Rinne no Lagrange – 04: The Yuri War for Madoka’s Heart

Apparently Kirius ignored the message that someone was in his base killing his dudes...

This week there was a lull in the mecha action but thankfully it was not a total loss as Muginami does make her official debut and comes out with an eye to cause some minor mischief. I am not sure if she is aligned with Kiss or if she is acting on her own or for some unknown party. Right now though I have serious doubts that she is an air head given how she was able to sneak into Pharos and give Lan a surprise that Lan will not soon forget. While it is certain that Muginami has achieved memoria with Vox Ignis I am unsure if she achieved it prior to coming to Kamogawa or if she spent the last episode seducing it. Still it seems that the universe is big enough to have more than two powers duking it out for control of the Voxes. A group known as Kiss is also present though it remains to be seen if they were the ones who wrecked and marooned Kirius’s crew. If Moid somehow did it I want to see what kind of warship he has been hiding that could wreck another ship in minutes.

That said it seems that Kiss doesn’t have open hostilities with Demeteria and Muginami isn’t out to kill Lan. In the case of the former he seems to want Demeteria’s cooperation while Muginami passed up the chance to kill Lan and get away with it.  Moreover Moid is aware of her presence as well and if were a threat then I am sure our slanty eyed butler would whack her himself. I hope we get more dirt on Muginami since she seems to have even more secrets than Lan. Given that Muginami likely has the same set of scanners as Lan had back in episode 1 it stands to reason that Muginami is an alien who knows the legend surrounding those who achieve memoria. I am curious as to how the Voxes choose those they achieve memoria with. Madoka was drowning, but what of Lan and Muginami? Were they saved at some point in their lives as well or did they achieve memoria through some other means?

I really hope that Muginami and Lan can get along sooner rather than later, though in Muginami’s case she might have something to hide while I wonder if Lan is going to start getting wary of Muginami once she learns that Muginami was doing something on Pharos. If nothing else it is confirmed that Lan is a princess and it wasn’t some cover story that Moid had made up. I feel kind of bad for Lan, she spent the whole episode watching Madoka make a new friend while being largely ignored for the most part. Perhaps Madoka is the only friend Lan has ever known and she wants to jealously guard Madoka and keep Madoka to herself. Muginami doesn’t make it easy and does toy with Lan here and there for kicks because Muginami is aware of Lan. That said it seems that Muginami is more like Madoka in that she is also athletic and seems reasonably eager to help even if she does have a knack for causing trouble.

Since Muginami is an alien I wonder how she got to earth if Kiss just arrived then did Muginami infiltrate on her own at an earlier time or was Kiss just lying in wait? So many questions and I am more than willing to take whatever answers they give us. I hope that Madoka will not regret living with Muginami and Lan too much and with any luck they will get along together. Funny how Madoka is associated with a wind element while Lan and Muginami are water and fire respectively. It makes sense at it kind of high lights the complementary relationship they have with Madoka while simultaneously seem to be polar opposites. Lan is clumsy and not much of an athlete or a fighter while Muginami is more stable and quite the swimmer. Still it is great the Madoka was able to find more members for her Jersey Club.

I am starting to like the provincial setting that they have in this show, it’s quite different from the more common Tokyo setting and there is a rural charm to Kamogawa. I come from a mid-sized sports market and I usually rail against the big wig teams from New York City and Los Angeles so I do feel a bit of provincial solidarity with Madoka. They have their own traditions like the annual swim and while a big city guy like Tadokoro can’t see the value in such events I like how the town is stoically carrying on with their daily routine instead of going into panic mode. Bay to Breakers may mean nothing to someone living in NYC but for me it is a quirky local marathon that has its own brand of craziness. This was delightfully shown when Tadokoro was bullied by Iwabuchi-sensei (Machiko) and Yoko as well as slapped around for good measure. One of the benefits of having such a provincial setting is that everyone seems to know one another hence why Yoko and Machiko behave like long lost friends.

I wonder if those three will come to trust each other should they learn that the situation is far different than the one they have been told. Given that NOVUMUNDUS seems to have seriously neglected the archaeology side of things in favor or mechanical and electrical engineering it is now up to Yoko and Souta to find out what secrets those neglected relics hold. I am not sure if they are going to be seriously shipping or if they are only sticking with ship teasing. We already have poor Souta trying to get Yoko’s attentions while Tadokoro seems to be hopelessly smitten with Machiko after getting the pinch of love. So far it has been a very fun ride that hasn’t gotten terribly serious, and hopefully it can stay light hearted since it would be a shame if Jim were to lose his mecha collection. While this won’t be the most action packed series this season it does make a consistent effort to make itself funny by knowing it’s audience far too well. Also who let Array just walk out of there? I know NOVUMUNDUS has security issues but come on it’s the second security breach in span of a few days tops. I’d suspect a traitor but since Muginami was able to walk in and out without much trouble I cannot ignore the possibility that Izo just walked in to let him out. Clearly Tadokoro is going to have to do better at force protection even if he has an uncanny eye for video feeds.

Perhaps her vocabulary is limited, anyway I am not buying her stupid ditzy act.

Well at least this beats Kirius' hello.

Well I admit it could be shortened, but it's a nice motto for a school, just not "Fear God and dread nought."

I know it's orange but what is she up to I wonder...

One does not simply walk into an Kamogawa Girls' School...

So you were talking about wire tapping Yoko's phone?

Clearly you have lost command of the room sir...

So we have been told...

Wouldn't that be funny if this was all just an elaborate scavenger hunt.

If I didn't know any better I'd think Lan was trying to get air via a kiss...

Well there goes Lan and Muginami's first kissu.

Madoka moves quick...but please take your time lass.

Come to think of it why hasn't Lan been invited to Madoka's house yet?

And just like Madoka, Muginami is quite athletic...

This dude was a real BRO if only twitter was used for things like this.

This is just criminal... I just hope they don't regret their generous tips in the morning.

Someone is going to get beaten down when he gets home...

Oh Lan you were never meant to be a servant...

I think Kamogawa has a significant otaku population.

I anticipate a big spike in PROFITS.

Oh poor Lan, but hey just ask Madoka to teach you.

By the power vested in me by Almighty Zeus I declare thee wed. You may now kiss the bride.

Okay so who is going to carry who up the stairs and across the threshold?

Don't let DESTINY pass you by Lan.

Are you telling me that the big bad is a Glam Band that has gaudy make-up and puts their logo on everything under the sun?

I see that Lan has already met her educational goals.

Can Iwabuchi-sensei move in too? Of course she want to shack up in Yoko's room.

Her Royal Highness has decided to move in and hold court at your house.

I am glad that Lan acted decisively and with resolve.