Code Geass: Reaction Post

HUGE DISCLAIMER: This reaction (not really a review) is based on 2 episodes watched.

Code Geass was highly recommended to me from a number of sources / websites. Now, I suppose I could be convinced otherwise, but I just watched two episodes of Code Geass and am finding this show literally UNWATCHABLE. I just could not continue and needed to vent RIGHT AWAY.

REASONS:

1) The annoying character percentage is off the charts. Let's see, we have Lelouch, punk-ass "smart" kid who suddenly becomes chessmaster god. Then there's Lulu's friend with the Indiana Jones-style motorcycle, who seems to be completely useless. And Karen/Kallen (?), the girl rebel with the pink hair, whose only acceptable decibel level is "loud." To her left, we have the entire cadre of rebels who listen to some random guy on a radio link. Across the way, we are briefly introduced to Lelouch's bevy of busty, scantily clad, and annoying schoolgirl mates. Back near the battlefield, there's a random bug-eyed scientist and his meek scientist-girl buddy friend, who talk to Evil Fat General, who communicates with Evil Cocky Badguy with Bug-Eyes in the Knightmare Mecha Machine. And then we have Clovis, the smarmy and remarkably one dimensional evil prince. Top that off with the weird green-haired girl (named CC, apparently) who looks like Amber from Darker Than Black.

Good god, someone please shoot me! In fact, I'm hard pressed to name a single character introduced to me in the first two episodes that I didn't instantly find incredibly, incredibly annoying.

2) Lack of nuance: Oh, really, am I supposed to hate the Brittanians for what they did to poor old Japan? I didn't realize! I needed to be smashed over the head with it. In fact, I think we need another few scenes of Brittanians stabbing Japanese babies with bayonets, just to make sure I get the point.

3) Rushed pacing: Whoa, there's a chess game, whoa there's a country raping another country, and whoa there are mecha robots blowing each other up! And people dying all over the place! And evil people! Whoa, and a school! With babes in swimsuits! And whoa, there's a weird girl with a weird power who gives said weird power to main character! Whoa, now main character is leading a REBELLION!

Um, who ARE these characters? Why should I give a flying f*ck? I'm only just getting used to Japanese people being called 11s!

4) Annoying character design / art: This is just my personal preference, but I hate pointy-chin style drawing. Maybe that's part of the reason I found these characters so instantly annoying. And yes, I know anime eyes are big and often have weird colors and stuff, but this was just color overload. Plus, why does Lelouch have limbs that are like toothpicks? Agh! I wanted to scratch my eyes out.

5) Mecha: Okay, this is another personal preference, but . . . I think I'm realizing that I generally dislike mecha anime. Just as in Evangelion, I just don't find robot fighting to be at all interesting to watch. Maybe I should've known to stay away from Code Geass then, but I think ANY sort of action anime--be they mecha, samurai, shoot 'em ups--can be entertaining to me if done well.

Well, I'm going to drop this anime. I couldn't even stomach 2 episodes without wanting to strangle someone. I'm not sure how I'd make it through ... 20+ or whatever.

Maybe I'm making a huge mistake here and the series gets better and the characters get more developed and the plot more nuanced.

But based on what little I've seen, I doubt it. For now, I'm moving onto something else...