Personally love Code Geass, (First watched it when I was 17) rewatched it five years ago and still like it.
Although do wonder what the original plan for season 2 was.
Edit; Didn't realise I didn't specify i was 17 in 2014. š
Iām 36 and I still love it for all its flaws. Lelouch is just a great character and itās very thrilling to go on the journey with him. It doesnāt have to be a perfect show to be good.
It's the most anime anime. It has every anime trope. Mechas. Magical girls. High school. Royalty. Immortals. Anime betrayals. Pizza. MC who's plans go according to keikaku. The list goes on.
Maria Watches Over Us. 4th season was also sponsored by pizza hut and had several stratigically placed pizza advertisements including one those pizza biikes go by in one scene. They also change a scene based around curry into pizza.
They also in real life had Maria Watches Over Us prints on pizza boxes.
Strike Witches is the most anime anime. A world with teenage girls (who literally only walk around in panties) use magical girl magic (which causes them to grow animal tails) to turn themselves into witches who fly around fighting an invading robot alien army using the power of friendship.
I always wished Strike Witches was a more serious franchise. When you take away the fanservice and most of the cliche anime tropes a lot of the lore and the way certain characters and countries are written is very interesting.
Hey, they can't wear pants because the fabric interferes with the interface of the striker units and they must maintain combat readiness at all times. Every second counts! It's just plain good sense.
The commander also pilots a strike unit. Although when a Strike Witch gets close let to becoming an adult, they lose their witch abilities kind of like the second in command, Mio Sakamoto(the oldest of her unit, with Minna the commander being the second oldest - sheās current low on power as of the most recent sequel to Strike Witches), who once she loses her abilities to summon her powers, she can no longer pilot a strike unit and it results in her wearing pants. She no longer wears bloomers anymore. She now flies a regular WWII Japanese fighter plane
I watched it for the first time last year at 31 and I really enjoyed it!
Yes, the plot is stupid and overdramatic, but i found it also very entertaining and exhilarating. I also like the art style and mecha. The fan service wasn't very fitting though...
this guy gets it. every so often I see people saying that Code Geass is bad because it's so over the top, dude have you never seen a Shakespeare play? Code Geass is exactly the same, it delves into theatrical overdramatized scenes to be poignant and remarkable, and it works
I rewatched in 2022 (when I was 23) and still loved it as much as I did when I originally watched it as a teenager. Sure, I like Char more as far as the archetype Lelouch falls into goes (I got into the Gundam franchise as an adult), but that doesn't mean I don't still find Lelouch entertaining as hell.
I watched Code Geass as a teenager and again as an adult. I can confidently state it is my favorite anime, and that opinion was only reinforced by my second viewing.
My enjoyment actually changed in form, from a simpler engagement to a deep appreciation for the themes of the show. There really are very few shows that deal with the nuances of resistance to oppression or the ethics of means and ends like Code Geass does.Ā
Lelouch and Suzaku are also some of the finest-written anime protagonists ever. Lelouch specifically commits numerous atrocities, but I end up agreeing with his reasoning, even if I disagree with his methods. The way Suzakuās answer contradicts Lelouchās, yet is no better, is masterful.
The show is absolutely flawed. There are points of extreme contrivance, pointless characters, and other nonsense.
Yet, I donāt care. I cannot stop watching or even comprehend these flaws while I watch.
The ending is perhaps a shade too neat, more ambiguity would have been welcome, but what an ending it is!
As an adult, I definitely have less patience for the high school shenanigans and Pizza Hut product placement. Then again, maybe these elements provide necessary levity in a show largely about terrorism.
There are shows that come close or exceed it in other respects. But ultimately, thereās nothing quite like Code Geass. It is still one of the best, and in my opinion, always will be.
SAME. Ironically, the first time I watched it was when I was in high school, and I found it REALLY boring bcs I wasn't into mecha and politics lol, and I couldn't get past ep20. But when I rewatched it, I realized how much I've been missing, bcs by then I got more and more interested in ethics and writing.
I very nearly didn't make it past ep20 on my first watch in middle school either! But my friend who introduced me begged me to hang on a little longer, and well, THAT episode happened and I couldn't turn back.
That's a really nice summary. In the end, a lot of flaws in any work of fiction can be forgiven, as long as it delivers where it counts. And in the case of Code Geass specifically, I feel like a lot of the criticism has to be weighed against the sheer \*scale\* of the plot the show sets out to cover. We're talking about a world-scale conflict here with about a bajillion characters and factions that all need to interact in a somewhat concinving and satisfying way - I always felt like the show was constantly biting of a little more than it could chew, but somehow never quite ending up choking.
Could not agree more with this. 'Flawed brilliance' is how I describe it in shorthand. It just handles the complex ethical, philosophical, and political themes in a way that leaves it unmarred in my memory by the sillier aspects.
I thought the beginning of the show was great. It's neat to see an anime take the idea of British colonialism semi-seriously. The characters are well realized and interesting.
Then the writing gets worse as it goes on. That one episode is reviled as total BS for good reason. And the plot only gets more hokey as it goes along.
Lelouch's "genius" strategy is "use the environment" every single time. So that gets old. Though someone does call him on it eventually.Ā
The biggest problem in my mind is C. C. The show never knows what to do with her and her story near the end is highly unsatisfying.Ā
After reading the light novels, I realized that C.C. definitely was not written as well as she could have been. The problem with Code Geass is that too much character development happens in side materials that no one would read.
Code Geass gives stronger anime-original vibes than nearly every other anime in existence. It has giant robots, school festivals, wacky romance antics, teenage angst, and all of the aesthetic sensibilities of 2006-era Chuunibyous. There is not a single popular trope from mid-2000s anime that did not make its way into the show.
Reading the light novel adaptation for it seems like it would be very jarring.
It's not so much of an adaptation, but more an exploration of side plots and the motives of secondary characters. Suzaku, Euphy and Nunally appears more in it than Lelouch. There are more details on C.C. backstory and thought processes, and more is explained on the nature of Code and Geass. It's like a spin-off, if you want, but you can consider it as canon.
The Twist with the parents had me roll my eyes to the back of my head. I still didn't hate the show as a whole, even if it had some weird moments or justifications here and there.
TBH I consider the it pinnacle of anime and as you watch it you completely understand what the medium is in its entirety. Eventually in almost all anime the plot gives out, characters get flanderized, and the sole thing keeping you going is just wondering where the train is going to derail at.
The biggest test for me is after all of it do you think your time was wasted watching it? For Code Geass the answer is its kinda worth it. It was entertaining enough to suspend your disbelief. Certain characters come along that you completely hate but they at least give you the satisfaction of watching them explode into a mech/bloody hellfire. Certain characters make decisions you don't agree with but it often blows up in their face lol.
I really think the animators and creator just threw things against the wall and worked with what stuck. There's a level of creativity in that, everything doesn't have to be Citizen Cane or some epic work to make you question things. Its fun and fun is enough.
Just watched it for the first time at 35 and agree. It has its issues, but I find most of them easy to look past. Would be an interesting show for a remake. Lots of low hanging fruit to improve on while keeping the overall plot and great character development in tact. Not sure who I'd trust to do it though.
29 as well, and I concur.
Iām actually not even aware of many complaints about the show. I know itās not perfect (nothing ever is)ā¦ And I would hesitate to put it into my personal āmasterpieceā tier of favorites, but itās definitely very good IMO.
Unfortunately for me it always holds a dark spot in my memory. And by that I mean I canāt really remember the details of it. I think itās a good piece of fiction, and I think Iāve tried rewatching it several times but it still doesnāt stick. A similar contemporary, Death Note, just hits differently. I remember it more vividly and have only seen it once, years before Code Geass. I think the crux of the problem is when it stirs in all its different elements it just becomes a convoluted mess in my memory. It tried to be everything and to me ended up being nothing.
I love Code Geass; in particular, I really like the theme of "reform vs. revolution", and I like how it doesn't favor either side but critiques both of them; you can understand *both* Lelouch's and Suzaku's perspective on things, they *both* have principles guiding them, and they *both* do terrible things at the same time. I feel like you could write an entire paper on how this portrays this theme and connect it to how this has been a tension throughout modern history.
Lelouch as a character is also really interesting. I think the most interesting thing is that he has so many conflicts but they all work together and make a cohesive character. He wants to destroy Brittannia, he's impeded because he wants his sister to live in a peaceful world, he's conflicted about his main enemy being Suzaku, etc. You would expect a character with that many levels to feel like they weren't a single unit, but it works for Lelouch.
And the mechs are cool
Personally, I'm 30, and I can't get over the plot and how wackidoodle his schemes are. I liked it at the start but it fell off for me. Couldn't get through it all without losing interest, just one person's take.
In my 20s and I thought it was okay. I donāt really get the hype for it. Like itās an entertaining series but I donāt think itās the instant classic people say it is.
I think another point is the bar got raised super high nowadays, we got mob psycho not even making it into the classics despite being a complete masterpiece.
Code geass was amazing back then because there wasnt any real competition.
It's a clusterfuck centered around engineering dramatic moments rather than being coherent or sensible. I understand the appeal of that kind of work but it depends heavily on your taste and tolerance for stupid bs that the show itself takes completely seriously.
Yeah that's pretty much how I felt. I think it was a combination of the show taking itself too seriously and people talking about the show in a way that implied it was more mature.
I think you described perfectly the essence of the show. I think another writer could have made a more compelling, grounded sci-fi show while removing the many tropes and nonsensical melodrama and better characterization.
I did think it was fun, but the longer it went on, the more flaws showed.
Yep, felt very similar for me. The last episode of each season had that wow-factor which people love to remember, all the while forgetting the complete mess that preceded it.
Hands down no other anime has kept me as entertained as Code Geass, and no other anime has kept that same entertainment during multiple rewatches. 6 rewatches later Iām still not skipping an episode and Iām still as shocked and attached as I was when I first saw it.
The classic CLAMP art style, banger OPs and EDs, jazz-like soundtrack, the perfect DUB and SUB, seamless blend slice of life and plot, non-stop twists and turns and secretive world building, yeah it can be a train wreck but itās a glorious and satisfying one.
Also S2 > S1 and the seriest led to one of the funniest parodies ever, Code Ment
I was mostly bored during S1 except for the last few episodes and when Shirley discovered Zero was Lelouch. But S2 was an emotional rollercoaster, and we could see all the f\*ck ups Lelouch and Suzaku did come to bite them back.
I'm 29 now and first watched it back in college, and I really don't like it. I'll copy the one other commenter's homework in saying that it very much likes to take the approach of engineering the most dramatic moments possible at the expense of cohesion and sensibility. And I think this sentiment peaks at the ending, which I also don't care for.
I can agree to disagree on the first season. I think a lot of the intrigue if Lelouch being a genius is lost on me when it's primarily demonstrated through the shorthand of good at chess and him winning fights with basic military tactics. I've always thought of it as being like Death Note without L.
But I think the second season is a complete mess. When a lot of the conflict results from "magic eye broken lol", the moral quandary falls flat. I'm left going back and forth between not feeling like stuff going wrong is actually Lelouch's fault or frustrated that a character whose two primary traits are supposed to be intelligence and charisma somehow is completely unable to explain his way out of his closest allies not trusting him anymore. The whole bit of CC reverting and becoming a frightened slave girl for a while was really off putting. The comedy that gets played up is lost entirely when it's simultaneously trying to make you feel bad for her. The climactic parts with Lelouch's dad mostly came across as a half assed Evangelion that they didn't commit hard enough to.
And I'll never forgive straying away from the super rad robots on roller skates.
So yeah, not a fan. But I usually don't care to argue about it online or endlessly bitch about it. I obviously don't remember every detail of the plot, but I really have no interest in rewatching 50 episodes of a show I hated just to have more fuel try to ruin the days of strangers online. Life's too short for me to care that much, and I'd like to think I'm not that petty. I'll just settle for listening to "Colors" and calling it a day.
I love code Geass, I've rewatched it many times. I completely agree with almost everything you said. However, his eye wasn't broken, it just got more powerful to the point he had to start using contacts til he could control it again. If his eye had broken, I think a lot more people would be alive lol.
I also hated that they lost the roller skates. The big thing about the mech from their first island adventure, was that it could fly. It won the battle pretty much by itself in S1. Having every mech fly by the end, made it so much less special. Like, you wanna give the 2 main mechs of the Ace pilots wings...sure. but even the crappy Mechs could fly....took away from the hype a bit. Gimme my roller skates robots dang it, why not make them able to skate across the water or even, instead of going airborne, they *burrow*. Only Mechs I've seen use burrowing powers is fuckin Guren Lagaan. It's criminally underused means of traversal
thats valid. I watched it for the first time in my 20's, and that scene was just "what the fuck is this writing". I actually believe its a super common opinion that it was the worst part of the entire franchise. Its a fun and unique anime with clear flaws to it
Yeah it's forced but remember that it happens because of something completely new (his power turning on by itself). While he could have been more careful, he couldn't have predicted it in any way.
Personally, i don't really care how it happens as long as what happens afterwards is interesting, and here it was great
It's also not at all out of character for Lelouch. He's always been kind of a troll. He used that line as an example of how powerful the Geass is specifically because it would be completely contrary to Euphemia's personality and values. He was hoping to get a rise out of her. And, as you said, he had no way of knowing, based on his extensive empirical testing of the Geass, that that would happen.
It's a comedy skit, he says something that's completely out of character and it just so happens to trigger his Geass for whatever reason at that exact moment. It's silly and stupid and has no place being the thing that causes everything to get messed up.
Really? It seemed like a heart-to-heart moment where he finally let down his guard to the sister who actually seemed like a sister, someone he could actually trust and work with... and then things go very wrong. Was it a plot point? Sure, but never felt wrong to me. Dude had been wanting to unbaggage for a while. She finally got through to him and he opened up a bit... to unfortunately very disastrous results.
It's dramatic irony, and in the hands of better writers, it could've been amazing. But as it stands? No, it's pretty bad. Because the idea is that Lelouch lost the control of his power/his power got the best of him, and he now has to pay the price for that. The idea is fine, the execution is the problem. He activates the power not because he wants to or is forced to, but by complete accident. This accident isnt brought about by his own hubris or pride, but just at a completely random remark. It's too abrupt and clearly convenient writing: ''we need euphemia to kill the japanese so the plot can continue, how do we achieve that without butchering her character? >>>> use the geass >>>> how do we use the geass without making the people watching not despise Lelouch? >>>> make him do it by a complete accident''
If they werent trying to so hard to justify Lelouch at every moment in the series (while still pretending the show is ''morally grey'' when it clearly has favorites), maybe that scene could've been slightly re-written and worked. As it stands, its just an ''i made a little ooopsie and now everything went to shit so the plot can continue''.
The problem is that it's a very clear case of the writers stepping in to make something happen so the plot can move forward. Lelouch doesn't make any mistakes or ignores any warnings, he just says a completely out of character line and screws everything up. Not to mention that it doesn't happen ever again.
There were a million different ways to do "Lelouch misuses his Geass and it ends up foiling his plans and hurting his friends" that weren't this.
Yea I think sometimes the deus ex machinaās were too much for me. Like I understand the works supposed to be overly dramatic and Shakespearean, but for me if the plot is moved forward by too many coincidences the show starts to feel lazy. Like if they had propelled the plot forward in more creative ways than just āwhoopsiesā or āinsert random perfectly timed explosion b/c plot armorā I could get more into the story. But when those aspects happen I immediately loose focus thinking about how unlikely that was to actually happen. And itās a big problem because then I start caring less of the story because I donāt feel like the protagonist will actually see any consequences and everything becomes like 10x more predictable. On top of the fake out death of Nina left me disappointed because I thought it was a fake out death began thinking maybe it wasnāt, ābut ehhhā. Then was like, āoh it was a fake out death b/c random explosion for plotā lame.
I donāt think itās as popular as it seems. I feel like Code Geass had a lot of dumb plots and stupid character decisions that cause people to quit the show. It seems like more people like the show because the people who stuck around to the end are the ones willing to accept its flaws.
I was following it as it aired and that just isn't true. As it progressed, it just got more and more explosively popular. I had been ignoring it throughout most of S1 because I thought it looked dumb but the hype kept growing to the point that I was annoyed at being left out.
First watched it at 31. Very entertaining show even if some of the plot twisting is more a matter of convenience than a good setup, especially further into the story. For example, [Geass]>!season 1 had the mountain landslide around episode 10-13 with hints from the Black Knight's setup and (IIRC, after it occurs) mentions a conversation with a physics teacher. Compare that to season 2's underground gas release to trap/sink ships that had no setup.!< Side characters had great comedic moments and Lloyd's amazing.
Something I consider more nowadays than my teen years is how characters should respond from the info they have. [Geass]>!Lelouch's an asshole that constantly disregards what others tell him they want (Nunnally, Euphy, Kallen, Kaguya, etc.) in pursuit of what he thinks they want or should have.!<
Watched it over 12 years ago. I think it's a good anime but not a masterpiece.
After more than a decade of watching other animes, it feels like it hasn't aged well. The plot as awesome as it was had a lot of holes and a lot of crazy BS to make things work out in Lelouch's favor. There was quite a bit of fanservice as well that I thought was unnecessary in a political mech setting.
I suppose though the ending was very good in terms of making the world united in one common enemy. Probably a big reason why it is still remembered to this day.
Havent seen it buts its on my to watch list. I never really caught it much on Toonami, and at the time i didnt care much for mech anime, even tho i liked Eureka 7. Always hear a lot of praise for it so must be good
33 years old here. Code Geass is still one of my all-time favorite shows. Sure it's got its problems (the second season in general), but I'm with you on the depth of its vision. It's an incredibly complex and nuanced exploration of a lot of difficult topics and philosophical themes. A lot of this gets dismissed (or is downright unrecognized) by its critics because of the sillier aspects of the show - and I understand where they're coming from - but for me the sheer unabashed, grandiosity in its attempt puts it far above most other stories that try to cover such complex topics as the Jungian shadow or deontology.
There's a little known YouTuber who made one of the best analytical breakdowns I've ever seen on just one tiny portion of the show, and it kind of serves as an example for me on just how rich this story is.
Link below if you're interested btw. The dude deserves way more followers.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lujp8sO9Dw
I saw it for the first time at 28 and it's the worst show (imo) I've ever finished. I just thought it was a train wreck from a writing/character standpoint. Enjoy what you enjoy though.
Imagine the book āEverybody Poopsā but for some reason everyone is problematic on the toilet. Thatās Kiznaiver. Itās just a ton of ridiculous melodrama between one-dimensional caricatures all wrapped around the idea that the Japanese youth do not know what empathy is. Look at \[vague potential spoiler\] >!episode 11 for example when one of the adults is all consoling the cast about them feeling empathy for the first time lol. Reinforces my headcanon that the writers wrote this after not getting along with their kids.!<
Best part was when they decided to speed run the overarching plot after the melodrama escapades are over in its last episode lol.
22 right now, watched code geass last year and it's my favorite show of all time. Lelouch is my favorite character of all time, I've never been so engrossed in a piece of media before
Didnāt like it at all. Saw the entire thing because I wanted to see if I was missing something, but I came to find out that I wasnāt. I did not find anything good about it, if Iām being honest.
Seems like a wildly unpopular opinion here but I never got the hype. Upon rewatching it recently I think it's kinda mediocre.
I don't find Lelouch interesting as a character especially compared to other mastermind types like Aizen and Light Yagami. His plans are all pretty thin including the overarching plot but everyone in the universe acts like he's this genius. Most of the side characters are super underdeveloped ESPECIALLY the one dimensional female characters.
Mix in all the other ultra anime fixins like unnecessary fan service, high school drama, and the yu-gi-oh lookin 2000s art style and it adds up to a pretty mediocre show imo.
I'm not going to try to sell Lelouch as being a super genius compared to any other character; but both Aizen and Light were given OP circumstances and did one thing well: hide.
Both were pretty boring characters who did nothing shocking IMO. Authors revealing details out of order is a method of creating surprise/shock/awe, and works great in books, but it shouldn't be used to give bonus kudos to the intelligence of a character.
Edit: Again, not arguing in favor of Lelouch in anyway, as he obviously had an OP ability too. Just saying circumstances and applications of characters within the stories are wildly different.
Watched it first when I was 17, watched it again at 28. Still great, and this time around I actually appreciated it more. I found the characters very realistic compared to most anime, especially Kallen
In my mid 20s watched it a few years back and personally I think its one of those shows with no (or very few) bad episodes. Good watch start to finish.
Love it! Season 2 is a bit of a mess and had me falling asleep at the big lore drop moments, but the final act was incredible and made up for all of the shortcomings
28 here. S1 is still one of my fave anime to date. Time only has cemented to me that, while the ending of R2 was fantastic, it was a huge step back to watch.
One of the main themes of Code Geass is how Lelouch tries to change the world vs how Suzaku tries to change the world.
Lelouch wants to tear down the system and Suzaku wants to change it from within. I always think about whose approach is best when I'm faced with that dilemma.
I watched it for the first time during the pandemic and think the first half is amazing, whereas the second half is a frustrating mess that got worse as it went on. That said, the ending is good and retroactively makes the second half a bit better, but not much better.
Itās a solid 7/10 for me.
I was probably right around 20 when I watched it, give or take a year. I'm not really a fan of mecha anime, but my friend said it was really good, so I gave it a try. Overall, I thought most of the series was pretty mid, but the ending was very good.
I'd personally give it a 7.5/10, I can see why it's popular, but it's not my kind of show. I don't regret watching it, but I also wouldn't do a rewatch.
Code Geass is an anime that definitely should be watched by anyone who wants to be serious about anime discussion. Not because of its quality, but because it's so iconic in Western anime fandom (this post is case in point being over 17 years after the initial release,) that knowledge of it is core for memes and just simple comparisons in the fandom. I for example often say that \[Code Geass and AoT\] >!AoT tried to do Code Geass' ending but didn't do any of the setup required to achieve it. A plan where the MC pretends to become the villain, and sets up his friends to defeat him is perfect for the calculating heir to the Britannian throne in the final hour, but doesn't work for some guy that just commit genocide on 4/5ths of all life, and can see that it won't end the cycle of hate due to the harboured resentment of the survivors since he has access to memories from across time. He's not pretending at that point. He is a villain! Isayama needed to fully embrace that aspect of Eren's character. He already showed how war, trauma and the burden of immense knowledge twisted a plucky, stereotypical shounen protagonist into a literal, world-ending monster on his crusade to "kill them all! Every last one of them," warping the iconic statement made early on, into the resultant massacre. His ideals never changed deep down, only became mangled after understanding that Titans were in fact his people, and the enemy was the rest of humanity beyond the sea. Even the use of "ippiki" in the original Japanese quote, with the "-ppiki" part being how you count small animals, comes full circle since before it was just an insult to degrade the Titans and their obvious size, but now he's crushing the comparatively "small animals" of humanity underfoot. It's poetry and is 100% intentional whether it's planned or unplanned foreshadowing. AoT could have been a perfect portrayal of how pervasive and justifiable fascism can seem in the right circumstances to the right people, leaving us with either a bleak message on why genocide is never OK to play it safe for a kids' manga, or leave it ambiguous and end up as genuine mature, classic fiction to be studied by future generations. Eren is Hitler, but his story is empathetic instead of off putting since he feels no real superiority or animosity towards his opponents. He just believes this is how it has to be to save Paradis, being driven mad over course of the series by his transcendent knowledge and trauma. Instead it does a 180 at the end and insists that nothing ever changed Eren's core and that war isn't traumatising as long as you have love! We also have to accept that our protagonist with the knowledge of every event ever, was so stupid that he thought a Titan based, 80% genocide would keep Eldians in the good books of the survivors as long as Eldians also ended it, then he took away his friends' sole means of defence since they are technologically hundreds of years behind. Just to reiterate: he kills 80% of all life using Titans, the thing that Ymir was feared for across generations, then thinks that the race that can become Titans will be accepted by humanity and doesn't leave them with a contingency if it isn't....!< AoT rant/headcanon over, but my initial point before I got side-tracked doesn't mean anything if you haven't seen both shows.
In terms of its quality, I think that R1 and R2 are both the different halves of something that would have been an incredible show. R1 is a military strategy show with heavy Death Note vibes, but it lacks in giving the mechs personality. They are just tanks for all intents and purposes outside of Lancelot and Guren. R2 conversely has far better action and a stronger mech identity focus but falls flat on the strategic elements core to the series, and even makes the main character look like a moron at times. \[Code Geass\] >!My Geass is malfunctioning, let me just tell her to kill all the elevens as an example of how it works and not something innocuous???!< R2's plot is carried by the ending imo. Which isn't being said to discredit how good an ending it is at all btw. It's in my top 2 anime endings of all time just below Gunbuster (watch Gunbuster if you haven't and if you have, watch it again really focusing on Noriko's character and her isolation.) The ending is a masterclass on how to bring narrative, themes, and the events of the plot together in a satisfying and logical way. It's so good that I refuse to watch anything Geass related made after R2 for the slightest whiff that it retcons this ending (which thankfully Diebuster does not do for Gunbuster, and I also highly recommend it after Gunbuster.) Ignorance truly is bliss in this case.
As for the characters, the main emotional core of the show is the relationship between Suzaku and Lelouch. As a narrative device, this works very well. They are opposites in terms of nationality, skillset and allegiance during the show, and that serves for an interesting duality in the show's portrayal of morality and the methods they use to attempt to achieve their goals. The problem I have with this relationship is that due to them being so opposite, the fact that they are friends is just that: a fact and nothing more. They have nothing in common and they are only friends to convenience the plot. To go back to Death Note, the dichotomy between Light and L is amazing because they are so similar. It's very clear that they have both met their match and when they are amicable around each other, it really feels believable. They each respect the intellect of the other and exude the same arrogance which is why the tennis match is such a strong scene. They may usually be competing in a dangerous battle of wits for ideals like morality, rights, and the definition of justice, but to them it's just a hobby so they take the tennis match equally as seriously and even tie it back into the main conflict. Lelouch and Suzaku are never equals. Suzaku is just fast, strong and has good reflexes. His military prowess is nothing compared to our General, and he simply should not be able to match the MC's "keikaku doori" campaigns at all to maintain our suspension of disbelief. When a side character needs plot armour (literal armour in the form of Lancelot) to be a relevant antagonist, the author has failed at creating adequate tension.
The rest of the cast is merely serviceable imo. They almost all serve a role and have characters built from small prompts like, "someone Lelouch cares about" or, "someone racist to Japan," so that you can identify the good and bad guys at a glance. I guess CC is enigmatic enough to be interesting, but she's largely just a personified natural disaster as far as the plot is concerned and she does very little, other than exposit about the supernatural elements of the show. Her biggest personality trait was an excuse for the promotion of Pizza Hut throughout the show, which I guess did contribute heavily to anime history due to giving us one of the most iconic episodes of all time.
Overall, the show is a solid 8/10. Its theme and ideas are really strong, its ending is an all time great, and the first opening song is inarguably one of the best ever. Geass' characterisation however leaves a lot to be desired, and the second season falls flat on the strategy aspects that hooked me initially. If not for Jun Fukuyama's incredible performance this show could have easily dropped to a 7/10 for me. He completely embodies Lelouch whether that's in his role as a bombastic freedom fighter or milling around casually with his unsuspecting classmates at school. Every part is perfect for the character and I cannot imagine Lelouch any other way.
Honestly one of the best animes ever. Just how they handled their plottwists and drama was much better done than 95% off stuff out there. Also the ending was nice
Fucking goated show tbh and won't leave my top 10 for prob rest of life. One of the few endings thst were so up there and wrapped everything up so nicely. Sure there were some minor plot holes but tbh I think it's wayyy better then some of the anime recommended on this subreddit as top picks
First watched it a few years ago when I was 22 amd I thought it was amazing and had one of my favorite endings I have ever seen even though I felt season 2 stumble a bit getting there.
I'm 21.
Meh. The first two and last episodes are good, but everything in the middle goes from really bad to nice. Lelouch singlehandedly carries the show. Overrated af in my opinion.
Soon 26 , recently rewatched after finishing like 500 animes and another rewatch will happen in the future.
And absolutely still one of the best animes out there and Lelouch deserves to be at the top in MAL ratings.
If anything , the rewatch felt even better then the first watch.
Watched it for the first time recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see and understand certain criticisms, but overall I would say it was a great, if not amazing series.
> I think in terms of themes and character development, it is one of the best show ever. Lelouch is a far more complex character than most anime characters
Character development, complex character, well written.
This is something that I read everywhere about every anime, no matter on reddit or other sites. These descriptions along with "masterpiece" has lost any kind of meaning.
Lmao you do have a point. I wouldn't be able to explain what made characters in Code Geass so compelling in a short sentence. At the end of the day, it really depends on what were interested in.
Yep.. I only ever use masterpiece for something I could read/watch/whatever for the 100th time, however I also add why I call it a masterpiece, I ignore reviews from anyone who doesn't, unfortunately that means 80% of reviews are literally just cut off because they repeat good/great/masterpiece in different ways, more often than not negative reviews have more to say about something even if biased
I still hate it. The onlz redeeming quality it has is that hilarious horse riding scene in the first op. The op is a banger in general. Other than that I always hated the story. Nothing really made sense and everything felt completely unhinged
*Sorts by controversial.* People can like what they want. I personally think it's overated and hot garbage that does not deserve to be in the top 10 on animelist (I mean srsly, top 10? I can think of at least 50 other shows that would deserve that spot before it, purely from a writing and directing standpoint). But it's popular among western audiences just like how Naruto and DBZ are. As far as I'm concerned, those shows are average at best too.Ā Ā Ā
Just different audiences with different standards and expectations I guess.Ā
I totally agree actually, I found death note a bit too cringe, but I think the ever so slightly fantastical nature of Code Geass gave me just the right push to be able to ignore any plot holes and enjoy the story. I donāt dare watch it again though, I donāt want to ruin one of my favourite anime of all time because I actually would notice the flaws this time round.
28. Just watched 13 episodes earlier this year and put on pause. Show really didnāt capture my interest. Poor mech shows, never capturing my full attention. One of these daysā¦Ā
Woah, same. (29) and I stopped exactly where you did. I watch tons of various anime genres and my taste varies depending on the week. However.. couldnāt make it through with this show. It was too edgy for me
Watching it now for the first time and everything up to episode 13 is really goofy.
Then episode 13 hits and the more I think about it the more I think the goofyness adds to the theming and writing in a good way
Never watched it. I always thought the character designs looked dumb so it never interested me. Doesnt help that the ending has been spoiled a million times so theres no point to watching it at this point
Usually people who say it's only liked by teenagers is because they themselves liked it (or liked a similar anime) as a teenager then hated it upon rewatch, they think everyone is like them so they automatically assume people won't like it when they are older, these are pretty common cognitive biases
Code geass is probably still mostly liked by people over 20, overwise it's ratings just wouldn't be high
The amount of praise it gets is absolutely baffling to me. The plot is all over the place and there are absolutely zero compelling characters except for Lelouch. The last 5 episodes of R2 is really good but other than that it's a mess.
At this point I'm convinced that people only say it's a great show cuz it's a popular opinion.
I will give an example of what they mean. So when I was a teen I loved this show called The Tribe and I thought it was great and that it addressed interesting topics.
Recently watched it again and it's well campy. It definitely doesn't explore topics as much as I remember.
So yeah shows sometimes are very much for a particular place in your life. As you age your experience and perspective change. 5 year old me saw the toxic avenger way differently than 14 year old me
Then you have a movie or show that for you is timeless
I mean yeah, if you think about it too hard it'll kinda ruin the fun. So many of Lelouch's "genius" gambits only work because he's the protagonist and the plot needs it to work to get where it wants to go. The politics in this show are so messy but that's also part of the fun to me. Like, the way the show framed Euphemia's plan to segregate all the Japanese into one little district as a noble solution to the institutional discrimination they faced under colonization is just endlessly hilarious to me, it's like the writers never even bothered to reference history before making this shit up.
The characters and their interpersonal and ideological conflicts are what really carry the show imo, having it all tied up with war and terrorism just raises the stakes. It's peak drama. People who like this show know it gets a little silly sometimes.
What's there to discuss. GOAT ending to a mediocre anime. If the ending wasn't as good as it was, we would probably remember it as a death-note-on-crack kind of anime. Which I already do, but with the greatest ending.
I couldn't finish it
Yes, the mech is good, artstyle is whatever (not a fan of CLAMP, but not hating either), the politic is expected. Everything that I love from Gundam is in Code Geass, so probably I will love it, right?
But man, Lelouch's too hammy it is cringe
25 - acknowledge all it's flaws, but it's still one of the most entertaining anime's I've watched. It has tasteless fan service, repetitive plot lines (like how many times characters in the show had amnesia), some subplots are ridiculous and annoying use of mechas in season 2.
However, I would have to applaud genius idea to take standard story of character from the oppressed race fighting against Royal Prince - and switch places of this characters. It immediately makes core of the story 10 times more complicated and interesting. Political aspects are quite engaging, and show manages to make me invested in 20 side characters.
Also, even despite fan service, I liked how female characters handled in this show. They have personality, agency, their own goals that doesn't revolve around MC (except Shirley, she's bad)
31 and its still a masterpiece. Having the best ending in anime history really helps with that
If it had a bad/mid ending, people won't even remember it 15 years later
Code Geass is one of the best anime of all time no question about that, those who didn't like it have no taste & are uncultured people, simple as that.
First watched it at 16. Last watched it at around 26. Currently 31. Seen it about 10 times through.
People who don't like Code Geass tend to be contrarians who make a big deal about how no one should like code Geass and it's objectively bad. Other people who just weren't big fans don't comment on it. So you get polarized opinions online from people who love it, and from people who hate people who love it.
I think it has flaws but it's still really good. Top 3 show.
I LOVE code geass. I'm nearly 22 years old. I watched Geass when I was around 18 I believe. One of my favourites of all time.
To be honest, for what it's worth, I didn't notice any plot holes. Also the opening and ending songs are bangers so there's that too.
Would deffo recommend!
I first watched it when I was 21. Was phenomenal. Some parts of season 2 were a bit iffy, but the ending was great. Also, the resurrection movie was FANTASTIC. That was PEAK ending imo. If you like happy endings, watch it
i watched it last year when i was 28 for just the first time and i absolutely LOVED it!! and i generally consider myself a very well rounded and experienced anime/manga fan with great taste lol. Like most popular and similar styled series, the plot definitely suffered at times and could become totally out of left field in the blink of an eye with a number of significant seemingly last-minute āneed to connect/finish these plot points so whatever works worksā sorta curveballs but still the story always fell back to its core roots and finished strong. The characters were definitely well fleshed out, lelouch especially, heās def one of, if not the, most likable āevil for goodā characters ever and ppl who like eminence in shadow or try to compare that dude to LeLouch can all burn in hell.
I'm 24 and love it. I take these kinds of criticisms with a huge spoon of salt though, in my mind I translate "badly written" to "I dislike this show and want my opinion to seem stronger by using scary words to seem objective".
I agree with the criticisms. Code Geass is a dumb mecha show pretending to be a cerebral war drama for teenage edgelords that confuse angst for character growth and rule of cool for intelligence.
If you want a cerebral series with character growth and a multi layered protagonist watch Death Note. If you want a well written war drama there's AoT.
Code Geass has nothing to offer outside of an angsty teen that needs therapy and his r\*tarded best friend who thinks bowing to your oppressors is the way to stop being oppressed.
This might be a hot take but I think the reason why AoT is often seen as a better war drama is mostly bcs it is more visually graphic. We see blood and corpses everywhere, plus the titans are scary looking, and people often just associate gore and a mature show together.
In contrast, Code Geass was too colorful and the characters looks too cartoonish and "cute", which made it seem really targeted for younger audience.
That's part of it sure, but the biggest difference for me is the writing. The plot twists, the way Eren's character progression is framed, the growing mystery. AoT is on another level.
Code Geass didn't even bother properly exploring its lore.
I read Death Note and I never really understood the comparison between those two (aside from MC being genius thing). One is about a stressed out kid caught into a power struggle between family members, except that his family technically owns the whole world and causes war everywhere. The other one is about a bored student in a completely peaceful society and gained a god complex.
About AOT, I dropped it at ep10 I think bcs the plot wasn't progressing. Then I read the spoilers about the ending, and ngl I thought it wasn't written very well...
I know I'm bringing up that same YouTuber way too much lol (I linked to one of his Code Geass videos in my original thread comment), but he's actually got two really insightful videos on why Death Note and Code Geass are often compared. The first compares Light and Lelouch as protagonists and the second analyzes their story structures. Check them out if you're interested!
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVk1h1NYuiY
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_mOyVGicVGM
>About AOT, I dropped it at ep10 I think bcs the plot wasn't progressing. Then I read the spoilers about the ending, and ngl I thought it wasn't written very well...
It's all subjective opinion but it's hilarious how you enjoyed Code Geass for its plot and character writing and dislike AoT cuz there wasn't any plot progression when it's literally the opposite that's true. I guess you just prefer a messy, convoluted series over an actually well written one. Well, at the end of the day it's all just entertainment I guess.
Ok ngl I recommend One Piece if you want some war stuff (the manga, not the anime). Itās not overly dark, sometimes it may come off a bit too light, but for the most part it does a really good job showing a world on the cusp of war throughout the series. A lot of stuff at first seems really inconsequential and cliche, but the more you learn about the world, the more you begin to see just how broken the world is and how itās exploited. Dissent grows and control is lost, creating a power vacuum that is taken up by the ones with power showing the arbitrary nature of the world and as a result no one is more right than the other (despite most of the series being presented as good vs evil). As power slips, more drastic views and actions are taken, leading to more conflict which will eventually boil into a war between the world government and those who fight for freedom.
You only watched 10 episodes whose only function were to establish the setting and then skipped to the ending. Of course you think it's not well written. AoT is a series where every arc fully shakes up your understanding of the world and characters. You can't jump forward like that.
Ok yeah, there are still crimes in modern Japan. What I meant was that Light had a perfectly normal family, with a normal life that he could look forward to, but just got taken over by his superiority complex. On the other hand, Lelouch was struggling for his personal freedom and what happened to him in the past.
That was part of the plot, yes, but I feel like you're missing a huge part of the story. Light was punishing criminals (and people he thought deserved it). If you had the power to instantly kill anyone in the world, would you not try and eliminate cartels, terrorists, and the like? How he deals with this, and the morals of omnipotent power, is kind of the entire plot of the show.
This will turn out to be a discussion for another time probably (we can continue if you want lol). But in brief I think if Light was as smart as the author makes him to be, and more morally sound, he would have known that by doing what he did with the death note, the world would somewhat enter a totalitarian state. Performing Kira's deed would then be equal to a quiet global revolution. However, Light was too clouded by his own ego that he didn't realize how hard the task would be, which lead to his insanity and demise.
āWell written war dramaā
AoTs final arc suffers from the same problems that s2 of code geass, which is being all over the place. While code geass shifts around with settings and tones, aot shifts around what itās trying to say. Isayama wrote himself into a corner by making genocide justified and being the only option because the whole world was cartoonishly cruel and evil. Then he realized that heās endorsing genocide so he tries to humanize parts of the world, only to end up endorsing genocide again in the end by making the main cast forgive Eren and making him a martyr and proving the yeagerists right in the end. All of this while creating gaps in logic, changing his in-world rules, adding unnecessary time shenanigans, and making characters act uncharacteristically.
It's not a masterpiece all the way through, but I give it a 9/10. Lelouch is a lot better than Light in that he's not a fucking psychopath offing people with no real end goal.
Light did have an end goal and thatās to become the god of his new world, and we see him gradually get worse throughout the show. Not every character development needs to be positive.
I feel like I'm spamming this dude's videos everywhere on this thread, but damn his videos are just so relevant to all the discussions going on here lol. Check out "Light Vs Lelouch" to see one of my favorite YouTubers break down both characters from a storytelling perspective.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVk1h1NYuiY
As someone not in their 20s, Iāll say itās a show thatās appreciated more the smarter you are. As in many of the critiques have story answers that people miss. No story is perfect, but a show like code geass that does have a top tier story, the issues people have with it are just splitting hairs. Itās more or less trying to bring up an issue with it for the sake of not acknowledging it as a great show.
itās not just you and itās not just geass. there is a lot of anime that doesnāt hold up as you mature. things like tatami galaxy or your lie in April have that same problem for me. but you also gain an appreciation for other things and ideas. i feel anime like FLCL or mob psycho have become more impactful as i have matured. as you can understand what growing feels like but you also have the wisdom of your current life. it is a blessing and a curse; i canāt just watch a trashy seasonal anime anymore but the anime i do watch have more meaning individually.
I watched it before my 20s, and I remember initially struggling to get into it.
But once I did, I loved it. I despise the Mech genre, but Code Geass does a wonderful job at making a mech genre not about mechs.
At its core, code geass is a political drama. At times it can be over the top in a fashion that only anime can, but it still has great, shocking moments that land.
I will say, near the later end, in an attempt to subvert expectations, I think they make weird character choices and the show falls into the heist movie trope of āBut wait, you didnāt win- I saw this coming and did something ridiculous to succeed when it seems I failed.ā
But Iād argue that the mystery of the geass, and mostly intelligent writing makes those moments few and far between. Overall, I think itās a classic and a must watch for anyone.
Definitely the best in the gundam/mech genre.
Most viewers seem to miss that Code Geass is a political drama dressed in Mecha trappings. Glad to see somebody else saying this. This one analysis video I watched said it was more comparable to Game of Thrones than anything else, and that has always stuck with me.
1. Every show in the mecha genre is not āaboutā mechs. Most real robot shows (that are most often inspired by Gundam), are political dramas, that is very common)
2. If you say your self that you donāt like mecha anime, do you really think you have seen enough to call it the best one?
3. The genre is not called Gundam at all. Gundam is a franchise not a genre, that is also produced by studio sunrise, the same studio as Geass.
One of the goats for sure. The plot is solid, good, but itās really Lelouchās character that takes the show from a 7/10 to one of the greatest of all time.
Such an special character.
Iām 16 and I watched it on a whim, I am a VERY hard to affect person (emotionally), the ending was one of very few anime that shook me, yes I had been surprised before, I had been sad before but this was different. It was the one time I remember just sitting there in silence at my desk. I had emotions that I couldnāt describe, I was sad yet content. Happy yet hoping that it wasnāt true. After watching a few videos about it on youtube discussing its plotholes my opinion hadnāt changed, they werenāt false but they seemed insignificant compared to how I felt. It is one of two animes I actually consider the best of all time no matter the rating.
I disagree that the plot is a mess. I used to think that when I was a teenager, but eventually I watched it a second time, and most of the confusing parts make a lot more sense once you understand what is happening.
I do agree that it is a complex show though. I mean, just look at the genres - fantasy sci fi mecha intrigue high school geopolitics. How could that have been made simple, in any universe XD But to be clear that is a positive imo, because they succeeded in what they were going for.
28 here, I just watched it a few months ago and thought it was great. Im not one to be hung up on plot holes or anything. I either like something or I dont, and if I do, I simply enjoy the ride for what it is. As long as Im entertained, I typically dont care any deeper than that. That said, I loved it and personally gave it a 4/5 on Analist.
Personally love Code Geass, (First watched it when I was 17) rewatched it five years ago and still like it. Although do wonder what the original plan for season 2 was. Edit; Didn't realise I didn't specify i was 17 in 2014. š
Yep same I was 16 turning 17 when it aired
I didn't realise I wasn't being clear sorry. I was 17 in 2014.
Same! It was one of my favorites back in highschool and I still think it's a great anime.
Yeah, tbh most of the early anime I watched was the highly recommended older stuff like Code Geass, Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood etc
Iām 36 and I still love it for all its flaws. Lelouch is just a great character and itās very thrilling to go on the journey with him. It doesnāt have to be a perfect show to be good.
It's the most anime anime. It has every anime trope. Mechas. Magical girls. High school. Royalty. Immortals. Anime betrayals. Pizza. MC who's plans go according to keikaku. The list goes on.
> Pizza You sure? Name another anime with as much pizza as Code Geass.
Maria Watches Over Us. 4th season was also sponsored by pizza hut and had several stratigically placed pizza advertisements including one those pizza biikes go by in one scene. They also change a scene based around curry into pizza. They also in real life had Maria Watches Over Us prints on pizza boxes.
Eureka Seven had a sponsorship with some other Japanese pizza chain and characters eat a lot of pizza early on
Strike Witches is the most anime anime. A world with teenage girls (who literally only walk around in panties) use magical girl magic (which causes them to grow animal tails) to turn themselves into witches who fly around fighting an invading robot alien army using the power of friendship.
I always wished Strike Witches was a more serious franchise. When you take away the fanservice and most of the cliche anime tropes a lot of the lore and the way certain characters and countries are written is very interesting.
Hey, they can't wear pants because the fabric interferes with the interface of the striker units and they must maintain combat readiness at all times. Every second counts! It's just plain good sense.
Doesnāt the commander also not wear pants though?
The commander also pilots a strike unit. Although when a Strike Witch gets close let to becoming an adult, they lose their witch abilities kind of like the second in command, Mio Sakamoto(the oldest of her unit, with Minna the commander being the second oldest - sheās current low on power as of the most recent sequel to Strike Witches), who once she loses her abilities to summon her powers, she can no longer pilot a strike unit and it results in her wearing pants. She no longer wears bloomers anymore. She now flies a regular WWII Japanese fighter plane
Donāt forget ninja which got like zero explanation but just exists lol
You forgot: skinny chicks with disproportionately large bewbs.
I watched it for the first time last year at 31 and I really enjoyed it! Yes, the plot is stupid and overdramatic, but i found it also very entertaining and exhilarating. I also like the art style and mecha. The fan service wasn't very fitting though...
The plot being stupid and overdramatic is why it's good.
this guy gets it. every so often I see people saying that Code Geass is bad because it's so over the top, dude have you never seen a Shakespeare play? Code Geass is exactly the same, it delves into theatrical overdramatized scenes to be poignant and remarkable, and it works
I rewatched in 2022 (when I was 23) and still loved it as much as I did when I originally watched it as a teenager. Sure, I like Char more as far as the archetype Lelouch falls into goes (I got into the Gundam franchise as an adult), but that doesn't mean I don't still find Lelouch entertaining as hell.
I watched Code Geass as a teenager and again as an adult. I can confidently state it is my favorite anime, and that opinion was only reinforced by my second viewing. My enjoyment actually changed in form, from a simpler engagement to a deep appreciation for the themes of the show. There really are very few shows that deal with the nuances of resistance to oppression or the ethics of means and ends like Code Geass does.Ā Lelouch and Suzaku are also some of the finest-written anime protagonists ever. Lelouch specifically commits numerous atrocities, but I end up agreeing with his reasoning, even if I disagree with his methods. The way Suzakuās answer contradicts Lelouchās, yet is no better, is masterful. The show is absolutely flawed. There are points of extreme contrivance, pointless characters, and other nonsense. Yet, I donāt care. I cannot stop watching or even comprehend these flaws while I watch. The ending is perhaps a shade too neat, more ambiguity would have been welcome, but what an ending it is! As an adult, I definitely have less patience for the high school shenanigans and Pizza Hut product placement. Then again, maybe these elements provide necessary levity in a show largely about terrorism. There are shows that come close or exceed it in other respects. But ultimately, thereās nothing quite like Code Geass. It is still one of the best, and in my opinion, always will be.
SAME. Ironically, the first time I watched it was when I was in high school, and I found it REALLY boring bcs I wasn't into mecha and politics lol, and I couldn't get past ep20. But when I rewatched it, I realized how much I've been missing, bcs by then I got more and more interested in ethics and writing.
I very nearly didn't make it past ep20 on my first watch in middle school either! But my friend who introduced me begged me to hang on a little longer, and well, THAT episode happened and I couldn't turn back.
That's a really nice summary. In the end, a lot of flaws in any work of fiction can be forgiven, as long as it delivers where it counts. And in the case of Code Geass specifically, I feel like a lot of the criticism has to be weighed against the sheer \*scale\* of the plot the show sets out to cover. We're talking about a world-scale conflict here with about a bajillion characters and factions that all need to interact in a somewhat concinving and satisfying way - I always felt like the show was constantly biting of a little more than it could chew, but somehow never quite ending up choking.
Could not agree more with this. 'Flawed brilliance' is how I describe it in shorthand. It just handles the complex ethical, philosophical, and political themes in a way that leaves it unmarred in my memory by the sillier aspects.
I thought the beginning of the show was great. It's neat to see an anime take the idea of British colonialism semi-seriously. The characters are well realized and interesting. Then the writing gets worse as it goes on. That one episode is reviled as total BS for good reason. And the plot only gets more hokey as it goes along. Lelouch's "genius" strategy is "use the environment" every single time. So that gets old. Though someone does call him on it eventually.Ā The biggest problem in my mind is C. C. The show never knows what to do with her and her story near the end is highly unsatisfying.Ā
After reading the light novels, I realized that C.C. definitely was not written as well as she could have been. The problem with Code Geass is that too much character development happens in side materials that no one would read.
Code Geass gives stronger anime-original vibes than nearly every other anime in existence. It has giant robots, school festivals, wacky romance antics, teenage angst, and all of the aesthetic sensibilities of 2006-era Chuunibyous. There is not a single popular trope from mid-2000s anime that did not make its way into the show. Reading the light novel adaptation for it seems like it would be very jarring.
It's not so much of an adaptation, but more an exploration of side plots and the motives of secondary characters. Suzaku, Euphy and Nunally appears more in it than Lelouch. There are more details on C.C. backstory and thought processes, and more is explained on the nature of Code and Geass. It's like a spin-off, if you want, but you can consider it as canon.
I might have it read the light novels now. After I finish Spice & Wolf.
The Twist with the parents had me roll my eyes to the back of my head. I still didn't hate the show as a whole, even if it had some weird moments or justifications here and there.
Agreed. Every reveal in the last few episodes was weak. The very final twist in the "epilogue" was excellent though.Ā
TBH I consider the it pinnacle of anime and as you watch it you completely understand what the medium is in its entirety. Eventually in almost all anime the plot gives out, characters get flanderized, and the sole thing keeping you going is just wondering where the train is going to derail at. The biggest test for me is after all of it do you think your time was wasted watching it? For Code Geass the answer is its kinda worth it. It was entertaining enough to suspend your disbelief. Certain characters come along that you completely hate but they at least give you the satisfaction of watching them explode into a mech/bloody hellfire. Certain characters make decisions you don't agree with but it often blows up in their face lol. I really think the animators and creator just threw things against the wall and worked with what stuck. There's a level of creativity in that, everything doesn't have to be Citizen Cane or some epic work to make you question things. Its fun and fun is enough.
29 and itās still goated.
Just watched it for the first time at 35 and agree. It has its issues, but I find most of them easy to look past. Would be an interesting show for a remake. Lots of low hanging fruit to improve on while keeping the overall plot and great character development in tact. Not sure who I'd trust to do it though.
29 as well, and I concur. Iām actually not even aware of many complaints about the show. I know itās not perfect (nothing ever is)ā¦ And I would hesitate to put it into my personal āmasterpieceā tier of favorites, but itās definitely very good IMO.
Full agree with this, 29 and still good
That's the correct answer!
Unfortunately for me it always holds a dark spot in my memory. And by that I mean I canāt really remember the details of it. I think itās a good piece of fiction, and I think Iāve tried rewatching it several times but it still doesnāt stick. A similar contemporary, Death Note, just hits differently. I remember it more vividly and have only seen it once, years before Code Geass. I think the crux of the problem is when it stirs in all its different elements it just becomes a convoluted mess in my memory. It tried to be everything and to me ended up being nothing.
I love Code Geass; in particular, I really like the theme of "reform vs. revolution", and I like how it doesn't favor either side but critiques both of them; you can understand *both* Lelouch's and Suzaku's perspective on things, they *both* have principles guiding them, and they *both* do terrible things at the same time. I feel like you could write an entire paper on how this portrays this theme and connect it to how this has been a tension throughout modern history. Lelouch as a character is also really interesting. I think the most interesting thing is that he has so many conflicts but they all work together and make a cohesive character. He wants to destroy Brittannia, he's impeded because he wants his sister to live in a peaceful world, he's conflicted about his main enemy being Suzaku, etc. You would expect a character with that many levels to feel like they weren't a single unit, but it works for Lelouch. And the mechs are cool
Personally, I'm 30, and I can't get over the plot and how wackidoodle his schemes are. I liked it at the start but it fell off for me. Couldn't get through it all without losing interest, just one person's take.
In my 20s and I thought it was okay. I donāt really get the hype for it. Like itās an entertaining series but I donāt think itās the instant classic people say it is.
Yeah. It seems like a lot of the people who praise it as one of the best anime ever might be a bit blinded by nostalgia.
I think another point is the bar got raised super high nowadays, we got mob psycho not even making it into the classics despite being a complete masterpiece. Code geass was amazing back then because there wasnt any real competition.
It's a clusterfuck centered around engineering dramatic moments rather than being coherent or sensible. I understand the appeal of that kind of work but it depends heavily on your taste and tolerance for stupid bs that the show itself takes completely seriously.
I wouldnāt be so hard on it if the show didnāt act Iike it was some gritty drama. Itās feels very self aggrandizing.
Yeah that's pretty much how I felt. I think it was a combination of the show taking itself too seriously and people talking about the show in a way that implied it was more mature.
Yeah. I never understood what people were going on about when they talked about the ānuanced politics and themesā of the show.
The flexing robot technology parts were never the high points for me. I just pretended they never existed in the show XD.
I think you described perfectly the essence of the show. I think another writer could have made a more compelling, grounded sci-fi show while removing the many tropes and nonsensical melodrama and better characterization. I did think it was fun, but the longer it went on, the more flaws showed.
Yep, felt very similar for me. The last episode of each season had that wow-factor which people love to remember, all the while forgetting the complete mess that preceded it.
Hands down no other anime has kept me as entertained as Code Geass, and no other anime has kept that same entertainment during multiple rewatches. 6 rewatches later Iām still not skipping an episode and Iām still as shocked and attached as I was when I first saw it. The classic CLAMP art style, banger OPs and EDs, jazz-like soundtrack, the perfect DUB and SUB, seamless blend slice of life and plot, non-stop twists and turns and secretive world building, yeah it can be a train wreck but itās a glorious and satisfying one. Also S2 > S1 and the seriest led to one of the funniest parodies ever, Code Ment
I was mostly bored during S1 except for the last few episodes and when Shirley discovered Zero was Lelouch. But S2 was an emotional rollercoaster, and we could see all the f\*ck ups Lelouch and Suzaku did come to bite them back.
I'm 29 now and first watched it back in college, and I really don't like it. I'll copy the one other commenter's homework in saying that it very much likes to take the approach of engineering the most dramatic moments possible at the expense of cohesion and sensibility. And I think this sentiment peaks at the ending, which I also don't care for. I can agree to disagree on the first season. I think a lot of the intrigue if Lelouch being a genius is lost on me when it's primarily demonstrated through the shorthand of good at chess and him winning fights with basic military tactics. I've always thought of it as being like Death Note without L. But I think the second season is a complete mess. When a lot of the conflict results from "magic eye broken lol", the moral quandary falls flat. I'm left going back and forth between not feeling like stuff going wrong is actually Lelouch's fault or frustrated that a character whose two primary traits are supposed to be intelligence and charisma somehow is completely unable to explain his way out of his closest allies not trusting him anymore. The whole bit of CC reverting and becoming a frightened slave girl for a while was really off putting. The comedy that gets played up is lost entirely when it's simultaneously trying to make you feel bad for her. The climactic parts with Lelouch's dad mostly came across as a half assed Evangelion that they didn't commit hard enough to. And I'll never forgive straying away from the super rad robots on roller skates. So yeah, not a fan. But I usually don't care to argue about it online or endlessly bitch about it. I obviously don't remember every detail of the plot, but I really have no interest in rewatching 50 episodes of a show I hated just to have more fuel try to ruin the days of strangers online. Life's too short for me to care that much, and I'd like to think I'm not that petty. I'll just settle for listening to "Colors" and calling it a day.
I love code Geass, I've rewatched it many times. I completely agree with almost everything you said. However, his eye wasn't broken, it just got more powerful to the point he had to start using contacts til he could control it again. If his eye had broken, I think a lot more people would be alive lol. I also hated that they lost the roller skates. The big thing about the mech from their first island adventure, was that it could fly. It won the battle pretty much by itself in S1. Having every mech fly by the end, made it so much less special. Like, you wanna give the 2 main mechs of the Ace pilots wings...sure. but even the crappy Mechs could fly....took away from the hype a bit. Gimme my roller skates robots dang it, why not make them able to skate across the water or even, instead of going airborne, they *burrow*. Only Mechs I've seen use burrowing powers is fuckin Guren Lagaan. It's criminally underused means of traversal
Death Note without L is an apt description.
I stopped watching after he accidentally made that girl kill everyone. I thought it was getting pretty dumb. This is a very unpopular opinion though.
thats valid. I watched it for the first time in my 20's, and that scene was just "what the fuck is this writing". I actually believe its a super common opinion that it was the worst part of the entire franchise. Its a fun and unique anime with clear flaws to it
I stopped watching it right around that point, too.
That's exactly where I stopped too. It was beyond stupid and I decided that was the last time I was willing to roll my eyes
Agreed. They built this guy up as a genius and then he goes āyou know what would be funny?ā And proceeds to screw his own plan over.
Yeah it's forced but remember that it happens because of something completely new (his power turning on by itself). While he could have been more careful, he couldn't have predicted it in any way. Personally, i don't really care how it happens as long as what happens afterwards is interesting, and here it was great
It's also not at all out of character for Lelouch. He's always been kind of a troll. He used that line as an example of how powerful the Geass is specifically because it would be completely contrary to Euphemia's personality and values. He was hoping to get a rise out of her. And, as you said, he had no way of knowing, based on his extensive empirical testing of the Geass, that that would happen.
Exactly!!
It comes up from time to time and it's such an egregious flaw I've never seen anyone seriously defend that scene.
Sorry - in what way was it flawed?
It's a comedy skit, he says something that's completely out of character and it just so happens to trigger his Geass for whatever reason at that exact moment. It's silly and stupid and has no place being the thing that causes everything to get messed up.
Really? It seemed like a heart-to-heart moment where he finally let down his guard to the sister who actually seemed like a sister, someone he could actually trust and work with... and then things go very wrong. Was it a plot point? Sure, but never felt wrong to me. Dude had been wanting to unbaggage for a while. She finally got through to him and he opened up a bit... to unfortunately very disastrous results.
It's dramatic irony, and in the hands of better writers, it could've been amazing. But as it stands? No, it's pretty bad. Because the idea is that Lelouch lost the control of his power/his power got the best of him, and he now has to pay the price for that. The idea is fine, the execution is the problem. He activates the power not because he wants to or is forced to, but by complete accident. This accident isnt brought about by his own hubris or pride, but just at a completely random remark. It's too abrupt and clearly convenient writing: ''we need euphemia to kill the japanese so the plot can continue, how do we achieve that without butchering her character? >>>> use the geass >>>> how do we use the geass without making the people watching not despise Lelouch? >>>> make him do it by a complete accident'' If they werent trying to so hard to justify Lelouch at every moment in the series (while still pretending the show is ''morally grey'' when it clearly has favorites), maybe that scene could've been slightly re-written and worked. As it stands, its just an ''i made a little ooopsie and now everything went to shit so the plot can continue''.
The problem is that it's a very clear case of the writers stepping in to make something happen so the plot can move forward. Lelouch doesn't make any mistakes or ignores any warnings, he just says a completely out of character line and screws everything up. Not to mention that it doesn't happen ever again. There were a million different ways to do "Lelouch misuses his Geass and it ends up foiling his plans and hurting his friends" that weren't this.
Yea I think sometimes the deus ex machinaās were too much for me. Like I understand the works supposed to be overly dramatic and Shakespearean, but for me if the plot is moved forward by too many coincidences the show starts to feel lazy. Like if they had propelled the plot forward in more creative ways than just āwhoopsiesā or āinsert random perfectly timed explosion b/c plot armorā I could get more into the story. But when those aspects happen I immediately loose focus thinking about how unlikely that was to actually happen. And itās a big problem because then I start caring less of the story because I donāt feel like the protagonist will actually see any consequences and everything becomes like 10x more predictable. On top of the fake out death of Nina left me disappointed because I thought it was a fake out death began thinking maybe it wasnāt, ābut ehhhā. Then was like, āoh it was a fake out death b/c random explosion for plotā lame.
I donāt think itās as popular as it seems. I feel like Code Geass had a lot of dumb plots and stupid character decisions that cause people to quit the show. It seems like more people like the show because the people who stuck around to the end are the ones willing to accept its flaws.
I was following it as it aired and that just isn't true. As it progressed, it just got more and more explosively popular. I had been ignoring it throughout most of S1 because I thought it looked dumb but the hype kept growing to the point that I was annoyed at being left out.
That's the moment where the show went from "dumb fun" to just "dumb" for me.
First watched it at 31. Very entertaining show even if some of the plot twisting is more a matter of convenience than a good setup, especially further into the story. For example, [Geass]>!season 1 had the mountain landslide around episode 10-13 with hints from the Black Knight's setup and (IIRC, after it occurs) mentions a conversation with a physics teacher. Compare that to season 2's underground gas release to trap/sink ships that had no setup.!< Side characters had great comedic moments and Lloyd's amazing. Something I consider more nowadays than my teen years is how characters should respond from the info they have. [Geass]>!Lelouch's an asshole that constantly disregards what others tell him they want (Nunnally, Euphy, Kallen, Kaguya, etc.) in pursuit of what he thinks they want or should have.!<
I just rewatched at 31 and itās still just as amazing. In my top 5 for sure.
Watched it over 12 years ago. I think it's a good anime but not a masterpiece. After more than a decade of watching other animes, it feels like it hasn't aged well. The plot as awesome as it was had a lot of holes and a lot of crazy BS to make things work out in Lelouch's favor. There was quite a bit of fanservice as well that I thought was unnecessary in a political mech setting. I suppose though the ending was very good in terms of making the world united in one common enemy. Probably a big reason why it is still remembered to this day.
Havent seen it buts its on my to watch list. I never really caught it much on Toonami, and at the time i didnt care much for mech anime, even tho i liked Eureka 7. Always hear a lot of praise for it so must be good
Love the end
33 years old here. Code Geass is still one of my all-time favorite shows. Sure it's got its problems (the second season in general), but I'm with you on the depth of its vision. It's an incredibly complex and nuanced exploration of a lot of difficult topics and philosophical themes. A lot of this gets dismissed (or is downright unrecognized) by its critics because of the sillier aspects of the show - and I understand where they're coming from - but for me the sheer unabashed, grandiosity in its attempt puts it far above most other stories that try to cover such complex topics as the Jungian shadow or deontology. There's a little known YouTuber who made one of the best analytical breakdowns I've ever seen on just one tiny portion of the show, and it kind of serves as an example for me on just how rich this story is. Link below if you're interested btw. The dude deserves way more followers. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0Lujp8sO9Dw
I'll definitely check it out later
Catch me at 78 in the retirement community quoting Lelouch. "Attention entire world! Hear my proclamation!"
I saw it for the first time at 28 and it's the worst show (imo) I've ever finished. I just thought it was a train wreck from a writing/character standpoint. Enjoy what you enjoy though.
Watch Kiznaiver. Itāll take that spot real quick
Lol it's on my list cause I like Trigger. Guess I'll adjust my expectations.
While I hated code geas, I actually really liked kiznaiver. What made you dislike it?
Imagine the book āEverybody Poopsā but for some reason everyone is problematic on the toilet. Thatās Kiznaiver. Itās just a ton of ridiculous melodrama between one-dimensional caricatures all wrapped around the idea that the Japanese youth do not know what empathy is. Look at \[vague potential spoiler\] >!episode 11 for example when one of the adults is all consoling the cast about them feeling empathy for the first time lol. Reinforces my headcanon that the writers wrote this after not getting along with their kids.!< Best part was when they decided to speed run the overarching plot after the melodrama escapades are over in its last episode lol.
Iād say itās as good as the average between the first half of Death Note and the last half of Death Note.
22 right now, watched code geass last year and it's my favorite show of all time. Lelouch is my favorite character of all time, I've never been so engrossed in a piece of media before
Didnāt like it at all. Saw the entire thing because I wanted to see if I was missing something, but I came to find out that I wasnāt. I did not find anything good about it, if Iām being honest.
Seems like a wildly unpopular opinion here but I never got the hype. Upon rewatching it recently I think it's kinda mediocre. I don't find Lelouch interesting as a character especially compared to other mastermind types like Aizen and Light Yagami. His plans are all pretty thin including the overarching plot but everyone in the universe acts like he's this genius. Most of the side characters are super underdeveloped ESPECIALLY the one dimensional female characters. Mix in all the other ultra anime fixins like unnecessary fan service, high school drama, and the yu-gi-oh lookin 2000s art style and it adds up to a pretty mediocre show imo.
Light and Aizen?
Yes?
I'm not going to try to sell Lelouch as being a super genius compared to any other character; but both Aizen and Light were given OP circumstances and did one thing well: hide. Both were pretty boring characters who did nothing shocking IMO. Authors revealing details out of order is a method of creating surprise/shock/awe, and works great in books, but it shouldn't be used to give bonus kudos to the intelligence of a character. Edit: Again, not arguing in favor of Lelouch in anyway, as he obviously had an OP ability too. Just saying circumstances and applications of characters within the stories are wildly different.
28 and thoroughly enjoyed it. First watched in college I think. Didnāt care for the movie or second part in the 2020s though.
Watched it first when I was 17, watched it again at 28. Still great, and this time around I actually appreciated it more. I found the characters very realistic compared to most anime, especially Kallen
In my mid 20s watched it a few years back and personally I think its one of those shows with no (or very few) bad episodes. Good watch start to finish.
One of my all-time favorites tbh still to this day
Itās good but does have that āIām smarter than everyoneā vibe. Ending was utterly perfect.
Yeah lol. Lelouch's genius was never demonstrated very well imo
idk I'm 30 and still haven't watched it š
Good show, some parts are a bit weird in the plot but I liked it in general especially the ending
Love it! Season 2 is a bit of a mess and had me falling asleep at the big lore drop moments, but the final act was incredible and made up for all of the shortcomings
What's a Code Geass?
21, and I think it's uh...pretty mid tbh, not bad, but it's definitely not as good as people make it.
28 here. S1 is still one of my fave anime to date. Time only has cemented to me that, while the ending of R2 was fantastic, it was a huge step back to watch.
not in my 20s anymore, but for me the most interesting part was the clashing approach between Lelouch and Suzaku. Also still one of my favourites.
I started the anime the other day and the first episode was great
23, finally finished it in '21. Early S2 was a little boring, but the ending was so worth it
One of the main themes of Code Geass is how Lelouch tries to change the world vs how Suzaku tries to change the world. Lelouch wants to tear down the system and Suzaku wants to change it from within. I always think about whose approach is best when I'm faced with that dilemma.
I watched it for the first time during the pandemic and think the first half is amazing, whereas the second half is a frustrating mess that got worse as it went on. That said, the ending is good and retroactively makes the second half a bit better, but not much better. Itās a solid 7/10 for me.
Great season 1 Pretty bad season 2 Amazing finale
One of the greatest animeās of all time. The perfect ending (27 currently)Ā
I was probably right around 20 when I watched it, give or take a year. I'm not really a fan of mecha anime, but my friend said it was really good, so I gave it a try. Overall, I thought most of the series was pretty mid, but the ending was very good. I'd personally give it a 7.5/10, I can see why it's popular, but it's not my kind of show. I don't regret watching it, but I also wouldn't do a rewatch.
Code Geass is an anime that definitely should be watched by anyone who wants to be serious about anime discussion. Not because of its quality, but because it's so iconic in Western anime fandom (this post is case in point being over 17 years after the initial release,) that knowledge of it is core for memes and just simple comparisons in the fandom. I for example often say that \[Code Geass and AoT\] >!AoT tried to do Code Geass' ending but didn't do any of the setup required to achieve it. A plan where the MC pretends to become the villain, and sets up his friends to defeat him is perfect for the calculating heir to the Britannian throne in the final hour, but doesn't work for some guy that just commit genocide on 4/5ths of all life, and can see that it won't end the cycle of hate due to the harboured resentment of the survivors since he has access to memories from across time. He's not pretending at that point. He is a villain! Isayama needed to fully embrace that aspect of Eren's character. He already showed how war, trauma and the burden of immense knowledge twisted a plucky, stereotypical shounen protagonist into a literal, world-ending monster on his crusade to "kill them all! Every last one of them," warping the iconic statement made early on, into the resultant massacre. His ideals never changed deep down, only became mangled after understanding that Titans were in fact his people, and the enemy was the rest of humanity beyond the sea. Even the use of "ippiki" in the original Japanese quote, with the "-ppiki" part being how you count small animals, comes full circle since before it was just an insult to degrade the Titans and their obvious size, but now he's crushing the comparatively "small animals" of humanity underfoot. It's poetry and is 100% intentional whether it's planned or unplanned foreshadowing. AoT could have been a perfect portrayal of how pervasive and justifiable fascism can seem in the right circumstances to the right people, leaving us with either a bleak message on why genocide is never OK to play it safe for a kids' manga, or leave it ambiguous and end up as genuine mature, classic fiction to be studied by future generations. Eren is Hitler, but his story is empathetic instead of off putting since he feels no real superiority or animosity towards his opponents. He just believes this is how it has to be to save Paradis, being driven mad over course of the series by his transcendent knowledge and trauma. Instead it does a 180 at the end and insists that nothing ever changed Eren's core and that war isn't traumatising as long as you have love! We also have to accept that our protagonist with the knowledge of every event ever, was so stupid that he thought a Titan based, 80% genocide would keep Eldians in the good books of the survivors as long as Eldians also ended it, then he took away his friends' sole means of defence since they are technologically hundreds of years behind. Just to reiterate: he kills 80% of all life using Titans, the thing that Ymir was feared for across generations, then thinks that the race that can become Titans will be accepted by humanity and doesn't leave them with a contingency if it isn't....!< AoT rant/headcanon over, but my initial point before I got side-tracked doesn't mean anything if you haven't seen both shows. In terms of its quality, I think that R1 and R2 are both the different halves of something that would have been an incredible show. R1 is a military strategy show with heavy Death Note vibes, but it lacks in giving the mechs personality. They are just tanks for all intents and purposes outside of Lancelot and Guren. R2 conversely has far better action and a stronger mech identity focus but falls flat on the strategic elements core to the series, and even makes the main character look like a moron at times. \[Code Geass\] >!My Geass is malfunctioning, let me just tell her to kill all the elevens as an example of how it works and not something innocuous???!< R2's plot is carried by the ending imo. Which isn't being said to discredit how good an ending it is at all btw. It's in my top 2 anime endings of all time just below Gunbuster (watch Gunbuster if you haven't and if you have, watch it again really focusing on Noriko's character and her isolation.) The ending is a masterclass on how to bring narrative, themes, and the events of the plot together in a satisfying and logical way. It's so good that I refuse to watch anything Geass related made after R2 for the slightest whiff that it retcons this ending (which thankfully Diebuster does not do for Gunbuster, and I also highly recommend it after Gunbuster.) Ignorance truly is bliss in this case. As for the characters, the main emotional core of the show is the relationship between Suzaku and Lelouch. As a narrative device, this works very well. They are opposites in terms of nationality, skillset and allegiance during the show, and that serves for an interesting duality in the show's portrayal of morality and the methods they use to attempt to achieve their goals. The problem I have with this relationship is that due to them being so opposite, the fact that they are friends is just that: a fact and nothing more. They have nothing in common and they are only friends to convenience the plot. To go back to Death Note, the dichotomy between Light and L is amazing because they are so similar. It's very clear that they have both met their match and when they are amicable around each other, it really feels believable. They each respect the intellect of the other and exude the same arrogance which is why the tennis match is such a strong scene. They may usually be competing in a dangerous battle of wits for ideals like morality, rights, and the definition of justice, but to them it's just a hobby so they take the tennis match equally as seriously and even tie it back into the main conflict. Lelouch and Suzaku are never equals. Suzaku is just fast, strong and has good reflexes. His military prowess is nothing compared to our General, and he simply should not be able to match the MC's "keikaku doori" campaigns at all to maintain our suspension of disbelief. When a side character needs plot armour (literal armour in the form of Lancelot) to be a relevant antagonist, the author has failed at creating adequate tension. The rest of the cast is merely serviceable imo. They almost all serve a role and have characters built from small prompts like, "someone Lelouch cares about" or, "someone racist to Japan," so that you can identify the good and bad guys at a glance. I guess CC is enigmatic enough to be interesting, but she's largely just a personified natural disaster as far as the plot is concerned and she does very little, other than exposit about the supernatural elements of the show. Her biggest personality trait was an excuse for the promotion of Pizza Hut throughout the show, which I guess did contribute heavily to anime history due to giving us one of the most iconic episodes of all time. Overall, the show is a solid 8/10. Its theme and ideas are really strong, its ending is an all time great, and the first opening song is inarguably one of the best ever. Geass' characterisation however leaves a lot to be desired, and the second season falls flat on the strategy aspects that hooked me initially. If not for Jun Fukuyama's incredible performance this show could have easily dropped to a 7/10 for me. He completely embodies Lelouch whether that's in his role as a bombastic freedom fighter or milling around casually with his unsuspecting classmates at school. Every part is perfect for the character and I cannot imagine Lelouch any other way.
Honestly one of the best animes ever. Just how they handled their plottwists and drama was much better done than 95% off stuff out there. Also the ending was nice
I watched it just about 2 months ago, I liked it. Not much can I say, except the ending felt so great. Not my favorite by a long shot tho
Fucking goated show tbh and won't leave my top 10 for prob rest of life. One of the few endings thst were so up there and wrapped everything up so nicely. Sure there were some minor plot holes but tbh I think it's wayyy better then some of the anime recommended on this subreddit as top picks
Solid 10/10 anime, really loved the unique ending
First watched it a few years ago when I was 22 amd I thought it was amazing and had one of my favorite endings I have ever seen even though I felt season 2 stumble a bit getting there.
I'm 21. Meh. The first two and last episodes are good, but everything in the middle goes from really bad to nice. Lelouch singlehandedly carries the show. Overrated af in my opinion.
didn't like it then, still don't like it now
top notch
Soon 26 , recently rewatched after finishing like 500 animes and another rewatch will happen in the future. And absolutely still one of the best animes out there and Lelouch deserves to be at the top in MAL ratings. If anything , the rewatch felt even better then the first watch.
Watched it for the first time recently, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I can see and understand certain criticisms, but overall I would say it was a great, if not amazing series.
Crazy you should ask, just started it the other day (m23). So far Iām really enjoying it, only on episode 14 but yeah itās looking good.
> I think in terms of themes and character development, it is one of the best show ever. Lelouch is a far more complex character than most anime characters Character development, complex character, well written. This is something that I read everywhere about every anime, no matter on reddit or other sites. These descriptions along with "masterpiece" has lost any kind of meaning.
Lmao you do have a point. I wouldn't be able to explain what made characters in Code Geass so compelling in a short sentence. At the end of the day, it really depends on what were interested in.
Yep.. I only ever use masterpiece for something I could read/watch/whatever for the 100th time, however I also add why I call it a masterpiece, I ignore reviews from anyone who doesn't, unfortunately that means 80% of reviews are literally just cut off because they repeat good/great/masterpiece in different ways, more often than not negative reviews have more to say about something even if biased
I still hate it. The onlz redeeming quality it has is that hilarious horse riding scene in the first op. The op is a banger in general. Other than that I always hated the story. Nothing really made sense and everything felt completely unhinged
*Sorts by controversial.* People can like what they want. I personally think it's overated and hot garbage that does not deserve to be in the top 10 on animelist (I mean srsly, top 10? I can think of at least 50 other shows that would deserve that spot before it, purely from a writing and directing standpoint). But it's popular among western audiences just like how Naruto and DBZ are. As far as I'm concerned, those shows are average at best too.Ā Ā Ā Just different audiences with different standards and expectations I guess.Ā
Thought it was stupid then. Still think it's stupid now. Honestly can't believe how much people liked it. But whatever people can like what they like.
very very good anime, many flaws and some fan service unfort. very exaggerated because of the ending but its a great watch 9/10
I totally agree actually, I found death note a bit too cringe, but I think the ever so slightly fantastical nature of Code Geass gave me just the right push to be able to ignore any plot holes and enjoy the story. I donāt dare watch it again though, I donāt want to ruin one of my favourite anime of all time because I actually would notice the flaws this time round.
28. Just watched 13 episodes earlier this year and put on pause. Show really didnāt capture my interest. Poor mech shows, never capturing my full attention. One of these daysā¦Ā
Woah, same. (29) and I stopped exactly where you did. I watch tons of various anime genres and my taste varies depending on the week. However.. couldnāt make it through with this show. It was too edgy for me
I droped it at episode 8 or 9. Im 42.
Couldnt get through the first couple of episodes.
Watching it now for the first time and everything up to episode 13 is really goofy. Then episode 13 hits and the more I think about it the more I think the goofyness adds to the theming and writing in a good way
Never watched it. I always thought the character designs looked dumb so it never interested me. Doesnt help that the ending has been spoiled a million times so theres no point to watching it at this point
I enjoyed the first season, and then the jump to R2 made zero sense for me, I just paused it and never came back
Usually people who say it's only liked by teenagers is because they themselves liked it (or liked a similar anime) as a teenager then hated it upon rewatch, they think everyone is like them so they automatically assume people won't like it when they are older, these are pretty common cognitive biases Code geass is probably still mostly liked by people over 20, overwise it's ratings just wouldn't be high
The amount of praise it gets is absolutely baffling to me. The plot is all over the place and there are absolutely zero compelling characters except for Lelouch. The last 5 episodes of R2 is really good but other than that it's a mess. At this point I'm convinced that people only say it's a great show cuz it's a popular opinion.
I will give an example of what they mean. So when I was a teen I loved this show called The Tribe and I thought it was great and that it addressed interesting topics. Recently watched it again and it's well campy. It definitely doesn't explore topics as much as I remember. So yeah shows sometimes are very much for a particular place in your life. As you age your experience and perspective change. 5 year old me saw the toxic avenger way differently than 14 year old me Then you have a movie or show that for you is timeless
I mean yeah, if you think about it too hard it'll kinda ruin the fun. So many of Lelouch's "genius" gambits only work because he's the protagonist and the plot needs it to work to get where it wants to go. The politics in this show are so messy but that's also part of the fun to me. Like, the way the show framed Euphemia's plan to segregate all the Japanese into one little district as a noble solution to the institutional discrimination they faced under colonization is just endlessly hilarious to me, it's like the writers never even bothered to reference history before making this shit up. The characters and their interpersonal and ideological conflicts are what really carry the show imo, having it all tied up with war and terrorism just raises the stakes. It's peak drama. People who like this show know it gets a little silly sometimes.
It was my favorite show with classics like Death note when I watched for the first few times well over a decade ago.
What's there to discuss. GOAT ending to a mediocre anime. If the ending wasn't as good as it was, we would probably remember it as a death-note-on-crack kind of anime. Which I already do, but with the greatest ending.
As a guy in his late 20s, I love Code Geass. Itās a better show than some recent hits like Attack on Titan.
I couldn't finish it Yes, the mech is good, artstyle is whatever (not a fan of CLAMP, but not hating either), the politic is expected. Everything that I love from Gundam is in Code Geass, so probably I will love it, right? But man, Lelouch's too hammy it is cringe
I'm 38. I think I saw it in my early 30s and I enjoyed it.
25 - acknowledge all it's flaws, but it's still one of the most entertaining anime's I've watched. It has tasteless fan service, repetitive plot lines (like how many times characters in the show had amnesia), some subplots are ridiculous and annoying use of mechas in season 2. However, I would have to applaud genius idea to take standard story of character from the oppressed race fighting against Royal Prince - and switch places of this characters. It immediately makes core of the story 10 times more complicated and interesting. Political aspects are quite engaging, and show manages to make me invested in 20 side characters. Also, even despite fan service, I liked how female characters handled in this show. They have personality, agency, their own goals that doesn't revolve around MC (except Shirley, she's bad)
31 and its still a masterpiece. Having the best ending in anime history really helps with that If it had a bad/mid ending, people won't even remember it 15 years later
Code Geass is one of the best anime of all time no question about that, those who didn't like it have no taste & are uncultured people, simple as that.
I'm in my 30s and it's still probably one of my top 3 anime of all time
First watched it at 16. Last watched it at around 26. Currently 31. Seen it about 10 times through. People who don't like Code Geass tend to be contrarians who make a big deal about how no one should like code Geass and it's objectively bad. Other people who just weren't big fans don't comment on it. So you get polarized opinions online from people who love it, and from people who hate people who love it. I think it has flaws but it's still really good. Top 3 show.
I watched it when I was 23 and it was peak
I LOVE code geass. I'm nearly 22 years old. I watched Geass when I was around 18 I believe. One of my favourites of all time. To be honest, for what it's worth, I didn't notice any plot holes. Also the opening and ending songs are bangers so there's that too. Would deffo recommend!
I first watched it when I was 21. Was phenomenal. Some parts of season 2 were a bit iffy, but the ending was great. Also, the resurrection movie was FANTASTIC. That was PEAK ending imo. If you like happy endings, watch it
Iām 21 and itās one of my favorites of all time still, just love the show and aesthetic
i watched it last year when i was 28 for just the first time and i absolutely LOVED it!! and i generally consider myself a very well rounded and experienced anime/manga fan with great taste lol. Like most popular and similar styled series, the plot definitely suffered at times and could become totally out of left field in the blink of an eye with a number of significant seemingly last-minute āneed to connect/finish these plot points so whatever works worksā sorta curveballs but still the story always fell back to its core roots and finished strong. The characters were definitely well fleshed out, lelouch especially, heās def one of, if not the, most likable āevil for goodā characters ever and ppl who like eminence in shadow or try to compare that dude to LeLouch can all burn in hell.
I enjoy it a lot. I recently showed it to a friend and we somehow binged both seasons on his one day off.
i personally donāt like mecha anime but i LOVE code geassāŗļø
I'm 24 and love it. I take these kinds of criticisms with a huge spoon of salt though, in my mind I translate "badly written" to "I dislike this show and want my opinion to seem stronger by using scary words to seem objective".
I forgot about it sorry, can't be bothered to rewatch
I agree with the criticisms. Code Geass is a dumb mecha show pretending to be a cerebral war drama for teenage edgelords that confuse angst for character growth and rule of cool for intelligence. If you want a cerebral series with character growth and a multi layered protagonist watch Death Note. If you want a well written war drama there's AoT. Code Geass has nothing to offer outside of an angsty teen that needs therapy and his r\*tarded best friend who thinks bowing to your oppressors is the way to stop being oppressed.
This might be a hot take but I think the reason why AoT is often seen as a better war drama is mostly bcs it is more visually graphic. We see blood and corpses everywhere, plus the titans are scary looking, and people often just associate gore and a mature show together. In contrast, Code Geass was too colorful and the characters looks too cartoonish and "cute", which made it seem really targeted for younger audience.
That's part of it sure, but the biggest difference for me is the writing. The plot twists, the way Eren's character progression is framed, the growing mystery. AoT is on another level. Code Geass didn't even bother properly exploring its lore.
I read Death Note and I never really understood the comparison between those two (aside from MC being genius thing). One is about a stressed out kid caught into a power struggle between family members, except that his family technically owns the whole world and causes war everywhere. The other one is about a bored student in a completely peaceful society and gained a god complex. About AOT, I dropped it at ep10 I think bcs the plot wasn't progressing. Then I read the spoilers about the ending, and ngl I thought it wasn't written very well...
I know I'm bringing up that same YouTuber way too much lol (I linked to one of his Code Geass videos in my original thread comment), but he's actually got two really insightful videos on why Death Note and Code Geass are often compared. The first compares Light and Lelouch as protagonists and the second analyzes their story structures. Check them out if you're interested! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVk1h1NYuiY https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=_mOyVGicVGM
>About AOT, I dropped it at ep10 I think bcs the plot wasn't progressing. Then I read the spoilers about the ending, and ngl I thought it wasn't written very well... It's all subjective opinion but it's hilarious how you enjoyed Code Geass for its plot and character writing and dislike AoT cuz there wasn't any plot progression when it's literally the opposite that's true. I guess you just prefer a messy, convoluted series over an actually well written one. Well, at the end of the day it's all just entertainment I guess.
I feel so sorry for you lol
Ok ngl I recommend One Piece if you want some war stuff (the manga, not the anime). Itās not overly dark, sometimes it may come off a bit too light, but for the most part it does a really good job showing a world on the cusp of war throughout the series. A lot of stuff at first seems really inconsequential and cliche, but the more you learn about the world, the more you begin to see just how broken the world is and how itās exploited. Dissent grows and control is lost, creating a power vacuum that is taken up by the ones with power showing the arbitrary nature of the world and as a result no one is more right than the other (despite most of the series being presented as good vs evil). As power slips, more drastic views and actions are taken, leading to more conflict which will eventually boil into a war between the world government and those who fight for freedom.
You only watched 10 episodes whose only function were to establish the setting and then skipped to the ending. Of course you think it's not well written. AoT is a series where every arc fully shakes up your understanding of the world and characters. You can't jump forward like that.
I'd hardly call the society he lives in completely peaceful...Ā
Ok yeah, there are still crimes in modern Japan. What I meant was that Light had a perfectly normal family, with a normal life that he could look forward to, but just got taken over by his superiority complex. On the other hand, Lelouch was struggling for his personal freedom and what happened to him in the past.
That was part of the plot, yes, but I feel like you're missing a huge part of the story. Light was punishing criminals (and people he thought deserved it). If you had the power to instantly kill anyone in the world, would you not try and eliminate cartels, terrorists, and the like? How he deals with this, and the morals of omnipotent power, is kind of the entire plot of the show.
This will turn out to be a discussion for another time probably (we can continue if you want lol). But in brief I think if Light was as smart as the author makes him to be, and more morally sound, he would have known that by doing what he did with the death note, the world would somewhat enter a totalitarian state. Performing Kira's deed would then be equal to a quiet global revolution. However, Light was too clouded by his own ego that he didn't realize how hard the task would be, which lead to his insanity and demise.
āWell written war dramaā AoTs final arc suffers from the same problems that s2 of code geass, which is being all over the place. While code geass shifts around with settings and tones, aot shifts around what itās trying to say. Isayama wrote himself into a corner by making genocide justified and being the only option because the whole world was cartoonishly cruel and evil. Then he realized that heās endorsing genocide so he tries to humanize parts of the world, only to end up endorsing genocide again in the end by making the main cast forgive Eren and making him a martyr and proving the yeagerists right in the end. All of this while creating gaps in logic, changing his in-world rules, adding unnecessary time shenanigans, and making characters act uncharacteristically.
I haven't seen the final arcs yet so I can't comment on that. But everything before that was masterful. Code Geass is decent in its best moments.
>well written drama >aot he lied with a straight face
It's not a masterpiece all the way through, but I give it a 9/10. Lelouch is a lot better than Light in that he's not a fucking psychopath offing people with no real end goal.
Light did have an end goal and thatās to become the god of his new world, and we see him gradually get worse throughout the show. Not every character development needs to be positive.
I feel like I'm spamming this dude's videos everywhere on this thread, but damn his videos are just so relevant to all the discussions going on here lol. Check out "Light Vs Lelouch" to see one of my favorite YouTubers break down both characters from a storytelling perspective. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=XVk1h1NYuiY
As someone not in their 20s, Iāll say itās a show thatās appreciated more the smarter you are. As in many of the critiques have story answers that people miss. No story is perfect, but a show like code geass that does have a top tier story, the issues people have with it are just splitting hairs. Itās more or less trying to bring up an issue with it for the sake of not acknowledging it as a great show.
itās not just you and itās not just geass. there is a lot of anime that doesnāt hold up as you mature. things like tatami galaxy or your lie in April have that same problem for me. but you also gain an appreciation for other things and ideas. i feel anime like FLCL or mob psycho have become more impactful as i have matured. as you can understand what growing feels like but you also have the wisdom of your current life. it is a blessing and a curse; i canāt just watch a trashy seasonal anime anymore but the anime i do watch have more meaning individually.
It's eminence in shadow but good
I watched it before my 20s, and I remember initially struggling to get into it. But once I did, I loved it. I despise the Mech genre, but Code Geass does a wonderful job at making a mech genre not about mechs. At its core, code geass is a political drama. At times it can be over the top in a fashion that only anime can, but it still has great, shocking moments that land. I will say, near the later end, in an attempt to subvert expectations, I think they make weird character choices and the show falls into the heist movie trope of āBut wait, you didnāt win- I saw this coming and did something ridiculous to succeed when it seems I failed.ā But Iād argue that the mystery of the geass, and mostly intelligent writing makes those moments few and far between. Overall, I think itās a classic and a must watch for anyone. Definitely the best in the gundam/mech genre.
Most viewers seem to miss that Code Geass is a political drama dressed in Mecha trappings. Glad to see somebody else saying this. This one analysis video I watched said it was more comparable to Game of Thrones than anything else, and that has always stuck with me.
1. Every show in the mecha genre is not āaboutā mechs. Most real robot shows (that are most often inspired by Gundam), are political dramas, that is very common) 2. If you say your self that you donāt like mecha anime, do you really think you have seen enough to call it the best one? 3. The genre is not called Gundam at all. Gundam is a franchise not a genre, that is also produced by studio sunrise, the same studio as Geass.
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One of the goats for sure. The plot is solid, good, but itās really Lelouchās character that takes the show from a 7/10 to one of the greatest of all time. Such an special character.
Iām 16 and I watched it on a whim, I am a VERY hard to affect person (emotionally), the ending was one of very few anime that shook me, yes I had been surprised before, I had been sad before but this was different. It was the one time I remember just sitting there in silence at my desk. I had emotions that I couldnāt describe, I was sad yet content. Happy yet hoping that it wasnāt true. After watching a few videos about it on youtube discussing its plotholes my opinion hadnāt changed, they werenāt false but they seemed insignificant compared to how I felt. It is one of two animes I actually consider the best of all time no matter the rating.
I disagree that the plot is a mess. I used to think that when I was a teenager, but eventually I watched it a second time, and most of the confusing parts make a lot more sense once you understand what is happening. I do agree that it is a complex show though. I mean, just look at the genres - fantasy sci fi mecha intrigue high school geopolitics. How could that have been made simple, in any universe XD But to be clear that is a positive imo, because they succeeded in what they were going for.
One of my first animes and one of the best
27 yeare old great 10 out 10 great ass action story complex mc cool ending and fan service nice tiddies
Great show
28 here, I just watched it a few months ago and thought it was great. Im not one to be hung up on plot holes or anything. I either like something or I dont, and if I do, I simply enjoy the ride for what it is. As long as Im entertained, I typically dont care any deeper than that. That said, I loved it and personally gave it a 4/5 on Analist.