Instead, we receive a cluster of stories, all tangling and then attempting to untangle themselves to get to the end of the 25 episodes. There are multiple moments in the beginning of the season that would have most watchers of S01 that would have the viewer say "why is that person doing that/acting that way?" And while R2 rewards patience from viewers it has an inconsistent pacing problem that persists from beginning to end.
To add to that, there are far too many "stop and go" storylines that get put on hold on for some of the most bizarre reasons, not to mention a fan-favorite having a "stop and go" moment in their very own character just so the series can shift to a battle - or at least that's what I got out of it.
R2 has its moments, the peaks are really beautiful and stunning and jaw-dropping. The valleys are just too many and mundane or confusing. The path to those peaks are twisting to a fault.
*Minor spoilers* the brief appearance of V.V. in S01 suggested that there would be more Geass users - with Mao being precedent - but the amount of Geass users R2 ends up having is oversaturated and makes the ability, while great, seem not as special as it was in S01. That hurts the value of the show since the whole point is that Lelouch is one of only a few that have the ability - but it turns out that may not be the case.
Story (5) - as you can tell from my scathing review above, I was not a fan of the story. The season feels more like fan service than anything else, setting up multiple "what-if" prompts with several arcs having little to no serious consequences. Near the end it feels as if the show becomes Death Porn only to backtrack on SEVERAL deaths, making all those moments that had utilized its Death Porn for the shock it so craved, essentially, useless. As the viewer you feel used because the writers couldn't bring themselves to commit to specific losses - despite that shockwave having a greater effect on the world than those characters making a return.
Art (8) - the art was good, nothing to really complain about. Just like S01, the art is clean and beautiful, making for great scenes - especially those Mech fights.
Sound (7) - there was never any issue hearing what was going on. There was just nothing that made it stand out either.
Character (5) - My biggest complaint with R2 is the characters. While we eventually learn everyone's motives for acting in the way that they do, it does zero favors for their characters. Additionally, there are moments when characters don't get nearly enough screen time to develop as someone we should care about but then we're asked to anyways. The prime example of this are the Knights of the Round. Geno and Anya both, especially, feel like people we should care about but they only show up for battles and minimal screen time outside of those battles. Anya is a plot device that could have had so much more happen to flesh her out. Geno's climatic moment feels not nearly as emotionally charged as it could be for viewers because the show fails to flesh him out until its far too late. Viewers cannot be expected to CARE about characters after a 2 minute "explanation" mid battle. And that's what R2 asks of its viewers time and time again.
Enjoyment (8) - while I'm a debbie downer about a lot of the show, I have to say - I enjoyed it a lot. While it took me awhile to really get on board, once I was on it was fun. The battles were visual candy. There were several what-ifs that I got to see - albeit for just a few short episodes, if not only one episode (real ones know what I'm talking about). Zero's genius pokes it head early in quite possibly the most epic moment of the entire series to date when attempting to escape the country. If I wasn't hooked by then I was at that point and it kept me going. Lelouch, Suzaku, Kallen, the whole crew make it fun to be back in the Code Geass realm no matter what complaints you have about the story and characters.
Overall (7) - The show is overall good. It has really great moments, really bad moments, and a lot of in between. Despite my disdain for the inconsistent pacing, the one-dimensional characters we're expected to care about without reason, and the season as a whole feeling more like a bunch of fancfics mashed together, the nostalgia of S01 still gets me in those big and great moments. I can't rate this any lower than a 6.8, but since I can't be that exact, I'll give it a 7
