Guys! Not for the fainted hearts. I messed up quite a lot HAHAHAHAHA
Anyhow, here is the super newbie unboxing video of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection [Limited Edition]. I hope you guys would enjoy it!
I bought it specifically from CDJapan. I am very satisfied with them. The shipment took less than a week to arrive despite me choosing standard delivery. Packaging was done really well and no damages unto the goods. Link to the product here.
As for the video, no me and no commentary because… I am shy. I think I might have said something in the video. Maybe a bad word? I don’t know.
Music used: Summer Nights; Mi-Lo – Smith The Mister
Warning! Heavy spoilers up ahead!
Alright, here we go. Well, I have got to let this one out first for sure. This is hard. Reviewing Code Geass was a lot harder than I expected. Honestly, when I first finished the seasons, while I was definitely not much of a big fan of the ending and was hopeful that things would have not turned south, it did. Code Geass is just a weird series. There were a number of things that I could not quite agree with, that had been done to the Rebellions (R2) series, but it was hard not liking Code Geass. I absolutely enjoyed the series. It was one of those that I binged in a day, sacrificing my sleep. The one that had my eyes glued to the screen wanting for more as though Geass itself had been cast on me. Those were the days. After a few days of denial that Lelouch was killed at the end of the series, I can still remember till this day how I scrambled all over the net looking for clues. Trying to be a little hopeful that Lelouch was actually not dead. A few months after, I came to terms. “Well, let us move on and try other Anime.” was what I thought. Code Geass though, chose not to stop. Sunrise continued to pump in more. Keeping the hope alive. First, with a set of films highlighting a group of elite soldiers fighting off Britannia, Code Geass: Akito the Exiled (Akito). Though Akito presented an interesting premise, it also brought along some unanswered questions. Then, Sunrise went all peculiar. They did a recap on Rebellion (let’s call it the Recaps). 3 episodes long. They were choppy and messy however, they changed a load of things. At the end of episode 3, they announced that ‘Resurrection’ was coming. It was at the time we knew exactly what was up.
Code Geass: Akito the Exiled
The movie… I have thought hard about it. What were some of the best ways to watch it? Do you watch R2, then the movie? Watch the Recaps then the movie? Or watch R2, Akito then the Movie? I think it is best to watch everything. At first, I believed the Recaps were enough, followed by Akito. Perhaps, you can squeeze in Akito in the middle between episode 2 and 3. Then, it occurred to me. The Recaps were quite messy. Bits of information all over the places. In order to understand the Recaps further, you will want to watch R2. Because they omitted a handful of scenes and changed a few plot devices. Especially the one concerning Shirley. Although Sunrise had played down her role considerably, she is still a crucial plot device to how Lelouch ended up being resurrected. So, R2 – the Recaps – Squeeze in Akito in between – Resurrection would be most apt. That said! You may want to take note that the movies, according to the production committee is an alternate canon to the prequels. Director Gorou Taniguchi has akin this to the likes of Gundam where the original series were done, but new movies and side stories were made. They are similar yet there is slight contrast. Therefore, the movies are the movies, the TV Anime series are the TV Anime series. (source: Interview)
Though, I may want to point this out. Something did not add up. If you have read the source, the team initially wanted to make a vague ending to R2. The result however was the opposite, people and fans decided to just accept that Lelouch was dead. As the supposed ending was done in such a manner to keep people intrigue, it was not the intention of the production committee. It is quite clear that they did not kill Lelouch even at the end of the TV Anime series. So much so that they said “… we had to come back and clarify.” Remember how I said this series is just weird? There you go.
The film had too many characters in, so a lot of characters do not have much screen time.
And that is the thing with Code Geass. The film while very entertaining only added more questions while answering a few. With just 2 hours and with so many characters, I was quite surprised that the team decided to include almost everyone in. Contrary to what many may think, I am quite glad that they chose not to include the guys from Akito. Of course I would want them to, but imagine what the film would have been like! Characters sandwiched together. More importantly, why the 2 hours? Why can’t this be a half cour the least? The team would have been able to flesh out the characters more and provided more expositions. This is unfortunately not the case. They did not want to do a TV series because fans have had a change of taste. A theatrical version or a format like Netfilx would have been preferred. Thus, the production committee decided to go for a movie format. Nevertheless, I cannot quite agree with the direction taken. I assume that had they gone out with the TV series, they would have not been able to maximise their profit. I understand though, looking at the upgraded Animation, a lot must have gone into making the film. And, a full cour or a half cour would have not been feasible. Mayhaps, this is just Sunrise dipping their feet into water. Seeing if there is still demand for Code Geass. If the number of demand is just right, we may get a chance to see more of them as hinted in the film.
Now, because the committee decided to go the film route, the film was a tad bit messy. It was really fast paced. They were definitely on board the shinkansen this time. For instance, the characters sudden attitude changed from “I am gonna kill you Lelouch!!” in the prequels to “Lelouch <3". Oh... how glad they are that he survived. Wait a minute, yes. I know for a brief moment during Zero Requiem, it was shown that they sort of finally realised what Lelouch was trying to do, but that was not fully laid out in the film. Did Nunnally tell them? When? And what were their reactions? Even if Nunnally had indeed told them of Lelouch's intention, it would have taken some time to fully comprehend everything that had transpired. The film sets two years after Zero Requiem. That would have been ample time to finally digest and understand Lelouch's goal at the end of Zero Requiem to finally accept what he did. That does not change however, would people still forgive him that easily for all the things that he had done? What were their motives for the sudden attitude change? I may be digging too much about this. It could probably just be that they have simply came to accept of what had happened in the past and have decided to forgive him. So, what we got from the movie was the outcome of the people's realisation of the things Lelouch had committed to fulfill Zero Requiem. Still, it would have been better if some flashbacks of either Nunnally or Kallen telling the crew that he deliberately set things up in such a way so that he could finally be killed off and at the same time, all the hatred directed at him or perhaps some main characters along with side characters meeting up talking about how wrong they were and that, they had misinterpreted Lelouch's actions. The narrative took a little nosedive further when they did not, even for a second showed how Lelouch's body was moved from the day he was stabbed by Suzaku and finally handed over to C.C. Especially, involving Shirley. She probably had some help from Orange, but it was indicated that she was the one responsible for the transportation of Lelouch's body over to C.C. Many things happened off-screen I supposed (I think I figured out from here what the letter from Shirley and Orange may have entailed). Even if we beg the production committee to make a prequel to Resurrection and a sequel to Zero Requiem, they would probably respond by saying "Oh, we left them vague so that fans will be left intrigued." No, I am sure many of us would like to have some sort of closure to this. So... please don't come back 10 years later and clarify with us that this happened in-between and that we all got it wrong. Trust me Sunrise! A lot can be cleared up with a 2-episode OVAs or something.
Jeremiah (Orange) used Geass Canceller in the Recaps (Handou).
Another thing the film left out is the Geass Canceller, which was shown in the prequels and also Akito. It just does not sit right with me. Since, Geass Canceller could be given to people deemed worthy of its power, then would there not be more Geass Canceller users? I wished Orange would have played a bigger role in Resurrection since he has it. However, this was not explored in the movie.
Nonetheless, it was not all bad. It was hard at first viewing because I went in without the Recaps nor Akito. After watching all of them again, then Resurrection, things were much better. While there were indeed plot holes, the film had some great attention to details and some subtlety that may require some extra viewings or pauses. First of all, the film served as a crucial key to some of our questions. In particular surrounding the immortalisation of Geass users. Though, the film presented more ideas and despite C.C. having lived for so long, there are many things unbeknownst to her. A good example was that it was hinted but not known for sure, Lelouch received a code from Charles and thus, became immortal. There is somewhat a discrepancy as he still retains his Geass although he had became deathless. This brought up some questions from C.C. that she was unsure how this was made possible because, you lose your Geass once you have achieved immortalisation. The film also noted something else that was really intriguing to me. When it introduced a new set of villains, one of them possessed a Geass that could bring that person back to past. The thing is, her Geass at first allowed her to see the future. It somehow evolved and thus, allowed her to travel back 6 hours into the past after her death. This shows that Geass could evolved although how it does so remains unknown. From here, we could assume that Lelouch’s Geass may have evolved too, allowing him to stay immortal and at the same time does not rid of him of his Geass.
Jupiter as depicted in the World of C.
Perhaps this is one way to extend the story if you may. The ‘World of C’ has remained a mystery and not much is answered about the world in the film. What we know so far is pretty much the same, it is a world of collective unconsciousness. A world where our spirits would travel to after we have died. It would seem that, those with Geass have the ability to travel into this alternate dimension and commune with the dead. How a Geass user is able to do so is not made clear in the film nor the prequels. I mean, they can do it via the temples and some form of out of body experience, but why and how this allows only Geass users to transport themselves over into this other dimension is not known. If you look closely, many times when the World of C is presented, an image of Jupiter is often shown. Likewise, the film too depicts Jupiter when someone enters the World of C. This may be some use of symbolism as Jupiter presents the idea of evolutionary development (maturity, and knowledge gained through a time of growth) which echoes a number of aspects of Code Geass. However, Jupiter has another meaning which is the meeting of ideas – it would be too long to present my 2 cents on the matter, perhaps another time. Or, this could hint Geass’ relevance to Jupiter. Maybe something is there, a research facility or some sort on Jupiter… or a temple. In the prequels it would seemed as if the World of C overlooks Jupiter. There is a high chance something is there that relates to evolutionary development or a gate even. If I were to choose, that would be the latter as there is no way this is a mere coincidence. Anyhow, it is an interesting plot and if we are going to get anything out of this, I assume Jupiter would definitely be a future destination. So… Code Geass with space as its setting? Boy, count me in.
Also, there was an indication that the Geass Order may in fact still be around. This has definitely opened up a new plot. Apparently, C.C. hinted out that there may be a new leader to the order, as for who it is? We will probably be filled in, in the future. The new leader may have been the one who granted Geass to some of the Zilkhstan folks. However, I doubt if that would ever be elaborated in future releases.
With all that said, I am happy to see most of the characters back. The focus on Lelouch and C.C. was pretty much a blessing in disguise. It was really entertaining to see the two. The narrative clearly needed more exposition and a little slow down would have done justice however, a 2 hour film can only do so much. The film despite everything else, has set up an interesting premise and I could not help but to be excited for future sequels.
Shamna is one of the new villains in Resurrection who possesses the Geass that could bring her back 6 hours into the past.
As for the new characters, the villains in this case, were members of Zilkhstan’s royal family. They unfortunately did not receive much attention. They were pretty weak in my opinion. That may be attributable to the film’s length. The motivations of the antagonists were made clear, we know why they wanted Nunnally, nevertheless I could only see them as canon fodders as of now. It is more likely that they were introduced to pave way for Lelouch and C.C.’s story. Perhaps, I should watch the movie a third time and see if I could extract anything more from these characters. They lack substance though the Geass they possessed were pretty interesting mainly Shamna who as I mentioned above bore a Geass that could bring her back in time. There was another Geass user, Qujappat who could manipulate people’s vision, but that is that. Nothing else. Not much of a backstory, not much of fleshing other than new ideas being thrown out. Had this be at least a half cour, we may have gotten more. For now, it is just wishful thinking.
There were a lot of cameos by characters of old hence, the fanservice. I could see that the team did their best to give us as much information as possible as to what have happened to the cast of the prequels between the end of Zero Requiem and Resurrection. Again, too many characters, too little time. I appreciated still, what they have shown to us. Though, more should have been shown. You see… I am little greedy. Guess, whatever we have would make do for now. The film however, solved the relationships among characters too. It allowed Kallen and Suzaku to have somewhat a conclusion to whatever debacle in the prequels. It was the betrayal for Kallen and for Suzaku it was Euphemia. We also saw chances given to Ohgi, Tamaki, Cornelia and a slew of others. Allowing them to express their regrets over Zero Requiem and the fact that they should have trusted Lelouch more. The fact that they did not, probably left a hole in their hearts. Now that they are able to say it out right to Lelouch, how much they have regretted their actions to the point that Ohgi was almost about to take his own life, provided a much deserved conclusion. To me, that was the final hammer to Zero Requiem and a signal that a new story is set to take place. For a brief moment in the credits we got to see Shirley who, I could guarantee a 100% was on the phone with Lelouch. In R2 she died, but she was brought back to life in the Recaps which I am glad they did. She does normalize the situation and I think more will be done with her if there should be future iterations. Anyways, more Shirley is always welcome. Even though it was not direct, Lelouch had chosen to be with C.C. at the end. Is this due to love? I am not quite sure. Both are pretty tsundere if you ask me. I feel Lelouch’s intention to be with C.C. in search of Geass fragments must be his way of fulfilling his promise to C.C. which he has not till now (I think her original intention for the contract has somewhat changed near the end of R2).
The film again has shown that Lelouch is as awesome as ever. He creates this atmosphere where you can feel prominence and elegance. It was really nice when he returned and went, “Lelouch vi Britannia commands you…”. Voice actor, Jun Fukuyama certainly carried his character a lot. I honestly am not a chess person, are all those moves for real? Or they were just some gibberish for entertainment sake? I have no idea. We do get the sense that he is smart, and still the best tactician in the series thus far. No problem with the deliveries of his line. I am really pleased that his essence is still preserved after 10 years. But… you may have to contend with the fact that, for the first 35 minutes, all you get from Lelouch is “Aaaaaaa” or “Ahaaargh”.
“Revive” a song by UNIONE was the ending song for Resurrection.
Music, sound and voice over are all as excellent as ever. The cast really did an excellent job this time. Some lines, yeah, I know. This is still an Anime you know? Nevertheless, they are very consistent which is important. And they were clear and full of emotions. I like the opening and ending song a lot. Though, I may be leaning more towards the ending by UNIONE called “Revive”. Soundtrack and background music seemed good to me and this was me using normal speakers. I did not bother using a headphone. So, I could be missing some faults? Anyway, nothing to be nitpicking about. Great song choices.
The attack on the hotel had some of the best actions scenes in the movie.
After 10 years, we definitely would want to see an Animation upgrade right? And the team definitely delivered. You can for sure see the difference. The quality is more crisps and action scenes were much more fluid. I noticed that character models had some slight changes done to them. The faces look a little sharper… hmmm this might be my imagination. The Knightmares models this time had a mixture of 2D and 3D done unto them while in the prequels they seemed a lot more 2D. They are a lot more similar to Akito if you ask me. So, if you are not into 3D much, this may disappoint you. I do not mind this mixture. 3D rendering is a lot easier than drawing frames by frames using hands. It seems the team this time put a lot more effort in the Animation and I hardly noticed any shortcomings. Battle scenes were done well. I really liked the part where they fought of some Zilkhstan commandos at the hotel. I thought they were really cool. More so than the battles with Knightmares. There were more attention to details which was good. I think I would go on forever if I would want to point each and every one out. All I can say is that, as long as you have no problems with 3D, you will not be let down by the Animation.
So, there you go. My supposed-to-be simple and concise review turned out to be rather me rambling about the series. It took me sometime to get this out. 2 weeks actually having to go through almost everything again. Do note that I have not read Code Geass: Soubou no Oz thus, I may be missing out on things. Since it has been almost ten years, or more, I may have some lapses in my memories concerning the entire Code Geass saga. If I did get anything wrong do let me know.
Verdict: A solid 8.0/10. Code Geass: Fukkatsu no Lelouch is definitely a sequel we have been waiting for, for so long. It certainly is a deserved sequel. The film was a little fast paced, if it had been a half cour long the least and slowed down certain narratives, the film would have been much better. Music, animation, voice acting were all great. For best view, remember to take a quick trip and visit all of the past episodes; R2, Akito and the Recaps are very crucial to ensure that we are up-to-date. Most importantly, it is good to get back our pompous, confident, charming yet vulnerable ex-emperor of Britannia back into the series. I shall be looking forward to more.
Do share your thoughts down in the comment section below! As for now, nam jala latak boys and girls~
If you are interested, you can buy the Blu-rays here:
Limited Release: Amazon; CDJapan
Standard Edition: Amazon; CDJapan