Knights Of The Round Code Geass
One day Lelouch, an exiled prince, finds himself in the middle of an ongoing conflict of the nation. However, at that moment he stumbles upon a mysterious girl named CC who gives him the power of Geass. It is an ocular power that enables Lelouch to command anyone just by looking into their eyes and that person is forced to follow his orders. Lelouch realizes that he can finally change the world with this power and decides to fight back against the Britannian Empire. This is the premise of Code Geass. It is not often you get to see such captivating plot in an anime. In terms of depth of plot very few anime can actually rival Code Geass.
There is no pacing issue. The show gets you hooked from the word go and till the end it is simply a roller coaster ride. It is nearly impossible to predict what is gonna happen next unless you have seen it once already. On top of that the psychological mind games between the main characters of the show is absolutely a treat. The suspense, thrills and the mystery Code Geass has to offer is on a completely different level. Even, masterpiece is an understatement. Code Geass has a massive set of characters.
They all have important roles to play in the context of the plot. Some are more important some are less. But nonetheless these characters are amazing. Lelouch is the main protagonist.
He is smart, he is calm, he is manipulative and obviously an excellent planner.“Someone needs to get their hand dirty to make this world a better place”Probably this one line completely sums up his characters. While his motive to use the Geass was noble and commendable but he is willing to go to any length to achieve his goal. He is one of the best protagonists I have come across. CC is the mysterious girl Lelouch encountered just before getting his Geass. She is one of the prime female leads of the series.
Kallen is another important female character. She has a dual personality. I can’t give more details without giving spoilers. Suzaku is the childhood friend of Lelouch and the son of Japan’s last prime minister. He is also one of the best Nightmare (Mecha Robot) pilots of the Britannian Empire.
He is Lelouches arch nemesis and his best friend. Suzaku plays a very big role in the anime. All characters more or less have shown decent development throughout the course of the seriesHere are some notable characters from the anime.
Name: Lelouche Vi BritanniaAlso Known As: Lelouch Lamperouge/Zero/Black PrinceGender: MaleAge: 18 YearsAfilliations: The Black KnightsNationality: BritannianLelouch vi Britannia is the protagonist and antihero of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, 17 years old (18 at R2). After he was exiled he used the alias, Lelouch Lamperouge. He is the Eleventh Prince of the Holy Britannian Empire and the son of the 98th Emperor of Britannia, Charles zi Britannia. He is the leader of the Black Knights which makes him the real identity of Zero.Lelouch is a highly intelligent individual who is also calm, sophisticated, and arrogant due to his aristocratic upbringing.
While at school, Lelouch conducts himself as a sociable, likeable, and often easy going student. However, in reality, this is a mask to hide his true nature.
While as Zero his true nature is expressed. His charisma and beliefs in justice gain him the trust and respect of many soldiers and leaders.Lelouch is known for having a very stoic personality. He never cared about schoolwork, seeing the entire thing as trivial, even though his intellect would make it easy for him. At one point, Shirley stated that if Lelouch applied himself in school, he could get high grades. He enjoys seeking out challenges, often playing chess against nobility. In general, Lelouch takes most day-to-day affairs with open disinterest, often not even noticing the affection of others, especially Shirley, his fellow classmate.
He has a strong dislike for nobles, viewing them as tepid and “over privileged parasites.”In battle, Lelouch is very cold and tactical, he is willing to sacrifice anyone, civilians and military alike, if that is what it takes to achieve the objective. During a landslide, he wiped out many of the enemy forces, and indirectly, several civilian casualties. Lelouch put it off as a simple “mathematical overestimation.” It should be noted that he questioned himself when Shirley said that the incident claimed her father’s life, but thanks to C.C., Lelouch is resolved to harden his heart against any more bloodshed. He also saw no problem with collapsing a large portion of Tokyo, resulting in countless military and civilian casualties. Name: C.C.Also Known As: C2/Zero’s MistressGender: FemaleNationality: BritishAffiliations: The Dark KnighsC.C., is the tritagonist of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.
Code Geass Dorothea
Is not her real name; she involuntarily reveals her real name to Lelouch in her sleep, but it is muted so the viewers cannot hear it.She is shown to show little emotion throughout most of each season and she is apathetic to most. However, she does express some emotions later in the first season and at several points in the second when in the presence of Lelouch. When she locks her memories away, she regresses to how she was hundreds of years ago, fearful and open.
However, when she regains her memories, her personality reverts too. Name: Suzaku KururugiAlso Known As: The White KnightGender: MaleAge: 18 YearsNationality: JapaneseAffiliations: Britannian Military/Knights of the RoundSuzaku Kururugi, is the deuteragonist of the Sunrise anime series Code Geass. He is the son of the former Japanese prime minister. His father was also the last prime minister of free Japan.According to Lelouch, prior to the Britannian invasion of Japan, Suzaku was somewhat selfish, rarely putting others before himself. He also acted in a rather bratty manner when he first met Lelouch, beating Lelouch up and bullying him.After Japan was conquered and Suzaku killed his father, Suzaku’s personality was significantly changed.
He dedicated his cause to not endorse terrorism or rebellion, which he believed would only result in pointless killing. Suzaku held a more positive outlook on Britannia, believing that it could be changed for the better. He also held a strong sense of loyalty, never questioning the orders of his superiors. Despite that, he was shown to be willing to stab them in the back if necessary. Suzaku also wished to take responsibility for his actions, and his ultimate goal was to atone for the killing of his father.After Euphemia’s death, Suzaku developed a firm resolve to kill Zero and, by extension, Lelouch. He considered Zero to be an evil, immoral individual who was only focused on results and cared nothing for innocent lives. Suzaku twice rejected Zero’s offer to join him, even when Zero held him at gunpoint.
Later Suzaku would continue honoring Euphemia’s memory by continuing his quest to change within by becoming the Knight Of One so that people would no longer support Zero. He also held a quill and customized his Lancelot’s shield with a Knight Of Honor as a result.
Suzaku was driven towards becoming the Knight Of One as a way to change Japan so that Zero will one day be no longer needed. Suzaku was shown as a corrupt individual whose goal is to change Britannia from within for peace, as opposed to Lelouch’s change for realism. Name: Kallen KōzukiAlso Known As: Kallen Stadtfeld/Q-1Gender: FemaleAge: 17 YearsNationality: Britannian-JapaneseAffiliations: The Black KnightsKallen Kōzuki is one of the main characters featured in Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. She is officially known as Kallen Stadtfeld, and goes by this name at school, but prefers her mother’s maiden Japanese name during her revolutionary activities.Kallen has been shown to have a rebellious personality as she is strong-willed, short-tempered, impulsive, forceful and quite feisty.
Despite her tough attitude Kallen is actually quite sensitive and gentle, however after the death of her brother she doesn’t show this side much any more.At Ashford Academy, Kallen is forced to hide her identity; to avoid suspicion, she changes her hairstyle and her personality as well. Whereas normally Kallen is powerful, confident, willful, and Japanese-favoring, at school she is a milquetoast, withdrawn ill girl who doesn’t speak up very much. In spite of this, she is welcomed fondly into the Student Council, which becomes a significant factor in her character development.In battle, Kallen is aggressive, often ruthless, and opportunistic; her code name, Q-1, is arguably a shortened version of the “Queen” on a chessboard, the strongest piece in a chess game. She is very confident in her abilities and her Knightmare piloting capabilities, and rightly so – her Guren arguably annihilated most of Cornelia’s forces during the Battle of Narita. However, despite being one of the very best pilots in the series, if not the very best, she is not indestructible; as shown by her eventual capture in R2. Name: Euphemia Li BritanniaAlso Known As: Euphie/Massacre PrincessGender: FemaleAge: 16 YearsNationality: BritannianAffiliations: Holy Britannian EmpireEuphemia li Britannia, 16 years old, is the Third Princess of the Britannian Imperial Family, Euphemia is Lelouch vi Britannia’s half-sister and the sister he cares most about after Nunnally. Euphemia is the Sub-Viceroy of Area 11, a role she admittedly does not enjoy.
Name: Schneizel El BritanniaAlso Known As: White PrinceGender: MaleAge: 27 YearsNationality: BritannianAffiliations: Holy Britannian EmpireSchneizel el Britannia is the Second Prince of the Britannian Imperial Family and the Prime Minister of the Holy Britannian Empire. He is a strategist on par with Lelouch, and the only person Lelouch was unable to beat in chess as a child. Charismatic and manipulative, cunning and ruthless, Schneizel serves as one of the primary antagonists of the series, more specifically during the second season.Schneizel is charismatic and calculating, able to form complex strategies that can match even Lelouch’s. Despite this, he shows a caring side to his subordinates, earning their respect and loyalty. His hierarchy in the Britannian family gives him great power and influence; though he does have ambitions for the throne, a fact the Emperor seems aware of but not concerned.
Name: Cornelia Li BritanniaAlso Known As: Witch of Britannia/Goddess of VictoryGender: FemaleAge: 27 YearsNationality: BritannianAffiliations: Holy Britannian EmpireCornelia li Britannia is the second princess of the Britannian Imperial Family and is Lelouch’s half-sister. She is extremely skilled in Knightmare Frame combat and completed the establishment of Area 18 shortly before arriving in Area 11. She serves as one of the main antagonists during the first season, but later becomes a neutral character during the second.Cornelia is the Chief General of the Imperial Army and goes to Area 11 to apprehend Clovis’ murderer, the mysterious Zero, as well as avenging Lelouch and Nunnally by putting an end to the conflict there. This loss of the three siblings seems to be the source of her distrust toward foreigners and Honorary Britannians, even though she finds out during the Black Rebellion that Clovis’ murderer is Britannian.
She pilots a customized Gloucester Knightmare Frame and has her own circle of devoted officers. After Clovis’ death, Cornelia becomes the new Governor-General of Area 11.She displays an extremely cold-blooded exterior, dismissing anyone she feels is opposing Britannia. She constantly refuses to accept change, none the less, she deeply cares for the lives of her soldiers especially her Knight Guilford. During the second season she has been shown to have kept her ruthless demeanor but now fights to avenge her younger sister and clear her name. The visuals are good for the time. It may not be top of the line but it is definitely good.
The details are great and the colors are likewise. Bright vibrant colors really brought out the life in the animation. The character designs are thin and slender and not like the norm. The reason behind it is that the characters were designed by CLAMP. They added their signature animation style to the design. The fight scenes may not have been executed with perfection. Overall sunrise studios did a decent job but there is always room left for work.Here are some screenshots from the anime.
The audio department is really good. I still remember the 1st opening theme of Code Geass R1, “Colors” by FLOW.
I loved that song. The bass line of the 2nd opening theme, “Kaidoku Funo” by “Jinn” is to die for. The background scores were good too and went well with the accompanying scenes. My most favorite soundtrack of the show is the very last soundtrack that is played at the very last scenes of the anime, “Continued Story” by Hitomi Kuroishi.
Code Geass Oz
That soundtrack alone is enough to bring you to tears. Overall the sound department was very good.