Code Geass is one of the biggest hits of the 2000’s anime scene. It exploded in Japan. It also became a big hit in N.A. by airing on adult swim. Of course the series couldn’t be left alone for long.. That is why Akito: The Exiled came out. Same for the film Re;Surrection. I liked the idea of Akito doing something unique by focusing on problems in Europe. At the same time, Re:Surrection got the original crew together again for the last time before everyone went their own ways once again. Also, Geass stars flew throughout the Earth to create new possibilities for the future. With the world of Code Geass open, this is where Roze of the Recapture begins.

This special series of films or tv episodes was outside of the box, but pressed right next to it. It all begins once again with the invasion of the Neo Britannian Empire upon the island Hokkaido and only Hokkaido. There are a lot of big things happening like two princesses Sakura and Sakuya being forcefully separated from the Neo Britannian forces considering one (Sakuya) is royalty while Sakura isn’t. Of course  the Japanese in Hokkaido are treated like trash and called elevens like when Japan was originally invaded. It’s a trash time and only the Brittanian brothers Roze and his older brother Ashe can give the resistance momentum to win. 

I think you can get a picture of what the series is like. Roze and Ashe team up with the rebellion group Seven Shiny Stars against the Neo Britannian Forces. There are some small things like Sakura as Princess Sakuya being captured by the Britannians and Roze tries to get her back. Except, as one would expect, Roze is actually Sakuya and she has a command and control geass like Lelouch. So somehow this thick girl turns into a skinny boy. Ashe is an assassin that supposedly killed Sakuya’s father and he is under Sakuya’s geass control. 

There are some interesting things at play in this show right? For instance, the Black Knights and the Federation exist. So Sakuya/Roze, Ashe, and the Shiny Seven Stars don’t have to fall back on nothing like Leouch in the original Code Geass. The Black Knights do try to help the rebellion in Hokkaido when they can. I think the fact that the previous series still happened is, in general, pretty interesting. Except this show is only 12 episodes long. OG cast members take screen time away from the new characters that show up. Especially in the second half when the world is on fire.

I do think the Ashe and Roze/Sakuya relationship is very well explored. There is a lot of backstory and different angles that it’s approached from. It starts as Roze/Sakuya guessing Ashe for her own needs. Then so many details and backstory with the usual Code Geass kind of drama behind all of it. So that felt wonderful. The rest of the rebellion group had characters but they never got time to shine. Haruka the ace barely got anything besides her father being the general behind the resistance and that was revealed in the end.

There were also a lot of interesting things going on inside of Neo Britannia that didn’t play out as much as they could have. I liked that Sakura as Sakuya was doing some legal actions to slowly unhinge them from Hokkaido. I also feel like the new characters there didn’t have the time to be fully fleshed out. Same with the sinister Norland besides his very evil plots that turned out to be not much besides using evil robots to attack the world. There was potential here that was ruined by focusing on the original cast members half the time. Those og Code Geass characters did almost nothing. No, giving exposition to what is about to happen isn’t doing something.

That is why I have given Roze of the Recapture an ok. I was thinking about giving it a bad grade, but there are at least things in it that make it worth watching. Ashe and Roze/Sakuya are still very good. I also find the idea behind the series to be pretty interesting even if it’s botched quite a bit. Visually, it’s pretty gorgeous too. It’s really hard to follow something as popular as the original series. I think the production crew felt it and wanted to re-assured by putting the main cast in with cameos. Why can’t people just let these original projects time to breathe their own air? Sigh…