Much of what Code Geass: Rozé the Reconquest What’s missing is the unfortunate predictability. While the first episode was like singing a song with lyrics burned into your brain, the series quickly broke away from that pattern. The latest episode seems to be getting back into that pattern. While it has its own moments, the Neo-Britannian army, alongside Norland, just seem like a disappointing group of people out to cause chaos.

The ninth episode, Reset, follows the aftermath of the events. Many of the rebels had lost their lives and the survivors were barely able to be saved. On the other side, Sakuya and Ash finally came face to face.

Ash exceeds all expectations… until he doesn’t

Code Geass: Rozé the Reconquest kept a steady pace for how quickly things moved along. There was a lot to resolve and the rest to settle, with the big issue being Sakuya’s abuse of Ash’s younger and deceased brother. It’s not so much about indulging in cliches as it is about making things predictable and boring.

The Seven Shining Stars are suffering a great loss, and the very thought of moving on is accompanied by the crushing pressure of everything they’ve been through. As for Ash and Sakuya, much to my surprise, he actually shoots her, almost. The bullet narrowly misses her on purpose. While you’d expect him to then offer his support, instead he just walks away and allows her to be experimented on.

Just when things are no longer predictable, they start to falter. Scissorman orders Sakuya to use her magic on even more innocent people, and there’s not much she can do about it either. Just as she starts to use it, Ash attacks him from behind with his Knightmare. His unfathomable disgust for Sakuya and her actions clashes with his respect and loyalty for Sumeragi Jugo.

Code Geass: Rozé of the Recapture’s biggest problem

While the series itself is characterized by a steady pace with fairly entertaining episodes, there is one thing that stands out, and not in a good way. The Neobritan army and Norland are not as threatening as they seem. In an already established world, there are forces much stronger than Norland that could easily stop him. Although CC and Lelouch have taken to the sidelines as spectators, that doesn’t necessarily explain the Black Knights’ calm.

In a ruse for peace, Narah is sent to the United Nations to make a peace offer. Cornelia appears again in the series, this time with Gino. Both discussed how to outwit the armed forces, but were outwitted themselves. While Cornelia and Gilbert ask Kaguya for solutions, Norland launches unusual mechs that basically turn everything in their path to dust.

It’s a bloody coup that shows no mercy. While the blood was a welcome change, the endless cameos that followed made the plot seem almost contrived. Characters like Akito, Kaguya, Orpheus Zevon, and many others make appearances. Given the power many of them hold, it seems almost confusing why their appearances were just cameos and not viable characters.

Sakuya struggles with her faith

The impact and fear emanating from the Neo-Britannian forces seem thoroughly disappointing. Norland comes and goes in a way that makes him seem less and less threatening. It’s not his limited screen time that matters, but the ambiguity of his goals. If he wants to take over the world, he’ll need more than weapons of mass destruction.

Therefore, his goals of replicating the Geass become understandable. While the mechs are wreaking havoc, a surprising number of people start showing up. Not only the aforementioned characters from the original cast show up, but also Suzaku and Nunnally. Amazingly, Kallen wasn’t one of them.

At the same time, everyone is working on one plan or another, Sakuya is struggling with her own inner struggles, haunted by her actions, and unable to understand if she is worthy of this position. However, the best part of the episode, in my opinion, was Ash finding out about Raspberry.

After his whole world supposedly fell apart, Raspberry was the person closest to him. As he pondered why he hadn’t seen her in a while, Sakuya revealed the truth and the way his face paled was just endearingly entertaining.

Rating: 7.5/10

Code Geass: Rozé the Reconquest can be viewed on Hulu.