Ep. 139 - Julius F'n Kingsley!

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Soul Bro Ryu
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Ep. 139 - Julius F'n Kingsley!

Gundamn! @ MAHQ Ep. 139 - "Julius F'n Kingsley!"
- Download Now!: 64 kbps - 102 min., 2 sec. (1:40:02) - 46.7 MB

Special Guest: AmuroNT1

Episode Summary:
MAHQ's resident Code Geass expert, AmuroNT1, returns to discuss the recently released second OVA episode of "Akito the Exiled"!

Join the Conversation about this episode @ Gundamn.net!

Segment Breakdown for this Episode:

01. Intro: "Neo's News/The Hopers & Dreamers Corner/The Old Timey Drama Hour"
Runtime: 0:00:00 - 0:33:06

02. SSAA Podcast: The Ass-Backwards Anime Podcast (Podcast)
Runtime: 0:33:06 - 0:33:56

03. "#ExVsTheGundamnation - Gundam Extreme Vs. Full Boost Nights!" (Commercial)
Runtime: 0:33:56 - 0:35:36

04. Main Segment: "Anime Spotlight - 'Code Geass: Akito the Exiled" Episode 2 (OVA Series, 2012-Onward)
Runtime: 0:35:36 - 1:32:55

05. Anime Addicts Anonymous (Podcast)
Runtime: 1:32:55 - 1:33:29

06. Second Opinion Games (Podcast)
Runtime: 1:33:29 - 1:34:28

07. Outro: "Closing/Shoutouts!/Peep the Websites!"
Runtime: 1:34:28 - 1:40:02

Many thanks to AmuroNT1 for joining us this session and make sure to read his reviews at MAHQ.net!

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wielder
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Re: Ep. 139 - Julius F'n Kingsley!

Well, I guess this answers one question that had been slightly worrying me this past week. Now, you guys have made a number of good points. I'm more on the positive side of this one, to be honest, but I think your collective views are fair enough.

It's absolutely true that Code Geass: Akito the Exiled isn't really trying to be a character study in the way the original series set out to be. The focus isn't fixed on developing one or two strong characters like Lelouch and Suzaku, with a lesser but still important tier of individuals who gravitate directly around them. That's not exactly what is happening here, so those expecting more of the same probably won't be getting it.

The way I look at it, this OVA is basically combining the standard war story with a mystery.

The bad news is that this approach isn't the best fit for the chosen format, based on a long term release schedule and with only four episodes in total. It would be far more fitting for productions with a greater number of episodes released on a regular basis, so the inclusion and editing of certain scenes does tend to come across as somewhat disjointed. It's due to the need to present certain pieces of information within a limited amount of time, all while meeting the usual requirements of your average mecha anime in the process. It's nice to have ambitions, but you do risk losing some polish when there is only so much you can fit in on a project of this scale.

The good news, in my opinion, is that I can more or less see the big picture of what they seem to be going for, and I do think there are some interesting elements here that work just fine for me. I'm more invested in the mystery or mysteries than in the characters themselves right now, generally speaking (Klaus had some nice scenes and I think Leila is the most sympathetic so far), but I do think that in the process of resolving some of these questions they'll have to further develop Leila and Akito at least. One can never be too sure about anything in this world, but right now I'm on the side that thinks that a good wrap-up can make the whole greater than the sum of its individuals parts. We'll see.

Going a little bit into some of the other aspects...Europia is just another name for the E.U. that replaces the old "Euro Universe" label which wasn't used outside of a few printed materials. Euro Britannia is a faction of Britannian nobles who are spearheading the military effort in Europe by treating it more like a restoration of their ancient privileges, rather than just conquering and occupying "Areas" such as Japan and the Middle East. I do think it would have been better to include more of the other Knights of the Round here, which they might still mention or show in passing later, but I guess they're supposed to be somewhere else in the European front and we'll just follow the steps of Suzaku at this point in time. And who knows, Schneizel might drop in at the end to connect things to the start of R2.

I'm also not much of a fan of the whole "Disappearance of Japan/Treatment of the Japanese" theme that the new director (Kazuki Akane) wanted to re-address here. It's not surprising to see that, like Neo said, but it isn't particularly interesting for me either. Apparently that's one of the things the director found to be the most appealing when he finally sat down to watch the original TV series, so I guess it's a matter of his personal preference vs. that of the viewers, especially international ones like us. On that note, there's an ongoing translation of an interview with Kazuki Akane here.

I really liked the 3D Knightmare Frame combat. I think it's compatible with some of the more over-the-top contents that were shown during both seasons, including just the first one...which actually ended with C.C. piloting Gawain and kicking around a large spinning orange ball. That sort of stuff is a large part of why I'm not too bothered by both the real and the perceived lack of realism in these mecha that AmuroNT1 disliked.

They are definitely turning it up a notch in Akito, but I think the fight scenes are good enough to compensate for taking certain technical liberties. After all, Code Geass was never too hardcore about being like Votoms, and I'd rather take this rather than having everyone just floating around shooting beams at each other. I've been fairly entertained by the action in the first and second Akito entries.

I'm also surprisingly okay with the robot centaur mode, since the property had already introduced similar things like the Regalia from the Nintendo DS game that was a tie-in for the first season. The lance full of gears is just weird though, but I didn't mind the rest of the concept.

The whole Julius Kingsley issue is easily the most controversial, but I'm also not passing judgment on it until the end. I think there are a couple of valid ways to make it work, all of which are open to debate, but I'm not going to kick that around right now.
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AmuroNT1
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Re: Ep. 139 - Julius F'n Kingsley!

I was thinking about this episode earlier and realized a remark I should have made...at the end of the episode when Leila is talking to Akito and says "Brothers should be able to understand each other!", I wish I'd thought to say "...Says the woman whose older brother is a complete c***-monger who treats her like a concubine."

I guess I was just too distracted by that ridiculous hair.
Sakuya: "Whatever. Stop lying and give up your schemes, now."
Yukari: (Which lies and schemes are she talking about? It's hard to keep track of them all...)

-Touhou 07.5 ~ Immaterial and Missing Power
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wielder
Posts: 303
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 8:14 pm

Re: Ep. 139 - Julius F'n Kingsley!

Might as well point out that Leila actually does seem to grudgingly tolerate having a terrible adopted brother. If they weren't technically related, she'd have dealt with him already. I get the impression she's surprised at how Akito and his own full sibling are so ready and willing to kill each other, precisely because she can't do it.

And FWIW, Emperor Charles zi Britannia is still the absolute champion in terms of ridiculous hair. :lol:
Soul Eater, the True Rune
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