Review of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

When I first watched this season of Code Geass, I said, "There is no way that season 2 could be better." I was wrong, and that is the main reason that this anime did not get higher than a 9. I initially thought that this anime was flawless, but then I heard the second opening and watched the second season. The character development and cast is fantastic. Lelouch, the main character, is enjoyable and his friends and partners, The Black Knights, are memorable as well. The story is compelling and nerve wracking. While watching this anime, you will feel several emotions: joy, sadness, anger, andeven fear at times, all up until the major cliffhanger at the end that will have you begging for the next season (which I watched immediately after). However, all of these things are overshadowed by the second season. The near perfect story is actually perfected for R2 and new, even more memorable characters are introduced. It was just impossible for me to give them both the same rating. However this does not draw away from the enjoyment factor, as it is equally as gripping, and after all it is necessary if season 2 were to make any sense. To me, those are the most important details, but Code Geass has some missteps in art and sound. The character models took me a while to get used to, and the Knightmares looked like they came straight from Cowboy Bebop which came out in the 90s. However, the hadron cannon and the Geass power both looked good and I became accustomed to the weird character models after a while. The sound was great in the show, and the first opening is one of my favorites, but the second opening and the repetitive sounds really bothered me. The second opening is terrible and I found myself skipping it and then listening to the first one just to make up for how hurt my head was from the annoying voice. As for the repetitive sounds, every time Lelouch would use his Geass, the same track would play. EVERY time, and he uses it a lot. A similar thing happens when C.C is on the screen. Overall, this anime is very good and should definitely be watched. I would call this a must watch even for the sole purpose of watching season 2, but aside from that, it is still a great anime.