Code Geass R2 - Final Turn (25)
I don't have many more intelligent things to say about the Final Turn, other than I'm quite happy with the ending presented, though a cherry on top would be further exposition into the details that got left out. (Future character books pretty please, Sunrise? :P)
Suzaku
I gasped when I first saw Suzaku's fake grave, but when "Zero" appeared on the horizon at the execution parade, I knew immediately who that was. No one else moves like Suzaku can. And now that he's Zero, he'll never get bitten by Arthur again - although he probably misses that crazy cat.
As for Zero Requiem - I thought it was kind of a dumb idea, practically speaking, but the DRAMA and ANGST in Suzaku having to kill his best friend/worst enemy/co-conspirator Lelouch!!!1! Reminds me a heckuva lot of what happened in the later Dune sequels (both the illogical nature and high tragedy of such a scheme).
Other Characters
I'm interested in Xingke's eventual fate, because we don't see him after the halted execution procession - he's visibly not in Ougi and Villetta's wedding portrait. Did he die offscreen? Hikaru Midorikawa, his seiyu, said in an interview that he knew Xingke was probably doomed, but hoped he'd have a good death - so I hope having him snuff it out of sight isn't Sunrise's idea of a good end.
I was so happy to see Jeremiah the contented orange-farmer out harvesting with Anya. Either Sunrise folks read fan-boards too much, or they decided that having Jeremiah *enjoy* the fate that originally would have been a punishment for him was a fitting and wonderful way to round out his character development.
Lelouch's fate?
I'm mostly convinced that Lelouch is alive. There's some great reasoning here. One persistent theory I don't believe, though, is that he knew he already had Charles's code. His resignation to his fate and decision to pass on everything to Suzaku were real, and he was more serious about Zero Requiem than anything else he's ever done.
My shippy take on it is that since Lelouch had promised C.C. he'd make her smile and grant her real wish, he can't possibly have just died there and left her like that. He may be a chronic obfuscator, but he's kept nearly every promise he's made. If you take her wish to die at face value, that definitely did not happen. Reading a little deeper, if C.C.'s original Geass can be construed as her real wish, to be loved, then Lelouch must be alive to fulfill that part of the deal. Even if Lelouch died professing his eternal love, that would hardly leave a smile on her face - C.C. is shown weeping at the time of his death.
With my shipper glasses on, I feel that the only way C.C. could be leaving town lightheartedly on the back of a hay cart is if her wish was truly granted - one which only a living Lelouch could fulfill. As C.C. herself says, she's never met a man like him before.
On a somewhat related note: Code Geass R2 OST 2 is one of the most interesting disks of the entire series - instead of the strident brass and mysterious glockenspiel on most of the earlier disks, we get lots of lighthearted solo and orchestral string pieces. A great example is "Le Repos Du Guerrier," rustic sophistication at its best, or the waltzlike "Last Evening."
Suzaku
I gasped when I first saw Suzaku's fake grave, but when "Zero" appeared on the horizon at the execution parade, I knew immediately who that was. No one else moves like Suzaku can. And now that he's Zero, he'll never get bitten by Arthur again - although he probably misses that crazy cat.
As for Zero Requiem - I thought it was kind of a dumb idea, practically speaking, but the DRAMA and ANGST in Suzaku having to kill his best friend/worst enemy/co-conspirator Lelouch!!!1! Reminds me a heckuva lot of what happened in the later Dune sequels (both the illogical nature and high tragedy of such a scheme).
Other Characters
I'm interested in Xingke's eventual fate, because we don't see him after the halted execution procession - he's visibly not in Ougi and Villetta's wedding portrait. Did he die offscreen? Hikaru Midorikawa, his seiyu, said in an interview that he knew Xingke was probably doomed, but hoped he'd have a good death - so I hope having him snuff it out of sight isn't Sunrise's idea of a good end.
I was so happy to see Jeremiah the contented orange-farmer out harvesting with Anya. Either Sunrise folks read fan-boards too much, or they decided that having Jeremiah *enjoy* the fate that originally would have been a punishment for him was a fitting and wonderful way to round out his character development.
Lelouch's fate?
I'm mostly convinced that Lelouch is alive. There's some great reasoning here. One persistent theory I don't believe, though, is that he knew he already had Charles's code. His resignation to his fate and decision to pass on everything to Suzaku were real, and he was more serious about Zero Requiem than anything else he's ever done.
My shippy take on it is that since Lelouch had promised C.C. he'd make her smile and grant her real wish, he can't possibly have just died there and left her like that. He may be a chronic obfuscator, but he's kept nearly every promise he's made. If you take her wish to die at face value, that definitely did not happen. Reading a little deeper, if C.C.'s original Geass can be construed as her real wish, to be loved, then Lelouch must be alive to fulfill that part of the deal. Even if Lelouch died professing his eternal love, that would hardly leave a smile on her face - C.C. is shown weeping at the time of his death.
With my shipper glasses on, I feel that the only way C.C. could be leaving town lightheartedly on the back of a hay cart is if her wish was truly granted - one which only a living Lelouch could fulfill. As C.C. herself says, she's never met a man like him before.
On a somewhat related note: Code Geass R2 OST 2 is one of the most interesting disks of the entire series - instead of the strident brass and mysterious glockenspiel on most of the earlier disks, we get lots of lighthearted solo and orchestral string pieces. A great example is "Le Repos Du Guerrier," rustic sophistication at its best, or the waltzlike "Last Evening."