Post by Bytor on Mar 6, 2012 8:31:49 GMT -5
-Details-
Genre: Action/Drama
Company: Mainichi Broadcasting/Sunrise
Format: 25 episodes
Dates: 5 Oct 2006 – 29 Mar 2007 and 28 July 2007
-Visuals- 8.0/10
The animation is for the most part very solid. The character renditions are all, certainly typical anime style and over the top but even with that everyone looks great and the facial expressions are as would be expected without too much of the cartoonish aspect sometimes associated with the genre. The various backgrounds are also well done however I don't feel they are as well designed as the characters are. It's not as if the environments are an after thought but I don't feel as much attention was placed upon some of those visuals, especially when the knightmares are fighting and battle scenes are taking place, well done certainly but not in my opinion as well done as could have been. I guess the best way to describe the visuals is solid, they get the job done without detracting from what is obviously more important, the story.
-Sound- 9.0/10
Sweeping, epic, awe inspiring...and forgettable. I'm not sure if that makes sense but it's how I felt. While watching the show I was blown away by the interaction between the music and the story. I was actually enthralled how by how each aspect of the series was balanced by the music and the story and how each actually made the other stronger...then I'd turn it off and quickly forget what the music even sounded like, and perhaps that is actually a good thing. It certainly shows that, at least to me, the music was grounded in the game and added to the ambiance perfectly while not being obtrusive and annoying. The voice actors were pretty much spot on. Each acted the part wonderfully and showed the perfect balance between over the top angst, anger and triumph without going so far over the top that they became caricatures of themselves, overall simply a well done job.
-Characters- 8.0/10)
Wow, what a diverse and enthralling set of individuals we have here. Stereotypes...perhaps, caricatures...perhaps...but, and this is a big BUT, each is fleshed out so wonderfully (at least in Season 1, Season 2, R2, nowhere near as much) that you will, I have to assume, overlook these generalizations and grow to love, hate or even be confused as to your feelings about the various individuals, and make no mistake they are individuals! Lelouch is arrogant and fanatical, and yet still portrays the battle between compassion and realism as the battle it often is, Suzaku is prideful, disciplined and to a certain extent blind to compromise, and the rest of the main characters are no less developed and utilized extremely well, until season 2 where it seems they are relegated to a background storyline at best. I feel this is unfortunate. I would love to have seen some of the peripheral characters developed and utilized more. Some of these characters are in themselves very interesting and it is a shame that we'll never (perhaps) know what motivated them and why they acted a they did. Still, I promise the characters will hook you and while the line between good and evil is not only blurred it quickly becomes hard to choose whose "side" you agree with, as each character portrays their emotions and desires so wonderfully.
-Story- 9.0/10
Japan is no more, as The Holy Brittania Empire has taken over and in order to demoralize the inhabitants renamed the land Section 11 and the people "elevens". Enter Lelouch, a young student who is actually a prince of Brittania in hiding. I'm not going to spoil the story here so let's just say he uses his intelligence and charisma to essentially attempt to overthrow the Brittania rule in Japan. The story is convoluted and complex with myriad plotlines, some of which are never fleshed out quite like they could have been, and rich in character development and surprises on top of surprises. I simply loved the story. It is told wonderfully and will keep you on the edge of your seat pretty much for the entire series.
-Overall- 8.5/10
This is great anime...for 80% of the time. The twists and turns, the angst and feeling evoked by the main characters and the story telling will render you at times breathless, at times confused and at times simply overcome with emotion. You will be drawn into this world and it's people rather quickly and the stay is, like life itself, not always total enjoyment. What it is however is a simply wonderful immersion into a world populated by complex characters with ideas and goals that are often not black and white. My only real issue with this anime is that somewhere towards the 3/4 point in season two it seems to get a tad bogged down. I sincerely wish season two had ended sooner or else they would have fleshed out the characters a tad more and simply made a season three, but seriously that is a somewhat minor issue at best. I can, and do, highly recommend this anime for anyone looking for a great story with memorable characters who do not always fit the ideal of good and evil.
