The day has finally come! Japan's Winter anime series are starting to premier, and the first batch has been posted online by hasty amateur subbers. This is one of my favorite times of year, almost on par with (commercial) Christmas, as I discover hidden gems that I can show to my anime club in the future. Now that I have this blog, it doesn't stop there either; I'll be sharing my humble opinion on which anime to watch, as well as reviewing the episodes as they are released each week. Let's get started, shall we?
Rinne no Lagrange Released: Dec. 28th 2011 Studio: Xebec Genre: Mecha
Initial Thoughts: I wasn't sure what to expect with this one from the limited description provided by the streaming website I use. I saw three girls sitting on a giant robot in the promotional art so I checked it out.
Post-credits verdict: Well, this might be one of those hidden gems I was talking about. Although the final battle was clipped a little short, I found it engaging throughout the episode. But let's back up a little. Rinne no Lagrange follows an energetic high school girl named Madoka Kyono, who is the acting president and only member of her school's Jersey Club. It appears that she started to club on her own and the activities consist of her busting her ass to help out anyone and everyone in the community (within the first episode alone, she saves someone from drowning, helps the film club shoot a drama scene, and serves as the student body president's sparring partner in kendo club). While she goes about her Jersey club activities a strange girl begins appearing randomly, at first watching her and then speaking with her briefly before disappearing again just as suddenly. That night her older sister, who appears to be a scientist of sorts with ties to a government program, asks her if she has felt any different lately. The next day Madoka encounters the mysterious girl again. She introduces herself as Fin Ay Ludo Sui Lavinty (Lan for short), and Madoka recruits her as the Jersey Club's second member. Lan then whisks her away to an offshore military base (in a helicopter, talk about a low profile) reveals to Madoka that she is an alien and asks her to pilot a giant robot. As if to expedite Madoka's decision the base just happens to get attacked by humanoid aliens (who also pilot giant robots) at that exact moment. It all culminates in the aforementioned battle which, although brief, still served as an exciting action set piece.
TV tropes aside, I liked the direction and pace the show took. Disregarding Madoka's unsettling readiness to accept aliens and a giant robot showing up out of the blue(I know you grew up in Japan, but come on, that's weird), the characters are three-dimensional and well-written. The animation and visual effects spared no expense and cut no corners, and the disco-y opening and ending themes, sung by Megumi Nakajima, made me want to get up and dance. There was also a fair amount of humor thrown in, which was more funny than annoying.
This show seems to hold a lot of promise. Madoka is an interesting personality who appears, like most anime main characters, to have a hidden past. Her sister seems to know about this past and is hellbent on preventing Madoka from becoming a robot pilot. Even the invading aliens seem to have interesting personalities. All things considered, I would definitely suggest picking this show up and seeing where it goes next.
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