Product Description
On August 10th of the year 2010 the Holy Empire of Britannia began a campaign of conquest, its sights set on Japan. Operations were completed in one month thanks to Britannias deployment of new mobile humanoid armor vehicles dubbed Knightmare Frames. Japans rights and identity were stripped away, the once proud nation now referred to as Area 11. Its citizens, Elevens, are forced to scratch out a living while the Britannian aristocracy lives comfortably within their … More >>
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, Part 1
Tags: aristocracy, Code, code geass lelouch, code geass lelouch of the rebellion, Geass, holy empire, japan operations, knightmare, Lelouch, lelouch of the rebellion, Part, proud nation, rebellion
#1 by GJ on April 3, 2010 - 11:54 pm
In the very near future the country of England is now know as Britania:
They have taken over more then a third of the moderen world.Japan one of the last free countries has fallen and now is known only as Area 11.Her people are called (among nicer things)11’s.Some of them have earned the right too becalled honary Britanians.Ofcourse every Empire must deal with rebelion.This Empire is no exception.Various under ground fractions cause all kinds of ruckus-but it is consider petty annoyences-UNTIL.Enter a Leouch-a gifted(chess player) highschool student-who only cares for his handycaped sister & revenge on those who caused her handycaps.The same people who killed there mother-the Empire Britania.His best chance for revenge comes early on in the series when he is caught up in a terrorist supression.Trapped and facing what appears too be certain death,by firing squad.A strange mysterious green haired girl literally falls into his lap(shes shot).The acceptence of a bargin -and a transefer of power is made.Now Leouch can control minds(w/Geass) that are in line of sight.As he begins too learn the workings of his power-his planes for revenge are put in motion.Soon he developes a altanate personality know as Zero.Under this allias he begins too unite the various fraction & his goals become more then personal-now the Empire must come down so the people can be freed.
This series is off too a good start lots of Mecha fighting(for mecha fans).The story so far is devoloping quite well as it explores issues of personal advance & mistrust among the upper class.Also the modern issues of race, terrorism & how different classes veiw eachother.Unfortunetly the biggest draw back too this searies is the art.The back grounds are good to great-but the people for the most part look like stick figures.Almost like they used one basic body design for both men and women.Think of some of the older anime sci-fi like Star Blazers or for a newer reference Galaxy Railways.All in all though the series so far just barely slides into a 4 star spot(as a sci-fi/war series) and worth a veiwing or two.
Rating: 4 / 5
#2 by E. A Solinas on April 3, 2010 - 11:55 pm
Imagine a world where the Romans never conquered Britain, and Britain’s natives created a vast world-spanning empire of their own. Their latest subjugation: Japan, now called Sector 11.
It’s an interesting albeit unlikely idea for alternate-world scifi, and it serves as the basis for “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.” The first two volumes of this intricate anime series take us right into the action, with only a prologue of the Britannian Empire’s history as a buildup. And it doesn’t take long for the complex storyline to get moving.
Schoolboy Lelouch Lamperouge tries to help out when a convoy crashes near his motorcycle — but then HE gets hijacked instead. As the Britannian military and their Knightmares (hello, big mecha!) close in, Lelouch learns that he has inadvertently fallen in with a faction of Japanese freedom fighters. And he also finds that the convoy’s cargo is not poison gas as the rebels thought — but a strange green-haired girl.
But when the Britannian soldiers show up, the girl gives Lelouch the power of Geass, which forces anyone who hears him to do as he commands. Even kill themselves.
So Lelouch uses his new power to hijack one of the Knightmares and assists the rebels (via radio) in a counterattack. But then he uses it to get close to the Britannian prince Clovis, and reveals his true identity — a presumed-dead Britannian prince, who wants to get revenge for the murder of his mother and destroy the cruel Empire. He starts with Clovis.
But when Lelouch returns to his swank boarding school, he finds that the Japanese freedom fighters may be closer than he expected. As Lelouch organizes a strong new rebellion against the Britannians, he crafts the alter ego of Zero for himself, and a rebellion force known as the Black Knights. But he’s still threatened by his treacherous royal family, and by the childhood friend who is on the wrong side of this battle…
“Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” is one of those wonderfully complex anime stories that has almost too much plot a twenty-minute episode. The very setting is intriguing — a conquered and humiliated Japan that has been renamed with a number, by a cruel and ancient empire that surpasses ancient Rome. Cool idea, and one that is handled well.
And the writers of this series load on plenty of plot, with lots of chess-like twists and countermoves. We’ve got exiled princes, mysterious powers, freedom-loving rebels and their enigmatic masked leader, a cruel empire and a bunch of different factions with their own motives. Not to mention a royal family that seems to deal with its feuds by killing each other. Surprisingly, the story never starts feeling overstuffed.
Thankfully in the midst of political strife and confusing mecha fights, the storyline does take some time out to relax. Although it still deals with the rebels and Britannian retaliation, there are some cute lighthearted scenes involving Lelouch’s “regular” life as a schoolboy, such as one hysterical storyline where a cat steals the “Zero” mask. And you have some dry humor — Lelouch testing his Geass on a teacher, for instance.
But “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” does stretch its credibility occasionally. The mecha Knightmares seem oddly out-of-place in this extremely Anglo culture, and it’s hard to imagine that a hardcore political rebel or a soldier could convincingly “hide” at a posh school.
Lelouch is a pretty intriguing protagonist as well. He’s cold-blooded and lethal, but also incredibly intelligent and sometimes quite compassionate. As he gets fully involved in fighting the Empire, you get the distinct impression that this anti-hero is just getting started. Most of the supporting characters — including tough girl Kallen, the strange CC and Lelouch’s old pal Suzaku — aren’t yet fleshed out yet, but promise to be interesting.
This particular edition has the first two volumes of the series lumped together, which is nice enough. Additionally, it includes a bunch of collector’s booklets including a character sketch booklet from the famed manga group that designed the characters, CLAMP.
The first two volumes of the taut, twisty “Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion” crams more plot into its episodes than many series have in their entirety. Definitely a good buy.
Rating: 4 / 5
#3 by Anonymous on April 4, 2010 - 2:07 am
This show is part mecha combat, part suspense/intrigue, part ‘alternate reality’, and part morality play. It does many things well and I honestly can’t think of any major flaws with this show. Even if you don’t like mecha shows I would recommend this one. It seems like the creators put a lot of thought into the show, the plot, the characters, the rivalries, the alternate world, everything is well done.
Rating: 5 / 5
#4 by Toshiyuki Ihira on April 4, 2010 - 4:21 am
This is one of very fast paced anime stories in all of animes. Yet, its story keeps holding up without going into some fancy story thread that makes no sense. Yes, it has unexpected twist and turns and some times these turns seem improbable but this is anime and you have keep that in mind. This anime is not trying to mirror a real world. No, it wants you to go into its own world of riveting characters and their anguish and triumph.
You can’t wait to get your hands on next DVDs.
Rating: 5 / 5
#5 by Carol Nichols on April 4, 2010 - 5:43 am
Those who know my reviews, KNOW what I’m talking about! Those who don’t will have to take my word for it. OR BUST!!!
There is a reason Code Geass is so good. Those reasons include the best of, and most relatable characters ever seen in recent anime. Another is the visuals are so beautiful everyting looks good from the mecha to the fanservice. The most prominent reason is how addictive it is.
I love the story, I love mecha, almost about this story is appealing. The ONlY bad thing about this series is how quickly each episode ends. I strongly recommend everyone to buy this series up together as a whole or risk feeling depressed.
Rating: 5 / 5