Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass is an anime that balances combat and non-combat, showing us an armed conflict both on the battlefield and away from it. Despite its nature, which is significantly darker than usual even for this kind of story, it has the potential to appeal to a wide audience. It makes use of numerous genres to various degrees; from psychological thriller to mecha action, from school romance to superpowers. The question is: does it manage to remain interesting while doing so? The strongest point of Code Geass is its thrilling story. A very interesting plot that unfolds at a proper pace, it will most likely keep youcoming back for more. The story is definitely what pushes Code Geass up. So, what about everything else?

Visually, Code Geass is fine. My main problem with the art was that everyone looked too good. Apparently, in the Code Geass universe, non-attractive people are extinct. Other than that, the art pulls its weight. The landspaces looked good, the action scenes were fine, the characters were a bit inhuman but nothing severe.

Sound-wise, Code Geass was also fine. The music was mostly un-interesting, but it was used rather well. As for the voice actors, while most of them did a good job with the material they had available, that material could have been better. The protagonist in particular suffers from this problem; he speaks almost exclusively with a very deep voice and an imposing tone regardless of the situation. Thankfully, most of the main cast avoids any major problems.

Τhe characters are a bit of mess. Due to the big cast and the heavy plot, you are going to see a lot of character development. You may get a bit lost trying to figure out each character's personality, since many of them have limited screentime. Despite that, they are generally interesting, especially the various relationships between them.

Some things damaged my enjoyment of the show. It got increasingly chaotic and incoherent as it went on. Also, it kinda fails when it comes to switching between "serious" and "fun" settings. Finally, there was too much of people talking to themselves and treating things unnecessarily seriously. Despite these issues, the show was generally enjoyable. It’s easily to overlook such issues due to how engaging the storyline is.

Ultimately, I’d recommend Code Geass to almost everyone. There are only two categories of anime watchers that I believe won’t enjoy it: those that don’t enjoy serious settings and those that are overly critical. If you don’t belong in either of these categories, Code Geass is definitely worth your time.