Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

It's been a while since I watched Code Geass for the first time. I remember watching it back in my freshman year of college as I was trying to find something to watch in my dorm room one day. I then came across this show and had heard of the name before, but the only things I knew about it was that there were mechs in it, and people said that it was a masterpiece and that the ending was amazing. Other than that, I didn't know anything else. So I was like: "Alright, I'll be the judge of that." So I sat down andstarted watching it, and I ended up watching all 50 episodes in two days even though I didn't plan to. I even kept watching it while I was in class or eating dinner. And the only time I took a break was when it was 3 in the morning so I could go to sleep, only to wake up in the early afternoon that day and immediately continue where I left off.

Now hearing all that, you might think I'm a mentally insane person that should be locked up in Arkham Asylum, but the reason I had this huge watch party to myself was because I was just completely invested in what I was watching, and I felt like if I stopped watching it, I would start to get an itch at my neck like I was some drug addict. And honestly I got hooked right away. I was just constantly on the edge of my seat wondering what was gonna happen next. Even the stupidest moment in season 1 where the cat steals Lelouch's helmet and it becomes this competition at the high school to find the cat, even I was worried about what was gonna happen. Because usually in a moment like this I would be like: "Yeah there's no way that Lelouch is gonna get caught this early on." But I think the execution and the way they built the tension up to its fullest potential made me think that he was actually gonna get caught over some dumb shit like that.

Now I feel like if I rewatch this show now, I don’t know if it’ll be as good as I remember it being because I haven’t seen a single episode since I first binge-watched it and admittedly, nostalgia is kind of fueling my opinion more than facts. But there are so many moments in this show that have been engraved in my mind and that I still think about from time to time. Like the episodes where certain characters meet on that island. I would talk more about what happens but I wanna try to keep this review as spoiler free as possible even though it's kinda hard to talk about this show without spoiling it. And I think all the characters are great and the show gives them enough time to shine. And I'm gonna confess a sin to you guys, I did simp over C.C. pretty heavily while watching this show. Which I know is kinda weird because she's a teenager and I should probably say: "sike lol," but I don't know it was hard not to but thankfully I NEVER gooned and that's the truth. And I've always hated the excuse: "Oh it's just a drawing, who cares." Yeah you're right, but it's still kinda weird. But I guess I'd rather look at underage anime girls than attempt to watch the movie Cuties.

And I'm willing to bet that other grown men that watched this show did the same thing as well. And if you are a man that has seen this show, don't lie to me. You probably simped over C.C. at least a little bit. Let's not kid ourselves. Let's not be hypocritical. We're not perfect human beings here. And I remember feeling so much jealousy towards Lelouch. I mean seriously, Lelouch has to be the luckiest person ever when it comes to women, like I'm convinced he has unspoken rizz. Like Shirley is so down bad for him it's embarrassing, and Kallen wants to be with him as well. And I already mentioned C.C. who's probably like top 5 waifus of all time. You know what, we're just gonna move on from this discussion. In fact, let's pretend that I never talked about this ok?

So one great thing about this show is that there isn't really a clear hero or villain. Everybody is just doing what they feel is right and I was constantly going back and forth on who I should side with. There was always a gray area and I think that particular aspect makes for the best stories. This show also does a great job at giving you strong emotional moments without becoming melodramatic. And I also think season 1 ends on one of the most insane cliffhangers I've ever seen. Like I was so mad after it was over, but then I realized there was a season 2 and I was like: "Thank god there's a second season otherwise I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep correctly at night.”

And speaking of season two or R2, I absolutely loved how it started because it completely subverted my expectations. Cause you think it would just start right where the last season left off. But this show is like: "Nah fuck that. Let's pull a complete Uno reverse card and start season two kinda like how season one began." I remember watching it and being like: "Wait what? Is this really the second season or is this like an alternative version of the previous season? What is going on?" Like I was getting serious deja vu at the beginning but there was something totally SUS about the whole thing. But once you get deeper into the episode and things start revealing themselves, it's genuinely a mind fuck moment. And honestly I think season two is better than the first season. But for some reason, they amplify the fan service in R2. Which isn't necessarily a huge complaint or anything but it kind of proves my opinion that all anime is is just hornier cartoons. But anyway in R2, the scope of the show gets bigger and so do the stakes as it all culminates in a climax where I remember being so stressed out that I think I burned 300 calories just by watching it.

And once I finally got to the ending that people said was amazing, did I personally think it was amazing? No, I thought it was one of the greatest endings in television history. Like it was Breaking Bad levels of perfection. Like this is the first and only anime that legitimately gave me chills during the ending. I would say at what part of the last episode but again, I don't wanna spoil anything for this review. If you want me to go more in depth into this show, let me know however you DM someone on this website. And I don't think I've seen an anime that has nailed the ending this perfectly than this show has. And I think for any story, like movies, TV shows, etc, nailing the conclusion is very important. It reminds me of that one quote from the movie “Adaptation.” It was when Brian Cox’s character said: “Wow them in the end, and you got a hit. You can have flaws, problems, but wow them in the end, and you've got a hit.” If the ending to Code Geass sucked, I don't think people would remember it as much as they do today.

So yeah, I think this show is a must watch and it’s definitely in the top 5 for my favorite anime of all time. (That statement is not true anymore because I replaced it with Attack on Titan, but this show still holds a very special place in my memory and my heart). I understand there's a movie that came out a few years ago and it's apparently a sequel to R2, but I'm not watching it anytime soon. I don't care if it's good or bad. I'm gonna boycott that movie for the rest of my life. Because for me personally, R2 is where it all ends. There's really no reason to continue the story after that. And just the title of that movie completely ruins the ending to R2, and I really don't wanna think about it.

So if you're gonna watch Code Geass, just watch season 1 and R2, and then move on to something else, because those are the only two seasons that matter. It’s like Terminator 1 and 2. You only watch those two movies because everything else is not even close to being on the same level of quality. Now my only complaint with Code Geass that I can think of as of now is that I'll never be able to watch this show for the first time ever again.

ORIGINALLY REVIEWED ON 05/26/2023