Ranked #7728

Code Geass: Shikkoku no Renya (Manga)

I know this series has BARELY just started (as of now, it's up to chapter seven, I believe), but I wanted to review it to clear some things up...

I've been reading a lot of bad things about this manga... I hear a lot of bad things about the Code Geass manga franchise in general.
If you're one of the Code Geass manga haters, you're going to hate this one most likely. However, unlike the other four-or-so manga-series, this one is actually a part of the Code Geass story! It takes place around, what, 1700? Some people, I have read, don't like that fact. They want it to all be modern/sci-fi like the anime was. But, I think it's cool to see C.C. in past, and what the world was like before Britannia ruled the world!

Anywho, the story so far is pretty interesting. C.C. (as we know, she's invincible...), as you can probably guess, makes a contract with somebody after the boy's village is invaded and destroyed. However, the contract fails. C.C. isn't able to give the boy, Renya, the power of Geass. Instead, something goes wrong and he becomes cursed. His curse causes his arm to become, apparently, that of a demon's, and is now uncontrollable (sound familiar? The Geass power becomes uncontrollable when the user performs his/her power too much). He decides to use this curse to his advantage, and goes out on an adventure to get his friend, Claire Lee (get ready for this) Britannia, who was kidnapped after the invasion.
So far, I'd have to give the story a solid... 8/10
It's actually pretty interesting, but isn't the most "mind blowing" thing that has happened for Code Geass...

The art... What can I say? It's Code Geass!! Even if you don't like the mangas (Personally, I think they're great!), you can't deny the fact that the art is awesome! The characters are all cool looking (of course, it's Code Geass!) and the scenery is well made. 10/10

The characters in the manga, so far, aren't the most interesting, but the main characters (Renya, C.C., Claire, etc) are all pretty interesting. 7/10

I really enjoyed reading this manga! Despite that it takes place way in the past (stories that far in the past rarely interest me...), it is very cool, and actually pulls the "Code Geass thing" off well! 8/10

Overall, I'd give it an 8/10
It's promising, I'll say that. I can't wait to see more!!

So, I know how bad of a repetition the mangas have. If you don't want to read this simply because it's one of the Code Geass mangas, refrain from your bias ways and conform >:0! If you're truly a Code Geass fan, no doubt will you enjoy reading and seeing the past of the series! This manga is a really great way to fill the void as you want for the new season of Code Geass!!

Side Note: Again, this review is just to clear things up with the people curious about this manga! I will critique the actual manga once it is finished :3 read more

I, like many other readers, began reading this because of the Code Geass franchise. I won't lie, I dived into this hoping to catch a glimpse or two of the original cast (who is that Lelouch lookalike and what is he doing in that era?!). After all, what made Code Geass so enjoyable was the cast, more so than the storyline.

WARNING: Mild-spoilers ahead

Story: 5/10
The story so far is mediocre. It's interesting how Britannia existed that far in the past (and how Britannia was giving Japan shit since then) but what should have kept me interested, but failed, is the plot regarding the cast - the journey to save/capture a runaway Britannian princess.

To top it off, there is a new concept of "Knightmares,"which, in my opinion, is pretty lame. I supposed they tried to incorporate Knightmares, which are originally mecha, into an era before there was advanced technology, which would have been great, if executed properly. Knightmares in this realm are pseudo-mutants of some sort. Why they no longer exist in Lelouch's timeline is a big mystery to me.

The only things that have kept my interest so far are a) C.C. and the Lelouch-look-alike's involvement and connection with each other, b) the contract that went awry, and c) the fact that a lot of the characters look like original Code Geass characters (I wonder if they'll expand into this and explain it...reincarnation perhaps - or maybe the artist was simply lazy?).


Art: 7/10
The art is not bad. Character designs aren't particularly novel (4 major characters look like they're straight out of the original Code Geass). The designs for the new characters are simply put..."meh," nothing extremely creative or new. The fight scenes are nicely illustrated.


Characters: 6/10
C.C. is still C.C. and the Lelouch-look-alike acts eerily similar to Lelouch, so those are both pluses in my book. Renya the protagonist, however, is a bit boring and annoying; he is the "I-don't-want-to-get-involved-but-if-I-really-have-to-*SIGH*" type. The rest of new cast all seem to be pretty shallow, run of the mill characters. Some of them have "complex" pasts which don't much to add their depth.


Enjoyment: 5/10
Not what I would call a page turner, but it's not bad either. Something I would read if I was stuck on a train with nothing else to do.


Overall: 6/10
By no means is it a horrible manga. But in the same vein, it's not great. It didn't capture my attention, not even after the 11 chapters I've read. The story, so far, is a basic save the princess storyline. The characters are your typical staple manga cast.

It's still too early to pass a final judgment on this manga, but so far I'm not impressed. read more