R2 Turn 20 Discussion: Wild Card

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I'm mostly back to attack people with questions. Expect no actual analysis here and expect lots of refuting points that have been made by other posters. As always, no SPOILERS (magazines, episode titles, director commentary...). Warning, this post may be longer than previous ones due to the high levels of non-answers. Also, today's beginning quote comes from rainbow_cnxn, who really puts the situation in perspective. I wanted to use all of it in my cutline but realized it might be spoilericious. Don't worry, I link to the entry with it at the end.



Well, I think if Sunrise can be so cracktacular, I can try a new style of this for today. We shall call it things that make us go "HUH??"

A friend of mine pointed out that R2 can no longer really carry one idea from one episode to the next and that many of the episodes lately seem to almost stand on their own. But wait, you say, what about FREIJA? What about FREIJA indeed. Aside from seeing a giant crater where Tokyo used to be and with the exception of Suzaku and Nina, there has been no significant reaction to FREIJA. This actually really bothers me. The Black Knights' reaction was overwhelmed by OH NOOOES ZERO-SAMAAAA! Kaguya, who really should care more about Japan, seems to be more interested in the treaty with Britannia, and Zero. Sure FREIJA was used to piss off the Black Knights and Tohdoh in Schneizel's epic "Who's That Terrorist" game, but I don't know, I guess I wanted people to care more. It feels very unnatural.

Speaking of unnatural, another friend pointed out the Camelot scene. Tokyo's blown up; let's play pool. Uhhh? Now some have explained Cecile and Lloyd have always been rather detached so I guess I can technically let this slide. Still not happy. But Gino... Gino ought to be punched in the face. After all his lamenting about the use of the bomb in Turn 19, Gino seems fairly laid back. I will accept that it could be a tension settler. But I don't know, go outside and train, get in the Knightmare and beat something up, get drunk... something less oblivious than playing pool. The music didn't help either. Also, I want to see the damn cat so I know it's alive. It's important to me.

Marianne. Now the question that's been posed is whether Marianne can use the geass possession thing whatever at will. What motivated her to suddenly use it this time? If Marianne is as lackluster a mother as she makes herself out to be, why has she always protected her son from Anya? Why has she never shown up before now as her son has slowly slipped into madness? Why has she said nothing about Nunnally? Is she working with Charles? Is she referring to Lelouch or Charles when she asks C.C. whether they should help "him" out? Who is the "our" in her question about whether C.C. is on "our" side? Has Marianne been using Lelouch this whole time just like Charles? Why did we never see Anya in S1? Where was the foreshadowing? This is such a huge thing that it had to be in the original story. What about the real Anya? What is she to Marianne? Also is there a relationship between Marianne and Bismarck? Are Charles and Marianne secretly keeping everyone else in the dark?

Let's move onto to Charles' plan? So... are we ever going to learn what these "gods" are? Because I'm beginning to think Charles sees things. Seriously. What are the freaky DNA strands? Are they the weapon? They kind of looked like they had faces but I wasn't sure. What exactly is the point of the whole geass hand? So what happens when the geass marks on the ground are activated? Does the area blow up? ARE THE PENGUINS GOING TO DIE??? And what is the deal with Monica? Is she actually important to this whole mess or just the pilot of the day? On that note, WHERE THE HELL IS NONNETTE?

Ok. Questioning rants done. Onto the characters. We'll do Lelouch first since he makes me sob and his screentime was fairly limited. FOR ONCE. First, I am so glad a chunk of fandom is sooo excited Lelouch is geassing people to do what he says forever. I guess it's just another testament to how far he's gone off the deep end. But then again, people eat this stuff up right? Moving along... happy points happy points... oh yes, lovely moment with Lelouch saying he won't be able to make the fireworks and that his room is gone. No more Lelouch Lamperouge. Le sigh. I did laugh pretty hard that Lelouch still has to have his grand entrances. Foreshadowing anyone? I mean, right down to the music. And I do love how happy he is when he tells Charles that they will be spending the rest of eternity together. D'awww father/son bonding. They have a lot to catch up on, hopefully minus the Princess Tutu moment this time. My biggest issue with this is that it looks a lot like the Geass plot might actually wrap up by the end of 21, especially considering the pacing of the latest episodes -- MY HEAD ASPLODE -- so what will they do with the remaining four?

Schneizel? Interesting focus on the rolling pool ball, which as someone pointed out to me rolled itself into the pocket. The playful suggestion was that Sunrise is being deep and implying Schneizel will lead himself to his own destruction. Well, he's sure not as bright at his brother. A young possibly crazy teenager, who just blew up the city he loves and was previously about to make an alliance with Public Enemy No.1, tells you to stage a coup and what do you do? YES, MY LORD! Still gots your authority, Knight of Seven. But someone else also mentioned that Schneizel seems to be losing his slickness, even implying to Cornelia that he is not quite on the up and up. That "probably" was disturbing. And we do know how Schneizel loves to order toys. And Kanon... what is his deal?

Royal family analysis takes us to Numero 2 and surviving li Britannia, Cornelia. Some have mentioned Cornelia seems softer than usual; I do hope she ends up realizing that Schneizel is a git. Seeing as he's using her. That whole scene with him and Kanon telling her Guilford fired the bomb and never mentioning that Guilford is DEAD was not about protecting a knight's reputation. Some have even suggested it is setting Cornelia up for later scapegoating, note the liberal use of "He was truly your knight." Ouch. Note, also Cornelia's reaction to hearing Guilford fired FREIJA. Also important to remember that Cornelia still doesn't know Guilford turned on Britannia. Tricksy tricksy.

And then we have the not!Britannian. The wild card. The newest student in Lelouch mentality. Suzaku. I have mixed feelings on Suzaku. On one hand, I liked his realization that his current stance will not save anyone, something he was already starting to grasp in Turn 17. But the question is what exactly is the nature of the final push FREIJA gave? We start with Suzaku viciously congratulating Nina for the bomb. Which may I add was AWESOME. Remember, I am willing to give Nina some pity, but yes someone needed to tell her straight up. We move along to Suzaku starting shit with practically the entire cast of Camelot, as he feigns off his true reason for firing FLEIJA and pretends it was a purposeful act. Suzaku wants Albion like burning. Why? He doesn't need Albion to take on Charles. But Suzaku does need permission, otherwise he's a rogue knight. We have seen Suzaku use his methodical side before aka the bargain in Turn 2. And Schneizel seems to suffer from the same hubris that plagues all royal Britannian males... maybe not Odysseus. Arrogant the lot of them. How well does Suzaku know Schneizel?

We have our beloved "Sword of Despair" and a reminder that Suzaku has taken a page from Lelouch's book and is now willing to blame Geass for so much tragedy. Everyone wants to blame Geass. Well, I guess you could argue Geass is at fault. Without it, Lelouch would have just died in Stage 1 so most of the major characters that have died would still be alive. Wow. But it is interesting that Suzaku does not blame Lelouch for geassing him to live and thereby firing FREIJA, he simply blames Geass. I guess you can't blame someone when you finally realize that they did what they did to save your life, because you were important to them. So it seems Suzaku is no longer furious with Lelouch. Still out to stop him? That's another matter.

He does seem to be running toward him when Lelouch shows up on everybody's favorite island. Yes, you heard me. I said he was running toward Lelouch. No, I don't care that the geass is still showing. Why the hell would he run away from Bismarck when Bismarck's taking phone calls and no longer posing a threat? His geass doesn't start flashing until Bismarck's sealed geass glows. It's not like they can't be in the same area together. That would have made KotR meetings terribly awkward. "Ok is everyone here... Lord Kururugi, where the hell are you going?" Anyway yes, it doesn't add up. Bite me. While here, I want to add that Bismarck makes me lol in that he moves just like a game boss. I seriously think I fought him in Kingdom Hearts II, right down to that ridiculously large sword. It's nowhere as sexy as Suzaku's sword. That swordfight needed to be longer. Also, where else but Geass, do you find a literal plothole? Why was anyone even shooting at them? Seeing as we all remember point one -- that Geass cannot carry an idea from one episode to the next -- I imagine the next time we see Suzaku, he will be walking around somewhere, hole completely forgotten. Bet on it!

But aside from all that nonsense, the question on so many minds is what is Suzaku doing? There are the usual cries of "Oh he's just crazy." There are theories of plans to bring down Britannia from the inside. There's the Darth Suzaku mutterings. We don't know because as was pointed out to me, Sunrise never lets us hear Suzaku's thoughts. Never. The pains of being the wild card. Suzaku is our only surprise left in a way. We can usually predict Lelouch this season. AKA MOAR CRAZY NOW. But Suzaku... who knows? Gino and Lloyd suspect something is up. But what do they suspect exactly? They say Suzaku isn't acting like himself. With Schneizel? With the push for Albion? Why the posturing, if that is what it is? Why does he want to be Knight of One? What good is a Knight of One when Japan has now allied with Britannia. It has pretty much ensured its protection. There's no point in acquiring his own area. Does he actually want to be the Knight of One? The only thing we are remotely sure of is that Suzaku blames Geass. What about his new "ends justify the means" stance? What about his Lelouchian "throw away emotions." Hmm, didn't he just attack in the name of his friends? Umm... Bismarck chastises him for thinking he can throw away his kindness, saying it's his strength. So what is the lie here? What are Suzaku's true intentions? And what will he do in a plot where Geass is most likely to become a back-burner by 22? Fangirl me wants Japanese!Suzaku, but Sunrise has been very vicious to fangirl me lately. So my newest strategy is to propose the most insane theory ever and then hope that Sunrise tricks me again and actually applies sanity. Who knows, reverse psychology might answer. But I'm not clever enough for whacky crack theories so I will leave them to you, dear readers.

Yay C.C. is back. I can almost forgive that the reasoning made no sense. Because yay C.C. But we must wonder who is she more loyal to: Lelouch or Marianne? She won't tell Marianne why she hid her Code. Does this mean C.C. is still immortal? She also looks unsettled/perturbed when Marianne suggests saving "him." Why did C.C. never tell Lelouch about Marianne? Or better yet WHAT WAS THE POINT OF MOEBLOB!C.C.? We learned nothing new about her character from that? Lelouch was too busy sulking to really interact, aside from being a bully. Was her loss that important? Nunnally was the only one that really mattered. The whole thing just irks me but yay C.C.

Other notes:

-Diethard agrees that Ougi is all about Villetta. :\
-Kaguya wanting to confirm whether Zero is dead is awesome, as is her acknowledgment that Zero isn't really her husband. D'aww you make me like you, Kaguya.
-Jeremiah calls bullshit.
-Lloyd shows his dark side. Will he give Albion to another out of spite?
-Gino seems pretty damn loyal to the empire. Um why do we still have defection talk? Unless he defects if someone actually manages to kill the emperor?
-Rivalz got screentime. :`)
-The Black Knights are going to crash and burn. It's going to be glorious.

I think the chart here sums up things better than I ever could. In conclusion, WTF Geass WTF?

Comments

[etrangere.livejournal.com]

I don't usually post here, but ya know, I really love your commentaries every times you post 'em.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Thank you, although I apologize for this one being less coherent than the others. The episode was so confusing. :(

[darth.livejournal.com]

1. I AGREE SO MUCH about everyone's... stunted reactions to FLEIA/FREIJA/that bomb. :|
2. Marianne creeps me out. A lot. I really hope she doesn't turn out to be evil. @_@ On that note, I also hope CC doesn't turn out to be working with her, if she is. Boooo.
3. That would have made KotR meetings terribly awkward. "Ok is everyone here... Lord Kururugi, where the hell are you going?" I LOL'D. I also hope you're right about Suzaku running 'towards Lelouch.' Do want alliance. ;o;
4. I am so very glad awesome!CC is back.

RE: Diethard. I want to know why he was all beaten up in that one scene. wtf.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Seriously, that is fucked up. Especially on Japan's side. I mean, we get that the bomb was a plot device but COME ON.

I do think C.C. will side with Lelouch if Marianne is evil. C.C. really cares about him. It's one of the reasons she was so upset in Turn 14; she knew she had driven Lelouch to that point. C.C. doesn't want to drive Lelouch to madness, as has been done among the user users and Code-owners. Not only that, she did come to protect him in Turn 15 since her intentions were not to let Charles kill her.

I'm not so sure about alliance... I don't know what to make of that scene. I just figure that he wants to stop Lelouch before he can destroy anything else, including himself, anymore.

C.C. returning was my one true moment of joy in this episode, aside from the Sword of Despair.

Some people guess Ougi beat him up for what he did to Villetta. Diethard is bitter.

[clones.livejournal.com]

I'll start off by saying that I really enjoy these posts; they make me want to write about Code Geass, when lately I haven't been too keen on the idea. So thanks for that.

As I said in your review of the previous episode, Suzaku is my favorite character. When it comes to him, no matter the faults that he undoubtedly has, I have to work to see reason.

I was hoping for a Suzaku hell-bent on destroying Britannia after last episode; I was also hoping for a straight up Japanese Suzaku. I wasn't expecting this - Suzaku's adoption of Lelouch's ideals. And I'll admit that part of what made me like Suzaku was the difference between him and Lelouch.

Nevertheless, he's still the most interesting character to me in the series; my favorite character isn't defined by whether I would want to be friends with them, but whether I find them fun to analyze.

I was a little shaken by Lloyd's comments on Suzaku. How he didn't want to give him the new Lancelot, how he said "You've become more unlikeable" or something along those lines when Suzaku ordered him, as the Knight of Seven, to give him the Lancelot when it was completed.

I saw Suzaku's character development from this episode as almost identical to the development we saw in the first episode of R2. Suzaku's calm anger when he loses Euphemia allows him to turn over his best friend, allows him to destroy his old, care-free personality to be replaced with a stoic, repressed attitude.

Losing Nunnally and Lelouch plunged him further into the depths created by Euphemia's death. He realizes that his old ideals were useless and never changed anything.

Perhaps, by gaining the title of Knight of One, Suzaku believes he can repent for bombing Japan, for killing his father, for robbing the Japanese of their desicion to fight for their freedom. Perhaps he wants to recreate Japan as how it once was. Or perhaps he has truly realized that in order to create a new, beautiful the world, the old one needs to be thrown out first.

After this episode, I believe that we will get a BFF ending. Whether they live, however, is very much up in the air.

Now that Lelouch and Suzaku appear to be on the same page, I believe they will fight for the goal that they have shared since they were children, but this time following the same means.

Suzaku is broken beyond repair after the bombing - he shoulders all the blame for Nunnally's death and Lelouch madness. The only thing left now, is to fix it.

The more of this I see, the more I hope that Suzaku will revert back to how he was as a child. And the more I realize that he probably won't live through the series.

As you can tell by this, I'm all over the place with Suzaku. I don't know how to properly sum up what I think and feel. I just hope that it ends well, and that Lelouch and Suzaku, before they die, realize that they always had each other.

BAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.

(this was all over the place. I hope you can find some meaning in it. =D)

[kadekmoment.livejournal.com]

h-haha RANDOM COMMENT OUT OF NOWHERE BUT ^this.

Especially on the "not sure how to word it/what to think" part but still not wanting to give up on the character just because he's really affected by what's happened.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

That's ok. This episode was all over the place.

Strangely enough, Suzaku and Lelouch are still different. They've just switched. I think someone mentioned in a preview Lelouch talks about how Suzaku might have been right about the means being as important as the ends. I enjoy Suzaku because he is so complex and the most complex character of them all; I like solving the puzzle. Provided the creators give me a puzzle worth solving and not be jerks. Please don't be jerks, guys. Anyway, we don't know how much of what Suzaku was saying is the truth. There's a reason people were noticing something was off about Suzaku. And it was heavily emphasized. About him being repressed... I'm not so sure, he seems greatly controlled by emotion if his attack on Charles and Bismarck was any indication. He is the same reckless child who lashes out BECAUSE HE WANTS TO. I'm not sure what that means or whether it is sincere. As I said, his hatred of Geass is sincere.

I still think Knight of One is a worthless goal at this point. The Black Knights have Japan. They're not going to give it up. I don't think Schneizel can control it either at this point. He traded Japan for Zero.

I'm also not sure about the BFF implications of this episode. There is too much in the air. I guess we can take away that Suzaku no longer hates Lelouch, but what about the reverse? Lelouch is a bit too far gone to make any sense at the moment. Also, I want to know why everyone thinks Suzaku is broken beyond repair when Lelouch is over here planning to spend Hell with his dad. With him, everyone's like "eh he'll get over it." They're both pretty nuts. Suzaku may, emphasize on may, be slightly less nuts.

As for fighting for the same goal, I just want to know what that goal is. Lelouch doesn't seem to have any left.

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

Your comment about how Suzaku ordered Lloyd to give him the Lancelot Albion made me think. Suzaku isn't in the habit of ordering people around. Hell, he couldn't even order the execution of that one assassin in Turn 8 and had to have Anya do it for him. And this sudden use of his authority is a very new thing. In general, I don't think he enjoys making people do things against their will. It's too much like geass. And yet, it is at least a little honest because Suzaku as a little kid loved to have things his way.

Another comment you made made me miffed again at Sunrise (through no fault of yours!). Suzaku pre-Stage 23, post-Stage 23, and in the beginning of R2 are each very different. This would suggest that some sort of character change occurred in the one-year interim. Unfortunately, we have very little insight into his frame of mind in the past year.

Anyways, I digress. I think that he's affected as much by nuking Tokyo as he was by Euphie's death, but I would argue that his reactions have very significant differences. In season one, he raged. Oh, how he raged. And then undertook a limited application of Zero's methods. However, here, there is no rage phase. Instead, we see crazy laughter (a la Lelouch) and his carrying out a very emotionally-charged personal interpretation of Zero's methods. After Euphie died, Suzaku hated Lelouch; after Nunnally died, Suzaku hates himself. Personally, I feel that his adoption of these principles that he hates so very much to be a sort of penance by masochism.

Suzaku is broken beyond repair after the bombing
I hope not. One of the things I enjoy about this show is its emphasis on the strength of the human spirit. No one who isn't a throwaway character (except Mao) has died broken and pitiful. Euphie died optimistic, believing in the goodness of people and confident of the SAR carried out in good faith. Shirley died full of love, affirming her feelings and their inability to be shaken by circumstance. Even Rolo died reaffirming his humanity and his capacity for self-determination. In this world, it doesn't appear that people break forever. People heal, and people forgive.

Of course, Geass breaks many things for the sake of angst, but I truly hope that this message is continued. I find the boys as both strong and weak individuals at the same time, but despite the "lolwut?" situations that they are thrown in, they still remain irrevocably human. Despite their throwing away their "humanity" in Turn 20 (Lelouch by truly walking the "warlock's path" and Suzaku by taking Zero's path), I would absolutely LOVE to see them reaffirming their humanity at the end.

Anyways, sorry for rambling.

[norikosama.livejournal.com]

1. Considering how much of an uproar Hiroshima caused, the lack of concern in the Geass world over the Tokyo District being turned into a giant crater is very unnerving to me. Even more so, why over 35 million people were concentrated in one area. I mean, you'd think that the world would at least be a little stunned that Japan was just blown up. Nope, they play pool on a floating ship! How sympathetic.

2. As I watched that, I was beginning to fear the speculations/rumors of Marianne actually being the evil one and Charles being the good one are true. What kind of mother just idly sits by as her son descends into madness, murder, and so on? Evil, scheming mothers who use their children. D: I don't like Marianne anymore.

3. I think that one year without her siblings (and her siblings having changed so much) has sort of made Cornelia slightly oblivious to their schemes. And it's not really blantantly obvious (to the Geass people anyway) when someone's planning something. According to their laws, plans are only known when they are spoken, and by then it's a bit too late.

4. I would like to know what Bismarck's Geass is/was and if he can still use it. Obviously, he had to sew his eye shut to supress it, so maybe it was quite powerful. The Fleezaku part was sort of WTF to me. Personally, I'd slash the guy's head off the minute he got distracted by that cell phone.
I seriously think I fought him in Kingdom Hearts II
I LOL'D.

5. I think that maybe Suzaku is agreeing to Schneizel's coup d'etat because it presents a possible chance at becoming the Knight of One. THEN AGAIN, if Japan is free, then he can't claim an uncontrolled area as his own. Unless Schneizel is a backstabbing bastard and he just reconquers Japan in their vulnerable moment.
Perhaps that's why he also wants Albion; he might believe it can fight on even terms with the Galahad. Then again, Suzaku might also have another intention, fufufu~

6. I have no idea if C.C. is still immortal (I kind of hope so) and I don't really get the whole moe!C.C. thing. What was the point of that? To compare the two girls and show how much C.C. changed over the years? To provide more male fanservice due to the copious amounts of female fanservice? Whatever. Marketing ploy. I say she's more eager to help Lelouch than Marianne.

I dunno why Gino is so loyal to the empire. I mean, I'd be pretty pissed if the leader of my country was frequently absent during crises. (sp?) And although I do like Schneizel in my own weird little way, I would not feel very safe in his hands. >_> In the kind of "anything and everything could happen to me ANY DAY with this guy in charge" way.

ARTHUR IS SO ALIVE. HE HAS TO BE.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yeah. It's a bit ironic since people have been sending in angry letters to my local newspaper, bitching about the lack of editorials given for the 63rd anniversary. I want to show them this episode and be like THIS THIS IS WHAT JAPAN DOES FOR ITS ANNIVERSARY. Just to see the looks on their face. The whole thing is surreal. But I guess we all deal with things in our own way. Unless they're still jabbing at the indifference of America.

2. I still like Marianne. I just figure she's a wealth of secrets. She is Lelouch's mother after all. She's slick about it; that's where he gets it from.

3. I don't know. She did question Schneizel. I think Cornelia may be suspicious of the WTFery. And Cornelia has never cared too much about plans if her wanderings throughout R2 are any indication.

4. If we don't get to see Bismarck's geass, I will be very disappointed. I wonder if Suzaku is back against a wall and can't run away whether his LIVE geass is stronger than whatever Bismarck has. Again, I don't think he ran away. I think he was running after something/someone. It's just too strange. It was more important than dealing with Bismarck. I dunno.

5. Good point, Schneizel could very well be a backstabbing bastard, and the Knights are NOTHING without Zero. Why would he want to fight with Galahad in the first place?

6. All I have to say is word.

Gino is a Knight of the Rounds. But the novels have shown him to have issues with the way things are done and have connections to the Japanese so his loyalty is very unexpected and confusing. Also, yeah knowing the emperor is not even there during a HUGE crisis, Gino should be a little bothered.

[chickee1.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I'm not the only one worried about Arthur. They made a point to tell us he survived S1... Where is he now!


The lack of Nunnally being mentioned from Marianne or C.c. is kind of disturbing. They mention Lelouch more as her son, not as a geass user, and when C.c. complements Marianne by saying 'as to be expected of Lelouch's mother', Nunnally still wasn't mentioned. I'm starting to think Nunnally either never existed or was replaced... Although I hope not, she was one of my favorite characters.

Suzaku Suzaku Suzaku... I think the big sword is more of a testament that he's gone mental than anything. Take a leaf out of Lulu's book Suzaku. You assassinate people quickly, with a gun. If you want to do a monologue about it, shoot first, then fire your mouth off. No matter how sexy your sword is, that's just plain dense.

Better yet, use a knightmare's pew pew lasers

I'm sure that hole will be forgotten too... He is superhuman afterall.

Love your comments as always.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I want the kitty. :(

I worry about Nunnally's presence/identity too... But as Realms pointed out, she does have Marianne's eyes and Charles' hair. She has to be their child. So why doesn't anyone care that she's missing? Though, you make a good point about the emphasis on Lelouch being more Marianne's son than a geass user. Maybe Marianne isn't all that unmotherly.

Suzaku Suzaku Suzaku... I think the big sword is more of a testament that he's gone mental than anything. Take a leaf out of Lulu's book Suzaku. You assassinate people quickly, with a gun. If you want to do a monologue about it, shoot first, then fire your mouth off. No matter how sexy your sword is, that's just plain dense.

LOL. Seriously, it's fanservice but it's SYMBOLIC fanservice. You gotta love.

[sevthebat.livejournal.com]

I agree with everything you've said here.
Although I have to point out:

We don't know because as was pointed out to me, Sunrise never lets us hear Suzaku's thoughts.

Didn't Suzaku narrate the intro for Turn 20? Just sayin'.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

He did. But then everything he did in Turn 20 was the opposite of his thoughts and provided no explanation. That's the issue. We know how he feels, but we don't know why he's doing what he's doing or WHAT he's doing for that matter.

[madhatterpan.livejournal.com]

Pool! The best way to get your mind off the deaths of tons of people. I can understand Cecile and Lloyd, since they've always been like this in a way, but Gino was a little alarming. I guess it reminds me of the second opening where he starts out with a smile that shifts into a scowl. Maybe he's the type that hides behind a smile? Let's not blame them and just say Sunrise wanted a serene moment for the wtf-coup d'etat!!1 to place in? Can't have pool symbolism without pool, after all.

I'm so unnerved by Marianne at the moment. I can't imagine how angsty it will be if she turns out to be the final boss. Everyone seems to have such a high opinion of her though (everyone being Cornelia, Orange, even Euhphie had her plate-thing), so it's difficult to imagine her to be an awful person at heart. Then again, she was hanging out with CC, who isn't someone you'd really consider pure-hearted or be able to fully comprehend at a first glance.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I figure it was solely for the symbolism. But nrrr they could have found a less indifferent way to work it in. I guess Schneizel and Kanon are too cool for pool.

If Marianne ends up Final Boss, I will cry. Lelouch probably will too. And then off himself. He seems keen on leaving this world, that's for sure. But yeah, it's hard to believe that a truly wicked person could earn the love of so many actually perceptive people. Maybe the relationship with C.C. made Marianne a bit whacky. Code people due that to their users, and remember Marianne broke the contract. Probably by refusing to kill C.C.

[meijioro.livejournal.com]

I absolutely love how Suzaku has gone full Zero mode now. But I was also charmed by the fact that he went after the Emperor with the sword that "holds Lelouch and Nunally's despair" >_< I want a Suzaku and Lelouch big old reconciliation NOW!!

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Siiigh. I am not so sure it's going to happen. There's a lot to get by first. For Lelouch as well. One, he has to be semi-sane. But yes, sword = happy fangirl moment for the memory of the trio. ;;b

[inastr8jacket.livejournal.com]

You have really awesome commentaries. :D

With the FREIJA, I'm guessing since Britannian forces had been planning and working on it for a while, they knew it was going to happen. They're also pretty bent on getting Japan 'under control'. I guess The Black Knights don't really care because more Britannians were taken out. Plus it hit the Britannian Government Building. But other than that, its weird that the rest of Area 11 seems pretty apathetic about the Tokyo Settlement being gone. As for Kaguya and co, I believe they're just playing their parts.

I still believe Marianne being in Anya is really, really cheap, especially since it's so confusing to everyone. Where is Anya, what's going to happen to her, is she just being controlled or was she always some doll/host body for Marianne, what is Marianne's intentions, will she help Lelouch, what about Nunnally, etc. SO MANY QUESTIONS. And we've never really known anything about Marianne before. It's really hard to predict her next move.

I think the 'gods' are the other Geass users. V.V. said the gods weren't in the mythological sense, but rather the people that make others fight against each other. And Geass kinda does that to people. So I think Charles is trying to control Geass and have these almighty powers, while Lelouch and others would rather see it destroyed completely. Er, I don't really know exactly. Also I want Nonnette too ;_;

It seemed to me that Kanon is worried about his position in the future, as well as Schneizel's. Fff, I know how that sounds, but really. If Schneizel succeeds in taking over, what'll happen to him? What if Schneizel fails?

Suzaku's NUMBER ONE intention is to die with honor. He knows he's full of sin, and he thinks the only way to really repent is to die in atonement. His relationship with Lelouch, he swore he would be the one to destory Zero. (Speaking of which, I'm kind of mad he didn't say anything about how they gave the news that Zero passed away) Zero the symbol is his enemy. Lelouch isn't. As for never learning Suzaku's thoughts, it's probably on purpose. Taniguchi says Suzaku in particular can and has hidden his motivations very well. When Suzaku demanded answers from Lelouch, he gave pretty Zero-esque answers, but he knew they were lies. (But, only Suzaku knew, and that recorded screwed Zero over.) Therefore, I don't think Suzaku has given up on Lelouch. And I'm hoping for a teamup and a BFF ending :D Afterall, when they team up there's nothing the two of them can't do?! Also, I feel bad for Suzaku. On top of everything going on, Lelouch and Bismark told him he does nothing but betray the people on his side. Even though thaaaat's kind true, Ouch.

The Live Geass just tells Suzaku to get out of a situation that endangers his life. A lot of people complain this is a cheap way out for Suzaku, but it's not. It's like an escape rope (did I really make that reference?). He resisted the Geass during the fight with Bismark that really should've been longer, but eventually ran. The Geass didn't give him victory. He didn't win, ran. But yeah, it activated because Bismark had the intent and possibility to kill Suzaku. Not because he was near him. With the FREIJA, the Geass forced him to use it because in his state, there would have been no other way to get out other than using it. Live Geass = Get out by any means possible.

I don't think Gino is doing this because he's totally loyal to Britannia. I think it's because he doesn't want to see things unfold. Not only is Britannia at war with other countries and areas, but now with the coup, you're adding in an interfamily civil war.

[inastr8jacket.livejournal.com]

...*headdesk*

My comment is a lot longer than I thought it would be. And I didn't really add anything new. ''OTL

[klingon-jedi.livejournal.com]

And a slew of new pists in the time it's taken to get LJ to post mine. There's something to be said for copying to the clipboard before hitting reply.

I'm short on time to go into deep discussion. Though 20 was one of the weaker episodes outside of the shear mindfuck twists, so it was still good.

I will address CC, since few have. Cute2 (I'm not using the inaccurate term Moeblob ^_^;;)'s purpose was pretty much threefold, all plot driven outside of the last one.

One, Sunrise kicked off with Shirley a whole grandiose scheme of robbing Lelouch of everything, thereby setting up the whole "let's spend eternity repenting, Papa" - Shirley and Ashford, reconciliation with Suzaku, Nunnally, Rolo and Revenge on Rolo, Being able to swiftly kill his father and end the madness, The Black Knights and his Zero visage, etc. The took CC in the only way they could without killing her, as she apparently has more to do.

Two, the timing. Again related to losing it all, he doesn't have the regular, bitter CC to slap sense into him. Instead, he has the other. Maybe I'm wrong, but I don't think Lelouch would've come to the idea of grovelling before Suzaku without her little friends speech, something CC would probably not have given him. So she sets up the whole Suzaku thing.

Three, character. While you could say it allows us to see a different side of CC, which it does and could be used to contrast, episode 20 sheds some new light on it. Basically, I know I thought it was the result of Charles messing with her. Here it's revealed that she sealed herself, not Charles, for purposes even she does know. So it wasn't an act to simply save her code. It could be because she didn't want to face Lelouch after the whole reveal, perhaps hinting at buried feelings. Perhaps they were even a bit on the surface with the whole fawning over the band aid bit. I know that's sort of grasping at straws, and not the most satisfying, but it seems the case.

So it's as simple as, 1. getting her out of the way for a while, 2 inserting a character that would allow further progressing of the plotline, 3. suggest some look into CCs emotional/rational mindframe.


As for Nunnally and FREIJA, is it me, or doesn't the last three episodes all occur in the same day? It is toned down it seems, but not much time has passed.

The Suzaku/Nina scene was awesome, even if he was unusually cruel (which in turn shows his mindset).

I'm thinking the whole Knight of One thing might've been a feint. It's very possible that he knew Schneizel's ambitions, and used him the best way he could to attack the emperor without going rogue. He obviously wanted to do some damage by asking for the Albion (the second time Sunrise has used the name, nice Gundam reference). He just wants to destroy the source of Geass.

Gino does seem rather loyal, and doesn't care for Schneizel now one bit. I wonder what he'd do if he knew about Lelouch, or how he's going to get out of this.

Thanks for the thoughts on the Guilford thing. That sort of threw me for a loop. Though maybe he thought Suzaku would be not proud.

The Marianne foreshadowing was subtle, and does reek a bit of change in plans, but it was there. Like the fact that she was talking to CC throughout the whole series, the connection to her in the flashbacks, and Anya's mysterious memory holes and reactions to Lelouch. I don't think she's evil, maybe just a bit selfish. Perhaps the apple's not fallen far from the tree.


I particularly loved Lelouch's plans and entrance. Ordering key pilots to revolt, and the whole Sutherland thing, combined with the Britannia name. How utterly Princely.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I really really hate not!C.C. I don't find her cute. I find it pathetic to her character. This is one point I cannot concede on. I hate how she's just around for him to abuse. Even the nice things he does to her are ruined by his being an ass five seconds later. It's not cute to me; it is moe. And I can't help but view it as an insult to C.C.

About the connection between her and Shirley, Shirley's friends speech came long before 17. He just remembered it. C.C. has never been around to convince Lelouch not to compromise for Suzaku; rather she usually is the one who inadvertently encourages it. It was her talk in Stage 18 that eventually led to Lelouch geassing Suzaku to live because he realized he could not geass him to join his side; he could not force him. I think the loss of C.C. was ultimately irrelevant; I guess she could have held Lelouch, but he would have still gone off the deep end. When he lost Shirley, he went off the deep end, and she was there. He just used her as cruelly as he could, making her attack her own group. I do acknowledge he asked her first; he does respect her. In fact, I think this might be part of the reason why he's so vicious to her when she's not herself. Lelouch really needs someone to be strong for him and he has essentially a child. He's frantic, lost and terribly angry. His confidant is gone and he doesn't understand what he's been left with, he doesn't understand why. His outbursts are out of frustration, misery and possibly even resentment. I do think Lelouch is angry that C.C. left him. I guess in that way, her time as not!C.C. did something. But nothing that was important. We already knew Lelouch was messed up.

I don't think how much time should be important. People should be freaked. And yes, the last few episodes took place over about three days, with the bombing happening at night.

I want to think the Knight of One is a feint because it makes no sense otherwise. Suzaku doesn't have ambitions like that if they don't have a point. I want to know how Suzaku is suddenly so very perceptive of Schneizel. What did they talk about in Turn 17 anyway? Hmm, destroy Charles' place? That might be possible.

The Marianne talking never seemed weird since the emperor talks to Clovis. It doesn't add up to what we have. I just don't like how most of our foreshadowing came from R2. That's not good writing.

It was princely and epic like he's always after.

[klingon-jedi.livejournal.com]

LJ's messing with No Script it seems.

[fujiappletan.livejournal.com]

What I thought was interesting was, Suzaku being aware the live! geass was telling him to run. Does this mean as time goes by, the longer you have been geassed the more you start noticing its presence? Or is this just Suzaku being special again, because I thought under the geass's influence you had no idea what is going on/memory blankkk.

With Marianne being the reason Anya's been blanking out, it leads me to think Nunnally was saved by her. Since Marianne is Marianne the Flash, surely she would save her own daughter? Plus Anya went down before FREYA was fired... *too hopeful*

&I friggin love Kaguya.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I thought that was interesting too, but I think because he's aware of geass, he can recognize when it's acting up if it's not SUPER IN CONTROL of him. When he's totally screwed, I don't think he can resist it. In this case, it was a staggered reaction since Bismarck's geass is sealed so Suzaku could fight back a little and tell it NO for a while. We do know it's possible to resist geass in part. I also think if the command "LIVE" is used, he can't resist. It depends on the nature of the geass' effect. I think this was a special circumstance since the threat was present but not LOOMING.

Anya did fall before FREIJA was fired, good point. Maybe Marianne actually did something. I will hope for that. ;;b

[amayasuki.livejournal.com]

"but I don't know, I guess I wanted people to care more. It feels very unnatural. "
I found that part strange too... the Rebellion was "for the Japanese people" and here, FREIJA killed a few million. -___- (One million left with the Black Knights lonnnng ago but there was way more than one million Japanese in Area Eleven) And all they're concerned about is, like you said, the treaty and Zero. It's like the whole purpose has deteriorated. Not to mention, when Milly announced that Zero is "claimed to be dead", you don't see anyone reacting cuz well, there's no one left to react, perhaps? Or they aren't reachable. x_X

"Are they the weapon? They kind of looked like they had faces but I wasn't sure."
Actually, I thought I saw arms as well. But then when the scene changed and you see those things from a different angle, it doesn't look like anything anymore. Really have no idea what they are.

-"Kaguya wanting to confirm whether Zero is dead is awesome, as is her acknowledgment that Zero isn't really her husband. D'aww you make me like you, Kaguya.
-Jeremiah calls bullshit.
^ those were heartwarming in their everlasting Lelouch worship

Thanks for your thoughts as always =) a pleasure to read~

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Well, I guess if Lelouch's purpose has deteriorated, the Knights have always been but an extension of him. They truly are lost without him; they don't know what to do. Hence their turning to Schneizel. Seriously, I thought Ougi would be a more capable leader. More of my issues with his characterization this season. Doesn't anyone want to know how he got that recording or who told him about the geassed people?

I am hit or miss about Zero/Lelouch worship, I just admired Kaguya's strength of character. But Jeremiah's loyalty always makes me grin like a dork. I love him so much. I'm so glad Orange is gone.

Thank you for saying so. ^^

[levy.livejournal.com]

very nice post, I enjoyed the part about Suzaku mostly.

On a side note, I don't think that Schneizel really wants to conquer Japan again: such a problematic area, now even damaged with the FREJA, is at loss for someone that helds no particular interest in it, differently from Charles that wants to keep control of Japan no matter what because of his interest in Kaminejima ruins, that appear to be the fulcrum for Ragnarok in Ep. 20

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Oh I like the comparison between Charles and Schneizel's wants. However, I think Charles really does just want to destroy the world and create a new one. His interest in reality is very limited, hence his reference to so many things in this episode as "trifling." That's our buzzword of the day. Charles is very much detached from the real world at the moment it seems.

[tomoyohime8.livejournal.com]

i enjoyed reading the whole thing. i like especially, your summary of other events on your other notes. those are the parts i enjoyed or look forward to in the next episodes.

the ones previously mentioned... *brain!hurt* so i don't bother thinking about them until i get there.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

I'm trying to get back into doing the notes. I stopped for a while because I figured people wandered away during the actual "analysis". XD

[ee970.livejournal.com]

So it is late and I really ought to rewatch before speaking but...you DID ask for whacked out theories... plus mmm delicious nayami commentary must respond~

+ I want to know how they got 35 million people into Tokyo--a maximum 8km in diameter (but most likely much smaller according to that cap of FLEIJA's specs as it blew (as well as eyeballing the cap of the giant hole)) section of Tokyo at that! Tokyo is a massively crowded city and even now it is only about 8 million--and if an 8km circle blew--even at the most crowded part during midday on a workday (instead of during a knightmare battle when one really would think they would've evacuated or something or around the Imperial Palace which is like 2km of gardens) there would still only just barely be double-digits of casualties, and that is being incredibly generous. Just -physically- that many people should not be able to fit. I know there are like a bazillion other things that are dubiously believable in this show but this is the one that really really annoys me for some reason... (Well, at least they didn't blow up my house?)

...Anyway. Plotwise, I like to think that on the Britannian side, everyone is too stunned to really conceive of the losses at this point. Later it will hit them (Gino maybe; I can see Lloyd just being "huh, statistic") but for now it's easier to play pool! And I figured that the Black Knights didn't care since mostly the Britannian part was blown up. I DUNNO I gotta justify things somehow.

+ I need to rewatch to be certain, but on first viewing I totally saw Charles as having set off the Geass that "switched on" Marianne. I 100 percent think they're in it together (tho would not at all be surprised if it turns out that Chaz has been trying to save poor Lulu the whole time from his psycho undead mom!!1 (NO NEED FOR LOGIC HERE))

+ Moe!CC's purpose (plotwise; I dunno if it works out motivation-wise) was so that Lelouch could lose absolutely everything and be desperate enough to be utterly ruthless. Why ICly CC would do this? Ummm...

+ The mere idea of Ohgi punching Diethard in the face is like the best thing in this episode. Forget the spotty animation--maybe he really IS Noa Bright. :P

[nayami.livejournal.com]

You make a very good point of the general weirdness of that number. I want to know how FREIJA had a radius of impact too since it wasn't actually a nuclear bomb. It sounds like everything was exaggerated for impact, impact that's barely even acknowledged by anyone who isn't a main character.

Yeah, it sure looked like Charles was related to the switch-off. Poor Lelouch, his family just doesn't love him. At least he gets library time with Daddy.

I think Turn 15 showed Lelouch could be plenty ruthless even with C.C. at his side so... again I just think it's overkill at this point. I really do think it's a fanservice issue, and therefore will always irk me. Especially if they keep jacking Kallen for time.

The Black Knights are still operating within neutrality. That was why they wanted to meet with Schneizel, to go over the terms of things. The Black Knights did essentially give Schneizel the rights to hunt down Zero and their support. They are still within the rules of the bargain. Even if Schneizel didn't tell Suzaku directly, I would think this would be something the high-ups would know since Black Knights are THE BIG ENEMY, and the KotR count among the high-ups. Also, I lol'ed at the throwing line.

That's what the guess seems to be. That when Suzaku mentioned geass in Stage 25, Cornelia took the idea and tried to find out as much as she could. Which was a lot. You go Cornelia. I wonder how she tracked down Bartley's connection to geass.

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

I am skipping Anatomy lecture right now because dammit, I need my CG commentary.

Agree wholeheartedly on the general overall flow of R2. It's very disjointed, with characterizations fluctuating wildly from episode to episode. I have issues with the way that Suzaku is characterized, but I can fantheory most of those kinks out. But Gino. Grrr. I don't know. He did say that he was a weak person who has to be able to rationalize away the fact that as a KoR, he kills lots and lots of people. Maybe the scene in Tristan was when he was knocked out of his reverie, and he regained his composure/"weakness" on the Avalon? But the fact that changes in character are illustrated as snapshots at particular timepoints instead of a progression annoys me and leads to quite a bit of confusion on my end. I truly blame this on the overall pacing of R2. There's too much plot to cover in the time that's left. (Couldn't they have cut a few episodes from that damn China arc?)

Completely agree on the non-reaction to FREIJA. But people going "WTF h8 ;_;" is not absolutely integral to the plot, so *cut!*. >_>

What else? As far as sense-making, the Suzaku-Nina conversation made the most sense, and it was awesome. I loved that Suzaku didn't take out his rage on Nina. I expected something more violent visceral, but I think it was better this way. I wonder if Nina wanted Suzaku to go crazy on her. I almost feel that she went down to the crater and walked all the way over to where Suzaku was because she wanted to atone for her crime, Suzaku-style. And everything else in the episode was pretty much a case of WHAT A TWEEST or a set-up for questions that hopefully will be answered, so for the sake of my sanity, I try not to dwell on the questions posed for too long.

Your point that Suzaku feigns that he fired the nuke purposefully made me think of a certain other crazy teenager who accidentally did something really awful, claimed responsibility, and tried to make the best of a bad situation. So yeah, I think I'd agree that Suzaku has some sort of plan, whatever it may be. Hopefully, it will turn out better than the Black Rebellion, Part 1. No clue what his cunning plan is, though. You're right--KoO is pretty much a futile goal right now. He can certainly still achieve it (and this is just about the only avenue left to him), but why? Maybe he doesn't know about Schneizel and the BK's deal...which would be super incredibly lame. Maybe he wants to find penance in doing good work (i.e. saving other Areas like he wanted to do with Area 11) while serving a master he hates. Hell, I dunno. Maybe he simply doesn't want to work for a guy who has a geass. This is the problem with characterization by snapshot--everything becomes wholly unpredictable.

As a sidenote, I did enjoy that Suzaku finally confronted the Emperor. I mean, Charles pretty much ruined his life. And yet, Suzaku never mentions that or anything about Japan but does mention Lelouch and Nunnally. I guess I can finger "selflessness", but Japan's pretty damn important to him. I don't know. Got any explanation?

[Bismarck's sword is] nowhere as sexy as Suzaku's sword.
I respectfully disagree, but any sword is a good sword. =P

What about his Lelouchian "throw away emotions." Hmm, didn't he just attack in the name of his friends?
The boys are very bad at undertaking the grand schemes that they have set out for themselves. What they say/think (consciously) and what they believe (unconsciously)/do are very different. Despite their (many) attempts to throw away friends and feelings, they have failed every single time (though Lelouch seems like he's making more headway than usual right now).

In conclusion, thinking about this episode again makes my head hurt. -_- And Geass desperately needs a dose of happy soon. I find myself actually sitting through the ED lately because the last gay picture is the happiest thing about this show since that Love Day school festival. And that was, like, two and a half months ago, orz.

[nayami.livejournal.com]

You are a bad girl, Rainbow. A bad bad girl.

Mm, I like your general analysis of things as character snapshots rather than progression. It doesn't help with development and flow, that's for sure. I blame everything on the China arc... though I probably should be blaming Rolo as well. Ah who cares, I liked Rolo. Die China die!

That would be amusing if Nina was taking a page out of Suzaku's book with her approach of him. Why else would she be going to see him? She was the only one who risked it since the others probably thought he was INSANE.

The boys do act so much alike it's scary sometimes. Well, we do know Suzaku is up to something. The nature of that something is the ultimate question. You make a good point about Suzaku never mentioning Japan when he attacked Charles. What is up with that? I guess you could liken it back to the childhood conversations he used to have with Lelouch about the nature of Britannia and Japan. Lelouch said that Japan wasn't much better. So perhaps it's really a case of just warring nations, and to the victor go the spoils? I dunno. That's going to bug me now. Or maybe that's one of the things he's hiding.

Yeah, I want at least a little happy in Geass again, but since we're in the home stretch... I don't know how likely that is. And we all know the chances for the happy endings.

oh and

[rainbow-cnxn.livejournal.com]

I want to know the purpose of moeblob!C.C., too. Because right now, it just seemed like a cheap ploy by Sunrise to make her irrelevant to the plot for a few episodes. The longer R2 goes on, the more pissed I get at the parallel episodes and China arc. Boo, Sunrise. Boo.

I don't mind the Gino defection talk too much. He's a character who tries to sympathise with others, but no one's told him anything, so I figure that he's a guy who's as confused as anyone, probably not too happy about nuking Tokyo, and all of a sudden, the Tokyo Nukers pull out a coup from nowhere. If I was him, I'd be all "Whoa, WHOA. What the hell are you crazies doing?!" And loyalty to the Empire would be the default stance. Sure, he probably has a bit of sympathy for the shit treatment that Area 11 gets from Charles, but to him, Charles probably hasn't crossed the barrier into evil yet.

Re: oh and

[klingon-jedi.livejournal.com]

See my discussion above for my thoughts on it. Hopefully it will help.

[x-drear-x.livejournal.com]

Guhhh...You summarized my thoughts about the nuke perfectly. It seems to me like Sunrise thought it would be great to have this HUGE EXPLOSION FIRE YAY and really didn't think the aftermath through, except for who to take out because of it. WTF playing pool.

Hmm, since you mentioned Suzaku's failure to throw away emotions I'm really curious now as to how far he will take this new mentality. I really did like his character development more than I thought I would, but maybe this is just an excuse to hide his true nature? Perhaps it will skip soon. As for Lelouch, maybe Suzaku is seeing him as victim of Geass now, either he really has 'forgiven' him or it's too painful to keep blaming him. I like the whole idea of becoming each other though, their characters really are inseparable in one way or another.

I'm actually willing to overlook all the inconsistencies in hopes that the next four eps/ending saga will be really, really good. [and then the plot holes will all be explained in the dvd extras afterwards!]

[nayami.livejournal.com]

Again, we don't know if that's his actual mentality or if he's just masking as usual. Both boys can be incredibly good liars, and evidence has shown that Suzaku might even be the better of the two when it comes to this. The reverse personas is really freaky though. I guess I can buy Suzaku seeing Lelouch as a victim of the geass since he does seem to blame Charles/geass for everything, including Lelouch and Nunnally's suffering.

I want to have your mentality, but Sunrise SCARES THE HELL OUT OF ME right now. orz

[chansonxchou.livejournal.com]

A++ post. Turn 20 was like...a bad fanfic. Holes everywhere, all over the place..And it being all in one day? JUST HOW MANY HOURS IN A DAY IS THERE?!

As much as Marianne/Anya and C.C. thing was just wtf. Even more wtf for me was Camelot and Suzaku. D: Maybe it was part fangirl imagination, but Lloyd, Cecile, and Suzaku really seemed like a family kinda relationship. And if I was family, yes, I might be mad at Suzaku for blowing up Tokyo, but considering that it was pretty much known that Suzaku first totally REFUSED to shoot it, I would totally ask Suzaku 'why'? And have second thoughts. But Lloyd and Cecile just is convinced Suzaku shot FLEJIA. Because. Well, he wanted to. D: Both of them should know by now that Suzaku lies and hates people dying, and I thought at least they would scold him, yet worry for him. In a family sorta way. Unless that's what they were doing and it was too subtle for me to notice. If maybe, emphasize maybe, Lloyd and Cecile said something, given him some words or just something, Suzaku wouldn't have ran to Schneizel and suggested a coup.

And for the subject of the coup. Eh? What. Schneizel, I thought you didn't exactly trust Suzaku since you had him watched. Or did Suzaku blowing up Tokyo convince Schneizel he was trustworthy? Anyway, you start a coup just because Suzaku wants to become Knight of One. So maybe you had plans to start one, but your last push was Suzaku. Suzaku. Do all coups start like this? I don't know. [not good with history]

Suzaku's motivations. I have no idea. I agree with everyone, what's the point of becoming Knight of One now? Suzaku what are you thinking. D: So maybe he doesn't want to serve under Charles now because of the Geass as one poster said up there. [forgot which] So does that mean, he hated Charles since Turn 2 when Charles used his Geass on Lelouch? Good job hiding your emotions, Suzaku. And I didn't exactly get the image of being BBF with Schneizel, so I don't get why he would chose him of all people to side with. I mean, I get that Schneizel has the most chances of becoming Emperor, but I wouldn't exactly trust him to be my master after he was stalking me. So maybe, Suzaku used Schneizel to let him kill the Emperor, and then plans to kill Schneizel later. Then uh. Become Emperor himself. I would not be surprised. At all. Just whose side is Suzaku on?

And then when Suzaku is running towards(?) Lelouch, he's saying 'This is my cross/crucifixion/sin/whatever'. Does the 'cross' mean killing daddies? Sooo, Suzaku's new goal is to not let Lelouch be a daddy killer like him? D'aww.

Also, Geass HP shows a new Rounds, Dorthea, to be wearing what looks exactly like Suzaku's pilot suit. Will Lloyd give her Albion? D: Lloyd if you do that, Imma gonna punch you.

Conclusion. Sunrise, gimme a whole season on Suzaku. He's such an awesome character, and such fun to play around with, it's a waste to not zoom in some focus on him. Along with the Rounds. Turn 20 was just...brain hurt. 25 episodes of Code Geass ~Counterattack of Suzaku and Rolo~ Plz? And make it late night too.

[ee970.livejournal.com]

re: schneizel

I doubt Schneizel trusts Suzaku. I doubt Schneizel trusts anyone! That's how he's gotten as far as he has. He is a smart schemer; he plots and watches people to see how they act. Look at when he played chess with Zero--he sacrifices himself just to see what Zero would do (to confirm it was Lelouch, plus to fuck with Lelouch's head "DAD would've done it different"). It's fairly obvious he's had plans to make himself Emperor for a while. But you can't have a coup on your own. Enter one competent (if sometimes unstable) knight asking you to take control. An opportunity like that is not going to come again. As for Suzaku, he's worrying about results now, not the methods (even if the method is having him ally himself with a guy who is incredibly untrustworthy~) so...yeahhh, not so much on the foresight. :3