I keep on hearing some positive reviews about Code Geass for a long time now but when I found out that it’s not my usual kind of anime, I crossed this one to my list. I’m not a fan of anime that involves robots, pilots, military, war etc. I’m not sure why, but the idea doesn’t sound flattering to me. But I do remember enjoying Voltes V when I was just a kid though.
Christmas last year, I was talking with my cousin about anime and then suddenly he asked if I have watched or read Code Geass. Then I told him I haven’t yet and I don’t think I am planning to. But then he told me that it was really good. A month after that, our conversation keep replaying in my mind and since we usually have the same taste in anime, I decided to give this one a chance and tried watching episode 1. It didn’t happen instantly really, I just saw myself watching every episode and then suddenly I realized that I am enjoying it. Like really enjoying it! It’s crazy!
In favor of those who don’t know or is not familiar with this anime/manga, let me share with you this short sypnosis I’ve taken from myanimelist.
In the year 2010, the Holy Empire of Britannia is establishing itself as a dominant military nation, starting with the conquest of Japan. Renamed to Area 11 after its swift defeat, Japan has seen significant resistance against these tyrants in an attempt to regain independence.
Lelouch Lamperouge, exiled prince of Britannia, unfortunately finds himself caught in a crossfire between the two nations’ armed forces. He is able to escape, however, thanks to the timely appearance of a mysterious girl named C.C., who bestows upon him Geass, the “Power of Kings.” Realizing the vast potential of his newfound “power of absolute obedience,” Lelouch embarks upon a perilous journey as the masked vigilante known as Zero, leading a merciless onslaught against Britannia in order to get revenge once and for all.
So how did I end up loving code Geass again?
It’s simple. Let me break it up through the following points.
Story
Well, first and foremost, it’s the story. The tactics was really clever that I don’t remember getting bored even for a single moment. Promise! Sometimes when I’m watching anime, if there’s some idle moment, I can’t help but yawn even if it’s a good anime overall. But since Code Geass didn’t have any fillers and it basically gave us action all the way, I was alert the whole time. Some successful anime out there really do everything to keep the anime longer but with Code Geass, it seems like they don’t care how many episodes they could create. They just tell the story and just go with the flow. Though I hated the idea of two best friends turned enemies (actually, their relationship is really complicated) Code Geass didn’t ended up creating a cliché story out of that scenario.
I’m not sure if I saw any loopholes, if there were any, I can’t remember at all, haha. This anime rendered me speechless and proved that all the hype was right.
Aside from that, Code Geass reminds me of Death Note as both Light and Lelouch were trying to change the world to suit their own vision.
Animation, Design, Effects etc.
I’m not really knowledgeable in this kind of stuff, with the technicalities and all. So instead, I’ll just stick to what I know so far.
I used to believe that animation isn’t really an all for nothing. I guess it was because all the anime I’ve watched since my childhood passed to my so-called criteria, if you know what I mean? But that changed when I encountered an anime that really made me ask myself, “why am I watching this anime again?” I would then proceed to saying “I will kill the person who recommended this to me!”. I am very forgiving about this aspect in anime because I don’t know how to draw, I can’t even draw a perfect heart for goodness sake! But I just realized now that the animation as well as the design and style (especially the coloring) is like the writing style in books. That if it’s not properly executed, even with a good story, it’s all going to be a waste. So yep, just like books, the story and the animation (design, coloring, effects etc.) should go hand in hand to create a really good show.
Honestly, I’m more visual and I love cute and beautiful things, so the first thing I noticed when I started watching this anime was how wonderfully it was drawn. It looks so good even if this anime is kind of dark than my usual anime. The characters design, the background, every little thing about this anime looks beautiful in my eyes plus it didn’t helped that the main characters were so good looking too, haha. But I’m just not digging the almost daddy-long-legs appearance. Just don’t let me see those cute tiny butts and everything will be fine, haha (pervert!).
Although it’s very different, Code Geass kind of reminds me of the Cardcaptor Sakura. So after watching both seasons 1 and 2, I searched online and then found out that Code Geass and Cardcaptor Sakura were both designed by CLAMP! Now I know, haha.
Voice actors
I watched this anime in English dub and I guess all of us would agree that nothing can beat the sub right? But I’m not really picky. As long as I can understand the anime and the animation is good in my eyes, then everything would be fine with me. For this anime, I actually think that the English dub was really good. I think all the voices suits the characters but that doesn’t mean I’m not watching it again with English subtitles next time. I am learning Japanese after all, *wink
Conclusion
I guess this time I’m not just widening my horizon only to books but also in anime too (and that includes manga obviously). Code Geass is really good and I bet it would be much better with the manga. And now I can fully understand why my cousin only have good words for this anime. Also, I heard there’s season 3 and then a movie coming, and I can’t wait to see it!
So yep, I surrender. Code Geass is now one my favorites, that said, it’s highly recommended especially if you love blood boiling suspense.