Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

While I will certainly admit that this show is not without its flaws, featuring a few iffy character designs, some issues with tonal contrast between certain episodes and a bit of a bad habit of bringing back characters from what would certainly seem to be their deaths, it is still simply everything that I've ever wanted from a story. The writing for this show is some of the most brilliant I've seen in any medium, the character relationships, the complex geopolitics and philosophical dilemmas are so incredibly engaging and inspiring as a writer I can't bring myself to see it as anything less than amasterpiece.

The show asks some of the hardest questions a human being can ever be forced to try answering. Where is the line between doing wrong for the right reasons and just doing too much wrong? How much suffering must be endured to provide a better future for all? Can good people do evil deeds, is there even such a thing as purely good or evil? Is it best to keep peace through forced submission, or allow freedom and the horrors that come from the greed that it breeds?

This show is heavier than Thor's freaking hammer and I love it for that beyond words. It's not often that a piece of artwork so well produced and constructed is willing to challenge an audience on so many intellectual and emotional levels. The characters that convey these themes are also wonderfully well-developed as is the world which they inhabit. Code Geass gets a 10 out of 10 from me with no forced commandment required.

p.s. (all hail Lelouch)