Before i start to analyze my ratings i'd like to say that having heard so much praising for this anime my expectations were quiet high to begin with.
Generally while R1 had so much potential for a deep and original plot , R2 came to wreck any p rogress R1 had made towards a unique and truly meaningful show.
Story: 5
While the flow in R1 was easy to follow yet fulled with plot twists and unexpected events nicely mingled around the main character's objective, R2 follows a too fast pacing targeting to "paralyze" the viewer with shocking but poor and in the end meaningless twists leaving the viewer with a "mindfucked" impression so that its plenty plot holes go by unoticed.
Art: 7
Even if everyone says the art is one of the strongest points of the anime i think i'll have to disagree. If i had to describe the character art i'd say "over-streched moe beings". Ofcourse having seing the manga's art it's clear that they were designed as they were depicted in the manga. However having the sam overstylized character designes as some light novel adaptations, it's really hard in my opinion to take this anime seriously even if it has to do with mature and violent themes. Another con considering the art is repetitive and overacting idles of some characters such as Zero's ( that over-dramatic hand move he makes every time he thinks he's saying something big) or the guy who could read thoughts (with his getting-on-one's-nerves clap clap). Well at least the mecha designs weren't THAT bad.
Sound: 9
Thankfully i was pleased by the musical investment of the show and the opening-ending songs.
Character: 5
It wasn't in fact coincidental that i wasn't moved by most of the character's deaths because simply most of them didn't have any character (development)! Lelouch was the angst-revenge-magically ingenious type of character and while at least in R1 we could see some of his inner monologue thoughts in R2 he just acts with no known motive until literally his lasts moments so he can become the martyr for the later good in the eyes of the viewers, but serisously in R2 Lelouch became for at least the half season just a stranger in my eyes. Then you got Suzaku and his ever ending dilemas until suddently all of them are gone and becomes a faithful follower in the requiem zero plan showing not real emotion from at least the second half of the season and on. Lastly we got Jeremiah who Suddently in turns to Lelouch side even though loyalty to Queen Marrian doesn't justify at all why he wants to be faithfull to Lelouch since until then his willpower seemed to be taking revenge from Zero/Lelouch. There are a bunchfull of characters who suddently turned the complete opposite for no real reason like King Charles and Queen Marrian, etc...
Enjoyment: 6
To be honest when i started the series i was wandering from the inside "What makes people put this show so high on their lists?". Sadly i was left with the same question till the very end of the show whose main objective seemed to be just to "hook" the viewer with some cheap plot twists and get a good sponsorship from yall' good "pizza hut" (seriously the commercial intention was too strong with this one). Even the fanservice seemed out of place as everyone would just go silly in these events making it seem more like a fanservice ova/filler. Well at least the battles could somehow keep you satisfied before they became too repetitive and unnecessary.
Overall: 5
Conclusion: you must be too easily impressed to seriously hype so much about a show that mix and matches mecha with school drama and yall' good "revenge" angst. It was just a Frankenstain show trying out its commercial skills
