Story (9/10)
Fans' first impression: Gundam + Deathnote= Code Geass. That opinion was normal and may somehow be correct but it is definitely not an acceptable conclusion: the story is a beautiful mix of mecha, school life and epic soap opera. Code Geass may have some familiar elements and some may think "ah, i know this type" but when one gets absorbed in the plot; he/she will find a very unique anime with surprising twists:
The unique thing I find in this series its very hard to categorize: on the outer surface it is called mecha but the robots and their pilots' endeavors are not mainly the ones that make the story progress, they are just players of the game not the rules. CG is has exciting action scenes but the ones that really thrilled me are the: psychological and tactic's clashes, character development and choices and their interaction with other characters, who the good or bad guy really is and many mysteries being revealed one by one or further mystified.
The story has lots of irony yet like a fruit salad; different ingredients and tastes good altogether and still distinguishable, the story is very well focused on one point though it has a lot of attributes. An idealistic and righteous but selfish and hypocritical view battles with a realistic, practical but dark and personal goal. In these brain popping thoughts, humor, sarcasm and teenage drama is added together with politics and racial conflict. Here humanism is a tasty ingredient present in every side growing within every tragedy and angst.
Art (9/10)
Technically, the animation is super consistent, high definition and vivid. The machines are so cool and effects like explosion, sparks and water movements are satisfying.
Clamp has made a wonderful job designing the animation. But if one's not fond of thin characters and pretty boys, animation may be not too satisfying.
Art, not only animation, in this series in my opinion is innovative; classic and modern concepts are also used. The one thing noticeable in this series is the outfits; they are post-modern European inspired yet manipulated into pilot suits, uniform(both in military and school) and casual wear into "anime" fashion (with Japanese preferences). At first I thought that the "vampire cape" and "mask" is kinda dorky showing a classic evil and mysterious appearance but I eventually loved it, not to mention the minions' "evil" but cool appearance too (which are actually good guys)
Sound (8/10)
Though I like some tracks, I was not impressed by the opening and ending themes except "Colors". Sometimes they destroyed the mood or annoy me. Nevertheless the background music still give the right mood: Insert songs are well placed and memorable.
Character (9/10)
The characters strongly inspire both love and haterd; some are very unique while some are ordinary. That composition is helpful because too many complex characters will make the plot confusing and unfocused. Though one can say that not all characters are exceptional; their interactions are full of twists and developments! CG featured well some much more complex new tastes in anime characters:
a dark, byronic main character that is insanely smart and good-looking that needs gym classes
a good, kind guy who is the greatest mockery of the concept of heroism
a mysterious, sexy green haired lead heroine that probably knows and understands more things than any of the characters
Their characters deepens as the series progresses and they are meticulously designed in way that they are both the protagonists and the antagonists of the series, both hero and anti-hero or both villain and anti-villain.
As for the themes, I personally think that they are action and thrill on the surface,yet deep down, it is back boned in simple human desires, ambitions, frustrations and opinions. Nevertheless, this series is definitely not depressing, not deep as deep as the ocean that ordinary viewers will not even understand the story and I found that it contains weirdness both in humor, drama and tragedy.
Enjoyment, Personal Response and Overall:
I really enjoyed this one, very addictive and offers a lot of mystery. I found the main characters very likable especially Lelouch the main character. I found it really cool.
Also, this story as a whole is not yet finished, it has a direct sequel: Code Geass r2.
I don't recommend this anime to grade-schoolers because it the story and visual interpretation shows a lot of controversial and violent things and may not answer the question "What's the moral lesson?"
OVERALL: 10
