Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

This review considers R2 as well. I do this certain thing, every once in a while: I revisit past favourites. The number of entries I've rated with 10/10 can be counted on one hand, and so I want to confirm, to re-evaluate: are they "worth" it? Naturally... this is a supremely foolish thought. My ratings reflect my enjoyment at one point in time - if I enjoy something, I will rate it as much. And I believe that others should, too: trying to "objectively" rate something is stupidly futile. I've seen anime out there that I consider to be pure garbage, yet other people will hailas masterpieces, and vice versa. Can I wrap my head around that fact? No, absolutely not, but the fact remains: these shows have been enjoyable to some people, and that is perfectly fine, primarily because this enjoyment is purely temporal. What we like now does not mean we'll like it later, so why shouldn't we enjoy it at the moment being? Even minutes past, retrospection and reflection can alter our opinions. Therefore, a more accurate assessment of what I do by visiting past favourites would be... to check how much I've changed.

Before this philosophy dump gets interpreted into some kind of sophisticated copium, let's see how Code;Geass fared in this sort of "re-evaluation". This anime has been a personal best for a very long time now. It was one of the first anime I had ever watched and rated a 10/10 - it had seriously blown my mind. It was definitely what I'd consider a "masterpiece". And so here I am, plenty a year later, presumably with a slightly more advanced prefrontal cortex, trying to dig up the same enjoyment I had found in the past. Was it still there? Well, hell yeah it was, at least the majority of it since I could still recall major events. But, there were also quite some things I couldn't see when I was younger - remarks I'd seen in reviews but treated with "nah, that's pure garbage". Well, who needs glasses? Turns out the passing of time makes for the best optics.

Code;Geass is one of the most hilariously romantic shows I have ever seen - and I absolutely love it for it. It's an anime that craves for the grand stage and theatrics. It loves black and white, and simultaneously condemns it. It lives and dies on contrast, contrast, and contrast again. Surprise, suspense, drama and tragedy: it is an explosive, colorful cauldron of majesty, that has you constantly on the edge of your seat. It makes for a delicious, very binge-able watch, that is simultaneously long enough to make sense, and compact enough to be impactful. It is a spectacular recipe, with splendid art direction, music, and voice acting, and is a show that I can see myself giving a 10/10, for a lot of reasons. However, as I've grown, I've become more of a boring person, giving greater attention to things like motives, character logic, and consistency. And HOLY MOLY, Code;Geass loves the exact opposite of those, especially the latter. It is, though, a professional at hiding it - and that is probably why it is only now that I can see those things.

Code;Geass has an ambitious, constantly evolving plot. It quickly transforms into a collection of multiple interchangeable story threads: in order for a grand stage to be crafted, Code;Geass introduces many actors and perspectives, many situations that intertwine and clash with each other, inevitably converging into the blazing core of this show: Lelouch Lamperouge, or Zero. On the surface, it's pretty good at doing this. It involves ordinary people, scientists, government officials, family, friends, soldiers, and makes a great attempt at giving most of them a solid reason for being near the blast radius of Zero. Thus, their involvement feels mostly natural. That's really good when you have multiple opposing sides: perhaps, there is no one defined "correct" camp, and Code;Geass tries to implement this mantra to some extend.

This anime, however, struggles to keep up with such a complicated plot structure. When you have SO many people orbiting one man, it becomes progressively difficult to craft reasons for their proximity to him. And characters only end up getting closer and closer to this mysterious figure as the show progresses, both enemies and friends to him alike. So, the writing must keep up not only with characters being close to Zero, but also with them getting *closer* to Zero. Code;Geass is good at keeping everything pretty on the surface and on the short term... once you start looking from further away, however, you will spot the first major flaw of this show: inconsistency.

Code;Geass loves steep slopes. It loves the uphill, and then the sudden downhill; this is the ingredient that makes for exciting, attention grabbing moments. But, it loves them so much that ends up over-relying on them, sometimes failing to establish their logic correctly. There are many, many instances where one story thread will be cut abruptly on a dramatic climax, only for it to be resumed sometime later completely nonchalantly: what do you mean this character was on the verge of death? Last time I remember them, they were chilling eating pizza, lul... Code;Geass, therefore, relies on the moment. As long as what's currently shown on screen is effective enough, it will keep you on the edge and satisfied. Then, when enough time has passed and many contexts have been switched, you'll most probably have forgotten where it was left off. The result: a show that slaps now, but doesn't make sense later... that is, unless you forgot.

If you ever felt that you were not "smart" or "quick" enough to catch up with this show, this is probably the reason. There are gaps in logic; sometimes, they can be big as well. Code;Geass conveniently hides these gaps, by constantly swapping context, and not showing what had happened "previously". Due to the sheer volume of story threads, due to the overwhelming flow of information from all sides, it can be difficult to notice. In this choice, maybe the writers themselves are aware of what is happening. Is it because they *know* there is weak writing and try to hide it? Or is it simply amateur mistakes? Whatever the truth may be, it does not make the situation any better from the viewer's perspective.

This is one kind of glue Code;Geass uses in its effort to keep everything together. Albeit quite lousy when it occurs, it at least does not affect the main plot that much, and mostly manifests in secondary story threads. This is not the only kind of glue the show needs and uses however, and that brings me to the second weakness of this show: character motivation & logic. This affects major characters as well -- some more so than others -- so it can be easier to notice.

When characters in this show aim for such massive changes in their environment, their impact and credibility depends ever so much in the reason behind their actions. For me though, Code;Geass is a little weak in that department... it focuses so much more in the present, and does not take time to establish a background for our characters, to give them some time to grow on us, to make their circumstances believable. Sure, we get constant reminders as to why characters do what they do, but is there really depth behind their thoughts? Given the amplitude of everything happening around them, I expect some pretty convincing shit when it comes to reasoning. But both Lelouch and Suzaku, the two protagonists of this show, are actually disappointing in that regard. I won't elaborate... since I want to avoid spoilers too.

Here's the thing with Code;Geass: imagine, if you will, a theatrical performance. What's shown on stage is actually pretty mesmerizing. The art and music are super well done by studio Sunrise. Their finesse and style is clearly seen through the show, and the result is something truly unique when combined with the themes of the show. I genuinely believe Code;Geass has one of the best anime OSTs to date. Character design, mecha design, animation, are all up there as well. When it comes to impactful scenes? There's no contest: Code;Geass is exceptionally good at creating shock, tension, and drama. The theatrics in scene direction, the voice acting, and the thought behind certain sequences are all there. It's a marvelous show and a feast for both the eyes and ears.

But, here's the catch: as the viewer, you are not forced to watch this spectacle from the front row. Sure, it's the most comfortable. But, you can watch from the sides, too. You can take a look at the backstage. This is the privilege you get when watching anime. All you have to do in order to take these secret peeks is simple: you have to doubt. A show becomes believable and true to our world when it at least *tries* to embrace this skepticism. When you take a look at the backstage, and its not just wooden props and costumes: they're actual people, in the real world, driven by something real to perform admirable and unadmirable acts alike. This is where Code;Geass falls. When you look from the side, everything is held up by duct tape and steel beams. And once you see that, the magic fades.

It's up to you how you decide to watch the show. As for me, I did a little bit of both. Granted, I couldn't look away at the greater picture: this show lacks proper foundations. Although there is evidence of research in the history of warfare, the setting of Code;Geass otherwise floats in thin air; there is no backstory as to how and why everything is as it is. It is plagued by inconsistency. The power of Geass gets poorly developed. Even main characters get poorly developed. This is really confounding, because they get to do so many things in this show. But, their logic remains the same for so, so long, despite the changes in their environment. They get doubted, though. Characters in this show doubt themselves and each other often, and that's absolutely great, and one of the saving graces of Code;Geass. Regardless, everything else mentioned still holds true for me.

But then again, you know what? I still enjoyed this show a lot. I still wanted to watch from the front row. I still knew that somewhere along the lines, Code;Geass acknowledges how absurd it is by itself. I mean, flying mecha lead by an edgy student who is actually a prince dressed in a cape and a mask that has this power which forces anyone to obey and wants to destroy the Holy Empire of Britannia? Yes, that's Code;Geass. Nevertheless, it still performs center stage. It's not afraid to present everything as absolutely serious, believable, and feasible.

This overwhelming confidence in presentation is why my aforementioned complaints are overshadowed, and this show ends up being so universally admired; it's so much easier to just believe what's in front of you. It's so much easier to submit to a romantic story of rebellion, knights, to a grand stage of secret powers, secret identities, and mecha warfare. And I have to emphasize again, that it's easy because Code;Geass makes it so. I recall a certain scene where Lelouch pilots this one mecha and operates it by literally playing a virtual piano and making these amazingly goofy digital sound effects... things like this prove to me how bold this show is in its presentation. It proves to me that, it can perform with such finesse and bravado, that I simply *won't* want to watch it from the sides. And that takes both the balls and the skill to achieve it. It's truly commendable. It's a show designed to be enjoyed - maybe not analyzed that much. Maybe, analysis should be reserved for shows like LotGH. I mean, imagine a merge of these two anime. We would have an anime singularity. The world would end.

Code;Geass still holds a special place for me. As we grow, everything becomes increasingly complicated and multi-faceted. We see and think more, yet... we believe and feel even less. We revisit the past, only to find ourselves enjoying the world with rose-colored glasses. Maybe we should be jealous. Maybe we should be proud. Among all the dichotomies in Code;Geass, the one I felt the most is this. In the end, simplicity is the most beautiful thing in the world. I think that when we find it, we should enjoy it - we don't get much of it after a while.

In conclusion: yep, this is all cope.