Posted 20 March 2015 - 09:01 PM
I'm also finished with Code Geass. Definitely a very entertaining show and going high up on my ratings. There are a lot of things this show does very, very well.
The action is good. The intellectual thinking parts are good and the protagonist is well-portrayed as being very smart but not perfectly so, and not in such a way that it makes all the other characters look stupid. The large cast of characters beyond the protagonist is really well done, with tons of secondary and tertiary characters having a surprising amount of depth to them, even if only short pieces of it are shown. The world-building is also well done - even though you often only get little bits at a time it is clear the creators had the whole world built from the start and there are lots of hints and references to non-related events that make the whole thing feel fully realized.
Definitely one of the biggest strengths of the show is that the balancing of the protagonist and the main secondary character between good/bad or hero/anti-hero/villain is extremely well executed. There are times when you feel like Lelouch is a real hero and you want to see him win above all. Then there are times when you are sure he is a narcissistic ass who doesn't care about any of his allies and you want to see him crushed. Likewise, Suzaku sometimes comes off as a naive idealist who needs to get a grip on reality, while other times it is his beliefs and purpose which resonate more strongly. The back-and-forth evolution of these two characters' - as well as CC's - morality, beliefs and ultimate goals is what keeps the show fresh and interesting all the way through to the end. It's not merely a morally ambiguous show, it's a show that presents many sides of its characters and absolutely invites you to cast judgement on them, then revise that judgement when events take you deeper into those same characters. And the ending itself is a near-perfect climax and culmination of that moral back-and-forth.
Not that there aren't some cons to the show, as well.
The biggest flaw is perhaps that the show is trying to do too many things, that it cannot focus and expand on any one theme, plot or group of characters as much as it might like. There's big explosive battles, a slowly unveiling revenge mystery, occult philosophisizing on the nature of happiness, a Romeo-and-Juliet-esque romantic tragedy, high school shenanigans, political maneuvering and more. In some ways, the "Jack of all trades, master of none" idiom applies, but might be a bit harsh - despite trying to juggle so many different balls Code Geass pulls it off surprisingly well. Even though it is sometimes pretty obvious that the show is fabricating a reason for events to happen at the school, the plotlines and characters nevertheless combine fairly naturally. Still, with so much going on they can only show so much of any particular element of the show, and while I wouldn't say there is anything that isn't well resolved by the end, it's hard not to feel several plots, characters or themes deserved more time to develop further.
Mostly, the way Code Geass keeps all those balls up in the air is by charging ahead at a blistering pace and hardly ever slowing down. The main plot escalates very quickly and hardly any time is spent giving lengthy introductions to new characters when it is not necessary. Sometimes this is a bit disconcerting, with new characters showing up out of nowhere if you miss a casual mention or two, but generally you'll learn more about someone or something by seeing it/them in action later on anyways. The overall effect works pretty well in a "just hang on and enjoy the ride, all your questions get answered eventually" manner and has the Erikson-like effect of making the world feel a lot bigger than the small piece you are seeing, but on the flip side sometimes it is utterly frustrating when answers to questions you feel are really important are shrugged aside with a mysterious character or two refusing to answer the protagonist's questions and the protagonist accepting that way too easily.
Lastly in the flaws, of course, the show sporadically feels the need to throw in a bunch of gratuitous fan service every now and then. It is almost like they made the entire show, realized they were contractually obligated to have 30 seconds of fan service every 7 episodes, went back and re-animated a couple scenes to take place in showers instead of regular rooms. That's how little it ever has to do with the plot or even the romances of the show. It's easy enough to ignore, then, though the sparseness of it actually makes it stand out all the more since it only occurs in one of every handful or two of episodes. Regardless, the fact that they felt the need to insert it into this show, which for the most part is otherwise much more thematically complex then I would expect to see marketed to the younger demographics perhaps shows that the creators weren't really all that sure who they were expecting to be watching this, either.
Other miscellaneous notes:
Only the first OP song is any good - the rest of the OPs and EDs are mediocre or in a couple cases awful. But the OST is very good - mostly big orchestral works.
Watcher beware - the show is highly addictive through the use of Jim Butcher-esque episode endings that reveal a sudden twist or revelation, making you just *have* watch that next episode right now!
All in all, Code Geass was not an absolute masterpiece, but it was definitely very high up on my list of shows in terms of pure entertainment factor, and I cannot think of very many shows that have ever combined so many disparate elements so effectively, either. Definitely recommended! Furthermore, for those who have watched it, I'd be really curious to hear your spoiler-boxed impressions after seeing the ending.
worrywort, on 14 September 2012 - 08:07 PM, said:
I kinda love it when D'rek unleashes her nerd wrath, as I knew she would here. Sorry innocent bystanders, but someone's gotta be the kindling.
Help
