Rinne no Lagrange: Season 2 - Episode 2

The opening episode to this second season of Rinne no Lagrange certainly had plenty to squeeze into its twenty or so minutes, not only reintroducing us to its characters but also giving us our first glimpse of a rather different Muginami and Lan than we've become used to.

Indeed, by the end of that episode the two of them were clashing over the skies of Kamogawa, with Madoka somehow managing to reactivate the Vox Aura to give chase and try and stop them - something which proves to be easier said than done as the unstable emotions of the problem at hand seem to make piloting the Vox Aura decidedly difficult.  Although Madoka does manage to keep her two friends from kicking lumps out of one another to some degree, it's the pending arrival of Le Garite forces that sees both Muginami and Lan flee, leaving Madoka alone and rather frustrated.

As Madoka tries to figure out where her friends might have gone, we get some insight into the reason for their behaviour and the clash between them, serving as it does as a view in microcosm of a pending interplanetary war between Le Garite and De Metrio as these two planets literally appear to be on a collision course with one another.  While Le Garite sees Madoka and the Vox Aura as a simple solution to wipe out De Metrio to ensure their survival, De Metrio understandably see Madoka as a huge threat to their planet, making the stand-off between Lan and Muginami very much understandable.  Still, it seems that even an issue as grave as this isn't beyond the remit of the Jersey Club, as Madoka seems determined to find a resolution that keeps both parties happy no matter what.  Good luck with that...

Although it still isn't the most compelling (or coherent) mecha anime we're ever likely to see, Rinne no Lagrange once again manages to win its charm offensive by mixing up its serious business with some serious goofiness - it's impossible not to love Madoka's character for the most part, and moments like watching her making a blasé intergalactic phone call to the head of an enemy force are pure-spun gold.  It's the fun side of the series that keeps me coming back to be quite honest, but then again it does feel as if this second season has the teeth for some hard truths and tough situations in its future, so hopefully it can manage to blend those elements with sufficient success to make this series a worthy climax to the show's story.