The comparisons to Code Geass are obvious: the writers are the same, both stories take place in an occupied Japan, the protagonists join a resistance group, and more. But there’s one major difference, at least so far: the protagonists themselves. Lelouch was a badass from the get-go, when he ordered a squadron of soldiers to kill themselves. Guilty Crown’s hero is a whiner with a magic sword. And our female protagonist is a walking sex symbol (is it just me, or does her dress look familiar?).
The supporting characters are questionable as well. We have the sparkling bishounen, the neko-mimi comms girl, and the orgasmic mecha pilot. Then there are some random gangsters, the usual crew of classmates, and some nefarious villains. I’m hoping that as the ranks of the villains increase they will become a bit more morally ambiguous. The creators will need to make these characters grow for this show to succeed: right now they’re weak. It’s only the first episode though, so we’ll see.
Despite the weak characterization, I enjoyed the episode immensely. There’s plenty going on, and everything flows smoothly. The episode had a great sense of timing and pace. It goes slow when it needs to, such as the opening sequence with the singing. But it can speed by for action scenes as well.
And I will say, this episode was was gorgeous. If there’s one thing Production IG knows how to do right it’s animation. Some of the music was questionable, but whatever. I’m looking forward to seeing where this goes.
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