#code geass review

The following blogpost contains spoilers for the first series entry into the Code Geass franchise: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

I was pleasantly surprised by this animé. I didn't really know what to think when I was eased into the plot and setting of hyper-imperialism, empire and mech-suits.

I found the early days exceptionally cheesy and outdated - even for 2006. The concept of an alternate history of a "Britannian Empire" laying siege to Japan and reducing it to a number just too ridiculous. The way they presented it was so over-the-top that I found it hard to get on board with the idea but it must be said that after the first five episodes, it was toned down ostensibly. Whilst I still think that it's preposterous that an all-consuming country would rename a nation to "Area" and then a number, you do buy into the segregation and racism at play. I was also unconvinced by the inclusion of mechs either but in barely any time at all, it ignited the inner twelve-year-old in me which is what animé is supposed to do.

"...I fell in love with the 'political thriller'"

I've always been shut off to anything like West Wing or Crown or House of Cards or any art that incorporated the drama behind political action. I find any warm film to be a complete snoozefest. However, Code Geass incorporates a lot of thrilling action sequences that have you gripped and what I appreciated about them all is how utterly calculated they were. The drama in the conflict was airtight but surprising and unpredictable. There always something special about each and every moment with a wildcard thrown in for good measure.

I slowly came to the stark realization that I had fell in love with the political thriller. I was tapping into the chess moves of it all, which was worrying because I often find my eyes rolling all the way into the back of my head when writers use chess as an analogy for intelligence.

Fatalism and Destination

However, I enjoyed the use of coincidence and luck being more on the side of Lelouch Lamperouge rather than just quick witted intuition. I believe it to be no mistake that beyond the halfway point in the show, Lelouch is relying on luck and random chance in the form of the unpredictable C.C and the over-performing Suzaku. The idea of fate is present as well to underline that there are some things in conflict that are just unavoidable quirks and flips of coins. Obviously, the idea of destination is nothing new in the animé medium as the word destiny is thrown about in fantasy and in science fiction to the point of which it no longer means anything - just the end of the road.

In Code Geass, the word could not be more appropriate but it is rarely mentioned. Rather, words like "will" and "fate" are used to underline Lelouch's compelling transformation and character development to suggest that it isn't actually in his hands at all. Even though the ability labelled "Geass" is the driving force behind everything in the show and Lelouch's success, it is incredibly ill-defined by design. Up until a point, we are sure "Geass" is just Lelouch's ability to persuade people to do anything they wanted on one singular occasion but it's then revealed that another Geass user can read minds - and that he can't switch it off. C.C describes it as "his" Geass. So really, a Geass could be anything at all if you define it as "some kind of mind-reading thing".

This is interesting to me because of the underlying theme of perception.

"The Extraordinary Moment"

It is easy to draw this idea of perception within a conflict just simply through Lelouch's power needing eye-contact as well as Nunnally being totally blind to the world. However, if you look even closer, you can see that the theme of perception is everywhere. Suzaku, throughout the entirety of the series, point-blank refuses to see any other point of view. Whilst he was not necessarily totally sycophantic, he is the opposite to Lelouch in more ways than just the design aspect. Suzaku is the convinced whilst Lelouch is the convincer. He does the will of others not because the royal family have Geass powers but because that's his purpose. Zero and Kururugi are two minus magnets constantly pressing each other - they are unable to empathize with the others situation.

It's also important to note that Suzaku's identity as a soldier is fully public and Lelouch's identity as Zero is private until the very end. The two sides are unable to properly see each other with more ways than just their eyes. Especially in the moment late on in the series where Lelouch loses control of his Geass and accidentally gets a member of the royal family to commit genocide on national television. There's no way anyone could possibly concieve that moment to be Zero's fault and - likewise - there is no way Suzaku could possibly blame Euphemia for her actions. I feel that at that moment that the theme of hypocrisy of the perception in conflict was solidified.

Anyway, I don't know where I'm going with this. I've written all this stuff and realized that I haven't really commented on anything in the show. The problem is that the show is borderline perfect. The only couple of issues I have with Code Geass is that at times, they did go slightly overboard at the end of the show. As a personal aside, I'm not entirely in with the whole cliché of ancient evils beneath the Earth on some mysterious tropical island and I am slightly worried about it becoming a big thing in the next series.

It's definitely an interesting first series. I loved the slow world building, the action, the intrigue of the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed Lelouch living on a constant edge of letting his operation slip through his fingers. I always raise eyebrows at the trope of hyper-intelligent protagonists who just have an answer for everything. Lelouch doesn't have an answer every single time. He's real, logical and sensible. You cannot help but be compelled by everything that he does and says. Code Geass asks that you pay attention to absolutely everything because anything important could happen at any time.

I feel like I've said that before about animé but Geass is intelligent in the way that it approaches it's storytelling because every single moment is of the utmost importance. I wish I was perhaps more freshly academic that I could comment on the show more cohesively.

Quite simply, this show is too good for me. I don't really deserve it. I said I would write about it and I only have by definition. I've just finally gotten around to finishing an animé whilst I've been working on a big project. It's a shame that it is pretty much faultless outside of some personal gripes. I massively appreciated all the effort that was put into this original idea from the music to backgrounds to the many character designs. I loved how ambitious the series was in executed what it wanted to achieve and it actually did achieve their ambitions. From a creative perspective, it was apparent that the creative force got what they wanted no matter the cost.

I would say that I implore you to watch it - like I always do with things that I like - but you probably have watched it by now because it is old as pants. I'll definitely watch the second series but as you've discovered, writing about it is trickier than I thought. Sorry that I did not do it justice.

It was better than I had expected.

A full, rounded movie. Quite short for a Code Geass story, but I think it manages to convey what it wants, without being too pretentious and not leaving any significant loose ends. Not really what I hoped, as I wanted to see a full season of the things and conflicts after Zero Requiem, but in and of itself is a good and enjoyable movie. The cast of characters were used quite wisely, focusing only on several leads. None of them made me question the reason they were there. A straight-forward story with not much of an overarching plot. It tells what it wants to tell. The little twist near the end was satisfying. Still though, would have loved to see it as a full 2-cour season 3 instead of a 2-hour movie. But it wasn't rushed, as I had feared it would be.

Several little details I would like to mention (spoilers! Beware! Read at your own discretion):

Quite like how they dealt with the whole resurrection thing. At least, Lelouch still died at the end of R2. Though, kind of hate how the staff took the opportunity to revive him. At least, now that you've gone and done this, give us the story of Lelouch fulfilling his promise to C.C. as that was the whole reason why Lelouch is alive now. And I want to see the consequences of C.C. reviving him! I want to see him hovering between life and death. He even said that "this is only temporary." That "I don't know if I'll still be here tomorrow." Give me that!

I still don't get why they revived Shirley in the recap movies. Sure she has a minor role here, but couldn't they have used someone else? (Haven't seen the second and third recap movies though, so I don't know how and why she's not dead)

Loved that scene where Lelouch watched the video from Kaguya. And Suzaku reconciling with him 😊 Love these two boys so much!

I live for the few Kalulu moments scattered here and there. One thing I'm disappointed in is that there was no closure between them. C.C mentioned Kallen's unresolved business with him and she said she could go to him any other time. But C.C then said that they didn't know if there would be another time. And I hoped she would talk to him. About something. Anything. Gaaah my shipping heart broke when Lelouch left like that and Kallen never talking to him properly. But, at the very least, I'm glad the staff even mentioned Kallen's unresolved business. At least they gave her something.

Note: This review is not mine.I have posted this review here because I feel it summarizes the anime Code Geass very well.

However I will be posting my reviews in the future once I get more experience.

This review is taken myanimelist from the reviewer kiriska.

Overall Rating 9

I was incredibly skeptical about Code Geass at first, but I'm very pleased to say that I was greatly surprised.

STORY - Before I saw this series, it was described to me on multiple occasions as "Death Note with mechas." After seeing it, however, I am inclined to disagree. The similarities between the two series are superficial at best, and though I can see why people would draw the comparison, I don't really think that dis/liking one means that you'll dis/like the other. But anyway, unlike Death Note, I wouldn't say that the story in Code Geass is particularly notable or unique. It's actually rather straightforward and even a little cliche, but that's exactly why this is such a well done series -- the barebones storyline is handled in a refreshing and new way that grabs the viewer's attention. There are enough twists and turns involved to keep you on the edge of your seat. The pacing is excellent and nothing feels rushed or drawn out. Indeed, the progression up to the conclusion is especially brilliant. (It's a cliffhanger "ending," but oh, it's just a fantastic cliffhanger.)

The series is also appealing in its uncanny ability to mix genres. Yes, this is a mecha series, but it really doesn't have to be. Yes, CLAMP did the character designs and there are some very shoujo elements (read: homolust), but there are very shounen rivalries and some pretty epic battle scenes too. Everybody wins! Additionally, because of the number of characters, the story allows for a number of small subplots. I was very happy with how this was handled in particular because all of the subplots relate and affect the main plot directly, whether by revealing some bit of information to both the characters and the viewer or by pushing forward interesting character development. Everything is well thought out and wonderfully executed, so despite the fact that "strong-willed person with plans to change the world receives mysterious power that helps facilitate his goals" isn't a very unique storyline... Code Geass makes it work.

Also. Code Geass utilizes the "best friends trying to kill each other" plotline, and I'm a sucker for that plotline.

CHARACTER - The characters in this series are rather varied. Some are very plain and one-dimensional, while others have an amazing complexity to them that makes them very life-like. I'll be honest. I've become somewhat infatuated with Lelouch as a character (and am rather biased as a result). To me, he is very much a human character -- he has emotions, opinions, a unique point of view, and some very serious flaws, all of which make him incredibly easy to relate to and to sympathize with. He is easily the most complex character in the series, and he feels real to me, even with his supernatural powers and his genius-level intellect. This ability to make the audience relate to him is also probably the series' greatest strength and the main reason why the story is able to remain relevant and interesting despite the fact that there aren't too many new ideas plotwise.

Suzaku would probably be second in line for complexity after Lelouch, though his sense of justice might be called cliche at first (along with Nunnally's and Euphemia's), and his hax-level physical prowess is somehow harder to accept than Lelouch's genius-level intelligence. It's harder to appreciate Suzaku's depth at first, partially because he is presented as Lelouch's main obstacle and the audience's sympathies are with Lelouch, but a great deal is revealed about his character throughout the course of the series, and he becomes an amazing foil to his rival. Their conflicting ideologies and philosophies are fascinating if you really look into it, and gay as it sounds, they really do compliment each other very well.

Much of the rest of the cast seems to fall into typical archetypes -- there's your adorable little sister, your mad scientist and his assistant, your cheerful schoolgirls, your best friend, your most loyal soldier, your second-in-command, your village idiot, your... really creepy lesbian girl? Despite the generic-sounding descriptions, most of the characters are actually pretty fun, or at the very least, interesting. C.C. provides snarky commentary. Shirley spreads innocent schoolgirl love. Nunnally is so moe you'll die. Jeremiah is a good butt of all jokes. Little bits of backstory are tossed in here and there to separate them from the crowd, but it's never enough to actually intrude, and the wide range of characters lets you settle into the world pretty well too; after all, what universe is complete without an animal mascot that shows up now and again?

ARTWORK & ANIMATION - I wasn't too impressed with CLAMP's character designs at first (noodleboys!), but as always seems to be the case, they gradually grew on me, and I remembered just how pretty X was. CLAMP just knows how to make everyone look amazingly sexy, male or female. I really loved how they did all of the facial expressions in the series though, especially for Lelouch. Seriously, that guy had some of the most awesome crazy expressions, some of the most amazingly touching sadface expressions, and of course, some of the most amusing WTF expressions. The mecha designs for the Knightmare Frames were also pretty awesome. I dig the whole rollar blade thing, and some of the technologies they come up with are neat, if a little over-the-top. The animation is fluid and smooth for the most part and very few things stood out as being bad.

MUSIC - Initially, I wasn't particularly fond of any of the OP/EDs for Code Geass except the first ending by ALI PROJECT because 1) they're awesome, and 2) Yuki Kajiura's style seemed to suit the series very well. The screaming violins both convey the high status of Britannia and the intensity of the emotions in the series. The rest of the themes seemed lackluster in comparison, but though I was never a huge fan of FLOW, "COLORS" kind of grew on me after a while. The final insert song, "Innocent Days" by Hitomi is pretty nice as well. Very thoughtful, very poignant, very fitting. The background music during the series was negligible for the most part; there is some pretty generic battle build-up type music and other appropriate, but rather typical, themes. Still, there's some neat classical/opera stuff, and the "All hail Brittania!" theme is definitely awesome.

VOICE ACTING - I've seen all of Code Geass subbed and most of it dubbed. Although I was incredibly turned off by Johnny Yong Bosch's role as Lelouch initially, it kind of grew on me, and now I think it fits well enough, though I do wish he'd change his voice a little more when Lelouch is Zero (make it a little deeper?). Suzaku's dub voice surprised me with how appropriate it was too. One of the things I really wish we could replicate in English though, is the subtle differences in manners between characters, between Lelouch and Suzaku at various stages of their lives, and between Lelouch and Zero. In Japanese, when Lelouch and Suzaku are children, they refer to themselves with "boku" and "ore" respectively. As teenagers, the pronouns are swapped, with Lelouch using "ore" (Zero uses "watashi") and Suzaku using "boku." Euphemia uses "watakushi." I'll skip the grammar lesson (go wiki "Japanese pronouns"), but suffice to say that these differences provide a lot of very interesting insight into each of the characters. It's really too bad English isn't nearly as interesting.

The rest of the voices in the dub are pretty average, perhaps the low end of average, with a stereotypically high-pitched girly voice for Nunnally that is amazingly annoying, and very forgettable voices for virtually all the female characters (Milly, Shirley, and Kallen all kind of sound the same). I was very impressed with Lloyd's dub voice though, even if nothing will ever amount to his amazing original voice, which is uh, amazing! Seriously. One of the most amusing voices I've ever heard. Jun Fukuyama's voice for Lelouch I found to be a bit too deep/old sounding initially, but that grew on me as well, and I really love the badassity of his voice for Zero. Suzaku's original voice sounds a little generic at first, but it grows with his character. There's a good bit of Engrish in the Japanese version as well, which is always fun. I don't think you can ever get tired of their "Yes, my lord(o)!" or their "All hail Britannia!"

Overall, I'd say the original is damn awesome, and the dub is pretty watchable -- always a plus, right?

im on R2 episode 2 now

MY 100TH POST :D  (yes...I realize I'm a noob)

Code Geass

I finished Code Geass a couple days ago, and I absolutely loved it.

Short Summary- Lelouch is what seems to be an average high school student. However it is clear that he is upset with Britannia, the empire in which he lives under. Britannia conquered Japan and renamed it Area 11, and those who were once Japanese are now referred to as 11's. Lelouch is not Japanese, but he has a grudge against the Britannian Government. In the first episode he acquires the power of Geass- The power to absolutely control a person whose eyes you look into. Except this power only works on any person once. Lelouch vows to use this power to take down the Britannian government.

This anime was really cool. There were giant fighting robots known as Nightmares…usually I am not into that kind of stuff, but these robots were really nicely designed, and the way they fight is just really cool to watch. The characters in this anime were very interesting too. Lelouch definitely has a little bit of crazy in him. Suzaku, one of the soldiers of the Britannian military, has a B.A. Nightmare. Kallen, one of the rebels against Britannia is one of my favorite characters, because she is not useless like some other anime heroines we know….*cough* Kagome *cough*.

If any of you have seen Death Note, Code Geass has essentially the same storyline- the semi-crazy masked rebel, the force trying to catch him, and a power that allows the rebel to control the fate of others. I liked Code Geass much better because the characters were much more developed and likeable, the robots were just awesome, the voice actors made me happy, and the animation was better.

Overall, it’s a 4.5/5

Code Geass was a great anime. There was a very purposeful motive behind the protagonist's actions, the storyline made sense, there weren't too many filler episodes, I was interested the whole time, the effects were nice, the animation was nice, the opening themes were good, and the characters were nicely developed. The only thing this story lacked was character attachment. And I hate saying this because Code Geass was great, its just that with Fullmetal Alchemist and Ouran High School Host Club, on top of having all of these things, I became incredibly attached to so many characters.