I'm not really sure why Code Geass is so positively rated. There are definitely some good parts, however the show has so many pitfalls that they completely cancel out any good qualities. The first thing that I really didn't like about it was the plot structure. Many people compare this show to Death Note, and side by side, Code Geass absolutely pales in comparison. On average each individual episode did very little to forward Lelouch's goal of taking down the Brittanian Empire. The majority of the episodes felt either like filler, or they would follow a predictable formula like this: Lelouch plans something sneaky, he totally destroys the empire's forces, then right as they are about to win Suzeku rolls in and undoes absolutely everything. Seriously, this happens over and over for the entire first season. Then in the middle of the season Mao shows up, with absolutely no explanation and starts causing Lelouch to do an even more pitiful job then he is already doing of forwarding the rebellion. The season finale was absolute rubbish as well. It did nothing at all to conclude the plot of the first season and left such an inordinate number of cliffhangers that it just felt like a cheap gimmick to trick you into watching the second season. After the first four or five episodes out of twenty five in R1, it felt like nothing significant to the plot really happened at all besides minor character development.
Besides the plot, I really hated the fan-service in this anime as well. Any show that has to rely on huge boobs or pantie shots to garner the attention of the audience is not one worth watching. There were two nude scenes with Kallen, one where Euphemia takes off her clothes for literally no reason, and a scene where Nina is straight up masturbating to pictures of Euphemia. All these scenes did very little if anything to add to the plot, and in some cases detracted from it.
Code Geass does have very good action and does a great job of creating suspense. I admit that when I watched this show it had me hooked for the first season. In retrospect however, there are just so many problems with what could have been an absolutely amazing anime that it completely counters everything that this show does well.
