CODE GEASS Lelouch of the Rebellion

Code Geass is one of my favorite anime. Why? It's filled with so much action, bombastic dialogue, and has such eye-catching visuals that it tops the charts in entertainment value. This is an exciting and epic anime and it's over the top.

For some people, the plot, characters, and music alone is bad enough to make the show unwatchable. For others, the high action, flashy animation, and drama will be more than enough to make the show a favorite of all time though I like everything about Code Geass.

Story: Lelouch Lamperouge appears to be a typical high school student at Ashford Academy in the Britannian controlled Area 11 (formerly named Japan.) But he's actually a prince in the Britannian imperial family, and seventeenth in line to the throne. He develops a hatred for the emperor of Britannia and the entire imperial establishment, vowing to one day destroy them for the death of his mother and cripple of his sister. After an encounter with a mysterious young woman named C.C., Lelouch gains the power of Geass, which grants him the ability to force anyone to do what he wishes. With this ability, Lelouch becomes a mysterious figure named Zero and begins his battle against the Britannian Empire.

Code Geass have too many loose and cliff hanging ends. The end are always left unexplained, leaving the viewer with questions not only about various subplots but also about several key elements of the storyline. However, what makes up for this is the plot and character developments. Every episode is surprising and leave you eager to watch the next episode.

It seems Code Geass mainly focus on the drama, emotion, and the heart-breaking moments. Geass ends up being not so much a story with a certain plot and characters but rather a series of exciting, exaggerated but well-crafted, incredulous and definitely memorable scenes.

Characters: The characters, are so great and awesome that it's hard to stop enjoying them. There are characters that are a goody too shoe, outright intolerable that will make you want to strangle and kill them off the show. The characters are all so great that something unexpected might happen to them. There are also characters that are naive, filled with too much hate and/or love but in the end, you'll have a character you like or maybe even love. My favorite character, of course, are C.C., Kallen, and Lelouch.

Art & Animation: Another good thing about Code Geass is its high production values and colorful animation. The character designs, created by CLAMP, are great and well drawn. The animation may not be great but it is detailed, vivid, and lively. The fights aren't as smooth or fluid as it could be but it's flashy, colorful, which is very much fitting considering the nature of the series.

Sound: The voice acting also plays a role in the show's success. Characters like Zero and Suzaku may be outrageous or cliched but their voice actors fit the characters so well that they are able to sell the characters. One of my favorite voice actor, Jun Fukuyama, does a great job playing the key character of Lelouch/Zero. His performance, especially how well he change from the carefree high school student to the more sinister and manipulative rebel is vital to keeping the series enjoyable and entertaining. Fukuyama is usually playing two characters and does it absolutely convincingly. There's nothing to complain about of the music either as the background music is very good and it fits right in it. The openings for Code Geass are my favorite. It's very paced and exciting.

Enjoyment: I've seen Geass more than 5 times in a row already. (Not counting season 2) This is a nice, great anime. With the non-stop action, you'll be wanting to see which side will win and lose. For one moment you can be smiling, then crying the next. Happens to me sometimes.

Overall: Code Geass is a awesome anime that will surely gather different opinions from viewers and other reviewers other than myself. I've seen and heard a lot of people saying SUNRISE has done an awesome job and it's not because of the use of mecha, action or drama, but rather how effectively it appeals to that certain aspect of anime that is not often addressed and yet is one of the main purposes of anime: entertainment. If your main interest in anime is in the quality of the storytelling or the characters, then Geass is probably not for you. However, if you're in it to have fun or for some good laughs, then take a look at this anime. You wont be disappointed. Indeed Geass is a rare accomplishment. show less

This show was like crack, I burned through both seasons in less than a week. Fast paced, full throttle, over the top storytelling with only a few bits of filler. In fact, I'd say the series was too short, they could have made the whole arc at least 3 to 4 seasons instead of compressing it into 2. So, I'll get a few cons out of the way first, before I start with the endless praises (review may contain spoilers):

Again, too short. Several arcs could have been expanded upon, several events given way more backstory, but the show is paced to go from one dramatic cliff-hanger to the next so a lot things are given short thrift. As mentioned by other reviewers, any weaknesses in the plot are basically left in the dust as the story barrels through to the next jaw-dropping event.

Some annoying cliches being overused: friends becoming enemies, enemies becoming friends/lovers, whole avoidable bloodbaths that only happen because the characters don't even pause to listen to each other's monologues for a moment--though I think they play up these cliches for yuks (spoiler--it's so ridiculous at one point, that both sides COMPLETELY switch sides for a final battle, to somewhat hilarious effect, plus his beloved pacifist sister flipping to Oppenhiemer level of nuclear genocide in order to stop her brother due to a misunderstanding that could have been resolved with literally 5 seconds of just stopping for a moment and touching base) At least they didn't have Lynn Minmei singing a love song as they attacked the fortress.

Now to the good stuff: this show ROCKS. It is a melding of Gundam style mech storyline with your usual cadre of honorable warriors, career soldiers, weasels, psycho killers, nerdy scientists, cute schoolgirl archetypes combined with girl's manga-esque fascination with svelte pretty boys, feudal hierarchy and Machiavellian machinations. From the first episode, the storyline is an adrenaline rush of one suspenseful moment to another as you follow the highs and lows of one of the best conflicted hero protagonists ever to grace the anime screen--Lelouch is a melding of Char Aznable, Captain Harlock, Phantom of the Opera, Elric of Melnebone, Spartacus and a dozen other archetypal characters who ranges from pathos, genius, self-pity, darkness, selfless ambition, arrogance, anger, vengeful pride, compassion and ultimate matyrdom. Lelouch chews the scenery and is the heart and soul of this show. If a live actor were to perform this character, it would require Oscar level talent to do Lelouch justice without descending into utter camp (although in the anime, there are times where they let him get a bit too campy, especially the wicked laugh and crazy eyes he peels out once in a while).

Now, another reviewer here mentioned some similarity to the villian of Death Note, Light, and that he actually had more sympathy for Light, which i find shocking. For the first part, Lelouch clearly displays dismay, doubt and confusion throughout the show. The series develops his backstory to show that his mother's murder, being a fallen scion of a screwed up fascistic royal bloodline, abandonment in war torn Japan and witness to the atrocities of war has traumatized him deeply. Further traumas await him, and even though he doesn't always acknowledge the deaths he causes and is a bit cavalier at times, they show Lelouch as being sorrowful (mostly) about any innocent human losses. Light in the first few episodes of Death Note sends a woman to a lonely death, after coldly killing her husband, without a semblance of self-doubt or compassion. And as far as I could tell from the early episodes of Death Note, Light doesn't have a traumatic back-story like Lelouch's right off the bat to excuse his homicidal megalomania (I didn't watch all of Death Note, so they may have developed that later but even if they did, I don't know how you can compare cold blooded murder with mostly collateral damage--although that cannot excuse the actual crimes LeLouch does commit in his pursuit of vengeance/justice).

That's another thing I liked about this show, how it depicts that even a well deserved victory may have unconscionable costs, how even in winning, the characters were losing. Too many stories take the easy way out, or gloss over the atrocities committed in the name of a cause. This show doesn't blink when it depicts the depths Lelouch may be forced to go to achieve his goals. And especially important, it doesn't absolve him from guilt. that's why the ultimate ending the way it was setup was mandatory. Long live Zero! Long live LeLouch!

Overall it is a great show I REALLY enjoyed it. It was laughable, crooked, twisted, invigorating, and just. I really loved this show subtitled or not i could communicate with Lelouch's reasons. Yet he is a selfish character it's seems that once Nunnally is out of the picture he can't go on. He doesn't know how to function without her. I can't wait until season 2. Hopefully Lelouch will have to find a way to cope without Nunally a way to teach him a lesson. The lesson being that what he started cannot end just because of Nunally it seems he doesn't truly understand what this war means for others. He truly is a Britannian, selfish and self-centered and power hungry. But this is what makes the show so great which is why i love it so. :D!

Opening with a chess game where a high-school student, Lelouch Lamperouge, defeats an aristocrat in record time, Code Geass is a show clearly low in logic and high in cheese. When said student acquires mind-control powers, an all-black superhero costume, and starts playing political games with people as pawns, events get really dumbfounding. In spite of this, Code Geass brims with the kind of high-octane antics that make getting swept away in its story hard to resist. At the start, terrible things happen to Japanese civilians in rapid, manipulative scenarios to grab attention and sympathy. From then on, it's a rollercoaster ride in which Lelouch (under the pseudonym 'Zero') outmanoeuvres the oppressive Britannian Empire between bouts of maniacal laughter and sweeping hand gestures. The show is an exercise in theatrics, a high-budget pantomime where every chorus of 'He's behind you!' at the Britannians feels as exciting as the first. Indeed, this series embraces melodrama with such joyous frenzy, that its liberal application becomes an endearing trait rather than a handicap.
While any political venture is bound to be fraught with controversies, Code Geass settles only for the juciest. Who can forget the Emperor announcing his warped form of moral darwinism to the world? 'People are not equal!' he asserts. 'We must fight! Compete, take, control, possess! Beyond that lies the future.' Or the show's use of that classic 'buddies at war' plot device a la Gundam SEED, where  Lelouch and Suzaku Kururugi stand in opposing camps despite being childhood friends. My personal award, however, goes to Princess Euphemia's stunning revelation on war, which sums up the shallow waters of intellectualism in which Code Geass wades: 'Suzaku, I finally understand. It's not about ideal countries, justice, or other such complicated things. I just want to see smiles.' Tell that to the Iraqis, sweetie.
Moreover, although strictly classifiable as a mecha show, Code Geass is not at all defined by this feature; while the political manoeuvres drive the story, the mecha serve the same function as spoilers on an already monstrous sports car. At some point the writers thought: 'They're tacky and superfluous, but what the heck, they'll make things go faster!' Indeed, as accessories, they are extremely good fun, delivering the kind of pyrotechnics and en masse casualties an action show needs these days to keep the kids slavering.
With all its excesses and crude pseudo-philosophies, nobody could mistake Code Geass for a subtle, intelligent show. On the other hand, I can't deny the slick way it appeals to sentiment and intuition to deliver a jaw-dropping political adventure. It verges on madness and, once or twice, even flirts with genius, but always with a keen eye for spectacle. Still reeling from the conclusion of Death Note? Make Code Geass the antidote. While it contains melodrama and cheese to saturation levels, it delivers them in a heady narrative that few could resist. With a bounty of twists and cliff-hangers on the menu, Code Geass is the perfect way for mainstream fans hungry for action to burn away several hours.

Storyline: Code Geass is simply amazing...It's about a black prince named Lelouch Lamperouge (Lelouch Vi Britannia) who was exiled in Area 11 by the Holy Britannian Empire...He wished for the change of the world for the better for his sister Nunally...One day he met a girl name C.C who gave him the power of Geass...The power to control the the mind...Lelouch plans to dominate the world begins
Music: All the music of this series is plain awesome
Characters: The characters are neatly drawn...They were created by CLAMP
Animation: Awesome
Overall: Awesome

I am the type of person who never writes a review if she doesn't completely luv the anime. I think it's too much work, but code geass is totally worth it!!!!! If ur in to anime's on stradgety war and tactics with awesome lookng anime people, then you should watch this. cuz there is a lot of hawt people in this anime. BTW this anime isn't like bleach. Main-ish characters actually die, which creates a lot of drama. You get to experience how lelouch plans to execute his plan, and his views change over time.



Oh and you should watch this anime if ur interested in future things cuz code geass has knightmares (a humanoid looking machine used in war that is piloted by a person)