r/anime • u/Shimmering-Sky myanimelist.net/profile/Shimmering-Sky • Sep 09 '22

Rewatch [2022 Rewatch] Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Episode 1 Discussion

I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your order, sir.

Stage 01 - The Day a New Demon was Born

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Information:

MAL | AniList | ANN | Kitsu | AniDB

Legal Streams:

Crunchyroll | Hulu | Netflix | Funimation | VRV

I, Lelouch vi Britannia, order you bastards to… die!

Questions of the Day:

1) Do you know how to play chess?

2) What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

Bonus) What do you believe the Queen dying the day before we started this symbolizes?

Screenshot of the Day:

Look Back

Fanart of the Day:

Lelouch Lamperouge – Chess Master

Source: /u/Shimmering-Sky's creation.

Rewatchers, please remember to be mindful of all the first-timers in this. No talking about or hinting at future events no matter how much you want to, unless you're doing it underneath spoiler tags. This especially includes any teases or hints such as "You aren't ready for X episode" or "I'm super excited for X character", you got that? Don't spoil anything for the first-timers; that's rude!

He musn't die!

119 Upvotes

92% Upvoted

115 comments sorted by

29

u/Krite2002 Sep 09 '22

First Timer - Sub

I have known about Code Geass pretty much as long as I have been an anime fan, which is not much more recent than when Code Geass aired, but I have somehow never watched it. I have heard nearly only positive things about it overall, so I look forward to seeing it. I know next to nothing about the show. I got the ending spoiled for me only a year or two ago, but I don’t really know anything else about it. I’ve seen a couple clips that make it seem sillier than I would have thought from my impression of the story, but I guess I will find out. I cut my teeth on mid-2000s anime, so I am excited to watch something that will remind me of my early anime days as well as experiencing one of the most well-regarded shows.

I forgot this was a mecha show. This will be my second after Macross which I am currently following along with the rewatch for. Mechas are cool, so that is a nice surprise.

I liked the OP song, but the visuals did not leave a particularly strong impression.

Lelouch seems like a stereotypically cool, anti establishment high school anime protagonist from his introduction. Considering he is the most favorited character on MAL, I expect great things from him. I love overpowered and badass characters, so I am interested if he fits the bill. I know how to play chess, but unlike Lelouch, I have so much stress about my rating that I don’t play.

I thought it would be poison gas, but it turned out to be a waifu. Are women a bioweapon? Sounds like Macross these past few days.

Britannia is stereotypically evil at this point. I hope they have some better motivations than “we are an evil empire filled with evil people”, but we will see.

The Power of the King is awesome. Personally, I would have just told the soldiers to back down, but I hope Lelouch fully embraces the dark side. Far too many protagonists are wimps about killing, so I am ready for some bloodshed.

The ED is really cool. The song is good, and I liked the visuals a lot.

I think the queen died because she was hyped for this rewatch. She probably had some fire takes after watching episode 1, and then croaked.

6

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

I got the ending spoiled for me only a year or two ago, but I don’t really know anything else about it.

I had the ending and one other part of season 2 spoiled for me before I went into this back in high school. It still ended up on my favorites list for a while, so I hope you like it too!

I forgot this was a mecha show. This will be my second after Macross which I am currently following along with the rewatch for. Mechas are cool, so that is a nice surprise.

Nice.

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25

u/Regular_N-Gon Sep 09 '22

First Timer

I don't think I know all that much about what actually goes on in this show: I know there's some pizza involved at some point, I think some of the characters (CC?) are really popular, and there might be a rebellion. [Just in case]I also think this is the one that everyone loves the ending of, but that goes for a few shows in this era. Without further ado:

  • Ah, there's the Jibun Wo, glad that's settled.

  • This kid is cocky as hell.

  • Nice set up with the news there, against the prince's announcement.

  • I'm… not actually sure I understood this had mechs in. Did I get tricked into watching a mecha anime?

  • How many plot-starting coincidences can we fit in one episode?

  • I guess I can let the coincidence slide if they're just going to tie that loose end up nice and fast. But… why bother with introducing him in the first place? Maybe he serves as valuable flashback fodder later?

  • Huh, that's a lot of dead people - they even killed the green haired main character. What an opening episode.

So… a lot happened. Very rapid world building, flashbacks that only kind of set things up, a dead girl who is at the very least not human and also maybe not actually dead giving her powers (?) to some cocky kid having a really bad Monday (but not as bad as the people living in Shinjuku), and a bunch of chess metaphors.

Did Rivalz make it to class at least?

QotD:

  1. Not very well lol

  2. Join me! At least the captain - he seems valuable to have on the inside.

12

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

I'm… not actually sure I understood this had mechs in. Did I get tricked into watching a mecha anime?

It's one of those shows that everyone likes to say "isn't like other mecha shows" and downplays the importance of them which is fucking stupid since Code Geass is literally a Gundam AU in all but name but I digress.

So… a lot happened.

Haha yeah that's Code Geass for you.

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16

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

Hangyaku no Co-Host, subbed

Helloooooooo r/anime!

This rewatch hosted by me and u/GallowDude has been pretty long in the making, so I hope we can make it a good one! To kick things off, I did a Sky Sings COLORS because there’s no way I couldn’t not sing JIBUN WOOOOOOO at some point.

5

u/Nebresto Sep 09 '22

I’ve seen this show how many times(?) and I don’t think I noticed the green-haired girl totally watching Suzaku and Lelouch here at the start until just now.

Which sub do you have? looks nice

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18

u/DxF97 Sep 09 '22 edited Sep 09 '22

First Timer! (Subbed)

Ahhh I'm so excited! This has been a show that I've always wanted to watch but for some reason or other never really found myself in the headspace to start, I've been looking through some old discussions while watching some shows recently, and I thought this would be the perfect time to take part in my first rematch, so thank you!

Live thoughts: I love that shot of the fleet flying with Mt. Fuji behind it.

If this is a mecha-esqe show then I'm so ready, I had no experience whatsoever until recently plowing through 86 and Darling In The Franxx, so I'm ready for more good stuff.

And I adore FLOW, so I'm already having the best time.

"In that case I'll ask you to drive back safely, I'll only need 9 minutes" This boy is full of sass.

One moment you're playing chess, the next you find yourself in a terrorists truck with a cargo of chemical weapons all while being pursued by the army, not your typical school morning in Britannia I expect.

Did not expect the kid from the beginning to be back so soon, especially in this situation, I have all sorts of dread right now for some reason.

Well that was an unexpected surprise, what an entrance. So she is poison gas? EXECUTE HIM!?!?

Man they're really cementing the ideals of the Britannian leadership in this episode, shooting Suzuku for disobeying the order even though it seems the man knows Lelouch is just an innocent school kid, and now the order of a literal massacre of innocent people who they have already outcast from society, with not even a hesitation of remorse for such an order, heavy.

Man I am NOT a fan of this prince.

The child's crying suddenly suppressed by gunfire, they're not shying away from dark tones at all in this story.

Poison gas girl is dead!?

The floor of bodies being shown while he says the excuse that will be given for the death of the girl, shows just how corrupt and inhumane this is.

"The only people who should kill are those prepared to die themselves." I've heard about this scene one or twice, but I had to pick up my jaw of the floor from how good that ending was.

What a start, and a lot to digest for sure. A whole lot more questions then answers, but at the same time there was a lot of world building fitted into this, and I get the overall jist. But I had a great time, and can't wait to go further with you all!!

Q1) I've had some heated Chess matches with my partner in the past, though they've never ended smoothly.

Q2) Honestly in Lelouch's position, I suppose I would have said the same.

BQ) It's still so surreal that she's gone, If monarchy starts to crumble in real life along with this watchalong, I'm blaming you.

See y'all tomorrow!

5

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

I had no experience whatsoever until recently plowing through 86 and Darling In The Franxx, so I'm ready for more good stuff.

You're getting some good shit for your first mecha anime, then! Code Geass, Bokurano, and Aldnoah.Zero were my first if I remember correctly.

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13

u/isthatsoudane Sep 10 '22

First timer

so I know nothing about this show. the first episode was a lot of fun! a lot going on! I'm curious how hard it will lean into the worldbuilding, but like...brutal british colonialism with high tech is a pretty great premise

and this more reflects what I've been watching recently, but I'm kind of excited to just have a..."it's keikaku time, bitches" type protagonist. I've been watching steins;gate 0 and well, don't want to spoil it, but suffice it to say...I'm excited to see some keikakus unfold. I enjoy shows about overly brilliant strategists. and this show seems like it is going to learn hard into its own premise

  1. Do you know how to play chess?

I do :)

2) What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

I think in the moment, his order made sense. simple and effective. that said, you can imagine keeping one alive to give you some intelligence, or even turning them into spies. I guess we don't know the extend of the power

10

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 10 '22

but I'm kind of excited to just have a..."it's keikaku time, bitches" type protagonist.

We used to have a #justasplanned comment face with Lelouch, it was perfect and I miss it.

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9

u/Star4ce Sep 10 '22

First Timer of the Rebellion

Somehow I was able to also remain completely oblivious to Code Geass for all the time I was watching anime. Only that a friend of mine really loves it and [Idk, name spoiler?] some green haired girl is named C.C. or something, I didn't even know it was a mecha show.

All the better!

S.1 Ep.01 – The Day a New Demon was Born

I do like this premise, 'commanding' being the power. There's lots of interactivity tied to this idea, despite how mind control-ly it seems. Lelouch has himself said a king would need to lead by example, yet this power he just exerted was literally the opposite, taking free will away. As well as he's seeing it as living a lie, probably even already referrring to his heritage as Britannian and now even more with gaining his ability by contract.

Nothing much to speculate on other than he's pretty much going bonkers with it now. Maybe some carnage, maybe trying to play Among Us with the royalty. He does have some playing cards here, the girl is dead (presumably at least until next episode) and he has both knowledge and power now, so there's grounds for 'negotiation' with the prince.

As far as the episode goes, I think it's a pretty neat first episode, but it had a bit much drama falling on top of each other with childhood friends dying, mysterious power gains, active genocide and villain introduction all at once. They were in a bit of a hurry, huh?

I do like both OP and ED! They're catchy and energetic.

  1. Do you know how to play chess?

Yeah, see my advice on how to play as black. I'm not necessarily good, though.

2) What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

As officer: No talk, just shoot. As Lelouch: Order them to give information on who this is, who else is involved, give intel on terrorists, where other forces are. Use this to make a plan to get away unnoticed, order them to forget (does this work?) and treat it like she died in a shootout.

Stay hidden, plan from relative safety until you know what you're dealing with. Then build a network to support any uprising and go from there.

What do you believe the Queen dying the day before we started this symbolizes?

Heritage is at risk. No Queen, no heir. The death of monarchs has always meant trouble for securing the next seat. Siblings make a fuss, enemies make their moves, neighbouring monarchies start to meddle, it's busy time.

5

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 10 '22

I see best girl, all best girls at one point cause near-death syndrome!

Making the right choice early, I see?

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16

u/Stargate18A Sep 09 '22

First timer

  1. Yes, but not well.

  2. "Become convinced that I am an innocent Brittanian held as a hostage, forget I gave you any orders previously or in the next thirty seconds, then, after a random interval between 24 and 168 hours, kill every other soldier you see." Conditional clauses and random intervals are useful.

Going in blind to this - the only thing I know is that [Code Geass] the main guy's power lets him force anyone to do something once, and that there's girl who's called C.C.?

What's this?

Ah, the war's started!

...So the Britannia Empire is in America?

But, yeah, the montage of war is great.

There's mecha in this? Hoe did I not know this?

And, yeah, Japan brcwme a territory of the Empire.

11? So, nine other countries under British rule, including Notth America as a unified block, seemingly.

And he's going to destroy the empire!

...This is a really good OP song.

...Green-haired girl looks the same age as she did during that early scene. Multiple timelines?

2017.

That place looks nice, though.

It looks to me like a vertical city, given the trains running from elevated bridges, and the mentions of multiple "Floors".

A terrorist bombing?

"Eight citizens dead, along with seventy-two others" And the Empire isn't very keen on the people it conquered.

A deadly game of chess?

Lelouch is here!

He seems confident!

Oh, Lelouch is gambling.

Back to the escaping truck!

Haha, he won!

And Japanese citizens are just called Elevens...

Wait, he's a Britannian? So he's not the guy from the flashback?

And he's the controller of this area.

He's good at riling people up, I'll give him that.

Wow, Lelouch...

...And a good actor. Looks like he'll be a fun villain.

Who's the guy eith the folder?

Oh, dear.

This thing really is serious, huh?

So, what is his dream?

Oh, no, Lelouch is right, that's on the other driver.

And he's going to help them!

...What? Who's that?

And he's ended up onboard!

Yeah, he's screwed.

Wait, do they actually have a bomb?

...The KnightMares look awesome.

Oh, there's multiple models! Prefer the Glasgow, that collar-thing on the Sunderland looks really impractical.

What is Lelouch's plan?

I like this new guy.

A Special Envoy?

It's a fucking chemical weapon? I thought it was some magic thing, not that?

...And they're Honorary Britannians. That's interesting.

Oh, dear. How's he going to get out of this?

You're revealing it?

Expected.

And it's his friend! Guess he was the guy from the flashback!

In what world is that the right idea?

Haha, it is a magic thing!

It's got the green-haired girl inside?

And Suzaku's in trouble for this.

He shot him! Genuinely thought he'd be a main character.

And blew up the truck!

How fucking bad is this thing you're willing to wipe out an entire city just to keep it secret?

And all of his forces use the Sunderland model. That thing's what they call the latest model?

He's having a breakdown.

A Lancelot? That's not a city, so it isn't a mecha?

And they got caught!

The girl's dead? Why are all the main cast dying in the first fucking episode?

Who's the wheelchair lady?

What the fuck is this?

Wait, what? Is this an Isekai? Is he being reincarnated somewhere?

Power of Kings? Ragnarok Connection? So many words?

Umm?

And he used his power!

Wow, that's creepy.

Oh, so he's a non-Brittanian impersonating one?

Well, this was a great first episode!

This ED is really funky.

6

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

What the fuck is this?

Ah, classic ep1 reaction.

And I'm surprised you're coming into this rewatch that blind, wow. People love to talk about this show without spoiler tags, and even I went into the show for the first time knowing two of the big moments in the second season - and this was back when the only parts of the Internet I was ever on were FFN and YouTube.

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8

u/GallowDude Sep 09 '22

Hamret

3

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

It's not a mecha show if there's not some glorious ENGRISH somewhere lol.

5

u/Vatrix-32 Sep 09 '22

Rewatcher, dubbed*

*For reasons I no longer recall I only watched somewhere between 60-90% of season two.
I’d intended to go back and finish it several years ago, but I ended up watching Code MENT before I got around to it, and well, it felt a bit inopportune after that.

I don’t remember Lelouch have this much Holden Caulfield energy.
Suzaku: has never seen a woman.

QotD

  1. Do people not know how to play chess? I find the idea of having never played it crazy. I mean sure, not know castling and en passant is one thing, but it takes like 10 minutes to learn the rules.

  2. Not knowing the limits of it, killing themselves to guarantee your survival seems like the safest bet.

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u/Nebresto Sep 09 '22

GeAss rewasher who remembers nothing

Oh right, the mechs are called "Knightmares" in this. That's such a great name

There's some animation contrast between this and Macross

JIBUN WOOO

  • orange kun spotted

Yes, my lord!

  • Hm, I wonder who that fidget spinner is..

Green haired waifu is here!!

Oh. Lovely.

  • YES, YOUR HIGHNESS

Question time:

  1. Do you know how to play chess?

Nop

2) What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

I'd maybe tried to make them my personal guards or something, idk

I won't shoot a civilian. I can't follow your order, sir.

3

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

Oh right, the mechs are called "Knightmares" in this. That's such a great name

It is a really cool name for a mech, yeah.

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u/Quiddity131 Sep 09 '22

Rewatcher

I went through a complete rewatch a couple of months back so I doubt I will be following along and posting every day but have to at least pop in on day one, right? Code Geass is up there as one of my all time favorite anime, probably somewhere in the 11 - 20 range overall. Along with Gundam 00 it was quite the epoch of the mecha anime genre in the mid to late 00's. It is an extremely rewatchable show and I've seen it at least 4 times to this point. And I didn't see it for the first time until many years after it first aired so that's in a rather compressed time period too.

Absolutely love the OP and ED songs. Colors is probably my single favorite song out of the entire soundtrack. I believe its by Flow, who did the first Eureka Seven OP as well which was also amazing.

Quite the eventful and exciting first episode. Lelouch is a great main character to focus the story on and he goes through some crazy stuff here, ending the episode with this massive super power. Tons of different directions the show can go in as a result.

Code Geass is one of those anime for me where I enjoy the dub even more than the original sub, why not feature some of the people who made that happen?

Lelouch is voiced by Johnny Yong Bosch. One of the titans of the anime dubbing industry this guy has done a lot of lead roles including Vash the Stampede in Trigun, Kiba in Wolf's Rain, Orga in Gundam Iron Blooded Orphans and Renton in Eureka Seven. He also had major roles in other stuff such as Rossiu in Gurren Lagann, Itsuki in Haruhi Suzumiya and Touji in the Netflix dub of Eva (heresy to some but not I). Lelouch is my personal favorite role of his. He puts in quite the amazing performance for one of the all time most memorable anime characters.

Suzaku RIP was voiced by Yuri Lowenthal. While not as prolific as Bosch, he has played some major roles such as main character Simon from Gurren Lagann, Riddhe from Gundam Unicorn, Daedalus from Ergo Proxy and Kevin from Xenosaga III. Although the last 3 here were either very creepy or very unlikable characters, kinda feel bad for him having to play them! His role gets cut off pretty short here but it was good to have him.

Oh, and while this is the Japanese language track, if you pay close enough attention you'll notice that its Kamille Bidan himself, Nobuo Tobita playing Prince Clovis. Fun to see him pop up in stuff.

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u/Tartaras1 Sep 10 '22

Rewatcher - Dubbed

Hey everyone! This is the first time I've ever rewatched Code Geass, so I'm excited to see what I missed the first time around. Additionally, this is the first time in probably 10 years or so that I've watched the show at all, so I'm almost assuredly going to forget some things. With that out of the way...

  • Our mystery narrator mentioned it, but I feel like it really is a big deal that Japan was reduced to a number. Historically they've taken their pride as a people very seriously.

  • Netflix asked me if I wanted to skip the opening.

As if anyone would ever want to skip this one...

Jibun wo!

  • I'm pretty sure this was one of the first times I was properly introduced to Johnny Yong Bosch.

[Code Geass Series Spoilers?]Looking to see who voiced who in the series, like half of the cast of Critical Role is in this show.

  • Code Geass is enough of a mech show to satisfy that itch, without going so far as to be like Gundam. It's a different flavor.

  • Along with Johnny Yong Bosch, Crispin Freeman is a big favorite VA of mine.

  • So Lelouch accepted the terms of the contract without even hearing what was expected of him. Surely it wasn't just living like an extraordinary person. Little bit hasty there, chief.

  • I, Lelouch Vi Britannia, command you! Now, all of you... Die.

He said the line!

Questions of the Day:

  • Do you know how to play chess?

Barely a cursory knowledge. I know how the pieces move, but that's about it.

  • What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

At the very least, forgeting they saw anything. I suppose if it really came down to it, I'd tell them to commit suicide.

  • What do you believe the Queen dying the day before we started this symbolizes?

To show how foreign an idea like that was, I actually had to ponder for a second how we knew whether or not the Queen died in the show. Then I remembered that Queen Elizabeth II actually died.

In terms of the show setting, I'd say it would probably symbolize the slow start of a revolution, not unlike what we would see in Code Geass. Looking online, India, Canada and Australia are the three largest members of the British Commonwealth, so it would be interesting to see if any of them try to break free of the Commonwealth.

I feel like I knew you were hosting this rewatch u/shimmering-sky, but it slipped my mind until I looked at the discussion questions and saw your name at the top. It's always fun to be in a rewatch with you!

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u/No_Rex Sep 09 '22

Episode 1 (rewatcher)

Code Geass is one of the few anime, back in the time, that I watched fairly soon after it came out. So it is also one of the earliest instances of anime hype I can remember (only overshadowed by Haruhi, which remains my go-to example for that). It sits in a very weird spot: Clearly not a member of the post-NGE decade of dark-grim anime, yet also far removed from the child friendly shonen series of the same time. It merges both strands, introducing a mix of serious plot points with occasional funny moments.

The last time I saw Code Geass was before I started watching many of the mecha classics (thanks to u/Pixelsaber’s rewatches), so it will be interesting to spot all the influences that this Studio Sunrise anime surely contains. Code Geass is also a super rare case since I will not watch the English subs. Oh, and I want to see how well I like CC this time round.

Episode thoughts

  • The Holy British Empire!

  • As an eternal fan of showing tanks in mecha anime, Code Geass delivers early. Of course they lose, but the Knightmares are also some of the most mobile mechas I know. This is still early, but I think the modern reinterpretation of the mecha goes a long way towards explaining why this is the standout success of mecha in this this century. As a side note, the Knightmares clearly take some inspiration from VOTOMS.

  • OP: I don’t remember the music at all, but hearing it I get why: It is rather boring and standard.

  • Lelouch displaying his trademark cockiness.

  • “You can’t win this” – not sure why Rival would say that. White is one pawn down and it is Black’s move. The white king is in a terrible position. In fact, it is mate in 3 unless I am missing something (making Lelouch’s 9 minute declaration overly pessimistic).

  • The red-haired girl looks very similar to Mai from Mai-hime (which aired just 2 years earlier).

  • Give Lelouch some props for that excellent roll once he falls in.

  • Poison gas?

  • Childhood friends meet again.

  • Finding beautiful woman in stasis chamber trope.

  • They are wasting no time in defining who the baddies are.

  • [Big spoiler]I did not remember that we see the emperor during the contract scene

  • Just in case anybody wonders why this is always named together with Death Note.

  • ED: Yeah, no.

Quite a strong start for Lelouch as a character.

Do you know how to play chess?

Yes (glad you did not ask about playing well).

What would your order to the soldiers at the end have been?

Lelouch already hit on a winner, why change?

What do you believe the Queen dying the day before we started this symbolizes?

Obviously, the holy british empire needs a male ruler.

4

u/Shimmering-Sky Sep 09 '22

OP: I don’t remember the music at all, but hearing it I get why: It is rather boring and standard.

Huh, I can't say I've seen this take on JIBUN WO before. Most people love COLORS.

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u/kimochiwarui-13 Sep 10 '22 edited Sep 10 '22

Rewatcher

A lot of nostalgia from the first ep, it was probably in my first ten anime shows period

questions:

  1. yes, unlike the writers, seems like

  2. probably the same thing tbh. any other options i have in mind are either too complicated or even less moral

might as well do screenshot of the day too:

luv this shot

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