What do we really think of Code Geass characters?

[bluebettafish.livejournal.com]

R2 episode 21 thoughts

From the look of things, most people in the fandom are ok with Suzaku now and have spontaneously dissolved their almost universal hatred of him as long as Lelouch accepts him (to use him). Is this why some people stopped hating Rolo when Lelouch finally accepted him when he died? Do we all really have our own steadfast opinions of each character in the show or do we just go with Lelouch's flow whatever it may be? I'm not suggesting that we should hold lifelong grudges against anyone and stubbornly hold on to certain impressions, but it helps to look back and see if our changes in opinions are sometimes a bit too whimsical, not to be critical or anything. =)

Comments

[anubuko.livejournal.com]

The writer really seems to like making people turn 180 on characters over and over again. xD;
To be honest I loved both of them from the beginning despite all the stuff they did. There were good reasons for those actions anyway so even when Suzaku kept trying to kill Lelouch I kept asking myself what I would've done so I wouldn't end up HATE AS IF I WERE TO DIE AGH.

In shot they're both good characters, it just depends on everyone's opinions of their actions to see where the fandom leans.

Though geeze 21 was awesome.

[kohaku-shadow.livejournal.com]

I never hated Rolo or Suzaku either. Sometimes I did want to punch Suzaku in the face but I still liked him. Though I kind of love Suzaku now that he's Lelouchs Knight. Ho ho ho.

[arhel.livejournal.com]

It's natural to take the perspective of whichever character you identify with (and, one assumes, like). Just that some people are aware of it and able to distinguish between "he hurt my favorite character" and "he is a jerk" while others are not. I'm not sure why Code Geass in particular is so polarizing though.

I do not particularly like either Lelouch or Suzaku, so Suzaku's sudden change of heart with no explanation utterly derailed the episode for me. I'm sure they'll get around to explaining it next ep, but I still think they should have done character development leading up to result first, rather than just showing the result for shock value.

[levy.livejournal.com]

It's natural to take the perspective of whichever character you identify with (and, one assumes, like). Just that some people are aware of it and able to distinguish between "he hurt my favorite character" and "he is a jerk" while others are not. I'm not sure why Code Geass in particular is so polarizing though.

You are perfectly right. In this case particulary it's not totally a matter of fans, but also of poorly written show. There are a lot of details that are not emphasized enough, even when they are determining to characters' actions, that you should watch & re-watch to understand properly, and moreover in a lot of crucial points (like, say, when Lelouch and Suzaku confronts each other at Kururugi's and Schneizel interrupts them..) action is pushed forward by fatality, and people do not act like sentient beings. Suzaku seems to have understood that Lelouch lied about Euphie and stuff back there, but then he acts like he didn't, and that was... bah! ^^;;

[arhel.livejournal.com]

It's not even watching/re-watching, a number of details just aren't really there, you sort of have to imagine and guess. I guess it's because they have too many characters.

I think a good story should change the audience's opinions about the characters as the characters themselves change and evolve, but we're given very little reasoning to work with most of the time.

As far as changing opinion based on characters you like, I'm okay with people saying they hate Suzaku because they like Lelouch and Suzaku gets in his way all the time. At least they're being honest about it. It's rather silly when they try to come up with "justifications" when all it really is is character favoritism.

[levy.livejournal.com]

Lol, that comes back to the assumption: try to push logic inside a show that is not based on logic is a match lost before it starts. =P

Reasoning on Geass is interesting, but also now, the most important twist in the story are mere consequence of fatality... so..

It's rather silly when they try to come up with "justifications" when all it really is is character favoritism.

That's it. One should be able to distinguish between "I like/hate him!" and "he's wrong/right!", or, if he's not, he should avoid discussing matters from a faux-analytical perspective.

[defade.livejournal.com]

Before I never even realized that there was a pattern, but when I realized that I really want to punch Ougi through a wall and cheer for Suzaku in the recent episode while 10 episodes before it was the opposite, I kind of began to understand which particular group of characters I'm prone to like. Of course, there are tons of exceptions to this rule, and I don't really hate everyone that opposes Lelouch - but just consider their stand regarding Lelouch a factor that affect how I feel about them. This is totally irrational and fangirl behavior, but I really can't help it.

[ethocaine.livejournal.com]

I don't think Lelouch is using Suzaku at the moment, instead it's a mutually beneficial pact. Suzaku gets the power he needs to liberate Japan, while Lelouch gets a powerful ally.

Opinions of each character are bound to change as the character develops. And judging from the opinions I've seen so far, a lot of people switched from hating Rolo / Suzaku to accepting them not because of Lelouch's acceptance of them, but because of other reasons. Rolo saved Lelouch at the cost of his own life, thus redeeming himself somewhat. As for Suzaku, his mindset changed drastically since the Freyja incident. So people who disliked / disagreed with his old mindset may find him more acceptable now.

Personally I don't care much for Rolo (his saving Lelouch was touching though). As for Suzaku, I found him annoying in season 1 because of his hypocritical nonsense, and frankly I thought he was psychotic for most of R2. :P But I'm beginning to like him better because he seems to have gotten over the past at last, and the ending of ep 21 was a nice surprise. :D

[cloudcataurelia.livejournal.com]

I know it is offtopic, but where did you get your lovely icon?

[ethocaine.livejournal.com]

It's from here: http://community.livejournal.com/sushi_milk/26377.html :D

[levy.livejournal.com]

...I normally don't side with the main characters as an habit, and CG was quite an exception until ep. 17-18, since Lelouch is so much fail you can't help but like him.

Then he did what he did (to Guilford specifically, but also the way he acted during the whole battle..) and I started to pity him so hard, since he shows so little respect of human life and keeps deliberately doing the same mistakes he already knows he's gonna regret. Like geassing the whole Britannian court, for example...

I've always liked Suzaku and never really get why the fandoms hates him so hard.. same goes for Ohgi (and other characters, I'm sure there's more of them...): fandom seems to hate them when they do things against Lelouch, and be quite scandalized that they act this way because of someone (like say, Euphie, Villetta..) and that's odd, since Lelouch himself has started the revolution, plotted and cheated on people only for the sake of someone (Nunnaly) from the very start, and this behaviour of him caused a lot more mess and casualties than anything any other character has done so far.
Even the FREJA is, in the end, his fault... not only because of the Geass he put on Suzaku, but because in the battlefield, even knowing about FREJA, he repetedly ordered Karen to kill him, even when it was clear that she could have simply neutralize him with the upgraded version of the Gurren.

Liking a character does not really implies you must approve his actions or held any esteem of them. Ohgi is probably my favourite character but I have a quite low consideration of him, same goes for Lloyd, that came second, while I have a lot of respect for people like Guilford & Todou, that follow...

When it comes to Lelouch, it looks like fandom tends to see his action made of a lot more awesomeness than it really his, when Lelouch being an ass is nearly the only really interesting thing (beside Villetta's back and Karen inside the Gurren..H_H) in the show.

Marianne is nearly the only character I've really hated since the very start and I'm glad to know I was right XD

[kisu-fu.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Suzaku, right from the start. He's just that kind of character I HAVE to love, no matter how much mistakes he makes.. he just makes me feel sorry for him >.<
I was SO happy in the newest episode when he finally teamed up with Lelouch.. I fangirl at friendships like others fangirl at Yaoi pairs xD

And Rolo... I dunno, there were points where I really, really wanted to see him dead SHIRLEY T_T, but in the end, I still felt sorry for him, so yeah.. dunno really D:

[meganehina.livejournal.com]

I've always liked Rolo. ♥
Suzaku has grown gradually on me, probably Lelouch's change of mind made me see him under a different light. And at Euphie's death I couldn't help but being sympathetic for him.

[shinigami39.livejournal.com]

Well, Geass has been a show where I don't really hate any character, so. .

But yes, Suzaku is not high on my favorites list because *for me*, he seemed like the typical shounen-hero who is idealistic and naive and optimistic.

So it's like, my Suzaku!FAN level was around 6/10 before, but now that he's Lelouch new bitch he's with Lelouch and is helping him, my Suzaku!FAN level became OVER 9000 LOL

[shinigami39.livejournal.com]

And by, "he's with Lelouch and is helping him", I meant that Suzaku changed his views and actions, and I think that it's an interesting, if not a bit "whut" turn for a character development XD

[cloudcataurelia.livejournal.com]

I.... I don't know it anymore.
Suzaku was a faggot but it looks like he's changed. Really....

[fathobbit1191.livejournal.com]

Pretty much the only character where I've flip-flopped my opinion of her/him is Rolo. At first I totally hated him 'cause he was a "SHOTA IMPOSTER D :<" but then I hated him less because he became useful to Lelouch, but then I went back to hating him after he killed Shirley. I didn't even BAAAAAAAWWW at his death scene (although I do think it was a very good scene, I loved how Rolo was using his Geass so often that Lelouch's sentences were becoming staggered when he was talking to him) but now that he's dead I don't really hate him, I just dislike him.

I've always liked Suzaku. <3

And my opinion of Orenji-kun hasn't changed, even though he came to Lelouch's side. I don't dislike or like him. I probably don't like him more because I thought that his switching of sides was a little weird--abrupt is probably the word I'm looking for.

But now that Turn 21 has happened, I'm all happy inside now that Suzaku and Lulu are BFFs again. 8 D It always made me sad how they weren't friends anymore when they were so close.

[animenutcase.livejournal.com]

I believe the people at hatedcharacter have tags that comment on this.

[kanasaii.livejournal.com]

oops, I am one of them sub-conciously D:/

I fangirl Lelouch and whatever shit happens to him can warrant my dislike for the responsible characters [e.g: Suzaku] But I swear I did not waver my feelings like a mindless fangirl D:

I could only defend myself by reasoning that probably because I follow the series with a very close perspective through Lelouch's. Therefore I relate to him and dislike whatever wrong comes to him.

But Rolo has always held a unique placement in the plot, I never liked or hated him. But I pitied him. I felt relieved he died in good denial of his brother's true purpose of him.

Oh, Lelouch you do have mercy <3