Britain may be freezing over, but that doesn’t mean you have to too. Perhaps the beautiful blanket of snow that has settled upon our lands isn’t your cup of tea, and you’d much rather enjoy the snow from somewhere warm. After all, there’s nothing quite like that feeling when you get to hibernate for a short while, embracing a hot drink to warm your insides. Hiding away from these frosty circumstances, with something good to throw on the box is an ideal treat in these conditions, and there are a couple of new contenders this week to keep you occupied in these chilly times.
This week sees the release of two very different anime, both featuring highly intellectual male protagonists who strategically think every single move of play, in an attempt to get their desired result. May it be for love, war, capturing souls. These titles being ‘Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion’ and ‘The World God Only Knows’.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion
Set in an alternate reality; Japan is now controlled by the Holy Britannian Empire (one of the world’s most powerful empires and military powers), who have decided the Japanese shall now be referred to as ‘Elevens’, and the land itself now called ‘Area 11’. The Britannian Emperor has many children and despises the weak, expecting his heirs to fight it out in order to play the game of thrones. One of his children is our protagonist, Lelouch vi Britannia. Prince. Antihero. Currently goes by the name of Lelouch Lamperouge, a student at Ashford Academy. However, his friends and fellow student council members aren’t aware of his highness’ royal background. After the death of his mother many years ago, Lelouch and his little sister Nunnally were disowned by the Emperor (their father), who led the rest of the Britannian royals to believe that the royal siblings were dead. So now Lelouch seeks revenge against the kingdom, in his search for the murderer of his mother. And ultimately, wants to create a world that his sister can live happily in.
In order to get revenge, Lelouch plays the game of revenge and war, much like he plays a game of chess - with great thought and strategy. He considers every possibility, every detail, every possible outcome, in order to ensure for a win.
It is at the very beginning of the series, after Lelouch rescues a green-haired girl named C.C. that she gifts him with the power known as Geass. It was from then on that he assumed the alias of Zero. Becoming a masked symbol of hope for the oppressed Elevens and the anti-Britannian rebellion, in the fight for an independant Japan. Our lone hero eventually creates a small army, expanding to form The Order of the Black Knights, a group of vigilante rebels, fighting against the Britannian Empire, protecting those without power from those who have it. But having two identities can be problematic, requiring him to keep secrets from his friends and sister, which can inevitably isolate an individual.
Whilst compelling others is a powerful gift, when in the wrong hands it can indeed spell trouble, some serious trouble - we soon discover Lelouch may not be the only one with the Geass, and that the power itself varies according to the individual. Inevitably over time, powers develop, until the point that they can become difficult to control. The power itself can have a tendency to control, isolate, and consume. There may be occasions where Lelouch’s intentions, and revenge may seem to be going smoothly, however people do get hurt. And, as they say, with great power comes great responsibility. The big questions is, whilst Lelouch has his drive to bring down Britannia, how far will he go and who will suffer in the crossfire?
Lelouch is strong-willed and believes that “the only ones who should kill, are those who are prepared to be killed”, which is obviously something he fully prepared for. At times he can seem cocky, arrogant, but this genius faces the obstacles of hurting those he cares for in order to achieve his goals. As the story progresses, Lelouch experiences the questioning of his morals and goals and he soon learns that sometimes, in order to save those he cares for he has to ultimately set them free.
I found this anime brilliant, refreshing and thought-provoking. Each episode, offers us more and more intrigue - arousing curiosity as to how the story may progress. With a few shocking twists along the way. I most certainly look forward to continuing on with the story. After all, it’s not very often that when you begin watching something, you are captivated to the point that the prospect alone of watching more causes a stir of excitement. But I have found something that does just that with Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. And would highly recommend it. The fact that it touches upon various genres, allows it to appeal to a wider audience. Sometimes being too much of everything can spell trouble, however Code Geass has the right blend and is beautifully done. The art and the visuals are also stunning, animated by Sunrise, who called upon the talents of the ladies at CLAMP to create the original character designs.
Oh, and did I mention there are robots? Well human controlled machines. There’s also a hint of romance, which helps touch on a different side of Lelouch, with his seemingly ‘too cool for school’ exterior. If you haven’t seen this one, I would highly recommend it. These 25 episodes of this first series will have you wanting more.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion is Out Now on DVD & Blu-ray from Manga Entertainment
The World God Only Knows Complete Series 2
The demon is a young looking demon girl, named Elsie (who is in fact over 300). Elsie has called upon Keima’s help in order to capture these loose souls which are attracted to the negative energy and the emptiness that can be found in a persons heart. With our soul-catching pair being in high school, there are plenty of girls which become perfect targets for these uncontrollable souls. The only way to capture them is to fill that space, by conquering the girl’s heart. This then releases the soul and enables Elsie to capture the soul in a jar. This makes love seem like a game to Keima, with him applying strategy to the situation. Keima lives and breathes games, and whilst he may be a god at winning a girls heart in the virtual space, in the real world he can be quite the opposite. He doesn’t like the girls of reality, and plays games in any waking moment he can (including in class). Often being far too strategic when it comes to conquests and underestimating the complexities of a female in the non-virtual world.
Even though capturing loose souls can look somewhat on the easy side, now and again there’s a bigger and badder soul that is a bit more troublesome than others. After all if it was straight-forward all the time that would get boring. However, we soon learn that if a loose soul isn’t captured it may continue to feed on the negative energy, and continue to grow until it is reborn as the offspring of the human it controls. Or so we are told.
Under his somewhat annoying exterior, he’s not too bad. A nice guy. Deep, deep down. One who believes of an ideal world within a game, and that this gives him hope for the possibility of those ideals existing, just waiting for him to discover in the real world. If our protagonist was any different I don’t think this would work. Plus, it helps to appeal to the geek in us all.
This is just a light-hearted, humorous anime, full of parody and cliches, that is an easy watch and shouldn’t be taken too seriously. Out of intrigue, I found myself changing to the dub version halfway through. Which, strangely enough, I found enabled me to enjoy this just a little more.
The World God Only Knows is Out Now on DVD from Manga Entertainment
Reviews by Samantha Buttigieg