Where to begin? What a maelstrom of whirling motifs and metaphorical nuances! This rebellion is the supreme coup de tat, nearly flawless in its execution. If one can move past the obvious skinny male yaoi-influences and relentless underdogs-overcoming-obfuscating-obstacles premise, a brilliant series radiating quick twists and dramatic epiphanies can be found gleaming below. What made this series shine so brightly for me was the culmination of the last (technically fifty) twenty-five episodes, which were solemnly tied together in a glorious, overwhelming climax, which managed to bring a tear or two from deep within me to my eye. The plot utilizes, at most times, witty and furious, ranging from psychological games (often chess is used as a metaphor to describe conflicts between opponents, and Death Note-like character-telepathy can shamelessly be found here), to intense, and increasingly large, mecha battles. Nearly everything that I enjoy in an anime was combined into this one series, and it was difficult for me to cease watching it, even though I have now viewed it several times. Each time through it reveals some other connection that I had not previously seen before, and this keeps me into it. I dare to compare this technique of trickling scatterbrain bits of information and shocking moments of revelation to that of Higurashi no Naku Koro ni. However, this is just my heavily biased opinion, even though I ordered myself to be unbiased in this review, I am finding it difficult not to be, since I am so attached to R2. You will have to be the judge of whether you share in my perceptions.
Character design physically, is like most other Japanese action renditions of the male and female form. Large eyes, skinny and mostly tall figures, and larger female proportions. Internal character design is much more complex, however. Each member has their own internal and external conflicts, even characters that could barely be called secondary, and each plays their own role in shaping the outcome of the overall stratagem, however subtle their influence may be. It is easy to become attached to certain characters, and their struggles and triumphs are heartfelt, but it lacks the emotional responses induced by series such as Clannad and Kanon, but this deficiency works for the better. It would seem out of place. Please be aware that most character models are on the mature side; there are no lolis, and moe is difficult to find.
Code Geass R2 is not without its faults. This series has a nasty habit of repeating itself. It suffers from severe Utawarerumono syndrome, of which the developers clearly couldn’t find a cure for in time for R2. If you step back and take a look, you will see that a small ragtag band of misfits (also with a masked leader) has combined to form a consistely upgraded (which seems to conveniently follow a logistic curve) fighting force against increasingly overwhelming odds and deity-like enemy leaders. This can be a turnoff for some, but this series is written in such a way that the “happens to find a way out of this one” scenarios do not become too annoying, although they are often. Yes, this series is overhyped…just like Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann, Death Note, and so on. However, just like all of the aforementioned series, it deserves to be watched and subsequently appreciated. Even though I rated both R2 and its predecessor a ten, I feel that R2 has far surpassed its parent. The plot is faster and more brutal, the fight scenes epic-er, and passions flare more often and with more fire.
*Note--- This anime is extremely more pleasing to watch subbed than dubbed. The English audio doesn’t compare to the original Japanese voice acting, in my opinion. I have seen both seasons of this anime dubbed and subbed, so don’t tell me I’m discriminatory against it one way or the other.
Also, please, please, don’t watch this season first. This is not a series to be watched out of order, and missing an episode can be devastating in terms of understanding what is occurring, as the plot, near the middle, begins to interweave at breakneck speed.
