Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2

Title: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2
Genre: Action, Mecha, Drama
Episodes: 25
Aired: April 2008 - October 2008
Studio: Sunrise
Director: Goro Taniguchi
Writer: Ichiro Okouchi
Music: Kotaro Nakagawa

Lelouch and C2

If there's one word to describe R2, it's more: more emotion, more mecha fights and powers, more philosophy, more revelations and subplots, more fanservice, and a lot more absurdity.  Naturally, opinions of the show are quite polarized and depend on which aspects you care about most.  If you prefer a carefully planned and masterfully executed story, you're going to long for the days of the first season.  If you're willing to excuse some poor writing and delivery in exchange for more excitement and substance, you'll love this one.  I tend to come down somewhere in the middle: while R2 is undoubtedly a masterpiece, continuing and in many respects improving upon the legacy created in season 1, it often tries to do too much and fails.  The result is essentially a wash: R2's story, while better, is held back by weak execution and zany plot devices.

Suzaku, now a Knight of the Round

I'll assume you've watched season 1, and if not I suggest you stop here because I'll be spoiling it.  Last time we saw Lelouch, he and Suzaku were screaming and pointing guns at each other's heads.  Enter R2, with one of the most well-written first episodes of any anime due to its ability to completely throw you off, only to explain everything by the end.  Lelouch is back in school and everything seems to be fine.  His friends act like nothing happened, Villetta Nu is his gym teacher, and he now has a brother named Rolo while Nunnally is nowhere to be found.  He also appears to be ignorant of Geass and his identity as Zero.  I won't spoil the remainder of the episode, but rest assured that Zero makes his comeback and engulfs Japan in turmoil once again.

While R2 follows the Black Knights' struggle to liberate Japan, don't expect a repeat of season 1.  This time the battle goes global, with Britannia's Knights of the Round joining the fight, and the setting shifting frequently between Japan, the Chinese Federation, and Britannia.  With the world at war, the mecha fights are also now a mainstay, not to mention immensely better thanks to tons of fast-paced sky combat and constant power upgrades.  Most importantly, we finally get answers: who is C2 and what does she want, who is V2, what is Geass, who killed Marianne, and what does the Emperor seek?  Although some of these could have been clearer (e.g., the Emperor's motive for using the Sword of Akasha and Lelouch's reason for reacting as he does), they're there if you look hard enough, and they're generally satisfying.  In typical Code Geass fashion, R2 also manages to ask new questions even as it answers the old.  One is philosophical, represented by the competing visions of the Emperor, Schneizel, and Lelouch: should humanity seek to resurrect its past, freeze time in the present, or march onward into an unknown future?  The other, raised in one of the greatest and most beautiful anime endings ever made (I teared up), can never be entirely resolved.

Kallen's Guren trashing Gilford

R2 also shines in its character development, perhaps even more than its superb predecessor.  While Euphemia is gone and Cornelia is relegated to a minor role, others move in to fill the void.  Of the characters from season 1 - and apart of course from the ever-interesting and dynamic Lelouch - the stand-outs have to be Kallen, who proves herself entirely capable of taking on the almighty Knights of the Round, all while holding together the Black Knights and Lelouch; and C2, who is rendered tremendously more complex and beautiful through the revelation of her past and the focus on her evolution alongside Lelouch.  Suzaku sees some nice development too, particularly on a philosophical level (ends vs. means debate) in and after episode 20.  R2 also introduces a host of new characters, all of whom are fine, if nothing special.  Of these the best are probably Rolo, who transitions from twisted sociopath to somewhat human and empathetic, and the (not entirely new) Emperor Charles, who is a great villain, if not at times inconsistent.

Emperor Charles li Britannia

By going bigger in virtually every respect, R2 is able to deliver a considerably more complex and substantive story than season 1.  Yet in so doing, it also has more opportunities to stumble, and does.  And so we repeatedly see wacky plot devices - first in episode 8, again at the end of episode 9, and arguably twice in episode 13 - that make the story feel sloppy, and there are occasionally problems with pacing and transition.  There's also a lot more fanservice, especially in the opening episodes where Kallen goes from Black Knight Ace to ass and tit eye candy.  Most damningly, R2 undermines the entire series by creating some major plot holes.  In episode 8, for instance, Villetta realizes that Oghi is the person wearing a Zero mask based on his voice alone.  But since Lelouch uses his normal voice too, there is no reason why people who know him haven't been able to identify him as Zero.  Even worse, on two occasions we find Lelouch ordering people to "obey him from this moment forward" or to "be his slave."  Yet this renders the one-time-per-person Geass rule meaningless, and makes it hard to understand why Lelouch would ever order anyone to do anything else.

Anya, Suzaku, Prince Schneizel, and Gino

While R2's story admittedly has some issues, they don't really matter.  In part this is because the series can rest on its laurels: season 1 was so good that fans would be happy with just about any sequel, and it receives a lot of leeway simply because it's Code Geass.  Even so, despite some setbacks R2 is generally very well done, and a highly engaging and satisfying continuation of the Code Geass saga.  It also somehow manages to improve upon season 1's stunning animation and soundtrack, with far better mecha fights and special effects, more scenery shots, and some gorgeous new tracks (e.g., Hitomi's Continued Story).  Even Nina's voice changes for the better, allowing her to go from shrill and whiny to a bearable, relatively interesting character.  All of which makes R2 a difficult show to review.  In many respects it is unquestionably superior to season 1, yet there's also no denying that it is weaker on execution.  Which is more important, I'm unable to say.  In the end, loving both seasons, I am content to call them both masterpieces and to recommend the entire series to anyone.

Story: 9.8
Animation: 9.3
Audio: 9.5

Overall: 9.7 (Masterpiece)

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