Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

**SPOILER FREE REVIEW OF BOTH SEASONS OF THE SHOW** There is nothing that I enjoy more than a well-written, intellectually stimulating anime; they are by far my favorite kind of show to watch. Evangelion, for example, is one of my favorite anime of all time. Before watching Code Geass, I was told that it would fall into that same sort of boat and that it would entertain me while making me think simultaneously. While it certainly entertained me and I enjoyed it quite a bit, I would like to make it clear that this is not what I would call an intellectual anime, not even tothe same extent as its oft-compared counterpart "Death Note". Let's be honest here; at its core, Code Geass is still a show about giant robots fighting each other in a battle where the biggest and best one wins (*cough, White Knight, *cough). It's overly theatrical, can be pretentious at times, and has a few inconsistencies with its plot… But I still love it for what it is.

Story: 8/10
Synopsis: A boy named Lelouch is secretly the long lost heir to the Holy Brittanian Empire; a planetary superpower who rules over inferior countries with tyranny and an iron fist using advanced robotic technology called "Knightmares". Lelouch was exiled from his homeland and sent to live in Japan, which has basically been turned into a Giant ghetto under the rule of the Empire who look down on the Japanese and treat them as sub-human. Lelouch holds a harsh grudge against his father, the King, who exiled him, and so he vows to destroy his father's mighty empire.

How much you enjoy the story-line of Code Geass really relies on how seriously you take it. To elaborate on that, here is an example of what I mean: In the very first episode, Lelouch receives the power of "Geass", a power that allows him to bind anyone to his will and gives him the power to order anyone to do anything he wants. With a power such as that, it is inevitable that a few plot-holes arise. There are a few shortcuts that Lelouch could have taken using his power which he should have been able to figure out since he is portrayed as such a genius, but Geass luckily is able to avoid any show-wrecking plotholes and keeps them all relatively minor.

Anyway, the main strength of Geass' plot is that it simply knows how to get an audience invested in a story; it is written very, very well considering what they were going for. The writers were able to grip the audience from the very first episode and keep them on the edge of their seat for nearly the entire remainder of the show.

Code Geass deserves a lot of credit for focusing far more on the strategy and tactics of mecha battles rather then the fighting itself, which is one of the show's most redeeming qualities. At least, that is the case for the first season. The second season gets away from its roots bit and starts to divulge to the "Build a better robot! Beat the bad guys using brute force!" kind of story which is far less interesting. For that reason, I would definitely say that the middle part of season 2 is the worst stretch of the storyline.

However, it is certainly worth mentioning that Code Geass has an absolutely fantastic ending. Probably my favorite anime ending of all time. It can only be described using the far overused term, "epic". I wouldn't dare spoil it, but I truly wish that other anime would have the balls that Geass has in regards to not being afraid to risks in their storytelling.

So in conclusion, despite it's minor flaws, the big picture is that Code Geass' plot is impressively written and centered around a fantastic protagonist with supremely entertaining plot twists and an indescribably good ending. If you can look past the minor inconsistencies and the tendency for the show to over-exaggerate (which you should), you will have a blast watching Code Geass.

Art: 8/10
The characters look great, the settings look great, and the action scenes are very well animated. For an anime released in 2006, these are some very quality visuals.

Sound: 8/10
The OST is definitely the best part about the sound, as it never fails to set the mood. It is used to over exaggerate not-so-exciting scenes a bit too often though. The openings and endings are alright, but none of them really stand out. The voice acting is above average in both the sub and the dub, so you can watch whichever you prefer.

Characters: 8/10
The characters in Code Geass are great overall, in my opinion. To the show's credit, they all have very specific traits that make them recognizable and distinct, but Geass can struggle with inconsistent character behavior at times as well as one or two characters that are just very poorly written. But for such a large cast, these things are bound to happen.

Lelouch vi Brittania, the protagonist, deserves mention for being a masterfully written, extremely complex character and one of the most notable anti-heroes in all of media; not just anime. You love him at times, you hate him at times, you are constantly intrigued with his motives, and you are always in awe of his actions. Lelouch is compared to Yagami Light from Death Note often because they are both geniuses who are constantly involved in a cat-and-mouse game and because it is unclear whether they are heroes or villains. However, I think the real reason Lelouch is such a fantastic character is the ending to the anime. Everything you didn't understand about him is elucidated, particularly his motivations. It is incredibly hard to decide throughout Code Geass whether Lelouch is a hero or a villain; has he gone mad with power or is he still a force for justice? Well, lets just say the last episode gives you your answer in an EPIC fashion . Lelouch is in the running for my favorite anime character of all time, and I am not alone in that regard.

However, for every couple of great Code Geass characters, there is one who is not-so-great. CC , for example, is a character who is shrouded in mystery for a long time. She seems to add a lot to the anime at first with her level of intrigue, her unknown motivations, and her charm, but she receives little to no development at any point in either season, and the little that she does receive is very shoddy. CC is giant wasted opportunity. Don't get me started on Nina either. *shudder

There are many more great characters to talk about, but I can't possibly go over all of them. In short, there are a few bad characters in Geass and there a few things about the good ones that don't make sense, but the majority of the cast is very, very well done and most importantly; memorable.

Overall: 8/10
Is Code Geass perfect? No, not by any means, but watching it is incredibly fun and you owe it to yourself as an anime fan to watch it all the way through, even if it's just to say that you have and don't like it. I was on the edge of my seat essentially the whole time, the characters were likable, and the story-line is well written for the most part. I highly recommend Code Geass to all ages.