More details of the Code Geass Project

There is a hype building up around the Code Geass Project. I have shared this before and finally, confirmed it. As I mentioned before, more details will be revealed in the January issue of NewType. Since NewType is not readily accessible to me and that it’s in Japanese while I only read minimal Japanese anyway, getting that issue of NewType is out of question. Luckily for me, there are other reliable translated sources. The good people from the GG fansub got a copy of the magazine and translated it for us fans.

“I, Lelouch vi Britannia, command you to not to kill my screen time. I need to know if I’m dead or alive!”

I bet there will be another season of DTB and SUNRISE announced Code Geass Project

Long title, I know. But I have a thought to share about DTB and also to confirm the news about Code Geass. First, DTB. Judging by the fact that there are only 2 episodes left to go for DTB Gemini of the Meteor, it is obvious that this season of DTB won’t be answering many of questions asked from the first season. This brings me to believe that there might be another season of DTB and they should. The second season of DTB fails to bring any closure to the events from the first season, and instead, asked more questions relevant to this season. To the least, there were a few points from the past brought to light. For instance, in the recent episode 10, we all get to see Mao’s original human body and how he lost his body to an explosion. The aftermath of the Tokyo explosion was also revealed in bits of details, not in a whole, just like how the writers like to do. What is certain, the events in this season of DTB only apply to this season alone without giving any significant relation to the actual plot from previous season. Questions like, how Hei got his power and why he is unique compared to most contractors; what is Hei’s sister, Bai, true capability and where is she at the moment; who are behind the Syndicate and what are their intentions; and lastly, how contractors, Heaven’s Gate, and Hell’s Gate come to exist. These questions were asked from the first season and yet, this sequel fails to carry out this sentiment and come forth with their conclusions. Despite being a drag, the writers did not fail to deliver the same intrigue they created from the first season of DTB. It is this intrigue that lures fans to the franchise and makes us beg for more. Having said so, I do want more DTB and this time, I hope the writers actually make an effort to draw an conclusion to the grand plot of the series.

These three are wishing to the shooting star for another sequel.

In an unrelated news, more words are surfacing about a Code Geass sequel. Honestly, it only came to my attention as this rumour was brought to the never-ending discussion of whether or not Lelouch is dead. A quick check with ANN confirms this. According to ANN, Bandai first teased a detail on Code Geass Project on their mobile website with an ominous call for a rebirth. From how I see it, it is a remake, just like how I hoped for before. In fact, SUNRISE did speculate earlier this year on future plans for Code Geass though it was not specified whether it is a sequel (I really doubt it) or a remake (better this way). Later on, SUNRISE played down that speculation. Finally, a confirmation was made by the producer of Code Geass, Kawaguchi Yoshitaka, on the official site, saying that a new project dubbed Code Geass Project is currently under development and is expected to debut on 2010. He promised more details to be revealed on the January issue of NewType. Just so you know, this new project is NOT A SEQUEL to Code Geass but I do believe that SUNRISE had finally decided to make Code Geass their permanent franchise, like what they did with Gundam. This means, it’s all about Geass but with different characters (though with similarities to the previous Code Geass) and a totally different timeline (like how SUNRISE does on the Gundam franchise). Some suggested that the Geass abilities are retained but not the mechas. But who are you kidding with? This is SUNRISE, for Pete’s sake! Without a doubt, I’m very sure mechas are still in play so that Bandai can reap out the profits from the franchise (credits to Immortal for the character pics).

New characters for the upcoming Code Geass project. Try to guess which is which? I’m pretty sure C.C. is the middle one.

Those moments that remind you exactly why you love anime

In my last post I talked about the rather depressing side of anime with not being afraid to drop series. So now I’m going to talk about the greatest moments I’ve experienced while watching anime. Sometimes it’s just a single scene combined with your own over-the-top reaction to it. Sometimes it’s because you’ve just watched an episode so perfect you couldn’t imagine that you’d ever watch anything as good as that ever again. Or sometimes it’s something on a more personal level. I’m sure you have those moments and I dare say you can probably already pick a few off the top of your own head. So for now, I’m going to list out my top 10 moments that reminded me exactly why I love anime so much.

Since I cut it down to 10, theres a few I left out. The delight while re-watching Cromartie to realise that’s it’s exactly as funny as a remembered it to be. Those weird dreams I would have after watching Haibane Remnei. The ‘Alleujah Beam’ in Evangelion episode 22ish that resulted in one of the most surreal sequences I’ve ever seen. But I had to cut it down to 10. This post has almost 2000 words as it is.

Predictions for the inevitable ‘best anime of the 00’s’

Neither of these are going to win but it's the best header image I could find

Are you ready for the inevitable? The newest and largest pub argument amongst anime fans for the next year or so is on it’s way. While others can argue how anime has changed over the decade, most notably in the internet explosion, the average folk will slam their glass on the table and proclaim that ‘Code Geass will be forgotten in a few years’ or that ‘Monster is the most under-rated anime of them all’. So I’m going to try to shed some light upon this topic. Now I won’t be saying what my picks are, oh no. I’m going to be acting like a bookie, weighing up the odds for what will be voted top of the charts. For this I’m going to assume that the winners will be decided by a poll, much like the Animesource polls, where each voter gets 5 votes. Place your bets folks. What was the best anime of the 00’s?

2008 did not produce a classic

Anime Source finished their yearly pollat what the public believed to be the best anime of the year, and completely unsurprisingly, Geass flattened everyone else. But apparantly Geass has mixed reviews and was not as good as the first season, which only scored 5th in the 2006 survey. So why did Geass top the poll? So I’m going to use a psychiotrists system to get to the root of the problem: The 5 whys.

Mind you, you can't deny that Geass was a great anime

 Whydid Geass R2 top the greatest anime of 2008?

Because most people voted it in their top 5

Why did most people vote it in their top 5?

Because it was one of the best series most people saw

Why was it on so many peoples best series list?

Because no other anime was as widely watched as Geass

Whywas no other anime watched as widely as Geass?

Because no other anime was talked about as much

Whywas no other anime talked about as much?

Because no other anime has as much wide-spread appeal!

Anime 2008: A year in review

How the hell am I supposed to open this post? I’m talking about every single anime in 2008, the best and the worst in every category. I haven’t seen everything this year obviously, such as Aria, ef, Shigofumi and DMC, but I’ve had a chance to check out pretty much everything else. Anyway, here we go 😀

Since I'm limiting this to only anime which began airing in 2008, there will be no Gintama. But it deserves a mention anyway for being so consistently funny

Apparantly Code Geass has ‘mixed reviews’

Code Geass, and Code Geass R2, have mixed reviews. Some people love it, some people hate it. That’s been established by bloggers, forums and pretty much the entire anime fandom. I kinda took that for granted. Then I saw this

Mixed Reviews, and yet R2 is classified, after 1554 votes, to be the second greatest anime of all time according to Anime News Network. Something is quite wrong here…

Mythbusting: Is Lelouch really dead?

This has been the biggest question left by the director and writer of Code Geass, Taniguchi Goro and Okouchi Ichiro. As a matter of fact, this is not petty question at all. Should Lelouch proven to be alive, that opens up a new possibility of a sequel to Code Geass – let it be an OVA, or a movie, or another season altogether. If you ask me, I’d opt for a remake for Code Geass R2. The plot was so much “crappier” than season 1. Putting that aside, I’ll put this myth to the test, all in Mythbuster fashion: is Lelouch dead or alive?