Recap: Counterattack at the Gallows

Hello again, and welcome to the conclusion of Code Geass R2 month. When we

last left the series: The United States of Japan have plans for aggressive expansion. Rolo's

Geass can stop time. CC is helping Lelouch to play people around him for fools. A shopping

center was part of an attack. Now we get to the last recap of this series for a while, with

“Counterattack at the Gallows.”

We get yet another review over what has been going on so far. If people aren't smart

enough to follow this anime, then Sunrise and Clamp should not accommodate them. Just leave

it to viewers who won't poke at rattlesnakes in the desert.

I'm done with this cheesy and inappropriate theme song for now. It has brought me

so much displeasure this month. I'm just putting on something else.

I'm also seeing the last of these gunmetal gray title cards for a while. Anyone who's

read this blog should know by now that uncreative title card art is a pet peeve of mine.

We open on a rainy day in Area 11. Be sure to watch out for Tamaki and Kyoya in this

weather. They tend to get very eager. Enter Rolo.

Rolo. Must- resist- urge- to- squee. Type- at- normal- rate.

In a flash of red, and a spray of blood, Rolo kills people among him. He used his Geass

to kill people, even as a child. That's really creepy.

Rolo goes into an inner monologue about how many times he's killed; using phrases

like “No one counts how many times they've brushed their teeth or eaten.” Sorry, you lost

your right to be profound when you started handing out Geasses like they're going out of style,

and they just might be.

He spends the first minute or so of the episode rattling off about all the people he's

killed. You know, Rolo, being a serial killer isn't something to be proud of. It had to be this

episode where I'm dealing with the next Charles Manson.

The scene ends on an image of Rolo in an implant chair, being analyzed about his

abilities prior to being planted as Lelouch's brother.

I knew the Screaming Monkey Medical Research Center was desperate for applicants, but Holy Crap, man!

We then cut to Lelouch and Rolo still at the standoff that they were at the previous episode. Lelouch was watching the clock, and noting that Rolo's Geass has a time limit.

Yes. He has a time limit to stop time. And a range. You know, it's not just that more people

have Geasses that ruins this series. It's that the effects and limits on them are more arbitrary.

Lelouch talks with Rolo about how the Empire wants CC. He goes on to say that he

can deliver CC, or “String CC along,” as he puts it. He also goes on to say that he can provide

hope. Keep in mind that I'm describing an abridged version of events. I've been sitting here for

3 minutes. We still have 20 minutes to go.

We cut to Kallen in the Chinese Federation building, remarking it was better than before; because she's wearing clothes. Of course it's better you're wearing clothes. If you don't

wear clothes, you'll get arrested. She and CC are putting together guns and talking about the

conflict. Six minutes in, and they're trying to have ethical dilemmas when they no longer have

the clout to do so.

After a brief moment where Li Xingke speaks with them, we cut to Lelouch on the

train with Rivalz, going to reclaim the motorcycle that he stole in the first episode. Apart from

yet another Pizza Hut product placement, Lelouch goes on about the execution of his comrades.

It's another one of those days where he just doesn't care. Jun Fukuyama, don't wast your time

on this series. It's not worth it.

It's also revealed that Rolo killed even more informants after the last one he did. That is

really stupid. We then see all the Black Knights set up to be executed. It must be cold to

have the convicted out in the open like that. Fall just started, what if it rains?

The word go has been given for the execution, and Guilford is delivering the confirmation of it. He says the execution is to put on a show for the cameras. Maybe people

won't just tune in to Wheel of Fortune. Are they putting this on pay-per-view?

It's mentioned offhand that Princess Cornelia has gone missing. It would have been nice

to tell us this earlier. It turns out the Chinese Federation man is a Chief Eunuch. So that's why

his voice is a form of sensory abuse.

One of his last words is about a Chinese federation woman named Tianzi. We'll get to

that minx later, but right now, Xingke is killing the Chinese Federation man. Thank you, Xingke.

If I had to listen to that anymore, I'd probably needed to have my inner ear operated on.

At the academy, Lelouch is looking up information in the lead-up to the execution of the

Black Knights. This is going to get ugly.

Now they're pairing Rivalz and Rolo? The internet is full of sick people.

The execution of the Black Knights reaches its time. This may be the highest-rated

TV event of the year! We're also expecting a big live turnout to see these traitors meet their

grisly fate!

There is a remark about how one of the Knightmare Frames has changed since the

Information Department used it. I mean, the Information Department wanted it merchandised

and in stores by Christmas. They wanted all these lights and paint apps added to it, and don't

get me started on the weapons.

Even as Guilford states that Zero didn't show up, right on cue, Zero shows up.

Now, the real game begins.  

And here we go.

In yet another action scene, Guilford and Zero face off. Zero tells him off for what he's

done as they stake their claim. Now it's time for some serious fight music.  

All of a sudden, Zero activates the Earthquake protocols that retract the highways beneath them. You just couldn't do it, could you? You couldn't go one episode without

retreading the first season in an inferior way?

There's even a scene where Zero's Knightmare Frame surfs on a riot shield to get away.

A series that was once about the harmful effects of war and racism is actually making an

extreme sports push?

Do the Dew, I suppose.

Even in this episode, they're maintaining this double standard with Kallen: sexualize

only the female pilots, and let the male ones sit normally; because god forbid a woman would

want to watch this show.

So, it turns out that Lelouch was leading Rolo on. Wonderful. Goro Taniguchi, do you

have some sort of resentment for your own series? He then says that Rolo is still his brother,

even if he was a plant. Yes, I still have affection for a brother that was a ruse!

In a word: everything just went south. The casual phone call that Lelouch is having

with Rolo isn't helping. They're even using a stock ripple effect to display how strange this is.

The other Black Knights are free, as Ougi, Todou, and the rest run into the Chinese

Federation embassy. La-di-freaking-da.

We're almost done with this. It's been a rather rough month. One of the last two things

before I leave this series for a while: What's up with Rolo's face? I know he's torn between alliances, but it looks like he's intoxicated!

It's got a bit of labrador in it! It blew the dog's mind, too!

We close on Suzaku returning to Ashford Academy in the dead of night. I can definitely

say that I'm done with Code Geass R2 recaps for a while.

“Counterattack at the Gallows” is probably the weakest of the Code Geass R2 recaps

that I've done this month. Apart from the usual problems of the incoherent action scenes,

misguided character motivations, and lackluster rehashes of the first season; it's highly

unmemorable. You can probably tell that by the fact this is the shortest of the recaps I've done

on Code Geass R2.

So, as the leaves turn all sorts of colors, I'm pulling up the Anime News Network top- rated list to show you all sorts of very good anime that got lower ratings than Code Geass R2.

Bakuman, a series about a young manga writer and artist duo trying to strike it big in the industry: 8.07. FLCL, a cult classic series that consist of just 6 episodes; and gained much of its

popularity through heavy rotation in reruns and strong DVD sales: 8.08. Soul Eater, a series

that is often praised for its distinct take on the horror genre and an animation style inspired by

the works of Tim Burton and Neil Gaiman: 8.12. Neon Genesis Evangelion, a deconstruction

of the giant robot genre and a psychological analysis of cynicism; widely revered as one of the finest works of Studio Gainax and anime as a whole: 8.21. Kimi ni Todoke, a slice of life series

about a high school-age girl learning to find love after being shy and ridiculed most of her life: 8.43. Ouran High School Host Club, a series that is known as a parody of the shojo genre, and is

also quickly becoming most anime fans' first exposure to shojo under the current perception

of the genre: 8.51. Rurouni Kenshin, a samurai anime about a warrior who now no longer fights

when he can; even wielding a sakabato, a sword with the blade forged upside-down: 8.25.

Death Note, a series about a young man who acquires an enchanted notebook and the audience

of a death god, or “Shinigami”; which he thereupon uses to dispense justice: 8.8.

Cowboy Bebop, a classic about a group of bounty hunters traveling across the stars from job

to job: 8.9. Finally, one of the few good anime I could find that I was familiar with but could also

connect with others: Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, a re-imagining of the series Full Metal

Alchemist that is truer to the manga on which it was based: 9.07.

Given the information, Anime News Network considered Code Geass R2 a better anime

than Bakuman, FLCL, Soul Eater, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Rurouni Kenshin, Kimi ni Todoke,

Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, or Cowboy Bebop; and considered it as good as

Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. It is here that I decided to make this month Code Geass R2

month. I have made it quite clear how much I hated this anime; so I will take a break from

doing recaps until October. I think I will take Bocaj Nosirrah's suggestion and do a list of my favorite episodes of Panty and Stocking with Garterbelt. I just need to see a few more episodes

of Funimation's dub first, so I can see how well they compare to the subtitled version. That is

all for now.