece
This is a mecha show planned by Studio I.G. which is very good at sci-fi shows, but is otherwise animated by Xebec, a studio notorious for its bad anime. It is directed by Satou Tatsuo, who has made lots of mecha shows, most of which are unorthodox but otherwise slow and usually anti-climactic (Martian Successor Nadesico, Gekiganger 3, Shingu, Stellvia). He also has Suzuki Toshimasa as an assistant, who in the past directed Heroic Age and the second season of Polyphonica. So ok, he isn’t much of a talent. Thus we have a project based on antithesis, decent director and planner but also bad assistantand animator. So the overall feeling was expected to be mediocre. And yup, I was right.
It starts right away with establishing every character through sexual stereotypes, something which is sacrificing a lot from personality in favour of shallow appeal. There is the usual variety of uniform eye candy, such as school uniforms, swimsuits, maid suits, nude scenes, and even combat suits that fit better for erotic foreplay than… well, combat. Also, every single girl in the anime dresses, acts, and thinks like a retard (exactly how the male audience likes them), thus you get that fuzzy feeling of dumb fun out of them, but nothing amazing in the longrun.
CHARACTERS
- Madoka is the lead heroine, who always acts on impulse and rarely thinks what the devil she is doing. She is following the energetic/positive bimbo stereotype and in a way she feels like a parody of Shinji Ikari from Neon Genesis. Where he would constantly try not to run away, she just storms in and then asks forgiveness for messing it all up. She also wears her swimsuit underneath her school uniform because "you never know if it comes in handy." It is also a joke on having two fetishes at the same time. But as I said, since every girl in the show is dumb, she is not smart enough to change after she swims and walks all around the city while still wet and risking pneumonia, even when she is carrying her jym clothes. Oh yes, there is also the issue with the jersey, a third fetish. She is the leader of the jersey club, where girls run around in them doing good deeds and feeling all happy about it. She even has her own signature pose (Maru!), hairstyle, and impractically lifted sleeves that are supposed to be giving her an identity or something. But it’s nothing much.
- Lan is the second heroine, and is following the cooldere stereotype. She acts like a puppy, as she constantly replies by barking and feels neglected (like one) when left alone. She also seems to lack common sense, but is excused because she is apparently an alien. So she doesn’t mind how she walks around in a military uniform that conveniently leaves her half-naked. She cares very much for Madoka and that is why she gave her a robot to go fight some aliens she has no idea what they are all about. But it’s ok, Madoka is so stupid that agrees right away because she wants to help people. In fact, she rushes to it so fast, she never asks anyone to explain what the hell are aliens like Lan want in the first place and just continues her life with her as a friend.
- And then we have Muginami who dresses like a street whore and is so stupid she even talks slowly. She also seems to have a brother complex and get all emo and crazy when not being exploited by him.
And that is all you need to know about the main characters of this show. A dumb energetic one, a dumb dog, and a dumb whore, playing around with robots for some weird alien conspiracy. There are a few others but surely you will remember them for even less that that. Such as the director of the institution always smirking with his eyes closed, the president being a loli who loves molesting underraged girls, and a male alien soldier who loves to cross dress. So as you can tell, the cast is just silly people doing silly things.
STORY
So what is this conspiracy in the story anyway? Well, there are these human-looking aliens on a far away planet who are in the middle of a civil war, and there are three ancient robots that can destroy everything, and the rebels look for them, and they came to Earth, and they… Ok, screw that, nobody cares about the plot, ok? It is mostly silly moments with dumb girls undressing, doing school activities where they are molested by eels, going to the beach where they bathe in the nude, being debriefed by their loli superior before she fondles their breasts, and stopping an alien armada before filming a yuri movie. There are some heavy emo moments too, regarding the alien war but it is completely disregarded in a few minutes. Hell, even the war just ends out of the blue and they all go back to do more silly stuff. Yeah, ok, nothing to see here, moving along to the robot action.
ART/ANIMATION
The robot battles are very cool in choreography and the only good thing I find in the whole series; everything else is just dumb fun. Of course I’ll be damned if I didn’t get Neon Genesis deza vu out of them. It appears to be one big tribute to Hideaki Anno works and it’s not like this can’t work, since one of my favoured retro mecha is Gunbuster, which was also girls and robots fighting aliens. The thing is, both Gunbuster and NGE were directed by Hideaki and animated by Gainax, a combo that beats this show’s team ten times over. Oh well…
So anyways, the overall production values ain’t bad but surely far from amazing. The robots are battling in extremely interesting ways, like pulling out energy swords, creating barriers, transforming to airships, and even using martial arts like German suplex and strangling grabs… although the last one is just Madoka trying to do cool stuff even when they are not necessary. I mean she keeps trying to play wrestling with the enemy robots as if they are humans, yet trying to strangle a mecha that doesn’t breathe is just dumb. Or she keeps trying not to cause too much damage in the city, yet she never thinks about just moving away from it in order to fight. Yes, she is dumb, just like we like them.
Oh, and there are boob/pantsu jokes too in case you are not into robot action. Nothing amazing about them; they are presented in a perky/non-slutty way but we can get a thousand anime like that.
MUSIC
The soundtrack didn’t feel interesting; some j-pop trash I wouldn’t care less about. And voice acting was ok, meaning everybody sounded as retarded as they needed to be. I bet that “Lagrange” word in the title comes from how everybody’s brains “lag” in all “ranges”.
ENJOYMENT
So, basically you get a completely stupid show which can easily be labelled dumb fun. If you can switch off your brain then you may enjoy it for what it is but for me this is a completely passable title. Even when it tries to be a social drama at points, it does it in such a light way before throwing in fan service and school comedy that it might as well not exist at all. Thus although it has a serious aspect to it, it plays out way too light and silly to leave you with fond impressions.
VALUE
It came out at the same time as another similar show named Aquarion Evol, which is far more extreme in all sections and pretty much stole all the spotlight. But even without it, it is not much of a show people will remember in a few years from now. It is way too light and simple for its own good to the point you will easily forget it.
And now for some excused scorings.
ART SECTION: 6/10
General Artwork 2/2 (looks nice)
Character Figures 1/2 (generic, too many trashy fetishes)
Backgrounds 1/2 (basic)
Animation 1/2 (basic)
Visual Effects 1/2 (basic)
SOUND SECTION: 7/10
Voice Acting 2/3 (silly but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Music Themes 3/4 (not great but fitting with the feeling of the series)
Sound Effects 2/3 (ok I guess)
STORY SECTION: 4/10
Premise 1/2 (typical)
Pacing 1/2 (loose)
Complexity 1/2 (not much)
Plausibility 0/2 (none)
Conclusion 1/2 (cheesy)
CHARACTER SECTION: 6/10
Presence 1/2 (generic)
Personality 2/2 (cheesy but well founded)
Backdrop 1/2 (generic and simplistic but it’s there)
Development 1/2 (overblown but it’s there)
Catharsis 1/2 (overblown but it’s there)
VALUE SECTION: 2/10
Historical Value 0/3 (I don’t expect it to be remembered in a few years)
Rewatchability 0/3 (nothing we haven’t seen better elsewhere)
Memorability 2/4 (perky but that is pretty much it)
ENJOYMENT SECTION: 2/10
Too light and silly for its own good. Gets boring fast.
VERDICT: 4.5/10
BriefEd
Ever seen a sheet of bubble wrap? Then you've seen something more solid and with less holes than this plot. Teen girls in ancient high tech robots pooping holographic flowers into space isn't going to work no matter how nicely you dress it up. Depending on how sensitive your ears are you could end up having a difficult time with Madoka because the voice belongs to Ishihara Kaori and the sound is so extreme and intense that only one in a thousand characters is a good match. I want to punch someone for making it fit Madoka so perfectly that I can't imagine anyone better suited. Nowabout that plot, or lack of it... if you like watching cheery schoolgirls goofing off it isn't all that bad, in fact the plot despite being important still feels unimportant in many moments where characters, events, emotions and comedy steal the scene with surprising force, often further augmented by the great artistic quality. After also watching season 2 this forgetfulness towards the plot stuck with me even more while rewatching.
Final verdict? Don't take it too seriously, enjoy each moment for what it is and you could very well end up having a great time.
earl_of_sandvich
This review may contain spoilers. "Alone, one cannot support oneself. Two would break apart. When it's three of them, the bond is stable. Madoka isn't alone. The three members of the Track Suit Club are one." I'm not 100% sure why Lagrange grew on me. It could be that since I dropped Captain Earth in the same season and wanted a giant robot show I could watch without facepalming because it reminded me of childhood moments I wanted to forget. It could be that I thought the Nissan-designed mechs looked cool, even if they weren't Kawamori designs (Anime law of aerodynamics: Any shape, no matter how strangeor convoluted, is automatically aerodynamic). Maybe it was the fantastic chemistry of the three heroines. Maybe it was the symbolism scattered throughout the show. Whatever the reasons, this was a solid production for me.
One of the themes is "machi-okoshi" (local town awareness), though this isn't as in-your-face about it as Sakura Quest, Love Live, or Locodol. I'm not sure if very many people in Japan knew about Kamogawa until this show, and the mere repeated mention of the town's name probably made it a destination for the consideration of anime fans. This setting is crafted very well, depicting a small, quiet seaside town where the residents live simple lives. It might not be the first thing you'd think of for the backdrop to a brewing interstellar conflict, but it's a warm foundation, a place to call home. Listening to Madoka yell at her foe that he's screwing up such-and-such's peanut fields, etc., is a great way to reinforce this.
Even though I tend to prefer heroines who use their brains, I rather like Madoka-- she might not be the sharpest knife in the drawer, but her heart is made of pure gold, feeds on compassion, and longs for justice. Perhaps it's because of this that she is able to draw into her orbit those who sought to manipulate her, namely Lan and Muginami. Through Madoka we see first-hand another theme of the show, "This is what you decided, so take responsibility and see it through to the end," beaten into her. Her cousin Yoko, while not one of the central 3 characters, is nevertheless a very effective foil for Madoka, giving the younger Track Suit member a well-deserved kick in the pants right when she needs it.
The other two members of the trio each bring a diverse set of background and personality to the club. Nowhere is this better symbolized than the shots of the three chairs, describing where each girl is relative to one another in most episodes. At their core, they all want to help people (they're all chairs), but sometimes they don't see eye to eye, or sometimes not all the chairs are there.
While Lan was relatively easy to get to know, Muginami was employing subterfuge from her first appearance. To get the audience to understand her motivations, we're given a number of flashback scenes where apples are symbolic of her affection. This is particularly important because Kayano's performance didn't change a whole lot (less 'forced') after Muginami dropped the act and joined the club in earnest. It's no coincidence that, following the final conflict with Villagiulio, the apple remains at Madoka's house, meaning that while he will always be Muginami's first love, Madoka is even closer.
Visually, nothing terrible, but nothing amazing until the power of the Vox is unleashed. Part of the reason why the fear of the Vox is so effectively communicated is the unknowns about it-- what happened in the past to inspire a verse warning generations to never allow the Vox to release its poewr. The synth soundtrack does a fairly decent job of setting the tone, though it can get a tad repetitive and predictable-- you know things are turning for the better when the violins lead the soundtrack in a stirring piece (almost like a quick march).
Megumi "Mamegu" Nakajima, who attained anime stardom for her role as Ranka Lee, sings the opening and ending themes. Pay close attention to the opener-- the upbeat default opening arrangement emphasizes the major chords, evoking freedom and youth. In the finale's climactic scene, the accompaniment is reduced to a solo piano, which naturally emphasizes the minor chords, evoking sadness and yearning. I wouldn't be surprised if this is inspired by a similar rearrangement done by Angela in similar scenes in Stellvia-- as the backdrop to exploding starships and a farewell scene, it is a powerful coup de grace.
Admittedly, the climax of the story has a couple of issues, assuming this saga ends at one cour: (1) it's very deus ex machina (deus ex Dizelmine?), and (2) there are several areas where there clearly is more to the story than meets the eye. You know, it's almost as though they were planning on a longer series but only got approval for one cour. Evidently this was enough of a hit that the second season got greenlit.
HDTurtle
Nothing stood out, except the beautiful and detailed sky shots with their expressive and colorful clouds, nothing was too outstanding. The characters were clear and understandable, you knew their pasts and the reason for the things they did, but you didn't care. The story left us with questions at the end, I myself had 5 of them. The second season is likely going to answer these questions but I didn't find the story engaging enough to continue watching. The story couldn't decide if it wanted to lean more towards being a funny show or a serious one and because of this failed at both. The showhad potential, the first episode was one of the best first episodes I have ever seen. The beautiful background art with the catchy music, adding to that funny and mysterious characters, it got my attention from the very beginning. The characters later on proved to be boring - from episode 4 or so, I couldn't sympathize with them anymore and started not caring about what happens to them. Despite the numerous questions left unanswered, the story was decent, however it wasn't good enough to carry the show through.
The characters felt like a decent looking meal that had no taste, not enough emotional attention was given to their past and their feature actions didn't quite had the punch. The reason for all of this, I believe, is because the show couldn't decide what it wanted to do. It didn't wanted to be too heavy on emotions and decided to have comedic moments, but it couldn't juggle both at the same time. The characters were not sympathetic because they didn't went full on with the emotions, the comedy failed because they started sneaking in half-arsed emotions that were incomplete due to the comedic nature of the show. It is fine to have comic characters that act as a stress relief, which release the tension, but when the overall mood of the show leans towards to comedy more then drama, everything mixes together and nothing gets properly done.
If the show had anything outstanding it was the music and the background art, they were top notch, it always caught my attention. Especially the clouds, they were drawn beautifully with great detail, their color popped up and grabbed your attention. The shadows and the overall shading of objects was well done.
With its decent story that left many questions behind, and the unsympathetic characters that were well understood but couldn't fully express themselves due to the comedic and light nature of the show, it is possible to think that the show would be pretty bad.
But it is still possible to enjoy it. Instead of looking for a story or trying to understand their past, if one instead focused on the present and just watches over the friendship between the characters, their relationships and interactions, then it is possible to enjoy it. At the end, the overall theme of the show is friendship and how it can win through any hardship, so if you are up for it, give these girls and their relationship a chance.
Joe_Devaney
Note: This will be a review of both seasons. Overview: "Rinne no Lagrange", also called "Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne" looks like a rather unique take on the mecha genre at first glace, specifically the super robot sub-genre, and it certainly makes a good effort to be such. However, while it is true you won't find many mech shows like it, that isn't necessarily a good thing, with the execution of its premise and ideas being somewhat disappointing and the series ultimately failing to make the most out of its parts. It's still a very enjoyable series, particularly if you like this kind of show, but there'sstill no denying that it could have been a lot better than it ultimately turned out to be.
Story (6.5/10):
"Rinne no Lagrange" revolves around the members of the Jersey Club, a club in the all-girls Kamogawa High School that's dedicated to helping people those in need, and of which popular second-year student Madoka Kyono begins as the sole member. One day, Madoka's dedication to helping everyone leads to her rescuing a mysterious girl from drowning, and said girl then asks to join the Jersey Club, introducing herself as Fin E Ld Si Laffinty, or Lan as she prefers to be called. However, there is more to this mysterious girl than meets the eye, as Lan reveals to Madoka that she is in fact an alien, and she desires for Madoka to pilot a robot called a Vox, specifically a green one called the Vox Aura. Never the type to say "No." to someone who needs help, Madoka agrees to be the Vox's pilot in order to protect the Earth from invading forces who desire the power of the Vox for themselves, later being joined by Lan and another alien girl named Muginami, who are both connected to the Vox in their own ways
As a whole, "Rinne no Lagrange" tries to do a lot of things. It tries to go against the gender norms of the genre by casting three girls as the show's main mech pilots. It also puts a stronger focus on slice-of-life than other mech shows, with the series covering the girls' day-to-day lives as often as it does their battles in the Voxes, if not more so. This proves to be a good thing, as a lot of these slice-of-life scenes do help to develop the characters in some way, and the seaside setting of Kamogawa certainly helps as well. Unfortunately, not all of the story's ideas work that well. For one, the series tries to present a morally grey conflict, but what exactly is supposed to be "grey" isn't really made clear, as I often couldn't make heads or tails of the villains' motives. What's more is that the three characters we see the most of are all unambiguously good people, with Madoka herself in particular being as heroic as they come. As such, you'll definitely never have any doubts about who you're supposed to root for.
The story's pacing also has some major problems. While the series does do a fine job at getting you invested with its first few episodes, it does run into some major bumps here and there. The worst of these is during the latter half of season 1, when Madoka is forbidden from piloting her Vox out of fear it will go out of control and cause untold damage, which is an understandable fear in-universe, but still frustrating to anyone even remotely savvy about the genre. Making matters worse is that these parts could have been spent developing the various alien worlds of the series- in particular, Lan's planet Le Garite is only ever shown in bits and pieces, so we learn next-to-nothing about its politics or the lifestyle of its inhabitants. There's also a shocking lack of on-screen deaths in the series despite there being a war, with the only major character death being that of someone you definitely won't be shedding any tears over. Ultimately, the story's main underlying flaw is the all-too-common problem of just not knowing what it wants to be. Like, is it a slice-of-life schoolgirl series that just happens to have mechs in it, or is it a dramatic robot war story with three cute girls at the centre? The writers should really have just picked one and committed, because frankly I had a hard time buying either.
Art & Animation (8/10):
Art-wise, "Rinne no Lagrange" doesn't look bad by any stretch, but it certainly doesn't look amazing either. The environments are very detailed and well-drawn, but the character models could use a little work, and look noticeably lumpy in more than a few shots. That being said, the mechs themselves look great, and the animation and special effects of them are always a treat to behold. Even so, I couldn't help but feel that the series could have looked a lot better than it does; while the series itself was created by Production I.G., the actual art and animation was handled by lesser animation studio Xebec, which I must admit is pretty disappointing.
Sound & Dialogue (8.5/10):
"Rinne no Lagrange"'s soundtrack is generally good, but it isn't all that memorable, with many of the tracks sounding like ones you could easily find in other mech shows. The two opening themes, however, are very memorable, with the first opening capturing the show's mysterious vibe and the second one capturing its optimistic tone. The voice acting is fantastic; Kira Buckland has the perfect voice for a character like Madoka and Michelle Ruff does a brilliant job as the not-so-stoic Lan, though Karen Strassman's performance as the girly Muginami is not one of her best, with her voice often being gratingly high-pitched. The dub cast also has a strong supporting line-up as well, including Johnny Yong Bosch, Wendee Lee, Vic Mignogna and even Liam O'Brien, the latter of whom you almost never hear in an anime dub these days. All in all, the sound design is definitely the show's high point.
Characters (7.5/10):
When we're first introduced to Madoka, she's established right away as a very kind girl who works every day for the happiness of everyone around her, as well as someone who's prepared for anything, as shown in the very first scene when she takes off her school uniform to reveal a swimsuit underneath, allowing her to jump into the ocean to save Lan from drowning. She's also very cheerful, energetic and optimistic; while understandably shocked about the existence of aliens and giant robots at first, she almost immediately accepts Lan's request to pilot the Vox in order to protect her and the Earth, and she's fully grown into her new role by the end of episode 3, even giving her Vox the nickname "Midori". However, there are also times when her eagerness to help others can get her into trouble, as she'll occasionally jump to help someone when said help is neither wanted nor needed, and at one point even gets accused of helping people as a way to make herself feel better. That said, Madoka never tries to be selfish, and any of her lowest moments are due her not having all the facts. Not to mention that she can and will admit when she's wrong. If I were to mention a real problem with her character, it's that her backstory takes too long to be revealed, as while it's hinted early on that she has some kind of history with Midori, it isn't until the final episode that we finally learn what that history is. Even so, she's still the best character the show has to offer, and there is no other character in the series that I would rather be the protagonist.
Then there's Lan, who soon becomes the second Vox pilot in the series, piloting a blue mech named the Vox Rympha, which she nicknames "Orca". While at first glance it can be pretty easy to write off Lan as just "Yuki Nagato with a giant robot", especially since they're voiced by the same person, Lan soon establishes herself as her own character. For one, she's far from being emotionless, inwardly or otherwise, with the stoic façade of hers breaking completely by the third episode. It's basically a running gag in the series that she tries her hardest to act prim and proper (due to being a princess, as we learn in the first few episodes), only for said act to completely break whenever she's put in situations that get her nervous and embarrassed, which tends to happen a lot. For example, before the series began, she was told that humans greet each other by holding up a hand like a paw and barking like a dog, and when she learns that this is a lie, she completely breaks down in what is easily one of the funniest moments in the series. By then, however, the "Woof" greeting has basically become part of her, and she continues to use it for the rest of the series, a symbol of her gradually learning to think for herself instead of just doing what others tell her to do, though I can't say anything else without giving away big spoilers.
The last of the main trio is Muginami, who bumps into Madoka early on but doesn't get properly introduced until a few episodes in. The third and final Vox pilot, Muginami pilots an orange Vox called the Vox Ignis, which she nicknames "Fuupo". At first glace, she appears to be rather cheerful and airheaded, but soon enough she proves herself to actually be quite perceptive and melancholy, as well as the most emotional of the main trio. Unlike Madoka, who can be very emotional at times but doesn't let them get the better of her, Muginami is often emotional to the point of being downright irrational, such as when even after a certain person she looks up to says that she's a burden to him, she ends up siding against Madoka over him. It's one thing to be reluctant to fight somebody you care deeply for, but continuing to support him even after he's made it clear he doesn't need you is a bit much, and at one point she has the nerve to call out Lan for making the exact same mistake she's making. All in all, she's a character that I was often very frustrated by, and while she does get a lot better in later episodes, I never quite warmed up to her to the same extent that I did Madoka or Lan.
While all three main characters are likeable and well-developed, the supporting cast tends to vary in quality from character to character. For starters, there's Madoka's cousin Yoko Nakaizumi and uncle Hiroshi, who took Madoka in after the death of her mother ten years before the series began, with Yoko having been a member of the Jersey Club before Madoka when she was in school, inspiring Madoka to follow in her footsteps. Role-wise, Hiroshi handles emotional support, being one of the main reasons Lan and Muginami are able to adjust to their time on Earth, and Yoko works as a researcher on the Vox, though sadly both of their roles are greatly reduced in later episodes. If I were to name a character I didn't particularly like, it would have to be Asteria Lizamarie de Roschefall, who acts as the leader of the organization that manages the Voxes and has a very authoritarian way of doing things, insisting that she and she alone knows best even when she clearly doesn't. Worse still, the fact that everyone is too intimidated by her to call her out means that her questionable leadership skills are never brought into, well, question, though if nothing else she will relent if given a good reason to, and the reveal of her past late in the series makes her actions more understandable in hindsight. Then there are a number of characters who don't get any focus at all or don't really contribute anything to the story, and many of them fail to get the closure you would probably like.
Enjoyment (8/10):
"Rinne no Lagrange" is a very enjoyable ride from start to finish, which is certainly helped by the fact that it gets straight to the point. While there may not be a mech fight in every episode, there's still some great slice-of-life sections in-between to lighten the mood and keep you invested, complete with some great comedic moments that made me laugh at least a few times. The series is also about as hopeful as you could reasonably expect a show like this to be, and while things can get dark and even sad, overall you never have any doubt that things will turn out okay in the end.
Overall:
While it may succeed in avoiding most cliches of mecha shows, "Rinne no Lagrange" ultimately fails to stand beside the best examples of the genre, largely thanks to the rough, inconsistent story and dated-looking character models. But do I still like it, despite its many flaws? Yes, because it still manages to be worth watching for any of you mecha fans out there, with great action scenes, good music, serviceable comedy, fantastic voice acting and a great trio of main characters.
Score:
6.5+8+8.5+7.5+8=38.5/50=7.7/10
