Introduction: Hello, and welcome to the third installation of Smart Reviews. Rather than doing Part 1 (R1) and Part 2 (R2) of Code Geass separately, I'm going to write this review for both parts, since it's one of those stories that really should be considered as a whole, rather than as two separate parts. Let's begin.
The connection between Code Geass and the Legend of King Arthur is unmistakeable. Excalibur chooses Arthur as its wielder and the masses come fawning toward him. Using his newfound influence, Arthur seeks the guidance of Merlin, who sets him on the path of kingship. Meanwhile, his best friend, Lancelot, a born a commoner, builds a name for himself as the strongest knight in the land, and subsequently falls in love with Guinevere, a member of royalty and former love of King Arthur. After discovering their love affair, King Arthur orders Guinevere's death. Despite a valiant attempt, Lancelot fails to save her. Wanting revenge, Lancelot seeks out Arthur to exact his vengeance. Although Lancelot kills several of Arthur's knights, he is ultimately unsuccessful and the two reconcile. After Arthur's death, Lancelot lives out the rest of his life as a masked hermit in the woods, sometimes referred to as the black knight.
Oftentimes, viewers struggle to describe just what Code Geass is - is it an adventure, is it a tear-jerking romance, is it a fun-filled slice of life, is it a mecha action romp, is it a supernatural mystery, is it a psychological thriller? Although Code Geass is rightfully all of these things, I think the comparisons to the Arthurian legends best exemplifies it's most prevailing characteristic - it's a Shakespearean tragedy. So if you're into dramatic stories with an action/adventure/supernatural/romance/psychological/mecha/comedy/mystery twist, then Code Geass is the show for you.
(Warning: Spoilers ahead)
Story: 10 (Outstanding)
Code Geass boasts one of the most multi-faceted (and brilliantly complex) stories in anime. It takes a deep look into several different genres without over-indulging on anything. In short, Code Geass is able to succeed because of its attention to detail, and the fact that it takes its sweet time constructing each of its storylines, while simultaneously keeping us interested. The most important byproduct of their patience is that the relationships portrayed in the story are actually realistic. They don't jump at you out of the blue like in some Animes (I'm looking at you, Angel Beats!). A good example of this is the romance between Suzaku and Euphemia. In the portrayal of a budding romance between a chivalrous knight and the sweet princess, the author succeeds where many before him have failed miserably, and I mean miserably. In general, goodie-goodie romances in anime are terribly written and make no sense. That's why typically anime/manga writers will make the guy or girl have a bit of a bad-boy/bad-girl streak, like in Clannad. But Code Geass has no such problem. As a result, when Euphemia finally confessed how much she loved Suzaku's awkwardness around cats (yes, it's a spoiler, but you'll have no idea what I mean until you watch it), even the most hardened viewers couldn't help but shed a few tears, even if you hated those two characters as individuals. And because of the tragedy that befall these two star-struck lovers, it was the only time I ever wished that the author would actually pull out the old deus ex machina switcheroo on us and change their tragic fates. But of course Code Geass doesn't take fan requests. It shouldn't. Because Suzaku and Euphemia's demise subsequently sets up the perfect mechanism to drive the rest of the story into fruition. That's not to say the author left us high and dry. For those who actually wanted to see an ending that wasn't ridiculously sad, the author gave us Ogi and Villetta, two side characters that paralleled the Suzaku/Euphemia arc, just not as terrible. And that's not even the main story. The main story is about a high schooler who tries to take over the world with a supernatural power and the help of an immortal companion. Sound familiar? (see below)
Characters: 10 (Outstanding)
No, this isn't Death Note, although one can make a lot of comparisons between the two shows, Code Geass, at its core, distinguishes itself from Death Note with its far more impressive cast of characters. Like Light Yagami of Death Note, Lelouch Lamprouge of Code Geass is an evil genius who wants to take over the world, in order to make it a better place, according to him. But unlike Light, Lelouch isn't just some emo high schooler - GASP! - Lelouch actually has feelings - DOUBLE GASP! - and is very relatable. Even though his intentions are somewhat selfish and ill-advised, viewers will often find themselves rooting for him after seeing his interactions with his friends, and how he actually cares about the people who suffer because of his actions. Unlike Light, Lelouch is capable of regret, and this regret is portrayed on several different levels throughout the entire show. However, although Lelouch is noted as a genius, and considered by many viewers to be the smartest character in anime, to say he's a genius is a bit of misnomer. In my opinion, he's actually not that smart. Specifically, he's very mistake-prone. But that's a good thing. Not only does that add to his relatability, it is because of his mistakes along the way that he is ultimately able to succeed in his goal, albeit at extreme costs, where Light was ultimately nothing but a complete loser in the end. Beyond Lelouch, our main character (who's also sort of an anti-hero), the remaining cast of characters - from the psychotic lesbian groupie Nina Einstein, to the annoying-to-hero assassin Rolo, to the gullible sidekick Kallen, to the perpetually guarded Villeta, to the obsessively loyal Orange Boy, to the beloved sister Nunally, to the conflicted friend/lover Shirley, to the Knight in Bloodied armor Suzaku and the strong-but-weak Euphemia - are all unique individuals who grow along their own sidestories. And all of the side-stories conclude in a very satisfying manner. The writer doesn't leave the viewers hanging like in some animes. Also, it might be worthwhile to note that, as I said in the intro, a lot of the characters are based off characters from the Legend of King Arthur. Lelouch is Arthur, of course. Geass is Excalibur. CC is Merlin. Most of the characters including Kallen, Ogi, and Suzaku are knights. Suzaku, of course, is Lancelot. His mecha is actually named Lancelot, and he has a cat named Arthur, as if it wasn't obvious enough. There are many more comparisons, but I won't get into that here. Watch the show!
There's actually one more thing I wanted to point out before we move on - pacing. The pace of this story is very steady throughout the entire show... until the end. The final couple episodes covered a lot of ground in very little time, and it only got faster and faster, as suddenly a year was gone in the blink of an eye. And it's not like how some stories will have that "1 year later..." sequence where they tell you how everyone's doing after the conclusion of the story - no, this one year skip (smack dab in the middle of the episode) was before the conclusion. I believe this is because the creators of Code Geass: Lelouch's Rebellion absolutely despised fillers, they detested anything that even resembled a filler. They could have easily added a whole other series in that period of time, but declined to so because they didn't have any other storylines to wrap up, and it would have amounted to something of a filler. Now compare that to shows like Naruto, that just wants to make a quick buck off their success. Code Geass was created by artists, not businessmen, and the results are obvious to everyone who watches it. My only gripe with that point, however, is the transition from R1 to R2. But it will take too many hard spoilers for me to explain, so you'll just have to watch it to see for yourself.
Art: 7 (Good)
Here's where the score starts to fall a bit. The art in Code Geass is nothing to brag about. The characters all look like the anime version of Olive Oyl (Popeye's GF). Everyone is way too lanky and skinny, and why are all of their shoulders so pointy? The character faces are not really distinct beyond their hair (which is true of most anime outside of a few exceptions), all their clothing look stupid, and they all kind of look like aliens. The mecha designs and animation are only average for an anime, and downright bad for a mecha-show. Some of the mechs look really ugly, and the animation pales in comparison to Code Geass: Akito the Exiled, the successor to Code Geass: Lelouch's Rebellion (the story in Akito is far inferior though). Lelouch's mech, in particular, looks quite dumb. But luckily most of the fighting is done by Kallen and Suzaku who have great looking mechs. So it's not all bad. There are some great fight scenes, though. Basically anytime you see Kallen or Suzaku fight, you have reason to get excited. (And that happens quite often) But the best thing about the fight scenes in Code Geass is really that all the fights are meaningful. They're not just fighting for the sake of fighting, and they're not trying to beat up the other side so that they'll see eye to eye. No, there's always a real reason behind every fight, which is important because it adds weight behind the action. In fact, if the purpose suddenly disappeared for whatever reason, Lelouch will actually tell his men to stop fighting. That almost never happens in lesser anime where it's all about punching your opponent until he understand the value of friendship (Hey there, Naruto!).
Sound: 7 (Good)
The sound is not bad, but again, it falls short of the standards set by the story. The sound effects were not spectacular, when it easily could have been. The intro/outros were only half decent. COLORS, by Flow, was the show's only good song. The rest were not really that memorable. Other than Mosaic Kakeru, I honestly can't remember how the other two intros and outros went. I just remember that they sounded like evil marching music, which fits with the show, I guess. There is another redeeming quality to the sound though - the voice acting. Both the Japanese and English dub voice actors have won a plethora of awards for their work on Code Geass. And it shows. Watch it in either version and you won't be let down, at least not by the voice acting.
Enjoyment: 9 (Great)
Code Geass is a very enjoyable experience. It doesn't get a 10, however, because it's exposition is a little on the slow side, and hard to take in all at once - Great Britain conquering Japan - wah? But it's a very good show that's light-hearted when it wants to be - and does a good job of it, and serious when it wants to be - and does a good job of that. It has a healthy dose of pretty much everything. And although I wouldn't consider Lelouch a genius by a long shot, and I get annoyed everytime someone calls him a genius, I do agree that he CAN be very clever at times, staying true to his character, without being unrealistic. Even though Lelouch is trying to take over the world, he does it in a way that tries to sway the hearts and minds of the people at the risk of endangering himself, rather than simply using his magical powers to force people to obey him. And in a lot of ways, Lelouch is like Ikarus, just a kid who wants to fly as close to the sun as he can. That, in and of itself, is sort of admirable, and so he's very easy to cheer for - as oppose to Light Yagami of Death Note, who's practically impossible to root for. That adds a lot to the intangibles of this show.
Overall: 9 (Great)
All in all, Code Geass: Lelouch's Rebellion is a great show. Although it's multi-genred, it stays focused on telling its story, and does a great job of fitting all the pieces together. There is a smidge of touching upon social views and racism as well. If you want to watch a show that's smart, touchingly sad, and action-packed - watch Code Geass. It's one of those shows, that, as you're watching the final episode, you wish would never end. Thanks for reading!
