Year: 2008
Genres: Mecha, Drama, Action, Science Fantasy
Episodes: 25
Age Rating: PG-13 (Language, Violence)
R2 picks up where Code Geass left off, and like its predecessor it pulls you in from the very first episode. The Black Knights have been defeated, Japan is safely under Britannian rule, and Lelouch is just a normal student driving down the highway with his brother. If you've seen Code Geass, you should already have some questions: what happened to Lelouch and Suzaku, why does Lelouch have a brother, and how has Lelouch returned to his old life? R2 is full of such quandaries and easily distinguishes itself from Code Geass as the more suspenseful series. It is in R2 that all of the answers to the questions set up by Code Geass will be revealed, and this alone makes it a smash hit.
R2 features the same beautiful animation as that in Code Geass, but as the Knightmares take to the sky and each side tries to outdo the other with new technological strength, the fights and special powers are even more impressive. My sentiments toward the voice cast remain as they were when I reviewed Code Geass, and it's really nice to see Spike Spencer join the English cast to play Rolo (see Shinji in Neon Genesis Evangelion, Hanataro in Bleach). As for the OST, I've seen a number of reviews hailing R2's as superior to Code Geass', but I didn't notice any significant difference. Both OSTs are awesome and feature great nobility and action-packed themes (of note are "Boy from Britannia," "Area," and "Concealment").
As was mentioned, R2 is incredibly suspenseful, even moreso than Code Geass, but as much as this can be an asset it can be a problem, too. With such suspense comes twists of epic proportions, and sometimes I found myself scoffing at the plot development. If you've seen Code Geass and found the major twist in episode 23 too outrageous for your tastes, then you will probably be disappointed with the "creativity" of R2. Occasionally things are just too convenient and, even for an anime like this, unbelievable. Still, I can't deny that for every episode, regardless of its believability, my eyes were glued to the screen.
On a final note, what an ending! This is probably the first anime that had me choked up and on the verge of tears. What's more, if you pay close attention during the final 5 episodes, you will determine the answer to the ultimate question: what happens to Lelouch? This just goes to demonstrate the level of depth that is there in R2 if you seek it, and I think such unpretentious depth is what makes it such an appealing series. If you're younger or disinterested in deeper plots, there are plenty of badass mecha fights, cool powers, and delightful characters to make R2 worth your time. If you're looking for a show with deeper philosophical meaning, you should be very satisfied as well, and in this respect I found R2 comparable to Neon Genesis Evangelion and Wolf's Rain. But if you're like me and you are looking for both, then you should watch R2 (and Code Geass, of course) or you'll really be missing out.
Animation: 9.3/10
Audio: 9.1/10
Storyline: 9.6/10
Overall Score: 9.5/10 (Masterpiece)
Check out my blog for snapshots and high quality episode/OST downloads at http://animefiend.blogspot.com
