Code Geass
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| Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion | |||
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 Image from the opening theme sequence |
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| コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ (Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu) |
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| Genre | Mecha, Science fantasy, Drama | ||
| TV anime: Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion | |||
| Director | Gorō Taniguchi | ||
| Writer | Ichirō Ōkouchi | ||
| Studio | Sunrise | ||
| Licensor |  Bandai Visual  Bandai Entertainment |
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| Network | MBS, TBS, Animax |
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| Original run | October 5, 2006[1] – March 29, 2007 (original run) July 28, 2007 (stage 24 & 25)[2] |
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| Episodes | 25 | ||
| TV anime: Code Geass R2 | |||
| Director | Gorō Taniguchi | ||
| Writer | Ichirō Ōkouchi | ||
| Studio | Sunrise | ||
| Licensor | Bandai Visual Bandai Entertainment[3] |
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| Network | MBS, TBS, Animax |
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| Original run | April 6, 2008[4] – ongoing | ||
| Episodes | 9 (ongoing, 25 projected) | ||
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ Kōdo Giasu: Hangyaku no Rurūshu?) is an anime television series created by Sunrise. Directed by Gorō Taniguchi and written by Ichirō Ōkouchi, both of whom had earlier worked on another Sunrise series, the acclaimed Planetes, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion features original character designs by Clamp.
The first season of the series premiered across Japan on MBS from October 5, 2006, and concluded its run on July 28, 2007; spanning 25 episodes. A second season and sequel to the series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, premiered on MBS and TBS on April 6, 2008.[5][4]
Contents |
[edit] Story and settings
[edit] Plot summary
On August 10, 2010, a.t.b., the Holy Empire of Britannia overpowered Japanese forces and conquered the country with their new robotic weapons, the Knightmare Frames, in less than a month. In the aftermath of Britannia's invasion, Japan lost its freedom, its rights, and even its name, becoming Area 11 of the Britannian Empire. The Japanese people, renamed as "Elevens", were forced to survive in ghettos, while Britannians lived in first-class settlements. Rebel elements persisted, however, as pockets of Japanese organizations who struggled against the Empire for the independence of Japan.
After his father, the Emperor of Britannia, didn't prevent the assassination of his mother, an attack which also left his sister blind and crippled, the young prince Lelouch vowed to destroy Britannia. Seven years later, living in Area 11, he encounters a mysterious girl who gives him the power of Geass. With it, he finally has the power that he needs to defeat Britannia and fulfill his two wishes: to seek revenge for his mother and to construct a world in which his beloved sister can live happily.
[edit] Characters
- Lelouch Lamperouge (ルルーシュ・ランペルージ Rurūshu Ranperūji?)
- The title character and protagonist of the show, Lelouch Lamperouge is seemingly an ordinary 17-year-old student at the Ashford Academy. In reality, he is the son of the Emperor of Britannia and the late Empress Marianne and a member of the Britannia Imperial Family. His real name is Lelouch Vi Britannia (ルルーシュ・ヴィ・ブリタニア Rurūshu Vi Buritania?), eleventh prince in line for the throne prior to his mother's assassination. When he gets caught up in a battle between the military and Japanese rebels, he gained the power of Geass, which forces others to obey his orders without question. With this power, he begins his quest to destroy Britannia under the alias of Zero. At the same time, Lelouch tries to make a place where there is no hatred or conflict for his sister Nunnally before she is able to see again.
- Suzaku Kururugi (枢木 スザク Kururugi Suzaku?)
- Lelouch's childhood friend and son of Japan's last prime minister, Suzaku is in the service of the Britannia Army as a soldier, and was chosen to test an experiment new model of Knightmare Frame, the Lancelot. Suzaku claims achieving results by wrong or illegal methods is meaningless and does not approve of Zero's actions.
- C.C. (シー・ツー Shī Tsū?)
- A mysterious green-haired girl who bestows the power of Geass upon Lelouch under the condition that he grant her greatest wish, C.C.'s abilities caught the interest of Britannia and she was imprisoned as a part of Britannia's experiments in the past. She passively oversees Lelouch's missions to ensure that he does not die and to help his plans succeed.
- Kallen Stadtfeld (カレン・シュタットフェルト Karen Shutattoferuto?)
- Kallen is a Britannian-Eleven girl, who believes herself to be a Japanese person at heart and prefers to be known by her birth name, Kallen Kōzuki (紅月カレン Kōzuki Karen?). Her father is Britannian and her mother is an Eleven; her father comes from a prestigious Britannian family and as such she attends the Ashford Academy, where she is a member of its student council and is one of its most outstanding students. Though she maintains a frail-girl image at school, she is a member of a Japanese resistance cell.
[edit] Knightmare Frames
Knightmare Frames (Knightmare being a combination of the words "knight" and "mare", meaning a knight's steed which he rides out onto the battlefield; Frame being the civilian word for bipedal machines and also signifying its human-like design) are robotic combat machines intended as a replacement for main battle tanks and other conventional land warfare vehicles. The bulk of Knightmare Frame models are produced by the Britannian Empire, who pioneered the design; Japan, having largely retained its military infrastructure despite the invasion, is quickly catching up, and other countries are likewise developing their own versions.
[edit] Production
| Planning | Kenji Uchida Seiji Takeda Kazumi Kawashiro |
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| Original story | Ichirō Ōkouchi Gorō Taniguchi |
| Series composition | Ichirō Ōkouchi Hiroyuki Yoshino (associate) |
| Original character design | Clamp |
| Character design | Takahiro Kimura |
| Knightmare Frame design | Akira Yasuda Eiji Nakata Jun'ichi Akutsu (Bee-Craft) |
| Mecha conceptual design | Kenji Teraoka |
| Main animators | Takahiro Kimura Yuriko Chiba Eiji Nakata Seiichi Nakatani |
| Music | Kōtarō Nakagawa Hitomi Kuroishi |
| Art director | Yoshinori Hishinuma |
| Color design | Reiko Iwasawa |
| Photography director | Sōta Ōya |
| Editing | Seiji Morita |
| 3D-CG director | Tetsuya Watanabe |
| 2D-CG director | Masoto Miyoshi |
| Special illustrations | Shigeru Morita |
| Sound directors | Yasuo Uragami Motoi Izawa |
| Sound production | Audio Planning U |
| Sound recording studio | Apu Meguru Studio |
| Mixer | Takaaki Uchiyama Hisanori Ōshiro (assistant) |
| Sound effects | Masahiro Shōji (Fizz Sound Creation) |
| Music producers | Yoshimoto Ishikawa (Victor Entertainment) Keiichi Tomura (Sony Music Entertainment) Noboru Mano (Sunrise Music Publishing) |
| Producers | Hitoshi Morotomi Yoshitaka Kawaguchi Takao Minegeshi Atsushi Yukawa |
| Assistant director | Kazuya Murata |
| Director | Gorō Taniguchi |
| Production | Mainichi Broadcasting System Sunrise Project Geass (Sunrise Bandai Visual Bandai Namco Bandai Games Hakuhodo DY Media Partners) |
[edit] Development
Code Geass began as a concept developed at Sunrise by Ichirō Ōkouchi and Gorō Taniguchi, who proposed it to producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi while they were working on Overman King Gainer and later, Planetes.[6] The initial concept of the plot consisted of a secret organization led by a "hero", which was later developed into a conflict between two people with differing values of morality, belonging to the same military unit.
During these early planning stages, Kawaguchi contacted the noted mangaka group Clamp,[6] which was the first time Clamp had been requested to design the characters of an anime series.[7] Clamp signed onto the project early during these development stages, and provided numerous ideas, which helped develop the series' setting and characters.[7]
While developing the character designs for Lelouch Lamperouge, the protagonist of the series, Clamp had initially conceived of his hair color as being white.[7] Ageha Ohkawa, head writer at Clamp, said she had visualized him as being a character to which "everyone" could relate to as being "cool", literally, a "beauty".[7] During these planning stages, Clamp and the Sunrise staff had discussed a number of possible inspirations for the characters, including Kinki Kids and Tackey and Tsubasa.[7] They had wanted to create a "hit show," a series which would appeal to "everyone."[7] Lelouch's alter ego, Zero, was one of the earliest developed characters, with Ōkouchi having wanted a mask to be included as a part of the series, because he felt that a mask was necessary for it to be a Sunrise show. Clamp had wanted to design a unique mask never prior seen in any Sunrise series; said mask was nicknamed "tulip" for its distinctive design.[7]
Clamp's finalized original character design art, illustrated by its lead artist Mokona, was subsequently converted into animation character designs for the series by Sunrise's character designer Takahiro Kimura, who had previously spent "every day" analyzing Clamp's art and style from their artbooks and manga series.[7] While working on the animation character designs, he designed them in such a manner which would enable the series' other animators to apply them without deviating from Clamp's original art style.[7]
When the series was being developed for broadcast on Mainichi Broadcasting System, it had been given the network's Saturday evening prime time slot, which was later changed to its current Thursday late night time slot. Due to this change, the overall outlook and some elements of the series was changed and further developed to suit the more mature, late night audience.[6]
When the first episode was shown during a special test screening, which was attended by Ōkawa, other members of the series' staff, as well as several journalists and other media-related personnel in response to the hype surrounding the series' upcoming release, the audience fell into immediate silence after it ended, followed by "tremendous applause."[6]
The immense popularity of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion followed with the development of a sequel, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, which was first announced on the March 2007 issue of Newtype and later confirmed by Sunrise producer Yoshitaka Kawaguchi on the series' official staff blog on March 9, 2007.[8][9] Whereas initial additions on the official blog had stated the sequel's exact format had not been confirmed as of July 2007,[10] the January 2008 issue of Newtype announced the sequel would be a new television series, which would begin airing on MBS in the spring of 2008.[2]
In January 2008, it was announced that the second season would be slated to premiere on MBS and TBS' Sunday 5:00pm timeslot from April 6, 2008, replacing the network's JNN News Program. Numerous promotional products, including two trailers on each of the Code Geass DVD Magazine special edition releases and two television commercials broadcast during episodes 18 and 21 of Sunrise's Mobile Suit Gundam 00,[11] have been published by the creators, Sunrise, prior to the series' debut on the network.
This is the first time in the network's history that a late night anime series broadcast by TBS has seen its sequel being broadcast on a prime time slot. The last time an anime series was broadcast on TBS' Sunday 5:00pm block was in 1985 with the 23-episode Video Warrior Laserion. It had been widely expected Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 would replace Mobile Suit Gundam 00 in its Saturday 6:00pm anime timeslot, after the end of the first season of Mobile Suit Gundam 00, however this timeslot was effectively moved by MBS and TBS to the current Sunday 5:00pm timeslot.
[edit] Broadcast
Code Geass officially premiered on the Mainichi Broadcasting System (MBS) television network at 25:25 JST on October 5, 2006. Its satellite television premiere across Japan on Animax was on November 7, 2006.[12][2] Upon the airing of the first 23 episodes, the series went on hiatus on March 29, 2007,[2][13] and completed broadcast of the first series with the simultaneous one-hour broadcast of episodes 24 and 25 at 26:25 JST on Saturday, July 28, 2007.[14] In the United States, the dubbed version was first broadcast on Adult Swim on April 27, 2008 at 1:30 AM Eastern Standard Time.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 premiered on MBS and TBS at 17:00 JST on April 6, 2008. Prior to the series' television broadcast, three private preview screenings of episode 1 were held on March 15 and March 16 in Osaka and Tokyo respectively, which was attended by the series' seiyū as well as a pool of 3800 randomly-selected applicants.
On April 15, 2008, at 17:00 JST, the last 6 minutes of the then unaired third episode, Turn 3, was uploaded onto a video sharing website. The Code Geass Production Committee subsequently posted an explanation on the matter the following day on the official Code Geass website on April 16, 2008, clarifying the portion had been accidentally posted onto the Internet due to an error by Bandai Channel, Bandai Namco's online broadcast channel, which is responsible for its online distribution, when, in the midst of testing a system preventing illegal online uploads, Bandai Channel accidentally posted the portion onto the Internet. The Production Committee then confirmed that Turn 3 was scheduled to air, as usual on April 20, 2008 at 17:00 JST.[15]
The series has been distributed online via streaming video on the Japanese internet website Biglobe. It is also viewable in English on the Adult Swim Fix.
[edit] Music
The music for the series was composed by Kōtarō Nakagawa and Hitomi Kuroishi, who had earlier worked with the series' core staff in Planetes and Taniguchi's earlier work Gun X Sword. In addition to the incidental music featured in each episode, Nakagawa and Kuroishi also composed numerous insert songs for the series, including "Stories", "Masquerade", "Alone", and "Innocent Days", which were each performed by Kuroishi herself, while "Picaresque" and "Callin'" was performed by the singer-songwriter Mikio Sakai, who had also earlier worked with Nakagawa and Kuroishi in Planetes.
The first opening theme song to the series was "Colors", performed by the band FLOW, while its first ending theme song was "Yūkyō Seishunka" (勇侠青春謳? lit. "Hero Youth Song"), performed by Ali Project. Both the opening and ending theme songs were later replaced in episode 13 with "Kaidoku Funō" (解読不能? lit. "Indecipherable"), performed by the rock band Jinn, and "Mosaic Kakera" (モザイクカケラ Mozaiku Kakera?, lit. "Mosaic Fragments"), performed by SunSet Swish, respectively. The opening theme song is replaced in episodes 24 and 25 with "Hitomi no Tsubasa" (瞳ノ翼? lit. "Eye's Wing"), performed by Access.[16]
The opening and ending themes to Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, "O2" (O2～オー･ツー～ Ō Tsū?) and "Shiawase Neiro" (シアワセネイロ Shiawase Neiro?), were both performed by the Okinawa-based band Orange Range. The ending theme is featured with illustrations by CLAMP. The upcoming second opening theme to R2, "WORLD END", will be performed again by FLOW,[17], while the ending theme song will be "Waga Routashi Aku no Hana" (わが臈たし悪の華? lit. "My Beautifully Elegant Flower of Evil"), performed by Ali Project.
The first original soundtrack for the series was released on December 20, 2006, while the second original soundtrack for the series was released on March 24, 2007. The covers of both soundtracks were illustrated by Takahiro Kimura, and are published in Japan by Victor Entertainment.[16] Character theme songs, performed for the series by its seiyū, have been released with the Sound Episode drama CDs.
[edit] Distribution
[edit] Television
Code Geass premiered across Japan on Mainichi Broadcasting System from October 5, 2006. Its broadcasting runs across Japan also include:
| Broadcast network | Broadcast term | Broadcast day and timings (in JST) |
|---|---|---|
| Mainichi Broadcasting System | October 5, 2006～March 29, 2007 (original run) | Thursdays 25:25 ~ 25:55 |
| Hokkaido Broadcasting | Thursdays 26:10 ～26:40 | |
| Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting | Thursdays 26:50～27:20 | |
| TBS | October 6, 2006～March 30, 2007 (original run) | Fridays 25:55～26:25 |
| Touhoku Broadcasting Company | Fridays 26:15～26:45 | |
| Shizuoka Broadcasting System | Fridays 26:15～26:45 | |
| RCC Broadcasting Company | October 7, 2006～March 31, 2007 (original run) | Saturdays 26:40～27:10 |
| RKK Kumamoto Broadcasting | October 8, 2006～April 1, 2007 (original run) | Sundays 26:30～27:00 |
| Sanyo Broadcasting | October 9, 2006～April 2, 2007 (original run) | Mondays 26:25～26:55 |
| RKB Mainichi Broadcasting | October 10, 2006～April 3, 2007 (original run) | Tuesdays 26:30～27:00 |
| Animax | November 7, 2006～April 24, 2007 (original run) | Tuesdays 23:00～23:30 |
[edit] International licensing
At the 2007 Otakon anime convention, Bandai Entertainment announced that they had licensed Code Geass for North American distribution, with a television broadcast confirmed.[18] On December 8, 2007, Bandai announced at the 2007 New York Anime Festival that Code Geass would air in the United States on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim network from the spring of 2008.[19] In addition to the scheduled television broadcast, Bandai also announced that each of the three manga adaptations, the light novel, and official Code Geass merchandising such as jackets, bracelets, notebooks, pendants, and other products would be released in the region.[20] While announcing the cast for the English language dub, which is to be produced by Animaze and ZRO Limit Productions, the company's president Ken Iyadomi also stated director Gorō Taniguchi had "helped" in the selection of the cast.[20] Later, in March 2008, it was announced that the English dub of the series would premiere on Adult Swim from April 26, 2008.[21]
[edit] Other media
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion has been adapted into a wide variety of media, including manga, light novel, video games, and drama CD adaptations. Several official tie-ins have also been released both online and in print, including numerous artbooks and novels.
A 30-minute preview of the series, Code Geass: Emergency Navi News (コードギアス緊急ナビニュース Kōdo Giasu Kinkyū Nabinyūsu?), featuring interviews with the series's creators and cast, as well as footage and theme songs from the series, was broadcast on TBS a week prior to the series's premiere, on September 29, 2006. Hosted by Teriyuki Tsuchida, it was produced by Kyodo Television, directed by Hiroshi Watanabe and written by Noboyuki Toyama. It was streamed online on Biglobe and was also included in the first DVD of the series.
[edit] Reception
Since its premiere, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion has collected numerous awards and accolades. At the sixth annual Tokyo Anime Awards held at the 2007 Tokyo International Anime Fair, Code Geass won the best TV anime series award.[22] In noted Japanese anime magazine Animage's 29th Annual Anime Grand Prix, Code Geass won the most popular series award, with Lelouch Lamperouge also being chosen as the most popular male character and "Colors" being chosen as the most popular song. At the first Seiyū Awards held in 2007, Jun Fukuyama won the award for best actor in a leading role for his performance as Lelouch Lamperouge in the series, while Ami Koshimizu won the award for best actress in a supporting role for her performance as Kallen Stadtfeld. Furthermore, Code Geass won the award for Best TV Animation at the twelfth Animation Kobe event, held annually in Kobe, Hyōgo Prefecture.[23]
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion (TV) - Anime News Network. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-10-08.
- ^ a b c d e MOON PHASE - Anime. Retrieved on 2007-06-11.
- ^ Bandain Entertaiment 2008 Convetion annoucements.
- ^ a b Japan's TBS Confirms Anime's Move from Saturday, 6 p.m.. Anime News Network. Retrieved on 2008-02-06.
- ^ 2007-12-06 - MOON PHASE 雑記. Moonphase (2007-12-06). Retrieved on 2007-12-06.
- ^ a b c d "Interview with Ichirō Ōkouchi", Code Geass DVD Volume 1, Sunrise.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Interview with Gorō Taniguchi and Ageha Ōkawa, head writer of Clamp", Newtype, May 2007 issue.
- ^ Random Musings - CODE GEASS News Overload Edition. Random Curiosity (2007-03-07). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ (Japanese) 速報！ 続編制作が決定!! 【コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ】/ウェブリブログ. Sunrise (2007-03-09). Retrieved on 2007-03-09. (official Code Geass blog)
- ^ 「コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ」放送時期の誤報について 【コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ】/ウェブリブログ. Sunrise (2007-07-19). Retrieved on 2007-11-18. (Japanese)
- ^ CODE GEASS R2 - Commercial 01. Random Curiosity (2008-02-09). Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ Animax's featured new lineup of November (Japanese)
- ^ "Interview with Gorō Taniguchi", Animedia, April 2007 issue.
- ^ Random Musings - Suzumiya Haruhi S2 and CODE GEASS Finale Airdate. Random Curiosity (2007-07-05). Retrieved on 2007-07-09.
- ^ コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュR2 公式サイト. Sunrise (2008-04-16). Retrieved on 2008-04-16.
- ^ a b (Japanese) コードギアス 反逆のルルーシュ 公式サイト. Retrieved on 2007-03-10.
- ^ (Japanese) 8/13 New Single 「WORLD END」発売決定！！. Retrieved on 2008-06-07.
- ^ Bandai Entertainment Adds Code Geass, Three More Anime. Anime News Network (2007-07-21). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ Code Geass to Air on America's Adult Swim in Spring. Anime News Network (2007-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ a b Code Geass - New York Anime Festival and ICv2 Conference on Anime and Manga. Anime News Network (2007-12-08). Retrieved on 2007-12-09.
- ^ CODE GEASS: LELOUCH OF THE REBELLION TO PREMIERE ON ADULT SWIM APRIL 26th!. Bandai Entertainment (2008-03-17). Retrieved on 2008-03-18.
- ^ "Results of 6th Annual Tokyo Anime Awards Out", Anime News Network, 2007-03-19. Retrieved on 2007-04-18.
- ^ "Ghibli's Takahata, Paprika, Geass Win Anime Kobe Awards", Anime News Network, 2007-09-27.
[edit] External links
- Official site (Japanese)
- MBS's official site (Japanese)
- Sunrise's official site (Japanese)
- Official Bandai-Entertainment site (English)
- Official blog (Japanese)
- Animax's official site (Japanese)
- Code Geass (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
- Code Geass at the Internet Movie Database
- Code Geass at TV.com
- AniDB.NET Anime - Code Geass ::
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