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ローゼンメイデン 
September 28, 2008 | 
136 Comments
I have to admit that I don't hate this one. Sunrise could have ended the series in an over-the-top manner but they chose to go with a more mellow resolution. A resolution that really gives a lot of credence to Lelouch as the main protagonist of the series and I appreciate that in a series. I see that a lot of people are in rage over his death but this is the only way his plan can work. Unfortunately a lot of details have been ignored to facilitate this ending. I can definitely use a lot more closing on several supporting characters, especially C.C. I also think that at the end of the series, we still didn't get a complete resolution of Britannia vs. Japan conflict although I assume with Nunnally in charge, things will change for the better. I'll talk more about that after the cut but in general, I feel that the episode left a better impression of the series for me than otherwise it'd have been. I feel that this is the reverse of Mai Hime, where the ending made me completely disgusted for that series. I don't think I'll ever list either series as one of my favorite series but at least with Geass, they don't squander Lelouch's character development for some over-the-top joke or complete reset of what he's done so far.
September 21, 2008 | 57 Comments
In this episode, Nunnally tries to smoke some bong but fails miserably when said bong got knocked out of her hands. She spends the majority of the episode on the ground looking for the bong. There's a lesson here: doing drugs does not pay. One has to admire Sunrise for being able to include an anti-drug message on top of the political shenanigans that this show has on offers. We also find out that not only Cornelia didn't die on last week's episode, she finds herself wake up next to dark-haired Guilford. Guilford is a proof that you can survive a nuclear warhead unscathed. One would think that Guilford should at least look like Two-Face by now but apart from his eyes (which will probably heal in the final episode), his skin is perfectly fine. So next time there's a warhead coming your way, according to Sunrise you'll be a-okay. Another important lesson that Sunrise teach us is that if you hate your brother, don't kill him. Instead, make him your bitch. And oh, Diethard dies like a nobody that he is while Kanon looks like he's been raped by someone whose name is not Schneizel.
September 14, 2008 | 78 Comments
There is actually an interesting underlying issue that this series could have explored a bit more but the chances that it can do that now is pretty slim since we only have two more episodes left. And knowing the writers, they'll probably prefer more fight scenes than insightful commentary on the state of humanity. The show also seems to have lost some steam when it comes to delivering surprises, which is unfortunate because that's what they do best in this one. The sudden death of Cornelia, for example, feels like a footnote than a major event. I also think that the writers have changed her motivation ever since season one but never really gave the viewers a glimpse as to what changed her mind. It's easily assumed that Euphemia's death affected her to do this but I kind of want to know how she got from that point to the point where she is now. I also kind of wish that she found out that her role model, Marianne, turns out to be a loon, just to see her reaction.
September 7, 2008 | 59 Comments
This feels a bit mellow after last week but still amusing nonetheless. The surprises are slowly diminishing in value though. Nunnally still alive isn't that surprising because it's expected that the series will dish it out before the finale. This is a general problem with series that uses too many surprises in the story. After a while, the viewers become accustomed to them and the surprises become less and less surprising. The problem is actually more prevalent in US TV series rather than anime because most anime series have limited amount of episodes so the writers usually don't have to rely on surprises to keep the audience's interest. Geass is the exception to this. Anyway, with only a few more episodes left, I hope we'll get some kind of nice epilogue to neatly close the series. It'll be annoying if the series end right away after the major battle. The series has more than enough character to fill an entire episode with epilogue of how their life have changed after the battle.
First thing first, I probably should put a disclaimer saying that this entry is full of my opinion since some people actually think that what's said here is a fact. It's shocking, I know, I always thought my opinion is well, my opinion and not a fact. Anyway, "pillage and plundered" were the first words that came into my mind upon seeing the 'development' shown in this episode. This episode is so out there that I give up trying to find some sense in the plot. I've said many things about this series, both good and bad, but one thing that I appreciate the most out of this latest development is that I have no idea where this speeding train is heading. Having said that, I hope I have the chance to bail out in the case that it's heading towards a wreck. At the moment though, the feeling is more of that fast, dangerous and uninhibited insanity, like anything can happen any moment now. I'm also amused that Lelouch and Suzaku are back together and rule the world with their evil, iron fists. It's like every fanboy's nightmare and every fangirl's dream finally becomes a reality.
What the hell is going on? It's like the story went from one thing and suddenly turn into whatever it is now. Halfway through this episode, the entire thing feels so all over the place that I no longer knows what the writers have in mind for ending. I just hope that they somehow manage to sort this thing out and not draw it out further into a third season. Maybe my joke about the show going into The End of Evangelion territory wasn't so far off after all. We now have: a mother who willingly puts her children in anguish for the sake of a plan, a crazed father willing to do anything to kill the old Gods, there's a weapon floating in the sky and pillars coming out looking like they are DNA strands. I wonder if the so-called rumor about how Code Geass not turning exactly how Taniguchi envisions it is true after all. It'd be unfortunate if that's the case and I would like to know how far back into the past these changes happened.
First thing first, am I the only one who thinks that the song that plays when Lelouch goes into meltdown mode on poor Rolo sounds like Koiuta? Yeah, I know it's completely inappropriate and all since Nunnally is supposed to be his sister but considering Lelouch's siscon tendency, it kind of fits. Plus, the lyrics pretty much describe the kind of emotion that Lelouch must be feeling right now. Of course, the song could also be a representative of Lelouch/Rolo relationship although if that's the case, I think some people will go "Oh Geass No". Seriously though, it's probably just something that the composer decides to rip off of Koiuta. After looking at some of the CD adverts, I think the title is either one of these ones: Innocent Days, Alone, Masquerade, or Stories. These titles will be in a Geass' side-CD called Angel Feather Voice. The songs are performed by Hitomi. (please see comments) Anyway, I'm really enjoying this episode for some reason. Maybe it's because there's a sense that the story is winding down and there's a clear direction of where this series might go.
At this rate, the only two characters who stay alive will be Lelouch and Suzaku. Actually, I kind of want to see that just for amusement and to see how the fans react if these two are the only ones who stay alive while everyone else is dead. To begin with, that seems like the kind of thing that CLAMP will do. I know they don't write it but sometimes it feels like their influence goes beyond designing the characters. Having said that, I can't imagine the kind of reaction that such ending will bring. Let's face it, at this point, I think most people either hate Lelouch or Suzaku or both. If the only two people surviving are Lelouch and Suzaku, I can't imagine the riot that will ensue. Anyway, this episode makes me realize how sensational in-story death has become. In the olden days, death is a device that is used sparingly and have meanings to it. These days, death becomes some kind of shock tactic to maintain viewers' interest. Having said that, I guess it can't be helped with this series since it has so many characters against the main character.
A few weeks ago, a friend asked me what kind of ending am I looking forward to see in Code Geass finale. After thinking about it for a while, I have to admit that I have no desire for a specific ending. This is probably one of the few series where I have little to no attachment towards the characters. I mean I feel sorry for C.C but since her main intention is to die, then wishing her to not die will be kind of the reverse of what she wants. The other characters are fair game as far as I'm concerned. It's probably a good thing as well since despite how it looked last week, the writings have actually gone towards a train-wreck style ending. What I mean by this is that I can see the ending being one of those endings where almost everyone dies in style like Evangelion. I admit that I've read spoilers for this series and while their validity is in question, I can see the series heading towards that direction now that part of the spoilers are proven to be true. As a side note, I'm including some of my commentaries in the summary section since it's better to do it like this for this episode.
This is one of those transition episode that doesn't give much twist but simply lets the viewers to catch up with what's been happening thus far. The episode does promise future character development and what looks like a possible future reconciliation between Lelouch and Suzaku. I think the only mystery that is still unsolved at the moment is the whereabouts of Marianne (if she's still alive), why C.C can still communicate with her, and Anya's true identity. This episode also suggests that war is imminent. I don't think the Emperor will let go the countries that he's conquered so easily and it seems he's willing to lay waste his men as long as Lelouch doesn't win. Anyway, I'm sorry for the short summary for this week's episode but I'm a bit tired today. I tried to add in some large images to go with the highlights instead.
FLOW - WORLD END (48.6MB, PSP/Quicktime format) | YouTube version
Code Geass returns full circle with this opening since FLOW was the first band that performs OP single for the series. I don't think the song is as good as COLORS but it's definitely better than other attempts at OP theme after COLORS. As a background, the band's origin can be traced back to the time when two brothers Kohshi and Take started playing together. The two then formed FLOW in 1998 and eventually joined by Keigo, Got, and Iwasaki. The special thing about the band is that the two vocals often sing together, producing a rather nice duet for every song that they perform. As for the PV itself, this is definitely better than COLORS (which mostly feature the band members jumping around while singing the song). At least there's a theme of world destruction/revival in this one.
After watching this one, I think it's time to brace for possible massacre. Even if Lelouch manages to win against the Emperor, there are so many things that are stacked against him that I don't think he can regain everything that he used to have. Right now, the Emperor wants to use him like a puppet, he has made an enemy with V.V, he still hasn't been able to save Nunnally and Kallen, Suzaku is hellbent on ruining his life, Cornelia still want to have that Zero head platter, and of course Nina still want to unleash Nuclear bomb on him. Of course, I haven't mentioned the possibility that Villetta will turn Ougi against him, Rolo going insane on him, and the possibility that the Black Knights will bail out on him. Last but not least, there is C.C. So far she's been going along with his plan to take over the world. However, with him going overboard by killing the cult members this time, I wonder if she'll start to be wary of him.
OP Theme: 「WORLD'S END」 by FLOW - AVI version (51.5MB) | PSP version (16.5MB)
As expected, this week marks the arrival of new OP and ED. Unfortunately, they are not as good as the first OP/ED despite being performed by similar groups, FLOW and ALI PROJECT. Visual-wise, the OP is as bland as previous OPs. This means it features Knightmare Frames and characters jumping in and out of the frame like usual. As for the song, I think I would like it better if it's not accompanied by the OP images, which don't go well with the song. The ED looks and sounds a bit better but I wish CLAMP would stop copying their own previous work. I don't want my memory of this very cool illustration of Monou Fuuma to be ruined by Lelouch/Suzaku version of it. Having said that, the rest of the illustration are really good, especially the one featuring C.C/Lelouch. The song is a typical ALI PROJECT song. I think ALI PROJECT are at their strongest when they compose songs for Rozen Maiden series. Outside that series, for some reason their songs are not as captivating/powerful. Although I remember being impressed by Coppelia's Casket, the OP for Noir.
This is a return to the usual fun episodes that comes after 3 or 4 serious ones. As usual, I actually prefer this kind of episode since it's usually when the writers excel at their game. Plus, they can still insert some surprising moments in between so as far as I'm concerned, this kind of episode is a win-win situation. Anyway, this episode marks the return of a character that I thought was dead a long time ago. What surprised me is that some people actually already know about it way in advance even before the second series went on air. Maybe I just don't bother to keep up with all of the spoilers but the first season's finale kind of gave the impression that she bit it big time. Come to think of it, I noticed that the second season doesn't really give Lelouch too many new opponents. Gino and Anya are supposed to be his new enemies but they don't pose much of a treat due to their personalities. Although after what Anya discovers in this episode, I wonder if she'll become a bigger problem for Lelouch.
Well, this pretty much 'concludes' the Chinese Federation arc for the time being, which is about time because there's no much time left if the writers want to conclude the series at the end of this season. Much to my dismay, however, next week we are back to Ashford High shenanigans again. Of course it's possible that a new development will emerge next week but I remember that this kind of episode usually only shows some kind of a twist at the end of the episode. I do hope that there'll be no new character introduced between now till the end of the season. I don't think there will be enough time to develop said character and giving him/her all sorts of relationship with other characters. On the other hand, I like what the writers have done so far with Anya. When she started, she was just like Gino, an additional grunt to help Suzaku with his job. Now, however, she seems to be tied closely to both Lelouch and C.C as far as background story goes.
This is a pretty good continuation from the previous episode although I have to admit that I'm a bit keen to move on from the strategic battle/surprise twist of the week and into the meat of the story, which explains everything behind Marianne's death, C.C's background, her contract with Lelouch, and why the Emperor wants to kill Gods. I am just afraid that another season will end and we still don't get the answer to these storylines, which I think requires at least 10 or more episodes to be thoroughly addressed. Plus, I'm sure there will be some major battle episodes between Britannia and the United States of Japan/EU sometime in the future. Not to mention a possible battle between Lelouch against Suzaku. I'm not sure if the writers can wrap everything up with the remaining 16 episodes unless they start to conclude some subplots starting from the next episode. Unless, of course, there is a plan to continue this series down to a 3rd season.
I knew that I'll come back to a huge amount of back episodes to cover but I really didn't expect that it'll be this hard to start writing again. Oh well, I'll just have to pick things up slowly, starting with this episode. First thing first, Newtype Japan has just published top 10 ranking of Code Geass R2 favorite characters and it's listed in this order: Lelouch/Zero, C.C, Kururugi Suzaku, Kallen, Li Xing Ke, Rollo, Gino, Villetta, Guilford, and Orange-kun. If it were up to me, I'd put C.C as number one purely because she's the one with the best character design and background story. She even looks better with her R2 black dress in comparison to her first season insane asylum contraption. But the best thing about her is the mystery represented by her character. She reminds me of other mysterious CLAMP characters like Yuuko in xxxHOLiC, Arashi and Hinoto-hime in X, and Suu in Clover. I just hope that when C.C's story is eventually revealed, it won't be disappointing.
Sorry for the late entry. This really is the worst week for me to post any kind of entry since I have a major presentation looming in a few days and an exam coming the week after. I'm just glad that the next episode won't be released a week later since that means I would have finished the exam by then. Anyway, this is a rather nice temporary resolution for the series although I'm not so sure if this is a good idea for the Japanese. While watching this, I'm reminded of Moses and his attempt to lead the Jew away from Egypt and into the promise land. There wasn't any sea being parted but the whole thing was similar to making the impossible into a possibility. At any rate, it's an impressive feat albeit one which leaves me wonder, where to go next from here? Would the series end with Zero leading the Japanese back to Japan? I also wonder if this means we'll shift the focus away from Japan and into other countries?
I admit that normally I don't pay much attention to the political background of this series mostly because I have little interest in politics. However, thanks to the Emperor's speech and his very federation-like uniform, I'm reminded that the political situation in this series is not just a backdrop for Lelouch and Suzaku's clashing ideals. I actually didn't know until very recently that Britannia is an allegory for the United States of America instead of the real Britain. All of a sudden, what used to be an allusion to any country which has done its own share of invasion of other countries becomes a more direct criticism of one particular country. Since I'm not a citizen of the US, I can't say that I feel one way or the other towards this but I have to admit that it makes sense considering the recent political situation. I do wonder how the citizens of the US themselves feel about this. Do most people just don't see the association, choose to ignore the association or admit the association one way or another? Does Britannia represents a fair criticism of the US government?
Update: included better images.
The solution to the problem that Lelouch faced on last week's episode turns out to be a lot more interesting than what I had anticipated. It still surprises me to see Rolo helping Lelouch willingly like this. It looks like Lelouch's pep talk has really got into him because his turnover from enemy to ally is very quick. I do wonder about the rest of Lelouch's alliance though. Because at the end of the day, he's still a Britannian. What would happen if the rest of Black Knights find out about this? Sure, several members like Karen has accepted it so far but would others be happy as well if they know that their leader is actually a Britannian? And then there are 'uneasy' alliance that he's made with unwilling parties like Villetta or willing but possibly have other motives like Li and the Chinese Federation. Most importantly, there is C.C. IIRC, so far we still have no idea what she demands from Lelouch in exchange of giving him geass. What if at the end of the series, her request ends up being in conflict with Lelouch's interest? Will Lelouch honor her request or betray it?
Orange Range - O2 (NEW - 45MB, PSP/Quicktime format) | YouTube version
To be honest I didn't really like song the first time I heard it. While the lyric seems relevant to Lelouch and Nunnaly's situation in Code Geass R2, the actual melody and composition of the song are not really the best that I've heard coming Orange Range. I am actually kind of amused that the producers decided to use Orange Range and wondered if they want the viewers to be reminded of Orange-kun. I don't think that's the case but it's a bit amusing everytime I heard about it. Anyway, I still think the song is not as great as Colors but the full version seems to be better and less abrupt than the TV Size. The PV itself is very funny and features Orange Range members dressed up as Samurai in Edo period. They end up helping this one hapless Samurai to be with his lover when the hapless Samurai is beaten up by a bunch of henchmen. At one point, one of the members actually moves at a lightning speed and grabs all of the swords from the henchmen's hand. On a glance, it looks similar to what Rolo can do when he uses his geass. In general though, nothing about the PV gives any impression of Code Geass.
This is a rather nice surprise from the series. The comedy is actually spot on and the little twists and turns provided in between are enough to make me want to see the next episode. I'm also surprised to see the new Suzaku, who seems to be smart enough to play tactician against Lelouch. Granted that it's not over yet but he just checked Lelouch into a corner during the last few minutes of this episode. This episode is also chock-full of fanservice and the good thing about this is that most of them are actually hilarious. Because of this, I'm not even going to attempt normal summary. I'm just going to highlight what amuses me during the episode and a little bit of the plot if necessary. It'll be a nice thing to do once in a while and at least this way I'll get to sleep a bit earlier. :D
Well, now we know that Rollo's power doesn't actually freeze time but it does stop the physical movement time of a person that is enveloped within his geass sphere. To make it easier, I'll just say that his power basically stops a person from moving but not anything else in the world. Anyway, what impressed me is the turn of event that takes place in this story. I kind of suspect that Lelouch needs some kind of miracle in order to win the duel with Guilford. True enough, he manages to create one by diverting Rollo's loyalty to him. With Rollo as his ally, Lelouch can be a lot more powerful than he is at the moment. I do think this will blow up in Lelouch's face one day but Sunrise thrives on that kind of drama so I'll just sit and watch the train wreck from here on forward. While this is fun and all, I am still dying for the story to move on a lot quicker than it is now. As a side note, next week should be particularly juicy because everyone's favorite character, Suzaku, is back to the school. I can't wait to see the amount of venom unleashed on him next week.
Wow, is it just my copy or is this week's copy unusually high-res in quality? What I meant by this is that you can actually see every texture applied to the background and every effect intended to represent flowing capes, etc. I can even see Orange-kun clearly on the OP even though usually I'm not sure who that guy could be. The only exception to this is this frame, which either meant to be intentionally crappy or maybe was taken from the first season and was just redrawn. If you're wondering about the leaked videos, they are still there. I guess they don't see the point of re-drawing them when that's the point that they intend to show. Speaking of Rollo, between him and Suzaku, which one is more annoying? I just find it amusing that the animators (or is it CLAMP?) have created another character who looks almost similar to Suzaku. I suppose in Japan Suzaku is not as disliked as he is in the western anime viewers.
This video was originally posted by someone on the comment area of episode 02 but since I wasn't sure if it's a good idea to post it or not, I withheld the comment. Well, now that it blew all over the internet, I suppose it's okay to show it. Basically, someone from the production company leaked the last quarter part of episode 3. The scene in question shows Lelouch using Shirley (again) to avoid his spies (which includes Rollo and Villetta). There is also a scene where Li is seen pointing his sword at a Black Knight members. The scene in question suggests Li is not happy at them so it's likely that he knows about what happened to Gaohai. Anyway, because of the leak, there's a rumor that there won't be episode aired next week as the staff scramble to change the scene in question. Updated: episosde 3 will air as usual with no alterations.
Heh. Now, this is more like it. It's Geass at its over-the-top self. I think this is far better than when the show tries to go all philosophical or political like in the first episode. I also appreciate that the show attempts to explain the missing gap between episode 25 and the first episode of the new season right away. It'd have been a big mistake if they postpone it until later. We also get confirmation about the status of the Emperor as Geass user and what actually happened to some of the people who went missing after episode 25. Overall, this is a rather good follow-up to the first episode. And now that the Emperor is revealed as a Geass user, it's easy to see how everything connects to C.C and Marianne herself. Before I forget, I must say that while I was ready to pounce on Suzaku and call him a traitor, I am willing to give him the benefit of the doubt here. Maybe he does have a plan to infiltrate the Britannia Kingdom. However, if he does have that plan, he better starts it soon because at the moment, I don't think he looks that favorable to Lelouch or his fellow Japanese.
OP Theme: 「O2」by ORANGE RANGE - AVI version (22.6MB) | PSP version (16.9MB)
This is a pretty nice start for the sequel, I suppose. It's like a replay of the first series' first episode albeit in different kind of situation. In a lot of way, the storytelling method reminds me of several US TV series I can think at the back of my head. The biggest revelation here is that Lelouch has lost his memory after the incident that took place in the island. The second season also features a bunch of new characters which I assume will either support Lelouch's cause or Suzaku's. As for the OP/ED, I kind of like the ED theme but I thought the OP is a bit bland in comparison to the first series' 1st OP, Colors. The montage of images created by CLAMP for the ED is fantastic and makes me miss CLAMP's old series, X and Clover. I just feel that lately I haven't seen something from them which has a lot of meaning like those two titles I mentioned before.
