Set in an alternate future where a nazi-like Holy Empire of Britannia is about to take over the world Code Geass tells an epic story centered around a cast-away prince, Lelouch vi Britannia, and his struggles to fight the world. Gripping storyline with countless twists, some of the most charismatic characters in the anime realm, in-depth social philosophy ideas, great production values and action. Offering more than enough fun and more than enough solid underlying themes to please average viewers and critics alike Code Geass is likely the best show of XXIth century.

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From that day on, I was never satisfied in my heart. The fabricated everyday life that didn’t make sense. The time that slipped by. A life of a sheep implanted with fake memories. However, the truth continuously beckoned me… Indeed! I was not the one who was wrong! The world was!… The world will change. It can be changed. For, I am Zero! The man who destroys worlds, the man who creates them!

Both created and directed by the same person - Taniguchi Goro (Infinite Ryvius, Scryed) Code Geass is his best work yet. A young prince and a direct heir to the throne of Holy Empire of Britannia has been abandoned by his family, by his country. Used as a political tool to divert Japan’s attention from the upcoming invasion. * Who would seriously consider the nation would start an all open war when its heir himself is inside the territory of its target?. However, even as a child Lelouch vi Britannia had intelligence, sheer talent for war and politics surpassing that of adults. Hence, he survived the diversion, took on a false name and started his life of an outcast. All the while creating plans to overthrow, to get revenge on the empire of Britannia and his relatives who have betrayed him. *I will Destroy Britannia - Were the first words after the diversion muttered by the still young abandoned prince. Here starts the show, an epic tale of a man who held his pride, ideals above those of the world. His tiny existence - will it be just a pin in a huge cogwheel of the world destined to vanish without meaning, or could it pierce a critical gear, thus making the whole cogwheel crumble and fall to nothingness? This show has the answers, and I strongly plead you, watch Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and be enlightened.

Have you ever read Crime and Punishment written by the renowned Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky? It’s a story about a man who devised a new (at that time) philosophical idea - He who deserves power and rule shall not be bound by laws, ethics or morals. Just as god does not follow the rules of men, so the man who is worthy to change, to advance, to evolve the world as a whole shall not be bound by them. The biggest controversial detail in Dostoyevsky’s creation was that, however the plot, he never either confirmed, nor negated the validity of that idea (Pretty much the same situation as with the smile of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa). Either way, just recently I have noticed that anime is actually picking up the legacy left by Dostoyevsky and is advancing his idea in various directions, much further than the original novel. Three respective shows, which I deem successors to Crime and Punishment are Berserk, Death Note and, finally, Code Geass. Code Geass, especially, evolves the idea to extreme further lengths. Not too shy to proclaim taboo facts like Humans are not equal or the End Justifies the Means openly, Code Geass is not only one of the best shows in anime history, it’s a worthy successor to one of the greatest philosophical/political legacies in literature. All hail Code Geass!

Animation: 4

Animation is just what you can expect from a show made in 2007/2008, blessed with both good budget and staff of Sunrise. Background images, though not Picasso, are pretty nice to look at. From the gardens of Imperial Palace of Britannia, to the remains of destroyed cities in Japan, both good contrast and detail are retained. The Strongest point in animation though would be the color palette, as Code Geass embraces very vivid colors and makes them work. Work in the way that you will forget all that stuff about rainbows being special. Not that I haven’t seen better, but Code Geass certainly sports much visual pleasure.

Studio CLAMP famous for its shoujo, makes its debut in shounen with this show. Actually at first I thought I had misread: CLAMP in a shounen show?!. However, my early premonitions of Suzaku and Lelouch touching each other’s faces in the yaoi’est way possible were turned down by a truly qualified and even dignified work by the studio. I knew CLAMP were talented in making character designs, but I had never expected them to do this well in a show so far away from their usual work. Anyway, I bet, by now most of you have already seen Lelouch, his face, and most importantly his legendary smile of wickedness. Not even Light from Death Note can compare to the sheer coolness Lelouch and his outward appearance radiates. And just check out his costumes, darn, Lelouch is certainly one of the best looking characters in anime history. Not to say that other characters are bad. Though not as good as Lelouch other characters also possess enough traits to be eye candies for both guys and girls (I mean, the fact that there are two billion of Code Geass hentai doujinshis flying around the net is no mere coincidence, is it?). Only Diethard Reed and his stupid hair need a few pencil brushes of correction.

So, let’s have fluidity of motion for the last. Movements of characters, as you would expect, are realistic. Fighting scenes, flying robots, flying missiles, bullets and other stuff is, also, looks like from a high budget movie, if not better. Be careful not to scare your pets to death, it really looks realistic, at least, in anime terms.

Sound: 3

Code Geass should have had much better opening songs. While partially suiting, they pale in comparison to, for example, the first opening of Death Note. If they had put more work in the opening, at least, if they had even tried to make it distinctive from other anime openings, I would have enjoyed the first anime episodes much better. I didn’t know if the show is just pretending to be great, or is truly great in the beginning. Well, now you know, it’s truly great. Ending songs are also, satisfying, but could have been better. I don’t think they tried THAT hard to find right lyrics for the show. Solemn, majestic tunes would have added much more to Code Geass. I mean they even devised the coolest country anthem ever - Our Emperor stands astride this world. He’ll vanquish every foe! His truth and justice shine so bright. All hail his brilliant light!… So where did they even got an idea to make the openings sound like pop? Well ratings are ratings I guess, even anime creators have to eat. Background music composed by Kuroishi Hitomi (Last Exile) and Nakagawa Koutarou (Scryed, Planetes), basically, follows the same path as the openings. Though there are a few great tunes (like the already mentioned anthem), most of the music lacks dignity, which is made so important in the overall plot of Code Geass.

As a whole, sound direction is satisfying, but slightly lacking. Particularly in music department, there were quite a few great and important scenes I thought were worthy of better music. While at the same time some recap episodes in season one got some of the best pieces. Hmm… Only the last episode of R2 was completely perfect from sound direction’s perspective. Guess they have tried their best for the last spurt.

By the way Jun Fukuyama, seiyuu who has voiced Lelouch Lamperouge, won the Best Main Actor award in Seiyuu awards 2007. So the obsession with “Lelouch’s laugh” in youtube is no coincidence or lame hype. This guy does his job damn well, even without the effect of geass itself the timbre of his voice can make you unconsciously follow his orders. I mean, even though a newcomer, he has easily toppled some of my favorite voice-actors: Nakata Jouji (Gankutsuou as Count Monte Cristo) who has voiced Diethard Reed here and Wakamoto Norio (Cowboy Bebop as Vicious) who has also voiced Lelouch’s father here. Certainly a talent with much potential, let’s hope he will have even more important roles to act in the future. Other notable performances include: the cold voice of C.C. done by Nogami Yukana (Full Metal Panic as Teletha Testarossa) who successfully conveys her character’s lingering sadness; the tomboy like, but feminine voice of Kallen Stadtfelt by Koshimizu Ami (School Rumble as Tsukamoto Tenma, Spice and Wolf as Horo), girlish and innocent voice of Shirley Fenette by Orikasa Fumiko (Bleach as Rukia); elegant, dignified, but gentle voice of Nunally Lamperouge by Nazuka Kaori (.hack//Sign as Subaru, Eureka Seven as Eureka); cheerful, yet with lingering pride voice of Kaguya Sumeragi by Kanai Mika (Higurashi no Naku Koro ni as Houjou Satoko); and finally the manly, proud voice of Xing-Ke by Midorikawa Hikaru (Clannad as Yoshino Yusuke, Slam Dunk as Rukawa Kaede). Holy cow, this show spurts one of the best voice-acting teams ever. I mean, it even packs three out of top five of my favorite male seiyuu. Verbal phonic pleasure is guaranteed.

Story: 5

Story of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is the manifestation of the word epic itself. It covers the whole world, it covers clashing ambitions of many charismatic personalities, it has drama, it has show-offs, it’s unpredictable and it always delivers lots of fun, all that while adapting heavy existentialism philosophy to sci-fi mecha wars. The clever choice of setting for this show is commendable, as an alternate earth in XXIth century feels neither too far-fetched to render its social problems irrelevant, nor too close to reality making it look tried and true boring slice of life we can see in live action movies. The empire of Britannia is grand and awesomely sinister, making one wonder what would have happened if Hitler had won WW2. Countries like Japan and China are introduced in a slightly peculiar way, but with a close to reality feel. Setting of our slightly warped home planet being walked on by humongous robots and wicked masterminds is attractive, and no one can deny that. Also, reviving epic names from literature of our ancestors is a really cool way to show-off as well. Go, knights of the round table!

The plot itself, though not without hiccups, is done well and never lets its idea out of the hands. Though the few light-hearted school comedy episodes in the middle of war, betrayal and pain, certainly turned me, including many others, off, I realize they were put there to show the contrast between war and peace (and unfortunately fanservice). Without them we would be pressed hard to understand what the hell Suzaku and Lelouch are fighting for, since apart from the few breaks, they spend most of their time killing and destroying, be it for ambitions or hypocrisy. However, many critics with a keen eye found another point which is the reason this anime is being bashed, ironically, it might be the point which made me love this show. Code Geass completely omits details. It has such a fast pace, such a huge story and it packs so much of stuff into a single episode, that it simply doesn’t have time to explain minor stuff, nor show any events tying more complex happenings which would not entertain the viewers. It only offers the meat. As the author of this show obviously favors idea and emotions of his characters over the chronological sequence of events, he leaves details like explanations of the setting, survival of some characters and majority of stuff involving character pasts open for the viewer to speculate. Though the majority of people divide into two, some who disregard plot holes and some who bash plot holes, there are also people who fill holes with their imagination and Code Geass is some of the best mediums to do that. Frankly, I never cared what specifically geass was, it is obvious it’s only a tool to create an entertaining plot and a chance for Lelouch to convey his ideas to the world. Be it alien technology or the gift from the gods, none of the explanations would have made the show any better. What’s the difference if you see a character fall a cliff, entangle himself into branches and fall unto a wet dirt breaking his arm, or just witness his fall in one episode and notice him walking with a broken arm in the next one? The emotion his fake death implied was important, not the fact. If they wanted to kill of a character they’d just kill them without “reviving” them and in fact they do kill them. Code Geass is as harsh as reality is, people really die left and right, some I never expected to. Finally, I don’t give a rat’s ass what kind of mosquito bit Jeremiah Gottwald twenty years ago. If he acts now how he does I can picture his past in my head without problems as long as the character acts in a believable way not contradicting the core of his personality and, unlike what some people appear to think, they do. To the contrary of what some may think, Code Geass is not a fan pleasing anime with serious overtones. Though, indeed, fanservice runs high in season two, it packs way too much emotion, far too much philosophy and its plot is steady and dedicated to its goal to the very end, hence I find even considering such idea ridiculous.

In the end I couldn’t find a single plot hole in this show which would either make its idea useless or detract from pure entertainment. All the stuff omitted are details which don’t weigh on the overall greatness of the story Code Geass tells. It’s highly possible those explanations would be there in Director’s Cut version. Not providing the viewers with all the little stuff also creates a great sense of unpredictability. Finally, Code Geass ends while delivering one of the most complete, moving and meaningful endings in anime history. It does tie up everything what is needed to be tied up and it indeed achieves every single thing it had set out to do from the beginning. Fans who cry for the third season simply exhibit their lack of respect for this polished piece, as any single extra episode would destroy the remarkable, yet fragile soul of Code Geass.

Note: There are those rumors flying around the net that Code Geass R2 didn’t exactly go as planned due to its changed TV time slot. Apparently it was moved from otaku dominated midnight to family friendly weekend’s afternoon. Well, that explains all the more questionable details concerning R1’s end and R2’s start. It also explains how did Code Geass became almost a surreal anime, fanservice used to hide the things. They had to make money from the kids. However, it seems that Taniguchi Goro, despite all the hardships, guided this show to convey his magnificent idea anyway. In the end Code Geass became a masterpiece with fanservice, maybe the first of its kind. Heh, respect.

Characters: 5

The first thing to note about the cast of Code Geass is that they have undeniable charm. There are those foul-mouthed zero intelligence leads in Naruto and Bleach, which are praised by the teens and loathed by the critics. There are also those, who from first sight appear average, but turn out to possess ocean deep personalities only visible by a keen eye, unrecognized by the masses and idolized by the critics, like in Seikai no Monshou or Monster. On the other hand, we have Code Geass, which spurts characters which are equally loved by both. Seriously, can you deny that Lelouch is, simply, awesome? He has intelligence, he has ambitions, he always moves forward, he develops, he has complex inner world, he has cool looks, he kicks ass of literally everyone and he is not even a villain. If he is not an ideal main character, I don’t know who is. Though I’ve seen people complaining about characters having rash, out of a blue developments, and that might indeed apply to some side characters whose detailed developments weren’t worth the screen time, Lelouch’s developments are anything but rash. Lelouch rises up hiding his true heart from both himself and the others embracing hypocrisy. He realizes that later, throws it away, realizes that without it he’s useless picks it up again, then throws it away again, gets depressed, resets everything, searches for more and repeats the circles again. Though he acts as Nietzsche’s overman, he repeatedly hits the wall of still being human, hits the wall of his emotions. Just like a real person, Lelouch runs from one truth to another, often contradicting himself, realizing his contradictions and throwing everything down again. And his best friend Suzaku is exactly the same. Ironically having started from the completely reverse position, he ends up in the same sink as Lelouch. It’s funny that exactly those self-contradictions and nihilism, which make Lelouch and Suzaku so close to humans, likely made some people believe they are unrealistic and act out of their characters, which they never really do. Either way, this show succeeds in showing that you can’t move the world as long as you are on one side or another, since as long as you’ll have something you believe in, it will be destroyed and you will break. However, the great finale of this show gave birth to yet another great idea.

Supporting characters don’t lose out either. Though they are never given as much development as the Lelouch-Suzaku pair, the most important ones also have vast depth and whole ideologies prepared for them. Rather than their emotions, I found their symbolic value much more important as we get enough inner turmoil from Lelouch already. For example the father of Lelouch, whose personality is only conveyed through his nazi like speeches, Lelouch’s attitude and very vague flashbacks, is, in essence, a person who idolizes the past. He neglects the future and detests the present, hence he sees perfect future in returning the world and humanity back to its primal state. On the other hand Schneizel, whose personality is extremely hard to read as he gives but a few hints of his inner emotions, is, though talented, not an ambitious person, seeing future as dangerous and past as frivolous he stands to defend and preserve the present. Both of Lelouch’s strongest rivals stand as complete contrasts to himself (and Suzaku for that matter) whose ideology is based on the future. Seeing past as regression and being dissatisfied with the present, Lelouch fights for the most cruel and unpredictable of outcomes, the future. Nunally, whose strong determination reminded me of Lacus Clyne from Gundam Seed, and Euphemia, whose childish naive pacifism brought even more contrast to the bloody ideology battle, both looked at, though different, the future as well, adding feminine ideologies to the series.

Not all great characters stand for political doctrines though. C.C. might be one of the deepest mysterious characters dealing with eternal life in anime history ever. She keeps mixing lies with truths from the very beginning to the end of the show, hence making it near impossible to grasp her inner world. In one scene she appears to be ready to sacrifice her life for someone, in another she is ready to kill that person and in the third it seems as if she lost interest in doing anything whatsoever. However, her personality is indeed intact and she never suffers from any mental disorders either. Why? Because the clever author of this show, maybe for the first time ever, managed to create an immortal character who is actually realistic. C.C. lived far too long to still hold any feelings towards humanity or even herself, all her actions are inspired by whim, by slim hope, but she never has faith nor in her hope, nor in her actions. Even though she always appears to scheme something, she never really believes in its success, nor she genuinely cares about it. Though she claims she has one wish her contractor will have to grant, she never really believes in it either, nor it’s really her genuine wish. She does things only because she needs to do something to define herself, her actions don’t necessary possess real goal or meaning. In the end, despite having the powers and ability, she never really makes any impact on the world, always going with the flow, without faith waiting for someone to wake her from her slumber. Her nihilism is probably best mirrored by the fact that she sees little significance between eating pizza and fighting for the future of the world.

Most characters in Code Geass stand for something, have a meaning and are significant to the plot. Be it Kaguya who strives to liberate Japan, Xing-Ke who will do anything for the empress or even Viletta Nu who is stuck between loyalty and love. The show didn’t have thousands of hours to detail them, but it created them, gave them the traits and made viewers themselves fill the details. Making them charming enough to become faces in the pop culture and deep enough to possess enough symbolic value to satisfy the critics. Frankly, I don’t know what kind of color they like the most, what is their favourite food or how many women did they sleep with, but I know their ideologies and the purpose they fight for. I know what they think and even though I was never directly told why, it wasn’t hard to deduce all that from little hints with a speck of imagination. Turning them into some of the best characters I have seen in anime yet.

Not to say that there are no lame characters in Code Geass. Some knights of the round didn’t even have a chance to say line before being “removed”. But seriously, in the show where deep characters reach the count of thirty, there has to be some lame guys to gnaw at.

Conclusion: Recommended for everybody, especially for people who enjoy philosophy (or are under the influence of megalomania… As I am). Masked under nine layers of fanservice Code Geass is a polished diamond. However, since most people will be content with fanservice and others will get lost in its layers, very few will truly appreciate this piece for all its worth. On the other hand you don’t really need to peel anything to enjoy it. Other shows of interest - Death Note, Berserk, Legend of Galactic Heroes.