This happens way too little in real life
After last week’s break, episode 9 is finally here! I find this episode’s plot logically defective but the character interactions melodramatically delightful, so on the whole the episode is sufficiently entertaining. Hey, it’s like I just described 90% of Sunrise’s works.
Summary
The Chinese Federation leases Horai, an artificial power generation island, to Zero to house the one million Japanese who have escaped Area 11.
Judging by the rudimentary map shown, the fictional man-made Horai is located off the eastern cost of Jiangsu, about 300km from Nanjing, which happens to be my hometown. Yes, I did check Google Earth.
Oh yeah, isn’t it interesting how Japan’s geographical outline appears so detailed in the map above, but China’s looks like a rough outline drawn in Illustrator? Artificial coastline due to geo-engineering, or lazy animators? You decide.
More hair = more powerful
The Black Knights get a timely resupply, including brand new Knightmares from India thanks to Rakshata. Apparently India is actually part of the Chinese Federation, which I find quite interesting. I always assumed it was part of Britannia, what with Rakshata being Llyod’s former colleague in Britannia mainland and the whole real-world British colonial era thing.
A romance that transcends generations…
Unfortunately, before the Black Knights have time to bask on their new concrete island, a terrible news rudely interrupts their high spirits. The Empress of the Chinese Federation is to be married to the crown prince of Britannia, in a political arrangement by Schneizel and the Head Eunuchs. Britannia gets some land concessions and the Empress as their hostage, while the Head Eunuchs get Britannian titles and presumably the benefits that come with them.
Kaguya is too loli for my taste, but she sure is awesome
A party is held to celebrate this sham, and Zero takes the liberty to invite himself in as usual. Much drama and awkwardness ensue as familiar faces meet. Kaguya kicks Suzaku’s metaphorical butt and Nina predictably goes Eva-Berserk on Zero.
She carries a cutter around with her all the time?
Meanwhile, Xingke and his group of loyalists are shocked by the eunuchs’ action and a plan is drawn to save the Empress from that sad paedophilic excuse for a crown prince. Unfortunately, a surprising betrayal gets the better of everyone…
“Your assault rifles are no match for my antique sword!”
Thoughts
The whole episode pivots on the fact that the Head Eunuchs basically decided to trade the symbol of their nationhood, the Empress, in exchange for useless Britannian titles.
He’s like twice her height and thrice her age
This is the part that makes no sense to me. Why would the eunuchs want titles? They are corrupted, I get that. But isn’t there enough wealth and power to be had in the Chinese Federation already? Giving away the Empress, essentially the sovereignty of the Federation, just for some stupid titles makes no sense.
Unless perhaps the Chinese Federation is actually so weak that the Head Eunuchs intend to appease Britannia and accept its dominance before their impotence become apparent. (I kid.)
And another thing…
DUN DUN DUN
Zero’s double-crossing in this episode is yet another logical loophole that bugs me. Xingke is anti-Britannia and has proven himself to be an honourable ally thus far. There isn’t any real need for Zero to intervene with the coup d’état as far as I can see. Maybe he has some larger goals in mind, but as it is, it seems to me that he has now managed to piss off both Britannia and the Chinese Federation…
Screencaps
Jeez, does he ever wear normal clothes?
“I’ll just stand on this unstable bit while Lelouch is below me and…”
“Oh wow. This is totally unexpected.”
“I want Tabasco…”
Just what race/nationality is Cecile anyway?
Nice… uh… hair style.
Anyone get the feeling that he is grooming her to be a ruthless killing machine?
Can’t a would-be assassin conceal a knife in his right hand behind his back?
Don’t ask, don’t tell
They stand no chance against Kaguya’s teasing power
Awkward…
Yup, still insane
What era is this again?
Oh yeah, Simplified Chinese was a communist invention
He’s not helping his own case with that orange accessory
By the way, some guy went on a stabbing spree in Akihabara today. 7 people are confirmed dead. Apparently it was a random act of violence and he only chose Akiba due to the high pedestrian traffic.
weeh, I hope ep 10 will be better
That’s not Simplified Chinese. Simplified Chinese would be:
电波调整ä¸ã€è¯·ç¨å€™
They should be using it if the Chinese Federation’s supposed to be mainland China =P
w00t first comment
I have to say, this review was, as usual, hilarious beyond belief.
I love the spoiler alert/hide thing.
Which is why I said it’s a communist invention, since communism never happened in Code Geass’ universe.
damnit it wasn’t first…
Lelouch’s move in this episode makes my head hurt too… it seems like he’s doing what he’s doing so he has power over the Chinese Federation, since they’re a tentative ally at best… considering they tried to abandon the Black Knights this episode. He probably decided on his extreme approach to avoid having to watch his back in the future while “allied” with them… that being said, not sure this is really a good way to do it.
There’s also no way he could have known about the coup d’etat… he just didn’t adjust his plan when it happened like he should have. If the wedding had gone down just as planned and he didn’t do anything about it, that would have been an even bigger blunder for Zero I suppose.
why everybody want to do first comment? do you get cake or something doing it?
I wish people stopped doing it. You can’t really tell if you’re the first comment anyway because of the caching system.
LOL Ah well, you gave the impression that the text was in Simplified.
And does it matter about the first thing? They’re your loyal fans who want to be the first to comment on your superior blog =P
Actually, the Chinese Federation is both ruled by a figure head empress controled by eunichs and a communist party at the same time. No, it doesn’t make any sense both thats what the show’s fluff says. Check wikipedia.
While there is what appears to be a Chinese national assembly in one of the scenes during the coup, I don’t see anything that indicates the existence of a communist party, particularly since Russia was integrated into the European Universe since the 1800s.
It wouldn’t make sense for a monarchy to embrace communism anyway…
Somehow that haired mech reminds me of Nadleeh from 00.
A lot.
The Japanese dvd of code geass has a lot of extra fluff that apparently says that the federation is communist, believe it or not.
They even say in the anime that the federation is a place where wealth is divided equally. *hint, hint*
The Darwinist Emperor also spanked China for having everyone treated as an “equal” one episode.
(About the stabbing) I still think he’s an anti-wota…
No one other than the chinese will understand your simplified chinese caption.
@Lian
That’s why people like me have to clarify so that the non-literate won’t go saying, “They use Simplified Chinese in Code Geass!” based on a popular blog.
@DM
I was wondering where your theory came from since there hasn’t been much revealed about the Chinese Federation yet. I doubt you’re fan enough to have bought any of the guide books floating around either. Anyway, it’s fictional so it doesn’t really have to make sense although it would certainly make it more believable or more appealing to viewers who like to scrutinize everything.
Now where’s my old man avatar so that I can sound more like an a****** here!
Because DM is from the Chinese Federation so he knows best!!
Well, the Chinese Federation is clearly not “communist” as we can see, so I guess, for whatever reason, the Eunuchs were either once more progressive and revolutionary than they currently are, or that’s just what they claim to be.
Maybe that’s what their speeches and officials say, like a certian country in real life Asia has the word “Democratic” in its name but isn’t really democratic.
Or, more likely, it was a case of lazy writing at a time when China wasn’t really part of the main plot. Still, my point is that you can explain it away, in any case, if you try.
As for the so-called loopholes, they didn’t bother me. The eunuchs may simply be corrupt individuals who realize that they’ve mishandled the country so much that any “honorable” (read: greedy and egoistic) exit is better than to stand up to Britannia and show just how weak they are. By allying with Schneizel they ensure their own futures, regardless of what the future may bring, just in case things go wrong.
Certain world leaders are accused of “selling out” to greater powers in such manners and this may just be a fictional representation of that, in a cartoony way or course.
Zero’s actions will become clearer in the next episodes, but we know he’s too self-centered…to rely upon the Chinese, whoever they are, would require us showing that he trusts them. He’s been rather cold to Xing Ke, so maybe he thinks that taking over the entire cake is better than allying with Xing Ke and having to rely on someone else. That may turn out badly for him.
Question: Isn’t Schneizel’s last chess move illegal? You can’t willingly put yourself into a check position. I know you can’t do this in Chinese Chess. At least the symbolism from that move rocked.
P.S. Long time reader, first time commenter. I enjoy your blog DM.
@TJHan
Gah, you win.
Btw, from the very first screenshot I think DM is trying to hint at something to his RL female readers ;)
AHAHAHAHA
let me just stand here on this unstable thing and oops!
I just almost kissed Lelouch
better luck next time Kallen.. better luck next time
Yep. House rules i guess?
I dont get it. Why didnt he just win and claim his prize?
Bigdeath you’re going to have to give us a citation for that, because I just checked wikipedia, and it says that it’s an imperial monarchy, and from what i see, that’s exactly what it is.
Do you watch the original anime or the subbed? Because I’ve heard of several different ways that the CF was described in the Darwin Emperor’s speech, including “everyone is equal” to “wealth is equally distributed.”
But I love your reviews Darkmirage. They’re pretty funny. Nanjing’s my hometown too.
Also, am I the only one who has a hard time wrapping his head around the chess scene? I’m not sure that anyone at Sunrise knows how to play chess. I mean, what was the point of Lelouch backing off his king? If he’s not gonna take Shneizel’s king then the game will never be over, and Schneizel can just go around with his king eating pawns.
The symbolism behind the move I think, was that Schneizel was willing to sacrifice the king. Usually in chess, the king is a representation of self. However, it seems that Schneizel’s implying that he doesn’t view himself as the king, and so is willing to sacrifice it, meaning he’s willing to sacrifice the Emperor his father.
Zero is acting really well in this situation. That coup would not have lasted long, Britannia would have moved in. Now Xingke will not appear as a loyalist to Zero and will instead be an acceptable partner for the Brits.
He can meanwhile consolidate his own power by getting rid of the Eunuchs while the Empress gets to play with Kaguya and see the outside world.
I think I see the symbolism behind the chess move. Schneizel seemed to be really pushing for a psychological impact on Zero/Lulu. While the symbol itself may be apparent (he is willing to sacrifice the king in order to achieve his ulterior motives), this also applies literally to the situation at hand as well. If you noticed the bet, it would be apparent that the situation in the game is also apparent in real life. By giving up the “king” the representation (Suzaku) would also be given up. But that was the bait. It was almost as if he was urging Lelouch to take it. On the other hand, Lelouch knew that Schneizel is really testing him. By the rules of chess, a stalemate is the end of the game but if he took the king, then he would be by courtesy’s rules, taking Schneizel’s charity. In that regard, he knew that it would not be a true victory against Schneizel because Schneizel would have intentionally lost that one.
This brings us to my conclusion, Schneizel was testing Zero’s resolve. He basically deduced that unlike his father, Zero was someone who wants the victory by recognition rather than a victory by default.
In other words, Lulu is a vain idiot.
You’re from Nanjing, DarkMirage? Excellent, as I’m from Shanghai.
Wiki says Xing Ke has the skills and intelligence that rivals Suzaku and Lelouch, respectively. :O:O:O:O
I thought the reason they wanted Britannian titles was so that they could be nobles in Britannia, which seemingly has money (while the show made a point of talking about how poor the Chinese federation is).
Nina needs to die. She’s a bitch to Millay for no reason.
oh lord. well atleast Schneizel got some good screentime.
Wow, first Kaguya now the Chinese Empress, they sure are trying to inject some loli goodness into Code Geass. Well I dont mind. XD
DarkMirage is from Nanjing? I never knew that. I’m from Shanghai.
Laughed. In the villain of Lelouch.
The chess thing sucked, he could’ve just killed everyone, but no…doesn’t make any sense, imo.
Well….it’s a lot like Death Note anyway, so I don’t expect it to make sense, as long as it remains entertaining.
I somehow imagine zero is doing this to not only gain a bargaining tool in the Chinese federation, but also to pay back Xingke by freeing the empress from the forbidden city through kidnapping.
But maybe i’m too optimistic.
What? Nothing on the not-so-subtle yaoi comment about Schneizel?
You almost never fail to make me LOL DM XDDDD
I guess they were playing blitz chess, allowing them to leave Kings in check.
I was in Akihabara a day before the killing happened. The atmosphere was no longer the same compared to the time when I was still there.
Is it just me, or Geass R2 feels different to the first season? It’s more than just fanservice and deja vu, but the plot doesn’t feel as convincing too.
what happened to the crazy “brother”? were did he go?
Finally got time to watch the ep, but now I’m sort of disappointed…>_> Especially the last part of the episode felt very rushed…playing chess, now wedding. Did Schneizel let Zero leave the party just like that? The scene have no proper ending. And then there’s the disparate shots of Chinese characters (Medusa-chan and others that haven’t been introduced before) seen somewhere doing something, no explanation, maybe in another era (lolz).
I guess, I just wanted more of Zero showing of his tactical skills and less of the diplomatic plots and intrigues…now it’s like a soap opera (with Nina supplying 50% of the drama).
BTW: At the end, was Zero doing his evil laugh out loud, or…? >_< Scary!
doesn’t an illegal move in a highly symbolic chess game take away from the meaning? that’s kind of…sad. especially when its between a government official and a teenage military mastermind.
hello me again!
people keep saying that Code Geass is like death note. i just want to know what people think of that. I think that they are VERY similer but Code Geass has a few more complicatons (for the main charater) then Death Note. I defintaly like Code Geass better. and Lulu better not die like light did I was so upset about that ending!
anyways to add a happier note … Lulu and Kallen forever!!
You don’t expect things to be logical in anime sense, after all illogical senseless things create dramas and dramas sell. For some reasons this episode was delayed for a week as a gesture for the recent Sichuan earthquake, with Lelouch’s act of stealing the bride who is the empress of China, things are going to be even more messier with maybe some sacrifices needed, like XingHe’s death perhaps? If Lelouch is audacious enough to take the entire Chinese Federation into his grasps, then this is clearly a portrayal of Japanese imperialism like their previous calls for rewriting the Japanese history on WWII. If comfort womens aren’t good enough to satisfy otakus’ petty fantasies, then the drive for wanting attentions is perfectly displayed with Nina’s newfound confident. One fine example would be the recent 4chan’s bomb hoax…
There aren’t much tricks and strategies used in this episode, which looks more like wedding crashing gig pulled by 2 jilted best men. By touching on sensitive issues like fooling around with Chinese sovereignty and shaky Sino-Japan relations, this is going to get really butt-hurt unless the next upcoming episode has a more win-win solution for both Lelouch’s elevens and the Chinese Federation with Britannia kicked out of the picture.
@Ash: I also think there are likenesses to Death Note, BUT Death Note doesn’t have plot holes, isn’t sponsored by Pizza Hut, and don’t provide unnecessary fan service, and so forth…After all Geass is very “commercial” in its aesthetic, with big breasts, colourful clothes, loli characters and whatnot, where DN was sombre, if stylishly so.
The only real likeness that I see is the main figure (Lelouche/Light) pulling the strings of the people around him, creating a world he himself have decided good. But it’s still artificial stuff if you ask me. Geass is way more outrageous, and thus fun on its own right. But I wouldn’t say Geass is a BETTER anime. Death Note obviously had higher artistic aspirations behind it, i.e. being truly original.
I love Code Geass for its outrageousness, always providing fan service and references to other animes/ anime culture. What might be original here is how shamelessly they do this! xD
They just started the fan service in R2….To get more viewers maybe?
I just wish they had picked someone other than Kallen for it.
Nice reviews. Your screen caps always make me laugh.
And also, you (DM) did not comment about Schneizel’s aide’s comment. Hehe. When I saw the lines (from the subtitles), I was already wondering how you’d parody it. :D
He’s like twice her height and thrice her age
How old’s she?