Two cents

[spaleween.livejournal.com]

First off, I like this anime because it involves war, political intrigue, friendship, and betrayal. Then I was miffed at the stereotypical characters--bad protagonist, heroic antagonist/best friend/greatest enemy, sexy and mysterious girl with mystical powers, helpless sister, megalomaniac king.

And then, as other LJ people have mentioned, they're not stereotypical after all. They're not completely good/bad people...most of them anyway.

There were two things I hated: (1) the Pizza Hut product placement, but this has already been beaten and murdered in other posts so I won't do it, and (2) the god-awful deus ex machina.

There were plenty of deus ex machina in Code Geass (read: V.V.), but what annoyed me most was when Euphie dropped out of nowhere and into Suzaku's arms. Somebody explain to me why a princess would drop out of nowhere? Ah, *forehead smack* convenient plot device...of course.

Many people don't like Euphie because she's a Lacus clone. I initially agree. But when she became a killing doll, I liked it. She became one of Lelouch's many accidental pawns in that last-8-minute chess game of his. This confirms Euphie's purpose in the series: convenient momental plot device.

Now Nina. Everyone is creeped out. But I like it that there's a one-sided-stalker-worship-dirty-love going on with Nina. She never really had anyone care for her before, and here comes this radiant glowing princess that values Nina's life so much that she's willing to exchange her life for hers. Nina is so awestruck because no one ever does this for her before that she entrusts her never-ending and never-wavering loyalty and devotion to her. Someone actually treasured her, in Nina's view. So the girl who was never appreciated before becomes obssessed with the radiant princess because she's afraid no one would appreciate her life again. I kinda understand it.

Suzaku. Agree with the initial Kira-clone impression. Agree with the later omg-he's-actually-two-dimensional-because-of-that-patricide impression. I truly appreciate characters who are not one-dimensional. I don't like perfect characters. I like it that he's a contradictory character. I like it that he's trying to convince himself of doing the right thing, justifying himself of his father's murder. He's haunted by all the bad things he did, but he still weaves the illusion onto himself that "this is for the good". He has a mask, just like Lelouch's Zero, but Suzaku's mask is harder to remove as it's from childhood. I agree that he keeps repressing all that emotion. Once, he managed to let a bit out in front of Lelouch, but that's just a bit. His guilt is slowly eating him and he doesn't notice it. Euphie was, once again--convenient plot device--, the trigger to release all that pent-up emotion since childhood. He doesn't care anymore. He doesn't care that Nunnally is in danger. He doesn't care that Japan is in complete chaos. He doesn't care that Lelouch is his best friend. He doesn't care. All he cares about is killing this guy, riddle him with bullets and make sure he's DEAD.

I haven't read Suzaku of the Counterattack, you see.
A favor? Would anyone mind doing a character sketch of Suzaku? I really want to understand him more.

Comments

1/2 (LJ thinks I'm too wordy)

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

Yes, Code Geass relies a bit heavily on mere coincidence to move the plot along. Lelouch's initial gain of his geass powers aside, we have two major, major plot points that happen by pure accident (IMO)--Euphemia falling out of a window (???) and Lelouch losing control of his geass right as he's saying something jokingly to Euphemia. It's my biggest complaint with the series, but whatever. I'll overlook them.

But other commenters are right when they say that you shortchange Euphie by simply casting her as a "convenient momental plot device". What we must keep in mind is that within the frame of the series, Euphemia and Nunnally are the driving forces for both the boys--not the liberation of Japan, nor the destruction of Britannia. And no, I'm not saying that Nunnally is solely Lelouch's motivation and that Euphie is Suzaku's. The two boys have complex, meaningful relationships with both the girls, and I have no doubt in my mind that the boys always meant for these two girls to jointly be their ladies-in-waiting. They are both the girls' knights, and it is their responsibility to ensure that they stay safe.

She is so much more than a convenient plot device. She is also one of the few people in the world that Lelouch trusts absolutely. She is his first love, and aside from Nunnally (and maybe Cornelia), she's the only remaining member of his family that he gives a shit for. She is a symbol of trust, and I think that when he killed her, he broke his own sense of trust. I think his final act of betraying their relationship pushes Lelouch into a bit of "Suzaku" territory. It doesn't matter what he thinks or feels. He must keep the facade going and do what he can from this point on.

She is also Suzaku's sense of self-righteousness. She absolutely believes him to be a good man; she doesn't know his flaws, nor does she care to know because she has complete faith in him. As Suzaku is forced to face his own guilt head-on in different situations (C.C. hax, Nunnally kidnapping, on the island with Kallen), he entrusts more and more of his self-belief that he is a good man in Euphemia--that if he believed himself to be good, he can eventually convince himself of it, and that doing good is equivalent to being good. When she dies, his walls come tumbling down. His anger, his emotion--the grief and indignation and hurt that he carries--all spill out without his bulwark.

I don't particularly care about Nina, so I'll skip over her.

Re: 1/2 (LJ thinks I'm too wordy)

[volfield.livejournal.com]

Fully agreeing with this too. The influence those two have over them is really meaningful to the plot. No matter Suzaku and Lelouch's ideals, convictions or plans, they've been moved by them along the entire series.

She is a symbol of trust, and I think that when he killed her, he broke his own sense of trust. I think his final act of betraying their relationship pushes Lelouch into a bit of "Suzaku" territory.

Brilliant.