Code Geass has had an interesting reception to it, to say the least. While many people
praise the series for its animation and social commentary, many also criticize it for not living
up to their expectations. Code Geass R2 in particular is despised by the fandom for its uneven
pacing and controversial interpretations of the characters. I hate R2 for derailing the intergrity
of the series and for being a dumbed-down role rehearsal of the first season.
However, as much as I like the first season, there are always going to be bad episodes
of any TV show. Nowhere is that more evident than “The Stolen Mask.” Given the serious
nature of this type of show, I always felt that the comedy did not fit at all. Whether it be a
school festival or an entirely-comedy-driven episode like this one; I did not like that element.
It simply did not fit in a series whose overall subject matter is a civil war taking place not just
between two factions, but two individuals whose ideals were so very different.
So let's begin. (Warning: If you do not want spoilers for Code Geass, I will not stop
you from turning away now. You could go watch the show. Despite this episode, the first
season is good as a whole. Otherwise, scroll down to continue.)
We begin with Emperor Charles being informed that Prince Clovis has been killed.
This event effectively sets in motion the events for the rest of the season, and is an important
one at that.
We then cut to our theme song. Try as I might, I just never liked the jazzy theme song
for the first half of the show. I was probably among the minority that liked the punk rock
theme that replaced it.
We then get our title card. There is solemn piano music playing over it. Given the subject matter of this episode, any usage of serious music pieces is wasted.
Inside Ashford Academy, Suzaku is starting to go to school there. All the students are in
awe at the fact that the person who killed Clovis is attending school there. In this country,
people who kill high-ranking government officials don't get to go to boarding school.
Another case of values dissonance I see is that the students of Ashford throw the word
“terrorist” around very casually. In America, that word holds a lot more weight after certain
events of the past decade.
We see two of the students, named Rivalz and Shirley. I found Shirley to be all right
during the time I watched the show; but I just never liked Rivalz. In this type of show, he has
nothing to offer; and no viable reason to exist. He's like that annoying person at a restaurant
or office that you just can't get to go away; and makes your attempts to ignore him an exercise
in futility.
Anyway, Lelouch, our main hero, grabs his collar in a way that tells Suzaku what to do.
It is the signal for “let's talk on the roof.” Yeah, I had that sign growing up too. Suzaku mentions
taking a bullet for Lelouch. This type of line, this whole situation gives shippers way too much
ammo. The way Lelouch and Suzaku talk in this scene; the phrase “Will you still love me in the
morning?” would not be out of place.
We cut to a battle with the Britannian army and the Japanese Liberation Front, and Cornelia is making waste to the JLF in her mecha. It's scenes like this that remind me of Sunrise's work on the Mobile Suit Gundam series and their knack for creating good, intense
action scenes in anime. It's a shame that this one had to be given to such a lackluster episode.
To be honest, this episode isn't actually giving me much to work with. It's got some good
action, it's fairly sad; but you will see the reason why I chose it soon.
Well, given the interactions between Lelouch and Suzaku, it does have some good fuel
for slash fiction.
As the day ends, we have CC, the woman who gave Lelouch his powers, chastising him
for getting too close to Suzaku.
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| When I was your age, I never chased boys, I never called a boy, I never even sat in a parked car with a boy! |
We cut to a military prison where Jeremiah Gottwald is being held, and three officers
enter the cell.
The officers issue Gottwald an ultimatum that also serves as a catalyst for the rest of the
show: either accept a demotion to the bare minimum of what can be called an officer, or fly
a flag representing the name “Orange,” a title that he never lived down.
That night, Lelouch claims that he got a bad score on his history test and can't make
the student council meeting. Given the fact that he uses his Zero persona to consistently outwit
trained armies, I think he's lying about that. He talks with Suzaku again, and also has a phone
call with members of his group, the Black Knights. They tell him that they don't have all the
supplies they need for the next stage of the plan, and after hanging up, Lelouch remarks that he
may have to cut him out of the loop.
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| Such heroic nonsense. |
The next day, we get another staple of the series-advertising for Pizza Hut. This section
of the recap is brought to you by Pizza Hut! Try our $10 Any Pizza Deal and Gather Round The
Good Stuff!
For some reason, Sunrise and CLAMP thought there was something missing from their
story of war, racism, and the argument of optimism vs. cynicism. I say, if a pizza chain that
serves pizza with crust as buttery as a Ritz cracker will pay the Ninja Turtles to display their
product; then a show with-I guess there's no other word for it-terrorist as its protagonist can as well. (Yes friends, the new Turbo Ginsu! It dices, it slices, and makes French fries in three different sizes!)
Suddenly, a cat comes in. Here it comes, folks. This episode is going to become a joke
real fast.
Through a series of slapstick-y events, the cat bonks around and actually gets the Zero
mask stuck on its head. Here we go, folks. The reason I believe comedy does not belong in Code Geass.
This starts a chase scene that is utterly painful to endure; as it fails in a show with
a civil war against a totalitarian government as one of its main themes. The cat goes all over the place, including past two ladies for no reason at all other to make them insinuate that Zero's a
cat and to make Lelouch Geass them into forgetting.
At that moment, Milly, head of the student council puts a bounty on the capture of the cat: whoever catches it and brings it to her will get a kiss from a student council member of their choice. Milly is such an idiot.
Two groups of students come up and vow to capture the cat. As this happens, dramatic
music is playing. This music only works in dramatic or action scenes, guys. It's worthless in a comedic moment.
This whole situation is more crap than spirit week. It is mentioned that the cat injured its
leg, and is stepping out of sync. Shouldn't be easy to catch, then? Cats are easy to catch.
Then we get another character that I ended up hating throughout the course of this show-
Lloyd Aspund. I found him to be one of the most annoying anime characters I have ever come
across. People claimed he was autistic. I will let you know something-I am autistic. Apart from
Rain Man, I have not seen a single movie or TV show that knows how to write autistic people
or any actors that know how to portray them. Because of the way they act as opposed to other
people; their traits are hard to pin down from person to person, and often end up having common beliefs about them made generalized instead of specific. As a result, I found Lloyd
offensive rather than a representative of my condition.
Rivalz sets up his motorcycle to give chase to the cat, and Kallen and Shirley arrive on the scene. Shirley had just come from the pool, and didn't even put on her skirt-she just threw
on her coat and shoes to participate in this whole thing. You can thank me for the fan service
in the screencap later.
We see both Suzaku and Lelouch running up the stairs of the bell tower. Lelouch claims
he's tired, but given his agility in his Zero persona, this is likely another lie.
Lelouch slips and almost falls of the side of the building, but Suzaku saves him. The mask falls off the cat's head, and lands on a place where Lelouch can retrieve it.
After this whole mess, we cut to Clovis' funeral. Charles' makes this anti-semitic speech
about how equality is evil and diversity is good. The fact that a comedy-driven episode would end on a funeral and such a mean eulogy is a pretty serious case of mood whiplash. I also note
that I'm seeing parallels with Nazi Germany in Britannia after seeing this episode again.
Bottom line: The Stolen Mask is definitely a mixed bag among Code Geass episodes.
While the aftermath of Clovis' death and the setup of big plot points in the story was handled
well; the fact that it was a primarily comedic episode with petty excuses for Charlie Chaplin- like slapstick lessens the impact about what was good in the episode. And before you tear into
me, I'm sorry this recap was so late. I would have given you updates about what I'd chosen,
how I'm going to approach it, but I've honestly been feeling kind of sick. I have been really
trying not to catch the flu that the rest of my family has, but it may have finally gotten to me
after weeks of trying to stave it off. I'm also going to have this blog monetized as of this post,
so I will try to be more frequent about recaps, but school is starting again soon. Adieu, until
next time.
