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.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 20

Lelouch of the Rebellion: greatest pilot ever. The dude looks like he's watching the food network up there. When he swoops in to dramatically save Suzaku here, you can't help but want everything to work out in the end. Like, maybe this guy does have what it takes to be the king. Where have I thought about this kind of thing before... http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Ohh. Well, I'm sure this show will jump like 20 more sharks before that can happen.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 17-19

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOIERS)

Well, Lelouch goes on his best behavior again, this time to recruit ace Japanese commander Todou. In the process, Suzaku's identity as the guy in the white mech who keeps almost killing everybody is revealed. Lelouch manages to convince his army that they should try to recruit the lad instead of killing him. It ends up with Suzaku holding Zero at gunpoint, waiting for some missiles to land on both of them. As for why he doesn't just shoot the guy, well, I guess that isn't dramatic enough. But to make things more complicated, a new prince manguy shows up in his battle-cruiser and fires his whatever-gun that blows up everything.

This naturally transports the main characters to a deserted island. Regardless of how they get there, I am a fan of Macross and the 'camping trip with the enemy' plot device is straight out of the pages of that show. Now if Lelouch would just start singing J-Pop songs during battle, I would be satisfied completely.

Anyway, Suzaku and Karren are interesting to watch since they get along anyway and they both think they're doing the right thing even though their on opposite sides and stuff. On the other side of the island, Lelouch wants to shoot princess Yuffie, but then changes his mind and they have this kind of terrible picnic because they are both nobles and have no idea how to survive and get food without butlers and servants. I especially love the scene in the picture up above; how does the guy who laughs maniacally while talking about destroying the Britannian Empire through bloodshed all of a sudden feel bad about asking a princess to help build a trap? Multiple personality disorder?

Oh well, who cares -- camping trips are fun. Anyway, some degree of character inconsistency is to be expected from an anime. The genre as a while is more interested in exploring formal situations and character dynamics (like this scene straight out of Macross) than it is in completely consistent character development. But still, I don't know of another show that does inconsistency with the flair and intensity of Code Geass. But that's kind of why I'm still watching. I want to see Lelouch bite a baby's head off to make a healing balm for his sister.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 15-16

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

What this show needed was a character so crazy that he makes all the other characters look normal. And, we got that, in the form of the loveable chainsaw-wielding Mao. He was the one who pushed Shirley to the brink of murder/suicide last episode. Then he shows up here with his awesome plan to chop C.C. into pieces so he can fit her in his carry on and take her back to Australia. She's also like his adopted mother/sister/lover, so its all good. He gets shot like 30 times at the end of this episode, but that doesn't stop him. He has like, medical technology or some shit.

So he comes back in episode 16, this time strapping Lelouch's sister to a ridiculous bomb/chess doomsday device. We get to see Lelouch and Suzaku work together in buddy cop fashion, until Mao spills the beans that Suzaku murdered his father when he was still a child. So, he's actually probably about as crazy as Lelouch. Mao gets shot in the neck at the end of this one, but I'm hoping he doesn't let that keep him down. This guy is great! I mean, if you go megalomaniacal super-villain, go all the way. Forget all that annoying wishy-washy "Will murdering all these people make my sister happy?" Mao's all like, "Fuck your sister, I strapped her to a TIME BOMB."

CODE GEAS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 14

(THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Well, Shirley comes to terms with Lelouch being Zero and she also totally shoots a bitch. Then there’s a dramatic encounter between her and Lelouch at a rail station where he erases all of her memories of everything after they hug and stuff. Cuz you know, that’s what you do when things don’t work out with a girl. It seems like as soon anybody other than the main three characters gets any sort of realistic character development then that is a death sentence to be written out of the show.

On an unrelated note, Ken has informed me that Pizza Hut is considered “gourmet” in Japan. Look close at that pizza, that crust is made of pigs in a blanket. I can't reliably tell what else is going on there. It also probably has mayonnaise in it, apparently. For once, I would just like a Japanese thing to not be full of Mayonnaise. I'm not really sure if the characters constantly eating Pizza Hut makes any more sense in light of this, but I guess if its expensive than it counts as something that you'd have to be rich as fuck to eat all the time.

CODE GEAS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 13

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Don't strain yourself trying to catch up with her, bro. Well, maybe that romance didn't last very long, but Lelouch actually started questioning whether being a murdering terrorist mastermind might be doing society more harm than good. A quick emo-shower later and he's blowing up a tanker full of Japanese allies as bait for the Britannian army. So I guess that part didn't last too long either. I'm just along for the ride at this point. I remember when I was rooting for things to make less sense.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP12

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Wait, who the fuck is Nina and why is she masturbating in Lelouch's library? On the table, of all places? I mean, I guess Nunnaly is blind so the library is logically the last place she would go. Except she totally does walk in on it anyway. And seriously, this girl has had like 5 lines in the whole 11 preceding episodes, now she is grinding on a table?

Then Lelouch gives in and makes out with Shirley, since he killed her father and all its like the least he can do. I wonder if the writers were totally cool with the traditional approach of hinting at romantic situations without bothering to depict them and then somebody in charge told them that the show needed more soap opera romance to keep people interested. So they just decided to go balls to the wall (table) with borderline pornographic content. Or maybe they realized that the rest of the episode was completely boring so without shocking sexual material they had nothing. Come to think of it, it’s probably the second one. And god damn it, I'm totally gonna watch episode 13 just to see if Lelouch kills the rest of Shirley's family just to get to second base.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP11

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Yep, that's Suzaku standing naked in front of his dad, who's in a military uniform. It was all part of an elaborate deus ex machina to prevent him from simply blowing out Lelouch's brains and saving everybody a lot of trouble. But the mech battles are still sweet. Love those mech battles.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP10

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Lelouch has this new hobby where he likes to threaten to commit suicide to get people to do what he says. Considering the fact that his super power is magically forcing anyone to do anything he says, this seems slightly unnecessary. The writers must’ve realized that Lelouch was too nuts to actually be Suzaku's dramatic foil at this point, so they gave Kallen her own secret experimental mech to go alongside her sympathetic back story. But she’s pretty badass, and the fight scenes have enough random explosions and ridiculously complicated strategizing to keep me amused. And while Lelouch may be obviously crazy, he’s still entertaining to watch. His seiyū does an awesome job of delivering lines with a strangely perfect balance of “I’m an over dramatic teenage super-genius” and “My empathy and common sense were both put in a blender.” Evil Ziggy Stardust doesn’t work for everybody, but it works for this guy.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP9

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

The obligatory fan service chick asks Lelouch on a date (and I’m pretty sure she’s going way out on a limb in terms of defying cultural dating procedure here) and he doesn’t even notice because he’s too busy muttering about Suzaku. Also, everyone dresses up like Cats.

The male characters may be starting to lose it, but Kallen actually steps up as a very compelling heroine in this one. Her drug-addicted, whoring, illegitimate mother is by far the most sympathetic and likeable character in the show. Of course, she goes into a coma like 20 minutes after she’s introduced so maybe that part doesn’t bode so well. But still, Kallen coming to terms with her mom was way more interesting than furry-Yaoi fan service. But I mean, we got both in the same episode, so have your cake and eat it too?

I could live without that cake, really.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 8 & 8.5

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Maybe it’s the wannabe communist in me, but I can’t help but want to get behind Lelouch when he dramatically unveils his fashion army and declares them allies of the weak and enemies to the strong. But then there’s this series of dialogue as he tucks in his sister at the end of episode 8.5:

NUNNALY: “Lets have things go back to how they used to be.”
LELOUCH: “Of course. (In order to make that happen I shall…DESTROY THE WORLD)”

Wait, what?! How do the writers even try to present Lelouch as remotely sympathetic when he has psychotic lines like that? He doesn’t need political power to corrupt him and make him crazy, he’s already bat-shit crazy. Meanwhile, Suzaku has to pretty much attempt to sacrifice his life every time an old lady so much as needs to cross the street.

At some point the characters in this show were somewhat realistic, like when we saw Lelouch react to his inevitable death in episode one. Now, all bets are pretty much off. I won’t be surprised by any character doing pretty much anything at this point. Although, come to think of it, a bunch of bi-polar psychopath’s with giant robots doesn’t sound like too bad of a show. Shit, I gotta watch the next episode.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 7

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Lelouch is interrupted from contemplating about how to undertake a political assassination in the middle of a battle with a call from the student council and remarks “Hmm, isn’t the cat festival supposed to be tomorrow?” I almost think the show heard me ask for more senseless things to start happening and decided to kick it up a notch.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 6

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Well, whoever directed this one decided that the show needed a completely absurd comedy episode. I have to say, I greatly enjoyed the slapstick of the entire school chasing down Lelouch’s cat and Zero helmet. With a plot like this, it becomes apparent that the show doesn’t take itself too seriously. Which is good, because I could never imagine watching a show in which a high-schooler dons a masked persona to oppose a global empire by coordinating mech battles without my tongue planted in my cheek. They were even brave enough to make some (obvious) homoerotic jokes about Lelouch and Suzaku. Self parody works for Gainax, so why not here? At the very least, it will lessen the impact of the inevitable bathroom humor some deranged internet person such as myself might engage in.

There is one thing that keeps sticking out like a sore thumb though: how many Pizza Hut product placements can one show have? I mean, the green haired Weapon-X chick orders Pizza Hut in every episode. Was Pizza Hut a new thing over there in 2008, so the company invested money in having anime girls eat their pizza? The uniform of the delivery guy and the logo are so painfully accurate that it almost breaks my sense of immersion. I just can’t help but say “wtf is this regular-ass pizza hut guy doing in my sci-fi robot show?”

Ken pointed out that Lelouch’s Geass ability bears a more than subtle resemblance to a certain other notable eye technique in a certain other anime. (http://naruto.wikia.com/wiki/Sharingan) I’m not really sure how I didn’t make that comparison myself, but I’m going to blame the fact that I was distracted by pizza.

This episode also showed the Emperor of Britannia himself giving a rousing speech about the philosophy of his empire. The speech takes western ideas about individuality and self actualization to such extremes as to mimic a kind of fascism, which is an interesting and distinctly Japanese take on things. They also had the guy who voices Cell in DBZ playing the emperor, so they got that part right.

Some general and brief thoughts on the show as a whole thus far: there’s definitely been a lot of absurd stuff happening, and it’s all kind of going in different directions. While I have yet to encounter anything absolutely face-palming, I think my absurdity tolerance might be kind of high since I don’t take this stuff seriously to begin with. Although, I, for one, am looking forward to things getting crazier and making even less sense.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EPS 4+5

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Episode 4 marks the unveiling of Lelouch’s evil tuxedo mask costume which he uses to conceal his identity while making public appearances. Calling himself ‘Zero’, he makes fools out of the remaining Britannian leadership and rescues Suzaku before he can be tried and executed. Suzaku, apparently a guy who can never break any rules ever, immediately turns himself back in and then is acquitted anyway. Meanwhile a princess literally falls on him from the sky and they have a play date. Somehow this all culminates with Suzaku enrolling in the same school as Lelouch.

The show continues to position Suzaku and Lelouch as dramatic foils, to the point where if they aren’t killing each other or dating by the end of season 1, I will be seriously disappointed. I appreciate that the mech battles continue to be sweet with Suzaku being badder than Bruce Lee once he’s behind the controls of his experimental super-bot. However, the story slowed down a bit here, and what is happening (like Suzaku going to school) doesn’t make a lot of sense yet. All I can do is watch on and hope for more fight scenes.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 3

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

And here we have the obligatory slapstick comedy and shower fan service episode to relieve the tension. There’s not a whole lot to say about this episode, as not a whole lot happened. When Lelouch (for the record, I would translate that as Lerouch but that’s not how people seem to do it) wasn’t accidentally dumping champagne on the female lead in a suggestive manner, there was a little exposition about the fallout from his stint as rebel commander. It’s also revealed that he can only use his David Bowie eye suggestion powers on any given person once. You just can’t have a super genius teenager possessing god-like powers without limitations and weaknesses for him to strategize around. (*cough*http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page*cough*) Okay, I’ll stop using that easy comparison as a cheap joke.

There’s also the dramatic reveal that Suzaku was blamed for Lelouch's act of assassinating the princedukemanguy in episode 2. This turn of events follows a solid dramatic logic, and I have to admit it leaves me looking forward to something interesting happening.

My favorite part of the episode though is when Lelouch and Kallen (who’s name should probably be Karen) get into a strangely noir battle of wits. This scene has some great elements: Kallen is naked in the shower, she’s got a knife pulled on Lelouch, he gets out of it with a mistaken identity phone call, ect. This scene would be totally perfect in a detective story crime solving kind of series like, oh I don’t know: http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page. (Whoops, couldn’t resist.)

The jazzy saxophone that seemed so out of place during mech battles is right at home in the setting of Lelouch’s ridiculously glamorous Victorian clubhouse. The thing is, I’m left wondering if the show’s creators have a good sense of what they actually want to do. Is this an overarching political/military drama with an ensemble cast? Is this a noir detective story focusing on the development of our super-powered protagonist? Is it a character study on the divulging relationship of Lelouch and Suzaku? Admittedly, I'm over analyzing here because I expect the show to pull itself to pieces at some point. But, the different directions the show is pulling in does raise some questions.

I know Gainax will have different directors work on different episodes of a series simultaneously, which often creates drastically a drastically different ‘feel’ from one episode to the next. But everything Gainax makes is a disjointed parody that constantly celebrates itself so it works for them. It might not work so well here, then again it might. I have no choice but to wait and see. Honestly, the show is much more fun to watch than I initially thought it would be, and if something really stupid doesn’t happen soon then I’m not going to have too much to write about season one.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 2

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

Ken had said he thought this episode was like watching someone play Fire Emblem. It kind of is. But I actually found Lelouch’s ridiculous application of chess strategy to an actual battle quite fun to watch. Episode 2 also provided an extra helping of character development as we see Lelouch take command of the rebels while his childhood best friend/effeminate lover-man, Suzaku, takes the helm of the Empire’s newest and most amazingly badass prototype mech. The dramatic foiling gets laid on a bit thick as Suzaku is trying to ventilate Lelouch’s mech while screaming how much he wants to save his friend Lelouch . And of course we can’t forget that Lelouch is European and alongside the Japanese rebels while Suzaku is Japanese and fighting for the European army. The problem with all this is that Suzaku was a regular army grunt and Lelouch was the president of the chess club like literally fifteen minutes ago in real time, and maybe a few hours ago in story time. But hey, I’m just waiting for the episode where they totally make out, anyway.

Lelouch also got to flex his new-found super powers in this episode. Where have I heard about an immature, self-centered, teenage super-genius who obtains an incredible power and begins cackling maniacally every time he uses said power even though he claims to be doing so in the name of the greater good before?

Hmmm… http://deathnote.wikia.com/wiki/Main_Page

Nope. This is a totally new concept to me. And I can’t imagine that anything could possibly go wrong in this situation.

I realize I forgot to mention the show’s soundtrack in my first article, which is fine since that article was too long, anyway. Code Geass goes for a more traditional musical theme than most other mech or sci-fi offerings. It shies away from the obvious choices of synth driven electronica or techno in favor of jazzy saxophone solo’s and ominous Spanish sounding classical guitar compositions. The result is…different. As an instrumental musician myself, I appreciate hearing some music that consists of actual musicians playing actual instruments on a TV show. The thing is, I don’t really get how that music fits with the shows classical European aesthetic or its sci-fi mech presentation, but maybe it will make more sense later on. Or, actually, it probably won’t because the show is supposed to explode into a thousand glistening pieces relatively quickly.

CODE GEASS: TRAINWRECK OF THE REBELLION EP 1

(SPOILER ALERT: THIS TOTALLY CONTAINS SPOILERS)

I remember hearing about this show a few years ago. First, as season one being a show worth checking out, and later, as season two being the greatest plot derailment of recent anime history. I don’t watch that many short running anime series, partly because there are so many that come out each year and partly because I greatly enjoy the mindless entertainment of my weekly long running shonens. Also, stuff I do normally watch tends to be older, for whatever reason. Regardless, I made a note of Code Geass and that was that, until my friend Ken had it pop up on his massive random anime selector that he uses to choose the next thing he should watch. I figured since I’ve got nothing else to do, and no one should experience a massive train wreck alone, that I’d give Code Geass a watch and chronicle my experience. Because, I don’t know, I like chronicling.

After finishing episode one, the thing that most sticks in my head is that everyone looks like a Castlevania character. Giant frilly Victorian collars, anorexic body frames, long wavy hair, and men who look like women are the norm here. I think even the ending theme sounds like something from one of the DS games, but maybe I’m just paranoid. On side rant, and this might be because I don’t watch that much new anime, but I really can’t tell who’s supposed to be a male in this show. Half of the male characters even seem to be wearing eyeliner, though I suppose if Green Day did it than it must be manly.

The animation overall seems pretty good to me. Though, compared to the long running weekly shows where animation quality tends to fluxuate and shows from the 80’s (ie: what I'm used to), pretty much any show would look good. But I do dig the big sweeping landscapes and the interesting vehicle designs. The mechs, in particular, have an old school early Macross or Gundam vibe. There’s a lot of homage to Kabuto masks, which has definitely been done but the few designs that they’ve shown managed to keep it fresh enough. The mechs move a little more awkwardly, in a robotic way, and their guns just shoot bullets instead of giant waves of destruction or whatever else. They also all seem to be on roller-skates, which might lead to some interesting battle situations. Or things could get really West Side Story, which might be interesting too.

The plot might be a little cookie cutter thus far, but it’s not without some interesting elements. The obligatory western superpower (Holy Britannian Empire wonder who that could be implicating hmmm?) takes over Japan with their sweet ass rollerblading mechs and sets up an imperial occupation. The show seems to want to themes like Japanese Nationalism, Marxism, and Terrorism – and it seems to be doing so in an interesting enough way so far. The ‘big moment’ of episode one is when our hero, the titular super-genius Lelouch, is faced with what he believes to be his inevitable death. He reacts in a surprisingly human and realistic fashion, in contrast to his pretty much perfect demeanor in the rest of the episode. It was nice to see that he’s not a completely perfect super-genius, he’s just an almost perfect super genius who’s willing to have an existential freak-out in the face of death.

Thus far, this seems like the kind of show I might watch late at night when I can’t fall asleep, but not the kind of show I would be waiting for in anticipation for new episodes every week. While it might not be my cup of tea, things have been interesting enough to where I would see myself enjoying the series. I do think somebody who digs mech shows with political themes could really get into this. However, with the knowledge that I can look forward to something absolutely terrible I will continue watching in the hopes that the train wreck is a beautiful and terrible thing.