Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Hey everyone! This week's post is going to be on another anime called Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion, and it's probably one of the best that I've ever watched. So, without further ado...

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

5 out of 5 Rebellious Stars

When there is evil in this world that justice cannot defeat, would you taint your hands with evil to defeat evil? Or would you remain steadfast and righteous even if it means surrendering to evil?

Holy crap. Now this is a story about revolution, about fighting for what you believe in, fighting for justice, fighting to create a better world. Japan is now known as Area 11, having been taken over by the Empire of Britannia after several years of war and resistance. Britannia is a large area, completely taking over North and South America and moving on to other continents. The Japanese are now referred to as 'elevens' and are looked down upon by the Britannians; however, while some Japanese may have accepted defeat, there are still others who resist, who fight for their freedom from their oppressive ruler. It's during one of these rebel attacks that Lelouch Lamperouge finds himself in a truck driven by said rebels, right in the midst of a deadly fight. He then realizes that the truck he is in is carrying poison gas that is actually a Britannian weapon. After a car chase and some more action-packed scenes, the capsule that has the poison gas in it opens, but instead of poison coming out, it's a girl with green hair and golden eyes. She asks Lelouch if he desires power and proposes a contract to him. Lelouch accepts and is given the Power of Kings, also known as Geass; he now has the power of absolute obedience. Mix the power of Geass, Lelouch's extraordinary intelligence and his desire to make the world a place in which his sister can live happily, and you have the beginning of a revolution.

The world cannot be changed with pretty words alone.

Lelouch:

"If the king does not lead, how can he expect his subordinates to follow?"

Lelouch Lamperouge is actually Lelouch Vi Britannia, eleventh heir to the throne. After the war with Japan and his mother's death, Lelouch and his sister, Nunnally, live in Japan, hiding the fact that they are Britannian Royalty. Lelouch, after obtaining the power of Geass from the mysterious woman C.C., decides to make the world a better place for his sister and to avenge his mother. "The world will change. I will change it." He becomes a rebel leader, known as Zero, and leads the Order of the Black Knights against the Empire of Britannia. Lelouch, when Zero, becomes a symbol for all the people of Japan; "Those of you with power, fear us! Those of you without it, rally behind us! We, the Black Knights, shall be the ones who stand in judgment of this world!"  A lot of people compare Lelouch to Light from Death Note, and that is definitely true in regards to their intelligence, but I think Lelouch is more humane than Light. The ending of each anime strongly displays the difference in the characters, and even throughout the anime, Lelouch shows how different he is from Light. While he is extremely intelligent, Lelouch is also a great leader and his love for his sister is admirable. Lelouch has a hard life, but he does everything in his power to make a difference. His knows exactly what to do with his Power of Kings, Geass, and, while he is selfish at times, Lelouch is the start of a revolution, and I don't think anyone else would have been able to accomplish what he did. The end of the anime proves how much his character has grown throughout all the episodes, and Lelouch becomes one of the most selfless characters I've ever read about.

C.C.:

Within the endless flow of time, I am alone.

C.C. is an immortal witch who has the ability to bestow the power of Geass on others. Now, after giving the power of Geass to Lelouch, she becomes his ally. She is his right-hand-man and helps him lead the Black Knights. Their only tie to each other is the contract; they consider themselves accomplices, using each other for their own benefit. C.C. helps Lelouch with his rebellion and keeps him alive so he will be able to keep up his end of the contract, to grant one of her wishes. She is definitely an interesting character, and my favorite after Lelouch. Without her, Lelouch would not have made it as far as he did. They make a powerful team, and it's entertaining watching them work together, leading the Black Knights against Britannia. C.C. is a very important character in the show, using her own intelligence to help Lelouch and keep his identity of Zero a secret. "We are Partners. If you are a Witch, then I am a Warlock." --Lelouch to C.C .

Only those that are prepared to fire should be fired at.

Suzaku:

"A victory won through dishonest means is no victory at all."

Suzaku is the son of Japan's last Prime Minister and now works in the military as an Honorary Britannian Soldier. He was friends with Lelouch when they were children, and that friendship is present when the two reunite at Ashford Academy. Lelouch and Suzaku are similar in that they both want to change how Japan is treated, how controlling Britannia is, but they have very different ways in which they think this change should happen. While Lelouch wants to kill his father, the Emperor of Britannia, and fight to bring on this change, Suzaku wants change to happen from inside Britannia and spread. He believes that this change must be achieved through just ways; for Suzaku, the end does not justify the means. Peace achieved through violence is not real peace. This is a completely different perspective from Lelouch, and Suzaku causes big problems for Lelouch throughout the anime.

Overall:

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is an amazing anime that is a must watch. It's action packed, using the weapons known as Knightmare Frames, which are humanoid war machines. It's got a bit of romance in it, a couple of brilliant plot-twists, and some awesome side characters (I especially like Kallin; she's a fighter, and a very important asset to Zero. Plus, she's badass). It took me awhile to get used to the art-style since I watched this after Death Note, but I got used to it pretty quickly and really like the style used. Unfortunately, this anime is not on Netflix, but the website Animeshow.tv has all the episodes with good quality, so I recommend using this site to watch this fantastic anime (http://animeshow.tv/Code-Geass-Lelouch-of-the-Rebellion/). I love Lelouch's character and C.C.'s too; Suzaku may annoy me - a lot - at times, but I respect his actions and his character. There is a lot of speculation on what happens at the end of the anime, but I know what I think (no spoilers) and for me, it's an absolutely perfect ending to one of the best shows I've ever watched. There's so much to learn from Code Geass; what you're willing to sacrifice for what you believe in, how far you'll go to achieve your goals. There is some religious aspect to the show, but it just makes the anime that much more complex. If you haven't watched Code Geass, I suggest starting it ASAP. You do not want to miss out on this one.

Change will never come about if you don't make it happen.

Death Note: Another Note

Hello everyone! A couple weeks ago I posted a review about the anime Death Note and today's review is going to be on a little spinoff novel from the anime.

Death Note: Another Note

   

5 out of 5 Murderous Stars

The most intelligent people hide the fact that they are intelligent. Wise men do not wear nametags. The more people talk about their own skills, the more desperate they are - their work should speak for itself.

Death Note: Another Note is a short novel that gives a bit of background on Naomi Misora and the case she works on with L in Los Angelas, and it definitely speaks for itself. It's an intelligently written mystery, and just when you feel like you might know what's really going on, the novel changes direction so quickly it leaves your head spinning. I love getting to see how L works from a different perspective than Light or L himself, and I like Misora's role in the anime, so it is nice getting to read about her too. The novel is narrated by Mello, also a character that plays an important role in the manga/anime. There are some spoilers though, so make sure you wait to finish the anime before reading this book!

Naomi Misora:

I love Misora's character in the anime and her last scene is one of my favorites; however, I'm not a big fan of her in regards to the novel until the ending. She comes off as almost snotty and judgmental - I also do not feel that her intelligence is higher than others at the FBI. But the ending makes up for that - she proves how intelligent she really is and how worthy she is to be L's eyes and ears on the field. It's when she says stuff like this that I want to smack her upside the head: "If we divided everyone in the world into those that would be better off dead and those that wouldn't, there's no doubt in my mind that he'd be the former. Such a complete freak that it amazes me he hasn't killed himself yet." But then she becomes a badass and uses her skills and brain to their fullest to solve the case, and you realize that she is the perfect person to act as L's shield. It's nice getting some background on her, and even though she annoys me immensely at times, she's a cool heroine to read about.

Beyond Birthday:

We're told at the beginning of the novel that Beyond Birthday is our serial killer, but who exactly is Beyond Birthday? That becomes a nice journey of discovery to read about throughout the novel. He's an extremely intelligent man, albeit pretty sick and twisted, but we learn why he does what he does in the novel. While his reasons do not excuse his actions, they helps us to understand why he commits these murders. He isn't trying to outwit the police or FBI by getting away with his crimes; he's mocking them, for they were never his real target. "Beyond Birthday challenged L. And L accepted the challenge." That is the main plotline of this story, and it's very entertaining getting to watch these two geniuses battle it out - not as awesome as getting to watch Light and L engage in a battle of intelligence and wits, but entertaining nonetheless.

L:

We get to see L from a different perspective in this novel, and it's fun getting to see him through different eyes. He's still his weird self - eats way too many sweets, sits weirdly and doesn't really have any concept of personal space, but he still believes in justice. Plus, we get to learn the meaning behind the alias Ryuzaki. It's definitely nice getting to read about him after finishing Death Note and see a bit of his life firsthand before he got involved in the Kira case. 

Overall:

The spinoff novel Death Note: Another Note is a short but very engaging novel that provides fans of Death Note with a little insight into background information before Light gets his hands on a Death Note. A murder mystery that is not easily solved, it really makes the readers think while letting them enjoy reading about some of their favorite characters. The writing style is very smooth, and I think it is a genius idea to have Mello be the narrator of the story, even though I strongly dislike him in the anime. If you've watched the anime Death Note, you should definitely pick up Death Note: Another Note and give it a read. It's short but sweet and just an enjoyable read. However, if you haven't watched the anime yet I would hold off on this novel - and get to watching the anime! You will not be disappointed.

"Justice has more power than anything else."

"Power? By power...you mean strength?"

"No. I mean kindness."