Atarashii Prelude

Code Geass R2 Turn 03: Toki Wo Tomeru Shounen

In typical Lelouch fashion, our ever devious protagonist pulls off the old switcharoo and manages to fool Rollo into thinking that the Zero on screen is indeed someone else, with Viletta present to reinforce his alibi.

Even Kallen took the bait, as she praises C.C who was in the Zero outfit at that point in time, only to be ridiculed by the latter after she openly sounds off for being left in the lurch.

For the time being with the suspicion that he is Zero back on Green Status, Lelouch is able to resume his normal school life despite the fact he's being constantly monitored 24/7

Lelouch, being who he is, contemplates the options available to him. Since he had already Geass'ed Viletta before(and not for rape, mind you) he's got his fake brother left. However, like the gentleman that he is, Lelouch would much rather win Rollo over through tender loving than forceful means.

And then for some reason or another, we get a glimpse of the Strike Freedom Lancelot in some European battlefield, spouting hypocrisy and kicking ass.

Meanwhile, back at the Ashford Academy, there be some brotherly interaction between Lelouch and Rollo, as the former tries looking for traces of where Nunally might have been taken. Strangely enough, on the same date that is the loli's birthday, Lelouch presented Rollo with a locket of all things. I guess subconsciously he still felt that it was Nunally he was with. The siscon is strong with this one. Seeing Rollo get all agitated when Lelouch tried to retrieve it was pretty gay, to say the least.

Later, in a SECRET UNDERGROUND RECONNAISSANCE FACILITY just below the school, Rollo and Viletta were updating one another on things until a fellow member walked into their secret talk. The next scene practically left me in awe. From a pasty looking wuss with an unhealthy obsession over a person who isn't even related, Rollo goes into batshit insane mode as he unleashes ZA WARUDO in the vicinity and kills off the poor guy in cold blood. Rollo is now my favorite male Code Geass character.

On the surface, more obligatory Kallen fanservice, as she walks into a room where C.C was having a meeting with the Chinese ambassador and Xingke, clad only in a towel. It's okay girl, neither one of them have interest in tits anyway.

Things then get serious as in order to flush Zero out, Guilford announces that the captured Black Knights will be executed if he does not show up the next day. As he decides on his next move, Lelouch is interrupted by Shirley, who is lost on what to get for Viletta's birthday present. Lelouch volunteers to head out with her to the mall to pick something suitable, much to Shirley's joy. However, Rivalz overhears this and together with Milly, the duo tail the couple, with Rollo tagging along.

Since Code Geass is not some dumb harem show, what seems to be like a date for Shirley is actually Lelouch's plan to wreck havoc and lure out his pursuers. Through an elaborate plan regarding a bomb hoax, Lulu manages to cause panic in the shopping mall, sending everyone into disarray. Having lost sight of their target, the (not much)intelligence squad go into high alert to track down Lelouch who managed to slip out of their palms.

Rollo in turn rushes back to the observation room only to find no one there, until someone points a gun to his head. Unsurprisingly, it was Lelouch holding him at gunpoint, who celebrates his premature victory by revealing his identity in the process. The tables were then turned against him as Rollo uses ZA WARUDO yet again, taking the gun out of his so-called brother's hands, about to pull the trigger.

Meanwhile, chaos takes place at the embassy as Xingke goes berserk and takes down every Black Knight for some unknown reason.

Death Note much? The whole shopping mall was virtually identical to the latter in so many regards, I almost facepalm'ed at the blatant ripoff. With that said, the episode still turned out great, even if the ending was leaked a week ago. Witnessing first hand at Rollo's powers was another merit on its own, as it was a far departure from the other Geass abilities which mostly dealt with mindrapes and whatnot, as the user does not really get their hands dirty. Also, lawl cliffhangers. This highlights one of Lelouch's inherent weakness, as just like Light during crucial moments, he is too quick to declare victory, whereby he did not calculate the fact that Rollo had Geass which is to say not having a contingency plan against unknown factors, though the result of his blunder remains to be seen.