Code Geass Episode 5: Discussion!

[gods-debris.livejournal.com]

Episode 5: 皇女と魔女
The Imperial Princess and the Witch










We begin by seeing Cornelia taking control of Area 18 with her army. For whatever reason I always somewhat felt that Lelouch had some sort of a similarity with her. Well, at least for this episode they were both introduced with a fiery entrance (at least Zero was shown to the public that way in the last episode). Cornelia has decided to take control of Area 11 and avenge the death of her brother, Clovis. Her goal? To find Zero!

Lelouch returns home to see a familiar face of someone whom he thought died via bullet to the brain. I guess I'd be a little surprised too. I mean, he did watch her die in front of him. There was a bullet in her head, after all. She survived and there's not even a scar to show she was ever shot. At any rate, it's nice to see that Nunnally and C.C. are getting along pleasantly—except she's under the assumption that Lelouch is marrying her. I gotta say, though, I didn't get the feeling that Nunnally really believed the breaking of that cup was legit. Unfortunately for Lelouch he doesn't get to have a lot of his questions answered by the mysterious C.C..

In other news poor Jeremiah has lost his leadership due to the whole "orange" incident. No one trusts him after he let Zero escape and even attacked his own men claiming they were disobeying his orders. For those wondering what "orange" meant, Lelouch claims it was just a casual remark that some people will want to know the meaning of and others will begin to analyze what it does mean. Suspicion. Luckily for Suzaku, due to the whole ordeal they acquitted that there was not enough evidence to charge him with the murder of Clovis, so he was found innocent! Other than that other terrorist groups are making a ruckus because of the whole Zero thing, thinking it's time to revolt; even the Japanese that Toudou is a part of wants to act now, but Toudou seems to be very patient and he wants to wait and not get caught up in the whole Zero thing.

Anyways, is it just me or is this entire anime built on lies? When Suzaku meets Euphemia for the first time one of the first thing she says to him is a lie. She's being chased by bad people? Moreover she lies about who she is—well she omits the fact that she's the princess Euphemia and just tells Suzaku that she's Eufie. However, I get that she did that so she could see who he was on a different level. For example when Suzaku stepped in when some Britannian soldiers were creating a ruckus with an Eleven. He took a lot of heat from the Britannians. Later he stepped in when there was a coup d'état against Jeremiah, which later caused Euphemia to step in and stop the fight using her royal power. Maybe it was a test for Suzaku because she knew who he was when they met, I believe. Either way, Lloyd knew the entire time, that bastard!

I gotta hand it to Lelouch, though. He put Geass on a girl to test how long Geass stays on a given person for. Every day at the same time she goes to the same spot and carves in the wall the same image. Even C.C. is impressed.

Suzaku is attending Ashford Academy! :D

Next time: 奪われた仮面
The Stolen Mask

P.S. I will be deleting previous image batches from my flickr account within the next week, save for this one.

Comments

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

After the great big shipping derail up-page, shall we have a thread for discussing the adorableness and Suzaku, Euphie and Suzaku/Euphie here?

Even if I ended up liking SuzaLulu most, Suzaku/Euphie was my first Code Geass ship. &them;

I like the way that Euphie stands up for Suzaku when he can't/won't do so for himself (And it's sort of a running them with those two: Euphie always has faith in Suzaku and is forever pushing him to have more faith in himself), while Suzaku provides a tangible and physical way for Euphie to act on her own wishes.

MAJOR SPOILERS

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

I've always liked and shipped Suzaku/Euphemia, but I don't think I have appreciated Euphemia enough in the past. It's always, in my mind, been about Suzaku. Part of it was because I heard about the Euphinator incident before I ever saw the first episode...usually if I know a character is going to die, I tend not to pay as much attention to that character (often unintentionally).
I think I sometimes just think of her as "generic kind girl." Sort of a placeholder character, which is also how I originally thought of Nunnally (and in her case it is actually more true). I never disliked her, but I never appreciated her either, and when I think on Euphie detachedly from afar she kind of comes across as a bit of a canon Sue (Princess, extremely close to Lelouch and Suzaku who both love her dearly, totally sweet, totally brave, the only not-disowned Britannian royal child who is openly not-racist, first one to figure out Zero's identity, the only one who could've persuaded him to change course, the list goes on...it never bothered me, really, but if somebody ever wrote a fan-character like that they'd be flamed to burnt crisps).
On this re-watch, though, I was thoroughly charmed by Euphemia. I thought she was just adorable, until it was time for serious business, and then she serioused right the fuck up like she needed to. It made me really like Suzaku/Euphemia more. And I like how they seemed so natural and loving from the start, considering that their "official" relationship was kinda rushed and IMHO a bit poorly handled from the standpoint of not enough screen time for my tastes.

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

And I like how they seemed so natural and loving from the start, considering that their "official" relationship was kinda rushed and IMHO a bit poorly handled from the standpoint of not enough screen time for my tastes.

The only thing that really changed with Suzaku and Euphie when they became an official couple is... well, they admitted they were a couple. In terms of their behaviour, it doesn't really change a thing, which is I think sort of the point. They act incredibly coupley long before they were an "actual" couple. This episode is basically their first date.

Then again, I also ship Ed/Winry and Ron/Hermione, so I have long experience at couples that are blatantly coupley long before they are officially dating. Actually, both of those we never really see on any dates at all...

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

The only thing that really changed with Suzaku and Euphie when they became an official couple is... well, they admitted they were a couple

Yeah, I just wish we had gotten more time with them after this. I can't remember late R1 so well right now but as I recall, the Euphinator incident happens so soon after the declaration of love that they basically got no time together as an official couple.
This is not a complaint about quality, I suppose, as the situation is obviously supposed to be part of the tragedy. Once they finally admitted their love to each other and could actually maybe enjoy everything about being a couple, Euphemia died tragically. I think this is part of why it hit Suzaku SO hard.
I just wish, as an audience member, that I could have seen more of them together post-confession.

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I'd say that's what fanfic is for, but Suzaku/Euphie fanfic is surprisingly uncommon for a pairing that seems reasonably popular. It mostly shows up as a side pairing in Lelouch/whoever fic, instead of getting much focus on it itself.

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[otakukeith.livejournal.com]

I think Sunrise has a phobia about showing established couples being happy together. You see it a lot in Gundam - if people's relationships aren't messed-up and wrong (Kira/Fllay), the two spend most of their screentime apart (Kira/Lacus), get broken up soon after being established (Athrun/Cagalli), or one of them dies before they have a chance to just be together for more than an episode or two (Shinn/Stellar, Kamille/Four)

In the same way, they seemed to wilfully resist actually pairing Lelouch with anyone, probably so no-one would stop watching because they didn't get their ship and so they could push all possible pairings in supplementary materials/merchandise. Shirley gets shanked right after getting her memory back for the Nth time, C.C. loses her memories after the sorta-declaration in C's World, Kallen and Lelouch are constantly interrupted...

This obviously isn't limited to Sunrise - anime in general loves the Last Minute Hookup trope (cf. Escaflowne, every harem anime ever, etc.). The reasons suggested above aside, I suspect it's because it's felt that there's less drama/conflict in people being happy together. However, I think there's a lot of mileage in showing an 'established' couple dealing with conflict together rather than dancing around each other or having misunderstandings. I remember the creator of the webcomic Megatokyo saying that he wanted to write beyond the 'declaration' portion of a relationship.

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, Sunrise seems to have come from the same school of relationship related drama as Joss Whedon and his ilk.

But I actually agree with you in the end, which is why I wish there was more fic for the pairing itself, instead of just as subplots.

Re: MAJOR SPOILERS

[megalomaniageek.livejournal.com]

I know this reply is ridiculously late in Internet Time but...

a. Well observed!

b. The reasons suggested above aside, I suspect it's because it's felt that there's less drama/conflict in people being happy together. However, I think there's a lot of mileage in showing an 'established' couple dealing with conflict together rather than dancing around each other or having misunderstandings.

I feel the same way, but I've been so conditioned by the conventions of fiction that I'm usually caught off-guard. When I was watching The Office (US) I thought "Pam and Jim could never get together. It'd be boring." The writers ended up getting them together after a few seasons and it has only worked to the show's benefit.
It was also why I found KareKano/His and Her Circumstances so refreshing. It's a 26-episode romance series and the main characters are together in the first few, and the rest of the show is them developing the relationship and dealing with hurdles while remaining in love. It really highlighted what I find irritating (and usually lazy) in typical romance fiction, relying overly much on "WILL THEY OR WON'T THEY (of course they will but we'll keep drawing out the inevitable forever)" or "Ok, they're together, but NOW IT'S WACKY MISUNDERSTANDING TIME! Because realistic relationship tension can never be interesting; she has to think he's a cheater/jerk/criminal/etc even though he's innocent!"

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I like that Suzaku and Euphie are each other mirror opposites in a way. He is Euphie's window to the realization that the world is not always what it seems and that she can't simply fix things by telling people that they are important; she has to show them. Whereas Euphie is Suzaku's window to there being a potential for goodness and hope in a world that has seemed like a very dismal place for him for a very long time, hope for him as well. Suzaku (and Nina) make Euphie realize how ineffectual she is and truly want to change that and take a real role, something she only toed around originally. Euphie makes Suzaku realize his way isn't impossible or wrong and is even enough for him to offer flag of true to Zero/Lelouch if he only shows that he can understand that.

I enjoy Suzaku and Euphie for the ideals they represent for each other, but I do wish Suzaku had gotten to see more of Euphie's rough side, as she saw his own. It would have equalized things nicely and is a result of less screentime. :( I think it would have really added more depth to the relationship and help Suzaku see Euphie more as "real" more of less. Not that he doesn't love her for who she is. I just think that viewpoint adds a naturalness to relationships and helps get past the idealizing point.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

Funnily enough, I've used the mirror opposites analogy to contrast Suzaku and Lelouch before.

I wonder what we'd actually get to see if we saw Euphie's rough side? Because most of her issues are the one's we've mentioned so far - and Suzaku is actually helping her overcome. Beyond that there's still the fact she can be willfully blind to the crimes of those she loves. (For all she hates the Black Knights versus Britannia conflict, she really avoids dealing with that fact that it is Clovis and Cornelia and Lelouch doing these things, instead of just amorphous others)

But yeah, I think the lack of addressing it is in part the fact that for all it's sweetness, their relationship is still only in it's early stages. And in part, because when you get down to it, Suzaku is a more important character than Euphie. She exists more to support his character and development than the reverse.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I don't apply mirror opposites as much to the boys since aside from methods, they are very similar in mentality. That's what makes their rivalry so ugly and their friendship so turbulent.

Euphie's rough side, aside from what you mentioned, boils down to almost a lite version of Lelouch's, wanting to do what's right for those he loves but not fully considering how it will affect them or how they will feel about it. Case in point: the Special Administration Zone. Also, Suzaku in general for quite some time. Whereas Euphie more tried to force him out of his subservient side than really get his issues. Well, yes Suzaku sees these things in action, Euphie never truly comes to terms with them the way Suzaku must come to terms with his own shortcomings in front of her. I understand the structural logic of it through Euphie's role in the story, but I still pine for this final piece.

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I've used that and the photo-negative comparison. Both for basically the same reason: same lines, but a different result. Er, metaphorically.

I think the two issues are intertwined with Euphie: Because she tries to see only the good in people, she can't really grasp the bad, and as such has difficulty actually dealing with it. So with Lelouch she ignores it, and with Suzaku who she sees more clearly, she tries the band-aid solution.

I wonder if, in the event of the SAZ succeeding, the work in actually managing it and keeping things going would have given Suzaku a look at that side of Euphie. Given how out of her depth she'd be at dealing with both Japanese people, and working as a civilian instead of a princess.

It has oddly just occurred to me that R1 consists of two opposing people trying to force Suzaku to get past issues in different ways, R2 is Suzaku (mostly) struggling to get past them on his own.

- And now I must dash, because family calls. Possibly back after dinner?

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Oh, you make a good point about SAZ, it very well could have because of the challenges involved. Lelouch knew this too. :(

Also lol it's so true about the parallels.

[kiraya.livejournal.com]

This pairing is utterly adorable and was my first ship for this series before SuzaLulu ran off with the OTP flag.

I like the way that Euphie stands up for Suzaku when he can't/won't do so for himself (And it's sort of a running them with those two: Euphie always has faith in Suzaku and is forever pushing him to have more faith in himself), while Suzaku provides a tangible and physical way for Euphie to act on her own wishes.

In this way there are very close parallels to SuzaLulu, imo. Lelouch stands up for an unwilling Suzaku; Suzaku presents an option to make Lelouch's goals easier to reach (Geass aside). The major difference is that Euphie offers Suzaku the support and affirmation he desperately needs without all the tsundere criticism he gets from Lelouch -- which makes his relationship with her much healthier, and all the more painful a loss.

To me that's part of what makes the SAZ so incredibly tragic, even beyond the massacre; one really gets the impression that Euphie could have helped both Suzaku and Lelouch reconcile with each other and heal their old wounds, and working together the three of them could have accomplished a lot.

I could go on forever about these three. Absolute favorite trio of the series ♥

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

That is exactly the same as how my shipping preferences went. Huh.

And I actually with quite a lot of what you are saying with Suzaku and Lelouch there; the fact that Lelouch's means of dealing with Suzaku's issues seems to very frequently be rage (even if it isn't rage at Suzaku himself) doesn't help there. Euphie's a lot simpler in expressing her opinions, and doesn't have the moral conflict of interest Lelouch does.

Well, that's the way tragedy works, you wait until things are just about to work out happily, and then screw things the hell up. Though I think about half of Code Geass's plot can be summed up as "Suzaku and Lelouch are on the verge of reconciling; something else fucks it up."

[kiraya.livejournal.com]

Though I think about half of Code Geass's plot can be summed up as "Suzaku and Lelouch are on the verge of reconciling; something else fucks it up."

Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah. :(

[drakyndra.livejournal.com]

I know why they did it; The whole "Together we can do anything" message. As soon as the two are on the same side, game over, they've won. So it couldn't happen properly until the endgame.

But it was frustrating how we'd be taunted by things looking like they were about to get better and have the two team up... and then not.