Let me introduce first why Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 certainly leaves us heated debates: The magnificent season 1 ended with an excruciating cliffhanger but had confirmed itself a sequel. Why was this sequel made?
1. To feed the gluttonous fanbase
2. To earn more cash
Moreover, the director, story writer and the production staff was pressured to make Code Geass R2...
1. "A lot better than season 1"
2. Satisfy enthusiasts by bringing a nice end
3. Still must have romance, comedy and fanservice wrapped up together no matter how dramatic the show has become
4. Have action figures for money
5. Appeal to new viewers curious about its popularity.
Story:
Given the backdrop, and many expectations, I say CGR2 succeeded in making a satisfying story to most of the fanbases. Why? Given all the demands, almost as good as Code Geass wrapping up multiple genres together, R2 is definitely good in the things it offers. CGR2 retained CG's level of suspense and intelligence, precisely formulating mind-blowing action coupled with intense drama, psychological warfare and some comedic scenes. Probably few or none can match the amount and impact of major plot twists plentiful in this series. Totally intense and enjoyable.
Those are the good points we should and can observe. But R2 suffers from unavoidable sequel failures and potentials wasted or mediocre parts. To satisfy new viewers, it has sacrificed the beautiful climatic cliffhanger made by its prequel, restarting the advanced plot into a almost new setting. They broke the line. The primary focus on the storyline and main characters shifted into new subplots and plenty new characters(and mecha too): One may miss the classic fights of opposing pairs as R2 makes less of these. Consistency is also an issue, most of the episodes are well formulated but some are too fast paced with significant parts not emphasized.
Generally, R2 cannot meet many of our expectations, and will and can not answer many of the mysteries that was left. Lots of its prevalent themes are dissolved and replaced by new ones:
1. The fight for independence of Japan changed into a worldwide scale
2. The shadowy Order of Black Knights is already openly exposed
3. The humanism of the first season is reduced and existentialism is added
Yet it ended the saga very well based in the majority of fans' and enthusiast's opinions. Yet with all its flaws, it has substance: with all the mecha, it sums up the concept of war, love, hate, desire, freedom, life into the simple existence of the Geass.
Art
Hurray for R2's animation! The quality is obviously higher! Costume designs (made by CLAMP) are very impressive and creative (though some may be too much). Coupled with new mecha designs, CGR2 became much more "colorful" than the last season. The endings are artistically drawn as they give us some symbolic hints of what may happen soon.
The only problem is, about two or three episodes destroyed the consistent high quality animation! The panels there are even worse than season 1's!
Sound:
Music score is identical to the first season: epic. It is also consistent with the alternate universe they set; the mix of classical music with the touch of modern action tracks. The background music fits the scenes perfectly. The issue is the OP's , ED's Overall their lyrics reflect the themes very well but some will not appeal to some fans. Expect two Orange Range's, a Flow and an Ali Project.
The Hitomi insert songs are definitely more plentiful here and they give us heart warming or soul searching feelings. Well used and beautiful, they amplify the goodness of certain scenes. Yet because they are plentiful, they get little play time, some of them are not very memorable.
Character:
The ending of season one left a number of possibilities.
Given the "restarting" of the setting and "rewinding" of the advanced plot I say that character development started where it was left, continuing the conflict. But the progress would not be made possible without our main protagonist Lelouch Lamperouge's bravado. Bravo! Lelouch is still Lelouch! The depiction of his endeavors are well portrayed symbolically by his development with four women:
Kallen with the Black Knights, with the concept of his "mask"
Shirley with Ashford Academy, with the concept of "victim" of power
Nunally with his royal bloodline, with the concept of "wishes"
CC with the Geass, with the concept of "tomorrow"
His conflict with his enemy Suzaku remains intense and inspires both sadism and pity. The clash of ideal and reality is still emphasized though distributed into many people. R2 also gives chance for the underdeveloped characters to shine their dramas, necessary or not.The shifting of focus is a little bit hazier compared to the first season.
The character of interactions and personalities is outstanding, its the show's itself that may be a bit disappointing. As for the integrity of R2, plentiful unnecessary fanservice ruined it somehow, by distracting the viewers. Also, some philosophical dialogues, though trivial, are not excellent; failing to provoke thoughts. The failed attempts to deepen things that are originally not, disappoints viewers.
Enjoyment and Overall
Satisfaction is a personal opinion, so for me I can say that I really enjoyed CGR2-though some episodes are not very magnificent or annoying. The six months of anticipation is worth it and it was a nice experience.
I really believe that CGR2 ended very well. And I should say that everyone has the right to rate this anime based on either its achievements or failures. Based on watching this series, I am sure that it could have been much better but definitely not a trainwreck.
