Saturday, 24 February 2007

Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion

Note: I actually posted this on one of my other sites but thought it was relevant enough to post here.

I gave this series a go because CLAMP designed the characters and was illustrating the DVD covers, etc but I just can't watch any more. I got up to episode 6 and just had to turn it off. It's so blatantly racist and nationalistic it's offensive.

The portrayal of the British characters is over stereotypical in some respects (such as clothes and architecture. ) yet so completely off in other areas such as their blatant disregard for civilians during times of war and militaristic nature that it becomes almost a joke.

It's as if the tv station is trying to breed racism and reinforce an image of non-Japanese people that I thought was on the way out. In the first episode for crying out loud, we have a scene of a nice, gentle Japanese elderly couple who get their brains splattered all over room simply because the British army decided to kill all civilians in the area.

This show is just offensive. If the "bad guys" were, say aliens I really wouldn't have a problem but some things should be off limits, especially in children's programming and writing a story where the "bad guys" are another nation is taking things too far.

Something else I find shocking is that it seems to encourage terrorism. Not just in the general sense though, in the sense that it's every Japanese teenager's right to stand up and fight the establishment. If that means killing people, all the better.

The leader of the terrorist cell in the show is a high school girl and the main character, Lelouch actually assassinates the overly French political leader in charge of Japan within the first few episodes.

There's enough nationalistic bull in Japan as it is without an Animé series reinforcing such deluded ideals.

I must say I'm so disappointed in CLAMP for being involved in a project like this Given their history of creating stories involving mixed racial couples (a Japanese Sakura and a Chinese Syaoran for example) and Korean myth (Legend of Chun Hyang) this comes as a complete surprise. I'm hoping that they didn't realise the story content of Code Geass before signing on.

The animation and music are top notch, but simply due to it's thematic nature I can't believe so many non-Japanese anime and manga fans are following this series and even creating fan sites and listings about it.

I for one am tuning out and writing a letter of complaint HERE.

Edit: This is a copy of the email that I just sent.

"I am writing to express my complete disgust concerning the new anime series, Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.

As an Australian, I find the series to be completely offensive and racist and something that shouldn't be on air due to the amount of influence it will have on children in Japan and other individuals.

The fact that Europeans are portrayed as villains is shocking and their portrayal inaccurate ("Yes my Lord") but the amount of racism from the main characters who are supposed to be heroes and role models for children leaves me speechless.

I also find it incredibly irresponsible, especially in a country such as Japan who has suffered at the hands of terrorists to show a series were the main characters ARE TERRORISTS who kill and assassinate people and are seen in a good light.

Until shows like this are removed from Japanese television the image of Japan being a racist one will not change in the eyes of non-Japanese both in and outside of Japan. "

I'm interested in people's opinions on this series. Feel free (as always) to comment on this post.

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Labels: Cartoons, japan, Racism