Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass is a fairly well plotted sci-fi melodrama hampered by an abundance of dull archetypal characters who exist only to drive the plot and a premise so tired that I once accidentally called Area 11 Airstrip One. Not to fear, though—the dull, twentieth century totalitarianism of Britannia is distinguished very well by their disastrously stupid leaders, whose decision-making seems based less upon rational self-interest and more upon creating emotionally manipulative drama for the viewer. The most egregious example of this is the climax of the first season, in which the second most senior member of Area 11's government (nominally speaking, at least) is allowedto meet a known terrorist alone in an empty room. The results are predictable. To her credit, the charming naiveté of said member of government can at least be acknowledged as well-intentioned and comparatively productive when you consider that most other senior officials in Britannia are characterized superficially as buffoonish, trigger-happy, or both. How this supposedly great empire conquered a third of the inhabited world is far beyond me.

Like most anime aimed at the shounen demographic, many of the characters in Code Geass HAVE NO INSIDE VOICE. Luckily, protagonist Lelouch avoids this by talking exclusively in a smarmy, nasal gloat, usually while pressing his hands into his face in the most ungainly configuration he can manage, looking for all the world as if he has a motor control problem; however, while he is eminently unlikeable, Lelouch is nonetheless a good character who avoids archetypal blandness. Suzaku is less distinct but still well characterized. Fan favorite CC is also no doubt deserving of the praise that she's received—her shift between cool, defensive sarcasm and genuine sweetness makes it all too easy to classify her as yet another tsundere and leave it at that, but it would sell her short.

There are a few more exceptions that could be brought up, but unfortunately, most of the fairly large cast exists purely to drive the plot and possess totally forgettable personalities. There'll be one or two that any given viewer will appreciate on the basis of preference—Euphemia hit the moe sweet spot for me, with her gentle, forgiving heart—but at the end of the day, they're undeveloped archetypes with little to recommend them as fully rounded characters outside of the context of the plot. This becomes most evident during the school life episodes, which are borderline unwatchable for a slice-of-life fan. The show needed more dialogue for its own sake and characterization that wasn't paper-thin—the passionate rebel, the zany scientist, the snobbish noble, etc.

There are several impressive action sequences featuring the Knightmare mecha, which I'm sure would be of interest to people who like impressive action sequences featuring mecha. Frankly, it's not my area, and I spent a lot of the time during action scenes laughing at the awkward, upright position that the Gawain mecha adopted whenever it started flying. It's hardly an informed opinion, but they appeared fairly great from the perspective of someone who doesn't like mecha, so it's perhaps something to bear in mind.

In all fairness, Code Geass is by no means a bad anime, but it's a severely flawed one. It offers the viewer a decent story decently told, and though it's hurt by its iffy characters, goofy worldbuilding, and the occasional plot contrivance, it's entertainment, and that's no bad thing. If you like shounen, this is probably more like a 7.