Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass is an anime I've come to like a lot, while before watching it (and even while watching it at times) I was skeptical of it. The majority of the anime is certainly a good show, with some great episodes/moments, but not really more than a good show. However, for the last ten or so episodes, the show really shines, moving at a breakneck pace with many plot twists (some aren't all that great, but just the scale of them makes them at least a little interesting), and an increase in action. The story is pretty interesting, outcast prince turned genius high school student acquiresa supernatural power, completing the set of tools he needs to put his plan to take down the Britannian empire and allow his little sister to live a happier life, is opposed by childhood friend: a member of the Britannian military.

There are some less interesting parts, mostly towards the beginning of the show, focusing more on Lelouche's high school life and that of the school's student council, often dealing with romance and other more petty matters, although the main storyline usually either interrupts these scenes or has a small part in them. These scenes are pretty much required for Code Geass to progress, but that doesn't make them more appealing. It is interesting, however, to see Lelouche in this environment, where he is generally kindhearted, as opposed to his sometimes-evil, vengeful personality that he takes on as Zero.

The art is nicely detailed and colorful, the backgrounds are great, as are the Nightmares and their accompanying action scenes. However, the character design just doesn't fly with me. Even after watching 25 episodes, I still cringe on the inside whenever a character is shown from a side view. Nearly everyone is very thin, many have ridiculous hairstyles and the eyes are huge with too much detail on the iris (which is the case with most anime, but that doesn't make it any better here. Especially with the hair, some of it is plain stupid).

The sound is one of the weaker points, but still well done. The first opening theme is very catchy, however the other two are decent at best. I hardly remember anything about the music in the show, other than those high-pitched cooings over orchestral pieces, usually a mellow one at the beginning of the show or a slow but fitting one for some of the dramatic ending scenes. "High pitched cooing over orchestral pieces" may be an entirely inaccurate description, I really don't remember much about this show's music. Which I have to take as a flaw.

The characters...Well, there's a lot of them. You have the royal family, the high school students, the Britannian military force, the Black Knights, and a few more. The story is actually a little hard to follow at times due to all these characters. I'm sure there's been times where I didn't grasp the importance of a certain scene because I forgot about what was going on with a certain character, or set of characters. I also forget many of the characters' names, and a lot of the time I'm not sure who someone's talking about when they mention a name.

But focusing on quality opposed to quantity, the characters have a nice variety, and a few are especially well done. Lelouche in particular is a great character. He is well developed throughout the show, questioning his actions at times (since everyone loves to compare this to Death Note, I'll point out a difference here - I'm glad the show did this, in Death Note Light questioned his plans exactly once: when he first got them, while Code Geass puts a focus on Lelouche's morals regarding him murdering in a few episodes). Suzaku, while a good character, is not one I find especially interesting, he's rather straightforward. Oh, and I know he's in the military and all...But some of his little physical stunts are completely unbelievable. Among the others, we have some annoying ones (Nina [Oh God, Nina in particular], Mao, Lloyd [Use a different tone every once in awhile buddy], and a couple others). C.C is a very interesting character, obviously helped by our lack of knowledge about her past and her mysterious powers and such, but aside from all that she has an enjoyable personality and is fun to watch. Kallen is also a highlight, her inner strength and loyalty is always entertaining.

Oh, and on a less important note, I want to mention Diethard. He's not a bad character...But on the surface there's just tons of little bad choices made with this character. First of all, if you don't think of the word "retard" every time his name is said, I applaud you for being more mature than me. His hair wins the most ridiculous award for the show, and his very deep yet perfectly clear voice doesn't fit at all to me. Anyway...

This is a very enjoyable show, it's very action packed and filled with dramatic (sometimes overly so) moments. There are a lot of things about this show that mildly annoy me, however they are things that for the most part apply to anime in general, and since this is an anime site I doubt my sentiments are ones that many will have. Anyway, the sub-plots can be entertaining at times but don't take a backseat to the main story as much as I'd like. Overall though, it can be a little confusing at times but Code Geass is a show that's pretty much all about the enjoyment factor, and it succeeds for the most part, however it does a much better job on the last ten or so episodes than the first 15.

Overall, Code Geass is an all-around good show that doesn't really have any major flaws. Your interest in it may fluctuate a little, you'll be much more eager to watch the next episode after a Nightmare battle and a plot twist than seeing a little high school drama, but even in the less captivating episodes the show never dips below decent.