Animehead Brothers: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Hi all, Roxas reporting in with a review of an anime that is number 2 on my 5 favorite anime of all time list (I'll try to post the list this Saturday to give you a better idea of what kind of anime I like). Okay, here we go.

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is a 25 episode anime that follows a boy named Lelouch.

Premise - It's 2017, and the world has been divided into three factions. The Chinese Federation, the European Union, and the Holy Britannian Empire. The setting is Area 11, the new name for Japan after the Britannians conquered it. The Japanese people are now called Elevens, and racism is rampant against the Elevens. Enter Lelouch vi Britannia, a noble that is in line for the throne. That is until his mother is murdered, and he and his sister are cut off from royalty. Thought to be dead, Lelouch reinvents himself as Lelouch Lamperouge, an everyday Britannian. Lelouch harbors his sister with him as well, vowing to destroy Britannia and create a world where she can live happily in peace. This is all I can say without any spoilers. I really liked this premise, as it had me instantly intrigued and quickly hooked.

Animation - I liked the style of animation that Code Geass went for. The characters' faces have a decidedly sharper look, especially Lelouch. This gave the characters a birdlike feel to them, an aesthetic that not all will like, but I thought they were very well drawn. They also looked lankier than most other anime. I will say this now, this is a mech anime. I make this stipulation because their are quite a few people on this site that do not like mechs (Wolfe, Woodpecker, and Demothis). The mechs are very cool looking, and although they are highly stylized, everything on the mechs did not come off as superfluous or over-excessive. The fights are high octane, and keep your blood pumping. I will warn viewers that their are two parts of topless female nudity. The parts are very short and were not needed. I believe the developers were just giving "fan-service." Something I am not big on.

Sharp and Lanky

Music - The music was beautiful and unique. The creators of this show opted for an interesting take on the music, using trumpets frequently in their music. I found this an interesting flair that really matched the universe the characters were in. The creators also used songs with singers in the background as opposed to only instrumental. These moments, while few, are quite powerful and moving. They more than set a mood, they create an experience.

Plot - This plot is by far my favorite of any anime I have ever seen. This story has the perfect mix of light and dark, comedy and tragedy, even political intrigue and strategic warfare. The character development was some of the best around. The twists are great, though some are pretty obvious, even though you can tell the show is trying to keep them from being obvious. Most stand up very well, and I was genuinely surprised with most of them. The politics in this show are also very interesting. Learning about the government's infrastructure in this show is actually quite interesting, and the rebellion along with the government present some interesting moral questions that you might have to think about before you answer. The greatest thing about this plot, something that this show does better than any other show I've seen, is that every single action has a consequence. The main character does things that would be considered wrong, but he does them for what he believes is the greater good. However, these evils he commits do not go unpunished, and they haunt him for the entire show. Resolve is necessary if he wants this, and the battles he has with himself give pause and make us reflect on our own lives. While we all do not have to go through rebellion and death necessarily, we must ask ourselves if the ends truly do justify the means. Personally, I do not believe the ends justify the means, but a strong case is made for that point of view in this show.

Characters - If characters are your thing, put this anime on your list now. This colorful cast is diverse and interesting enough to make you keep coming back. The great thing about this show is that you will attach to virtually every character in this story, especially the main 4 or 5. Everyone has their own respective likability. They all feel human and real. Each character has their own demons to deal with (some more significant than others), and they all deal with problems in their own unique way. And all of these characters evolve so well, it's a joy to watch them mature. I found myself switching sides and at some points I was rooting for everyone if that's possible. Having said all this, I have one exception. In this show there was one character who had no evolution, was not well written and felt out of place the whole time. Her name and is Nina, and I thought she was a terrible character. Thankfully, she stays fairly out of the spotlight for the most part. I am surprised how a show with such an amazing cast of characters can have only one really terrible character. I suppose she stood out more because of how much better everyone else around her was.

Verdict - With a truly amazing characters, thought provoking moral questions, a stellar story, awesome fights, and some great music are only detracted by a single character and the occasional feeling of predictability. Code Geass stands as one of the most widely accessible anime, even to people who aren't big anime fans. I would recommend this to most anyone, even someone who didn't like mechs.

Score - 9/10

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