Code Geass Episode 1: Discussion!

[gods-debris.livejournal.com]

Sorry for posting this so early. I just know I will not have time all day on Thursday (well, technically where I am it is Thursday...). This isn't the normal for me--I'm your standard stay-at-home girlfriend at the moment--so this won't happen frequently. I'm so excited for this! I hope a lot of people participate. I'll check the comments Thursday night if I can talk my mother into letting me borrow her computer. :)

For those of you who haven't gotten the episode yet, check out the information I posted here. Anyways, onward!



Code Geass Episode 1: The Day The Evil God Was Born
We are reminded once again what happened to Japan and the power of Britannia—how they were able to invade and take over Japan with their new weapons called Knightmares, and how Japan was stripped of its culture and name; and renamed Area 11.



Once again we're thrown into the world of Code Geass with a melancholy Suzaku and a vengeful Lelouch!


How can you say no to that face?! (Lelouch's)

Lelouch always seems to carry himself in a different way from others. He's confident, charismatic and seems to know exactly what to say as far as speeches go. I feel we really get a taste for his character when Rival asks him why he moved his King first in the game of chess he had between the noble: "If the king doesn't move then his subjects won't follow."

While Rival and Lelouch are on their way back to school they're almost run over by Kallen who is part of the terrorist group against Britannia. I always somewhat felt that for a terrorist group they were awfully generous to swerve so they didn't hit them. I always imagined that a terrorist group on a mission would have no time to be merciful to those who got in the way of their plan, but it left a nice opening for Lelouch to run to the rescue and get caught up in the action.



You know, did Rival not see Lelouch climb onto the truck? Did he not see him fall into the opening on the top? Did he not see the truck drive away? If he saw all that, why does he stand around shortly after yelling for him and reminding him that they have to get back to school? C'mon, Rival. I know you're not that stupid!


There is so much win in these pictures... Anyone else happy for Spinzaku?

It's nice to see Lloyd doing what he does best which is sticking his nose into everybody's business while looking for data. I imagine him doing crazy silly things while yelling, "FOR SCIENCE!" In the end they didn't have a pilot for Lancelot... so what happened to the previous pilot they had lined up? Did I miss something?

Suzaku and Lelouch meet up again, but under interesting terms. Suzaku is now part of the Britannian army! It's nice to see that Suzaku is still putting others before him (covering Lelouch's face with his air mask when C.C.'s capsule opens up). Suzaku even ends up taking a bullet for Lelouch because he refuses to shoot him.



Also, you know, I love Shirley but there are times she can be pretty annoying. Could she have picked a better time to call? I guess it can't be expected to silence your phone when you are trying to dodge being caught. I like it because it's the human error. It makes Lelouch seem more human.



When Lelouch receives his power and uses it for the first time he seems surprised by his own actions. One of the many themes throughout this series is lies and the lies people tell. Lelouch tells us from that day on he's been lying to himself. I wonder what Lelouch is telling us this.



Lelouch, it's good to have you back.

Comments

Stupid word count

[nayami.livejournal.com]

- I love the shift between horrified, innocent Lelouch at killing all the soldiers and the more jaded Lelouch that's all too happy to have a chance at his revenge. While we're at it, how did Lelouch even know that he had absolute power at this time? His contract was pretty darn vague. It just amuses me.

- Also, great insight into Cecille's perceptive abilities, which later come into play regarding Suzaku's true nature. I really wish Cecille got more screen time throughout the series. She really is awesome.

- One of my favorite things is how when Lelouch is in mortal peril, his immediate through is for his sister. She is the one thing he is afraid of leaving behind, and ultimately he has to do just that. It's rather tragic.

- Wow, I actually never knew the Ragnarok Connection was mentioned before R2. :o I'm guessing Lelouch getting the power and reawakening C.C. gave Charles confidence to began steps toward unleashing its power. Charles does spend a lot of time watching the progression of Lelouch's Geass, particularly later when Lelouch uses it to geass Euphie. Why is Lelouch's Geass potential so important to Marianne and Charles? I'll have to keep this in mind when those episodes return in R2.

- This is also the first time we get a really good view at how important Suzaku is to Lelouch, as we see that the idea that Britannia took him away from him is especially devastating and he keeps repeating it. I always felt that Lelouch's connection to Suzaku was the strong of the two, and I still do. Lelouch is arguably the second most important person in Lelouch's world just because of how much of an impact that childhood summer meant to him.

- I really miss the beauty of the Knightmares in ground combat. This episode really showcases how fluidly they move through jumps, turns and skates. I love the skating mechs. I was so disappointed to lose them in favor of the more Gundameque versions in R2, although I did have a soft spot for Lancelot's winged incarnations. But you really see how they are ideal for urban combat in a way few other mechs are ever designed to be. It gave them a uniqueness among the genre.

I think that's it for now. :|a

Re: Stupid word count

[kiraya.livejournal.com]

For Lelouch's reaction to the killing of the soldiers... I don't think he knew that he had absolute power at the time. It seemed to me that, after so many years of having no power, the fact that he had any power -- that his bitter speeches and words of discontentment were no longer empty mutterings but actually affected those who heard them -- went quite quickly to his head.

We see Lelouch as incredibly scornful of the nobility, but we have to remember that he was brought up as one of them (even if he was harassed for his mother being of commoner origin), and even having that ripped away from him and living as a commoner for all these years still doesn't mean he's lost that privileged point of view. He's got a much more egalitarian viewpoint than most Britannians (probably because of his mother's background and his experiences in Japan during the invasion), but still.

I could go on forever about the power dynamics in here, though.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I was wondering if it had anything to do with the power scenario in general, just his own manifestation and interpretation of Power of the King. It was just weird that his automatic take-away from this was "I'll just tell these people to kill themselves... Wait, that worked... Perfect. >D" But regardless, I like your explanation.

And yes, Lelouch still carries himself very much like a noble and is arrogant as hell.

Re: Stupid word count

[ichinichinemasu.livejournal.com]

It also struck me that Lelouch was the first one to rush and help out with the crash when everyone else was looking on. I also liked the innocent reaction at first to the killings. You can totally see how these things add up into a kind of transformative moment. idk, it does make Lelouch seem a lot more...human? And then the fact that he thought of Nunnally at first, and that he couldn't die because of her, and then he lives but his life is a lie...ahhh it was all so good and foreshadowy.

I guess mostly I'm just seconding your observations XD

Re: Stupid word count

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Kitty icon! ... Wait where was I? Transformative moment is a good way to put it since it is such an abrupt change from the detached boy we see throughout most of the opening and this fully ALIVE Lelouch at the end of the episode. I think it shows what's behind Lelouch, which gets more interesting at the instant shift from the brutality of Episode 2 and the beginning of Episode 3.

Foreshadowing! We can catch all the instances this time!

Re: Stupid word count

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

While we're at it, how did Lelouch even know that he had absolute power at this time? His contract was pretty darn vague. It just amuses me.

I'm guessing Geass' use is instinctive and subconscious. It is a mind power after all. (Also magic. But I generally don't like dismissing discussion with "it's magic don't worry about it.")

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that seems to be the general consensus. It's a good explanation.