The show follows Lelouch Lamperouge, a cold, calculating genius with a messiah complex who is given the ability to make anyone do anything. In the alternate universe the show is set in, the Great British Empire has expanded and controls a third of the world, including Japan, where the show takes place. Soon after the start of the series, Lamperouge begins commanding a group a Japanese rebels as though it was a game of chess; he anticipates the enemy's actions, calculates every scenario that can occur, and dominates the battlefield.
I won't go too deep into how the story plays out from there, though. After the second episode (where I cut off), it really needs to be seen. I do have a few gripes, though. The chess motif is great, and while it plays out, I enjoyed it. However, as the series goes on, a certain pilot continues to break through Lamperouge's plans. I find this to be a very poor choice. Considering how Lelouch is built up in the first six or seven episodes, as someone who can calculate every possible scenario and react to them all, it seems to be in very poor style to then have one specific character, in one specific mech, foiling his plans constantly. For whatever reason, this genius fails to account for the Empire's ace-in-the-hole. How does that happen?
Despite this, though, the drama and irony created by this choice far outweighs the plot hole. I won't go into too much detail about it, but sufficed to say, it works really well. I can forgive the plot hole.
The casting and voice work are excellent. Johnny Young Bosch voices the main character, and there's definitely enough of him in there to tell who's doing the voice, but this character is far different from what Bosch usually plays, and he does this character justice. Every other voice in the show gets the job done, and well, but I felt that Bosch was the most notable for going far outside of his normal, happy-go-lucky, carefree characters that he is cast as so often. The only thing I thought was odd was that, despite it being the Great British Empire in Japan, all of the GBE soldiers had American accents. I suppose when you control a third of the world, a lot of the soldiers are going to be from other countries, but then why are these soldiers (and civilians, too) so obsessed with "true Britannians"? Considering that they clearly aren't British, the characters' motivations for hating and degrading the former-Japanese seems a bit odd. Still, I liked the voice work regardless.
The character design was done by CLAMP, a company known for the quality of its work. They do not disappoint. Everyone in the show seems like they fit their roles. I was especially impressed by the design of Lelouch and his rebel forces.
Music in this show was also impressive. It was placed almost perfectly in a lot of spots, but it also came as almost inconsequential. Every time the sound designers launched us into a triumphant cadence or slow ballad, it was covered up by everything else that was going on, to the point that the music was getting in the way. It's sad that such a great soundtrack was squandered in the actual series.
Finally, though I spoke about the plot, I'd like to talk about the characters. Every character in this show is well-written, and at the very least, somewhat interesting. The best character dynamic, and one that plays throughout the whole series, is the dividing opinions between Lelouch and his classmate, Suzaku Kururugi. Lelouch believes that, through the destruction of the British Empire, he can establish a new world, with true peace, and that any means to this end are justified. Kururugi feels that the Empire must be changed from within, and that, in his words, "anything gained through contemptible means is worthless." This establishes the foundation of a debate among fans, and plays well within the series.
All in all, I have to say that this was one of the best anime series I've seen in a long time. Despite some nitpicks about the plot and some poor choices regarding sound design, I will recommend nearly everyone watch it.
