Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

There's something about this anime that I don't really get from other shows. It's this combined sense of everything happening at a fast pace, the stakes being so insanely high (humongous Empire the main character Lelouch is trying to overturn) and such drastic things happening to the characters (spoiler stuff). On top of the character design which reminds me of some shitty anime flash games I played back in the day this show is quite bizarre. But I still very much enjoy the thing. The anime original nature of the show is obvious I think, given the types of camera angles and such used. I likethis, it adds more flavour to the show in my view, instead of having to match a manga-formatted storyboard to a tee.

Something I greatly appreciate which is present more in this season rather than the second is the planning explanations for whatever Lelouch/Zero and the gang are trying to pull off. Seeing the schematics for some building they are trying to attempt a hostage rescue from and them explaining their intricate plan is fascinating,.

I enjoyed the clear and sometimes blunt dynamic between Lelouch and Suzaku, previously best friends who have starkly different philosophies on how the world should be changed for the better.

The comparisons to Death Note are valid, but the approach of the overpowered tool is much different in both shows, so this isn't a slight against the show.

Indirect spoilers ahead*****
There was a major plot twist near the end of the season. It was out of thin air, as it seemed they were running out of plot to write and needed something to spice it up. I actually kind of liked the plot twist, it was tragic and terrible but it gave that element of chaos and randomness to the show, despite meticulous planning on the part of characters like Lelouch. There was a little foreshadowing before the fact as well so it wasn't completely contrived, I think the foreshadowing for this twist was a trump card the writers saved for when they ran out of ideas lol. I can't tell if I the plot twist is good for the simple reason it's a big shakeup, or it's actually cheap and lazy. But I think the former is the case, at least it felt that way to me. A problem I had personally with the twist is that it hurt the characters so much it almost dulled the sense of urgency to me. Like so much had been lost why care at all. This was a mild issue which I found grow into something more notable in the second season.

Overall the show is amazing. An anime-original which has a fantastic plot. I wouldn't say it's original in every aspect (takes elements of Death Note, 1984, Mecha anime etc.) but it mixes these things into a new and exciting blend. Perhaps that's what originality is in the first place. Regardless, this show comes highly recommended from me and I give it a 9/10.