A lot of what Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture lacks comes in its unfortunate predictability. While the first episode was as if singing a song whose lyrics were ingrained in your brain, the series very quickly broke away from that pattern. The latest episode seems to step back into it. While it has its own moments, the Neo-Britannian army alongside Norland just seems like an underwhelming group of people who want to wreak havoc.
The ninth episode, Reset, follows the aftermath of the events that had occurred. Many of the rebels had lost their lives and those that were left alive barely had their spirit standing. On the other hand, Sakuya and Ash finally came face to face with each other.
Ash Defies All Expectations… Until He Doesn’t
Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture has been keeping a steady pace with how rapidly things have progressed. There was much to be established and rest to be settled with the elephant in the room being Sakuya’s abuse of Ash’s younger and deceased brother. It isn’t so much so as basking in cliches as it is in making things predictable and boring.
The Seven Shining Stars are suffering from a huge loss and the very thought of still going on comes with the crumbling pressure of everything they have suffered through. For Ash and Sakuya, much to my surprise, he does actually shoot her, almost. The bullet narrowly misses her intentionally. While one would expect him to then offer his support, he instead simply walks off, letting her be experimented on.
Just as things begin to defy predictability, things waver. Scissorman commands Sakuya to use her geass on more innocent people and she cannot do much about it either. Just as she begins to use it, Ash uses his knightmare to attack him from behind. His unfathomable disgust towards Sakuya and her actions clash with his respect and loyalty to Sumeragi Jugo.
Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture’s Biggest Problem
While the series in itself has been steadily paced with rather enjoyable episodes, there is one thing that stands out, and not in a good way. The Neo-Britannian army and Norland aren’t as threatening as they seem. Functioning in an already established world, there are forces much stronger than Norland that could easily stop him. While C.C. and Lelouch have put themselves as spectators on the sidelines, that doesn’t necessarily explain the dormancy of the Black Knights.
In a ruse of peace, Narah gets sent to talk to the United Federation of Nations, offering an olive branch. The series then brings about Cornelia once again, this time also with Gino. Both of them were discussing how to outsmart the forces only to be outsmarted themselves. While Cornelia and Gilbert approach Kaguya for solutions, Norland launches unusual mechs that basically turn everything in their path to dust.
It is a bloody coup with no mercy in its wake. While the blood was a welcome change, the endless cameos that followed made it seem almost plot-devised. Characters like Akito, Kaguya, Orpheus Zevon, and many others make their appearances. With the power that many of them hold, it almost seems confusing as to why their appearances were simply cameos and not usable characters.
Sakuya Struggles with Her Beliefs
The impact and fear that the Neo-Britannian forces exude seem underwhelming through and through. Norland comes and goes in ways that make him seem less and less of a threat. It isn’t about his lack of screen time but the ambiguous nature of his goals. If he wants dominion over the world then he would need more than the weapons of mass destruction.
As such, his goals to replicate the geass become understandable. While the mechs wreak havoc, there is an astonishing amount of people who make their appearances. Not only do the aforementioned characters of the original cast show up but also Suzaku and Nunnally, surprisingly, Kallen wasn’t one of them.
At the same time, everyone is working towards some or the other plan, Sakuya fighting her own inner battles, haunted by her actions and unable to understand if she is worthy of the stature. The best part of the episode, however, in my opinion, was Ash finding out about Raspberry.
After his entire world had supposedly shattered, Raspberry was the closest person he had. When pondering over why he hadn’t seen her in a while, Sakuya reveals the truth and the way his face paled was just sympathetically entertaining.
Rating: 7.5/10
Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture is available to watch on Hulu.
