Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne: Series 1

“People from a planet without flowers would think we must be mad with joy the whole time to have the things about us.” – Iris Murdoch

Anime on Demand have not announced much in the way of new shows recently, but there is still much entertainment to be found in some of their current offerings.

One of their shows, the mecha series Lagrange: The Flower of Rin-ne, has just finished its first series, with a second series and an OVA in the pipeline.

The series revolves around schoolgirl Madoka Kyono of the seaside town of Kamogawa, in the Chiba Prefecture on Japan’s east coast. She is the sole member of Kamogawa Girls High School’s “Jersey Club,” which helps all the other clubs in the school. One day she encounters a humanoid alien called Lan who asks her to pilot a mecha in order to fend off an alien invasion. Madoka agrees and, in return, Lan joins the Jersey Club. They are later joined by a third pilot and club member, Muginami, but there is more to her than meets the eye.

When I started watching this series I was not that impressed. I thought it lacked originality and that the amount of fan-service in it was annoying. My position on fan-service is that I do not mind it if there is a little bit, and I do not mind it if there is loads of it and it is that kind of anime. However, this fell in the middle, as if it did not know what it was doing.

However, as Lagrange went on, I came to enjoy it more. The plot and characters developed nicely. Some new characters were introduced such as the Lolita chairgirl Asteria, and some others underwent conversions. Also Madoka’s story became much more psychological, and the series ended with a very emotional parting for two of the main characters (who will no doubt be reunited in the new series of OVA).

The animation is also of a high quality; very vibrant and colourful. Indeed colour is important as it what separates the main characters and their mecha (Madoka is turquoise, Lan is dark blue and Muginami is orange.) One of the interesting things about this mecha series is that you do not see the inside of the cockpit. Other than the seats, steering, and the odd bit of the control panel, everything else is invisible. Instead of seeing just some blank metal wall, you see what is outside; whether it is sky, space or the seaside town it is set in.

Overall the best way to describe this series is that it is surprising. It may take some time to get into it, but if you keep going you will find it to be a hugely enjoyable anime.