Code Geass: Boukoku no Akito 1 - Yokuryuu wa Maiorita

September 7 2012 update: For the past few weeks, I have gotten countless messages asking me how I saw this movie online. If you look at my profile, it clearly says I live in Japan and it is easy to conclude that by living in Japan, I have instant access to anime releases whether DVD release or theater showing.

So far I have only watched the first episode and will expand upon this review as more episodes are released.

This movie takes place within the timeline of the series . Despite that, at this point, I don't think any familiarity with the TV series ... is 95% at all necessary to get into this. References to events in the TV series are not at all referenced to. But due to the distinct geo-political geography of the world of Code Geass it would help a lot. If you watch this without any exposure, you will have some trouble putting some things into perspective in that context. But what is also great is that this movie/oav series touches upon something that wasn't really touched upon in the TV series in that much elaborate detail to begin with which was the EU.

The movie starts by briefly summarizing that in 2010CE, the Holy Britannian Empire invaded Japan, took over in a month, and renamed it Area 11. Then it cuts to what is going on in Europe, or EU, one of three super powers along with Britannia and the Chinese Federation. The story centers around two characters, Reira and Akito, two junior officers in the EU. Reira is a command room officer who gives the orders type while Akito is an exiled Japanese knightmare pilot who happens to have elite skills and together, they are fighting the complications that surround them.

The reason why this series is distinct from the original TV series not because of the setting, but because of these characters. The characters are very different from the cast and will make it easier for newcomers who no experience with the TV series to ease into. But I felt Akito and Reira lacked the charms of the original cast and don't feel any distinct from any other standard mech character. Akito to me is very cliched and stereotypical mech pilot for most of the movie. No, he's not the whiny type, but he is the quiet and anti-social homocidial type. For most of the movie, he is a mystery and hard to relate to and understand. By the time the first episode ends, they really start to flesh out his character. The only praise I can give Akito as a character in episode 1 is that he is super ballsy and will take wicked risks to get his mission done. Reira is strong, but she still lacks experience and understanding. By the time the movie ends, you do feel that these characters do have potential to grow and develop.

The movie also shows that after 2010CE, the Japanese also struggeled trying to live outside of Japan and were also discriminated against in the EU as well. Even though this was briefly touched upon in the movie for just a brief moment, I felt those scenes really stood out since you have a better idea of how the Japanese were not suffering not just inside in Japan, but all over the world as well, and how far some individuals were willing to go for their freedom. Also, Akito will have problems with other people because of his ethnic background.

The art is still in consistent to the TV series designs. The Britannian uniforms still appropriately reflect French and British imperial culture while the EU uniforms had something of a Nazi feel to it with the pants, the coats, the ties, and the hats. It's very hard to tell who is the bad guy in my opinion due to these particular designs.

What really shines here are the mech battles. In the TV series, the mech battles were more secondary, while the mech battles are more of the highlight. They are well grounded, strategic, violent, exciting and balls to the walls. I say in terms of action, I say it is equal to the quality of Gundam 08th MS Team so far.

The environment equally captures a futuristic look and at the same time also keeps in tune with the European background. You will see traditional French buildings like the Eifell Tower and the Arc De Triumph and the construction is excellent as well.

The music works well with the intensity and the dark mood, but isn't really as explosive as the TV series with songs like Colors.

I got no complaints about the voice acting. All the actors do a good job of capturing their characters. I don't have any familiraity with Akito's voice actor but he does a good job of being homocidal and anti-social and secretivie all at the same time.

In the end, it is just a first episode. It is introducing things and the trailer shows a lot of promise that things will be expanded upon and will be in for a few surprises. I think as a first episode, it is ok and should be open to anybody whether you're a fan or not. At this point, this Code Geass feels more like a mech anime as a opposed to a political thriller like the TV series. I felt what made Code Geass attractive to me wasn't really that well present in this installment so far but as a fan of mech, it pleases me enough.

This is my First review on MAL so I decided to review the latest Code Geass.

This is the first episode of a 4 part movies spin-offs based on the Code Geass series and so far it shows that it is a very promising spin-off that will hopfully do the Code Geass franchise justice.


Art and Animation – 10

The animation in this anime is just pure gorgeous eye candy by far exceeding that of the original series, the CGI animation in the mech battles are just incredible, the mecha’s truly feel like metal clashing together and the camera angles give an amazing presentation of balls to the ... walls violence while still strategic just like you expect from Code Geass. The art also does an incredible job presenting a futuristic look while still holding a certain European culture around it. Overall the animation is just flawless.


Story and presentation – 9

Despite that this is a spin-off, you don’t actually have to watch the main series to follow it. It is very well explained how the brittanian empire has taken over Japan renaming it as the colony area 11 and how the empire is now at warr with the E.U, what this anime does a great job at presenting is how the E.U is nothing better than the brittanian empire. Even there Eleven’s are being discriminated and stuggle to life there, the hierarchy between the Europeans and elevens is very well presented and a great starting point to build up. So overall the story and presentation are very well managed and easy to get into.


Characters – 6

This is where I feel this spin-off is very lacking in, the code geass series is very well known for it’s extremely iconic and indepth characters from Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen to Jeremiah, Euphie and Anya.

Most of the characters in Akito the Exiled just lack the charisma that the original cast had, especially Akito for that matter. While Lelouch was an extremely deep and charismatic individual Akito barely seems to have any kind of personality, he feels like a very cliché strong but silent type character, Reira doesn’t really feel that unique either and rather just…standard. However considering this was still the first part I am pretty sure that there will be a lot of character development in the future episodes especially for Akito because despite Akito being a character without personality he has something psychological and suicidal behind him that could be interesting to build up on in the future.

The characters I did really enjoy tho where the three anarchistic elevens Ryo, Ayano and Yukiya. Especially Yukiya is my favorite character so far, a very devious, sly and intelligent villain.

Overall – 8

This anime is a good first impression for future episodes, the animation is beautifull, the storyline is very well presented and it overall looks like a spin-off that can match the series, however I am very disappointed with the lackluster characters and hope that they get more development in the future.

As some of you may already know, I'm a big fan of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. Season 1 remains my favorite television series to date, and R2 was still pretty fun and equally ambitious. You can imagine how intrigued I was when I heard that it got a sub-series that was meant to explore some new territory in the lore of the franchise. After all, there is so much we don't know, like the origins of geass or what exactly happened between the 1-year gap between the events of R1 and R2, or even delving into the EU, which was never actually shown ... in the main series. Unfortunately, as you will see throughout this review, I was disappointed by it, in part due to one reason: Akito the Exiled has no ambition.

This film has no drive. It simply feels like an addition to a franchise rather than a brand new installment that explores uncharted territory. Whether or not you liked the original series, you have to admit that it had a lot of ambition. It tried to be fun, humorous, and nuanced at the same time, and it balanced each part well. Whether or not you think the attempt worked is up to interpretation. This doesn't have that, and it shows given how boring this slop is.

If there's anything I can compliment about Akito, it's that it treats the franchise with respect. It never does anything to jeopardize the continuity of the main series, and it expands on one key thing I wanted to know about: the EU. Also, the first half doesn't have many story issues. Simply, after a battle in which the only survivor is Akito, he needs up with one of his superiors, Leila (the one in charge of her main crew and the operation), and they head to a party in which he threatens a scumbag who was mistreating the one he is meant to guard (Lelia). Little goes on here aside from an action scene but that's alright; it's just the first 24 minutes.

The second half is what really killed the story. There’s this rebel trio who blows up their douchey superiors for seemingly no reason. I mean it, we don't know why they did that aside from possibly not wanting to take orders. Then, they attack or protagonists for seemingly no reason. Did they believe they were defenseless officials? Did they know those guys were armed and ready? We sure don't know what was going through their heads. They get captured by Leila (she never explains why she spared them), and then a guy killing his boss and potentially becoming an antagonist in the future. He grasses him, but we don't know what it does aside from the boss killing himself afterward. The lines of taking a trip don't help matters either. We end on Akito being edgy and saying “I died once” and that's a wrap. I know you can't really get much out of 50 minutes, no can you always put a lot into it, especially when it's introductory, but that's hardly an excuse for what happened here.

Let’s start with Leila since she’s the first MC we see. She's a bland “righteous princess and poor people activist” archetype that happens to know some self-defense techniques. Conversely, Akito is surprisingly malevolent, even by Code Geass standards, with his first scene showing him in a bloodthirsty rampage and many subsequent scenes having him sport the most wicked of evil grins. Other than that, he’s pretty standard, and the last scene really paints him as edgy. Neither of these two really have much to them, but they're better than the other characters who are literally archetypes as nothing else, like Leila’s older “brother” or the geass guy towards the end who makes his master kill himself. There’s also the heavily enteric rebel trio who apparently want a place to belong, but their actions are clearly not indicative of that. What a dimensionless bunch.

As for the character art, while it is missing the shine that the characters in the original do, making these guys more akin to what comes out of Light Novels, their designs feel strictly “Code Geass” with the even more exaggerated version of the already exaggerative CLAMP style. Unfortunately, unless someone is disarming someone hand-to-hand, don't expect much to any movement with these characters. The most you'll usually get is a little bit of walking. Calling this animated is a formality at this point, at least for the characters.

Now for the elephant in the room: the CGI. The CGI Knightmares tend to look terrible here, and are equally poor in terms of integration; some of the background vehicles aren't an exception either. The mecha designs mostly remain the same, but the new ones from the first battle are awful, especially the eyes that make the Knightmare that Akito pilots look non-threatening. I appreciate the detail that went into the mechs of the first battle, but it doesn't work that well. The mechs in the second battle look like they were ripped from a cel-shaded GameCube game from 2003, and it is also poorly integrated, chief among them being what one of the rebels fights to take out most of the soldiers surrounding Leila before Akito steps in. The CGI explosions look hideous as well. Hopefully, the subsequent films improve the CGI integration and Knightmare designs.

The directing in this film is also pretty terrible, especially for the action scenes. The camera looks like it was operated by a schizophrenic cameraman, which makes it difficult to process what's going on at times. Even outside of battle, sometimes the camera doesn't keep up that well, notably in one instance in the beginning before we heard back to the first battle. However, I do like the cockpit screens. Still, all in all, whenever there is actual animation, it's done with poorly integrated CGI mechs that we can't properly see fighting due to the camera, unlike in the original series. In fact, you'd think they'd be able to make even better fights on a 50-minute film than on a 25 episode television series (applied to either season of Geass) but I guess not.

The music was not done by Kotaro Nakagawa this time around, and it honestly shows. Someone else was in charge, and while the music does feel reminiscent of the feel of the amazing tracks of the main series, it's shockingly bland. There's this one piece with the crazy trumpets used in an action scene, but it doesn't fit well at all with either the action of the scene or the atmosphere surrounding it. The ED theme is also pretty bland, but EDs aren't really the franchise’s strong suit, unlike the OPs and OSTs, so I guess that's to be expected.

Ultimately, this was an unremarkable and poorly executed project, and I desperately hope this sub-series doesn't get much worse. Its characters are as dull and lifeless as its narrative, the action is terribly handled, and overall I'm left without a reason to care. Say what you will about the original series (and I have), but it always tried its damnedest to give you a reason to be engaged, whilst this right here is the epitome, nay, the embodiment of being sub-par!

The latest installment of Code Geass, Boukoku no Akito
The score I've given is strictly for this 1st episode, as a standalone story

At the beginning of the movie, we were shown a rescue attempt by an unit which the protagonist Akito is in. The staffs are all European (as far as we know) but the pilots are all Japanese. Their Knightmare Frame is solely comprised of Alexander, a state of the art KF. In addition of full range of arsenals capable of either melee or long range battles, this KF also has feature to transform from quadrupedal to bipedal to allows mobility in all terrains. This ... amazing KF are entrusted to the hands of "lowly elevens" pilot, so it's safe to assume that they are quite competent or even elite pilots. But then the battle unfolded and somehow rather than fully utilizing their KF abilities, they preferred to suicide bombed themselves one after another. Just when we thought they would lose, the scene shifted to our protagonist Akito, he easily demolished several enemy squads all by himself with other worldly ninja and acrobatic skills.

Going any further would spoil the story, so let's begin scoring

- Art : 8
Supposed to be 9 if they didn't CG the KF

- Story : 2
There's nothing important going on (or explained) as far as the Geass universe considered. Plot inconsistencies are numerous. There's racism and discrimination against elevens for no apparent purposes (the enemy of my enemy is my ally logic doesn't work here). These elevens took refuge in a land some 10000 km away (awesome, how did they manage such travel) from their homeland just to receive the same treatments they got under Britania occupation, making it pointless.

- Sound : 6
It was okay

- Character : 2
One of the most important factor of Geass was the characters. Just throwing random characters and Knightmare Frame won't make it as good as Geass. At this moment I can only score it 2 for characters random behaviors.

- Enjoyment : 4
Honestly speaking, it was a waste of time. I suggest to watch it in batch when more episodes are released.

- Overall : 5
scores are subject to change when more episodes are released

Did the movie improve on the original series? is Akito a better protagonist then lelouch? And who would i rather marry, Leila or C.C? Will i find more stupid clickbait-questions? I probably could, but let's start by saying that yes, Akito the exiled does indeed improve on some aspects and gets weaker in some others.

Story: The story is not much worth mentioning, at least in this first installment. These 50 minutes are mostly spend on setting up the plot, the characters, introductions and the sort and then it ends pretty abruptly. That said, it was still interesting to me, seeing the conflict that takes place ... in Europe, something that was only mentioned in the show. But again, not much happens, first there is a fight, then we get introduced to our main characters, they meet and in the end we get a glimpse of our main antagonist. It's a set up for the next movies. I guess i liked it, it was good, so it gets a 7.

Art: Now here is something to be said. I think, as is tradition for a movie, the art improved. Not only the quality in general, but also the style. The characters don't look quite that ridiculous anymore, but it's still visibly "Clamp". Leila looks amazing, jesus! Then on the other hand, all the mechs are suddenly CGI. That is a weird one, especially since they move a little odd and look generally not as good as the drawn mechs. The upside however: The fights are amazing, so fast-paced and full of energy, they always grabbed my full attention. I really look forward to see more of that. I really can't give the art section a poor score this time, it think it's very good at least, which is a huge improvement to lelouchs rebellion.

Sound: Also slightly improved, though to be fair, the ost didn't really stand out to me. I mean, it's still better then the show-soundtrack, that one actually annoyed me from time to time. However, it had it's great moments, while the Akito one is kinda just...there. Same goes for the ending-song, didn't resonate with me at all, but i also didn't mind it. I'll give it a five, nothing note-worthy.

Character: As i said, the movie is a set-up, the same goes for the characters. We don't really learn all that much about them. There is the title-character, Akito, who is a really cool guy with a dark past. You probably know the trope, i just want to avoid calling him edgy, cause this is just a meme by now. But yeah, pretty much that. He is also a little crazy, but they didn't delve into that too much yet. Leila, the female lead, is great however. Very attractive, very smart and can absolutely hold her own with some martial arts. Definitely my favorite one so far.
Other then that we have three thugs and they are all pretty generic so far, the tough leader, the cocky smart guy and the beautiful, female assassin/ninja. The antagonist is a samurai, at least he looks like one and he is stone cold, not much more is known yet. They are other supporting characters, but they didn't do anything noteworthy as of now. The characters are good, Leila adds a whole point, i'll be honest.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed it, the time flew by, though i did space out from time to time, mostly when they were having a conversation. That didn't really caught my attention. For a first movie, for the introduction i liked it. If it was anything else though, then i wouldn't really like it that much. But as it stands, an 8 is what it gets.

I think i managed to drag this review out as long as the reviews to the show. That's incredible. It's also a major flaw, but i am still learning, bear with me. Anyway, i look forward to see what fate has in store for Akito and leila, because i actually don't remember what happens in the second movie. The only image i have is leila slipping into the tight pilot-suit, that stuck with me. It's, um, a nice scene, from an artistic standpoint. Yeah...

Slowpoke Code Geass fan here, who just got to watch the new OVA. I was in total hype for this when I finished R2 around December, so I kind of went into this with unrealistic expectations. That being said, the following review is neither a rant of disappointment, nor is it a blind praising of Geass fanboyism.

I get that it's supposed to be an introductory episode, but what's with all the characters they introduced!? With the exception of the main heroine, EVERY character is a freekin' sociopath. There's a fine line between badassery and being a total sadist, but almost all of the new ... cast falls under the latter. I mean, it's not great that Akito himself is introduced in the first 10 minutes of action shouting nothing but, "DIE! DIE! DIE!" Moreover, it’s difficult to justify Akito’s homicidal ravings when he himself acknowledges that there’s little explanation for his enlistment in the war. While he was able to show glimpses of empathy while (sort of) mourning his fallen Eleven comrades, Akito’s odd bloodlust and general lack of charisma makes him seem like a watered-down Lelouch (oh, like fans of Code Geass didn’t see that coming!) He’s not a revolutionary, he’s not a genius tactician, and he’s certainly not a revered leader. Rather, Akito’s just an overly vicious, “strong yet silent” soldier. Albeit, an unnaturally talented pilot that’s conforming to the Jesus Yamato archetype.

As for the rest of the Eleven knightmare unit, we’ve somehow managed to round up a group of equally nihilistic soldiers: Ayano (a katana wielding, pseudo-Yandere), Yukiyo (an “evil-genius” tech-wiz), and Ryo (the group’s brash leader with fairly noble ideals). They aren’t really more than their clichéd descriptions sell them as, but what the Eleven squad represents is an interesting theme that really anchors down the OVA’s conflict: the assimilation/discrimination of Elevens and their role as conscripts in the European Union’s army. In the opening sequence, the unit’s original commander used an interesting tactic to match Britannia’s overwhelming numerical and technological advantage - self destructing knightmares. To morally rationalize the use of Eleven suicide bombers, he brings up the following cultural prejudice: “It’s okay if the Elevens are dying for us - it’s in their blood. With ethos like “kamikaze” and “seppuku”, they’re descendants of a race that loves to die.” For the most part, dialogue in Akito the Exiled doesn’t stand out compared to the original series, being somewhat tacky in how bold the characters are trying to sound. However, what the series succeeds in doing is the way they’re depicting the dehumanization of Elevens, mainly through the way our protagonists and the characters surrounding them perceive the treatment of Eleven refugees.

The aforementioned heroine, newly appointed commander Leila Malcal, is reasonably likeable in that she's rational, collected, and a decently competent commander, despite her inexperience. Although, with how Code Geass is building up certain knightmare units to be one-man armies, that isn't saying much. Strategy has long since lost its place as the deciding factor of battles, and while mecha confrontations aren't as exciting without the psychological interplay behind them, the way knightmares have become exceedingly mobile makes the OVA's battles seem much more fast paced. However, the revamped action of the OVA is a bit of a double-edged sword, bringing us to the next issue...

Realism and the mecha genre seems like a massive oxymoron, but the attempts of R1 to make knightmares conceptually viable have been completely thrown out the window. Now drawn in CG (which, to my surprise, I didn’t gripe over as much as I did before), the knightmares of Akito the Exiled have experienced a complete overhaul. With heavier usage of their roller-blade mechanics, even early-generation knightmares (such as the Glasgow and the Sutherland) show a ridiculous amount of acrobatic nimbleness. This makes combat much more quick-paced, but the newfound sense of choreography in the way these unrealistically agile mechs move is a love-hate affair. It’s completely detrimental to the continuity of the parent story in that their knightmare counterparts are nowhere near as fast and powerful, but the action itself (while lacking a strategic overtone) is a bit more fun to watch.

On to the art, animation, and sound.

The most noticeable change is that mechs are now rendered in CGI, which caused a lot of commotion for die-hard fans. With it though, the animation quality’s certainly improved (which shouldn’t be a surprise, seeing that Code Geass originally aired more than half a decade ago). While most of the action in the original series took place in Area 11 (Japan), the OVA introduces a new setting: the European front. The posh Parisian designs that the EU’s architecture takes after is a nice addition to the CG universe, and scenes taking place in Eleven ghettos provide a fantastic contrast. They’re two different worlds that exist in the same setting - a representation of the growing divide between the oppressed Elevens and the nation they’re seeking refuge in.

The voice acting is surprisingly standard, despite featuring a cast of well-known VAs. This is mostly attributed to the fact that the OVA’s characters aren’t outstanding themselves, but the vocal work isn’t anything to be praised. The biggest change to sound, however, is its change in musical direction. The pieces themselves were fine, but I’m not sure if jazzy tunes are the best fit for large-scale, heart-pumping mech battles. The background music is something that you’d expect in Cowboy Bebop’s OST, but it doesn’t quite fit in to the explosive nature of Code Geass.

Luckily, with this introductory episode out of the way, Akito the Exiled is now able to move on to the thick of its story. I was completely ecstatic to see glimpses of some beloved returning characters in the preview, but I'm hoping that the OVA continues to play on its strengths - visceral action, throwbacks to the original series, and exploration into the conflict of the Elevens.

As for whether knowledge of the parent series is necessary, I'd say it's highly recommended (but then again, who HASN'T seen Code Geass?) It’ll help in understanding the struggles of Japan as a conquered colony, but I can also see someone new to the series starting on the OVA as well. In that case, the disappointment from initially watching the parent series can be avoided. I may take this back with the release of the following films, but until then, I’m holding firm that it’s near-impossible to accomplish the same epic that Code Geass was so loved for in six hour-long movies. At the very least, fans of Code Geass can’t really complain. I can definitely say that we were much more deserving of this OVA than the Nunnally in Wonderland special.

First Non-Rage review yay.

To start of the Story is good however it only got a seven in my opinion because it for me left a few blanks, for example why if some characters like Malcal/Malkal have a geass is there symbol different to that of Lelouch, Charles, C.C, V.V from the original code geass and even Shin from Akito the Exiled. Are they going to be artificial Geass like Jeremiahs who knows similarly the story seemingly has appeared out of nowhere in my opinion and could of had a bit more introduction however it isn't too bad considering they are technically Movies where after ... all 4 are made will total around 3-4 hours of story which may later be filled in.

The Art (9) is the same as from the original and that made me so happy and this art style suits the atmosphere perfectly. Similarly the soundtrack (8) is amazing however it is rated lower than art purely because I don't focus massively on the music especially during big battles where i'm too focused on the action.

Characters (8-9) are very good, Malcal is sympathetic towards the Japanese (elevens) even though she is an exiled Britainian and in a land where they dislike the japanese and send to battle with near to no care for there safety one general said something along the line of "they have seppoku and kamikaze what is wrong with sending a nation of death to die" (not exact quote). Akito is still mysterious to me, at one point being called the ghost hannibal and he seemingly has a geass or is under the effect on one at this time (unknown as to which it is though) and Shin who I believe will be the main antagonist for the rest of the series simillarly has a Geass and this is unique as in the original over than Mao and at one point Charles and Bismark later on it was very rare for Lelouch to be in direct conflict with someone who had a Geass and that was what gave him an advantage.

Enjoyment in my opinion is the personal rating of the show and i gave it a nine purely because I loved this episode and it just got my mind pumping with Ideas as to what will happen next.

Overall it got an 8 but if I wasn't trying to be slightly professional I would give it a 1000000000000000 (whatever number that may be)

well here we go again. the most overrated show returns from the grave. i think the only thing worse than a bird that flies out of the main character's eye, is a bird that doesn't fly out of the main characters eye!

so wtf happened? his eyes turn red but no bird? my eyes turn red but thats from weed and you gain no super powers from weed except the ability to slow down time and laugh....

wait a minute... i think this character must have been high. so disappointed i didn't see one bird fly out of anybody's eye. but it ... was perched in some chinamans eye. other than that epic let down which automatically removes 6 points, i'd say it was a pretty good show.

"Trying to make sense of everything is an exercise in stupidity" - General Smilas, being completely right.

Code Geass returns after a few years with a spin-off, and the results are mostly disappointing. Trying desperately to stick to the successes of the original series, it simply is a weaker version in the every aspect.

-The story
Akito basically has everything code geass had: A tyraniccal nation (2 now), a bunch of terrorists, geass, racial shmuck and a bunch of teenagers changing a war. Sadly, it all seems forced. The EU, featured very little in the original series, has been revamped to look like a clone of britannia, with ... hardly any difference. Somehow, they're also completely racist, referring to the japanese as elevens, just as the britannians do, and lock them into compounds. Being an enemy of the empire, you'd imagine they would hail the japanese as allies, even if just to spite the britannians. The ploy of japanese soldiers fighting for the EU is fairly weak, as simply enlisting them into the army should work too, seeing as their homeland has been destroyed by Britannia. Then there's the issue of the age of the characters. This didn't make much more sense in the original, but at least a big part of the cast was not actually employed by an official government, or were there in the position due to polical heritage (kaguya and tianzi). There's many more issues, such as Napoleon being a revolutionary (he came right after) and the fact that a Britannian force decided to retreat at the moment there was only one remaining enemy unit standing. Utter stupidity seems to occur when the Britannians begin closely circling enemies which they know use self-destruct tactics.

-The characters
It really seems like they needed a Lelouch figure. Perhaps they were right, the fanbase is expecting it, but they really did make a character way too similar to him in Akito. Listing traits they share would make a long list, and the only great difference may be that Akito is a soldier, not a general. He seems to have inherited the same traits of perceived moral superiority that Lelouch has. The other characters are not very original either. Leila is probably the only Britannian born, Eleven leading, 17 year old luitenant commander you ever see in the EU army, and she's already established as a damsel in distress, due to her forced marriage. Speaking of her, what was up with the self-destructing Alexanders? She claimed that she should've removed Auno earlier, does that mean she could've prevented the (very effective) self-destruction? That would mean she didn't care too much about the pilots, but she later expresses regret about their deaths. All EU characters are either dumb or just plain evil, but we already knew the series would center on Japan and Britannia, regardless of the actual location, because Japanese entertainment only seems to acknowledge two countries as significant.

-The mecha
A small issue, but an important one: why do the alexander knightmares move faster than anything else in the entire original series? One of the strengths of CG season one was the viability of knightmares as tactical weapons, but these streetfighting robots just don't seem to fit into the universe's technology. While there's some resemblance to the lancelot, these are far more atlethic, aside from being mass-production units.

-Sound and art
Both are simply solid. The sound is consistent with the theme of the original series, but with a new flair. The art is mostly the same, but i personally don't enjoy the CG knightmares, but that's just a personal preference.

-Overall
It's just trying too hard to be similar to the original series, without offering anything new. We've seen all of it before, but with more depth. There's resemblances to the original series everywhere, but if the series will be able to offer anything new, we'll have to see.

I've watched it, and I must say as a fan of the original series Boukoku no Akito was excellent. The plot was engaging right from the start and the various key character threads were introduced seamlessly. Gradually the personality clues and plot hints draw you deeper into the story and desperately make you want to know more while still giving you a good feel of who these characters are essentially. This of course doesn't apply to some throwaway characters, but they were clearly not very important to furthering the main storyline. Still, it would have been nice if they were less obviously 'throwaway' used to ... move the plot forward or for showing the audience how key characters react. In fact, if there is one minor complaint it would be that there were TOO many characters introduced. Probably the thing I loved the most though was how faithful this was to the FEEL of Code Geass. It really captured the (admittedly sometimes over dramatic) Geass style. It didn't hurt that a large number of the characters are reminiscent of old ones in personality and design. Considering this, they managed a satisfactory job making them unique and distinctly marking them to be new characters for future development. Obviously the animation and choreography were mind-bogglingly fantastic and mecha-fans should watch this for that alone. Props must also be given to those that designed the detailed E.U Code Geass backdrop for this story and an enjoyable choice of ED song. The discordant classical BGM was an interesting albeit nontraditional choice but I feel it suites the actual OVA better then the previews and gives Boukoku no Akito its own special tone. Its growing on me. Overall, a great first installment and I can't wait for the next part. For those who haven't watched the Code Geass series, it isn't necessary but makes grasping the context easier and will probably add to your enjoyment of it.

Welp, I couldn't sit through the entire episode. The art is a step above Rebellion, which is to say that it's phenomenal, but that is really the only good thing I can say about this series so far. Akito is basically just Lelouch, Suzaku, and Gino combined into one character. I was bored from the start and just couldn't go on.

It's a pity because I love Code Geass, but I really have no interest in this series.

I'll begin by stating that if anybody has the patience to wait until the entire serious or at least episode 2 is released, they should do so... I know that for anybody to be reading this around the time of submition however, it is most likely they are a huge fan of the series as am I, and will jump at the first opportunity they have to watch this episode. The overall purpose of this OVA was to set the political context of this separate storyline, since it is held in a different timeline and geographical location to the series. I should also state that ... I am a fairly lenient reviewer.

Story: 6
For a 50 minute OVA which introduced a plethora of main storyline characters, the story wasn't awful, but it seems that it links too strongly to the next episode and as a result seemed unfinished.
The score for 'story' was given to the episode in isolation.

Art: 10
The art, as usual, was amazing. 10 does not mean perfect, but 'outstanding'. I was skeptical as to the use of CG Knightmare frames and maintain the previous ones looked better individually, but the use of CG gave way for an amazing new style of movement and animation for the frames so the mecha battles scenes were amazing. As a result of the increased enjoyment in the mecha battles, I refrained from taking a point off Art for the use of CG, especially since I was accustomed to it by the end anyway.

Sound: 7
The sound was.. good. Not great. The soundtrack for the original series was amazing and obviously with the equivalent of 2.5 episodes there was no way it could live up to the series music-wise. The sound effects were of course great, but the music during seemed out of place at times. I specifically disliked the playful music at the beginning of Akito's first mecha-fight. The voice-actors (or seiyū if you prefer) were great as well, but for such a high quality show as Code Geass, this is to be expected.

Character: 7
Elaboration on the characters' traits was lacking, however it is important to remember that 4 x 50 minute OVAs is not much, especially for a series with all new characters (except for one who it seems will be revealed later and will remain unnamed as a result of possible spoilers), and the secrets of the characters will still be included into the final episodes. I gave a fairly generous score due to at least adequate character development for the two main characters at the moment, while piquing interest in several other characters. The first episode will set your opinions on characters very well with some characters you will despise and others who you love.

Enjoyment: 9
Overall, I thought the OVA was great. The episode was unfinished, but obviously it will continue directly to the next so I will not punish the show for providing what it stated; the first episode of a 4 part series. This was obviously going to be the 'worse' of the episodes since it had to introduce everyone and everything. Keeping this in mind while watching, I was able to enjoy the episode. For anybody yet to watch it, watch through to the preview to the next episode. It will leave you pulling your hair out waiting for the next episode.
If the episode was considered in complete isolation, the enjoyment would have received an overall 7

Overall: 8
The episode provided what it said it would. It was enjoyable and I thought the characters were like-able. Despite Akito being possibly the most mysterious character as to what his Geass is exactly or whether he actually has a Geass at all, he is at this point my favourite character, aligning most similarly to Lelouch and seems to have developed the most while still maintaining his mysterious nature.
If the episode was considered in complete isolation, it would have received an overall 6.

OTHER:
I will begin to say that this part has... possible spoilers, depending upon your definition of spoiler. The number of Geass users confirmed from this episode and features of new Knightmares are included, so read on if you choose to do so.

Geass: So far, only one character is confirmed to have a Geass. The show eludes to Akito possibly having Geass during the first Mecha battle, but the sigma is never shown, so he will remain not counted. The name or clues as to the confirmed Geass-user will remain unsaid, so as to avoid spoiling anything. I will say that his specific Geass remains a mystery, but seems at the moment to be similar to Lelcouh's to an extent (although I have some theories which state otherwise).
Knightmares: Looking different (since they are CG and use cell shading now). There is currently one new form of Knightmare, as well as different non-Knightmare mechanical vehicles (non-humanoid) introduced which were not seen in the original show.

Plot and Story Line

I'll start right away with the first reason I loved Boukoku no Akito. The story of the exiled Akito is set in between the two seasons of Code: Geass and everything is happening in Europe. It shows us what is happening on the other side of World when in Japan the "Black Knights" are fighting Holy Britannian Empire and Zero appears to be dead. So, you have the year 2017 and the Europia United (E.U.) are being invaded by the strong Britannia. The E.U. forms a special unit with the name "W-0" and one of the members of the team is Akito ... Hyuga, our protagonist. Beside Akito, the story gives us one more protagonist, the main female, Leila Malcal. (Yes, she has a similar name to mine Leila-Lejla (It's pronounced Leyla). She is a former Britannian aristocrat, who comes to help out as the commander of the Wyvern Knightmare corps that consists of Japanese teenagers. Those teenagers fled along with their families from "Area 11" to Europe in hope to survive the war. Our story begins when the Wyvern K. unit is sent to the battlefield with a 5% chance of survival. Their mission: rescue an allied unit that was left behind on the European war front.
When it comes to the story line I want to say that it is really amazing. True, it's not as good as the original Code: Geass but it's still a good anime. It's intriguing, the story is catchy and the story line is smooth with a couple of amazing background stories. A great thing about it, there are almost no plot holes (I'll come to the almost later) and the anime length is just right. All the happenings fit perfectly into those 5 hours.
I don't want to say who it is, but Boukoku no Akito shows us two very familiar characters from the original Code:Geass. It was great to see them again and to actually find out about what is happening to them between season 1 and 2. So be excited.
Boukoku no Akito has, as mentioned before, a great background story. The story tells us the history of the Hyuga family. A story about Akito, his brother and his parents. It's an interesting story that found its place in the anime trough a couple of flashbacks.
Boukoku no Akito introduces also more geass powers, but some of them are rather different than the usual ones. True, we have already seen geass powers, yet they kinda just contribute to the story making it a pinch more interesting and awesome than it already is.
I said before "there are almost no plot holes" and with almost I only have one plot hole in the whole story that left me with a little question mark above my head. The end of the last episode got a little bit complicated explaining all the supernatural geass stuff. The end is a bit rushed leaving not enough time to get across the things that were happening at that moment.
But on the whole, there are no significant flaws in the anime. Intriguing, catchy, amazing. And this would be it about the plot and story line. Off to the characters!

Characters

When it comes to the characters of this anime, I need to say that they are quiet good. I won't talk about them one by one, so I'll just talk about them in general.
The thing that makes the characters in Boukoku no Akito special are actually their background stories. That's why I, at least, loved them. When we talk about personality, I can surely say that two characters took my attention. Akito, of course, but not because he was the protagonist. It's more his quiet and calm behavior that I loved about him. He always had a clear mind even in the most dangerous of situations. Not to mention his combat skills and strength...The second character is also a male. I don't have a particular reason for that, but Ashley Ashra is one of my favorites. It's just his temper and the way he acts that made me like his character. When it comes to Leila, she is the strong and overly perfect main female character. A bit cliche but I can't deny it, I loved her. As for the overall character impression, thumbs up!

Animation and Style

The animation of this anime is just amazing. Bright colors, smooth, fast movements... Everything is just as it should be and especially in the last episode. I did expect a great animation because even the original Code:Geass had an amazing animation despite being produced in the years 2006-2007.
The style is typically Code: Geass. The unique character looks really stick out when it comes to anime. Some anime did uniqueness extremely wrong and just ruined an anime, but the Sunrise studios did their job right.

Conclusion

Boukoku no Akito is a 5-episode-long side story of the masterpiece widely knows as Code: Geass. I'll make it short for you. The 5 hours I spent watching it were worth every single second. True it isn't the original Code: Geass and it is not as good as the original but it's still great. And don't worry it won't ruin your impression on Code: Geass in any way because this comes as a side story, so it doesn't affect the happenings in Code: Geass. So if I were you, I wouldn't miss it.

As a Code Geass fan, I’ve been looking forward to this movie for a while. However, when I actually watched it, I was a tad bit disappointed. The movie wasn’t bad, but it definitely wasn’t on the same level as the original Code Geass.

Story: 7
The plot has similar elements to the original series, with Knightmares, Geass, a war, terrorists, themes of racism, etc. However, the plot doesn’t seem nearly as interesting as the original. This movie was mostly dedicated to introducing the characters and the world, so perhaps we’ll see some improvement in the later movies.

Art: 9
The background art is detailed and ... beautiful. Personally, I didn’t like the CGI for the Knightmares, but the action scenes are still wonderfully done.

Sound: 7
The soundtrack just wasn’t very noticeable. It got its job done, but there wasn’t any pieces that stuck out to me as great.

Character: 7
Quite a lot of characters were introduced, and it doesn’t seem like there was enough time to develop all of them. It didn’t seem like there were any characters that I really liked, or any that had really good character development. Still, none of the characters seemed to be flat or annoying, and there’s still time for them to develop in the next few movies.

Enjoyment: 7
There are some good action scenes, and some ok dialogue. It was relatively enjoyable.

Overall: 7
The movie was just average. It did its job of introducing all the characters and setting up for the next movies, but didn’t make too big of an impact. It also wasn’t nearly as good as the original anime series … However, this is only the first movie in the series, and we’ll have to wait for the other movies to come out before making a final judgement.

Don't be fooled by the title of this movie. While it says 'Code Geass' in there, after watching, I'm pretty sure it isn't Code Geass.

It sure looks a lot like Code Geass.
Britannia has conquered everything in it.
Japanese people are also called elevens in it.
There's machines that look like Gundams in it.
There's even hints that a certain dude has a geass.

But nope. It aint Code Geass.
For one thing, you don't see a single Code Geass character throughout the entire film. Just some chick with eggs in her hair, a dude that can do acrobatics better than a Gliscor holding a flying gem, and three other terrorist ... dudes. Man who are these dudes? They fricken suck! Give me the charismatic Lelouch and the head in his butthole Suzaku!
For another thing, the plot was entirely irrelevant to anything that happened in Code Geass. Who's this blue haired ninja fighting against? Why's he doing that? Why should I care?
"Didn't you watch the movie you idiot? You should know the answer to those things."
I'm sorry myself, but I still don't know. It took all my effort to just watch the whole movie.

The preview at the very end of the movie showed some images (maybe stock footage?) of a few characters I recognize, like Suzaku and CC. YO, YOU GUYS ARE LATE! YOU MISSED THE WHOLE MOVIE! A BUNCH OF EXTRAS HAD TO COVER FOR YA!

But hey, there were some cool fight scenes, and some suave sax was playing during one of them. There was another cool scene where a Knightmare popped out of his jack in the box and some sick bass started pumping. It was almost kind of as cool as the bass in Redline.

Besides that, it was pretty boring. It's not much fun watching a movie called Code Geass that has nothing to do with Code Geass. The whole thing was clearly just building up for the next episode, and who knows maybe the next part will be the best thing since internet porn, but man, this movie was balls. I actually liked the stupid Nunnally in Wonderland OVA more than this. o_0

I'm a huge Code Geass fan and I decided to give this OVA series a try and see if it had the potential to become as good as the original. I'm pleased to say that I did enjoy the episode and am looking forward to the next one for a number of reasons. I'll try to give my reasons as best as I can without giving spoilers.

The characters seem very promising. Of course being a fan of the original series I was a little doubtful coming into this knowing that Lelouch and the gang wouldn't be in it, however ... the doubt was erased quickly just from the beginning scene involving Lelia and Akito. Lelia comes off as a strategist to me that could pull some brilliant plans during battle in the future, and with the help of an amazing fighter such as the Eleven Akito, I'm looking forward to seeing how this fearsome duo deals with the problems to come in the next episodes.

Although the animation was different compared to the original series I did enjoy it. With it being a new addition to the series I could see why they would want to change the appearance of the mechs and the animation to keep it fresh looking and to avoid people complaining about it being too similar to the original series (you can't please everyone). The fighting was very entertaining and shows great promise of even better fights to come.

There are of course some things I didn't like. One being the music that played during the fight scenes. I understand it's supposed to be new and different but in all honesty the music did not fight what was going on. This isn't Cowboy Bebop! Another thing would be the reason for the character Akito to fight. I won't say it on here but to me it comes off as stupid and reckless. I'm almost certain they will go into detail later on but as of now from what we know it is not that great of a reason to fight.

Overall I give this OVA a 7. It was good and shows promise but the music could be better and the characters need more depth (Of course I expect them to have more with the episodes to come). I highly recommend this to anyone that was a big fan of the original series. Make sure to watch after the credits! :D

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This series leans more to the mecha category than psychological

Throughout the whole 5 movies it didn't feel like code geass at all. Even the mecha is more agile compared to R1. If you haven't noticed, this series take place after R1 and before R2. This series is pretty much skippable if you'd only like to see the original storyline.

Ngl i wasn't expecting much since the MC isn't Lelouch, but I got hooked up on something else. While code geass R1 and R2 is excellent due to its complicated plot and storyline, this series takes pride in its animation.

Shit you not the battle sequences ... in here are few of the best I've seen so far and I've watched so many action animes. The CGI didn't feel out of place, movements and interractions are smooth af, the sound effects are super lit, and the OST in the background is just artistic.

The plot is slightly mainstream but I guarantee you it is still fun to watch. The story closes up beautifully but imo the 5th movie lacked explanation and has quite a rushed ending because they left out one villain unconfronted.

All in all its a fun watch

Lelouch of the Rebellion is a story about Lelouch vi Britannia, a young exiled prince who strives to find a place in the world, finding small amounts of happiness along his journey, until his eventual repentance to bring peace into the world for his actions. This is a story about hope and love, and how sacrifice is needed for the sake of the world. Akito the Exiled, however, is like the complete opposite of that story. Set in between R1 and R2, Akito is an eleven; a derogatory name for the Japanese, and his story involves the madness that he views in his military life. ... What he fights for is not for his family nor his friends nor for his country; what he wishes is to die. This is one of the factors that make Akito the Exiled an intimidatingly dark story compared to Lelouch of the Rebellion. Most certainly it is still Code Geass that is being watched, however, Akito the Exiled shows a darker side of Code Geass than that of Lelouch of the Rebellion. The new animations, art, color palette and the music contribute to making Akito the Exiled a dark toned movie. Some people may not like it since the Code Geass we all know and love features a hopeful story that Lelouch will eventually get his revenge and create a kind and peaceful world for his sister, Nunnally in contrast with a dark story which shows the conflicts in the EU in its war against Britannia and Akito striving to fight and fight quite maniacally in a world separated from the hopeful setting of Ashford Academy or within the cheerful cast of characters who give hope in the story more than it should. Personally, I think Akito the Exiled is a great spin-off from Lelouch of the Rebellion especially since you get to see some of the old characters returning and it gives Code Geass a side which feels like a different experience.

I really loved Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and felt like it overall focused on Lelouch with everything happening around him. Akito the exiled is really more about everything that's going on around him, with a little bit of the focus being on Akito or Leila. This OVA series has potential but really needs to build on this episode and isn't good as a stand alone.

'Code Geass'. You don't need anything more to get me fired up. I loved CG series it easily became one of my favorite titles. Story of Lelouch was perfect for me. It had everything I needed. Of course I was happy when I heard of Boukoku no Akito but on the other side what else Sunrise can provide to make me even more hyped?

Well it is not R1 or R2 that's for sure. But I instantly felt this is the world showed in this series. However we visit Europe not Japan. Action still evolves around guy from Area 11 - Akito. We get nice preview ... of his character, we can guess he is possessed by the Geass. But as the introduction go we can't get everything at once. And it is made in great way - you want to know what is wrong with this main character.
Second main character - Leila Malcal is also intriguing. We get a little of her background and also of her capabilities as military officer. Seems smart, seems being able to handle difficult situations. And she is caring for Elevens.

And here we come at great thing about this spinoff. While watching Hangyaku no Lelouch I believed that EU is fighting Britannia for the free world. And Boukoku no Akito shows as they indeed are fightining Britannia but they are no better than Brits. Japanese can't hope for refuge in EU, they get locked in ghettos. And they use them as cannon fodder and main frontline force. Why? Because they value is way lower than value of European's life.
The unit of Elevens is called Wyvern and noone sees problem with equipping their mechs with explosives. Noone but Leila who eventually takes over command however too late to save soldiers. There is only lone survivor - Akito.

As story is interesting and quite clear characters didn't get too much development. They are not as charismatic as the Hangyaku's cast. But that was only first movie so introduction was well done. We got quite high amount of them but is obvious only part of them will get more highlight. I rated characters high, maybe a little overrated it but it is my review so I can do it! ;)

Art and sound. Animation is great. Knightmares are beautiful, there is more variety to them and fighting scenes are well done. I felt like this machinery really smashed into another one. Characters were drawn with care, I didn't spotted any oddities. And voice acting is again very good. As well as soundtrack. Especially ending song. I felt in love with it instantly!


To sum up I realize this anime is not perfect. But it got this feeling of Code Geass it is great promise of better movies following this one.

Story: 9/10
Art: 9/10
Sound: 10/10
Character 8/10
Enjoyment: 10/10
Overall: 9/10