Roze of the Recapture Review: Mixed Feelings

Article at a glance:

• The anime’s return to the captured Japan setting feels lazy and limits creative potential, unlike the original’s essential use of key locations.
• While certain twists and nostalgia-inducing cameos are well-done, the series relies too heavily on exposition and often underwhelming cliffhangers.
• The relationship between Ash and Sakuya/Roze is compelling, showcasing growth and emotional depth, but villains like Norland lack complexity.
• Sunrise delivers outstanding animation and Knightmare designs that capture the essence of Code Geass while updating it with modern visuals.
• Despite its flaws, the series offers enough excitement and nostalgic elements to be enjoyable for Code Geass fans, scoring a 7/10 overall.

Right, episode 10 of Roze of the Recapture dropped and I feel like it is the right time to write my review for the series. I could’ve waited till episode 12 too but by that time, I will have to prepare to review everything in the Summer 2024 season in earnest. So I figured this was the perfect time to do it. And since this is during the downtime, I decided to do a longer review for this anime. Because there is simply too much I need to say about Roze of the Recapture.

This is still a part of the Code Geass Series so comparisons to the original are inevitable. Especially given that the original is regarded as one of the best animes of all time. But I will try my best to judge the series on its own merits as well. Now, this review is going to be very bipolar. Because certain things about this anime I do love and certain things just tick me off. So it is gonna be rather hard to grade this one.

Anyway though, with all that said, welcome back to another review and today we are talking about Code Geass: Roze of the Recapture. This will be a long one, so strap in, and let’s get started. There will be spoilers ahead because it is impossible to talk about Roze of the Recapture in depth without spoilers.

Plot

Let’s start with the negatives

Negatives

I hate that they ripped off the setting straight from the original series. Yes, this is a sequel to the original, and the organization established in the original series, like the UFN still exists. They could’ve done something so much more interesting with the setting but they decided to recreate the captured Japan and Area 11 setting. That just feels lazy.

The original anime’s story couldn’t take place anywhere else because Shinjuku and Mt. Fuji, etc. were important locations. Meanwhile, Roze of the Recapture’s story can take place anywhere else with minimal changes and still have Sakuya as the MC.

Another thing I don’t like about the story is its reliance on exposition and cliffhangers. I don’t mind a certain degree of exposition but this anime handles it really poorly. And the cliffhangers, oh boy, don’t even get me started on those. We get a cliffhanger in every episode and only a few of them are good. Others are just resolved mere moments after the next episode starts. Things like that render the cliffhanger pointless.

Positives

Despite all those negatives, there are things that the plot does do well. Many people may call the cameos from older characters nostalgia bait but I don’t mind it at all. I don’t mind it because they’re included in the pot very naturally. Sakuya’s geass being different from what we’re used to seeing also makes sense given that Lelouch gave her that power.

Certain plot twists like episode 9 are done really well. Ash’s backstory and how he met Prime Minister Sumeragi were done really well. Other small things like how Scissorman captured Sakuya are consistent with previous events and stuff. So while there are issues with it, the plot overall is decent. It is nowhere close to being as good as the original but let’s face it, no one expected it to be as good.

characters

The dynamic between Ash and Roze/Sakuya and how it evolves is great. I like how Ash reacts when he finds out who Sakuya is and it takes a good moment for him to bring himself to rescue her and remember his promise to her father after finding out she was just using him for all these years. Both of them get a decent amount of character development. And again, Sakuya is also regretful of using Ash that way after she finds out that he wasn’t the one who killed her father.

Narah is also another great character. Her and Ash’s shared backstory is one of the huge highlights of the series for me. I like how they ended up taking opposite paths despite coming from the same background. I wish the villains and the side cast were a bit better though. Scissorman was a better villain than Norland and he died in episode 9. Norland has nothing going for him other than “I am the bad guy and I like to kill people”. There is an upcoming twist that makes him somewhat interesting but his character is still bland compared to Charles from the original.

As for other side characters, I don’t even remember the names of most of them, that is how little they mattered. Heck, I remember every single cameo from the original and Akito the Exiled more than I remember this show’s own side characters. Which is just sad.

Animations and Soundtracks

This is going to be the highlight of this review lol because Sunrise went hard on Roze of the Recapture. Everything from the character designs to the Knightmare designs are so damn good. The Knightmare designs have clearly taken a step up from the original and I love how much more character they have now. The original anime’s certain Knightmares like Lancelot, Guren, Shinkiro, etc. are still goated but Roze of the Recapture still has some amazing designs and Knightmare concepts that I can’t stop gushing about enough.

Of course, they’re all animated incredibly too. This is the same studio that makes Gundam after all. And I like that despite the modern animations, the art style is still very distinctly Code Geass. You can just tell this is Code Geass the moment you see a character or a Knightmare. The soundtracks are pretty decent as well, the BGMs are great and the opening theme is decent.

Summing up

Here are my final review scores for Code Geass: Roze of the Recapture

• Plot – 6/10
• Characters – 7/10
• Animations – 10/10
• Soundtracks – 8/10
• Enjoyment – 8/10
• Overall – 7/10

So while I enjoyed Roze of the Recapture a lot as a Code Geass fan, I have to admit it has some issues. The main characters are good but the villains and side characters could’ve been better. But the animations and art do a lot of heavy lifting. But yeah, let me know what you guys think in the comments. I will take my leave here. See ya!

Also, check out my article in memory of Atsuko Tanaka here.