My Problem with Britannia

[torque2100.livejournal.com]

I have been a fan of this show since it first started airing.  However, something always bothered me about the Britannians.  They never felt sufficiently British to me.  I mean, no pubs, no pints, no bangers and mash or shepherd's  pie. Not once do you hear the characters say "bloody," "bugger," "Blighty," or "zed." I am an American but I do enjoy BBC comedies and Doctor Who.  I don't claim to be an expert on British culture but a lot of things in Code Geass just felt a bit off.   For starters, why were the stalls at the Ashford festival selling hamburgers and soda pop and not hot cider and scotch eggs or lamb kebabs?  I know the target audience probably has no idea what those things are, but would it hurt the writers or art directors to do a little research?  While we're on the subject of Ashford academy, the teachers were WAYYY too nice.  Teachers at British boarding schools are notorious for being snarky, jaded and cruel.

Furthermore, the Britannian empire is all wrong.  I can accept that they fought off the Romans and have an Emperor instead of a King, but why isn't India part of the Britannian empire?  India was always the Jewel in the British empire's crown.  India was the one conquest that Great Britain was most proud of and seeing a parallel universe British empire without India is kind of jarring.  Furthermore, some humorous references to ridiculously inefficient bureaucracy would have upped the Britishness factor a lot.

Adding to my distress is the english dub.  Not only is it  one the most atrocious pieces of voice work I have ever heard, there is not a single accent to be heard. It even makes sense for the western release.  To American ears, anything said with a British accent automatically sounds intelligent and sophisticated.  I mean, imagine how much cooler the line "destroy shujinko ghetto, leave no one alive." would have sounded said in a classy uppercrust accent.

I suppose you can argue that the target audience for this show wouldn't know any of this, but that's no reason not to include it.  It would have helped to give Britannia a unique feel.   As it  is they seem too much like a generic Zeon clone.

Rant over.

Comments

[snozzlenut.livejournal.com]

I've never been certain either way if Britannia is supposed to be Britain or not, seeing as its fiction i've not cared a great deal, although having the Britannian Knightmares called Glasgow, Gloucester and Sutherland did make me wonder. Any ideas why they are named after places in the UK?
Also, what on earth does zed mean? I don't think I have ever heard anyone say that before :/
As for the stalls, never in my life have I come across a stall sell any of what you have described. We get fast food stalls..crepes..watermelons.. in fact all of our stalls sell foreign food unless its local veg or meat.
I never went to boarding school so I can't comment on that but I really doubt that they're all snarky, jaded and cruel. Kids wouldn't go to private school if that were thi case.

As for the British accent....intelligent and sophisticated? Yeah depends what area you're looking in. My local accent is inbred farmer's We don't be tawking lyk we be pro'er 'telligarnt oooohhh aarrrr. We really don't have the classy accents other's seem to think we have..

[vspirit.livejournal.com]

As for the British accent....intelligent and sophisticated? Yeah depends what area you're looking in. My local accent is inbred farmer's We don't be tawking lyk we be pro'er 'telligarnt oooohhh aarrrr.

*Laughs out loud* That was a delightful read.