User:Nikolai the Second

I have finished both seasons. I think it had some great moments but the plot moved way too fast and left way too many unanswered quesitons. Also, a lot of things happen out of contrivance. (Unedited Initial thoughts on Code Geass:)

I laughed out loud at the first line of the show from Lelouch. It was so cliche that it must have been a parody. Luckily, Lelouch is a far more interesting character.

The first episode was pretty hectic. It throws a ton of information and characters at you one after another and it is hard to even understand what is going on, the relationship between the events onscreen, and everybodies name. I had to watch the episode twice. So far I am at episode 6 and I can only name Lelouch, Sazuku, Jeremiah, Milu, and C.C. They tried to introduce 11+ characters in the first episode alone. I didn't like it when FMA: Brotherhood did it and I don't like it when Code Geass does it.

Other than that Code Geass makes bold moves with its protagonist. Normally, anime protagonists are made as bland as possible with a generic motivation to make them as palatable to the masses as possible. *cough* *cough* Kirito. But Code Geass goes out of its way to tell us that Lelouch likes poker, chess, that he gets bad grades, that he wants to destroy Britannia, thinks nobles are "tepid", and he uncovers the limitations of his Geass very early. Additionally, Lelouch kills people which is fine for me but it turns people off.

Because of this, Sazuku is made the self-insert character. His morality is much closer to the mean and consequentially a lot less interesting. I am still interested in him though because he has been established as somebody who is willing to change the system from the inside, which is a far less glamorous way of achieving your goals which contrasts Lelouch's spectacle like when Lelouch rescued Sazuku from Jeremiah.

Code Geass is pretty heavy and dark. Ep 6, however, was pretty funny and relatable and because it is a consistent lighthearted tone. This makes Ep 6 the funniest episode of anime have have seen in a very long time.

Loose ends at the end of Code Geass

 * 1) What was the small risk of piloting the Lancelot?
 * 2) Milly has magic? Something about guts?
 * 3) The Villeta is a pure blood? how?
 * 4) What is a Ragnarok connection and thought elevator? We did not get enough exposition on this. There was way too much handwaving.
 * 5) All the Britannia have long legs. Is this a racist joke about Americans height?
 * 6) What is C.C.'s real name?
 * 7) How does Villeta get Amnesia from a gunshot wound to the stomach and then not bleed to death all night?
 * 8) How does Mao survive being shot multiple times but Shirley and Euphemia die from one gunshot?
 * 9) When playing Mao at chess, why doesn't Lelouch just press his hands down hard on his side of the scale?
 * 10) How does Villeta get her memory back?
 * 11) How was Charles able to surpress Lelouch's geass when Lelouch couldn't even turn it off?
 * 12) Why does Mao clap to use his Geass?

Lelouch's plan was stupid
Lelouch achieves World Peace and "the end of history" way to easily for my liking. Yes, the whole world hated Emperor Lelouch but that can't unite the world forever. When common enemies, like Emperor Lelouch and Hitler die and fade from memory, then alliances of convenience are tossed aside.

Code Geass expects me to believe that the Sunni and Shia muslims, Buddhists and Muslims in Burma, Whites and Blacks in Zimbabwe and South Africa will stop killing each other in large droves because they hate Lelouch even Centuries after the Zero Requiem.

If anything, the only thing that Lelouch made unpopular was a global empire. And a world that opposes a global empire will necessarily be divided and prone to geopolitical conflicts.

Even if Lelouch abolished all militaries, populations will still form militias and gangs that protect the community and fight other militias and gangs.

World peace in and of itself is very stagnant and rejects individual ambition almost as much as Emperor Charles' plan.

Lelouch's plan reeks of a "War to end all Wars". For those of you who don't know, WW1 was called "The War to end all Wars" and this noble end was used to justify some of the worst atrocities ever committed until WW2. Ironically, after WW1 ended it ignited a dozen other wars. Greco-Turkish War. Hungarian-Romanian War. Estonian War for Independence. Finnish Civil War. Russian Civil War. Polish War of Independence. Ukrainian War of Independence. Lithuanian War of Independence. Latvian War of Independence. Today, historians often poke fun at WW1 by calling it the "War to facilitate future Wars". I would give the Zero Requiem this title in a heartbeat.