Online, the mocking voices were everywhere:
"They promised Code Geass was a hype-filled, satisfying show! Episode 14 was anything but satisfying!"
"They advertised it as a hype-fest while dumping emotional trauma on us in the animation. Talk about deceptive marketing!"
"I wondered why the official channels were suddenly hyping Code Geass as a hype-fest. Now I see—they wanted to trick people who hate depressing shows into watching before the suffering started. How insidious!"
"It's only episode 14, and they're already pulling this crap. This doesn't bode well for the future."
"Anyone who got hooked because they heard it was a hype-fest is probably going to have a mental breakdown."
"The Narita Mountain Range battle in episode 10 was so electrifying! Lelouch's string of brilliant moves was so satisfying. I never expected Shirley to stab him in the back right after."
"I have a feeling the Male Lead might succeed in destroying the Britannian Empire, but he'll probably lose all his friends and become a lonely king."
Of course, many people were also discussing the plot in earnest:
"Who exactly is that guy with the headphones? And why does he also have Geass?"
"I bet Lelouch will have to find a way to eliminate that guy next. Knowing there's another Geass user out there would probably keep him up at night."
"I feel sorry for that guy, but Shirley's situation is even more tragic. After having her memories erased, she doesn't even recognize Lelouch anymore. How sad."
"I used to think Shirley was just a pretty but useless doll. Now... sigh, my feelings are complicated."
"The final insert song, 'Disguise,' was so fitting. Listening to it while watching that scene... it was so heartbreaking."
"Maybe forgetting is for the best. Unlike Karen and C.C., Shirley only knows Lelouch. To her, Zero is her father's murderer, and that's the only connection she has. She could never have ended up with Lelouch anyway, so becoming strangers might actually be a good thing."
"I hope they don't torment Shirley anymore. Let her graduate from school peacefully and do what she wants, without getting involved in Lelouch's life anymore."
Shirley's storyline was quite controversial, and the animation's official misleading advertising only fueled the discussion, leading to a genuine increase in the anime's popularity and buzz.
Unfortunately, the climax still wasn't explosive enough to elevate the anime to phenomenal status.
L.S. Production, Conference Room
During the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion promotional meeting, after Nanase Mayumi finished presenting the latest data, Lin Zhiyan pondered for a few seconds before making a decision: "We'll run a standard promotional campaign for one week, then resume using the 'thrilling' tag next week."
The room fell silent.
Without further explanation, Lin Zhiyan instructed Mayumi to implement the new strategy.
Shirley's storyline was undeniably unpleasant to watch, making the "thrilling" tag unsuitable for this week's promotion.
However, they couldn't completely abandon the "thrilling" tag for Code Geass now; doing so would undermine the campaign's effectiveness and be as good as abandoning it halfway.
A week of standard promotion would allow Shirley's lost memories to properly "mourn" their "seventh day" of absence. This would suffice. They couldn't completely stop the misleading advertising.
While Shirley's arc was frustrating to watch, it wasn't truly tragic—after all, no one had died yet. The real tragedy would come when a major character met their end.
In the current situation, there was still room for interpretation. The series could still be defended as a "power fantasy" show, with just a touch of melodrama mixed in. This wouldn't change its fundamental nature.
Moreover, even though episodes 12 through 14 were a little bleak, the following episodes would return to the series' signature thrills.
Especially episodes 15 and 16, which focused on Lelouch's intellectual battle against the Headphone Man, the one who had incited Shirley to kill him. The Headphone Man possessed the mysterious ability to read minds, hearing the thoughts of anyone within a 500-meter radius, except for C.C.
With his thoughts and plans being read, Lelouch still managed to outmaneuver the Headphone Man, further highlighting his brilliant intellect while delivering plenty of satisfying moments.
The ending was equally satisfying. The Headphone Man, who had failed to use Nunnally as leverage against Lelouch, fled in panic. As he burst through the gate, he ran straight into C.C., who had just returned, and was shot dead by her.
This was a fitting revenge for the earlier incident.
Through these events, Lelouch and C.C.'s relationship deepened, becoming even more intimate.
In short, the story continued to unfold in a satisfyingly thrilling manner.
In episode 17, Toudou of the Japan Liberation Front was captured.
Toudou was a skilled warrior, commanding the "Four Holy Swords," his elite subordinates.
The Four Holy Swords approached the Black Knights, requesting Toudou's rescue. Lelouch led the Black Knights in the operation, successfully rescuing Toudou and bringing him and the Four Holy Swords under his command. During the ensuing massive battle, they nearly disabled the previously invincible Lancelot—undoubtedly a highlight for the audience.
Although Lancelot's outer shell was destroyed, revealing Suzaku as the pilot, Lelouch was devastated to learn that the Lancelot he had long hated was actually piloted by his close friend, Suzaku. However, he quickly regained his composure.
In episodes 18 and 19, Euphemia appointed Suzaku as her knight. Meanwhile, the Britannian Empire's second prince, Schneizel, arrived in Neon.
While Euphemia and the others were at the airport, Lelouch led the Black Knights in a surprise attack, once again disabling the Lancelot.
If Lelouch hadn't cared so much about his friend and been unwilling to kill Suzaku, Suzaku would have been dead long ago.
Because he cared so much, he ended up being held hostage by Suzaku. Under the bombardment of the Britannian Empire's ground-to-air missiles, he nearly died. In the end, he used his King's Power to command Suzaku, "Live on," allowing him to escape. However, he was then struck by a high-energy particle cannon from the airship carrying the second prince, Schneizel, and washed ashore on a deserted island.
On the deserted island, Lelouch and Euphemia stayed together, while Suzaku and Karen stayed together.
Euphemia called out Lelouch's name, and for the second time in front of outsiders, he removed his helmet.
Even though she now knew that Zero was Lelouch, Euphemia had no intention of revealing his identity.
The two spent the night together, and the next day, they found Karen and Suzaku.
Lelouch reunited with Karen and, through a series of coincidences, managed to steal an Imperial flight mecha, successfully escaping.
It's still so satisfying after several episodes.
So, as long as we promote it as a weekly "cool" series for a month and then continue to promote it as a "cool" series, there won't be any problems.
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