Let's talk about Code Geass

[IGNOREME]

I've seen this series very recently, and I really really like it. I like everything about it, but the thing I like the most is the main character Lelouch. A lot of people think of this character as "Light Yagami with mechs" and while the two have many similarities, like them both being really intelligent, They also have many differences as well. For one thing, Lelouch doesn't have Light's god complex. And another thing, when Light came in contact with the Death Note, his corruption was stupefyingly quick. He went from, "The world's a bad place and someone's gotta do something about it." to, "Of course, I am the only one that can purify the land and make a new world, and I will be that world's god!" over the course of one episode. While Lelouch becomes bad over the course of the series. Does that mean that I hate Light? Hell no! Even though he's the bad guy, he's one of those bad guys that is fun to watch, and so is Lelouch.

But all that doesn't really matter does it? What I want to know is, what do you think? Do you like the series, love it, hate it, could care less, what? Oh and also I want to know which season is your favorite, Code Geass: Lolouch of the Rebellion, or Code Geass: R2?

 

[SnootyEnglishman]

I enjoy Code Geass and things about it. I just wish Mao could have been around a good while longer. I do enjoy the psycho-type characters.

 

[the_pleasure_is_mine]

I don't ever really count Lelouch as being evil.

Sure he makes a ton of mistakes that forces him to act very irrationally but I found the ending redeemed him... maybe it was just me.

I think I enjoyed series 1 more as it was more investigative, introducing the characters learning about them and everything.

Series 2 was still amazing but I guess I often get bored by familiarity.

 

[Chromatic Aberration]

I don't ever really count Lelouch as being evil.
Sure he makes a ton of mistakes that forces him to act very irrationally but IU found the ending redeemed him... maybe it was just me.

I heartily agree. For me Lelouch is less a villain than a tragic hero...

Other than that I really liked that series and consider it even better than Death Note: the characters where more pronounced and I found all the political and moral implications in that series highly interesting. Imo, Death Note had the problem of relying too much on it being exciting and thus lacked in depth - Code Geass didn't make that error.

As for the two seasons I'd say the second one just for wrapping up that storyline and giving us an epic and memorable ending.

 

[Nero_Requiem]

Myself, I very much enjoyed the series. More so than Death Note. Not for any particular reason, I just found myself liking it better.

I suppose one of my favorite parts of the series is thinking about Lelouch's decisions. What do you call a man who does extremely evil, violent things in order to one day bring the world good? Good or evil; kind or cruel; savior or tyrant? The way the show approaches morality, choices, and consequences is really fun to watch as it allows you to ponder those same choices, and think about what you would have done differently, or if you could do the things they did.

The relationship and stark juxtaposition between Lelouch and Suzaku is also really interesting to watch, as they both deal with moral decisions throughout the show.

As for the two seasons, I don't have a preference. I suppose I remember season 1 more fondly, but that's because it was my introduction to the show.

 

[Scarim Coral]

While I do like Code Geass, I didn't like how it had ended and some of the process to how it happen (I'm not gonna spoil nor will I say anymore if I offend someone).
Oh while it true that Lelouch actions were evil sometimes but I always view him as the hero.
Overall I do like it but I won't be getting the dvds since I felt the suspends will be gone watching it the second time round.

 

[lolelemental]

The only thing that really annoyed me with Code Geass, was the shear number of times that people DIED ON SCREEN FOR SURE then came back a few episodes later.

I mean come on, look at the "body count"

Spoiler

Nunnally (She died when the bomb went off. But seriously, did anyone else rage when she was "found in the wreckage"? I know I did. That blast was huge, Lelouche barely made it out alive, so how the hell could she have survived AT ALL.)
Cornellia (Died BY HAVING A MECH STAB HER CHEST BUT STILL CAME BACK)
Cornallia again (SHE WAS SHOT A DOZEN TIMES WITH GUN FIRE but managed to recover nearly instantly and without medical assistance!)
Lord Guiliford (Again the bomb. This was a very clear death, go back and watch the scene where he dies, there's no way he could've survived that.)
Lord Jeremiah (TWICE then magically became good)
Villetta (God knows how she survived BEING GUT SHOT AND LEFT FOR DEAD)
Lelouche (Death by Suzaku)
Shirley (Death by Rolo)
Euphemia (Death by gunfire)
Rolo (Over use of his Geass)

Out of all those people, the only ones to STAY DEAD were the last four, and only then because the show ended. If there was a third series they probably would've found some way to bring most of them back.

The way the killed people, only to have them come back later screamed to me of lazy writing. It's like they ran out of ideas to keep Lelouche in the fight for so long, so they just got lazy and brought dead characters back who very clearly should have died.

However, annoyances over deaths aside, I'd defiantly put Code Geass in my top list of Anime without a doubt.

 

[370999]

I love Geass. Love it. First real good anime I saw. It does have flaws but for me, the conflcit between Lelouch's telelogical ethics and Suzaku's deontological ethics was wonderful and both sides were attractive enough to not make one ultimately right and the other simply sympathetic but wrong.

 

[TheIronRuler]

The only thing that really annoyed me with Code Geass, was the shear number of times that people DIED ON SCREEN FOR SURE then came back a few episodes later.

I mean come on, look at the "body count"

Spoiler

Nunnally (She died when the bomb went off. But seriously, did anyone else rage when she was "found in the wreckage"? I know I did. That blast was huge, Lelouche barely made it out alive, so how the hell could she have survived AT ALL.)
Cornellia (Died BY HAVING A MECH STAB HER CHEST BUT STILL CAME BACK)
Cornallia again (SHE WAS SHOT A DOZEN TIMES WITH GUN FIRE but managed to recover nearly instantly and without medical assistance!)
Lord Guiliford (Again the bomb. This was a very clear death, go back and watch the scene where he dies, there's no way he could've survived that.)
Lord Jeremiah (TWICE then magically became good)
Villetta (God knows how she survived BEING GUT SHOT AND LEFT FOR DEAD)
Lelouche (Death by Suzaku)
Shirley (Death by Rolo)
Euphemia (Death by gunfire)
Rolo (Over use of his Geass)

Out of all those people, the only ones to STAY DEAD were the last four, and only then because the show ended. If there was a third series they probably would've found some way to bring most of them back.

The way the killed people, only to have them come back later screamed to me of lazy writing. It's like they ran out of ideas to keep Lelouche in the fight for so long, so they just got lazy and brought dead characters back who very clearly should have died.

However, annoyances over deaths aside, I'd defiantly put Code Geass in my top list of Anime without a doubt.

Viletta also jumped with Ohugi down a cliff....
They never said how they got out of the situation.

 

[SckizoBoy]

I don't ever really count Lelouch as being evil.
Sure he makes a ton of mistakes that forces him to act very irrationally but IU found the ending redeemed him... maybe it was just me.

I heartily agree. For me Lelouch is less a villain than a tragic hero...

As do I... let's not forget just what he was fighting for, eh?

Even though I dislike mecha in general, I quite enjoyed Code Geass & R2, definitely more so than Death Note, mainly because in Death Note:

Spoiler: Post L

Just how annoying are M & N? It's like... ooo, L clones. *clap* *clap* oh, the originality. /sarcasm

Apparently, the manga was supposed to end at vol 7 when L gets killed, but there was a public backlash against having Light 'win', so the last 5 volumes were reverse penance for what was a good story & end... IMO.

They should've let the mangakka make ready for a properly thought out sequel and watched as a slew of doujin were released to let 'fans resolve the story'. *shrug* just my take...

Also, C2 is one of the more interesting characters to grace anime in recent years, though the Clamp-style character designs niggled at me...

EDIT:

Why do the Britannian Empire use mecha? The British have rarely made any sort of developments that would foreseeably lead to bipedal robotic machines. Given that such machines would be extremely inadequate on the battlefield, and couldn't even be explained away by tradition, it really doesn't make any sense from any sort of perspective.

It's an alternate universe (history changes just after the fall of the Roman Empire IIRC) mcguffin... roll with it. *shrug*