Update (July, 30th):
Well, guess what? After watching the two-episode special, it seems my expectations are more or less confirmed. First, the animation quality is top-notch. Geass has never been lacking the in art department ever since it began airing and this “finale” certainly doesn’t disappoint. Oh, the glorious mech fight-fest and heart-wrenching facial contortions are absolute delights to the eyes. The forty-eight or so minutes of action packed more than enough punch to be entertaining just by itself.
Lelouch has never looked cooler
Screenplay is also executed very effectively, and as a result the necessary drama became highlighted like they should. Each character receives his/her due. Even minor characters like Nina the now-walking Time Bomb, Arthur the Valiant Cat, and Rivalz the Let-Me-Act-Cool-Just-This-Once-Man get their time in the spotlight. Of course, the main focus doesn’t falter and is still concentrated on our main characters. The drama gravitating around Lelouch/Zero and Suzaku continues to be the crucial piece of the story in the fiction of Geass, and how spectacular it is! Ougi and Villeta/Chigusa also gets some screen time to sort out the tragic romance between them, with tragic results in the end. C.C. gets the last laugh though, as she dishes out the philosophically cryptic monologue in the last minutes of the first season’s conclusion. The only complaint I have in the character department is that nearly no character showed any sort of “evolution” despite all the world changing chaos taking place around them. Save for Lelouch, C.C., and on some level, Cornelia, everybody else seems more or less oblivious to the importance of the events crapping down on their head. The last episode does solidify the LelouchxC.C. pairing, however, with a properly timed kiss.
Ah, at last!
Now for the biggest problem of them all. The two episodes didn’t feel like a finale at all. They feel more like episodes that lead to a finale. If one ignores C.C.’s concluding monolgue it would very much seem as if there is one more episode after 25 to put a proper end to the first season. There really no need to state the reason behind this cliffhanger, though. Anybody with half a brain should be able to figure out Sunrise’s intentions with stunning accuracy. I refuse to waste time typing up a long-winded paragraph just to state the obvious.
Zomg, Killer Nina!
So am I satisfied with the first season of Geass? I suppose I am, for the most part. The ending may be somewhat of a despicable marketing strategy pulled on Sunrise’s behalf, but the build up to this point has been an exciting ride. Will I still watching Geass when the second season starts? You bet your ass I will.
Eh, new possible pairing? XD
So, cop out or not? Sure, the last episode more than qualifies. But the whole season? No. Far from it. It’s been a blast.
Aw, don’t cry, C.-Chan. We’ll see you again in a few month.
Episode 24 and 25 just came out and Omni has it on his blog already. After reading through the summary the whole end feels like a ridiculous cop out especially made to set the stage for a second season. While setting the stage for a pre-planned second season might be a reasonable excuse for the way things ended the way they did, doing a cliffhanger at such an critical point is pretty dubious in my eyes. Well, let’s just say I’ll have more to say on the issue after I’ve actually seen the episode. There is little doubt in my mind that it’s going to be a action-packed, adrenaline-filled 60 minutes; production value is probably through the roof. The writing quality is what I’m concerned about at this point.
More to come.
