Forum - View topicEP. REVIEW: Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture
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Silver Kirin
Posts: 1143 |
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I think many people would agree that Code Geass was never meant to last more its original two seasons run, the series told a complete story, like most of Sunrise's non-Gundam Real Robot shows, though I'd say that the show's lore had enough potential to make various spin-offs, especiallyif the writers were willing to explore some of the unanswered questions, like the origin of the Geass and some other conflicts in other Areas. But we're back again at an opressed Japan, I mean, I get it that at the end of the day this is a Japanese show after all. It doesn't help that Lelouch's existence is the major driving force for Code Geass' plot, that's a reason why so many people don't want to see another CG show without him, I think that's also a reason why Akito of the Exiled wasn't very popular. It's not like a Gundam show were there can be another protagonist in each new show.
As for the first episode itself, I thought it was kind of decent overall, though some of your criticims kind of makes me think that Rozé kind of shares some of the same elements that affected the Star Wars sequels, your could say that from what we saw Neo Britannia is like the First Order, on one hand, I can understand why there could exist a new Brittannian Faction that would have rejected Zero's actions [to be fair, I always thought Lelouch's Zero Requiem plan didn't make any sense], but the fact that they manange to control a huge part of Japan raises so many questions. It does truly feel like a sort of remake of the original show. Regarding Rozé and Ash, I did like the twist at the end of the episode, but as you said, I kind of miss the moral ambiguity that the first series had. However, this show is a direct sequel to the compilation films, which I haven't seen, but from what I've seen it seems it changed a lot of plot points that kind of softened some of the main character actions. One major positive aspect I can give is that the animation is nice, especially in regards to the CGI animation on the Knightmare Frames, while not as detailed as the latest Gundam SEED movie, but to be fair this is more of an OVA, I think it looks better than some of the animation in Akito. I'm also happy that this is the first Code Geass anime to be dubbed into Neutral Spanish and the voice acting was pretty good, though being the first Geass project dubbed into that language, it had some minor translation errors, the translator mistook the vi in Lelouch's name for the roman numeral VI, so he was referred as Lelouch Sexto (Lelouch the Sixth), I hope they can fix that mistake. All in all, while I'd like to see something much more different from Code Geass, especially seeing how Bandai/Sunrise are seemingly trying to push it as a sort of second Gundam, I think I'll keep watching Rozé to see how things will turn. |
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jroa
Posts: 541 |
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It's interesting to compare and contrast the other two reviews available on ANN for the first couple of film releases of Roze of the Recapture, each chapter consisting of three episodes, with this new review of the first singular episode. Those previous reviews are definitely leaning positive, while this one is practically scathing in its cynicism.
Needless to say, Caitlin Moore and Richard Eisenbeis are obviously entirely different people with their own expectations, backgrounds and tastes, but I wanted to highlight that the release format might account for at least some of the gaps in terms of their respective reactions. Why? Because having access to more material allows the viewer to get more familiar with the new characters, premise and setting, thanks to the additional breathing room, learning new information and generally having more opportunities to settle in, rather than being ostensibly tempted to quickly extrapolate and make snap judgments right out of the gate. For instance, it's worth underlining that Neo Britannia's "empire" currently consists of a single island in the north of Japan, Hokkaido, and their forces seem rather limited. In other words, that's a far cry from Emperor Palpatine's massive hidden fleet in Exegol, which he somehow pulled out of nowhere at the end of the Star Wars sequels. Objectively, it's not particularly complicated to imagine that a bunch of die-hard Britannian loyalists would want to restore their old imperial ambitions, but so far they're more like glorified evil cosplayers rather than a true global power. In other words...I'd hardly call it a reset button in any meaningful way at the moment, other than purely thematically. Which is fair, as a subject matter-related criticism, but not a curse that automatically dooms this new anime series. Admittedly, there is a part of me that almost wants to agree with this reviewer's desire for a Code Geass project that relies on a different sort of lens and engages in an explicitly post-colonial examination. On paper, that would be a wonderful idea for a sequel or side story and I wouldn't be opposed to such an experiment in the future. Going back to the here and now, however...you know, I actually found the first episode of Roze of the Recapture to be rather entertaining. Of course, Gran and Greede are meant to be eminently disposable foes and super racist ones at that, but I don't have a problem with easily dispatching such enemies as cannon fodder at the start of a story. It's simply one possible way to establish the abilities of our protagonists and the very basics of the threat. Is the initial setup more or less familiar territory? Partially, but we're still only barely getting to know the context and introducing the main players. For me, the important part is going to be more about what comes next: whatever additional complications and complexities are going to be presented and developed over the next few episodes. With that in mind, I would argue that dismissing Roze as an uninteresting protagonist based only on the events of this episode seems awfully premature at best. What this reviewer calls a "goofy roundabout" command, in my opinion, does seem to suggest shades of a kinder, less cutthroat personality, compared to Lelouch's more bloodthirsty orders. So far, we know only a couple of things about the character, thus it's still a little too early to make sweeping statements about moral ambiguity and melodrama (or the lack thereof). As for Ash, I'd say that his curious interest in saving animals helps to humanize him and balance out his more professional, serious business attitude during combat. Speaking of which, I'd say that the best cinematography was primarily employed for the mecha action sequences. They look quite good, in my opinion, and I'm always very happy to see more ground combat in a Code Geass anime. |
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Fluwm
 Posts: 909 |
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Such a shame. Especially compared to the original anime's opening episode -- which I maintain is quite possibly the single best first episode of any anime, ever.
Okay, lots of funny lines in the review, but this one made me laugh the most. Is there any more hackneyed, overplayed, perpetually-parodied anime trope out there? Okay, maybe the whole late-for-school-bread-in-mouth-meet-cute thing, but I think the stray cats are a close second! I'm pretty sure that was being parodied back in the 90s (at least). |
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jroa
Posts: 541 |
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It's certainly awkward to note how these days if an anime that certain people like happens to use a given common trope or classic storytelling device, it's perfectly forgivable, purely nostalgic and not even worth highlighting, but...heaven help us if that same trope is used elsewhere in another show (or videogame, for that matter) that such individuals don't care for, because then it'll be mocked without mercy as overplayed or hackneyed. Opinions may always vary about any specific instance, absolutely, but the selective, subjective nature of this sort of criticism is hard to deny, because the wording of the complaint suggests the trope's very existence is an inherent problem, but that's not strictly true, in practice. |
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MFrontier
Posts: 11979 |
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I guess if you wanted a spinoff that resets things back to "factory settings" to entice a new audience, this is as close as you're going to get it...with a splinter faction of Britannian's who took over Hokkaido to form their own state where they can carry on abusing and demeaning the Japanese.
We've even got a Japanese resistance, complete with a very sexily dressed lady. It wouldn't be Code Geass without chess and Knightmare fights. They mention the Black Knights have failed to get in there twice, so I wonder if we'll see some old friends when they finally liberate Hokkaido? I was wondering why two Brittanians would go out of their way to fight for the Japanese against Neo Brittania, but they answered that pretty well by the end for Roze...while Ashe seems like a noble warrior who thinks Neo Brittania is acting dishonorably. I have to applaud the show for hiding the Roze/Sakuya reveal, I really did not expect it. So we've got a major Code Geass production with a female protagonist, albeit one cross-dressing in disguise, but it's still a black-haired noble out for revenge against Brittania albeit a bit more merciful and honorable about it than Lelouch. I like her so far. So Sakuya's Geass gives people the choice to follow her orders or basically die, it seems like the deciding factor is how much you value life versus your inability to act against your character. Really curious how she got her Geass. Sakuya has a twin sister, Saki, but the body double in prison isn't Saki but an identical best friend named Sakura. So three identical Japanese girls? So does Ashe not know about Sakuya? She was Roze again when they talked via communicator. It's kind of amazing if she's been able to keep the act up this whole time even if it means having to stuff all that hair into a wig 24/7. Ironic that Sakuya is working for her people but they don't 100% trust her because they think she's some Brittannian dude...but that doesn't matter to her, she'll still fight and do what she can to free her bestie! __________________ |
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AiddonValentine
Posts: 2250 |
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Shame. Plus with a serious lack of Norio Wakamoto, there is going to be an inevitable ham deficiency. |
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BlueAlf
 Posts: 1528 |
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For me, as bad as this series can be, it's still Code Geass.
So I'll be following this with the expectation that it couldn't be worse than Akito, which itself wasn't really that bad. Personally I thought Akito started out quite promising. Most of the time, my tastes are pretty close to Richard Eisenbeiss's too. |
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RevyHenriettaRider
 Posts: 90 |
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Hello!
I am looking forward to seeing what happens next on this new chapter of Code Geass. I really like the Code Geass world. I am interested in finding out more about situation with Sakuya in regards to Roze. I want to know the origin of Roze's Geass. I want to know more about her relationships to Ash and Sakura. I want to know the true situation with the Black Knights. I am hoping that characters from the past of Code Geass will come into play in the future. I believe that this new chapter has opened up a exciting new direction for the world of Code Geass. |
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BadNewsBlues
Posts: 6070 |
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[tires screeching] Oh god. |
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jroa
Posts: 541 |
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It's not even that complicated. They're only two people. None of them are named Saki either, so I'm not sure about what that person above saw. |
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tintor2
 Posts: 1910 |
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Five minutes into the new Code Geass and racism level is insane. I expect Frieza or Mr. Burns to pull this ridiculous level of crimes and get away with it
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all-tsun-and-no-dere
ANN Reviewer
Posts: 613 |
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Richard and I have very different taste in anime, which I have known ever since he wrote an article for Kotaku entitled "Sword Art Online Is the Smartest Anime I’ve Seen in Years." |
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