Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2 - Episode 6

As cliffhangers go, the ending to episode five of Code Geass R2 was up there with the best of them - A real Oh My Goodness What The Flip moment. If you thought that Suzaku still had any distance left to drop as biggest asshole in the history of anime, that was the moment he made that final fall, using Lelouch's own sister Nunnally to try and prove once and for all that Lelouch is still Zero and that his memories have been regained.

Thanks to (ironically) a timely intervention by Rollo, Lelouch lives to fight the other day, immediately launching a typically audacious bid to rescue/kidnap (depending on how you look at it) Nunnally, who is about to be unveiled as the new Governor of Area 11. Cue one very action packed episode, including some pretty impressive upgrades for Kallen's Knightmare, and without a glimpse of fan service in sight!

Episode six of Code Geass R2 really returns us to the front line after the distractions of last week, delivering the typical kind of fast-paced action and against the clock battles that are one of the hallmarks of the show, and indeed mecha-based anime in general. While Lelouch's tactical efforts didn't seem to be at their peak as you always hope for, his Geass was used cleverly to give him the space he needed once again, another hallmark of this show. Away from the action, we got to see and find out a little more about V.V. and his relationship to the Emporer, which adds another layer of interest to the already heady mix.

So, something of a return to form for Code Geass here all in all - Not an absolute belter, but action-packed enough to get away with it, while still leaving us with plenty of questions as to how and if Lelouch can handle his current situation with Nunnally without damaging either her, himself, or his entire plan to destroy Brittania. I guess we'll just have to stay tuned...