code geass 4, 5
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We’re at the one-fifth mark for Code Geass, and the players have finally begun to assemble on the field. I covered the Sunrise DNA and the harem elements already, so this time around, I’m going to focus more on the general masquerade.
Everyone wears a mask… some figurative… some, like Lulu’s, literal. I think it’s by no coincidence that the biggest villains in Gundam usually wear a mask and is revealed to be of some relation to the main hero at the end, when the mask finally falls off. For Code Geass, even though we know it’s Lulu (very poorly disguised, might I add) under that mask, no one else does– so you can imagine how Sunrise is prepping for that scene when Lulu eventually becomes unmasked. While it’s not the customary “cover half the face” type, it’s a bit more functional and less decorative (as evidenced by the ability to peak out Lulu’s jagan… or “Geass” as he calls it).
(I’m turning into a huge fan of Lulu’s “Zero” costume. It’s just so ridiculous, it’s like an animated Will Ferrell movie. Zero’s like a scuba diver crossed with a magician mated with an Outback Steakhouse Bloomin’ Onion™.)
I mentioned before that Lulu’s an anti-hero– what if that is too a mask? He’s really Mwu La Fraga! (Remember, Mwu was kinda of a playboy too.) Nonetheless, on a scale from one to ten, how giddy do you think I was when Lulu said “making the impossible possible”? Eight? Ten? Twelve?!? We heard Heero Yui say it. We heard Mwu La Fraga say it. Now we’ve heard Lulu say it. I think it’s a great line that should be used more. For example:
- Haruhi asks Kyon to do something really ridiculous. He responds back with his trademarked “It’s impossible!” Haruhi retorts, “I’ll make the impossible possible!”
- Shana and Yoshida are arguing over Yuuji, with Shana tossing out her traditional “It’s impossible!” Yuuji could walk in and with a gleen in his eye say, “Two girls? Why, I can make the impossible possible. I have the Reiji Maigo, after all.”
- Kyouhei sees Sunako for the first time. “I can make the impossible possible… I’ll need some serious beer goggles, of course.”
- For the last example, you’ll have to wait for AoMM’s continuing coverage of Otome wa Boku. You can probaby guess already.
ツンデレ’s are masked characters too– their frosty hard outsides masks the squishy soft insides. Just like how the hard crust of a melonpan surround the soft doughy bread instead. Mmm… melonpan…
(I’m highly disappointed that we didn’t get more screentime for Karen. I think Sunrise needs to balance it a bit better– for every second of uncomfortably yaoi Suzaku x Lulu moments, we need at least three seconds of Karen in the shower.)
(Though Karen is giving both Nayuki and Daisy Duke a run for their money concerning amount of fabric covering their asses.)
“Suzaku and Lulu” translated into English is “Ace and Gary.” I mean, Lulu doesn’t even go after the hawt girl. I think Sunrise is all about non-traditional relationships– whether Shizuru x Natsuki, Heero x Duo, Shizuru x Tomoe, Kira x Athrun, Tamama x Keroro, Natsumi x Koyuki, or Suzaku x Lulu, Sunrise is all over it. It’s actually pure genius. By tossing in Heero x Duo, Kira x Athrun, and now Suzaku x Lulu, Sunrise is winning over the fangirl audience for a show fangirls would probably shun otherwise. As for Shizuru– she’s the real star of Mai Hime/Otome and carries the franchise.
(Though if Lulu taps either one of these, I’ll stop making fun of him. Absolutely.)
(Or this one. Quick! You’re trapped on a roof of a school populated with zombies with a mysterious green haired girl. Your only weapon is that you can command other people to do your bidding by looking in the eye, but it doesn’t work on zombies. You are also a chess genius. How would you get out of this mess? Yep. High School of the Dead chapter 4 by XLG.)
C.C. is actually Ryuk with a much nicer ass. I’ll still don’t understand too well why she is doing this or how she’s not dead… or how even she got her powers and gave them to Lulu… “It’s Sunrise!” I tell myself… “Yeah, but still!” I argue with myself…
Loved the scene with C.C. being a dick to Lulu– finally, someone who stands up to him– this is sorely missing from Death Note: someone to slap Light-o around a bit. (BTW, the Wikipedia entry for Death Note contains horrible gobs of spoilers. Good times. Do people know how to summarize stuff without giving away the ending anymore? Ohandbytheway, Shiori’s last name is “La Fraga.”) Still, C.C. seems to know a lot that she’s not telling Lulu. Lulu eyes her as an annoyance (instead of a possible playmate for “Let’s play doctor!”) and she eyes Lulu as an object of disdainful curiosity.
And then there’s the new girl who masks her identity initially. Random girl falls out of the sky and into arms of non-threatening, semi-effeminate male… masks her identity… later reveals that’s she’s really a princess and has been using a concatenation of her given name… with a surname of her country… yep, let’s welcome Euphemia le Britannia to the Ashelia B’nargin Dalmasca All-Stars!
(Yes, I’m taking a different route. No Lacus comparisons here!)
But Suzaku is really a masked Athrun. The shades nail it. There’s the same shades Athrun wore when he was escorting Cagali around at the beginning of Destiny, and during the whole “random day-to with random chix0r who fell out of the sky” sequence, he had the same dumb look on his face that Athrun had when he, Kira, Lacus, and Meyrin when clothes shopping like three episodes before Destiny ended. (Yes, I still can’t believe that they interrupted an interplanetary war just so Lacus could go shopping… ladies and gentlemen! The writers of Sunrise.)
(And you probably could have guessed that he’s joining Lulu’s class by, oh, the first episode. Basically, we’re at the starting point of Mai Otome now…)
And Lancelot is yet another overpowered mecha especially when it started duel wielding. All the other knightmares fought with grappling hooks or oversized machine guns, but Lancelot’s design goes a bit more badass with the duel wield. They’re not even being subtle about it anymore– Lancelot is the new Aegis. (I’m guessing, of course, Lulu gets an even more powerful toy later…)
Still, as I pointed out before, Lancelot is like their most powerful mecha ever, and they’re letting someone who isn’t a “pure” Britannian pilot it… and non-Britannian’s usually can’t even pilot the regular knightmares anyway. And even though they almost convicted Suzaku of high treason, they still let him pilot it? This “no one else wants to pilot it” excuse is utterly lame– it’s so overpowered, I’m sure all the other knightmare pilots would kill for a chance to pilot it. It’s like “Hey, you know what, I don’t want this brand new Lotus Elise… I’m perfectly happy driving this 1990 Toyota Camry with a broken AC.” Their “efficiency” argument isn’t very convincing either especially since Suzaku has never piloted a knightmare before. (At least Kira struggled piloting Strike, and because it was an Coordinator OS, he was the only one able to pilot it– that to me at least makes some sense.)
And, finally, Britannia is a mask for America. There’s no doubt now. Pizza Hut?!? See, if Britannia were based off of Canada, she’d be enjoying a cup of Tim Horton’s and eating a donut instead.
I have a ton of questions concerning this screenshot:
- Who drew C.C. here? The same team that brought us the infamous cabbage?
- Why the hell is C.C. eating Pizza Hut? This scene was so left field, when I first saw the screenshots, I thought they were Photoshopped. Then I saw the episode… was like… “No, it can’t be right.” Basically, the same reaction I have each time I watch the local news and hear “Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.”
- What kind of toppings did they get? Stuffed crust or pan?
- Is there anything hawter than seeing your fake fiancee wearing one of your white collared shirts and nothing else? (Besides the nekomimi meido action kit, of course.)
- Did Pizza Hut pay to have their logo included, or is Sunrise using it for the hell of it?
- If Sunrise is using it for the hell of it, why the hell Pizza Hut of all things?
- If Pizza Hut did pay, can I expect things in the future like:
- Haruhi ordering Kyon to buy a Jamba Juice because he was “late”?
- Or Nanoha telling Fate that she’s applying to the University of Phoenix to get a degree in information sciences?
- Or Ikuto turning to the camera and saying something like, “Ticket on cruise show? $100. Swimming trucks? $10. Being stranded on a deserted island devoid of males but full of horny females? Priceless.”
- Or maybe even later down the road for Code Geass we can have the insert song:
“I can stand beside
Things I think are right
And I can stand beside
The idea of stand and fight
And I do believe
There’s a dream for everyone
This is our country
From the east coast
To the west coast
Down the Dixie Highway
Back home
This is our country”
And then Lulu pulls up in his all new 2007 Chevy Silverado Gundam.
Next time on AoMM’s coverage of Code Geass— bedtime stories are a poor substitute for gin and tonic.
36 Responses to “code geass 4, 5”
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I remember when I watched ep 4 that it was Nov 5th. So looking at Lulu’s whole act made me think of Vee from V for Vendetta.
Remember remember, the fifth of November
the gunpowder treason and plot…
I think the same when Lulu said that… damn Mwu La Fraga is back!!! Ara… ara…
good luck
>>“Two girls? Why, I can make the impossible possible. I have the Reiji Maigo, after all.â€
LOL!! I’m so going to try this line later.
If you look closely, Pizza Hut has had a ton of cameos in Code Geass. In fact it’s become quite the not-so-subtle in-joke among the watchers (and the subbers).
What about Nanaly? I’m betting that her blindness/paralysis is just a facade and she’ll bust out GEASS BEAMS!!!11! in the last episode and kill/save everyone.
Pizza Hut is too greasy. Domino’s > Pizza Hut.
Suzaku is starting to both remind me of Sayoran from Tsubasa Chronicle and annoy me. i keep expecting insert songs every 5 minutes now, just like in TC:S2. lame.
>>Kyouhei sees Sunako for the first time. “I can make the impossible possible… I’ll need some serious beer goggles, of course.â€
The power of raws by moyism compels you…
>>Or this one. Quick! You’re trapped on a roof of a school populated with zombies with a mysterious green haired girl. Your only weapon is that you can command other people to do your bidding by looking in the eye, but it doesn’t work on zombies. You are also a chess genius. How would you get out of this mess?
Use every hapless schmuck as a decoy in a do or die attempt at a breakout.
>>I think Sunrise is all about non-traditional relationships– whether Shizuru x Natsuki, Heero x Duo, Shizuru x Tomoe, Kira x Athrun, Tamama x Keroro, Natsumi x Koyuki, or Suzaku x Lulu, Sunrise is all over it. It’s actually pure genius. By tossing in Heero x Duo, Kira x Athrun, and now Suzaku x Lulu, Sunrise is winning over the fangirl audience for a show fangirls would probably shun otherwise.
I thought that CLAMP’s participation made it mandatory for Lulu x Suzaku. I think they need to be more fair. Shirley and Karen need to be more friendly with each other they will need to be when the Green Haired one wins. They should also refer to Millay as onee-sama. The same applies to Cornelia and Euphemia, Cornelia banning its use is maddness and a crime against civilization.
I get more Kang and Kodos vibes from Lulu’s Super Hero get up, he could refer to Suzaku as his sister, claim that he is exchanging protiens while he holds hands with him, after all he comes from a place he rather not mention. Since it is all black and not very intimidating I prefer to call him Darkness, he needs to find out what five fingers can say to his face…
CC has been a delightful addition to these series of events she’s prickly, tactless, honest, smart, and likes to cosplay! Cornelia may prove to be an interesting adversary or Dark Knight, maybe its because of her uniform and more princely manner that gives her the air of Utena or it could be becasue she is the manliest character yet. Well by Jove maybe she’ll take the harem while Lulu and Suzaku go to parts unknown, an industry first perhaps?
Sunrise has much to learn about product placement…at least BONES made it fun. Now if the US Army starts advertising in anime…
In regards to Lancelot’s Master Chief abilites Sunrise is again opting for the Super Winning Meiji/Showa Strategy of Swords + Elan > Firepower.
What the heck is up with the Britannian Emperor’s naming sensibilites? Euphemia is a thinly veiled euphemism and her nick name Euphie rhymes with roofie. I smell a connnection…
I dont know but hearing the bgm for the date scene between suzaku and yuffe gave me this weird feeling.
Its not the normal happy music you would hear from an anime when a character goes out on a date
To Jason Miao,
Re: The Helmet Mask
The helmet mask looked familiar. I had to think about it a while and then it occured to me. I have seen this equipment before at:
http://www.dannychoo.com/blog_.....ba+Helmet/
It allows the user to watch ero-anime while doing heroic stuff. XD
I suspect Code Geass has an advanced version that has x-ray vision for nekkid girls and a record function. XD
From
Waterfall
Haha, loved your post. You always find ways to take stabs at anything to create hilarity. I applaud you again. Nice use of the GA OP for your first image, btw. :D
Oh Lord. Jace, your “make the impossible, possible” snippet made me laugh my guts out, seriously. Bravo.
*picks up the rest of his guts*
And so Geass is merely a Sunrise show that has been touched (lightly) by the delicate hands of the CLAMP crew. Can’t wait until someone gets the OMFGOVERPOWERED winged Knightmare Frame. Arthur/Mordred anyone?
I thought it was hilarious when Lulu suddenly grabbed Karen’s face and she let out a “GWEEUAH-” sound: a forced out of character moment.
>>>No Lacus comparison here!
Well, I’d say she’s like a less ditzy version of Meer than Lacus…
The mask’s design really isn’t half bad… I just thought the eye slot gimmick was completely unnecessary… it’s like fitting a beam saber into a sword sheath.
I wonder if we’d start seeing Pizza Hut product placements in the show (as C.C will still be seen eating pizza in later episodes, and it will still be from Pizza Hut), like ’em Footlocker product placements in I, Robot
Lulu: What’s that you’re eating there?
C.C.: The new stuffed crust, now with cheese INSIDE the crust for 19.99 Marks.
It is quite stupid that the Britannia military let’s a rogue scientist and his assistant drag around the most powerful weapon ever in a truck going around the city and then having no repercussions with letting a civilian who was just committed of treason 24 hours ago pilot said super weapon.
Who said the scientist is rogue. He probably has more pull then most of the generals on the ground. He got Suzaku appointed as a pilot even through thats not normally allow. He is probably getting order directly formt he emperor.
>> Kyouhei sees Sunako for the first time. “I can make the impossible possible… I’ll need some serious beer goggles, of course.â€
Funny thing is, Kyohei is totally hitting that. No beer goggles needed. But of course, they are sort of a tsundere couple (emphasis on “sort of”) so there’s no way they are accepting that fact.
Anyways, seeing how most Sunrise series are either trainwrecks or have mixed opinions, I’d rather wait until this thing ends before watching it. Yeah, it might be good, but I don’t want to watch KIIIIIRAAAAAAA!!!! ATHRUUUUUUUUUN!!!! all over again. At least not while “Hot Cousin in Snow” is the superior moé mode of the season :P
Wow…Having not played FF12 yet, I thought her name was just Ashe (as FF10 seemed to have a lack of people with surnames). Now she suffers from Princess with ridiculous name syndrome?
On the topic of that: i think the pantheon ridiculous princess name would have to got to the chikc from Castle in the Sky. What was it? Sheeta da la Engrish-Gaelic Name di Laputa?
C.C. + T-shirt (only) + extra cheese FTW
Weren’t all the Angels holding up various “X” or “Thumbs Down” signs anyway?
I haven’t seen this series, but reading about it makes me wonder…
Did someone out there misspell the word “Geas?”
Perhaps that’s why there’s an extra “s” at the end.
Just a thought.
>>>Did someone out there misspell the word “Geas?â€
From what the Jesus of the Internet tells, it probably came from that.
>>Pizza Hut is too greasy. Domino’s > Pizza Hut.
Little Caeser’s $5 deal > both of them.
nyoro~n!
I… couldn’t… stop myself… from BURSTING OUT LAUGHING!
HAHAHAHAHAH WTF!? PIZZA HUT!? BRAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAH
I keep thinking “Gay-ass” everytime… Then again, with Suzaku x Lulu…
>> I keep thinking “Gay-ass†everytime… Then again, with Suzaku x Lulu…
Yeah, I can picture the “ENJOY YOUR AIDS” Code Geass image macro coming a mile away. I’m just wondering how come no one has done it yet.
>>Yeah, I can picture the “ENJOY YOUR AIDS†Code Geass image macro coming a mile away. I’m just wondering how come no one has done it yet.
If someone manages to mix that with CC chowing on an extra-stuffed crust pizza, I will be very disturbed.
just because nobody has said it yet:
pic #6: surprise buttsecks.
I’m wishing you luck with this.
However… The last respectable masked villian created by Sunrise is Char Aznavel (of Mobile Suit Gundam). Every other “masked anti-hero” past 2002 is scraping the water barrel.
Tragically, even Gundam Wing’s Zechs Marquise is acceptable.
>> Tragically, even Gundam Wing’s Zechs Marquise is acceptable.
Zechs and Trize were quite respectable. I would rank Trize higher, though.
Trize didn’t wear a mask.
3 episodes from the end we will see lulu shopping at lazenza O.o and its a present for suzaku O.o *insert random song*
for some reason lulu in his costume reminds me of those random evil people in digimon (who also all have damn masks and are close relations to someone good)
oh gawd im compairing this to digimon >
It’s “Treize.” And I’m guessing that “Kushrenada” is his last name. I don’t know.
Pizza Hut supports the rebellion.
The rebellion supports Pizza Hut.
Win-Win!
Hey guys, ever heard of product placement? No? Welcome to reality but please keep going.
About: Britannia being America –
I thought this too after watching the opening credits closely (we see all the arrows coming from north america), but near the end of episode 6 of the first series, the king gives a speech that points out the “EU”s belief in all men being created equal and their destruction.
Personally, I’d like to get to the bottom of the origin of Britania – any solid thoughts?
Spoliers
Well I have got to say i really like this anime, the little quirks just give some comic relief to the usual gloom that leloush’s vengence mode seems to cast, of course i really liked Gundam wing.
Leloush makes a good anti-hero despite some cliche’ moments, along with times here we question the overacted evil laugh(moments C.C. isn’t around to knock him down a notch). But then when he is forced to experience teh results of his actions, we see he is human afterall. Unlike deathnote’s light, he is seeking peace for his sister above power. Sure he wants a little vengeance for his mother’s murder, his sister’s paralysis, and his personal hardship, but his sister is that moral lifeline that light never had and most of all lulu is tryingt o be a god, he wants teh emperor dead, but he hasn’t thought about what comes after that. He just wants his piece of heaven so that everyone will leave his sister alone so she can have fun.
C.C. manages to keep leloush in his place just when he is in danger of a superiority complex, because in truth lulu is in fact a dejected brat that happens to have a brain, but you find that what started as shots between loose partners grows into a kind of deep communication when nothing else works. But then we are brought back to relality with her never-ending quest for pizza.
For the record suzaku…..is a prick, there is stubborn and then there is this guy refusing to see anything but his fabrication of reality. As far as lancelot goes….SPOLIER *looks both ways* the scientist gets his way because he is a genius, a count, and has some hefty noble backers.
As far as Britannia, apparently the time line diverged with julius ceasar. A celt superking defeated him and established a united britain. When the american revolt occured, teh colonies were defeated and following a sucessful conquest of the isles, the britannian relocted to America and used the same factors that made allowed the US to dominate to thier advantage, namely the isolation that two great oceans provides. But Britannia did develop similarly to US except taht thier popwer has always been in check by teh Euorpean universe(united europe and russia) and the chinese federation (everything else). Britannia spans areas of Africa the middle east and oceania.
Taken all and all, you reliaze it is a good series but this first season was in fact a dry run. The charcater development as time goes on gets better, although we still find ourselves wondering why lulu HAD to laugh liek that even in teh second season. The real popularity ahs come with teh second season, and thats for a reason: Sunrise found things that worked with code geass, knocked out a few cliche’s, gave C.C. a deeper role and personality, made lulu learn a bit humility, and finally kept pizza hut.