Rinne no Lagrange - Episode 7

The finale to last week's Rinne no Lagrange gave us a closer glimpse of the Vox Aura's power - not just pretty flowers, but some kind of unknown power source it seems.  The trouble is, it's so unknown that even the craft's owners don't seem to have any idea how it works, or if they are then they certainly aren't telling.

Speaking of fallout from last week's episode, Madoka is still feeling decidedly hurt by Muginami's words in the heat of the moment - was she really acting on her own selfish desires in attacking Giuvigiuvio... sorry, Villagiulio... or was she earnestly trying to help and protect her friend?  Speaking of Muginami, a large chunk of this episode gives us a near-silent flashback into her own past and how an abandoned girl on the fringes of a miserable penal colony ended up rescuing and befriending a prince at a time when he was far more kindly and caring than the man we see before us now.

With both Madoka and Muginami feeling that they're in the wrong, the only real question is who, if anyone, is going to apologise, although this only really comes after witnessing a bout of girls writhing around in a swimming pool full of eels (as you do).  Even after making their peace with one another, Muginami still seems determined to leave, unable to forgive herself for her actions thus far - luckily for her she has a surrogate "family" who are more than willing to forgive those mistakes and make a fresh start, which finally seems to seal away any tension in the relationships between Lan, Muginami and Madoka.

Once again, it seems that Rinne no Lagrange really enjoys mixing the serious and the frivolous - after learning about Muginami's past and piecing more of the current intergalactic political situation as a result of both this and Lan's discussions with Madoka, we move on to see eels jumping down girls tops and bathing naked on the beach at night.  The result of this particular blend of elements is predictably a bit of a mish-mash of brazen fan service and important stuff, although once again Madoka's character seems to carry much of it along to the point where you simply can't complain about it, such is her entertainment value alone.  Although, with the episodes moving on apace, it would be nice to get back to "dealing with the space issues" again sooner rather than later.