Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

I believe that by looking at this anime's genre at a first glance, you may think that this is a mecha battle anime like Gundam or a military sci-fi anime like Akira or a superpower anime like many of the other anime that you have seen before. And you are not wrong. It does contain all of them, in perfect proportions. However, Code Geass has something more, that overshadows every genre mentioned, that makes it beautiful. It is not its well written original storyline, nor its cool art, nor its memorable soundtrack. It is something more, something elemental, which sets it apart from other anime.And you may not believe me when I say it, but it is the truth.

Code Geass is REALISTIC. You may ponder upon how something set in a mecha world, with superpowers is realistic, when an anime is typically nothing but. The reason is that Code Geass does not just give a mecha battle, it shows the deep conflict between both the sides and the reason for the battle. It does not just give a military sci-fi, it also gives depth to the consequences and the meaning behind everything and how it came to be. And most importantly, the superpowers are not just powers, they define each and every character and how it changes them. Every character is a victim of his/her own choices and that just makes this more natural to follow.

The story is awesome and well paced. At the end of each episode, you are in full anticipation of the next and you get to live the story. The anime may be difficult to understand from the first episode due to its varied style of storytelling, however, as you go past the first 3 episodes, it becomes easier to understand the entire perspective of the story. Summarizing the story here is nearly impossible, however, the story alternates between light paced humor and hugely dark scenarios unpredictably. It is emotional and appealing. You also understand the reasons as to how everything came into place and that was one of the things that appealed to me.

The art is quite beautiful, though I would have been happier if they tried even more. But still, the art design of each character is quite good indeed and Zero is the most coolest of them. The mecha design is also sleek and efficient. I am happy that they improved more in the sequel.

The soundtrack is amazing and I would suggest that you listen to some of them sometime later on. And don't miss the intro soundtrack and the ed, most of them are quite good. I can say nothing more than the fact that it blends into the story in its own way. Sometimes the melody underscores the emotions felt in a scene.

The character development is one of the focal points in Code Geass and you can't argue with the decisions made by the main characters, no matter how extreme they may be. Lelouch and Suzaku are the most contrasting characters and their conflict is central. Also, the partnership of Kallen and Lelouch is one of the best, as they reflect off each other. One of my favorite scenes in the anime comes in at episode 13, where you see how well their character had developed compared to the beginning of the series. Their conversation during this episode is one of the best and shows immense reasoning with their views and how they have changed into more complex and stronger characters. Of course, this is one among many of the places where I see how Code Geass improved upon the multiple character dynamics.

Overall, I give this a 10, because this is a masterpiece worth watching, where you don't just view the next episode just because you have to, but because you want to. And it never disappoints anywhere and is something I would definitely be proud to call one of the most enjoyable anime. And after watching it, I am sure that you would too.