Nov 12, 2010
I watched this because of all the rave reviews. My expectations were high, and I was unfortunately disappointed. I stopped after 20 episodes, because I just couldn't get myself to waste any more time on something I didn't love, not even to see the epic cliff hanger ending that had been enough to keep me going this far.
My favorite animes include Gintama and the Full Metal Panic series (all 3 seasons), so you have an idea of the type of things I like-- action, comedy, etc. In fact, because I loved the FMPs so much, I thought for sure I'd like Code
...
Geass since they both are a mix of big genres like mecha, school, drama, war, etc. Due to their similarity, I'm going to do my review on CG in comparison to FMP.
Story-- I do like that CG involved strategery and mind games, but the whole Britannia world domination thing seemed quite propaganda-ish. Also, while there were good plot twists here and there, the over arching conflict seemed really lame and mostly just a manifestation of teenage angst. I also felt like it took itself too seriously at times and was overly dramatic... and did not do a good job of comic relief. FMP also dealt with war and was dark at points, but the comic relief was executed perfectly.
Art-- The mecha designs were pretty flashy and the animation quality was great. I'm not a fan of the anorexic CLAMP character design, but that's a personal preference rather than a flaw of production.
Sound-- The theme songs were average anime music. The sound effects were pretty good. Even though the tone and attitude of his voice was appropriate, I didn't think the maturity of the (Japanese) voice actor matched Lelouch's young 17 year old character.
Character-- This was my biggest problem with this show... the characters whom I could care less about. FMP drastically outshined CG in character quality and development. Lelouch just needs to take some anger management classes; I have to say, though, that his egotism is so extreme that it is almost funny. Suzaku just needs to see a shrink about his father issues. Angst, angst, angst. No real depth, no real relationships. None of the romantic connections are believable nor do I sense any ounce of true chemistry. Most of the girls just seem to be there for fan service or to fill a token plot role. While characters like Chidori and Sousuke from FMP feel so alive, three dimensional and multi-faceted, all of the characters in CG feel flat and dull like props. It's hard to like a show when I don't feel moved by the characters.
Enjoyment-- Obviously I didn't enjoy Code Geass from the characters, relationships or story point-of-view, but I did enjoy the flashy mecha fights and strategery.
Conclusion: Given that so many people love this show, I would still recommend that you watch it and try it out for yourself. But know that you aren't alone if you don't think this is as much of a masterpiece as everyone declares ;).
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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