When the hit TV anime "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion" first ended its run 11 years ago, its dramatic finale created a divide in the fandom so deep that it appears to exist even today: half the fandom wanted Lelouch alive, the other half wanted/believed him dead. Whichever camp you are from, however, it was probably difficult not to feel at least a little curious (if not excited) when Sunrise first announced its plans for a continuation.
Now, with the recent recap/compilation movie trilogy and this new sequel, "Lelouch of the Re;surrection", Sunrise attempts to reboot its most iconic series from the late 2000s and
...
breathe new life into the franchise, presenting "another possibility" (in director Taniguchi Goro's own words) with regards to the series' ending and hoping to delight fans with an alternate path and beginning that is offered to Lelouch. And having been a big fan of the original series for 11 years, I was of course interested to see where they would take it.
As a continuation that still relies on the same major plot elements from the TV series to pull its weight, though, "Re;surrection" fails in terms of plot and characterization - and fans hoping for a sequel that at least stays true to the tone of the original series may find themselves sorely disappointed. *Mild and non-detailed spoilers ahead.*
Those who enjoyed the original series ("Rebellion") would be able to agree that two large factors contributed to its overall success across a wide demographic: 1) Plot complexity and 2) Complex and three-dimensional characterization, especially in the case of leads: Lelouch, C.C., and Suzaku. "Re;surrection", however, not only fails to meet the standard of both - but even as an "alternate", ultimately ends up destroying what was crucial and praiseworthy about the series it is based on.
1. Story
Given that this is a two-hour movie, it was probably difficult to fit in any philosophical discussion about politics and ideologies, something which was a driving force behind "Rebellion". While that is fine, and understandable (the world is supposed to be mostly fixed by now, after all), the writers struggle to introduce new stakes to the story that are just as compelling. A new country and a new cast of characters are brought in, but are clearly manufactured as an excuse to bring Lelouch back for one final "mission", since they aren't developed much by the end of the movie and the audience is not given much meat that would help us sympathize with their motivations (if anything, sympathy for Chamna and Chalio is cheap since it relies on evoking the same "oh my younger sibling cannot walk" sentiment that we got with Lelouch and Nunnally). The conflict that arises due to the presence of these new characters also does not provide much room for the twists and turns which made the story of "Rebellion" so enjoyable - indeed, at many points it starts to feel as though Lelouch's Geass is more of a trump card than his brilliance and his scheming. Only one noteworthy "twist" is present, and even then it is already set up such that every member of the audience is already expecting it by the time it happens.
There are also several inconsistencies plotwise, but one in particular stands out, and shockingly so: As a new story that is built entirely on the impact and result of the Zero Requiem, there is a complete and inexplicable failure to address the objective of the Requiem, and how Lelouch's return is in conflict with it. Whether or not you feel that Lelouch is better off dead, any serious and long-time Code Geass fan would be able to acknowledge the impact of this conclusive plot event, as well as the meaning it lent to all of Lelouch's actions throughout the course of the series. And everyone should be able to agree that any continuation which involves Lelouch coming back from the dead must at least acknowledge the fact that it contradicts the atonement that Zero Requiem was supposed to serve as for Lelouch i.e. the reason why Lelouch died in the first place. Whether brief or at length, this conflict needs to be discussed in order to provide some reconciliation, and give meaning to the path that Lelouch will choose for himself now that he is alive once more.
But none of that takes place here. Despite other characters "telling" us in one or two brief lines that Lelouch had fully intended to die, Lelouch himself is not shown to have much of an opinion on the matter, doesn't say anything about it, and appears blase about having been brought back from the dead throughout the entire movie. The Zero Requiem is hardly mentioned, the POINT of Zero Requiem is never discussed, and in fact, nobody in the movie seems to really remember it - not even Suzaku, who clearly demonstrates that he has also forgotten its purpose for himself (explicitly laid out by Lelouch in his death scene and just as explicitly accepted by Suzaku) in one of his conversations with Lelouch. And if Lelouch DOES have any issues with being resurrected against his will or how it goes against what was originally intended via Zero Requiem, they are never brought up.
And while Lelouch's failure to display any misgivings OR any indication of gratitude at being brought back to life is somewhat troubling, what is more unfortunate is the effect that this puzzling refusal to address Zero Requiem has on story elements: 1. the Zero Requiem is reduced to some cheap plot device/excuse for why everyone is now happy to welcome their savior back with open arms without questioning him/questioning whether or not it is right that he should live (Lelouch saved the world and we miss him, let's forgive him for all his crimes!) - making light of the entire reason why Lelouch died in the first place 2. Lelouch is now a typical Mary Sue, loved and helped by all, and even the one character who can be said to initially display SOME resistance is superficially hesitant and won over very quickly.
Which brings us to the next point:
2. Characterization
This suffers most notably in Lelouch's case. As the centerpiece of this new movie, our main character now appears detached, distracted, and lacks the fire that once gave his character charisma and dimension. Where "Rebellion" was either brimming with emotional intensity or the occasional sentimental slice of life moment meant to remind us that Lelouch is also a schoolboy who tries to care for his friends (and sometimes fails) - Lelouch's reunions, reactions to, and interactions with other characters are now mostly brief, superficial and lukewarm - some don't even happen on screen at all. Since the basis for all of this relies so much on the Zero Requiem while the Zero Requiem is simultaneously now The Event That No One Wants To Talk About, Lelouch conveniently doesn't need to say or do anything to win characters over - and they also don't have much content for conversations. The only scene that can be considered a proper conversation and an attempt to provide some closure with respect to the preceding storyline is the chat that he has with Suzaku, and even then the impact of this is questionable or hit and miss, given that Lelouch spends half the time being distracted by a laptop (so that they can include a montage of other characters so that this can be introduced into the conversation, ultimately making the entire execution clumsy and somewhat artificial).
As such the characterization relies a lot on the previous series and/or compilation movies to pull its weight, and in some places does not even feel faithful to the original. All of this is indicative of unimpressive writing and the fact that the characterization here cannot stand on its own, especially if one were to compare this to stronger, long-awaited sequels like The Incredibles 2, where beloved characters are expanded, given even more dimension, and given just as warm a reception by audience members who were entirely new to the story.
Lelouch's lack of reaction and opinion to his new situation also means that we are given little insight into what his goals now are, thus making for a flat and uncompelling resurrected Lelouch, who currently doesn't appear to be driven by anything other than a need to rescue Nunnally - a simplistic problem that obviously gets resolved by the end and doesn't do anything to improve Nunnally's characterization either, since she is once again back to being the poor damsel in distress and kept unconscious for most of the movie.
A similar problem plagues C.C., who used to be complex, layered, and one of the few people capable of calling Lelouch out on his bullshit. One would have expected a continuation to at least touch on points that "Rebellion" did not cover or close sufficiently, such as her current motivations or view on living on post-Requiem, but all we get are repeated and vague insistences that she is being "selfish", we learn nothing new and nothing more about her, and because she no longer challenges Lelouch in any way here, she ends up as nothing much more than another girl in Lelouch's harem of admirers.
C.C. and Lelouch ARE given a scene where she mentions her past to snap him out of his funk but 1) this is done in a way that is more reminiscent of Kallen slapping Lelouch in Turn 7 rather than C.C.'s original personality 2) it still gives us nothing more than an airy vague two-liner reference to C.C.'s past, 3) the fanservice here (one reason why the Code Geass franchise will never make it to the list of anime classics like FMA, Princess Mononoke, and Spirited Away) in this scene is so awkward, unnecessary and done in such bad taste that any emotional impact this moment was meant to create is immediately stripped away - and you are left wondering if Sunrise really believes its target audience to be so imbecilic that they are incapable of appreciating any emotional scene between two characters without being given something to drool over.
Now of course, Lelouch's transition from anti-hero into full hero is one possible, logical development that one would have expected a sequel to take. But because this transition suffers from a weak plot and such flattened characterization, Lelouch has now become no better than a convenient vehicle for male wish fulfillment. (And before anyone tries to tell me that his horrible stamina is a flaw - no, it's not, in fact it makes him even more of a vehicle since it makes him all the more relatable to that particular segment of the audience.)
Not all is lost though, as the film does still deliver in other areas. Every character looks stunning throughout the film, all the illustrations were consistently high in quality, and the animation is nearly flawless, with the exception of one or two small instances with stylistic choices that suggest possible budget cuts (I've never seen Lelouch being faded out to sketchy still images while he sits and thinks, for example).
The action and battle sequences were all thoroughly enjoyable, KMF and hand-to-hand combat scenes alike. Fans of Sayoko and Kallen will not be disappointed as the two get plenty of screentime in fight scenes. And while the character dynamics certainly make Lelouch seem more Mary Sue-ish, most fans should still be able to suspend their disbelief enough to experience and appreciate the emotional high that comes from seeing beloved characters reappear and now unite for a common purpose.
Ultimately, however, while the film certainly carries elements that all Code Geass fans are likely to enjoy - its disregard for and inconsistencies with major plot points, lack of a compelling new story/conflict, and frightfully bad characterization, all make it difficult to see it (and by extension the preceding movie compilations) as anything more than a sloppy "alternate universe" OOC fanfic, and a desperate cash grab by the studio.
Sunrise's own insistence that you treat this as an "alternate timeline" from the original series (at the time of writing the official Code Geass Twitter account has recently reiterated that "Re;surrection" "must not" be mistaken as "Rebellion" while linking related buzzfeed interviews) should more than speak for itself: this sequel has to be presented as separate from the original anime “canon” precisely because it deviates from the tone and character of the original, and cannot function as a true and proper follow up to it.
But even when taken separately with the new compilation movies, the writing is so poor that "Re;surrection" doesn't manage to make itself a faithful and worthy successor to the name of Code Geass - and it certainly is not one that any seasoned and invested fan of Geass would ever be able to take seriously, no matter how much one might still delight in certain parts.
Feb 17, 2019
Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch
(Anime)
add
When the hit TV anime "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion" first ended its run 11 years ago, its dramatic finale created a divide in the fandom so deep that it appears to exist even today: half the fandom wanted Lelouch alive, the other half wanted/believed him dead. Whichever camp you are from, however, it was probably difficult not to feel at least a little curious (if not excited) when Sunrise first announced its plans for a continuation.
Now, with the recent recap/compilation movie trilogy and this new sequel, "Lelouch of the Re;surrection", Sunrise attempts to reboot its most iconic series from the late 2000s and ... |
