Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Genre: Action, Drama

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Story (10/10): Code Geass is an incredible 2-season series with a complicated yet intense storyline. Try and follow along. The conquering world empire of Britannia has subdued Japan with large mech units called Nightmares, although small groups of rebels still try to carry out terrorism against the empire. Britannian citizens within Japan (now called Area 11) outcast and oppress former Japanese citizens.

The main character, Lelouch Lamperge, is an exiled prince of the Empire who has pledged revenge against Britannia and his father, the emperor, after witnessing his mother being brutally assassinated. Along with his blind and weak sister, Nanali, they attend a prestigious academy within Area 11. Yet one day, Lelouch suddenly becomes in a rebel terrorist plot. There he meets a strange girl, C.C., that will change Lelouch’s life forever. He grants him a power that will allow him to destroy the empire – Geass. This power grants him the ability to force someone to obey his command, but only once. With this new power, Lelouch becomes the hero of the rebellion, Zero, and begins his campaign to destroy Britannia. (Indeed its complicated.)

The plot is extremely deep and branches out through many characters. There is everything from high school drama, romance, betrayal, secrets, death, as well as tons of military, political, and strategic action. Imagine something along the lines of Gundam and Rumbling Hearts. It is a beautiful story with one of the most epic endings (it made me tear up).

Characters (10/10): Each character is played out very well and with great detail. Lelouch, especially, is an extremely deep character on par with many Shakespearean characters in his complexity. He is a mastermind with a strong will, but who still has much of the feelings of a young high school student. Yet he desperately tries to hide his torn feelings behind the mask of Zero. There are many complicated ties between characters that add even more depth to the story. For example, while Lelouch becomes the rebel, Zero, his best friend, Suzaku, joins the military and eventually a knight of the emperor that seeks to kill Zero and end the rebellion. The characters are what help make the story so amazing.

Visuals (9/10): The animation for the characters and environments are all very artistic and eye-popping. And you’ll drool over the awesome, ridiculously powered Nightmares that are seen fighting each other. There are plenty of intense battle scenes. Even the animation of Lelouch using his Geass has remarkable graphics.

Audio (8/10): The character voices are all pretty well selected and tend to match each character’s personality pretty well. Usual everyday sounds up to the explosions and powers of the Nightmares are pretty cool as well. The music is also enjoyable and dramatic when it needs to be. The overll audio is not outstanding in any way though from other anime of this genre.

Overall (9.5/10): This series is one of the best I have ever seen. Everything from the epic story to the unforgettable characters makes it a must-see. If ever you get the chance, watch it.

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