CODE PIZZA: R2 EPS 21-25

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Whelp, that about says it. Honestly, I don't think it would have been much different to have ended after at the end of episode 20, but hey. Then all their Schneizel foreshadowing would've been wasted, and we wouldn't have got to see Lelouch and Suzaku troll the entire world. And Lelouch is probably at his best while he swindles control of the entire world.

The show is just absurd, over all. But it, much like its titular character, has its own psychotic charm that can be appreciated if you don't take it too seriously. I doubt anybody who was watching could have predicted the Euffinator nor will any of us soon forget her loveable blood-lust. Although on the same note, I hope nobody lets Goro Taniguchi direct another show for a long time. I guess he's busy with a manga prequel to the show set in Japan's Edo era. Let him keep doing that. I am going to do...something else.

I guess the idea was that nobody should have to watch Code Geass alone, and these articles should be able to prevent anyone who comes across them from engaging in that dangerous activity. Although, as it stands, I have far too high a percentage of Code Geass articles in relation to non-Geass articles on this site for me to sleep at night. Ken said I should watch Needless and do the same kind of write up, but I doubt my body can take that without some advanced training.

CODE PIZZA: R2 EPS 16-20

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Well, I think somewhere around EP 17 Sunrise realized that maybe they should try to write themselves out of the mess they made. Of course, their favorite solution is more absurd left field plot twists. But hey, they tried!

At least they let Kallin out and she got to use the most impossible to use mech in the series for like 3 minutes, before Suzaku nukes Tokyo. Way to be the savior of Japan, bro. Technically, it was Lelouch's fault, since it was the gun-in-the-drawer Geass that made Suzaku push the button. But, Schneizel totally knowingly gave the guy with a voluntary self preservation clause the codes to the last desperation nuke. Can't imagine anything bad coming out of that one.

The battle is typical Geass fare, although I rather liked the stuff that came after the battle. Once The Black Knights find out Zero's identity they have no hesitation at selling him out to Britannia. (They even go so far as to speculate that Geass must be responsible for all the recent defections, which it wasn't. So were the writers actually joking about how bad their writing is, or did they just forget that they didn't Geass characters like Jerimiah?) But anyway, Lelouch once again finds himself facing a firing squad. Unlike that other show with a similar climactic moment (http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page), Lelouch doesn't break down and beg or try to lie his way out of it. He mans up (albeit with trademark effeminate laughter) and dramatically takes responsibility for even stuff he didn't do, even disgracing himself so that Kallin doesn't try to die alongside him. As opposed to going down as a pathetic murdering crazy man, he gets to go down as a heroic murdering crazy man. But then Rollo saves him with Geass cheatery.

At some point C.C. got her memories back which was good. But then the random pink haired cellphone-loli is Lelouch's mom, which I am just going to ignore for now and hope it goes away. Anyway, now Lelouch and Suzaku are both on their way to take out the emperor. They obviously have to team up and use the power of friendship to defeat Charles, because this is anime. And in anime you can't even take a shit without the power of friendship.

CODE PIZZA: R2 EPS 11-15

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

So. These were those episodes. This show has just gone completely bonkers. From the ass-shaped romance hats, to ninja-Sayako impersonating Lelouch, the absurdity is unstoppable. I guess you have to give the show some credit, when it wants to break the tension with some comedy, it doesn't let anything like plot or reason get in its way. And nobody does inappropriate mecha usage like Geass.

Although, I am fairly confident the writers were pulling their actual story out of a hat, at this point. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt and say maybe they had a dart board. Let's review just a few of the ridiculous left field developments. Jeremiah came back. Again. What is this guy that he doesn't die? He exploded and sank into an ocean abyss! He goes from trying to kill Lelouch with his terminator impersonation to joining the Black Knights in like, 2 seconds. Then Rolo snaps and murders Shirley for no reason. Cornelia comes back too. I've heard that all the returning characters inspired people to create Prince Clovis conspiracy theories because he's in one of the season 2 openings. Though, I haven't read any spoilers, so can't say with certainty that he doesn 't come back. Nor would I be surprised if he did.

Meanwhile Suzaku becomes Darth Vader and almost injects Kallen with space-heroin, None of her friends seem to remember or care that she's captured, though Lelouch is busy going on dates with 108 ladies. Oh, and C.C. lost her memories and thinks its medieval tymes now. I still think Lelouch is a likeable nutjob, but he's kind of faltering here as he goes from goofball student council vice president, to conducting a child murdering massacre, to being "too gentle" to hurt C.C. But I decided way back in like episode 8 that the writing is too psychotic to worry about stuff like that. I'm in it for the over-the-top theatrics and shark jumping explosions.

The one thing these episodes had going for them was Emperor Charles. Lelouch tries to take him on and he just laughs and calls his son a pussy. And then seemingly becomes immortal. I think I'm pretty much rooting for the grizzled old Social Darwinist, although, we unfortunately get a bunch of nonsensical freak-out stock footage every time he shows up. I actually kind of liked season one's plot derailment because it was gruesome and violent, like a horror movie. This season is just...whacky, for lack of a better term. But I mean, the final battle has to be good, right? And they have to let the best pilot on the show out of jail at some point, right?

0_o

ALL HAIL BRITANNIA!!

CODE PIZZA: R2 EPS 6-10

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS.)

Not just Code Geass spoilers today, but I'm also going to spoil Death Note. So, go watch and/or read the entirety of Death Note and then come back. I'll wait.


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Okay, sorry about that but there's something that I think is kind of interesting to talk about. People (myself included) constantly compare this show to Death Note and Lelouch/Zero to Light/Kira. I think the last five episodes have a lot of content that shows the comparison between the two characters isn't really a fair one.

For starters, Light/Kira is perfect. He never makes a mistake, he never questions himself, he's mentally superior to everyone, and physically superior to most. He's also a complete sociopath who never lets empathy or emotional attachment get int the way of achieving his goals, no matter who he has to kill. In the end, he only gets caught because of other people acting in his name who aren't as smart as him, and even then two of the three greatest detectives ever have to sacrifice their lives just to get a scrap of evidence on the guy. And even then he gets caught in what amounts to little more than a risky hunch. That said, he's a pretty despicable guy. I think people do like him, but in the same way that I like Freddy Krueger -- to see what creative way he'll murder the next person. In Kira's case, his actions are so complicated its like watching someone solve an intricate puzzle. I think the writers execute this exceptionally well, and I would say Death Note is a significantly more compelling work than Code Geass.

Lelouch, on the other hand, is far from perfect; he might not even be good. At like, anything. Before he became Zero he was a self absorbed, gambling, slacker. And, off course, he's probably the least physically capable person in the entire show. The guy can't even run 20 meters without collapsing, out of breath.

Even after he became Zero, his supposed 'genius strategies' often lack foresight and result in his failure and countless people dying. The truth is, he's not really the smartest person around -- there are plenty of characters who are able to out-think and manipulate him. He's constantly on the verge of an emotional breakdown because of this because, unlike Kira, Lelouch actually cares about the people around him.

To keep from completely losing it, he becomes obsessed with the women who are close to him. Maybe not physically, but he emotionally invests all his mommy issues into first his sisters and later Kallen and C.C. Every time he could achieve his goals if he's willing to risk one of their lives, he throws it all away in a hopeless and selfish attempt at protecting them.

He actually accepts defeat and gives up on his goals because of this, but he doesn't have the self confidence or will to find another purpose in life. He's so shallow and pathetic that he immediately turns to future-smack as his new alternate lifestyle.

And its all these flaws that make Lelouch so damn interesting. I mean, Kira is annoying in his perfection, you just can't wait for someone to wipe that smug grin off his face. But Lelouch...Lelouch is a failure. But, when he decides to put that helmet back on, its not for himself or his vision, but because his subordinates (mostly the women who serve as his surrogate mommies) need him. Although in spite of that, he remains overconfident, greedy, and seemingly unwilling to risk his own life or those of the people he cares about.

Yet, with every absurd, over the top, dramatic, improbable, and sometimes downright stupid ploy he comes up with as Zero, I can't help but root for him. I mean, one thing this guy has is flair. He's got flair in spades. For all his inconsistencies, they guy is still somehow charismatic and sympathetic. And now he's completely backed into a corner in an unwinnable situation. He's like this tiny, effeminate, lucha libre wrestler who never wins a bout, going into a heavyweight championship 4 way ladder match -- how can you not be thinking, 'win this one, dude.' I guess you could be like, a John Cena fan or something.

Err wait, so is season 2 a trainwreck? Don't I have like, a funny caption? Well, things are actually strangely still kind of boring, but Lelouch's crazy ass is totally carrying the show. But I mean, he's gonna lose it when he runs out of ladies to play mommy with, right? There's no way this chump is actually going to win...right?

CODE PIZZA: R2 EPS 1-5

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Well that's just...that's just..

Okay well, actually they did wipe everyone's memory! I guess whatever stupid thing I say, Code Geass will do it just to spite me (Suzaku in a dress, Suzaku in a dress, Suzaku in a dress). But, they didn't go completely Tenshi Muyo -- only the supporting characters forgot everything that happened.

This means those characters get to be in more episodes with absurd parties where the overly dramatic mentally unstable main characters awkwardly shuffle about pretending that they don't all hate each other. The problem is that neither the comic relief nor the drama behind it seem to have the same pinache as season one did. I mean, I already saw the episode where they used a mech to make pizza. And season one ended with Mao's sadistic manipulations, the Euphenator's genocidal rampage, and Lelouch almost taking over Japan. Then season two starts with Lelouch playing chess and sneaking out of clothing stores. Its not easy to transition from complete over-the-top madness back to kind of normal.

Episode 5 did end with one of those left field plot twists the writers seem to love, and I've heard season 2 is not short on complete insanity, so I watch on in confidence that the show will not remain boring.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 23-25

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Wait so there's really an entire second season? Everybody is either dead, been driven insane, trying to kill each-other, and/or themselves. I guess its good drama, even if it doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Maybe they'll just Geass everybody into forgetting everything and we'll do the entire sequence over again next season with a different scenario. I don't put Code Geass above doing that for a second.

Remembering that I'm not in this alone, I asked Ken who his favorite characters thus far are (I think he's still on episode 14 or so, as I write this). My favorite character is Mao because he was going to cut people up with a chainsaw, so my opinion isn't very useful here.

His list, in no particular order:
LeLouch
Lloyd
Shirley
Suzaku
Villeta

He added these to make a top 8:
Nunnaly
Kallen
Pizza Hut Deliveryman

I'm not sure what the inclusion of Pizza Hut Deliveryman over any character with an animated face means, other than that Ken really likes pizza.

However, one of the things that struck me about the show is that the most sympathetic characters and the ones who get the most character development and screen-time are all Britannians. A look at Ken's list confirms this, with a few exceptions. Kallen is a quarter Japanese and she goes to school with the Britannian characters. While she certainly gets attention, the rest of her revolutionary friends don't. On the same note, Suzaku lives with and fights for the Britannians. Characters like Ohgie, Tohdoh, and Shinchiro are definitely likeable enough, but they just don't get the screen-time or the sympathetic perspective of their Britannian counterparts.

This list is from a poll of supposedly 5000 North American fans on the official Bandai website for the show.

5. C.C.
4. Shirley
3. Lelouch
2. Rival
1. Clovis

1000 people voted for Clovis, apparently. Didn't he die in like episode 2? But still, no Japanese characters and somehow even Rival got on the list.

Here's a list from the animesuki forums. This one had a few thousand voters, with 882 voting for Lelouch alone.

1. Lelouch
2. C.C.
3. Kallen
4. Suzuku
5. Lloyd
6. Euphemia
7. Shirley

Kallen and Suzuku are again the only Japanese characters to appear. It reminds me of how, in King Lear, Shakespeare goes out of his way to get his audience rooting for the royal and aristocratic characters who, on top of being difficult to relate to, often insult and look down upon characters from the lower classes. I mean, the Japanese characters would be very easy for a Japanese audience to relate to, so why the focus on all these European brats?

Kallen and Suzuku, the sole exceptions, each defy Japanese tradition in one way or another (Kallen through blood and upbringing, Suzuku through his allegiance.) I could probably make some sort of argument about how the show is questioning traditional Japanese ideas and post-war ideology but I think that I might have just compared Code Geass to King Lear. So...I'm gonna stop now.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 21-22

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

That is a mech making a giant pizza. Pretty much sums up episode 21.

Then there's episode 22, where Lelouch actually surrenders to Euphie's peace and love strategy. The writers must have come to the conclusion that either the show had to end OR Euphie had to instantly become a genocidal maniac who makes Hitler look like a chill bro. They go with option 2, and they don't even need Mao to make it happen. Why would Lelouch even say, "For example, if I said 'Kill all the Japanese...'" Genocide is not usually the first go-to for a hypothetical example in casual conversation, especially when dealing with the most immediately relevant racial divide -- kind of a sore subject.

Oh well, all rationality aside, psycho-Euphie is good television. Since we now have an established plot device that can instantly change a given character's personality, I look forward to more complete 180's that result in massacre and mayhem. I suppose I could satisfy my morbid curioosity with like, Faces of Death or something, but those shows don't have giant robots.