Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch

In the year 2010, the Holy Empire of Britannia is establishing itself as a dominant military nation, starting with the conquest of Japan. Renamed to Area 11 after its swift defeat, Japan has seen significant resistance against these tyrants in an attempt to regain independence.

Lelouch Lamperouge, a Britannian student, unfortunately finds himself caught in a crossfire between the Britannian and the Area 11 rebel armed forces. He is able to escape, however, thanks to the timely appearance of a mysterious girl named C.C., who bestows upon him Geass, the "Power of Kings." Realizing the vast potential of his newfound "power of absolute obedience," Lelouch embarks upon a perilous journey as the masked vigilante known as Zero, leading a merciless onslaught against Britannia in order to get revenge once and for all.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Lamperouge, Lelouch Main

Fukuyama, Jun Japanese

C.C. Main

Yukana Japanese

Stadtfeld, Kallen Main

Koshimizu, Ami Japanese

Kururugi, Suzaku Main

Sakurai, Takahiro Japanese

Gottwald, Jeremiah Supporting

Narita, Ken Japanese

Fenette, Shirley Supporting

Orikasa, Fumiko Japanese

Asplund, Lloyd Supporting

Shiratori, Tetsu Japanese

li Britannia, Euphemia Supporting

Minami, Omi Japanese

li Britannia, Cornelia Supporting

Minagawa, Junko Japanese

Lamperouge, Nunnally Supporting

Nazuka, Kaori Japanese

Maseba, Yutaka Producer

Yukawa, Jun Producer

Morotomi, Hirofumi Producer

Taniguchi, Gorou Director, Storyboard, Original Creator

Reviews

Apr 3, 2025

Ksywa2341

Recommended

The S1 of Code Geass, I can't lie, started off as rather annoying to me, then turning into a very pleasant experience.
Had to go through way too much cringy-fanservice-stereotypical-anime-girl scenes (surprised that people even enjoy those) but it was worth it in the end, holy shoot.

It shows how, being driven by love and the urge to reign, one can change, then stuffs all that into a dynamic hero which Lulu is, while keeping it fun to watch - the unique artstyle is not becoming outdated even now in the mid 20's, but rather iconic.

The show could have ended here, though, and it would work ... out just fine.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Feb 8, 2025

bigeli2020

Mixed Feelings

**THIS REVIEW WILL SOLELY CONSIST OF MATERIAL FROM SEASON ONE**

Code Geass, is the “masterpiece” deemed by many for its stunning visuals and fights, amazing and compelling characters, and enticing storytelling. However, after my second watch of the show, I can affirm that all of that said is complete nonsense. Code Geass strikes a nerve within me, as while it is not a bad show by any means, it could have been dealt with way better. This is not a real professional review; I believe feelings play a huge part in rating and analyzing art mediums, but I will try to be objective and balanced. I ... have a lot to say about this show, but I will attempt to keep it to a minimum.

For a short synopsis: It begins with a boy named Lelouch Lamperouge, a student at a high school in occupied Japan, which is now renamed “Area 11” after falling to the hands of the Holy Britannian Empire. Lelouch caught amid a terrorist attack, is granted a power called Geass from the “weapon” the terrorists were trying to steal. Geass allows its users to make any person obey any command, no matter what. Using this newfound power, he aims to destroy the tyrannical empire.

First, I must address the issues surrounding the story. If you’re looking for a deep, well-written story, this is not the place to find it. Code Geass is littered with plot holes everywhere you look that unfortunately makes you sigh in disappointment. For instance, I was puzzled at the world building, which makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. “Britannia” does not control the British Isles at all, and is mainly composed of the entirety of the American continent. In that case, why not call it America or a name that makes more sense? There is a British monarch semblance in the show, but this is just a minor issue. There was an episode where Suzaku ran on a damn wall to knock down a machine turret. Or where a guy survives a whole firing squad and comes back the next episode. The worst thing is that most of these plot holes are attempted to be covered up with bullshit reasons that were obviously made on the spot by the authors to justify it. The point I am trying to make is that these are scattered throughout the story, which devalues your experience.

Code Geass also contains an excessive amount of plot devices. It is as if the authors didn’t know how to make a decent story and so decided to bring in new characters for the hell of it. Also, things happen way too much without explanation just for shock value and in an attempt to make itself more entertaining. This gets worse as the story progresses. Additionally, it couldn’t be more obvious that Lelouch was Zero. So, it is insufferable to see others question who he is. There are many more inconsistencies in the story, but I just want to highlight one. This show might contain the biggest ass pull of them that begins the climax. For spoiler reasons, I cannot tell what happened, but this Deus Ex Machina was simply laughable and made me want to cry tears of dissatisfaction.

I would like to praise Code Geass for its fun pacing and that it is extremely easy to binge-watch. Some cliffhangers will leave you rushing to the ‘next episode’ button. And that’s about it. I don’t know how it particularly does it, but behind all the story flaws, it is very enjoyable. I believe the premise of “good guy brings down unstoppable force” is just a very good cliché that I always enjoy watching. There will always be plenty of action and tension to keep the scene dramatic and thrilling. Furthermore, there is great dialogue and compelling themes. There are plenty of thought-provoking scenes that make you question the ideals or understand the better of characters. The animation and art for Code Geass are extremely impressive. This is probably, or if not, Sunrise’s best work. The animation is extremely fluid and consistent with solid backgrounds. The fight scenes were always remarkable.

Now, for the characters of Code Geass. Some characters were well-written, but most were lacking in interest. Lelouch is an amazing character and is highly regarded in the anime community. Out of all the bad writing, he and his companion C.C. have great storylines. Others like Kalleen also intrigued me, but the show failed to develop these characters. The main problem with the characters is that most are boring because they are there to only serve the plot. If that is the case and your plot is also average at best, your characters will be average at best. For instance, Suzaku is the nemesis of Lelouch, even though their ideologies are different, they shouldn’t be. Suzaku’s reason for not joining Lelouch is because it isn’t “peaceful.” Hypocritically, he is a soldier. Who kills people? Bad writing at its finest. They try to reason for this, but deep down you know it is just another bullshit reason.

Personally, in both of my experiences, I watched the dub version of this show. It was very enjoyable, and the actor who voices Lelouch does a great job at bettering his character. The rest of the characters have stereotypical dub voices, though I do very much enjoy Lloyd’s voice acting. The background music is unique, (maybe a little overboard), but enjoyable, nonetheless. The first opening, “COLORS,” is one of the most well-known in anime history, and it maddens me they didn’t keep it for long. After that, many of the openings are very forgettable and boring. For endings, nothing much to say but fine.

Finally, it is time for enjoyment. Despite all of its flaws, I did heavily enjoy the first season of Code Geass. It’s fast-paced and easy to watch, so I guess from that point the show is good. It’s highly rated and well-liked for ages for a reason. Not only that, but it has tons of rewatching values and drama to keep you on edge. It mixes genres pretty well and takes inspiration from lots of anime. (In my opinion, it gets a teensy bit dull, but that fresh take is pleasant.) In conclusion, Code Geass is an enjoyable experience but lacks depth in characters and a well-written plot to make it a truly great anime.

STORY: 5/10
ART: 9/10
SOUND: 7/10
CHARACTERS: 6/10
ENJOYMENT: 9/10
OVERALL:

Reviewer’s Rating: 7

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Oct 24, 2023

deadlyspawn

Not Recommended

Funny

So... this show is like Death Note; you'll expect so much because of the hype and be like... meh. With a main characters' name which translates from French to English into The-suspicious Red-lamp... meh.

It didn't feel like a waste of time; I just preferred Cross Ange, which I found to be a pretty close similarity as far as story type goes. What is supposed to be intense, falls flat compared to other shows that did similar things in my opinion.

Basically I don't recommend it; yet, if you choose to watch it... it's not trash. Restored my rating system to default so I ... gave it a 5, average is fair.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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