Forum - View topic

REVIEW: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion DVD Part 3

Obviously to watch any cartoon and enjoy it there is a suspension of disbelief involved. But there is only so much a person can forgive before the show goes from "it's supposed to be that way" to it finally just plain bad. To answer your remark directly- I completely disagree that Geass has any realism by any definition of the word.

This review encompasses all of my feelings of the show. After each episode, I was always like, "That was so stupid! When does the next one come out?" It's a show where each individual piece seems doomed to fail, but when they all come together, it somehow strangely works.

For the most part, the series was horribly engrossing. I loved the character designs (Kallen in particular...haha) and how complex every character was. I loved how every episode (especially in R2) ended on a massive cliffhanger. I loved how the plot twists just seemed to come out of nowhere. But the one thing that probably mostly justified the series' place in my top three is the ending of R2.[/i]

I guess I never really could decide whether Code Geass wanted me to take it seriously or not. I think the first season was fairly consistent, and though a bit ridiculous at times, still fairly enjoyable. I'm all about being entertained after all.

R2 got to the point where I was simply watching to see just how stupid things could possibly get. It felt to me like they literally threw everything out the window with battles that turned into Shounen power-level fests (rather than strategic) and had characters doing things completely out of character simply because it was convenient for the scene and direction of the story. The ending was great and there's not much I'd change about that.

The series has always flirted with camp, particularly where Zero is concerned, but after Euphy's ill-fated peace talks, the show seems to dispense with foreplay altogether goes straight into having rowdy sex.

But, even at its most hysterical, and no matter how arduously it courts it, you can't honestly call the series camp. It's simply too good for that.

BleuVII wrote:

This review encompasses all of my feelings of the show. After each episode, I was always like, "That was so stupid! When does the next one come out?" It's a show where each individual piece seems doomed to fail, but when they all come together, it somehow strangely works.

My feelings exactly. I've heard the show as a whole, and particularly R2, described as a "train wreck," and I'll completely agree from a plotting standpoint, but that very quality is exactly what makes it so horrifically fun to watch. The plot twists and situations get more and more ridiculous, the characters are thrown into increasingly-farfetched situations, every single crazy event you could think of--and then a few you can't--winds up taking place at the drop of a hat, and all with a heavy dose of Goro Taniguchi's infamous flamenco horns blasting over top of it. There's just about no coherence or sensibility to be found, but the characters are pretty, the mechs are blowing up, and the story keeps racing along at breakneck speed. It's the very best type of mindless entertainment; if you can manage to switch your brain off and enjoy it for what it is, it has a whole ton of entertainment to deliver.

My biggest problem is that with the first season it was firmly in Taniguchi and Okouchi are making a serious anime.

Charred Knight wrote:

My biggest problem is that with the first season it was firmly in Taniguchi and Okouchi are making a serious anime.

With masked cats being chased around, women jumping out of windows, other women doing something else, Zero's ridiculous poses and over the top speeches, Pizza Hut sponsorship, school episodes, playful coincidences in dramatic moments and more?

I could say that the first season was more serious and more consistent, sure, but I think you're too..."absolute" with your statements, for lack of a better way to describe it. There was already more than enough material for gags and camp long before R2 ever came around. If you think that overwhelmed the show later, which I can only partially agree with, then fine, but don't pretend that wasn't there.

Lelouch wasn't any less likely to go into extravagant egocentric theatrics during the first season...nevermind that he never thought of himself as "God" either, but debating that would be missing the point, I know.

Also....don't insult the Adam West Batman by comparing it to Street Fighter The Movie.

Actually Code Geass R2 was the most consistent one, I can almost see this happening

Okouchi: Here's the new scripts
Taniguchi: Wait this scene between Charles, and Lelouch is serious
Okouchi: Its supposed to be
Taniguchi: well lets change this dramatic moment so that Charles is making a silly face to make it more comedic
Okouchi: Does everything have to have something comedic going on
Taniguchi: Yes, everytime something dramatic is going on we give someone a silly face to make it comedic. I told you this already.

Charred Knight wrote:

Actually Code Geass R2 was the most consistent one, I can almost see this happening Okouchi: Here's the new scripts Taniguchi: Wait this scene between Charles, and Lelouch is serious Okouchi: Its supposed to be Taniguchi: well lets change this dramatic moment so that Charles is making a silly face to make it more comedic Okouchi: Does everything have to have something comedic going on Taniguchi: Yes, everytime something dramatic is going on we give someone a silly face to make it comedic. I told you this already.

That dialogue made me chuckle, but I can only shrug...while I did find some of the more outrageous faces or costumes to be out of place or admittedly funny, they only rarely made me miss the point of a scene or made it dramatically useless.

While I was watching, that is. It's much, much easier to laugh at something when someone else is pointing out how "funny" it's supposed to be on a forum, with motivators and the like.

Makes you wonder how funny something really is when it's not out of context...but I guess that also depends on your sense of humor, how much you're willing to tolerate or how much you're into the show and the characters in the first place. Maybe all of the above.

Then again, I'm the sort of guy who can take the ending of Death Note entirely seriously even with all the strange contortions and spoiler["swimming lessons"] involved. The same thing goes for Higurashi and its distorted facial expressions that give Code Geass way more than a run for its money in that category, since the show gets that much darker while also having lots of comedic relief.

Oh, I almost feel like replying to that, but I'm afraid this would go too off-topic too soon if I did.