The hero of Code Geass, Lelouch Lamperouge (c) SUNRISE/PROJECT GEASS•MBS Character Design (c) 2006 CLAMP

Anime Dream Team
The setting for this drama, which began airing in October, is Japan under the occupation of the Holy Britannia Empire. The Empire is in the process of conquering the entire planet through overwhelming military force owing to its use of humanoid robots known as Knightmare Frames, and Japan is a colony known as Area 11. Into this situation step an ambitious high school student named Lelouch and his childhood friend Suzaku, who has a strong sense of justice. They resist the Empire as the "black prince" and the "white knight."

The show is being broadcast late at night on just 10 regional channels, not on any national network, but this has not stopped it from gaining an enthusiastic fan base. What enabled it to attract so many fans was the first-class lineup of its production team. The characters were designed by CLAMP, an all-female group of manga artists known for its work on the TV anime series Card Captor Sakura and other productions. This joint production between CLAMP and Sunrise has been labeled the "dream collaboration."

The director, the creator of the series, and the chief animator were all involved in the production of Planetes, a critically acclaimed anime series that won the Seiun Award for Best Comic of the Year in 2002. All of them had experience working on such projects as the Gundam series, Eureka Seven, and Brave Story. Many other members of the staff and the cast also gained renown for working on such popular robot-themed anime as Eureka Seven and Gun Sword.

C.C.,a mysterious girl whom Lelouch meets (c) SUNRISE/PROJECT GEASS•MBS Character Design (c) 2006 CLAMP

Breaking New Ground
The fact that so many big names were involved inevitably meant that fans would have massive expectations of the new series. And while the series naturally boasts the kind of innovative robots that Gundam fans demand, it offers much more on top of that. Lelouch and the other characters are exquisitely drawn, the story is quite elaborate, and the visual expression is stunning. The combination of these elements has wowed anime fans all over Japan.

Because there are many parts of Japan where the show is not broadcast, it is also being shown on the Internet, and DVDs are slated to hit store shelves in January 2007. In addition, Code Geass is already going multimedia, as it has been made into a manga that has begun running in a monthly comic magazine, and there are plans for a video game, too. This is quite an impressive showing for an anime that just a short time ago could only be seen on a few stations late at night.

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Copyright (c) 2006 Web Japan. Edited by Japan Echo Inc. based on domestic Japanese news sources. Articles presented here are offered for reference purposes and do not necessarily represent the policy or views of the Japanese Government.