Code Geass has a bare bones story, surrounded by complex terminology and "mech talk" to artificially create a richer world.
Even the first episode alone it left me with roughly 5 questions, and sure, to its credit a few of those get answered. But you can tell this is "season 1" to a 2 season anime. They leave a lot of characters mindlessly wondering around and the important questions don't even get answered in this season. It goes predictable places from the get go, and i would go as far to say you can probably guess how the whole anime is going to end, i have my ideas but i wont be watching season 2 to find out.
People get introduced, then dropped 2 episodes later, characters have complete control of their powers ... until they don't. And a story that takes itself too seriously, apart from when characters are joking and playing around dressed as cats, or chasing cats in their school.
Story: 3/10 Poor.
This story is a shambles, on its base level its simple, but as previously mentioned they splice this story with mech talk and long winded explanations that i often found myself toning out and just enjoying the solid music.
Art:7/10 Good.
I will start off by saying this series didn't get off on the right foot just because of its art style, sexy guys that look like girls, sexy girls that look like guys. But both of which kind of resemble the baby alien from Alien Resurrection ... google it. That being said, i can look past it and say the actual art and animation quality is good. Especially because this show was released in 2006. I had no problem with the quality of the art here.
Sound: 6/10 (Fair) A good opening and ending, and solid music throughout.
Character: 3/10 Poor.
The characters are so thinly written, my guess is because they know a season 2 is around the corner and kept all of it for that season to end it on a bang. But if that is true season 1 suffered greatly because of this. From episode 1 each character has one goal, and that's it. And that's as deep as the characters get throughout the show. You discover a small amount of their stories through flashbacks, but even so, it adds nothing to making these characters likeable, or to make you invested in anything they are doing.
Enjoyment: 2/10 Dreadful. I really didn't enjoy this. I'm happy i finished it, but i won't be watching season 2. I probably already know how it will end anyway. Code Geass often gets compared to Death Note, But the similarities are minuscule and liking/disliking one will not mean you will like/dislike the other.
Overall 3/10. Poor
Code Geass either doesn't know what it wants to be, or it wants to be too much and in doing so screws with the pacing so much that you often get whiplash.
(Also, a girl has sex with a table at school ... why aren't more people talking about this? It's the only moment that i remember from the whole season and it comes out of nowhere.)
