Code Geass: Akito the Exiled

Code Geass: Akito The Exiled (コードギアス 亡国のアキト) Code Geass Bōukoku no Akito (The Ruined Land of Akito) is an upcoming OVA. It was officially announced in the bonus materials of Code Geass: The Miraculous Birthday. The new series is directed by Kazuki Akane (Tenkuu no Escaflowne, Noein: Mou Hitori no Kimi e) and once again features original character designs by CLAMP.

Overview
The side story takes place in 2017 a.t.b., around the time Lelouch took on the alter-ego “Zero” and built up his “Black Knights” rebellion army. The setting is in Europe, where the Euro Universe (E.U.) allied nations are being invaded by the overwhelming forces of the Holy Britannian Empire. On the verge of defeat, the E.U. army forms a special division known as “W-0″, of which a young pilot named Akito Hyuga is a member. Layla Malkal, a former Britannian Aristocrat comes to the E.U.'s aid, commanding the “Wyvern” Knightmare corps comprised of Japanese teenagers. They recklessly plunge into a battlefield, where the survival rate is extremely low, at about 5% only. They fight for their freedom, and for a "home" to which they can return. Thus begins their fight against the adult world.

Characters
Akito Hyuga has long blue hair, which is tied in a numerous amount of braids, and blue eyes, and is shown in promotional art wielding a katana with a white hilt and square guard. The only other known character thus far is a girl named Layla Malkal, who has very long, blonde hair and blue eyes.

Other Characters
Below are other characters that are believed to be part of the main cast.

Ryo Sayama is the leader of a particular group that opposes the Mafia.

Yukiya Naruse is a boy who belongs to Ryou's group.

Kosaka Ayano is a girl who is also in Ryou's group.

Knightmare Frame
The only other information concerning this series is the concept art of an unusual-looking Knightmare Frame, whose appearance suggests Sixth-Generation or later. The Knightmare Frame is piloted by Akito and is a special operation unit that was originally developed in the EU. Akira Yasuda is also returning to design the mechanical Knightmare units. The knightmare frame's name has been confirmed to be "Alexander".

Staff
Original: Sunrise, Ichirō Ōkouchi, Goro Taniguchi

Director: Kazuki Akane

Screenplay: Kazuki Akane, Yoshinari Asakawa

Configuration Cooperation: Shigeru Morita

Original Character Design: CLAMP

Character Design: Takahiro Kimura

Chief Animation Director: Shuichi Shimamura

Knightmare Draft Design: Akira Yasuda

Mecha Design: Kenji Teraoka, Takumi Sakura, Takashi Miyamoto, Astray's

Code Geass Animation Director: Eiji Inomoto

Color Scheme: Kumiko Nakayama

Art Director: Takeshi Satou

Art Set: Kazushige Kanehira

Music: Ichiko Hashimoto

Theme Song: "More Than Words" (Composition by Yoko Kanno, Lyrics by Yuho Iwasato, Song by Maaya Sakamoto)

Voice Actors/Actresses
Miyu Irino: Akito Hyuga

Maaya Sakamoto: Layla Malkal

Release Date
On January 12th, 2012 it was officially announced that the first episode of Code Geass: Akito the Exiled is currently scheduled to be shown in ten Japanese theaters during early Summer 2012.

Trailer
thumb|300px|left|Code Geass: Akito the Exiled Trailer