Code Geass Episode 2: Discussion

[gods-debris.livejournal.com]

Stage 2: 覚醒の白き騎士
The Awakening of the White Knight









Lelouch seems a little confused as to why he was granted such a power—which he even calls weird. He's still confused as to what the strange girl who seems to be lying dead before him wanted him to do exactly. But you know, we never get much time to sit and think before something else happens. Before Lelouch knows it Villetta shows up and threatens him to tell her what happened. Even though it was a dangerous moment Lelouch at least learns that he cannot use his new power without having direct eye contact with the person.

I'm happy to see that Suzaku survived his ordeal with the bullet and that his father's watched ended up saving his life. I don't know whether to say it's ironic or if it's just coincidence that his father's watch saved him. As we all know, Suzaku puts his life on the line due to his past but when he came to Llyod told him that he missed his chance to get to heaven. I wonder if that was just a coincidence of if Llyod somehow knows, through all his smarts, what Suzaku subconscious little desire is.

Also, even though Shirley almost had Lelouch killed by her calling his cell, Lelouch quickly forgives her and even calls her up for some information to see if there's any talk of the little war happening on television. Shirley, who has a thing for Lelouch, rightfully feels used by the boy. I guess we'd all have a hard time saying no to Lelouch if he asked us to do something for him, eh?

So Lelouch decides he's going to get involved and help out the terrorists since he doesn't exactly like Britannia. But I gotta be honest, his whole thing with Kallen about trusting him made me think of Aladdin and Jasmine. I know I'm probably out of place but all I saw when he told Kallen that if she trusted him they'd win was Aladdin outstretching his hand to Jasmine asking, "Do you trust me?"

The whole mental battle between Lelouch and Clovis was rather cute. Lelouch has always been able to beat Clovis at chess and so he was pretty confident of himself in those regards. But poor Clovis had no idea what he was up against until the very end. You know, they painted Clovis as such a bad guy in the first two episodes but I always wondered throughout the rest of the series if he really was the bad guy they made him out to be? Or was he really just trying desperately to please his father and get some sort of recognition? In that regard, he seems a little more like Lelouch, doesn't he? Well, aside from trying to please his father... Lelouch is pretty intent on destroying him, but he is trying to get some sort of recognition from his father whether it be positive or negative I feel.

Does anyone else feel that Lelouch got extremely lucky? He said that seeing the enemy's positions was a double edged sword but if the terrorists followed his commands they would win. I assumed that he meant it was double edged because the enemy could technically see his position since he was one of their Kightmares. Also, the Knightmares he gave the terrorists should be able to see all the positions too, right? Or did I miss something completely? Clovis and his army also changed the transmission code a few times but Lelouch was still able to see their positions, I'm assuming, since he was in the Knightmare. And if the terrorists are using the army's Knightmares, shouldn't the army be able to see their location, too? Or did they change the frequency of theirs all together? As far as the terrorist's singles, they are not showing up on Clovis' screen at all.

At any rate, Clovis fell right into Lelouch's plan and it all fell apart at that point for him. Lelouch is very skilled at playing the game and playing it well. He acknowledged at the beginning that he had to be careful since the difference in this game was that he was playing with human lives, but at the same time we know that sort of mentality has to change if he really wants to do what he aims to do. I don't think that the fact he's killing people has really hit him just yet. At this point Lelouch realizes that he can defeat Britannia—that it is possible—and Clovis really begins to wonder who the heck he's fighting against because whoever it is is good. Really good. Because of that fear that he really will lose everything he gives into Lloyd's request to use his Lancelot, but only under the pretence that the fight will end in his favor. Ohh, Clovis.

Suzaku still feels the need to find Lelouch and save him along with the girl. The ironic part is that he doesn't realize that Lelouch is in front of him; and Lelouch, who still believes Suzaku is dead, doesn't realize that Suzaku is right in front of him. The ironic part is that Suzaku attempts to destroy the Knightmare Lelouch is in without realizing who is really inside! But we do get a sense of who Suzaku is and what he prioritizes when he saves the falling Eleven citizen no one would have thought that of a Britannian soldier.

Last minute Clovis calls off his troops in the nick of time. Kallen and her gang got very lucky, if Lelouch had been a few moments later she might have died along with her comrades. But with the cat out of the bag for Lelouch with Clovis, he's always down to business. So Lelouch tells Clovis that he has returned to change everything. It looks like we'll have to wait to see what exactly he plans to change.

Next week is Stage 3: 偽りのクラスメイト
The Deceitful Classmate

Comments

Re: ep 3...spoiler?

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I do get that, but it always seemed that he regarded Clovis poorly, even when he was a child. Whereas, I get the feeling that Clovis really adored Lelouch and was genuinely happy to see him in Episode 3. He was excited to have his brother back again. Not to mention, his whole asking to be governor general for the sake of solving the puzzle of Japan for Lelouch. It is just terribly one-sided, and I always felt bad for him in that respect. We don't see Lelouch show anywhere near the same resentment for Cornelia, Schneizel or Odysseus. Lelouch generally disdained Clovis. It's a little sad, considering.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I also loves me some OT3 action. I would have loved more C.C./Suzaku interaction in R2, and I think it was sorely lacking, given the great setup they had in S1. But I guess it died along with the plans for Suzaku's Geass connection. Pity.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Taniguchi goes on about watching from the villain's point of view all the time. I think it's also what he loves best about Geass, getting a chance to show people that there really are two sides to everything, even the one you consider the worst of the worst. Because in any other anime, Lelouch would be a TERRIBLE monster of a character, without knowing his context.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

-2 No, Lelouch, it doesn't work that way points
+2 Inexplicably, chess set!
+1 King-twirl
+10 Damn, Suzaku, your ass looks fine in that pilot suit
-2 I'M JUST GONNA ANNOUNCE MY PLAN NOW KTHX
+10 And Lelouch saves everybody through the power of holding somebody powerful hostage!

About the king-twirl, I think one of the creators once said the chess piece twirling thing Lelouch does is a restless tick so it could be either anticipation or anxiety. It's interesting to watch throughout the series and see which is which.

Also, yeah that whole telling the plan BEFORE the Geassing was pretty-boneheaded. The guard could have just shot him. |D;;

Re: ep 3...spoiler?

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I do get that, but it always seemed that he regarded Clovis poorly, even when he was a child.

Oh, yes that. In that case, I think Lelouch just disdains him because Clovis isn't bright and Lelouch is a genius. Cornelia and Schneizel are either close to his level or above him, while Euphemia and Nunnally are sweet; I don't know that he has any strong feelings one way or the other about Odysseus.

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

Ooh, I didn't know that about the king-twirl. Love it!

[carlenne.livejournal.com]

Lol yeah, that's right. I watched the episodes a few weeks ago unlike this week like everyone else so my memory is a bit fuzzy. Thanks for clearing that up :D

[scribblestorm.livejournal.com]

Point, thar XD. It's just that it might seem uncanny at first glance that they'd let someone operate this ridiculously expensive piece of equipment from the get-go, but that happens surprisingly often in real-life. That, and I'm guessing the basics - start-up, forward, weapons, etc. - are more or less the same as, say, with Sutherlands?

[starmines.livejournal.com]

It's going to be interesting to closely watch how Lelouch changes and matures on the battlefield. At first, it seems like he considers the whole thing to be a game (Like when he says that "I guess real combat is different" and when he finds that random chess piece on the ground. But at least he understands that humans are involved). I also found it interesting that he called the terrorists he was commanding 'useless', when they were first being attacked by the lancelot.

Also, I agree that killing Clovis seemed rather unnecessary. I think it's part of the fact that Lelouch was just getting into it...plus Clovis always acted like a 'typical Britannian', even if he was his brother.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Euphie is the obvious Guinevere, with Lelouch as Arthur for that triangle. Lelouch even gives her the death sentence Guinevere got from Arthur (Sadly for Suzaku, he doesn't get to save her in time.)

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

I suppose...even though Suzaku never has an affair with Euphemia, his involvement with her is seen as problematic by Britannia. The odd thing is that it's not really seen as problematic by Lelouch (who kinda has to stretch to be Arthur here), except in the fact that it keeps Suzaku from being Nunnally's knight. Ultimately the interpretation has to be loose because while some of the events may be parallel, the situations and characters and themes are completely different.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

That's one reason the way some people seem determined to reduce the Code Geass characters into black and white good versus evil makes me facepalm so hard. I can't help but think of it as epic point missing.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

It is indeed epic point missing. :( I'm just glad that the majority of fandom that has remained is no longer interested in that debate.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

It depends what part of fandom you hang out in. TV Tropes has some really dumb shit on occasion.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I admit to reading TV Tropes for the tropes and rarely reading the discussions because of my inclination toward RAEG.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I will confess have accidentally gotten into a couple of Code Geass related edit wars there. (Ironically, I find the forums are pretty good for talking about fandom, if only because people will actually back up their arguments)

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Oh edit wars, they always fascinate me. And I don't mind reading people backing their claims, but, yes, certain claims frustrate me more than others. I have gotten to the point now where I do my best to avoid discussions going in the black/white vein because my rationality in them becomes a knee-jerk "YOU JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND," and that's not exactly fair because everyone is entitled to see things as they wish. I have fought more Geass battles than I should have. |D;;

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Oh, yes, don't I know it. There's a few topics I just know I should walk away from, since if I don't it's just going to end up as another WRONG ON THE INTERNET fight.

And sometimes I do actually manage to avoid engaging. I just privately decide they are wrong inside my head.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Sometimes that's the best way to go about it. And lol, I always love that icon. ♥

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

It's newish, but it amuses me so. Oh Lelouch, Suzaku tops you so hard.

SPOILERS

[kiraya.livejournal.com]

Boo, I'm late to the party.

"It'll all change. You. Your world." "Whether you want to or not." Again with the foreshadowy dialogue. I love it.

Watching Lelouch now versus how he commands later... it's interesting to see how his style evolves. He's a great tactician, even without formal training, but the way he sees his allies as mere pieces is a clear limitation.

I never really paid much attention to the Knightmares before, but as others mentioned last episode, I really find myself missing their land-based acrobatics. On the one hand, yes, flying things are cool and making the battlefield more three-dimensional provides its own tactical challenges and one has to appreciate that. On the other, watching the Lancelot, which must easily weigh in excess of a ton, jump and flip and move so rapidly, with such fluid articulation, is stunning. It just doesn't seem as much so when they all get flight-enabled units.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

The fluidity of the Knightmares is one of my favorite things about their original use in S1. I think it's why I enjoy the mechs in Star Driver so much because it brings back that basic FIGHTING style instead of making it all about wings and gimmicks. Lancelot is simply a gorgeous mech.

[snowdevil-crow.livejournal.com]

Ohhh that reminds me! In one of the sound dramas set pre-series, Suzaku drives a car after 'practising' by playing video games. Fast forward seven years, and he pilots the Lancelot after 'practising' with simulations...? IDK I just always found that a funny similarity.