jada.schoen - 2015-05-27 16:46:25

Story: Several months have passed since Lan and Muginami left Earth. Now in her final year of high school, Madoka spends most of her days thinking about her friends, when Lan suddenly returns to Kamogawa City.

Apparently Lan and Muginami's brothers are in some kind of war with one another. Madoka must try to get her friends to kiss and make up while also stopping the war... we also find out what the important stuff from the first season like the Rin-ne is, another character's past is revealed about the tragedy that befelled the world 20,000 years ago, the true villain shows his true colors (which I won't give away, but its pretty obvious who it is), and the entirety of the universe could be in jeopardy if someone doesn't put a stop to all of it.

So... as you can tell, that is a lot going on, and to be frank, the pacing is actually really good and it gives you plenty of time for all of it to sink in since they space out the slice of life aspects (to lighten the tone and give time to let the drama sink in) and the drama to let you know more about the characters.

They also have more mecha fights in this than the previous season, you know, if you enjoyed those in the first one. And the fight scenes are much more effective since we legitimately want the characters in this to succeed.

The ending in this is miles better than the one in the first and is so much more satisfying. Though the last episode can kind of drag a bit, its nothing that bad.

About the only problem I have with the story is that if you didn't see the first season, OVA, or even look at the Wikipedia recap page, you'll be totally lost. This is only for those who are aware of this show and its previous season.

Animation: The animation is actually better than the first. The fights are stylized and animated better, the movements and lip syncing are near to perfection. The background designs are the same for the most part, though those last scenes in the last and second to last episode look unbelievable. The planets don't look too bad either c:

Sound: Honestly, even though the animation is better in the OP and ED (though they repeat animation sometimes), the songs are just so forgettable in this. Not one track stands out, all I remember is that one line in the ending song which consists of saying: 'tangi tanoshi' over and over.

The voice acting is the same as before.

Character: The main characters are the same as before, only they aren't always smiling, they can get pretty aggressive and angry in this, especially Madoka, I dunno if its OOC but it really speaks to how much she cares for her town and people. [I even warmed to those catchphrases]

The side characters are much more memorable this time around since there given more screen time and development (special mention goes to Asteria and her backstory). Those three guys aren't really side villains anymore, but there still fun to see... shame they don't get nearly as much screen time though we do know more about them.

I actually care about Muginami's brother this time around since we know more about him and he's not a complete douche like in the first season... though I still won't forgive him for calling her a parasite but at least I can see some camaraderie between the two this time around.

There's also some new characters like Lan's brother, and his love interest Yurikano, etc. and there all pretty memorable in there own way with there own interesting development and having there own reasons to act the way they do.

The only character I honestly do not like is the true villain, his motivation is super weak, his design is not subtle, and the main characters don't really encounter... the villain at all. But hey at least he gets karmic punishment which doesn't last long but is so satisfying >:)

Enjoyment: I really enjoyed this more than the first season, and it was most definitely worth sitting through most of the bad stuff in the last season... like the ending of season one. Sure it wasn't perfect, and the tone changing is messy at points but I still really liked this one... the good definitely outweighs the bad.

Overall: A vast improvement over the first season. If you didn't like the first season, this might or might not change your mind. If you like the first season and OVA, then you'll definitely love this season c:

For the most part this show is... perfect :P

Pros: Better handled story, development, stuff resolved and explained well, pacing is great, animation is phenomenal at parts, good voice work, almost wonderful character cast, much more satisfying ending.

Cons: Forgettable music, main villain is bad, fanservice is... eh. Also newcomers will be confused by all of this.

Also Recommend: ...

Thanks for reading my 82nd review~

cvonrueden - 2013-03-15 08:28:53

Rinne no Lagrange Season 2 is one of the more enjoyable series I've watched recently, although it's a little hard to explain why. To put it bluntly, this is a horribly written series, and there isn't much to like from an objective standpoint. And yet I still liked it.Taking place several months after the conclusion of the first season, it follows Madoka and her two alien best friends, Lan and Muginami who with the power of their magical mechas--the Vox--they try to persuade Lan and Muginami's older brothers Dizelmine and Villagilio (respectively) to stop warring with each other, and prevent an apocalypse that's somehow connected to the Vox.And that's pretty much half of what I could give as a summary to the plot. The story of Rinne no Lagrange is a confusing one, in that it's a fantasy series where none of the fantasy elements are ever given explanation. What exactly are the Vox? Are they bad or good, and how are they related to the apocalypse? Why are the nations of De Metrio and Le Garite warring with each other? What is with those huge flower things in the sky? None of this is given a clear answer, and since these are the things which the main story revolves around, it causes the whole thing to fall apart.And yet it's all tolerable to the point where it's actually rather enjoyable in a non-ironic way. Most of the characters themselves are well-written; I wouldn't exactly call them deep or anything, but they have likable personalities, and they're dramatic needs were believable and clearly expressed--even if the plot surrounding these dramatic needs was not. You may not understand why Madoka and the others are battling against the powers of darkness (or something), you still enjoy watching them do so because of how likable they are.This in part is due to the slice-of-life qaulities of the first season, which allowed you to feel more attached to the characters. The first season also had the problem of infusing these qualities with the more dramatic parts of the story, which consequently made it hard to take certain scenes seriously. Although the straight-up slice-of-life scenes are toned down in Season 2, it still has the problem of having a light-hearted atmosphere when it would probably have done better if it could have taken itself more seriously.It seems as if the writers put so much focus into the characters and slice-of-life elements, that they never bothered to put much thought into the actual plot. Nothing was really even presented as "questions"--all of the characters just went along with the flow of events as if they already knew the nature of the Vox, or why De Metro and Le Garite were warring.Despite this, Season 2 still manages to have its share of emotional moments, which only get better as the series progresses. However, sometimes you'll be enchanted by one of these wonderfully presented scenes, only for some other aspect of the plot to ruin it--canceling out what could be seen as a redeeming quality. In fact, the plot pretty much cancels all of the good qualities that the show has to offer, no matter how enjoyable they might have on their own.