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Impressions:

My yearning to watch the next episode of this series has just increased by a tenfold! Okay, maybe not that much, but I like it a lot more now. I’m not too sure, but I think Code Geass has overtaken Death Note on my top fall animes this season (becoming a close second behind Kanon). Those two shows (Code Geass and Death Note) have been compared quite often because they both feature an anti-hero protagonist (in other words, the main character is a bad guy). However, I’m not sure as to exactly how bad Lelouch is. I’m pretty sure that Britannia is meant to be depicted as the ‘bad side’. We find out that not only is Lelouch a Britannia citizen, he is actually part of the royal family. However, he hates what his kind has done to Japan, hence the name ‘Lelouch of the Rebellion (of Japan)’. But then, wouldn’t that make him the good guy? It is highly subjective; it could even be that both Lelouch and Britannia are bad. I think Lelouch is definitely a ‘good guy’, just a bit ruthless when it comes to achieving his desires. However bad he turns though, it shouldn’t affect my opinion on him as I always like the protagonist, regardless of how evil he is. This is the case with Code Geass and Death Note, both of which I’m enjoying a lot right now. Now I have to wait another week for the next episode…

This episode, we get to see Lelouch employ his chess skills during battle. For the most part, it looked like Lelouch had a clear win against the Britannia Knightmare Frame battalion, though the appearance of that new model in the end indicated he was clearly going to lose. We can’t have the main character winning everything in the second episode now can we? The obvious irony is with that battle is that the guy in the new Knightmare Frame was fighting Lelouch, whom he didn’t know the identity of, to save Lelouch. I’m sure Lelouch would have felt similar in the situation if he knew his enemy was really his long time friend. Another thing, Suzaku (the friend in the new Knightmare Frame) saved Lelouch’s life, which resulted in the eventual corruption of his friend, which was the cause of their fight in the end. Speaking of which, seeing as Suzaku didn’t die last episode (it was actually pretty unreasonable for him to die so early, as he seemed to be an important part of Lelouch’s past), I doubt he will succumb to anything soon. I really don’t like him as an enemy though, as I think he is far too ‘childish’ in Lelouch’s intellectual world. Heh, now I’m hoping Suzaku is more like L from Death Note to make a more balanced rival…

Some more of Lelouch’s background is revealed this episode, and we find out that he is actually part of the royal Britannia family. This brings up a few questions that I’m sure will be answered eventually. Firstly, a more detailed of Lelouch’s past is in order. This includes why he is meant to be dead and how it happened. Second, if he’s meant to be dead, why has he gone unnoticed at a (probably well-known) Britannia school? Third, the major mystery which hasn’t been answered yet and I suspect will be revealed slowly as the series progresses: who or what is CC. Also, are the powers she gives Lelouch really supernatural or some kind of advanced technology? Not only that, a general appearance by CC more often would be nice too, as she seems to be an interesting character. Next episode, the preview shows Lelouch back in school, so I wonder how he deals with the situation with his older brother, the king (or is it prince?) A deal between them would be most likely, but I hope it’s more original and interesting than that. Oh yeah! A topic I’ve completely neglected until now: the quality of the show. So far, Code Geass is proving to be a very high quality anime, and their mecha fight scenes are excellent. What’s more, they don’t use CG (which is good as I think non-CG mecha is a lot better than those that use computer graphics).

Plot Outline:

- Following Lelouch’s first command using his special eye to have the soldiers kill themselves, he gets confronted by a Knightmare Frame
- Lelouch tries to use his power on her but it doesn’t work
- Lelouch determines that this must have something to do with the amount of contact the two are getting (the woman is not making eye contact with him, presumably)
- He then tricks her to get down from her Knightmare Frame, then uses his power to steal the machine
- Meanwhile, Suzaku regains consciousness after being treated for his wound
- In his new Knightmare Frame, Lelouch starts giving out orders to the Japanese rebels, commandeering them to a glorious defeat of the entire Knightmare Frame army in the area

- Shocked and desperate, prince Clavis allows the use of the new Knightmare Frame model
- Suzaku is the one who is designated to pilot the thing, which he takes out to confront Lelouch
- The two have a one-sided struggle, with the new Knightmare Frame obviously gaining the upper hand
- Lelouch escapes with some help from one of the rebels he was ordering around
- The rebel’s hideout is discovered by the Britannia army and everyone taking refuge inside is about to be executed, when Clavis makes a cease fire announcement
- However, it turns out that this is because Lelouch had Clavis at gunpoint, ordering him what to do
- It is then revealed that Lelouch is actually Clavis’ younger brother, who is meant to be dead
- It seems that Lelouch has returned to take over Clavis as the next king
- Next episode, Lelouch winds up back at school (I think)

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