In fact, I tend to proclaim that Code Geass is the anime that got me back into anime.
Code Geass is honestly a brilliant series that still holds up today after what I believe to be my fourth or possibly fifth rewatch. I feel that this rewatch has brought my appreciation of this very series even further though, as I have updated my own rating on my list from a NINE to a TEN. This series is so well written, so cleanly animated, that it shines with nary a fault in the year 2016. The fact that I was glued to my seat, the fact that I nearly never found myself bored while watching, the fact that even in moments where I thought I wasn't going to enjoy myself I ACTUALLY ENJOYED MYSELF, are just good reasons that I will look to this series as a modern classic
With all done and said, a bit of a run down: Set in the world where in which the British Empire (known as Brittania) in nearly every possible turn of history was able to further expand itself, becoming a super power controlling one-third of the world (this includes the USA), Japan is invaded by the overwhelming militarily and technologically superior Brittania, who bring to the battle bipedal mechs referred to as KnightMare.
In the current day Japan, we follow a young boy named Lelouch who gets caught up in the middle of Japanese rebels attempting to steal what supposedly a dangerous chemical weapon. However, as dangerous as the situation may be, for Lelouch, all things will unexpectedly be going in his favor, as he leads the rebellion in his personal fight against Britannia.
The writing then is honestly very good and well thought out. To the point I have been wondering just how much of this series was thought out early on and how much material they had at hand. The series was just rife with dialogue and situations that kept me on the edge of my seat as I waited for it to entertain me more with the charismatic, over the top dialogue of Lelouch or the results of his master plans.
One little criticism, that I have seen others make, I must address though is that of Lelouch and what seems to many be all of his plans always succeeding. On the surface, this seems true. But the truth is, not everything actually goes according to plan. It's a small detail, but take note that while he does generally overwhelm the Brittanian forces in most cases, and basically ends situations in what can be called victories for his army, he never fully achieves his objectives due to an unforeseen wrench in his plan or even a major personal dilemma brought upon by a dramatic reveal within the show. Even the big twist of the show towards the end is a mark of Lelouch's greatest failure. Even when he is able to spin this failure as a means to his own end, he will forever be haunted by this accident.
A personal issue I have with the series is with guns though. Many times, the guns don't have the sound a gun should have, sounding more like the rudimentary sound of flesh being pierced, rather than the loud bang of a gun. The other sound is what I can only describe as a pop gun. There are moments where guns sound more like an actual destructive weapon or sort of make sense with regards to the weapon itself, but these two minor issues I describe are ones that plague this series for episodes on end. It is nothing that would make the series go from Good to Terrible, but it is an issue I have nonetheless.
Music wise though, this series is just fantastic. This series has some of the best music in an anime I can think of. Ranging from orchestral to the strumming of an acoustic guitar, this series music is just refreshing, but so indescribably good. I can only compare the music to that of Ace Combat Zero (unintentional) as it does something similar with acoustic guitar and what I believe to be castanets.
And then there's just the animation and art. The animation is at many times smooth, refined, in some cases filled with as many frames as possible, and in other cases just the right amount. The Knightmares do not appear in any way shape or form like some giant CGI robot, they look hand drawn and fantastic. A year or two after this, studio Satelight would release Macross Frontier and claim that the reason why they used CGI mecha because it was "cheaper", but that I feel is just a cheap excuse.
I don't care what you say, if Sunrise could do it, then Satelight should have been able to also do at least that and then beyond. Satelight was reviving Macross, a series famous for some very detailed animated sequences of fights between giant robots and jets. Even the movie DYRBL is etched into my brain with the gorgeous detail put forth into it. But that's a story for another day.
As for art, the still picture, Code Geass is very colorful, lively, and vibrant. It is a well known fact that CLAMP did some of the character designs for this series, but I feel like that's not really a major selling point. Especially since you can clearly tell who was designed by CLAMP and who wasn't (I could be wrong though). But that's not bad though, the character designs are still fine overall and the series still looks gorgeous, so it all comes together in the end.
Even with nearly ten years time gone by, Code Geass has seemingly withstood it to be a shining gem. It's not the end all be all of anime mind you, it's not the greatest thing ever either. However, it is an absolutely fantastic anime series that even with continuous rewatches, it seems, will never stop amazing me. It will never stop consuming me with adrenaline watching Lelouch go about his reign of carnage as he masterfully goes about one skirmish to another and dealing a devastating blow to the Brittanian soldiers. In a way, I am like Diethard of this series, I wish only to watch the next step of Zero's future. And I will always wish for more.
