Loop: A Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicle manga and anime news blog.

This will be my first and last post about the anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

I gave this series a go because CLAMP designed the characters and was illustrating the DVD covers, etc but I just can't watch any more. I got up to episode 6 and just had to turn it off. It's so blatantly racist and nationalistic it's offensive.

The portrayal of the British characters is over stereotypical in some respects (such as clothes and architecture. ) yet so completely off in other areas such as their blatant disregard for civilians during times of war and militaristic nature that it becomes almost a joke.

It's as if the tv station is trying to breed racism and reinforce an image of non-Japanese people that I though was on the way out. In the first episode for crying out loud, we have a seen of a nice, gentle Japanese elderly couple who get their brains splattered all over room simply because the British army decided to kill all civilians in the area.

This show is just offensive. If the "bad guys" were, say aliens I really wouldn't have a problem but some things should be off limits, especially in children's programming and writing a story where the "bad guys" are another nation is taking things too far.

Something else I find shocking is that it seems to encourage terrorism. Not just in the general sense though, in the sense that it's every Japanese teenager's right to stand up and fight the establishment. If that means killing people, all the better.

The leader of the terrorist cell in the show is a high school girl and the main character, Lelouch actually assassinates the overly French political leader in charge of Japan within the first few episodes.

There's enough nationalistic bull in Japan as it is without an AnimĂŠ series reinforcing such deluded ideals.

I must say I'm so disappointed in CLAMP for being involved in a project like this Given their history of creating stories involving mixed racial couples (a Japanese Sakura and a Chinese Syaoran for example) and Korean myth (Legend of Chun Hyang) this comes as a complete surprise. I'm hoping that they didn't realise the story content of Code Geass before signing on.

The animation and music are top notch, but simply due to it's thematic nature I can't believe so many non-Japanese anime and manga fans are following this series and even creating fan sites and listings about it.

I for one am tuning out and writing a letter of complaint HERE.

Edit: This is a copy of the email that I just sent.

"I am writing to express my complete disgust concerning the new anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

As an Australian, I find the series to be completely offensive and racist and something that shouldn't be on air due to the amount of influence it will have on children in Japan and other individuals.

The fact that Europeans are portrayed as villains is shocking and their portrayal inaccurate ("Yes my Lord") but the amount of racism from the main characters who are supposed to be heroes and role models for children leaves me speechless.

I also find it incredibly irresponsible, especially in a country such as Japan who has suffered at the hands of terrorists to show a series were the main characters ARE TERRORISTS who kill and assassinate people and are seen in a good light.

Until shows like this are removed from Japanese television the image of Japan being a racist one will not change in the eyes of non-Japanese both in and outside of Japan. "

I'm interested in people's opinions on this series. Feel free (as always) to comment on this post.

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Labels: CLAMP

posted by Brad # 6:00 PM

Loopy

Comments:

Oh wow. I didn't hear about this new series. This is really bad. Not only is it bad in the eyes of non-Japanese both inside and outside of Japan, it'll be bad for Japanese inside and outside too considering what they country is trying to do with the terrorist image. That's terrible.

Aside from that, I am glad to know you are doing well. Thanks for the reply message and encouraging words. You're the best!

# posted by

Misty : 6:57 PM

To be a little fair, It is mentioned somewhere that the Universe Code Geass is set in had drastic differences in history compared to our real-world history. The most obvious one is that in the Code Geass Universe, Britain won the American Civil War and thus in place of America, we have Britannia. Evidence for this within the show itself is when they are conducting Britannian history class and reference non-existent extensions of the royal lineage of Britannia. So perhaps this change in the flow of history allowed aristocratic snobbishness of the past to prevail to the present of Code Geass Britannian society

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:02 PM

Damn that hurts. Although I suppose some anime just doesn't fit everybody's tastes, I don't quite think Sunrise is trying to be blatantly racist and nationalistic (as hard as that is to believe from watching the first few episodes).
Stereotypes and nation-bashing aside, Code Geass isn't about encouraging terrorism or demonstrating ridiculous amounts of discrimination. It eventually boils down to a conflict in ends justifying means, and what choices must be made in order to bring about a better world.
If it's any consolation, Code Geass also comes from a timeline drastically divergent from our own. DVD1 says that the Britannian monarchy is supposedly formed at the time of the Roman Empire's invasions of Britain, and it's been like that ever since, messing up the history of the world as we know it.
I'm not going to try and change how you initially saw this series, but I just hope that you'll understand that it's probably not in the writers' intent to create such controversy on what seems to be an edgy topic.

# posted by

Anonymous : 7:05 PM

The thing is though I don't think it matters what the invading country is. If Cartoon Network made a series where the enemy was called the "Asian Empire" or something everyone would be screaming racism and it would be taken off the air.

A LOT of Japanese group most non-Japanese into one group, simply "foreigners". Yeah, the history in the show has been changed but I really think that's beside the point. This show is basically saying (as most the characters are) "A foreign enemy has stolen our country and our identity and we need to take it back." This kind of talk is going on in Japan TODAY by right wing nationalists. It is very much in the media here so much so I find it hard to believe the creators of this show don't have a hidden agenda.

This is a very political series.

# posted by

Brad : 8:51 PM

It's not the first show to feature Japan as an oppressed country, but that's not really my point.

You seem to be taking the show seriously, which is definitely NOT something you even CAN do with all the shit I'm gonna list below. I'm watching Code Geass because it's a ~damn hilarious~ show. Amidst all the death scenes they still put random shit in, for example:

- Cosplaying? Check.

- Pizza Hut? Check.

- Cheese-kun? Check.

- Idiot characters? Check: Lulu and

- Suzaku at the top of the list.

- Ridiculous situations? Check. Sunrise at its best.

- Super-man abilities (other than Geass)? Check: Suzaku (outrunning a machine gun much?).

And so on.

The show is just f* hilarious with an added bonus of great animation and music.

I don't see why anyone would take anything in it seriously and it's not airing in a timeslot for little children either so, 'theoretically', it's children safe and your point is not valid...

# posted by

kacpy : 4:08 AM

A somewhat different take on this anime's political leanings was posted some time ago by one of the Japanese members of the Animesuki forums:

http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost.php?p=748620&postcount=597

"As a japanese conservative, I can say that this anime is not supportive of the right wingers in Japan at all. On the contrary, it contains lots of sarcasms on them. It reflects an ideological rift within japanese political scene from a left-wing perspective, so it may be hard to find what lies behind it except obvious anti-americanism.

What the creators or at least one of producers put in the position of victim is conscientious leftists who oppose to the american monopoly and the puppet government and feel apologies toward asian countries. I found a bigger irony here that Seiji Takeda is blamed not only by the nationalists but by people he sympathizes with. He intended to make the japanese nationalists know how the asian people felt under the colonization by reversing the situations. His intention is quite explicit from the opening of the first episode. I hate Takeda but it is not his fault that such a simple theatrical trick is misunderstood.

On the 6th episode, two britanian travelers who cause a trouble with elevens are credited as Otaku. Otaku does not imply american otaku. They are meant to be japanese conservatives predominant on the internet. They are coward and all mouth, and try to make others (U.S. marines) defend them while they devote themselves into their own hobbies in the 52nd state of america. That is what they depicted as the japanese nationalists.

I doubt these political provokings go on if it is true that the infamous producer has left from Geass and is concentrating his efforts on Ayakashi Ayashi."

# posted by

Anonymous : 6:18 AM

While the show does have its share of problems, I think that you're missing the point. As others have mentioned, the intent of the show was to criticise Imperialism and the reactions to it (collaboration, rebellion, etc), specifically on the part of Japan during and prior to WWII, but also current American tendancies and others as well. However, one can argue how well it conveys this intent in the earlier episodes.

No offense, but are you sure you aren't having a bit of a nationalistic reaction yourself? Back in its heyday, the British Empire was hardly the most benign group, although there certainly have been worse. "Civilizing the Wogs" had its consequences, you know. Need I remind you of the fate of much of the aboriginal population back when Australia was settled? Sure, the creators could have picked something safer and less likely to offend, such as the good old generic space-nazis, but that's been done to death already. However, don't you go thinking that the British Empire was sinless. No empire has ever been.

# posted by

Anonymous : 10:09 AM

Hope you know that it called satire; thus, the overblown, political, so-called message and random, abundant fanservice.

It's amusing that anyone takes it at its face value.

# posted by

Anonymous : 12:52 PM

Oh, come on. Exel Saga is satire, this is not. Why are there so many people willing to defend this show?
kacpy, you seem to be watching it because you think it's so bad it's good but everything you list could be said to be in every anime/manga series, even Tsubasa and really doesn't make it ridiculous, it makes it the same as every other series. All anime has fan service, it's the industry. Saying a series doesn't have a message because of fan service is just retarded (no offence).

I really think a lot of people are defending this show out of their love for anime. If this wasn't an anime I think most of you wouldn't feel so compelled to defend it.

# posted by

Brad : 9:38 PM

Please, anime and message... PLEASE.

# posted by

kacpy : 2:19 AM

I just have to say im British and i don't find geass in the least bit offensive, in fact i love the show i never took offence at it, i personally have never seen anything majority racist in the show nina aside, i mean the show dosent just take stereotypical British things, i have heard of a Gawain knightmare frame and how many people know who Gawain is? and the Lancelot i personally see a relation between Suzaku and Lancelot from the stories, i think that this was made with a lot of Arthurian legend as its basis, i don't believe that people look that deep into something just to spread a hateful message,then again i might just be interoperating things in the wrong way.

(oh and please forgive me if my grammar is awefull)

# posted by

silvanas : 9:10 AM

The Authurian references don't offend me at all. But don't think because they have these references that the show is heavily researched. Western stories and images are HUGE in Japan simply for the cool factor. Look at Evangelion for example (which I LOVED). For a western viewer it was a very deep and spiritual experience but in the four years I've been in Japan I've never met a Japanese person who even knew the symbolism of the Christian crucifix.

# posted by

Brad : 1:18 PM

I really wouldn't have a problem but some things should be off limits, especially in children's programming

I don't think that many children, especially japanese children watch that anime, because it's broadcast around 26:30 (~2:30 AM).

I still think that those who are watching fansubs or whatever you like download from Internet doesn't understand that Anime in Japan isn't show to everyone.

I don't think that a 14 years old japanese will watch Code Geass on TV

# posted by

Kamisama : 7:45 AM

From what I've gathered from my 3 or so years teaching kids and talking to parents in Tokyo is that Japanese children DON'T have bedtime. Bedtime seems to be a Western idea. It's very normal for children of all ages to go to be with their parents at midnight or even not until 4am. It's a very common site actually seeing 5 year olds out on the town after midnight in Shibuya.

TV shows and movies also don't have ratings in Japan so while this anime is obviously aimed at a target audience, most parents wont tell their kids not to watch it. I have also seen it featured in kids anime magazines and it has major exposure at several HMVs I've seen here. The opening and closing songs are also selling very well on the music charts and getting prominent advertising in shops.

Thanks everyone for posting your opinions on this series. It's been really interesting to read!

# posted by

Brad : 9:35 AM

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