Expanding the Universe - Code Geass: Akito the Exiled - Episodes 1+2 Reaction

In my review of the Steins;Gate movie I commented on anime films and the risk that one takes in making one. Spin-offs of a successful anime series work in the same way. Many times, despite taking place in the same universe as it's original counterpart, it doesn't quite live up to the standard set by the original series. Usually this is an issue that comes along with introducing new characters who just don't capture our interest in the same way that the one's from the series did. My last post was centered around my new perspective on one of my favorite animes ever; Code Geass. The universe of Code Geass is large, not surprising given the huge popularity of the series and there's loads of extra material that have expanded upon the show's backstory and extended universe. However, this hasn't been attempted in the form of a new animated series. This is where Akito the Exiled comes in. It's a four episode OVA that is two episodes in currently. Seeing as how I just rewatched the original series, I decided that I'd finally give these two episodes a watch and see if it lives up to the Code Geass name.

Akito the Exiled takes place in the intervening year between the the two seasons of the original series. Fans of Code Geass will come to see that this spin-off actually bears little resemblance to it's predecessor. It takes place within the same universe, all the terminology is the same, but it's hard to say that a prior viewing of the original series is necessary to enjoy Akito the Exiled. However, there's no doubt that it can only help you and to be honest is probably necessary just because it's a great series. The focus on Akito the Exiled actually isn't on the conflict between Britannia and the Japanese. No, the focus is predominantly on that other country, the European Union, currently locked in a war with Britannia and not really doing too hot. The first episode drops us right in the middle of an E.U. military operation in which E.U. forces are attempting to recover their own units from behind enemy lines. However, the unit undergoing the operation are made up of Japanese soldiers, not E.U. troops, and only one comes back alive; Akito Hyuga. The unit, known as the "W-0", is under the command of Lieutenant Leila Malcal, a former Britannian aristocrat. Akito is quickly assigned to Malcal as her bodyguard and thus our story begins. The first episode is predominantly with setting the premise of the OVA and establishing the characters. Malcal later rebuilds her squad with a group of rambunctious Japanese kids who join the unit in order to get their sentences commuted for attacking a military convoy. The second episode deals with their integration into the unit, which can only be described as rocky at best.

Oh boy a homicidal maniac for a main character. This should be fun.

It's hard to really gauge the plot from only the first two episodes as they seem more intent on setting the premise rather than jumping right into a fast paced plot. Considering that it's already half-way through and each episode is around 40 minutes, I'd expect the last two episodes to be very action packed. The atmosphere of the show is certainly interesting. Everything about it looks like Code Geass and it clearly takes place in the same universe. Even the dialogue is similar. However, it feels more like a traditional mecha anime than the original series did. The focus here is certainly more on the action but the Code Geass style of storytelling is still present. I wouldn't be surprised if everything begins to fall into place starting with the third episode. At the moment it's still kind of hard to tell exactly what's going on, especially on the Britannian side of things. One thing I enjoyed was that the focus is on the E.U. In the original series we never got to know the E.U. as anything else other than that country which got it's ass kicked by Britannia. Noting the differences between the two sides is interesting as well. The Britannian color pallette was always full of bright colors and Britannians frequently dressed as if they'd raided Liberace's wardrobe. The E.U. counters that with a more toned down colors, for example their military seems fond of traditional brown and grey colors. At the same time, their society has a more technological feel than Britannia did. However, it was a shame to see that Britannians and Europeans were generally the same, especially the upper class. The European elite were shown in the same douchebaggy light as the Britannians were which I suppose makes it questionable as to which side we really want to root for. My biggest issue however was why the Europeans were treating the Japanese so poorly. This was actually an interesting plot point as it showed that the Japanese were not just being discriminated against in Area 11 but also in the E.U. as well. Their plight was worldwide and it provides a little more perspective on why Lelouch's rebellion was so successful. However, the discrimination of the Japanese in the E.U. is a little odd. The Britannians, in addition to being racists, discriminated against Elevens mostly because they conquered Japan. In a sense, it felt as though they at least had a reason, even if that reason was pretty terrible anyways. In the E.U. the stigma against Elevens feels even more senseless. However, it provides a good perspective for the situations of the Japanese worldwide. After all, there have been plenty of races which have been discriminated worldwide in real life in the past so such a thing can exist here.

References to the original series have so far been few and far between. The first episode made exactly one reference to the Black Knights and that was about it. The second episode however, had two scenes that especially stood out. The action cuts to the Emperor's personal train and on board is a familiar face, Suzaku. Since this is between R1 and R2, Suzaku is now a Knight of the Round. Also on board the train, we realize, is Lelouch. We don't really see much other than that he's clearly a prisoner being transported somewhere. My original thought was that this was when Suzaku was bringing him before the Emperor but that was before his promotion. No, there must be some other purpose behind this scene. It turns out that I was right, Lelouch is there for another reason. A scene towards the end of the episode shows him and Suzaku stepping off the train in St. Petersburg. Lelouch claims that his name is Julius Kingsley and will be assuming command of Britannian troops. He's clearly shown to be a bit off his rocker (of course Lelouch was off his rocker for most of the original series anyways) so this is something to watch in later episodes. To be honest, originally this felt like fanservice, but it's clear that this will have some significance later on. It's nice to see these familiar characters get worked into this series. I mean we have an idea about what happened in between the seasons: most of the Black Knights were arrested, Zero was thought to be put to death, Suzaku became a Knight of the Round, and Lelouch's memories were rewritten along with his classmates. However, we never really see what characters like Kallen and C.C. did during this time. Hopefully, the series elaborates on that. Since Kallen is my favorite Code Geass character I would love to see her make at least a brief appearance in the series. Then again, this series stars a whole new cast of characters, so maybe that's asking a bit much.

The two scenes involving Suzaku felt more like a tease but it's clear the next episodes will have him involved in the plot some way.

However, I found myself a little too excited for the brief moments when Suzaku and Lelouch were onscreen. To be honest, the new characters we're given aren't too exciting. Akito is a pretty boring character and his defining attribute is that he's a homicidal maniac. He can't possibly be as bad as Luciano Bradley was in the original series but when that's your most dynamic attribute, it's hard to be a good character. Akito, like most mecha pilots in anime, has a troubled past as well, with his brother no less. His brother is a Britannian Knight of Honor and the leader of The Order of Michael, yet another plot point which has yet to be revealed. Both of them seem to have Geass powers, so another question has to be asked about how they got them. Perhaps C.C. or V.V. made contracts with them? Or maybe it's a new character. Malcal herself isn't exactly a strong character either. It's clear that she and Akito are the two major characters here but neither stood out. Same goes for the three other members of the W-0 squad. In fact, most of the characters just feel like replacements for characters from the original series. The OVA places us in a whole new world with new characters but the highlights of the first two episodes are the two short scenes where Suzaku and Lelouch are present. There's something a little wrong with that. Even so, the characters are boring but the plot moving around them is certainly full of enough intrigue to keep me interested.

From an A/V standpoint Akito the Exiled is a huge step up from the series. The first two episodes have been released on Blu-Ray and look absolutely phenomenal. The action scenes are something to behold in the first two episodes and are a massive step up. With a focus more on these scenes, they become the real highlight scenes of the OVA so far. This is something to be acknowledged mostly because the animation from the original Code Geass was already phenomenal. The music also makes a grand reappearance and its just as good as it was in the original series. The guys who work on this show know how to set the mood perfectly, even if this series has a much darker feel than the original.

The mechs look beautiful

Akito the Exiled has certainly promised quite a bit through the first two episodes. Of course, most of the intrigue comes from us wanting to find out exactly what is going on. So far however, it has done a great job of expanding the Code Geass universe and making us more familiar with the European Union which was long overdue. I give the first two episodes a passing grade but it's clear that until the whole OVA is complete I won't be able to fully judge it. The preview places the next episode as due out during the Spring of 2014.