Posts Tagged ‘amy kincaid’

‘‘Code Geass’’ continues its amazing trend forward as it turns the story towards more serious notes.

The Story

Over the next eight episodes of ‘‘Code Geass’’, the story will take many different twists both literally and emotionally. Lelouch is gaining even more support from the various resistance forces around Japan. Every episode he and the Black Knights continue to launch more and more daring plans to get to his own ends. He’ll do many things that he never expected such as attempt to kidnap Cornelia but is always thwarted by the white Knightmare. Members of the Britannia Empire are getting wise to him however and in an odd twist, will cause the relationship between Shirley and Lelouch to change forever.

In the second half of these episodes, the story will take even more drastic turn towards the serious. With the relationships that he shares with his friends changing, Lelouch will be forced to deal with some very harsh realities that he has created for himself. He has killed many people in the battles he’s fought and for the first time he will truly live with the consequences. Meanwhile, a new villain will enter the scene as someone from C.C.’s past will come back to haunt her and Lelouch.

Good and the Bad

The characters in ‘Code Geass’ are continuing to take shape in ways that no one could have seen coming. Lelouch continues to be developed and carefully sculpted into such an amazing case study of obsession. What is even more amazing about this however is how easily the audience can buy into this character and see him as nothing short of believable. All throughout this volume there are so many examples of writing that absolutely borders on cheesy and overdone. As much as some fans would like to believe otherwise, not every single word out of Lelouch is golden especially during his pep speeches. Because the character is so charismatic though, it’s easy to let that slide and just enjoy the character’s growth.

It’s not just the characters but the relationships that get to see so much growth as well. Since the start, the series has very steadily pushed the relationships between the main characters. In this set, Lelouch and C.C. and Suzaku and Euphy are going to get some amazing time to become closer. The first relationship has always been a little bit harder to push with the audience. The two have always been nothing more than partners in crime so far. In these episodes, the two are really forced to band together in various ways. It’s really interesting watching how coldly these two act around each other and yet know that there is something more waiting to be brought out.

The relationship between Suzaku and Euphy is the much easier of the two to get behind as an audience member. Pairing the two idealistic characters together, ‘Code Geass’ has done another good job progressing this relationship at a gentle pace. It’s never felt like there has been a huge rush to pair these two just to give the audience something to attach to. Instead the two characters have been kept separate for most of the series except for little instances. The inner cynic in me wants to think that these two are in for a tragic ending but there’s still a little hope in me that both couples will get to see a good ending.

The last relationship that gets pushed to its limit in these episodes is the one between Lelouch and Shirley. For the last few episodes, ‘Code Geass’ has hinted towards this relationship and it was a fun twist to see them use it as a plot device instead of leaving it as a source of background comedy. The relationship works so well here though because Shirley is still very fresh for the audience. While she’s always been a part of the series, she’s never really been a part of the story. By bringing her to the forefront, ‘Code Geass’ instantly has a new heroine for the audience to attach to for a little while.

The time that these two will spend together really brings the maturity level of the series up a few notches (though a certain night time scene with a female character earlier in the volume does a pretty good job of that itself). ‘Code Geass’ has always dealt with themes that were a little more mature, but it’s nice to see the staff attempt to deal with some of Lelouch’s problems through a new relationship rather than another battle.

Music

The music in these episodes do not disappoint. All throughout these episodes are wonderful examples of music composed by Hitomi Kuroishi and Kotaro Nakagawa. While not every single piece of music will play well out of context, the music almost always does its job for the scene. A great example of this is in episode ten when C.C. and Lelouch are having an argument. To listen to the dialogue, it’d be easy to take these words seriously. The music in this scene really plays the words down. It acts as a very subtle way to keep the audience in a light hearted frame of mind and remember that they are just having a spat.

Insert songs play a big part in these episodes as well which. Episodes thirteen and fourteen both have very strong sounds to them that really capture the emotion of the scene. At the end of episode fourteen, the scene between Lelouch and Shirley is made so much more powerful because of the incredibly soft ballad playing the background. It is hard not to watch this scene play out and not be touched by the genuine feeling that is radiating from these characters helped along by the perfect mood music.

Dub vs. Sub

Stepping forward from the background, Amy Kincaid really shines as Shirley late in these episodes. Having to go through many emotions, Kincaid really delivers a moving performance that stands out from the rest. Kate Higgins continues to be an incredibly entertaining as C.C. Always charming but appropriately distant and mysterious.

Extras

The first set of extras included on these two discs is three more picture dramas telling three additional side stories. On disc three, the first picture drama features Lelouch and Nunnally having dinner together as Nunnally shares what she believes to be the relationship C.C. and her brother. The second picture drama takes a more serious turn though as Jeremiah and Villetta share a private moment before Suzaku’s execution. Before finally on disc four, the picture dramas return to their comedic routes with the students and royalty all attending the opening of a new public pool in appropriate swimwear.

While the serious drama is entertaining, the comedy picture dramas are very funny. While ‘Code Geass’ has never been afraid of going for the laugh, these picture dramas continue to be a great way for the staff to go much bluer with their comedy. Sex jokes and fan service aside, these are going to be entertaining for quite a few reviews.

Also included on these volumes are commentaries for episodes 11 and 14. On the first commentary Jun Fukuyama (Lelouch), Yukana (C.C.), Yuriko Chiba (Character Designer), Eiji Nakada (Knightmare designer and Mech Animation Director) and Kazuya Murata (Associate Director) share their thoughts on the episode. It’s cool enough that there are so many different cast and crew members that are in there but some really interesting questions get asked along the way. The same can be said for the episode fourteen commentary track though which has Jun Fukuyama, Goro Taniguchi (Director), Seiichi Nakatani (Animation Director) and Funiko Orikaka (Shirley).

Overall

For the first two thirds of the series, ‘Code Geass’ has always walked a thin line. Ever since episode one I’ve kept trying to guess where the story is going to go next and every time I’ve been dead wrong. Always twisting and pushing the boundaries, ‘Code Geass’ is an action series that anyone can get into. If you haven’t started watching it yet, you’re running out of reasons not to.