Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Season 1 of Code Geass is very good. Albeit a little overhyped it is still a rewarding experience. It creates a world that has some fantastical and nonsensical elements but stays by them causing the world to be believable and rich. The main character while at first seeming like just another edgy protagonist possess surprising depth and consistently subverts expectations. He is also held up by a strong cast of distinctive and likable side characters that stay fresh. There is no plot armor every win and loss feels rewarding and earned with no bullshit being pulled at the end to force a conclusion. However, theshow is not without its flaws. Namely the character of Suzaku Kururugi. His decisions make little to no sense if any critical thinking skills are applied. He fights for a regime which at best is 1950s segregation and consistently as bad if not worse than the Nazis. The regime regularly goes through ethnic cleansing campaigns with a populace and army willing and ready to comply with them. And yet Suzaku, a victim of the regime, fights for and kills hundreds of rebels fighting for his freedom. Why does he do this? To stop people from dying. This would be the equivalent of a Jewish S.S officer killing Jewish fighters to stop them from killing Nazis. It is absurd and often pulled me out from the show.

In the end the show is worth watching with the first two thirds being consistent 6-7 and the last third being 9. If you find yourself struggling at the beginning it really does get better. If you like actions the fights while not astounding are fun and unique. The drama and mind games jumps up in the later episodes so if you are interested because of that try to get through the lighter tone at the beginning.