REVIEW: Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion (Anime)

A lot of anime that gets lauded by critics are shows that deviate from the established genres of the medium; such as 'mecha', 'shounen', 'harem', etc. This is probably because established and long-running examples of genre shows (like Naruto or Gundam) are fairly common and so an anime that serves up the same things is often lost in the ever-growing crowd; which is why it was a surprise to me to see Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion appear on pretty much every "must see" anime list I've read in the past few months. On the surface this is yet another show in the 'mecha' genre (produced by Sunrise no less - the production studio of Gundam): involving large military organisations, deep philosophical ramblings over the nature of conflict, protagonists in their late-teens, and large super-advanced robots duking it out to turn the tide of battle. It even has some of the established cliche character archetypes (the "white knight" good guy, female bespectacled scientists, etc.) and near-future setting. However, what makes Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion stand out from the crowd, aside from it's lavish production values, fantastic soundtrack and superb storyline, it its central character - an absolute megalomaniac sociophobe who will use and crush anyone to get what he wants - and is probably one of if not *the* best characters in anime!! Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

In the near-future of an alternative Earth, the massive and powerful empire of Britannia has conquered most of the globe, with its only rivals being the Chinese Federation and the E.U. It's most recent territorial acquisition is Japan, which has been stripped of it's national identity and renamed "Area 11" with the Japanese people relegated to a apartheid-like secondary status as "Elevens"; left subjugated, bitter and with no real power to fight back. Taking refuge in this country is Lelouch vi Britannia (under a false identity), the deposed and exiled prince who was 17th in line to the Imperial Throne, and his blind crippled sister. During a terrorist incident, some "Elevens" have stolen what they think is a chemical weapon to be used on the formerly-Japanese people who now live in ghettos and harbour terrorists, Lelouch comes in contact with a strange green-haired girl who "makes a contract with him" in exchange for a supernatural power called 'Geass' - the ability to make people obey your every command without question. Armed with this new power, along with his lethally sharp intellect and gift for strategy, Lelouch slowly assembles his own military force and begins his quest to rid the world of Britannian rule; and more importantly to kill his own father the Emperor. The plot that follows really is *fantastic*, and across the two series of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion there are so many dramatic twists and turns, and so many heart-wrenching cliffhangers, you simply won't be able to stop watching! There were many nights I tried to watch "a couple of episodes" and ended up binging until the small-hours, but aside from the great storyline, the characters are the real reason I just couldn't stop. Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

As I mentioned earlier, some of the characters fill the usual roster of archetypes that you normally see in 'mecha' anime, primarily amongst these is Suzaku Kururugi, who in any normal Gundam series would be our hero. Suzaku is an "Eleven" but has joined the Britannian military because he wants to change the system from the inside, and prove that the former Japanese can be honorary members of the Britannian Empire, deserving of equal status with their oppressors. He is a noble and good-natured character who fights to protect some of the weaker characters (who are pacifists) in his shining white mecha (in Code Geass these are called Knightmare Frames) named the 'Lancelot'. In other words, he is a royal pain in the backside for our true protagonist! Lelouch is a firm believer that the ends justify the means, and he will do anything and use/crush anyone to get what he wants! Asking your audience to identify with such a character could potentially cause problems but Lelouch is just so cool a character that it's easy to take his side in almost every situation. Almost. You see, Lelouch is extremely clever and his supernatural powers keep him at an advantage for much of the time, but he is still human and there will be many occasions when things don't go his way. It's compelling viewing to be rooting for someone with good intentions overall, but who continually goes about it in the most nefarious and underhand ways possible. By the way, do NOT under any circumstances read any articles or reviews of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion whilst watching the series, as there are just *too many* websites out there with minor and major spoilers, and a huge part of the appeal for this series are the constant surprises in the storyline (both exhilarating and utterly horrific). Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to read on!

There are loads of really fantastic set-piece battles and large scale conflicts in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, all animated with visual flair and some great 'mecha' designs, you can tell that it's produced by a studio with a track record for this genre of anime. The character designs were done by a company called 'CLAMP' and they're in the stylised end of the spectrum, with long appendages, crazy spiky hair and large boobs; but all the characters are very memorable and stand out well from each other. This is also accompanied by some amazing voice acting, especially the Japanese actor for Lelouch (can you tell yet that I really like this character?). Music in this anime is absolutely *incredible* and I think is now one of my favourite original soundtracks of all time: it's brash, bombastic and fits the show perfectly! This unfortunately can not be said for the opening and closing songs - I really didn't like any of them! There seems to be lots of people who disagree with me, but I thought they were awful and skipped over them about 90% of the time. With two seasons to watch, the 50 episodes of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion takes a lot of viewing hours, but it's worth it as it succeeds where so many anime television series fail and provides a satisfying conclusion to the story. In fact, the ending has been a subject of much debate ever since it finished on Japanese television all those years back, because it is just so damn good! It leaves the show with the perfect mix of being all wrapped-up but with an open thread here and there allowing for a little interpretation over key events. It's genius and works extremely well for the story. Now go, Lelouch vi Britannia commands you to watch this series!