Leaving the theater after watching Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture's final chapter, I couldn't help but feel disappointed—not at what I watched exactly but because of what could have, and perhaps should have, been.

Let's break it down. I have no problem with what happens in Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture; no problem with who is involved; no problem with why things happen as they do. My problem is how everything happens. To be clear, I don't mean this in an in-universe sense but in a metatextual one.

A common complaint I've leveled against many anime over the years is that they don't leave room for the audience to breathe. Rozé of the Recapture is like a case study, especially in this final chapter. This fourth movie has big, emotional moments—scenes of danger and tragedy, brilliance and triumph. However, none of these have any time to resonate with the audience. No sooner has a big moment happened than we're already sprinting off to the next.

This includes everything from what should be major fight scenes to the deaths of important characters. They don't have the impact they should. It's to the point where I would be utterly shocked if Rozé of the Recapture wasn't originally designed with a 24-episode runtime in mind. Everything seems to point in that direction on a narrative and structural level. And I am deeply saddened that we'll likely never see that version of this story.

After all, Ash and Sakuya make for a great pair of lead characters—and their character arcs are fantastic in concept if not in actualization. Ash's life has been one of tragedy and betrayal—a struggle to find something to believe in. In this film, he finally finds that in Sakuya. He can come to trust her on a frankly terrifying level—a point where he is willing to give up what makes him who he is if that is needed to get his revenge, protect Sakuya, and save the world.

Meanwhile, Sakuya has been constantly torn between her need to rescue her childhood friend, get revenge for her father's death, and do what is needed for the people she's supposed to be ruling over. Her experiences with Ash and during her capture have shown her that her use of her geass has been irresponsible at best, downright evil at worst. Many people have died due to her thoughtless use of her powers. She should have treated it as her last option, not her first. Yet, even during this film, she continues to use it when the chips are down—leaving her in a state where she fundamentally does not trust herself not to use it going forward.

She is not like Lelouch, who can keep using it for the supposed greater good. Nor is she as noble as Leila, able to keep herself from using it through willpower alone. So, she comes up with a third option—one that shows her conviction to do better going forward, both as a person and a ruler. All in all, hers really is a fantastic arc—and one that still shines through despite the rushed nature of the storytelling.

Likewise, the climatic threat we get in this film is decent and does an admirable job of solving the “Superman problem.” Basically, in the world of Code Geass, it's hard to believe that any pilots left could rival Kallen and Suzaku. So how do you neutralize them as a threat? Attack the world as a whole. As powerful as they are, they can only be in one place at a time—and each has things they would be naturally drawn to protect.

And this doesn't just apply to them. While all our past heroes from the various Code Geass anime and manga can fight against the genocidal machines they face and come out on top, that doesn't mean that normal people—even soldiers—can. Because of this, there are real stakes and tension to the crisis (even if the logistics behind it—i.e., the secret manufacture of hundreds of thousands of death machines—is frankly laughable).

The biggest positive for this film is the final mecha battle. Perhaps the only thing in this movie that gets the time it needs to work well. Better still, it's a fight that is as intellectual as it is physical—with Ash and Sakuya needing to use both their talents to the max to seize victory.

It looks great, too—and this is true of the film as a whole. As with all the previous chapters, the visuals are solid throughout. The music is also up to the standards of the past films—though it missed out by not using the opening theme in the final battle. That song continues to be an awesome earworm, and I didn't mind hearing it three times in the theater while watching it, especially with the subtle changes to the opening animation after the big story was revealed.

In the end, I have complex feelings about Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture as a whole. I loved my time with Ash and Sakuya and enjoyed their story immensely. I genuinely feel that it makes the entire anime worth watching. However, that doesn't mean that the anime as a whole is a good one. The pacing issues are just so egregious, especially here at the end, that they hinder not only the story but everything else as well. Only a few of the supporting cast get anything that could be considered an arc—and even those that do get only the most basic development. At the same time, numerous plot issues could have been easily addressed if there had been time. But when it comes down to it, this is what we're left with: an often enjoyable but regretfully flawed sequel to one of the 2000s' most seminal anime.