Okay, I gave up trying to vomit yet another essay on protein active sites and 3D conformations so I watched the Code Geass preview thing...
Actually, I think I'll lower my expectations of the show now... Maybe you'll disagree but to me, it just seems like it's trying too hard to be similar to SEED. And the preview was, in one word, pimporama. Of course you'd expect it to be like that, but they really showed off the commercial clout that everyone has in that show by showing how they could *gasp* show clips from other anime and Gundam models because it's
Sunrise. (But yay! Planetes!!) In other words it felt like they were overhyping it too much. You know it's gotten down to ridiculous when they're happily showing the stupidity of all those idols getting
interviewed in a bikini and doing totally irrelevant things and making it look like a good thing. Shucks.
The thing is Suzaku and Lelouch's relationship is REALLY hinting very strongly at Kira and Athrun. I think they realised that many fans enjoyed that aspect of SEED more than anything else and are capitalising on it to create a similar reaction to this show.
I agree about what someone said regarding the seiyuu - don't waste Sakurai on a good guy! If you've got someone like Lelouch you should have him voice him. (I hope this means they'll do something like totally swap their characters aroudn halfway through the show or something, though) I like Sakurai though...
I guses I'd be happier if they didn't have the whole 'mystical girl suddenly appears!!1" aspect. Already I want to kick CC out of the show, it's so tiredly cliche I thought they'd start phasing it out of mainstream shows by now but nooope...
Well, despite them claiming that it's a "show with reality like no other", I kind of doubt it, really. Just look at the ruler of Britannia (or his son or whoever) - it's so anime-like and overdressed and overdramatic... Surely he could have toned down a bit and instead delivered his drama in more subtle, effective ways like eye movement or convincing gestures? Nope, they can't do that... I don't know if they could sensibly and fairly portray terrorism and the mindsets supporting it as wel as those against it.
But... after all I'm an anime fan and I can enjoy these things so instead I'll try to just enjoy it as a fun show - don't think, feel... squee over Lelouch every now and then... One interesting thing is how Taniguchi said that anyone should be able to find someone in the anime who they can empathize with. Hope the one I like doesn't die tragically while the ones I hate live on.
FLOW's song sounded good - the "punch" soudned a bit too much like the one for Eureka 7 though, but hey, it's probably going to be stuck in my head anyway. The opening animation to this must surely be very good
.
I guess I sound awfully negative, but at least it'll definitely have decent production values, and it'll be
fun. (Generically speaking) If it can't even be fun then that's utter failure but I doubt it'll be that. Surely will be 1000x better than Blood+.
I suppose my disappointment probably stems from my "base-expectations-too-much-off-staff" attitude which more often than not will lead to disappointment. But with the Okouchi/Taniguchi combi I really was hoping for something new - guess the producer influence and demands still holds out strong. Hope we'll see something really good show through as the show airs though.
As an omake
here is a hanken drawn by Yuriko Chiba. I wish they gave her the character designing from the start, she would have interpreted CLAMP's designs better than the (IMO) overglossy, over-SEED-esque designs of Takahiro Kimura...
Oh yes, like Nightingale said, the whole power-coming-from-Lelouch's eye is so reminiscent of SEED that I... well... sigh. Well, 5 weeks later we'll see if I completely rescind my statements and hail Taniguchi as God, or I give up on this show. :P