Recently, I’ve been reviewing different anime series as I finish them, and here’s another one to add to the books. “Code Geass” had me on the edge of my seat from day one, and it is probably the best show I’ve watched in 2024 so far. While it originally started airing in 2006, “Code Geass” has such a rich and complex writing style that drew me in instantly.
“Code Geass” tells the story of an alternate version of Earth where Great Britain has colonized most of the world. This huge empire (referred to as the Holy Britannian Empire) has plowed through most of the world’s military forces thanks to a new weapon they invented: a robotic warrior, piloted from the inside by highly trained soldiers. These machines are known as Knightmares, and are partially responsible for the Empire’s incredibly dominant military might. The plot gets thrust into motion when a prince of the Empire, named Lelouch, experiences the death of his mother as the result of a suspicious attack on her life. Suspecting that someone within the Britainian government is to blame, he starts to rebel against the Empire, finding that this conspiracy may go much higher than he realized.
Lelouch lives undercover in colonized Japan (called Area 11 by the Empire), after faking his death to trick the rest of the government. As he is poking around the government in search of clues to his mother’s killer, he is granted a supernatural power by a woman who seems to be part of a strange cult. This power is the power to control the actions of any person that looks into Lelouch’s eyes, which allows him to get into places that he normally wouldn’t be able to. From this point, he starts to gather troops, mainly rebels from Area 11 that want the independent nation of Japan to be restored from Britainnia’s iron fist. Using insider information and guerilla tactics, Lelouch begins to command a large force to restore Japan’s independence and get revenge on whoever killed his mother. He does this by masquerading as a terrorist named “Zero” and wears a mask to hide his identity.
A lot of the complexity of the plot comes from Zero’s true identity. The forces he commands are reluctant to follow him because they don’t know who he is, but Zero does get results, which gives a lot of them hope for the future under his rule. But most of the tension comes from Lelouch’s relationship with a childhood friend of his, Suzaku, who is now high up in the Britainnian military. Lelouch wants Suzaku to join him, and even confronts him as Zero in hopes that they can join forces. But Suzaku doesn’t believe in Zero’s methods. This growing hatred of Zero’s methods of terror within Suzaku creates incredible tension whenever Lelouch interacts with Suzaku as himself, and creates a lot of really good drama. This show benefits a lot from dramatic irony, since the audience knows that Zero is actually Lelouch, but barely any of the characters do.
The first season of this show had me watching nonstop, and I loved every second of it. The cliffhanger at the end of the first season literally made my jaw drop, and I had to instantly start the second season. I didn’t like the second season as much as the first, but it is still very well written. The plot just seems a little looser than it did in the first season, and it didn’t hook me as much. But after working my way through season two and watching the last six or seven episodes, I can definitely say it is one of the best endings to a show that I’ve ever watched.
If you like drama, action, or complex politics, you would love “Code Geass”. With this show’s plot, complexity of characters, and the excellent usage of dramatic irony, “Code Geass” is incredible at creating tension and worldbuilding, making for an incredible watching experience for the viewer. This show is an easy four-and-a-half out of five stars, and while it does have its flaws, it is easy to see why “Code Geass” has retained such a strong reputation in the anime community even 18 years after its original release. “Code Geass” can be found on Crunchyroll, Hulu, and Amazon Prime Video.
