( Side note : I copied and pasted from my review on another site , though there are probably slight editing here and there )
This is a review of Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion and it's second season , R2.
Plot Review :
Story Intro :
Lelouch , a seemingly normal student who was in fact a Prince of Brittania lived a normal life in Area 11.However , despite being a Brittanian , he despesis the activities of the Empire. One day , he got caught up in a terrorist activities but as a result of this event , he met a mysterious woman by the codename C.C. who in turn granted him the powers of the Geass. Thus , his story begins as he began his split identity. One as a innocent Brittanian Student , the other , a masked tactical genius rebel by the name Zero.
Terms Sypnosis :
Geass - A mysterious ability that is given to humans by beings such as C.C. via a contract or pact.The ability differs depending on the user and the price of having such a ability is high as it will grow stronger and stronger each time it is used until it cannot be kept within control. In Lelouch's case , one of his eyes have the ability to force others to obey his commands but it only works once per person. Lelouch's Geass is also limited by distance , direct eye contact etc. etc.
Brittinia Holy Empire - The Brittinia Empire is a superpower colony that have conquered a large majority of the lands in the world. During the year 2010 , Japan was taken by force as they never stood a chance against the Knightmares. The Brittinia Holy Empire is also composed of multiple Princes and Princesses and a single Emperor...
Area 11 - After Japan was conquered , it was renamed into Area 11. All former Japan citizens are renamed and they were stripped of their rights and freedom. However , there are multiple resistance groups scattered around Area 11 who are intent on reclaiming their lands.
Knightmare Frame - These are your mecha units basically.Most Knightmares are incapable of flight but they use hooks to reach greater distances.Their mobility isn't excellent either but more recent versions of the Knightmares possess incredible speed.
Ashford Academy - This is basically a Brittanian School in Area 11 where some of the main characters study in.
The Black Knights - Self proclaimed Heroes of Justice and what not,this is organised by Lelouch ( Or rather , Zero ) after his influence grew larger . Their aim is to build a United States of Japan where people of different races would live together without discrimination.
Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion Characters Sypnosis :
Main Characters :
Lelouch Lamperouge : A young Brittanian man who happened to be a regular but brilliant student. However , after he received the powers of the Geass and forming an alliance with the resistance groups in Area 11 , he lived a double sided life as a student and Zero. His ambitions is to create a peaceful world for Nunnally , his sister of the same mother. Lelouch was like any high schooler before he attained his abilities but after he gained the power of the Geass , his personality started changing...
Zero : He does not reveal his identity to anyone other than C.C. or those who had already figured out his identity.Interestingly,his mask can open up a gap to reveal his eye so he can use his powers without actually removing the entire mask itself so his identity can be kept a secret more easily.Zero does not actually take part in real-time combat either (Lelouch ain't exactly quite the athlete nor is he an ace pilot ) but his strategies almost always led to flawless victories.
C.C. : A mysterious woman who seemed to be contained in a machine. She gave Lelouch the abilitiy of the Geass in exchange of fulfilling her own wishes. She seemed fairly neutral about Lelouch's actions and does not encourage nor critisize it. C.C. also have an unusually powerful regenerative properties and she is immune to the effects of the Geass.
Suzaku Kururugi : He is the childhood friend of Lelouch and he was also the son of the former Japanese Prime Minister. In recent years , he became a soldier of the Brittanian Empire in an attempt to change the corruption of the nation from the inside. His relatively naive compared to Lelouch and his extremely determined about saving lives as such.However,due to circumstances,the two friends have to fight against each other.
Kallen Stadfelt : A rebel mercenary who have incredible Knightmare piloting skills.She lives a double life as a student at school where she pretends to be a sickly and sheltered girl. (She does come from a rich family,however.) When the Black Knights were formed , Kallen became Zero's Honor Guard and was entrusted with Gurren , a high tech Knightmare which have a lethal claw that can easily destroy other Knightmares. (Via Radiation I think ) She is also one of the few members who is fiercely loyal towards Zero.
Nunnally Lamperouge : Sister of Lerouch. She became blind ever since a certain incident that happened years ago . Despite that , Nunnally is a extremely friendly and gentle girl and Lelouch finds it impossible to lie to her.
Kaguya Sumeragi : A young girl who is of royal blood and she is strongly loyal to her people and her country (Japan) .She also holds Zero in high regard and even gave herself a self-proclaimed identity as her wife. (Though Zero tries to ignore this most of the time...)
Kaname Ohgi : A former leader of the rebels but he passed the leadership to Zero for his strategical abilities.His also one of the very few resistance members who trusts Zero when he appeared at first.Unlike the other members,however,he tends to be more suspicious of certain events and finds it odd or unbelievable unlike his combrades. He was granted the position of being Second in Command after the Black Knights are formed.
Kyoshiro Tohdoh : An officer made legendary due to his capabilities on the fields of war. He was also the sensei of Kururugi years ago (Probably in the arts of close combat ) . His also a major member of the Japan Liberation Front but when the Black Knights absorbed their members , Zero gave him the place of being in charge of the military affairs of the Black Knights.
Taizo Kirihara : He took in Lelouch and Kururugi when they were young.Currently,he is the head of a mining industry.To others,it may seem he may just be a normal business man but he was in fact secretly giving out supplies to other resistance groups out there. Taizo refused to work with Zero at first but after a certain event,he became one of their major financial backing.
Shinichiro Tamaki : One of the members of the rebels . His hot blooded,rash and extremely rude but his not entirely bad hearted despite some of his actions.
Rakshata - A scientist who seem to be from India.Zero recruited her for her abilities in the scientific field and assigned her to be in charge of the research sector.Her inventions and skills in Knightmare disabling and enchancing proved extremely useful through out the Anime despite her late appearance.
Four Holy Swords : To be honest,I don't really remember all their names.One way or the other,their elite Knightmare pilots and are loyal to Tohdoh who in turn was loyal to Zero.
Villeta Nu : She is a loyal subject of the Brittanian Empire and an adept Knightmare pilot.After he encounter with Lelouch,she began suspecting his identity.
Llyod : The scientist who happened to be of the status of a Count and his the one who invented Lancelot,the Knightmare which Kirurugu uses.Llyod can be slightly eccentric and lax in battle but he does not seem like a bad person one way or the other.
Cecil : Partner of Llyod and surprisingly enough,she's pretty good in a Knightmare.Cecil is kindly towards Kururugi and she scolds Llyod whenever he said something insensitive towards him.
Mao : (Footnote : Moa sounds abit like "Maoh" which means Evil King , Overlord , Magic King or Demon King but this great name doesn't suit his personality well... ) Mao is an ex-contractor of C.C. . C.C. made a contract with him when he was 6 years old and his ability is to read minds approximately of a 500 radius around him.However,this ability grew stronger and he can't control his abilities and he began reading minds all the time.This caused him to grow more and more eccentric and turn into a sick lunatic.He became obsessed with C.C. and attempts to chase her down.
Diethard Ried : A news reporter who would do anything to get his hands on a "scoop". However,he is fairly intelligent and have excellent contacts which makes him useful for Zero. Diethard is a full-blooded Brittanian and holds no grudge against the Empire but due to Zero's tactical genius,he got interested in him and decided to help Zero.
Brittania Family :
Charles zi Brittania : Little is known about him during the first Season but it is safe to say that his is a cruel and harsh Emperor of Brittania.
Marianne : Mother of Lelouch and Nullany.Her assasination became one of the few reasons Lelouch have to seek the downfall of Brittania as her death was clearly planned by one of the royal family members.
Schneizel el Brittania : One of Lelouch's many half brothers (Apparently,Charles have many wives ) . Schneizel was also one of the very few people who have ever beaten Lelouch at chess and his also somewhat gentlemanly towards others.He have a way with his words as he can even charm Cornelia.
Clovis la Brittania : Another half brother basically. Clovis can be a fairly weak Commander compared to his siblings but he seems to be talented in the fields of art.
Cornelia li Brittania : Half sister of Lelouch and an extremely skilled Knightmare pilot.She is also fierce in combat and is skilled in terms of strategy,overall,she makes a fine Commander indeed.Despite her strict personality,she deeply cares for her sister Euphemia.
Euphemia li Brittania : Half sister of Lelouch but apparently the full blooded sister of Cornelia.Euphemia was not as adept as her brothers and sisters in terms of combat nor in strategies but she have the heart of pure gold.She accidently bumped into (Not really bump but... ) Kururugi one day and the two got along well unusually quickly.
R2 Review : (I suggest that you don't read this unless you finished watching Season 1 )
Story Intro : Years after the "Black Rebellion" hosted by the legendary Zero and his disappearance,the people of Japan was treated even more harshly than ever before.Strangely enough,Lelouch was seen living a normal life as a student and he have no idea about his past and have a brother instead of a sister.However,his memories and power was re-awakened by C.C. and his conquest to destroy Brittinia began once more. (Note : I won't be providing the character list for R2 due to spoiler reasons )
Overview :
To be honest,I find the plot somewhat like the combination of Death Note and Gundam Seed.In the Anime,there are two different sense of "Justice" as well and their methods to achieve it varies as well.Lelouch would basically be Kira but I find Lelouch much more cruel than Kira.However,Kururugi wouldn't fit the role of L since his a naive,honest kind of guy who can pilot a Knightmare well but he doesn't actually use his brains too much compared to Lelouch.The reason it would be similar to Gundam Seed is because like Kira and Arthrun,the two of them are friends but are forced to fight against each other due to circumstances.Back to the main topic...
Unlike most typical Mecha shows of which the main character is a talented Mecha pilot who can destroy like hundreds of enemies with his supreme skills,the talent of our main character lies not in his piloting skills and his not atheletic either (He runs so pathetically that even girls who are wearing long skirts can catch up with him easily ) but his an amazing strategist , so much so that is makes him look like the reincarnate of Zhuge Liang or Oda Nobunaga. His friend , Kururugi on the other hand , is an ace Knightmare pilot. As the story progresses,you can see how much lives Lelouch sacrificed in order to fulfil his goals.Interestingly,in the Anime,there are also times which Lelouch slipped up and ended up in critical periods or simply accidently using his powers which led to horrible consequences.Kururugi also changed in Season 2 as he became slightly more realistic but his still quite naive to be honest.The battles can be really intense as well and sometimes,unexpected things occur. (We know alot of Lelouch's plans from the start but some of his plans are unannounced and it's pretty much a surprise to see how things turn out )
Art :
Artwork Review :
To be honest,most of the main characters are extremely skinny :P But strangely enough,the artwork was so good that it makes them look good despite their stature.Though,to be honest,I don't really like some of the Knightmare designs.However,the character designs were , overall , splendid and it fits their personality well.Though to be honest,I find Zero's design a bit too flashy (I did say a bit )
Music Review :
The music was pretty much so-so.The first opening and ending were pretty good but things got kinda degraded after that....well,time to introduce the song titles to you guys.
First Season :
Colors (Opening - 1 )
Yuukyou Seishunka (Ending - 1 )
Kaidoku Funou (Opening - 2)
Mosaic Kakera (Ending - 2)
Hitomi no Tsubasa (Opening - 3)
Second Season :
O2 (Opening - 1)
Shiawase Neiro (Ending - 1)
World End (Opening - 2)
Waga Routashi Aku no Hana (Ending - 2)
Voice Acting : (Japanese Dub)
Again,there's not much to contradict about the voice acting.However,Lelouch's voice acting was superb , that I must say.Before he received his powers and when his in school , his voice sounds cool and relaxed but also somewhat friendly.But when he reached the role of Zero,his voice became somewhat harsh,cold,commanding and filled with pride and confidence.The change can be somewhat startling at first to be honest...come to think of it,I HAVE something to contradict.There are many characters of different nationality in the Anime but they didn't even attempt to give them an Accent of some sort in the Japanese dubs.I mean,some other Animes...you can vaguely hear the twinge of attempted accent made by the voice actors but in this Anime,it's as though their all full fledged Japanese or something.
Others :
Humor :
There ARE occasional humor content despite it's slightly disturbing and dark atmosphere.For example,in one of the episodes,the cat's head became stuck in Zero's helmet and Lelouch literally ran across the school compounds to catch it. (This just shows how slow he is in running...he can't even catch a cat! ) Unfortunately,the humor content involved are mainly restricted to episodes that are clearly used to relieve the viewers from the dark atmosphere of the Anime.
Romance :
One way or the other,I have to say...this Anime fails in the romance category,big time.Romance fans would be undoubtedly disappointed in the amount of weight of romance they placed in this Anime.It's so vague that it seems to hardly exist and the girls (Shirley and C.C. ) Just kissed Lelouch in critical situations out of no where and I really doubt their relationship progressed much before and after that. (Lelouch seems to be somewhat neutral towards it -.- , what's more,Lelouch shown little interests in both of them,Shirley is obviously interested in him but C.C. 's emotions are extremely vague.) However...at the later part of the plot...things get a little more...say...interesting.In season 2,things get pretty emotional as well,not only in the terms of romance but other...factors.
Overall (Others) :
Well,if your thinking about fan service,there are some of 'em here and there but at least they tried to make it look accidental... (Not really..Some of 'em are very...obvious...Fortunately,it's just a brief glimpse,I'm not a big fan of Fan Service nor ecchi to be honest.) Other than that,there are some adult themes in the Anime (In terms of speech,some times they swear,which probably happens in most Animes in existence so it's no big deal but there are...err...some other sensitive topics that may be mentioned via words though it's only for a brief period of time.) If your a gore fan...I really doubt this would be your type since blood is hardly spilled at all. Back to the main point... The story itself have multiple plot twists though some of them are predictable and Lelouch's plans,as I said before,is revealed most of the time before it is executed but there are times when it is not.Strangely enough,in the first episode of the second season,similar events happened in it as in the first episode of the first season as though their trying to make sure that the viewer's memories are fresh of the previous season.Of course,the first episode in the second season threw the viewer into extremely deep confusion and it makes you extremely tempted to know what's going on.As for the battles,they can be extremely exciting even if you have the subconcious thought that the main character always survives.Some of the event in the Anime can be somewhat disturbing like Lelouch's actions and it's consequences and what he did to cover it up.One way or the other,every single character is likeable and relatively simple to understand but Lelouch is a relatively complex character as his aims and actions contradict each other.
Trivia :
1.There are video games released for it on the PSP,PS2 and the DS and an upcoming Wii version.Unfortunately,their mainly Japanese only releases so..unless your able to read Japanese,I think the likelihood of you playing it is slim.
The names of the games are :
Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion : Lost Colors (PSP & PS2)
Code Geass : Hangyaku no Lelouch (DS)
Code Geass : Hangyaku no Lelouch R2 - Banjou no Geass Gekijou (DS)
Code Geass : Hangyaku no Lelouch (Wii)
2.Bookworms...rejoice,there is a Light Novel version of it...problem is,it's all Japanese like most Light Novels out there.
3.There are artbooks of it...if you want to practice drawing the characters you better get these.
4.There were internet radio dramas for it if I'm not mistaken.
5.Oh yeah,there are Music Albums of it.
6.There are Manga versions of it but they are of a different plot and storyline.Check them out,it's kinda worth it.
Examples of the Main Characters : ( Appearance , note that these pictures doesn't feature the scenes of the Anime )
From left to right :
Lelouch Lamperouge , Nunnally Lamperouge , Suzaku Kururugi
From left to right :
Lelouch Lamperouge , C.C
Log in to comment