2008-04-21 18:59![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png)
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code_geass
nayami.livejournal.com in code_geassIt's so great to see our community activity with things aside from icons and RP ads again. All this discussion makes me a very happy Geass fan. But I still love my epic posts so here's another one. As always, no character bashing or I will eat your soul. I hear they go quite well with bread pudding.
It was refreshing to finally have an episode that gave us a chance to breathe and wrap out heads around some things without reeling from the OMG SHOCK of a moment before. I admit I was completely against an Ashford episode from the start and still believe that the plot should be dropped sooner rather than later. We were promised a world stage and yet we have yet to escape Japan. Much the same as Lelouch. Suzaku seems to be the only one with true freedom, but even that is debatable. I also think that this episode did a decent job of paralleling last season but to a much less irritating extent than previous ones. I still whine that all Lelouch did was sit on the horse. TEASES.
Since everyone is all over Rollo, I will deal with him later and instead put the perplexing issues of the episode to the forefront. The largest of these being GEASS. In Turn 2, we hear the Emperor tell Suzaku that only he knows about geass. I'm guessing this means he's the only KotR to know about geass. Clearly, other people do, although they may not know the full extent of the power. Villetta and Rollo chat about it. They also apparently bank on Lelouch's reliance on it it, a very poor move on their part, as most of Lelouch's building of his army was done without the use of his power (I will acknowledge winning them over was done through the geassing of Jeremiah and the rescue of Suzaku). Whoever is advising them that Lelouch abuses his power is working off a biased scenario. Is it Villetta's? Is it the Emperor's? Is it Suzaku's? Their observation itself is terribly hindered by the belief that Zero would immediately take action if Lelouch was back to his old ways. Again, the crew is not entirely playing with a full stack of cards. But I doubt the Emperor is this sloppy. And it's rather convenient that nobody knows what happened within Babel Tower if both of the group were apparently striving for the same thing.
I also have nit-pickery with Lelouch this time around. While I understand that the student council all had their memories rearranged to remove knowledge of Nunnally and Zero, meaning that Shirley was probably geassed a second time (a cop-out way to deal with the issue of her remembering things last season), Lelouch fully remembers what happened. I find it interesting that Lelouch is still willing to use Shirley to lure out Rollo and his other followers, knowing what he already put her through. I could even forgive this behavior, as Lelouch has always shown himself to be of the "ends justify the means" mindset if not for his later reaction. Upon Shirley pointing out the cable car, Lelouch suddenly feels guilt. Why was this guilt not present before? Did he conveniently shove it to the back of his mind? I fully believe that he feels responsible for what happened to his friends and wants to avenge them, but the combination of these two elements sat extremely awkwardly with me. It was almost like an afterthought. Even if Lelouch wouldn't know a date if it bit him on the ass, he knows how Shirley feels about him so agreeing to go do something with her would clearly count as playing into those feelings. Lelouch, you are a bastard. Though, I will add he was certainly hot when he was joking with Shirley about the spectacular trick he was going to play on the council.Talk wicked to me, baby.
People have pointed out Villetta's conflicted reaction to Ougi's fate. Interesting now that Villetta has some of the power she sought, noted by the surveillance members all referring to her as "lord." I am not sure how I feel about this since the Ougi/Villetta storyline was not one of my favorites. My interest in this is that Villetta seems somewhat... compromised and none too agitated by her role at Ashford. I would have thought a teacher would be demeaning for a warrior.
While we're exploring Britannia, we should also take a moment to brush over Schneizel and Suzaku. Some people have made some good comments about Suzaku's fight with the EU, particularly his focus on disabling rather than killing the pilots. Even if his words come across harsh, practically demanding their surrender, something feels different about this fight than his previous ones. Also Shinigami. I wonder if Suzaku did not earn the name from his homicidal battles in the Black Rebellion. There was no such quarter given then, and for good reason. Whatever Suzaku is after, there is a sense of weariness about him now. His final question to his opponents is whether they still want to continue fighting. Yes, Suzaku, may be different now, but his issues with outright killing seem to be a new spin on his old preservation. There could even be a degree more sanity involved in this style. Schneizel, who continues to be our red herring, alludes to as much when he talks about Suzaku bringing a sense of responsibility and conscience to the field. Ironic description for someone who would betray his own friend hmmm.
Lelouch has also returned to genuinely focusing on Nunnally, something that was missing quite heavily from previous episodes, and something that irked me. We see that he holds back because he's afraid of her being used as a bargaining chip, we see how resentful he is that the council has forgotten her and we see the rage toward the brother that replaced her. The locked, as some have suggested, was most likely a gift for her, purchased early, and then given to Rollo after Lelouch's memories were wiped. Hence, Lelouch's comment that a locket doesn't truly suit a boy. Ouch, Sunrise, giving them the same birthday. This is also where I point out that I love Lelouch's quiet, deadly rage when he makes this realization. Even if that one later frame was totally stole from the scene where Lelouch is watching Suzaku and Nunnally while deciding to tell Suzaku to be Nunnally's knight. As always, the majority of Lelouch's rage is turned toward his father.
Further following my attempt to sort out Lelouch's current thoughts on Suzaku is Lelouch's casual remark about Suzaku taking Arthur. Of course, it's adorable because it shows that Lelouch loev the kitty, as we all already knew. But that Lelouch automatically jumps to knowing that Arthur is with Suzaku is equally noteworthy. I have seen theories about Suzaku taking Arthur because of the cat's connection with Euphemia, thus Suzaku wanting to keep everything about Euphemia as far from Lelouch as possible. And here, I think Lelouch understands this. For his words are not bitter but a simple observation, an understanding as Lelouch always tries to boil things down to. Oh yeah, Lelouch also mentions Nina, which I assume is because she was another staple of Ashford that is now missing.
I am loving the theories I've seen floating about Rollo. While I was already intrigued by Lost Colors, the boy totally won me over with his shanking the Britannian guy and his later freakout in front of Lelouch. I am guessing Rollo is in a way a trained weapon because of his power. He may have been kept from people for a better part of his life or at least raised in a way that he felt perpetually detached. He doesn't care too much about following any orders but a prime directive, as seen in his killing of the guy who walks in on the secret of the geass. There is also his ability to switch modes, especially his creepy departure from the Chinese Embassy. I do buy into the notion that Rollo grew accustomed to his familial relationship with Lelouch and even started to believe it. He seems absolutely shocked in the scene where Lelouch gives him the locket and later reaffirms to himself that birthdays are important to people, furthering his belief that receiving the locket was a big deal. Add to that his total panic at losing it, at losing this reminder that he has family. Lelouch gave it to him! I love the raw emotion in his eyes in this scene. And his later confusion as Milly talks about Shirley possibly joining the family.
It is also hinted that Rollo doesn't want to give up his fake life, seen in Turn 1 with him trying to keep Lelouch from returning to his old ways and his attempts to convince himself that Lelouch can't possibly be this Zero in Turn 3. I especially love the way he still calls Lelouch "nii-san" because of his panic in the mall when he tries to reach Villetta. As always in geass, only an especially vicious catalyst manages to break the bond, with Rollo reverting back to "Lelouch" when Lelouch pulls a gun on him. His final words also speak to his take on his own power, referring to the geass as a "demon's eye." Perhaps Rollo resents what has happened to him because of his power; it can be suggested he is unstable with it at times. I guess here we can also toss in questions about who granted Rollo geass and how long he's had it. We've seen from Mao that geass can be given at a very young age, which I think is most likely with Rollo. But he also has managed to keep his control of it, possibly through outside influences.
I also want to give a shout-out to the music in this ep. "Masquerade" and also the cheesy but still amusing dramatic piece that plays out in the mall. I enjoyed. And I don't care what anyone says, I loved the cat-fight between C.C. and Kallen. I want more. It's not just fanservice; it's the development of their relationship, which was severely overlooked in S1.
Nope, no easy questions for you guys this time. They be in the analysis itself.
It was refreshing to finally have an episode that gave us a chance to breathe and wrap out heads around some things without reeling from the OMG SHOCK of a moment before. I admit I was completely against an Ashford episode from the start and still believe that the plot should be dropped sooner rather than later. We were promised a world stage and yet we have yet to escape Japan. Much the same as Lelouch. Suzaku seems to be the only one with true freedom, but even that is debatable. I also think that this episode did a decent job of paralleling last season but to a much less irritating extent than previous ones. I still whine that all Lelouch did was sit on the horse. TEASES.
Since everyone is all over Rollo, I will deal with him later and instead put the perplexing issues of the episode to the forefront. The largest of these being GEASS. In Turn 2, we hear the Emperor tell Suzaku that only he knows about geass. I'm guessing this means he's the only KotR to know about geass. Clearly, other people do, although they may not know the full extent of the power. Villetta and Rollo chat about it. They also apparently bank on Lelouch's reliance on it it, a very poor move on their part, as most of Lelouch's building of his army was done without the use of his power (I will acknowledge winning them over was done through the geassing of Jeremiah and the rescue of Suzaku). Whoever is advising them that Lelouch abuses his power is working off a biased scenario. Is it Villetta's? Is it the Emperor's? Is it Suzaku's? Their observation itself is terribly hindered by the belief that Zero would immediately take action if Lelouch was back to his old ways. Again, the crew is not entirely playing with a full stack of cards. But I doubt the Emperor is this sloppy. And it's rather convenient that nobody knows what happened within Babel Tower if both of the group were apparently striving for the same thing.
I also have nit-pickery with Lelouch this time around. While I understand that the student council all had their memories rearranged to remove knowledge of Nunnally and Zero, meaning that Shirley was probably geassed a second time (a cop-out way to deal with the issue of her remembering things last season), Lelouch fully remembers what happened. I find it interesting that Lelouch is still willing to use Shirley to lure out Rollo and his other followers, knowing what he already put her through. I could even forgive this behavior, as Lelouch has always shown himself to be of the "ends justify the means" mindset if not for his later reaction. Upon Shirley pointing out the cable car, Lelouch suddenly feels guilt. Why was this guilt not present before? Did he conveniently shove it to the back of his mind? I fully believe that he feels responsible for what happened to his friends and wants to avenge them, but the combination of these two elements sat extremely awkwardly with me. It was almost like an afterthought. Even if Lelouch wouldn't know a date if it bit him on the ass, he knows how Shirley feels about him so agreeing to go do something with her would clearly count as playing into those feelings. Lelouch, you are a bastard. Though, I will add he was certainly hot when he was joking with Shirley about the spectacular trick he was going to play on the council.
People have pointed out Villetta's conflicted reaction to Ougi's fate. Interesting now that Villetta has some of the power she sought, noted by the surveillance members all referring to her as "lord." I am not sure how I feel about this since the Ougi/Villetta storyline was not one of my favorites. My interest in this is that Villetta seems somewhat... compromised and none too agitated by her role at Ashford. I would have thought a teacher would be demeaning for a warrior.
While we're exploring Britannia, we should also take a moment to brush over Schneizel and Suzaku. Some people have made some good comments about Suzaku's fight with the EU, particularly his focus on disabling rather than killing the pilots. Even if his words come across harsh, practically demanding their surrender, something feels different about this fight than his previous ones. Also Shinigami. I wonder if Suzaku did not earn the name from his homicidal battles in the Black Rebellion. There was no such quarter given then, and for good reason. Whatever Suzaku is after, there is a sense of weariness about him now. His final question to his opponents is whether they still want to continue fighting. Yes, Suzaku, may be different now, but his issues with outright killing seem to be a new spin on his old preservation. There could even be a degree more sanity involved in this style. Schneizel, who continues to be our red herring, alludes to as much when he talks about Suzaku bringing a sense of responsibility and conscience to the field. Ironic description for someone who would betray his own friend hmmm.
Lelouch has also returned to genuinely focusing on Nunnally, something that was missing quite heavily from previous episodes, and something that irked me. We see that he holds back because he's afraid of her being used as a bargaining chip, we see how resentful he is that the council has forgotten her and we see the rage toward the brother that replaced her. The locked, as some have suggested, was most likely a gift for her, purchased early, and then given to Rollo after Lelouch's memories were wiped. Hence, Lelouch's comment that a locket doesn't truly suit a boy. Ouch, Sunrise, giving them the same birthday. This is also where I point out that I love Lelouch's quiet, deadly rage when he makes this realization. Even if that one later frame was totally stole from the scene where Lelouch is watching Suzaku and Nunnally while deciding to tell Suzaku to be Nunnally's knight. As always, the majority of Lelouch's rage is turned toward his father.
Further following my attempt to sort out Lelouch's current thoughts on Suzaku is Lelouch's casual remark about Suzaku taking Arthur. Of course, it's adorable because it shows that Lelouch loev the kitty, as we all already knew. But that Lelouch automatically jumps to knowing that Arthur is with Suzaku is equally noteworthy. I have seen theories about Suzaku taking Arthur because of the cat's connection with Euphemia, thus Suzaku wanting to keep everything about Euphemia as far from Lelouch as possible. And here, I think Lelouch understands this. For his words are not bitter but a simple observation, an understanding as Lelouch always tries to boil things down to. Oh yeah, Lelouch also mentions Nina, which I assume is because she was another staple of Ashford that is now missing.
I am loving the theories I've seen floating about Rollo. While I was already intrigued by Lost Colors, the boy totally won me over with his shanking the Britannian guy and his later freakout in front of Lelouch. I am guessing Rollo is in a way a trained weapon because of his power. He may have been kept from people for a better part of his life or at least raised in a way that he felt perpetually detached. He doesn't care too much about following any orders but a prime directive, as seen in his killing of the guy who walks in on the secret of the geass. There is also his ability to switch modes, especially his creepy departure from the Chinese Embassy. I do buy into the notion that Rollo grew accustomed to his familial relationship with Lelouch and even started to believe it. He seems absolutely shocked in the scene where Lelouch gives him the locket and later reaffirms to himself that birthdays are important to people, furthering his belief that receiving the locket was a big deal. Add to that his total panic at losing it, at losing this reminder that he has family. Lelouch gave it to him! I love the raw emotion in his eyes in this scene. And his later confusion as Milly talks about Shirley possibly joining the family.
It is also hinted that Rollo doesn't want to give up his fake life, seen in Turn 1 with him trying to keep Lelouch from returning to his old ways and his attempts to convince himself that Lelouch can't possibly be this Zero in Turn 3. I especially love the way he still calls Lelouch "nii-san" because of his panic in the mall when he tries to reach Villetta. As always in geass, only an especially vicious catalyst manages to break the bond, with Rollo reverting back to "Lelouch" when Lelouch pulls a gun on him. His final words also speak to his take on his own power, referring to the geass as a "demon's eye." Perhaps Rollo resents what has happened to him because of his power; it can be suggested he is unstable with it at times. I guess here we can also toss in questions about who granted Rollo geass and how long he's had it. We've seen from Mao that geass can be given at a very young age, which I think is most likely with Rollo. But he also has managed to keep his control of it, possibly through outside influences.
I also want to give a shout-out to the music in this ep. "Masquerade" and also the cheesy but still amusing dramatic piece that plays out in the mall. I enjoyed. And I don't care what anyone says, I loved the cat-fight between C.C. and Kallen. I want more. It's not just fanservice; it's the development of their relationship, which was severely overlooked in S1.
Nope, no easy questions for you guys this time. They be in the analysis itself.
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Both Suzaku and Lelouch, but mostly Lelouch, keep telling us over and over again they can accomplish anything together. I'm sure this will come up again in the show soon enough, because it is everywhere in canon - the novels, the sound episodes, the picture dramas. I totally get what you mean by what you said about Lelouch's agreement to work with Euphemia. It's a silly plan and he knows it, he rationally knows the Free Administrative Zone is an invitation to genocide, and yet he wants to work with Suzaku and Euphie, he wants Nunnally to be happy, and he wants to believe they can do this together. It's a very tragic deal right from the start.
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I still think the that main theme of separating Lelouch from Euphemia is most important though.
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Love your traumatized! Lulu. <333333
Geass discussions: Inspiring long-winded responses since 2007.
It was really good to see something of the good-ol' Lulu back in this episode, but there was also something very Death Note about how Lulu contrived to get away from his handlers. It's like he's escaping the FBI while he tries to kill someone investigating/spying on him or something. *shrug*
I think the most interesting character in this ep was Suzaku. You bring up some good points about where he got the name "The White Shinigami," but considering how much Suzaku still clings to the hope of not having to kill others, it's possible that the title of White Shinigami and the associated reputation may be more of a ploy to intimidate potential foes and possibly get them to withdraw rather than fight. Suzaku is definitely a changed man in R2--he's a lot more serious, more vicious, less idealistic, and a lot more grim. But he's also (if only on the surface) showing a respect for all human life.
Nunally had a big effect on Lulu and Suzaku. In R1, Nunally was the moderating element for both of them--both guys softened around her and acted more human because of her presence. Now that she's gone, both Lelouch and Suzaku have become rather hardened to their respective tasks and have lost touch with their humanity. Lelouch outright uses people without thought for how they are affected by his actions--at least until he remembers Nunally. And Suzaku seems almost dead inside (but that might be more because of the loss of Euphemia than the loss of Nunally).
This ep has convinced me that there is some relationship between Rollo and Nunally, and I wonder if Rollo's reactions to discussions about birthdays and families
and nekomimi girlsisn't because he is very aware of whose place he's taking in Ashford society. Perhaps he has some background with her that Lelouch is unaware of? I'm absolutely convinced that Charles is holding Nunally as a future bargaining chip against Lelouch, and since I'm also convinced that Rollo is a KotR, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of imagination to think that Rollo and Nunally may have met and become friends on a very unique level. But that's just my own personal crazy talk.Speaking of which--holy cow. Did Charles *really* Geass all of Ashford about Nunally and Zero after the Black Knights took over the school at the end of S1? In some ways, it really wouldn't surprise me. But then again, it would for a couple of reasons. There had to be more than one compelling reason for Charles to take the time and effort to Geass the entire school/area/group, so it couldn't have just been to reinforce the rearrangement of Lelouch's memories and to get everyone to forget about Nunally. I'll be really disappointed if it turns out that is was just to set things up for Rollo and to erase memories of Zero.
The second reason I'd be surprised is that Charles strikes me as the kind of guy who likes to play chess from the safety of his own chair, rather than picturing himself as a chess piece in the game. He lets his knights (who move in patterned but unpredictable ways) and his pawns and his rooks do the work for him. He knows full well the risks involved with becoming and acting like the "king" in a chess game, in contrast to Lelouch who categorically becomes the "king" almost every time he makes a move.
Oh, and I am totally WTC about Charles grooming Lelouch as the next emperor. It makes all kinds of sense.
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You have no idea how much I pray for a remotely human Charles. I have no love for him, but I love CG's shades of gray.
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Re: Geass discussions: Inspiring long-winded responses since 2007.
Yes, at first I thought Shinigami might be propaganda, but then I remembered Suzaku tearing through those mechs at the end of the series. I'm pretty sure word about that got out.
Oooh good mention of Nunnally's humanizing effect on the boys and how they lost some of it once she was lost. Though, she may not be as lost to Suzaku. I wouldn't say Lelouch outright uses people, but I think as someone said in an above comment, he goes into his modes more easily now. Still, we have to remember that this is barely a day after he's remember exactly what happened to him. I think he deserves a little slack here...
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The protecting Euphemia from Lulu thing doesn't sit right with me. I'll need to think more on it to figure out exactly why and disprove myself a couple times, but in all the time that I was pondering Suzaku's snatching of Arthur, the idea that he wanted to separate Lulu and Euphie never even occurred to me. And I think it's 'cause I imagine, by now, that the boy already knows it's a little late to be making this incision. (But maybe I'm giving Suzaku too much credit and he really would do something silly like that. Who knows? Who really knows?)
It just feels like they emphasized the working together way too much for it to simply be over, now. It would be as if they built a huge, expensive highway out to the middle of a field. I would hate if they just dropped it. Never mind my personal feelings that they can do anything together, it would be... disappointing. ...At the same time, I think I'm mostly looking forward to seeing how the animators would make it feasible, considering the current situation as it is. That would be fun to watch unfold.
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I like you say that. Definitely it is. Compare with Suzaku, Suzaku will cares all the living being even they are not related to him. But that's also why I like so much about Lelouch. His characteristics is real. It's just normal, will you feels sad, regret, lament or whatever feelings to those you don't know compare with your friends and family? I think everyone will answer No. There's no way we can feel the same for strangers. If things like this, we will feel depress everyday by looking at the news.
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Guess it's what I wanna say and I dunno what I really mean ady. (> . <)
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Please, think about it and then tell me why the Euphie's thing doesn't sit right with you. As for Suzaku's apparent lack of reason, remember he is the boy who kept his father's broken watch for seven years. He attaches meaning to symbols and the dead are as important to him as the living. When Lelouch says Euphie's death is in the past, Suzaku reacts strongly and points a gun at him. I know that's overanalying like woah, but I've always loved watching that scene as a shock of world views - Lelouch tends to look forward, Suzaku tends to look back. One is the boy who must cross the field of dead bodies to find safety for the living. The other is the boy who must stop and cry at the horror and the dead. One is the boy who wants badly to save the living princess, the other is the one who must revenge the one who is gone. I could draw those parallels forever - they even match their Zodiac Signs. The idea of Suzaku seeing a connection between Arthur and Euphemia is to me just a new example of that. That, of course, doesn't prevent Suzaku from having plans to change the future, and it doesn't prevent Lelouch from being haunted by his past. Still, they have these themes going on between them throughout the series, which tend to be yet another major source of misunderstanding.
But ah, I love your theory too. It also fits Suzaku's attachment to the past and desire of self-punishment. It's also bittersweet and loving... and it feels so right. And of course, he loves the kitty, and Arthur actually saved his life. :)
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Can you explain to me in detail why Suzaku would want to separate them? I must have missed this being established somewhere.
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Speaking of the one year gap, I get the feeling that all supporting characters seem to be at a standstill during that period. :/ It's almost like they're all staticly waiting for Lelouch to make his move. The captured OotBK leaders, for instance--why hadn't Britannia executed Toudou and Ougi soon after their arrest to weaken the morale of the remaining rebels?
The combination of Schneizel and Suzaku fits real well, don't you think so? While Cornelia is vicious towards her enemies, Schneizel likes to maintain the air of friendliness while secretly doing his own things, like when he approved of Euphemia's SAZ plan, saying he would tell Cornelia but eventually never did, thus ensuring the plan would go through. I think his goal would be to calm the Area 11 rebellion by giving an illusion of equality, something Euphemia didn't mean to do but is actually doing. With Suzaku's righteous behaviour in battle, this must be good for Schneizel's PR, as he silently shove his other pawns in preparation for his grand plan (whatever that is).
What I'd like to know is whether Suzaku has his own plan going to "change the system from within" behind everyone's backs or is he now trapped in the system and being played by the royal family without realising it.
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In that case...Considering what has been shown of Rollo, and what happened to Mao, I can see Rollo as being incapable fulfilling the contract. Geass, as C.C. calls it, is "the power of the king" (the king or a king? forgot). And Rollo certainly doesn't appear to be king material. With his Geass ability, the moment it goes out of his control, Rollo will definitely fulfill the 'isolation' part of the contract—but living like that, having to be several meters away from someone in order to communicate with an unfrozen mind, can only mean unpleasant things for Rollo.
Which means probably sometime this season he'll lose control of it.
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but, millay and lelouch: how cute was that kitchen scene?
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Yeah, I noticed the standstill too and consider it a bit of contrived writing on the Geass staff. Britannia really should have executed the Black Knights by now.
Schneizel continues to elude us. Yes, he supported the SAZ, knowing that it would cause Euphie problems, but he also displays significant shot when the massacre begins. So the theory that Schneizel is two-faced isn't exactly evidenced yet.
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I dunno, I always assumed that the mere fact that he didn't die from being shot at point blank range shows that she deliberately held back from making a deadly shot. I mean, even an inexperienced shooter should be able to kill someone using a gun at that range. And Viletta is an experienced enough soldier to know how to kill people efficiently -- earlier in that same episode, she managed to kill that bunch of guys who came to lynch her for being a Britannian spy.
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I do love me some presidential antics. Lelouch is so domestic.
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I imagine it's always been on his mind. It's just having to be so explicitly reminded about it, and from the horse's mouth no less, that caused that sharp moment of guilty introspection. Just goes to show that the kid's only human after all.
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Lelouch and Kallen can jointly be Ashe, C.C. is Balthier, and Rivalz is Vaan. No one is cool enough to be Larsa.