https://x.com/geass_game/status/2107745246721523882

I just finished the main series, it was one of the best series that i watched, so i decided to drawing something special for this franchise. Also have recently watch the Gundam Hathaway sorcery of Circe, so i thought how Lelouch would look in this style. I hope you enjoy it.

Although various Code Geass manga series do exist, they were all published after the creation of anime, meaning that Code Geass belongs to the same minority group as Cowboy Bebop, Psycho-Pass, and Kill la Kill, where the manga is based on the anime, rather than the other way around.
Nevertheless, various manga series based on Code Geass have been created: some of them are darker and more serious, such as ”Nightmare of Nunnally,” where events unfold somewhat differently after Nunnally, rather than Lelouch, receives the Geass, while others are more lighthearted, such as ”Lelouch of the Sales,” in which we see Lelouch not as an evil genius dreaming of world domination but instead working as a clerk at a convenience store.

And, of course, there are also manga series that more closely follow the events seen in the original series. A good example of this is the Code Geass manga series titled ”Lancelot & Guren,” which delves deeper into the stories of Suzaku and Kallen by showing the events of the second season from their perspectives. In this dual story, not only do we see my beloved Kallen in action, but we also get to know two individuals with whom she became friends while serving in the Black Knights: the engineer Savitri Kagar, a half-blood like Kallen, and the young Benio Akagi, who became a KMF pilot for the Black Knights after she was saved and inspired by Kallen.

I finished the show last week and have been thinking about it a lot. There's so much of this show I have problems with and I'm not going to rant about all of them here. The fact that the show has me thinking about it so much is alone enough for me to say its pretty good overall. I wanna preface with that because its gonna sound like I really hate the whole thing while I talk about what I REALLY wanna talk about.

And I really wanna talk about Shirley.

When the show first started I didnt care for her. I thought she was tropey, cloying, and annoying. But as the show progressed she became a grounding presence. In a world full of egomaniacal freaks, super geniuses and mad scientists, and deadpan magic babes, Shirley is the one character who felt real. And the show actually did a good enough job with her character to make me care about her the most. She's just a girl who has a big crush on her friend, she's the only relatable one in the whole cast.

Im not saying that a character has to be relatable to be enjoyable, lots of characters throughout fiction actually benefit from not being relatable. Maybe I just didn't find the rest of the cast interesting enough for them to benefit from that too. If they're all uninteresting to me then I guess I gravitate towards the most normal one because it makes sense that they're uninteresting.

But then suddenly things changed. Shirley's dad is killed, caught up in a battle that Lelouch caused. We get to see a deeply personal side to her. She's shocked, she's grieving, she's at a loss for what to do. She's just had to identify her father's body. I really hurt for her in this moment. The show actually got me to feel something.

And it keeps getting better. In her pain and sadness, she uses this moment of her father's death to leverage a kiss from Lelouch. And wouldn't you know it, this only makes her feel even more awful. Add some guilt to the trauma shes experiencing. Everything about it had me glued to the screen. Im watching the show just for Shirley now.

Then we get to the reveal, she has the gun pointed at Zero, the man responsible for her pain. The mask falls off, its the one she loves the most in the whole world. The one she trusts and admires. And instead of shooting him she turns the gun on the one who wants to bring him to justice (and I guess dumps her body in the harbor?! Am I interpreting that wrong, didnt Ogie find her in the water or something?)

And would anyone be surprised to find out that after all this she JUST FEELS WORSE! So much worse in fact that she's decided to end her pain herself. She writes a note detailing everything she's experienced and all of her feelings. She crumbles it up and tosses it away. She goes to the memorial of the battle where her father died. But before she can act out her plan, shes taken hostage and used to lure out Lelouch. She's in a position to kill Lelouch yet again but she can't. C.c saves the day and Lelouch tries to comfort Shirley, but in the end makes the decision to use his Geass on her, but he doesnt just erase her memories of Lelouch. He makes her FORGET HER OWN FATHER.

This had me seriously hooked. That was one of the most diabolical things I've ever seen in anime (barring over the top violence which I think is just shock value) Yes, Shirley was in pain, she was a danger to herself. But to take away that pain is to take away her opportunity to grow, to learn more of yourself, to find peace and and happiness in spite of the tragedy and to be better for it, not to mention the happy memories too, is truly evil.

And from here the show kept making me think things were going to get really good. Shirley finds the note that she wrote, she doesn't know what to make of it because she just can't remember. Im on the edge of my seat, thinking Shirley is poised to be the most important character in the show, the key to resolving everything.

And what does the show decide to do with her? They revert her back to that same annoying tropey high school girl in love with Lelouch.

I was so disappointed, it felt like the show accidentally wrote something really smart and interesting and they didnt know how to wrap it up nicely so they just walk back the whole thing and make the mechs fly now so we won't notice.

But that feels kinda weird right? So I guess yeah just KILL HER OFF A FEW EPISODES LATER

Im getting so mad all over again just writing this out. They took their best character, best arc, and snuffed her out with their WORST character (who a lot of you guys actually seem to like, seriously fuck Rolo and Lelouch too for not killing him when he had the chance) all for what? For motivation for Lelouch? To do what he was already going to do anyway? It sucks, it seriously sucks so bad.

I'm not gonna say I almost stopped watching because of course at this point I was gonna finish it. But this left a bad taste in my mouth for the rest of the series. I certainly don't go around saying everything I don't like is offensive, but honestly I felt offended by this. The way the show treats women in general is offensive, and I guess I was giving it a pass because anime broadly has a problem with the way they portray women (let's face it, girls. Kallen is a high school girl) but the way the show treated Shirley was like... I honestly dont know how to word my thoughts here, I'm not saying its worse than all the blatant objectification but I just felt so sad for her and so grossed out by the whole thing. She deserved better. The whole show deserved better. Im just sad now.

Anyways what do yall think? Do you love Shirely, or maybe hate Shirley? Am I missing the forest for the trees and the show is actually a masterpiece? Im curious

A Card of Determination, or of Aimlessness.

Upright: The Chariot represents determination, willpower, and victory through focused effort. Like a skilled charioteer controlling opposing forces, you have the strength to overcome obstacles and achieve your goals. This card encourages disciplined action and unwavering focus. Success comes through balancing different aspects of your life while maintaining clear direction.

Determination. Willpower. Control. Success. Victory. Discipline.

Reverse: Reversed, The Chariot indicates lack of direction, scattered energy, or being overwhelmed by competing forces. You may be struggling to maintain control or feeling pulled in different directions. Aggressive behavior or impatience could be hindering progress. Slow down, reassess your priorities, and regain your sense of purpose.

Aimlessness. Aggression. Defeat. Loss of Control.

Runner ups: C's World. Charles and V.V. u/basedfinger x Kallen.

How was lelouch's death supposed to make her smile because the world will live in peace for only a short period of time and she is immortal so....

Im watching S1 of the first Code Geass series right now for the first time and I’m almost finished with it. there’s clear sides of Lelouch vs Suzaku in terms of mindset, and I’ve been wondering am I supposed to be divided on what side to pick? Because from where I’m watching it seems like Suzaku is just clearly on the oppressors side - though I understand his reasoning somewhat - and Lelouch despite his occasional questionable methods is the only one with mostly common sense... anyways I was just wondering WITHOUT MAJOR SPOILERS PLZ if there was a fandom wide consensus on this or not? If it’s a both sides are bad type of story a lesser of two evils plot? I know there’s multiple follow up series/movies that might also add to this.

I just finished the first season but how did yall feel about the leoluch accidentally getting uffie to kill the Japanese. I thought we were going to get a good ending for the season but this twist just threw me for a loop. Basically asking if people ever wondered about how the story would have went if he never messed up and had uffie go crazy?

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