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[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

A lot of us are in jitters over the preview of Episode 11, and this may alleviate fears or make them worse, depending on what you're thinking...



The Battle of Narita

The Order of Black Knights has successfully isolated Cornelia's unit in the Narita mountain range. Lelouch jumps into the fray and order Cornelia to surrender, but she fights on, ready to lose life and limb. Suzaku's Lancelot joins the fight and the Order is forced to retreat once more. Suzaku chases after Zero, but he is prevented from doing so with CC's previously unknown power. His mind is eroded with CC's power, and in the midst of nightmarish imagery, Suzaku meets his dead father.

....reading these do so dampen the enjoyment, but damn. That preview IS cheating. D:

I did suspect her to hinder Suzaku, since she did seem to be distrusting him...but whether he gets something weird or not afterwards is still up in the air. D: There's the title of Ep..14, IIRC? To think about.

Comments

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

I have to say though, I don't think the Lancelot is overpowered...well, it is, but that's the point. It's an experimental model. Lloyd is actually sending it out a lot more than he's probably supposed to, because Lloyd is a cheeky guy who loves his toys he's collecting combat data on it's efficiency for his 'employer'; Prince Schneizel.

And as for Suzaku, maybe he just really does like piloting it! I mean...it is a pretty shiny mech, and the implication is that he and the mech 'click'; perhaps it has some kind of sympathetic technology, where the response of the technology is more sophiscated when the user has a defter touch; more like a musical instrument. ;)

Now *Karen's* mech; that came out of nowhere; that's your Munchkin mech right there; if I was the ST, I'd laugh that one out of the game.

[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, it is. You're right on both counts. If they throw the overpowered right back in our faces and remind us that the Lancelot is just that---an experimental war machine---I'd be happier. The way it's used now is just like...well, it's more like the SuperMech of Good and Justice. And it's just---I don't know, it beats everyone else TOO cleanly. Even an old model should have a fighting chance with the new if the commander's good enough, that's the way the machines in our world worked. Not so with Lancelot. That's why I say it's almost like an authorial cheat---with it, Suzaku can win everything with nearly no effort. Good way to end battles. (And if it's in Schneizel's hand, I'd still say it's cheap all the same)

Let me assure you that I was quite unhappy with how powerful Guren Nishiki is, as well. But since it's not being used as a deus ex machina solution yet, I currently hold no dislike for it.

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

And it's just---I don't know, it beats everyone else TOO cleanly.

Well...I am not sure that's true; the first pilot Lancelot really fought was Lelouch; how the hell did he even know how to pilot a mech in the first place? (plot fudging! ;) When Suzaku jumped in to help Jeramiah, the technology that Suzaku used is mentioned by one of the other pilots, so...it was kinda something people knew about but that wasn't supposed to be in play, as it were; Lloyd and his surprising toys again. ;)

I don't really think it's something that can be perceived as overpowered when Lelouch has Geass. *shrug*

Also, the only person we have seen pilot it so far is a good pilot, and lloyd does keep on about his perfect componant, his pilot. We speculated on it before, but when Schneizel gets into it, he might be horrendously crap and it'll fall over! XD

The thing that makes Karen's munchkin mech unacceptable is where the hell did it come from. Sorry, the embattled Japan Liberation Front suddenly have advanced combat mechs? You can understand where Lancelot came from; it came out of the vastness of the resouces of the Brittanian Empire. The power of Brittania justifies the power of their mos advanced mech. But this one? Pft.

[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about the Plug and Play operations of Knightmare Frames since the first episode and I don't know the answer. Did Lancelot really 'fight' Lelouch, though? He (the latter) was basically trying to get away. He fought the rebels first, and while the rebels probably aren't that experienced in combat mechs, they've seen more actual fighting than Suzaku. I guess my point is, someone who's flying an F-22 without any prior flight experience outside simulators shouldn't be able to down a squadron of semi-experienced Harriers effortlessly?

Ah, but as demonstrated in Episode 7, Geass is useless in the battlefield. Plus it has caveats. War machines by nature cannot have too many, but like how even the best-made tanks have weaknesses---it needs some. Lancelot's been around for ten episodes and so far I'd like a little counterbalance. As the original commenter said, Lancelot and Suzaku are counterbalances for Lelouch, Geass and Order. And while Geass and Order have their counterbalances (limitations, lack of training/professionalism) Lancelot has none. I'm just trying to point out how the thing can irritate people.

Not disagreeing with that. While I'm pretty certain Kyoto isn't synonymous with JLF, it's still pretty "....eh?" that Japan still has this kind of operations. I wish they'd give the Order serviceable decent models that requires more brains on the user's side instead, but oh well. :p

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

Did Lancelot really 'fight' Lelouch, though?

Not really...lol! Confronted with an actual combat opponant, he ran away like a little girl, lest he got another roundhouse kick to his (mech)face. >:DDDD Lelouch seems happy to pull the trigger in the face of a defenseless opponant, but in combat, he seems to like to lead from behind. Like the Duke of Plaza-toro...;)

I still say the point is that there is no counterbalance. It's brand shiny new technology, in terms of the story. It annoys the Sutherland pilots too. As for mech combat experience, it does seem that the Lancelot replicates what Suzaku can personally do; he performed that kick on Lelouch in person and then he did it again in the mech. It's more than just his experience as a mere pilot; I think that's Lloyd's point -it's Suzaku himself, his own abilities, that are making Lancelot super special right now; it's the meeting of man and machine.

I have noticed, since it was pointed out to me here, that there actually *is* a lot of Suzaku bashing...I think a lot of people just don't like to see Lelouch getting pawned. And in mechs and in person, when it comes to physical prowess (yaoi jokes aside), Suzaku wins. Whether he is as sly...? Well, he's a 'point and click' soldier so far, and hasn't been presented (story wise) with an opportunity to display tactical ability (or not). ;)

[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

Tsk, he'd call it a tactical retreat. XD Duke of Plaza-toro, though...?

Hmmm. I like that idea of Knightmare operations, actually. It fills up several plot holes, though somewhat too Evangelion for my tastes. (I'm old fashioned and like my mechs button-and-pulley operated, but I'm in a minority) We're looking it differently, I guess. To quote a person in my flist, you're using Watsonian and I'm using Doylesian. INSIDE the story, the Lancelot makes the greatest sense. OUTSIDE the story, in terms of how the authors use it as a plot device, and it's not that satisfying.

I can't speak for Suzaku-bash, though, since I like him basically second (albeit rather distant second) to Lelouch at the moment. Won't deny that I do go "What, are you serious?" quite often with him, but he's a likable person. I'm actually wishing he hurries it up and become Suzaku of the Counterattack, so we get to see his style of leadership.

(Also, I just noticed that the original comment is gone. It said basically the same thing in your last paragraph, though)

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

I wonder why it got deleted? I don't think I said anything super contraversial...XD

XD Yes. Tactical retreat! XDDD The Duke of Plaza Toro (lyrics) (http://www.theofficenet.com/~jack/arts/duke.html) is a patter song from a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta...;)

Most things are a plot device in the end; I just don't tend to look at things in those terms unless it's blatantly illogical. For me, Lancelot's power level, considering it's backstory etc, is all quite logical. ;) My favourite mechs ever were the ones in Sousei No Aquarion. Now those were some crazy mechs!

I hadn't noticed the bashing, as I said...but when I was reading the various anime blogs about Geass this week, I really did. It surprised me a lot! I think all this talk of 'giving Suzaku angst' is a bit silly - he already has it. Every character has their light and shade, a 'darker' or a 'harder' side to them (except Shirley, who genuinely is made of cardboard). Suzaku just deals with it (so far) more patiently than Lelouch.

[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

I have no idea. Maybe it's self-deleted? I rely on email notifications all too much...XD;

Funny, I was just talking about this. XD Orange-kun should try singing the song the next time he meets Zero and see if it works as a revenge.

Well, there are satisfying plot devices and there are unsatisfying plot devices. I tend to look at it in both terms unless it's about the characters and their motivations/how the setting works. Then I go Watsonian. But I guess our preferences also explain it : I dislike ubermechs, and as there's a tendency to use it as a Universal Solution to War Problems, I dislike the use even more. XD

I noticed some, but didn't think it was that serious...and eh, they're actually saying that!? I thought Suzaku had always had major issues. Probably more serious than Lelouch does, if you compare the level of WTF in their actions. He's so easily affected it's obvious.

But then again, I've always thought Suzaku is so similar on different spins to Lelouch it hurts. Aside from his facing a rigged court thing. Either he's insane naive or insane fatalistic.

[thomasvye.livejournal.com]

XD If there is one thing Orange kun can't be accused of, it's leading from behind! He's always put himself up front of his squad. He's pretty fearless. ^-^

(I always though G&S's Modern Major General patter would have been good for Clovis; it's the 'When I know more of tactics than a novice in a nunnery' line...or he's Iago's Michael Cassio, who 'never set a squadron in the field nor the division of a battle knows more a than a spinster'...XD)

Suzaku seems to restrict his gestures to small things mostly, like clenching his fists and narrowing his eyes. Little displays of what's going on inside. Whilst Lelouch privately kills like a maniac and publically...dresses as a cat...wtf? Lelouch is quite mad. XDD When Suzaku went back to the court, that was brilliant! XD Lelouch got pwned again! XDD

[selenityshiroi.livejournal.com]

I keep hoping that the 'red spinny thing that I assume is a power cell' will overload if he goes too far into Deus Ex Machina mode. Not huge explosion overload (because I quite like Suzaku and his duality that I'm sure will counter Lelouch's duality) but system shutdown overload.

I don't think that we've really seen what Suzaku will be about, yet.

I despise that Guren Nishiki. I like the fact that Kallen developed a smidgen of character in the last few episodes (thank you, Millay, for your contribution there) but I hate that she's been given such a stupid, pulled out of Kyoto their arse machine (and, whilst I'm at it, why does Kyoto have 1000's of mecha lying around to give to random resistance justice groups?). It may not have been used stupidly yet but I don't think it will be long.

[verity-isle.livejournal.com]

Suzaku of the Counterattack, of course, Suzaku of the Counterattack! The end of OP1.5 even has Lancelot standing in front of a Sutherland unit. He should hurry it up already, not too many episodes left.

How Guren Nishiki is used will pretty much determine my opinion of Lelouch as a tactician, whether he's a one-tricked pony or not. If it's used in spectacular tactics, great. (Considering it's the only decent mech he has) If it isn't...blah. Don't ask me how Kyoto made it, though.