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Code Geass is the most anime of all the anime and still a great watch (spoiler free)

With Season 3 announced earlier this year (seriously do not click that if you haven't seen the first 2 seasons) for sometime next year, I figured it was about time to rewatch the series that's still amongst my favorites to this day.

Holy shit, it's just as good if not better than I remember.

First let's go over what Code Geass isn't and is. Code Geass isn't the greatest anime of all time. There are plenty of better series out there. What it is however, is the perfect representation of the 'genre' known as anime.

This series which is part Sci-fi, part slice of life, part medieval political, part occult deals with racism, nationism, terrorism versus freedom fighting, daily struggles of a populace under occupation (Japan), and the way power corrupts.

Also pizza hut.

The series does a great job of having you fall in love with characters and having your heart torn out. The twists of the first 4/5ths of the series are great and always leave you wanting to watch the next episode immediately after. The character designs by CLAMP (Card Captor Sakura, Kobuto, Chobits) are striking and unique and immediately recognizable over any other series. The mech combat is probably the best I've ever seen in a TV series, especially one that ran for 50 episodes. Not quite big-budget movie level, but it is all 2D animated.

The only real issue I have with the series is it's final 3-4 episode arc. The ending itself is beautifully crafted, but the final arc that leads there is a bit of a mess and is drawn out a little too long. It also gets extremely and needlessly convoluted, but most anime do (does?) so in some ways it's perfect too.

But seriously that ending... Like most anime it ends open ended. We don't get all of our questions answered, but unlike most anime where this happens because of time or budget restraints (or to sell some god damn LN that'll never get translated) it's a beautifully crafted ending that has it's seeds sown throughout the entirety of the series. The ending is amongst my favorites.

After rewatching the entire thing, I actually dread Season 3. Before my rewatch I was deeply excited, but seeing that ending again? Even the subtitle for it fills me with despair. There is just no way a direct sequel to the first two seasons can work without either some serious retcons, or destroying that ending and the narrative as a whole.

While this is a 10 year old series, the goal is to get people who haven't seen it interested ahead of Season 3 and spoilers can heavily impact that so if possible please use the spoiler tags as necessary!
 
Every single episode felt like it ended on the most absurd and crazy cliff hanger imaginable.

Say what you want about the actual show's story and characters, but the actual pacing and structure was pretty damn good TV.
 
Code Geass is the most anime of all the anime

Yeah, it's a good way to describe it.
It totally want to have its cake and eat it too.

It's an action/scifi anime with mechas. But also with mystery/supernatural elements, and with a good dose of mind games.
And then you have to add the school setting, and the SoL/comedy episodes, and the secret identities! And add even more, drama, and love, and their attempt to also tell something serious about military occupation and terrorism and power.
And then add even more scifi/supernatural schlock because why not.
 
Every single episode felt like it ended on the most absurd and crazy cliff hanger imaginable.

Say what you want about the actual show's story and characters, but the actual pacing and structure was pretty damn good TV.

In this way, I think it holds up much better as a marathon show than a week to week show. It helps that there isn't anything I'd even call a filler episode, let alone a filler arc like most series. Actually, I take that back. The last arc after
Lelouche and Suzaku team up
felt like filler. It could have all been condensed down to a single episode and it'd have worked better.
 
It was a fun watch. The anime has a lot of stupid moments but it was always engaging in how things would always escalate. Helped that lelouch was a interesting character and well acted in both dubs.
 
I watched it 3 months ago for the first time and really enjoyed it. Yet, looking back at it, I don't have great feelings about the "always having to top what came before" attitude and drama.
 

Daingurse

Member
I really enjoyed Code Gease when it was new, but I might need a refresher, because it's been years since I watched it. I just remember it being one of the super-hyped anime series at the time, that I actually liked. Unlike say Gurren Lagann, which I found to be very overrated lol.
 

Replicant

Member
It's a shameless trainwreck that throws everything and the kitchen sink at the wall and hope it sticks.

It's kind of stunning in that trashy kind of way. Feels like soap opera sometimes.

I just watch it to see how ridiculous the story and shenanigans can be.
 
I think Suzaku
handing Lelouch a phone with Nunnally on the other end
is still one of the best oh shit moments of all time.
 

TissueBox

Member
LELOOOUCH!

Best name ever... cutest angst-ridden anti-villain protagonist ever!

Lelouch-lelouch-lamperouge-zero-12641237-397-475.jpg


Also I just love this track... much yearning. Much cry..

EDIT: R1 actually could've topped Death Note if it was just a bit shrewder, and R2 was like a trainwreck you couldn't stop watching... I guess in both instances it is saved by its boldness and bold characters. I am frankly not optimistic about S3 but here's hoping while they figure out what they want to do as they make the show we will watch them in at least similarly passionate fashion.
 

SDBurton

World's #1 Cosmonaut Enthusiast
From what I remember I thought they ended on a strong note. Why come back to this? Especially after all this time?
 

Linkark07

Banned
!Also I just love this track... much yearning. Much cry..
Needless to say, all Hitomi tracks in Code Geass are awesome, especially Innocent Days and Stories.

Just rewatched this a month or two ago. Still superb; couldn't stop after the first half of the second season ended.

Sure, the second season gets even more crazy each episode but that's part of the charm of this series.

Can't wait for season 3. Hope Sunrise remembers what made Code Geass awesome, unlike Akito the Exiled.
 

pbayne

Member
Cant wait for spinkazu's return.
Season 3 is gonna be dumb shit. Placing bets they''ll end up fighting space zombies or some bullshit.
 
From what I remember I thought they ended on a strong note. Why come back to this? Especially after all this time?

This is my greatest concern. Before rewatching the series I was super hyped... but there is literally nothing they can do with a direct sequel that won't cheapen the ending of R2 in some way.

I mean, I'm going to watch it regardless... worst case scenario I'll just remind myself that there is no season 3.
 

Kusagari

Member
Code Geass is the greatest train wreck that has ever train wrecked.

It is a complete fucking disaster and I love it.
 
A poor man's Death Note.



Entertaining nonetheless.

I always felt the other way around. Death Note was a series that tried to hard. Tried too hard to be dark and edgy, tried too hard to make Light redeemable, tried too hard with it's plot twists.

Yes, Code Geass had huge logic leaps and comically stupid twists... but that works in Code Geass and doesn't in something as 'grounded' as Death Note.
 
Code Geass is basically a rickety ass rollercoaster ride, it's a mess but WHAT A MESS.
In a way it channels the engaging stupidity found in the most swerve worthy of late nineties wrestling booking, only in anime form.
Allegiances are always changing, twists happen for the sake of it, it's hammy as fuck and characters are often run by its own inane logic, a true classic.
 
I always felt the other way around. Death Note was a series that tried to hard. Tried too hard to be dark and edgy, tried too hard to make Light redeemable, tried too hard with it's plot twists.

Yes, Code Geass had huge logic leaps and comically stupid twists... but that works in Code Geass and doesn't in something as 'grounded' as Death Note.

Light was never meant to be redeemable. He was always a villain protagonist, never a hero of any kind
 

TissueBox

Member
Though I think Death Note has the edge just in terms of pure execution I've always had a stronger affinity towards Code Geass... and TeamLelouch all day honestly, sorry L, Light, and mini-L's.

That said, they both have fantastic endings... Death Note has one of my favorite character conclusions and Code Geass has one of the most emotionally cathartic... I really am glad they were able to pull off such a decent ending though.
He could've went I Am... the DARK KNIGHT and I still would've rolled right along, lol,
it's just the show's raw, theatrical melodramatics given a strong, fond farewell.
 

Livingskeletons

If I pulled that off, would you die?
I always felt the other way around. Death Note was a series that tried to hard. Tried too hard to be dark and edgy, tried too hard to make Light redeemable, tried too hard with it's plot twists.

Yes, Code Geass had huge logic leaps and comically stupid twists... but that works in Code Geass and doesn't in something as 'grounded' as Death Note.

When was Light redeemable? He is a villain from the outset.

The plot twists I thought were all well constructed and genuinely surprising at least in the first half.


Code Geass lacks the L vs Light dynamic which is the bread and butter of Death Note.
Suzaku was interesting but in no way Lelouche's equal.
 
The twists in season 2 started to become way too absurd. Still fun to watch but didn't come close to being as good as season 1. I'll agree that the ending was pretty great.
 

akumu

Member
This is my greatest concern. Before rewatching the series I was super hyped... but there is literally nothing they can do with a direct sequel that won't cheapen the ending of R2 in some way.

I mean, I'm going to watch it regardless... worst case scenario I'll just remind myself that there is no season 3.

I feel the same. It's a bit worrying that they're possibly ruining R2's perfect ending just by continuing the series.

Though I'm super excited to see what the characters have been up to
since Lelouch's "death" (which I hope was real.. please don't magically bring him back to life)
 
Season 1 was absolutely fantastic 10/10 good. Season 2 was good but it did reach the heights that Season 1 did. In particular that whole
Kill the God part of season 2 kind of came out of left field and felt not necessary.
Overall a fantastic anime that all should watch.
 

kewlmyc

Member
That plot twist around episode 21-22 is still one of the dumbest plot twists I've ever seen in an anime. Really sets up how fucking stupid S2 will get.

At least the ending was good, till S3 inevitably fucks it up.
 

En-ou

Member
Watched a few eps and quit when I heard 11 and 12 year olds giving speech on honor and sacrifice with the wisdom of a 50 year old...

I can't stand anime where the main characters are teenagers unless the writing is done well.
 

Defuser

Member
Only 2 things remind me of Code Geass. Table-Kun and Eupheminator. That's when you know Code Geass went full dumb.
 

Kid Ying

Member
The best anime of it's decade and one of the best of ALL time.

Every anime should aspire to be on the Dame heights as CG. I'm anxious for season 3, especially since i've never saw the spinoff akito one. Will be my First geass in a decade. Cant Go wrong.
 

TissueBox

Member
Watched a few eps and quit when I heard 11 and 12 year olds giving speech on honor and sacrifice with the wisdom of a 50 year old...

I can't stand anime where the main characters are teenagers unless the writing is done well.

? Which 12 year old was that?

Tbf I dislike the trope as well and have grown to just let 'em beat me with it long as in this world of very serious kids there's some bona fide storytelling, but in Code Geass most of those kind of people are either royalty, victims to a violent imperialistic nation, or given some kind of context so I think it's handled okay among all the angst.
 

dramatis

Member
I always felt the other way around. Death Note was a series that tried to hard. Tried too hard to be dark and edgy, tried too hard to make Light redeemable, tried too hard with it's plot twists.

Yes, Code Geass had huge logic leaps and comically stupid twists... but that works in Code Geass and doesn't in something as 'grounded' as Death Note.
There's some similarities, but I think they're ultimately quite different.

However, I do think the existence of 'protagonists' like Lelouch were made possible by Death Note's Light. Prior to the explosion of Death Note's popularity, the shounen hero was in the model of Goku/Luffy/Naruto, in character and in action.
 
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