I remember being very excited and worried about the 2017's Code Geass project. Excited as I am a big fan of Code Geass especially Lelouch of the Rebellion series and the idea of seeing the characters that I grew to love back together was pleasant. At the same time, I was worried as I thought it would undo the perfect Zero Requiem ending of R2.
This worried ness also relates to my subpar experience with Code Geass Akito The Exiled series. That series may have a strong cast of five main characters specially Yukiya and Lellia, the writing, plot, directing the villains to even side characters were a train-wreck that left me in a cold. Despite my mixed feelings I still wanted to give Re;surrection a chance and I did just that.
Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection is one of the most enjoyable rides I've seen in a long while. I remember being satisfied with the film as it provided me with a lot of childhood nostalgia. I eventually re-watched the film for the sake of reviewing it, and my outcome was the same.
Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection is the ultimate love letter to the main series. This is the movie that filled to the brim with fan-service of characters, moments, and call-backs. The reason why Shirley is alive in this timeline instead of being killed is for the childhood reunion. You have Spinzaku make a return, hotblooded Kallen, Jeriuma with his oranges, R1 Badass Cornelia making a return, Lelouch one-liners to even cheese kun makes an appearance.
The production values are nothing short of marvellous. This is without question one of the best looking series I've seen from Sunrise.
Barring jarring CGI for certain mechs I love the visual upgrade of the series from the character designs, background scenery to the animation that features some excellent fight choreography.
The soundtrack is also a strong highlight.
Certain returning tracks from the TV series make a return here providing the movie with the sense of nostalgia. The new tracks are also excellent as they fit the tone of the movie nicely, especially the insert songs.
Both the Japanese audio and English dub ditch out strong performances fitting into their respective roles perfectly.
Such a love letter does come at the cost, however.
I may love the fan-service that Re;surrection provided I felt the story and new characters suffered because of this.
The new characters are frankly dull. They lack the charisma, charm and chemistry of the returning cast. Granted some of them had potential to be interesting but, the writing wouldn't let me thus the new characters in Re;surrection ended up being as disposable as the majority of the characters in Akito The Exiled.
The story itself was alright. Clearly, the first third of the movie was the strongest as not only it unique but we got to see characters doing stuff that they never do in the TV series. Such example being C. C caring for Lelouch even at his husk state to Kallen while being a hothead showcased her fragile side by breaking down and crying her lungs out while holding the person that she worshipped.
Frankly, if the whole movie were consistently like this then this movie would have been amazing, but once Lelouch gets revived the movie goes back to the typical Code Geass fashion with a rescue Nunnally mission on top of that. Playing it safe.
Personally, I didn't mind Code Geass Re;surrection going back it's typical Code Geass storytelling route but I felt it's put it's unique story elements in the bus in favour of nostalgia.
Due to this the last act while very entertainment felt short in the substance department. The new characters didn't help this either as they felt so hollow and boring. Speaking of hollow characters this is an ongoing problem I have with Code Geass since the ending of R2. I feel like the writers since then have written themselves at the corner where they struggled to write compelling characters.
This is the primary reason why Akito The Exiled failed. That series had other problems for sure but the characters are what killed it. They lack charisma, personality, memorability and substance. Even the characters that I liked such Yukiya, Akito and Leila I tend to forget about them over time.
It was so bad that the writers had to feature Lelouch and Suzaku and even they couldn't save the Akito The Exiled series as the damaged had already been dealt. (Stay tuned for my Code Geass Akito The Exiled review for 2021 for more information.)
The same can be said for Re;surrection but unlike Akito, I didn't like any of the new characters and I forgot about them in a day. It's all about Lelouch and the old cast and nothing else.
The reason why am saying this is that Sunrise has officially announced a new Code Geass series that is scheduled for 2021.
I just hope Code Geass staff ends these ongoing issue because it's ain't healthy for the franchise legacy.
Despite becoming negative at the end, I am glad I watched Code Geass Lelouch Of the Re;surrection. It was a fun but messy ride of a movie that left me with happiness. The plot and the new characters may have much to be desired, the returning characters, character chemistry, production values barring the jarring use of CGI holds the experience together. This is frankly the best thing to come out from Code Geass franchise since R2 in 2018.
This ultimately leads me to my overall retrospect to the Code Geass franchise.
I feel like that overall Code Geass especially the Lelouch saga has stood the test of time in the anime landmark. It's a charming and charismatic series that can appeal to anyone and while the series had its low points its popcorn entertainment factor makes this franchise stand out compared to recent popular anime franchises such as My Hero Academia, Fire Force, Black Clover, Demon Slayer and all of those isekai's/webtoon anime adaptations that prioritise Saguya and "hype" factor over good storytelling and characters. Code Geass may not be a perfect series but it's a series that has entertained me with its charming characters, a fascinating plot that is filled with engaging plot twists and marvellous production values and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
Hopefully, the new Code Geass project will be a success.
This worried ness also relates to my subpar experience with Code Geass Akito The Exiled series. That series may have a strong cast of five main characters specially Yukiya and Lellia, the writing, plot, directing the villains to even side characters were a train-wreck that left me in a cold. Despite my mixed feelings I still wanted to give Re;surrection a chance and I did just that.
Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection is one of the most enjoyable rides I've seen in a long while. I remember being satisfied with the film as it provided me with a lot of childhood nostalgia. I eventually re-watched the film for the sake of reviewing it, and my outcome was the same.
Code Geass Lelouch of the Re;surrection is the ultimate love letter to the main series. This is the movie that filled to the brim with fan-service of characters, moments, and call-backs. The reason why Shirley is alive in this timeline instead of being killed is for the childhood reunion. You have Spinzaku make a return, hotblooded Kallen, Jeriuma with his oranges, R1 Badass Cornelia making a return, Lelouch one-liners to even cheese kun makes an appearance.
The production values are nothing short of marvellous. This is without question one of the best looking series I've seen from Sunrise.
Barring jarring CGI for certain mechs I love the visual upgrade of the series from the character designs, background scenery to the animation that features some excellent fight choreography.
The soundtrack is also a strong highlight.
Certain returning tracks from the TV series make a return here providing the movie with the sense of nostalgia. The new tracks are also excellent as they fit the tone of the movie nicely, especially the insert songs.
Both the Japanese audio and English dub ditch out strong performances fitting into their respective roles perfectly.
Such a love letter does come at the cost, however.
I may love the fan-service that Re;surrection provided I felt the story and new characters suffered because of this.
The new characters are frankly dull. They lack the charisma, charm and chemistry of the returning cast. Granted some of them had potential to be interesting but, the writing wouldn't let me thus the new characters in Re;surrection ended up being as disposable as the majority of the characters in Akito The Exiled.
The story itself was alright. Clearly, the first third of the movie was the strongest as not only it unique but we got to see characters doing stuff that they never do in the TV series. Such example being C. C caring for Lelouch even at his husk state to Kallen while being a hothead showcased her fragile side by breaking down and crying her lungs out while holding the person that she worshipped.
Frankly, if the whole movie were consistently like this then this movie would have been amazing, but once Lelouch gets revived the movie goes back to the typical Code Geass fashion with a rescue Nunnally mission on top of that. Playing it safe.
Personally, I didn't mind Code Geass Re;surrection going back it's typical Code Geass storytelling route but I felt it's put it's unique story elements in the bus in favour of nostalgia.
Due to this the last act while very entertainment felt short in the substance department. The new characters didn't help this either as they felt so hollow and boring. Speaking of hollow characters this is an ongoing problem I have with Code Geass since the ending of R2. I feel like the writers since then have written themselves at the corner where they struggled to write compelling characters.
This is the primary reason why Akito The Exiled failed. That series had other problems for sure but the characters are what killed it. They lack charisma, personality, memorability and substance. Even the characters that I liked such Yukiya, Akito and Leila I tend to forget about them over time.
It was so bad that the writers had to feature Lelouch and Suzaku and even they couldn't save the Akito The Exiled series as the damaged had already been dealt. (Stay tuned for my Code Geass Akito The Exiled review for 2021 for more information.)
The same can be said for Re;surrection but unlike Akito, I didn't like any of the new characters and I forgot about them in a day. It's all about Lelouch and the old cast and nothing else.
The reason why am saying this is that Sunrise has officially announced a new Code Geass series that is scheduled for 2021.
I just hope Code Geass staff ends these ongoing issue because it's ain't healthy for the franchise legacy.
Despite becoming negative at the end, I am glad I watched Code Geass Lelouch Of the Re;surrection. It was a fun but messy ride of a movie that left me with happiness. The plot and the new characters may have much to be desired, the returning characters, character chemistry, production values barring the jarring use of CGI holds the experience together. This is frankly the best thing to come out from Code Geass franchise since R2 in 2018.
This ultimately leads me to my overall retrospect to the Code Geass franchise.
I feel like that overall Code Geass especially the Lelouch saga has stood the test of time in the anime landmark. It's a charming and charismatic series that can appeal to anyone and while the series had its low points its popcorn entertainment factor makes this franchise stand out compared to recent popular anime franchises such as My Hero Academia, Fire Force, Black Clover, Demon Slayer and all of those isekai's/webtoon anime adaptations that prioritise Saguya and "hype" factor over good storytelling and characters. Code Geass may not be a perfect series but it's a series that has entertained me with its charming characters, a fascinating plot that is filled with engaging plot twists and marvellous production values and I honestly wouldn't have it any other way.
Hopefully, the new Code Geass project will be a success.