Code Geass: Akito the Exiled (OAV)

[Buffalobiian]

Alternative title:
Code Geass: Bōkoku no Akito (Japanese)
コードギアス 亡国のアキト (Japanese)

Plot Summary: The side story takes place in 2017 a.t.b., around the time Lelouch took on the alter-ego “Zero” and built up his “Black Knights” rebellion army. The setting is in Europe, where the Euro Universe (E.U.) allied nations are being invaded by the overwhelming forces of the Holy Britannian Empire. On the verge of defeat, the E.U. army forms a special division known as “W-O″, of which a young pilot named Akito Hyuuga is a member. Layla Malkal , a former Britannian Aristocrat comes to the E.U.'s aid, commanding the “Wyvern” Knightmare corps comprised of Japanese teenagers. They recklessly plunge into a battlefield, where the survival rate is extremely low, at about 5% only. They fight for their freedom, and for a "home" to which they can return. -ANN




gg - Episode 01


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Next episode:

Twin Tails = GET!
C.C. = GET!

[Kraco]

The mecha fight in the beginning was superb, that has to be said right off the bat. One of the best mecha fights I have seen most certainly. The EU mecha was brutally efficient by dropping to all fours and gaining agility and speed in the process. I haven't often thought that mecha could have realistic worth in warfare, but if it was something like that, it might do. Akito was also ruthlessly badass.

I suppose it was to be expected that there are no good nations in the Geass universe and thus it wasn't any surprise EU is also ruled by scumbags, just like everybody else. Still, I'd like to see skillful EU soldiers as well. It would be a stretch if the only pilots worth their skin are imported from Area 11. Malkal at least seemed to believe that if she could receive soldier from the regular EU army, it would strenghten her unit.

All in all (and not only because CC was in the preview) this show surprised me positively by a huge margin. I expected this to be a spinoff of little value but I couldn't have been farther from the truth. The setting is a bit too melodramatic with all the characters having such a tragic and ostracized background, but I guess that, once again, is the staple of the Geass world. I hope some characters will appear that sport no such history but still kick ass.

I'm assured to keep watching, no matter what Bill didn't say in his post.

[deathnightwc3]

Am I the only one that hopes for a cross over in the story?

[Xelbair]

I agree with Kraco, but this show is lacking two thing that made code geass shine for me - charismatic main character(Lelouch in CG) and intellectual fights(battles like Shinjuku ghetto, or Narita, heck even endgame battle in CG was duel of two commanders, instead of mecha showoff battle).

[Ryllharu]

Leila staring down her (now former) commanding officer, daring him to shoot her in the face, knowing that he wouldn't with utter confidence and then owning him when he spazzed out isn't confident enough for you Xel? Or even before she had the complete upper hand through Akito or reinforcements, calling out the terrorists, again knowing they wouldn't do what they threatened, but rather seeing them as assets to use for her unit? Same goes with Akito facing down her brother.

Confidence shouldn't have to be, "Muwahahahaha! I've calculated everything!" It can just as easily come from an impassive stare and an unflappable demeanor.

I would give it an episode for the strategic battle, Leila only just gained full command.

[Xelbair]

So? those scenes were only at the beginning - she was mediocre after that, nothing special. If we see that side of her more then there is only one thing lacking. Also - Planning and strategy skills =/= charisma.

[Kraco]

So? those scenes were only at the beginning - she was mediocre after that, nothing special. If we see that side of her more then there is only one thing lacking. Also - Planning and strategy skills =/= charisma.

There was no opportunity for intelligent strategies in this episode, so accusing it of missing a main character capable of such is somewhat hasty. I will join your chorus if the next movie or the third won't show any signs of such and will only rely on sheer force and piloting skills. However, until such a time I will rather stay optimistic.

I also felt Leila's personality was better like this rather than if she was a female Lelouch. Her background is basically that of a refugee from the enemy nation, who was then orphaned and adopted into a house where her character hardly was raised in a manner nurturing a strong self-respect and pride. Lelouch turned out like he was because he grew up in the lions' den of the royal family of Britannia, under the eat or be eaten mentality, plus he had to protect his sister. So far Leila hasn't let me down during battles, and if she keeps that up suitably, she's good enough for me as a Code Geass main character.

[Archangel]

Lol at CC only showing up in the preview, fanboys got trolled hard.

This was actually pretty good, CG still got it.

[MFauli]

Hm .... not feeling it, yet. Think I´ll need more "episodes" before I can begin to enjoy this sidestory. What made the original anime so great was Lelouch and his Light-like thinking up of clever plans and strategies, combined with fighting against an overwhelming enemy. Both isn´t given here.

I also rather disliked the initial mech-fight. On one hand, animation was absolutey superb. On the other hand, it was ... too much. That four-legged mech was moving too life-like, so much that it shattered my personal suspense of disbelief. Also, while the pilot certainly was under the control of some Geass-powers, his mech wasn´t a special model, right? There were others like his, which were defeated. How could he win against all those strong enemy units all by himself? Didn´t like that either. Lack of strategy and such, pure power struggle.

Lastly, that blond girl, Leila, is super annoying. Not only was every male character in that command room either and idiot or some mindless servant, while all skilled personell consisted of young girls, sigh; but she also was given right even when she was wrong. According to the "idiot male", they followed her plan, and her plan failed. To inflict at least some damage, the guy activated a self-destruct mode to all of their own mechs. He then got yelled at, because for some reason, self-destruction would hurt their ressources ... and I´m asking "how so?". Because they had exactly two options: Let themselves be defeated by the enemy, OR, blow up yourselves and take the enemy with you. Both would end with their mech being a wrack, but at least the latter option would hurt the enemy as well.
So, what exactly did that "idiot male" do wrong? He followed Leila´s planning, and added a fail safe on top of it.

Anyway, when that guy at the end used his Geass to make the other guy commit suicide, this episode started to get interesting. Looking forward to ep 2.

[Buffalobiian]

According to the "idiot male", they followed her plan, and her plan failed. To inflict at least some damage, the guy activated a self-destruct mode to all of their own mechs. He then got yelled at, because for some reason, self-destruction would hurt their ressources ... and I´m asking "how so?".

That's not how I interpreted it.

Leila was in command and made up a plan to help 142 evacuate. The idiot then jumped in and strapped a bomb to all her units. Leila then explains to him how blowing up their own units is a fail-tactic, so he then goes and blames this (would-be occurring) failure on her since it was "her" plan before he stuffed with it.

Blowing up your own units is a fail-idea because you lose your forces, while bolstering morale for the other side.

Against a numerous (but not rushing-all-at-once) enemy (they're sending in units one at a time to test the waters), that idea sucks because you end up in a battle of attrition that you can't win.

On the other hand, if you use the forest to keep enemy typo: your own numbers somewhat elusive and just keep the enemy at bay/occupied, the evacuation can take place in the meanwhile. You're after a stalling tactic after all, not an offensive one.

As for character impressions, any character with the name "Leila/Layla" is likable by default (especially if they're blond).

[Xelbair]

That's not how I interpreted it.

Leila was in command and made up a plan to help 142 evacuate. The idiot then jumped in and strapped a bomb to all her units. Leila then explains to him how blowing up their own units is a fail-tactic, so he then goes and blames this (would-be occurring) failure on her since it was "her" plan before he stuffed with it.

Blowing up your own units is a fail-idea because you lose your forces, while bolstering morale for the other side.

Against a numerous (but not rushing-all-at-once) enemy (they're sending in units one at a time to test the waters), that idea sucks because you end up in a battle of attrition that you can't win.

On the other hand, if you use the forest to keep enemy typo: your own numbers somewhat elusive and just keep the enemy at bay/occupied, the evacuation can take place in the meanwhile. You're after a stalling tactic after all, not an offensive one.

As character impressions, any character with the name "Leila/Layla" is likable by default (especially if they're blond).

i second that

I am not accusing anyone - i'm just pointing out that so far we haven't seen tactical approach to battle, and we haven't seen Layla/Leila's ability to keep that group together...yet. I'm hoping that next episode will have those parts in it. Generally i enjoyed this ep very much.

[MFauli]

Actually, I hope battles don´t become too strategic. What I mean is that Lelouch was a special guy, with special tactics, special ideas - in short, a unique individual. It´d lessen his impression, if just every main character could come up with similarly exciting strategies. Therefore, I hope whatever plans Leila comes up with, it´s in line with their military´s realities.

[Ryllharu]

I hate to break it to you MFauli, but Lelouch wasn't as smart as he thought he was. Don't forget that while he dominated one of his siblings in the first few episodes, the second Cornelia came back, she rolled right over him strategically. He had to beat her politically, preying on her weakness, since he couldn't hold a candle to her militarily.

He got owned in China the same way. Lelouch surrounded himself with the right people. 1st/2nd best pilot in the world, best nightmare developer in the world, excellent spies, etc. That and the Geass was the only reason he succeeded at all.

Leila just had her entire squad (minus 1) annihilated over political bullshit. Now that she has full command, she is remedying that by recruiting talented individuals that she finds. If she can keep them under control, we'll see how good she is. Others seem to have faith in her abilities, not just due to her adopted family name. Her HQ staff seem to regard her highly, as the relief was visible once she took full command.

[Kraco]

Others seem to have faith in her abilities, not just due to her adopted family name.

Some do, some don't. She actually asked for normal military personnel to replace the lost Japanese pilots, but was immediately turned down. So, while you could say she's looking for especially talented individuals, you could also say she's looking for anybody she could possibly use. Even after the technically successful operation, the victory party, and everything, her unit is apparently still kind of suspicious in the eyes of many, or simply not worth supporting for whatever political or even more shady reasons.

[MFauli]

Of course, Lelouch made use of more than just the military. He was a "normal" student at the beginning of the story. He had no higher knowledge of all the world´s military powers. That´s why opponents like Cornelia stood a chance against him, at least temporarily. I´m certainly convinced that, with all the knowledge, Lelouch would never have ran into any problems at all. Excluding deus ex machina-moments where single characters have their special moment, granted.

Trying to rid Lelouch of his special smartness, though, is wrong imo.

[Kraco]

Episode 2 720p | 1080p - Nubles rips







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Funny thing that the preview showed C.C., yet the episode itself didn't, even though it did show Spinzaku and Lelouch. I wonder exactly when Lelouch was travelling in the Eastern Europe under a false name devising strategies. Right after the Emperor used his geass to brainwash Lelouch?

Anyway, I'm somewhat divided with my opinion on this one. My biggest problem is that pretty much nothing in this episode made any sense, in the bigger or smaller picture. The fights were jolly good, but I can't help but feel they were wasted for no good reason. I don't even understand why the front-line, the current border, seemed to be so static before this battle when it's obvious the Britannians seemingly are so much more powerful. Why haven't they advanced? I don't think they have too many other wars going on right at that moment. There was trouble in Japan, but if Lelouch is here, it means nothing is going on over there either. It's not logical to keep sitting on their hands when EU still has military manufacturing capabilities. The only conclusion I can draw from this is that the Britannian army is made of few super elite soldiers (knights) and then the bulk that's basically not good enough even for guarding areas conquered by the super elites. I guess EU is the opposite with no elites, but the bulk could beat the Britannian bulk, and thus the Britannians can't rely on them to retain territory. Troublesome.

Leila's achievements were somewhat questionable here. She managed to tie the Britannian elites for a little while, but then after her unit got wiped out (entirely her fault), Britannia was able to eventually reorganize themselves and promptly beat back the EU forces with some added interest. Now that Britannia will have Lelouch's genius at their side, I wonder how it'll go. EU seems more or less doomed. I suppose Leila could still pull off some missions if she actually starts to count on Akito's synchro die die power. However, her superiors are no good, so I can't really see the difference that might make.

[Ryllharu]

They should really call this Code Geass: Leila the Fanservice. From the ludicrous appearance of her uniform (normal jacket, but paired with thigh-high boots, frilly sleeves, and even an idolesque high-low skirt) to how completely worthless she was in combat (she even did the "oh no I can't keep my aim straight in a robot I'm so nervous" jitter), and on to her bad idea to keep using people who betray her, I'm amazed no one on their side died. And then perky twintails!

Sadly, she is still being undermined by cowards in the EU politically, since they at best followed their orders, and then ran away. It truly is a miracle that they were able to be rescued. It's not completely her fault they suck.

Then the fight was dreadfully underwhelming. No one from Britannia was even killed, except when one deliberately got run through. Gauging by how bad everyone in the Wyvern Squad is at fighting when their name isn't Akito, he probably could have just slapped Akito's weapon aside and not gotten killed, or just sacrificed an arm. Except for that one guy, they all got away. Totally pointless.

Well, it wasn't all bad. Aside from the glamorously drawn nightgown shot, and the highly detailed fanservice pilot uniform donning, the best part of this OVA series has been the Leila and Akito interactions.

There's no reason to put this another way: She is so wet for Akito it is hilarious. She tries to talk to him, seduce him with tea and pleasant discussions, takes him to balls, gets all gooey when she misinterprets what he's saying, and so forth. And Akito...couldn't give a fuck. He's not unaware of it or dense or anything. Oh, he knows. He just doesn't care, and is pretty happy when he gets to shoot her down repeatedly. He's using her, and loves it.

[Kraco]

They should really call this Code Geass: Leila the Fanservice. From the ludicrous appearance of her uniform (normal jacket, but paired with thigh-high boots, frilly sleeves, and even an idolesque high-low skirt) to how completely worthless she was in combat (she even did the "oh no I can't keep my aim straight in a robot I'm so nervous" jitter), and on to her bad idea to keep using people who betray her, I'm amazed no one on their side died. And then perky twintails!

Her role wasn't to fight but to control the drones - that were utterly worthless in anything but scouting and early warning. Realistically speaking such robots ought to be quite deadly but in a Spinzaku legend world they can never live up to their potential. In addition to that she had to go or the traitorous sociopaths she gathered for her crack team wouldn't have cooperated (not that they would have even when she went, being sociopaths). All in all she did quite well considering she was the only one whose knightmare wasn't totalled!

Sadly, she is still being undermined by cowards in the EU politically, since they at best followed their orders, and then ran away. It truly is a miracle that they were able to be rescued. It's not completely her fault they suck.

It is. In the military the leader always bears the responsibility. Even Akito would have rather got rid of the suicidal fools than recruit them, but she just had to have them. When they shifted to the die die mode, I hoped for a while that was the whole point of this team, considering the earlier scientist talk about synchro ratings or whatever. But then it turned out nobody had a clue what was going on. So, in the end they are just useless dregs she took in because nothing better was available.

There's no reason to put this another way: She is so wet for Akito it is hilarious. She tries to talk to him, seduce him with tea and pleasant discussions, takes him to balls, gets all gooey when she misinterprets what he's saying, and so forth. And Akito...couldn't give a fuck. He's not unaware of it or dense or anything. Oh, he knows. He just doesn't care, and is pretty happy when he gets to shoot her down repeatedly. He's using her, and loves it.

Those are indeed good parts. In a sense they are both lucky since she can be near her love-interest, while he enjoys shooting her down. Not to mention they also need each other: Without Akito's skills the whole unit would be worhtless, but without Leila Akito might not have an access to knightmares worth his skills, nor the suicidal missions he seemigly lives for.

[Ryllharu]

When they shifted to the die die mode, I hoped for a while that was the whole point of this team, considering the earlier scientist talk about synchro ratings or whatever. But then it turned out nobody had a clue what was going on. So, in the end they are just useless dregs she took in because nothing better was available.

I was also hoping she would get caught in it too, and become a good pilot. That was another minor let down for me.

[NeoCybercoin]

I'm trying to figure out when this took place. It's been a long time since i've seen the last one and the series. Lelouch has his perma-Geass so this takes place somewhere in the first season?