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This is honestly one of the reviews I've been waiting for a while.
Can't wait for the reactions Chuck has to the wonderful insanity of Code Geass.

Too bad I will be at work for most of the day and likely won't be able to watch it until 6PM tomorrow night.

Oh well, it will be worth the wait.

Lets all grab some Pizza Hut and enjoy this one

I generally agree completely with Chuck's position on anime. Some of it is good, but I am not a fan of the genre and therefore my tolerance for the creepier aspects such as very young girls with bouncing breasts, female on male violence as comedy, and stalking as love is low. CG does do that but it does it to a much lesser extent then many other anime series that Chuck has reviewed so it is one that is higher on my list certainly.
I don't think we would accept a Western product doing half of this sort of thing but because it is a foreign product it seems that people lower their standards imo.

Anime isn't a genre. It's a medium. There are lots of genres within anime and plenty of them don't go for cheap thrills (the aforementioned bouncing boobs and what have you). Anime is similar to pulp I would say, there's not a lot of quality control so you get a lot of crap, but it also has a lot of experimentation going on for the same reason.

On that note, Code Geass is actually one of the more shameless anime I've watched indulging itself there. Kallen's mech has a cockpit that she straddles and conveniently constantly shows off her butt on for one example.

Even out of the ones Chuck has reviewed, only Kannazuki no Miko is more shameless I'd say. CG is about on with Mahoromatic and Gurren Lagann (the latter of which is only less annoying because it's more self-aware about it). Cowboy Bebop, Escaflowne, Gundam, Full Moon, Kino's Journey, Madoka, Robotech, and FMA are very light on that sort of thing, if its even there at all. GitS has nudity and barely-clothed bodies but its actually relevant to its themes there.

I think some people usually tend to underestimate or downplay the actual amount of self-awareness in Code Geass, especially because they tend to get easily misled or confused by Lelouch's own dark and serious outlook towards the events of his story.

But the universe itself and the surrounding framework of the show aren't afraid of making fun of Lelouch, in both playful and cruel ways. Some of them are obvious in-jokes or running gags, other details involve directorial gimmicks, voice acting or musical cues and even statements from the creators. In short, the people responsible know the material is intended to be very over-the-top, melodramatic and full of anime tropes. This includes, but isn't limited to, the use of fanservice (there's a fair amount, although I will say there are mecha shows with a lot more of it, comparatively, such as Godannar).

Regarding the show itself, I think Code Geass is quite interesting thematically as well as very entertaining, but it isn't supposed to be a realistic show at all. Which isn't a problem for me, yet that's ultimately what sends some folks into negative territory, because their suspension of disbelief breaks down over particular sequences. I didn't have that issue, thus the show has worked better for me on rewatch, since I can focus on the character dynamics and themes, plus simply having fun, rather than agonizing over a specific trope, technically inaccurate detail or extreme coincidence.

I enjoyed Chuck's commentary on the character designs.

Cuz CLAMP, the dudettes who did the character designs, are "FAMOUS" for this:

http://media.tumblr.com/tumblr_me4bpol4Bj1qjxkoc.png


I'd like to point out for this next one, that both characters are STANDING. The redhead is 150 cm and the dude is supposed to be around 6 feet:

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/GEnWnkmpU1M/hqdefault.jpg

They have little sense of scale when it comes to people who are different sizes, and Code Geass' non-mecha characters just exemplify it. Characters are like 70% legs a lot of the time. Everyone's noodles.

And Code Geass is TONED DOWN compared to works like XXXholic where they let the one who's really bad at proportion, Tsubaki Nekoi (apparently), run rampant. She's the one responsible for the noodle people...though it was apparently intentional.

Ah, the noodle people! It's not only CLAMP, since both Sailor Moon (especially the original manga) and One Piece (especially the women) have similar design traits with the long legs and limbs.

It's an odd thing to see at first , but after so many years of watching anime it doesn't make me blink.

@Cylus And you even joined the forums to talk about it! Welcome. XD

It's refreshing to hear someone say nice things about Suzaku for once.

Oh don't worry that won't last. Suzaku's self righteousness makes the Federations bullshit look tame.

Suzaku can be self-righteous sure, but at least he often tries his best to embody it. I never saw much reason for viewers to side with Lelouch over him other than some cathartic pleasure. You do feel for Lelouch at times, but frankly he's a fucking terrible person. It's similar to how so many people seem to defend Walter White for almost everything he does (though I find Walter White a far more complex character personally), but I think its important not to lose sight of the fact that he's ultimately a really shitty person. It's like what Spock said in one of the TOS episodes, "I do not approve. I understand."