#Lagrange ep11: there’s something not right about Midori. There’s something broken in Madoka. #anime

[Rinne no Lagrange ep10]

“Come hell or high water.”  Don’t know who came up with the phrase, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense to me when I think about it. But it appears to be a truly appropriate phrase once a desperate enough situation comes up. By hell or high water Madoka was getting in her Vox. And it looks like a lot of people are going to pay for it.  Rinne no Lagrange, welcome to your Evangelion moment.

Episode ten did a good job of ratcheting up the tension towards its end, and episode eleven doesn’t waste any of that moment. Before we, or anyone in the cast knows it, Madoka is communicating to everyone connected to the Voxes telepathically. It’s like she’s unwittingly broadcasting her thoughts across their network. This was only the beginning of the freakiness this episode though. There was much more to come.

Villaguilio’s forces have finally made it to Earth and they’re deploying a heavy amount of ovids (mobile suits) to take down the Voxes and Pharos. Madoka is still banned from piloting Midori under Asteria’s order, so Lan and Muginami are forced to go it alone despite everyone’s misgivings. And initially they hold their own as the first wave makes atmospheric reentry. Unfortunately, it became a quick example of tactics being outdone by strategy. Villagulio had already planned on the Voxes trying to split his forces to weaken them.  Instead of falling for that trick, the main forces focuses on Lan, while he interjects himself in the battle to hold off or capture Muginami.

The battle quickly goes downhill from there as both Lan and Muginami are pinned by the mobile forces and the main battleships are allowed to fire on Pharos itself. They break through, but conveniently it takes exactly as long to charge up their next volley as it does for Pharos to charge up its island-wide shield. It will be a battle of seconds, and for now a stalemate that won’t hold on the good guys’ side for long.

Commander Tadokoro again hails Asteria and tries to get her to lift the piloting ban on Madoka, but she refuses. It takes pressure from Madoka’s cousin, Youko, to finally get her to budge. Though Tadokoro had already made the decision to allow Madoka to pilot, his job probably ends up being saved by that last minute change of heart. The question is will they regret this move? At first, the answer is no.

Madoka’s good will and presence turn the tide and now everyone’s freed up enough to break the stalemate. For a moment, things are going sowell that I forgot about the next volley coming from Villaguilio’s forces. For a few seconds it looked as though Pharos and much of seaside Kamogawa had been vaporized. I forgot about the trio of bishounen pilots who had been hanging out with Villagulio up until the battle. Turns out they’re now on the side of Novumundus. I think I can count that as a third incredibly convenient even that saves everyone’s butts.

The battle appears won when Madoka’s telepathy starts to flare up again, but this time all the thoughts are coming towards her. It turns out she’s getting input from an accident that landed on the school’s track. Madoka sees that Youko’s been taken out and then all hell starts breaking loose. The flower blossoms that freaked everyone out a few episodes ago have come back, the weapons on the ovids start to crystalize, and the other Vox pilots start getting sick. It looks like Asteria was right after all.

This was a pretty damn good episode for this show. There was plenty of action, suspense and drama. You gotta love the beauty of battle in the statosphere as mobile suits start entering Earth’s atmosphere.  The music was driving, appropriate and disappeared at the right moments thanks to good direction. It came together incredibly well.

I could level some complaints at the convenience of some circumstances. The logic of Villagulio going into battle knowing that those three bishounen were going to interfere with his plans. But they’re very minor things to worry about when you genuinely enjoy an episode like this. There’s a hell of a lot to look forward to next episode. And plenty to dread as well. Have to say, I don’t regret sticking with this show up until this point.

– Posted using MobyPicture.com