Code Geass

Original Title: コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ
Romanized: Koudo Giasu - Hangyaku no Ruruushu
Literal: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Plot Synopsis

Lelouch Lamperouge is not an average teenager. He grew up as an orphan caring for his blind, paraplegic younger sister Nunnally in the war-torn land of Japan--now known only as Area 11 after its brutal conquest and subjugation by the Britannian Empire. A Britannian by birth, he now attends a prestigious boarding school for the Britannian upper class near Tokyo. But he is even less average than this; before coming to Japan he was a son of the Emperor of Britannia himself, until he was disowned by his father after his mother was killed in a mysterious attack.

His longtime friend, Suzaku--son of the late Prime Minister of pre-conquest Japan--has taken a different path: Joining the Britannian military in hopes of one day becoming an honorary Britannian citizen himself.

Fate will give them both the opportunity to do more than this, though, when Lelouch stumbles upon a mysterious girl, C.C., who gifts him with the power of Geass--the ability, in his case, to issue a single, absolute order to any person, which they will unquestioningly obey. Suzaku, in turn, finds himself thrust into the limelight as a star mecha pilot for Britannia... a role that will pit him against his friend, in the guise of the masked rebel leader Zero. A leader who seeks to create a world opposite that of Britannia's, where all will be equal, and willing to use any means to achieve it.

Quick Review

Rating: 4.5 / 5
Reviewer: Marc
Review Date: 2009-10-31

In fundamental concept, Code Geass is the answer to the question "What if the stereotypical mastermind villain was the good guy?" A marvel of a series, it applies shoujo-style layered, melodramatic tragedy to a shounen-style mecha war story, producing something unique and engaging that is neither. Overblown in style and structure yet brutally unsentimental, Code Geass is defined by the meticulous scheming of Lelouch, the Machiavellian anti-hero who carries the show. Really, who is the show. The CLAMP character designs, fluid animation, and varied mecha combat are all part of the picture, but when it comes down to it the reason you watch are for those moments when Lelouch smiles sadistically and you realize he's already won, usually by savage blindide. His multifaceted personality and willing decent into a hell of his own making are backed by a commanding Japanese performance (don't bother with the English dub) and framed by a colorful cast of people doomed to be broken by fate.

Casting villain as hero and hero as villain, Code Geass twists a stock melodramatic war story into something new and deliciously malicious. The series rides almost entirely on the shoulders of its ultimate anti-hero, which turns out to be its greatest strength. It's neither uplifting nor weepy--it's a ruthless chess match set to a symphony of brutality that is as gripping as it is unusual. In short, wicked, tragic fun.

US DVD Review

Bandai's 6-disc North American DVD release includes the standard bilingual audio and subtitles. Extras include the interesting mini-episodes mentioned in the notes, audio commentary, and textless opening/endings. There are also sets of two discs each in addition to the single-disc release, and Limited Edition versions than kick in soundtracks, manga, art, and other goodies.

Content Guide

It's not particularly gory, but it is quite violent on both a personal and grand scale; other mature themes are limited. In unedited form (there are a few very minor edits for TV broadcast), depending on your view of the questionable morality of the characters and general themes of genocide it would be either the high end of 13-up or low end of 16-up (Bandai chose the former).

Violence: 4 - Rarely graphic, but legions of people, both innocent and military, die onscreen and off, many at the hands of the main characters.

Nudity: 1 - A few limited bits of fanservice here and there.

Sex/Mature Themes: 2 - The mature themes rarely go past general romance, and even that is so low-key as to be almost nonexistent, save a single, brief scene that is relatively explicit despite being almost completely dark.

Language: 1 - This will depend on the version you see, but generally pretty clean.

Notes and Trivia

Code Geass was an original concept developed for TV by Sunrise, with character designs and a bit of early-stage creative input from famed manga group CLAMP.

In addition to the sequel series, R2, there are also nine short "in-between" episodes produced for the DVD release. They consist of an audio-drama-style dialogue with static illustrations of the scene; set between the regular episodes (with appropriate fractional numbers), they explain backstory or elaborate on things not shown explicitly in the series proper. It's legitimate to count them as canon.

Spin-offs are many; a series of light novels, audio dramas, assorted games for the DS, PS2, and PSP, and four different manga series. Some retell the same events, some are alternate takes; of the manga series one is similar except for the lack of mecha (somewhat ironically, that would probably improve the series), one takes place in mid-19th Century Japan, one focuses on Suzaku as a masked superhero, and one is an alternate take on the TV scenario with Nunnally as the Geass-using main character. The novels and three of the manga series are already available in English as of this writing.

The series is set in an alternate earth timeline that is laid out somewhat more thoroughly in the books and other supporting media. It initially diverges as far back as Julius Caesar's time, but the most substantial changes begin in the 1600s. Technologically the most major difference happens recently, when Knightmare Frame mecha became the dominant military technology (and, as a result, Japan became strategically valuable due to its large natural Sakuradite reserves, used to power Knightmares).

Footnote 1: This is a major spoiler about the very end, so skip it if you haven't seen it. It's mystifying to me why the writers didn't take advantage of the tragic trifecta of Yufie being forced by her Geass to try and kill Suzaku, then him being forced by his to defend himself and kill her, and then being unable to kill himself in despair on top of it. It wasn't necessary, but after having set up such a perfect feedback loop of unintentional tragedy and induced hate it baffles me that they walked away from it.

Availability

Available in North America from Bandai on bilingual DVD. They area available on six individual volumes, or 2-disc sets with the same materials. The newer sets are also available in Limited Edition versions that add soundtracks, manga, art, and other extras.

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