Code Geass is bad ONLY in the ending. For me, the rest is good as masterpice
Lelouch of the Rebellion tv Review
Lelouch was a prince until the day his mother was murdered; his little sister Nunnally became paralyzed and blinded. Now in high school, he's bored with life, playing chess with rich aristocrats to stave off boredom while caring for Nunnally. One day, he meets a mysterious woman named C.C. who offers him power through a contract which he accepts; C.C told him that this power is called "Geass" and it can forcibly make other people obey his command with eye contact. With this new found power, he adorns a mask calling himself Zero. He then begins to gather warriors calling themselves the Black Knights, with the ultimate goal to overthrow Britannia and recreate a perfect utopia where his sister can live a life of peace.
R2 is a direct sequel to the main series. Lelouch is back to his old ways of playing chess with aristocrats, his life and memories of being Zero suppressed and his sister Nunnally somehow replaced with a brother named Rolo. A year later, C.C. finds him and is able to restore his memories and his power. Remembering who he really is, he's determined to get back to doing what he'd started a year ago as well as find out what happen to his sister!
Story & Characters
Review of the first season of Gundam... er uh Code Geass (real easy to get the two confused) can be found here: http://reviews.minitokyo.net/1293/code-geass-lelouch-rebellion
Watching season 2 of Code Geass has been a monkey that just won't stop clawing at my back. Between people dropping spoilers on me assuming I had seen it and another who simply would not leave me alone until I stepped back into this world, I've been just saying "I'll get to it." The ending to season 1 left me unfulfilled and I'd just as soon jump into another series than watch season 2. Alas the monkey just won't leave me be. So, does season 2 renew my faith in Code Geass? *Note, if you expect me to say "All Hail Lelouch" at any point (like a lot of you reviewers out there), hit your back button now.
Code Geass season 2 picks up right where season 1 left off... kinda. Last we saw Lelouch Lamperouge he was face to face with Suzaku in a showdown to end it all. We start with him in season 2 back in school a year later? Well, the standoff between Suzuaku and Lelouch ended with Lelouch being captured and brought face to face with his father, the emperor. Instead of the emperor doing the logical thing and imprisoning Lelouch or killing him, he took the plot extending route and erased his memories and sent him on his merry way back to school. But the Black Knights didn't forget about their hero Zero and neither did CC. They want Zero back and for the rebellion to begin once again.
Only one word is necessary to describe Code Geass season 2; disastrous. All of the fun that came in the first season of following a global chess match between Lelouch and the Brittanian empire was abandoned about halfway through this season in lieu of an incoherent sci-fi story that centers on the Geass. The Geass was a glorious plot device through the entire series, one that was shrouded in mystery and intrigue. The smart thing to do would to have given a short explanation on it's origins and purpose as part of the overall plot. Instead the Geass BECAME the plot. Apparently everybody and their grandmother has a different Geass and there's even an underground city full of users and shrines to destroy Gods and all kinds of other gibberish. Instead of sticking with what made the show a blast to watch, they instead decided to take it into the realm of the absurd and ruined what could have been a masterpiece.
Rating:
Art
The same praises I had for the animation in season 1 remain for season 2, since uh nothing was changed. Still quite evident are the character designs headed up by CLAMP with Lelouch looking like pretty much every other tall, lanky, dark-haired protagonist in every CLAMP anime. Not to say that's a bad thing, it works quite well for his character.
Of course the main attraction to this show for a lot are the ladies. I'm fairly certain the animators got a memo after season 1 saying "show more flesh" as that has made itself far more abundant than before. Honestly, what academy would allow their students to dress up in skimpy swimsuits for a festival or have a cosplay seduction club? None! But the animators want to grab eyeballs, so they did it. But I digress, animation was solid from top to bottom and in fact looked better from my experience from season 1, probably cause I actually had this in HD. You still have the same solid framerate in animation and smooth as butter battles on an epic scale.
BUT, just like I did for season 1, I'll be taking one point away for product placement. Pizza Hut, stay the hell out of my fantasy world ok?
Rating:
Sound
Opening #1: "O2" by ORANGE RANGE
Ending #1: "Shiawase Neiro" by ORANGE RANGE
Opening #2: "WORLD END" by FLOW
Ending #2: "Waga Routashi Aku no Hana" by ALI PROJECT
I'll be the first to admit, I'm not much of an ORANGE RANGE fan, but their music was a step up from the vocals used in season 1. It has that same type of flow and atmosphere as those songs that open up Gundam shows (another one of their similarities). Of course anybody who ever reads my reviews knows that I'm going to rave more about Ali Project than anyone. I love their music and somehow the song chosen for any show always fits.
Again, no noticeable difference in terms of the BGM from season to season. In fact, I would really say there is no real standout in the crowd of music aside of the music that sometimes accompanies a scene with CC. I would kind of expect there to be a memorable soundtrack with this type of show that consists of high-flying mech combat and drama, but on the whole the soundtrack remained rather light.
The reason for this may be the stellar voice acting and it's ability to overshadow music. Season 2 is far more emotional than the first since there is so much more going on. Between identities being revealed, close friends dying, plans coming together and how drastically the world changed, the need to provide a convincing character was multiplied exponentially. Just as I praised Jun Fukuyama in the first season, I will do just the same here. Lelouch is still that same maniacal bastard he was before and probably even moreso now. But the one actor that really came to the surface this time around was Ami Koshimizu as Kallen (or Karen). Now that she knows Zero's true identity and has really become the go to person in the Black Knight's rebellion, her part in the show has grown considerably. As the series progresses Kallen is put in difficult situations from being a hostage to knowing the feeling of betrayal and Ami Koshimizu pulls off a convincing act.
Rating:
Presentation
Code Geass is another one of those shows that has an almost ravenous following. After season 1, I kind of understood that. It was a borderline brilliant anime that was only missing a few elements to make it a masterpiece. But after season 2, I honestly wonder if it gained more of a following just because of the Lelouch and CC obsession instead of the plot it was trying to pull off. I expected at any moment that this show would just knock my socks off and make me shiver with excitement once again, but instead I found myself counting down the episodes until it was all over. Some may argue that the ending brought the whole thing together, but there's only one problem with that; I saw the whole thing coming about 5 episodes before. I couldn't predict the method by which it would happen, but I knew the end result and that seriously takes away from an impactful ending.
Is Code Geass a victim of it's high episode count? Hype? It's obvious comparison to it's Gundam counterparts? Or after all is said and done, is it a victim of just trying to be more than it was? To me it fell into the same pitfalls that ruined Death Note. It took what worked, what made it great and threw it out the window and instead tried to milk a story out of a dried up cow.
I fully intend on staring into a mirror and praying I can cast a Geass on myself to forget I ever saw this. And yes, this isn't as lengthy as my normal reviews. But considering if you are reading this, you've probably already seen the show, that shouldn't be necessary now should it? Of course, now that I've disagreed with you, I'm sure you'll let me know right?
Rating:
Final Verdict
5.1667 (moderate)
Reviewed by shoujoboy, Feb 09, 2009
Comments
-
nanakonkonakona Feb 09, 2009
-
davidh01 Feb 09, 2009
Ahhh. That palpable sense of quality in a review. You never disappoint me when I see your reviews flick up on the front-page. For me, I'm just making headway through Season 1 as it gets released locally - and it was your original CG review that made me decide to try it out (and I haven't been disappointed). Almost seems that Sunrise has a reputation for stuffing up follow-on seasons (can anyone say Gundam Seed/GS Destiny). Enough trivial prattle, though, its good to have you submitting reviews again, and quality reviews at that.
-
twilightofrose Feb 09, 2009
Man I love your reviews.
I gotta agree, I ended up counting down the episodes left to watch, too. I had expected the ending to be so as well, because, let's face it, Sunrise had to pull off something "cool" in order to redeem the second season. I like the ending though, because the acting is just brilliant, but the rest of the season sucked.
I honestly think Code Geass should have had one season. Season 1 was really good, but it felt stretched out at times; the plot could have moved faster, and avoid the horror that is season two. They could have made some closure, but oh well.
-
claire-bennet Feb 12, 2009
I agree with the first poster, it got bad only when they started to kill off so many characters.
-
Sy-chan Feb 18, 2009
Amen. Amen. It sucked when they started killing off a lot of the characters.
-
FuturePerfect Feb 19, 2009
I personally loved the Anime, (while it was running)
Only problem is that it should of ended after season 1 and it probably could of gotten away with a Movie to sum it up.
But then again the second season did seem to be a Movie stretched over 26 episodes. -
info-0 Feb 21, 2009
As if it's Sunrise... Be prepared for another seasons/OAV/movies now. They will do the same as with Gundam. Mind you it's only one chapter done :). Still 3 more to go. Where there is need for money the anime will surface.
The left open ending just for that. I personally believe Lelouch is not *dead*.
And that review is as good as ever ;).
-
xellon Feb 26, 2009
In my opinion, Code Geass is a masterpiece. I absolutely loved the ending. I love everything about it. Has a good amount of action, the art is excellent, I was happy with the animation, and the music fit quite well. Although, I wouldn't want the ost.
And the fact that they killed some of the characters made me cry. They did a good job getting me attached to all the characters which made them feel so real.
-
narunarunarunaru Feb 28, 2009
i like the ending part.... my emotion flowed... i really cried (promise) .... he died as bad person in the eyes of the people to just save them... there will be few people who will do this..
-
ShinjuyokuLelouchgrl Mar 02, 2009
You are totally right^_^ I ~Love~ the anime series Code Geass: Lelouch of the rebellion~smiles~<3 The show was so intriging and breath-taking! Each episode, each turn made me so anxious to see the next episode! I love Lelouch and the way the rest of the characters were designed! The difference is I'm only proceeding the series in English, a gave myself a coupl spoilers by watching ahead some episodes in japanese the original voices have most of the amp. The manga was just as good as the anime the art is slightly different but beautiful<3~smiles~ALL I HAVE TO SAY IS GREAT REVIEW~! I love Code Geass~~~~
please make more reviews of recent or new animes~^_^ -
shoujoboy Mar 02, 2009
You did notice that I rated this show pretty poorly right?
-
Kurush Mar 06, 2009
I completely agree... In fact, I have usch a like minded opinion of you, that I stopped watching immediately after episode 2. How disgusting.... ( Auska moment? ) Season 1 had such promise... if only they hadn't dropped the ball in the last few episodes this could have been a great anime. However, the direction they seemed to be taking with season 2 turned me off from the get go.... all the magic the show held is gone, it feels SO distant from real life, I have ***!NO!**** attachement to the characters, some are interesting, but I don't give a damn about any of them now. Thank you so much for this review, which has made it even easier for me to stop kicking a dead horse. I'll be sure to consult any reviews you have in the future.
-
Ilona Mar 11, 2009
I liked season 2 too (like the 1... not comparing to your opinion)... though there were unintersting moments too (but so had s1).
And I became more a big fan of Lelouch during season 2. And Sunrise could have done a worse end than that. Remember the too happy ending of Mai Hime (at least one character shouldn't have been brought back since she died of a non hime death).
About the music, I think that Continued Stories and Madder Sky are really different.
-
ryanwho Mar 29, 2009
I'll be glad when these Death Note derivatives dissapear.
-
rukasu04 Mute Member Apr 20, 2009
I did like season 2, the end was very good. First time, I saw someone the didn't scary the death.
-
CeZed75 May 07, 2009
Yes the end of the R2 is so original, that's very good. And i like the opening song by Orange Range
-
yuyuppi Jun 07, 2009
lot of fan service I think..
-
Warpten29 Oct 12, 2009
For me code geass is number one anime....
... it has the best ending and best plot ever...
... though it maybe impossible i want an R3...
anyway the review seem fine. but why didn't you mention mao
-
Kan-tastic Nov 02, 2009
Borderline brilliant you say? I'd say it's borderline idiotic.... no, scratch that.... it crosses over that line in to total foolishness. You rated the character designs as the highest thing, yet I think it has some of the worst character designs (blame that on CLAMP AND the animators) ever. As for the plot... well, there is way too much of it; it becomes cumbersome and just ridiculous. Still don't know why the fangirls love Lelouch OR fanboys love CC....
-
SchRita Aug 28, 2010
It's good to read others' opinion on the same series.
-
cheri-sama Jul 13, 2011
This is one very good review.
I had the same thoughts when I first watched Code Geass. When I saw SUNRISE's logo in the credits, I had a bad feeling it will all go down the drain. The mecha-based anime gave me the GUNDAM SUNRISE impression to it, like it had a very similar concept with their plots. Since I already started watching it, I skipped the annoying and boring details and finished it until the last episode of season 2. the end. If I were to rate this, I would give it average between 5-6.
page 1 of 1 21 total items
Only members can post replies, please register.