Food for thought
Aug. 5th, 2007 04:44 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
thekingsgambitI love Celiss from GameFAQs because our takes on Lelouch are almost entirely the same. She maintains some semblance of sanity there. Both of these quote sections come from her.
"About Zero and Euphie:
I really think Lelouch didn't have a choice about Euphie. Consider:
- Zero had already set an example early on with the killing of Clovis, who massacred the Japanese in the Shinjuku Ghetto; Geass'd Euphie was after the death of all Japanese. Zero would be regarded as something of a hypocrite if he let her off.
(This reminds me of how King Arthur had no choice but to sentence Guinevere to death at the stake because of the moral code he himself drew up and was trying to enforce in his kingdom)
- Even if they caught her and kept her shut up, Geass'd Euphie was never, ever going to be able to live a normal life. She would probably spend her whole life shouting for Japanese blood. Even if they somehow manage to remove the Geass on her, she would never be happy knowing what she'd done. Suzaku had to lie to her in the end so she could die in peace.
- Zero knew that Euphie was a lost cause, and because of that his first priority changed to that of saving the Japanese, which meant stopping Euphie at all costs, and quickly. Listen to the urgency in his voice when he tells his Knights to save the Japanese at the end of episode 22, especially when he says "hurry!".
- The only way to salvage Euphie's vision of an "independent Japan" (which you have to admit, wasn't exactly independent the moment Euphie "gave" it to the Japanese and further called it the "Specially Administered Zone") was to win genuine independence from the Britannians. Zero may seem like a horrible person to further lie and tarnish Euphie's name like that when she was dying, but Lelouch has always been practical. Like ruta said, he isn't one to mourn and mope, and the best way to do Euphie justice is to not let her dream of independence die along with her. If Zero had left the scene then and not rallied the Japanese together, probably Cornelia or Schneizel would have stepped back in to regain control of Area 11.
Besides, haven't you ever wondered why it is we never got to see Lelouch's expression at all when he makes his "United States of Japan" speech? I think it might be because his expression would have betrayed his feelings, which ties in with how Lelouch's expression in episode 13's funeral scene was changed in the DVD version.
- As stated in the magazines and interviews, the difference between Suzaku and Lelouch is that while Suzaku has to repeatedly justify his past actions in order to continue on (his "Father had to die in that war!" line in episode 5 takes on a very creepy meaning once you realize what he's talking about), to the point of creating a false personality (Boku-Suzaku), Lelouch acknowledges his own sins and chooses to carry the burden. Not once did he try to justify Euphie's death to himself, and that's what I like about the confession scene with C.C. in episode 23 -- he knows what he did and what he's in for. Euphie is now the cross Lelouch has to carry throughout his life.
Suzaku is always caught in the past (all the imagery of broken clocks from the shock image in episode 11 + his father's pocket-watch, which stopped at the exact moment his father died), unable to move on, while Lelouch picks himself up and carries on, no matter how difficult it may be. When it comes to emotional strength, Lelouch >>>>>>>>>> Suzaku, IMO.
As for why Lelouch "abandoned" his Knights in episode 25:
- Nunnally is, has been, and always will be Lelouch's motivation for living. If Nunnally dies, I think there's a 95% chance Lelouch will kill himself. She's that important to him.
Unless he has someone else there to guide him, Lelouch has never been able to keep a clear head when Nunnally is in danger. In episode 16:
- He failed to notice the sound of running water in the background when Mao was talking to him on the phone. As Suzaku commented later, usually Lelouch wouldn't have missed something like that.
- When Suzaku and Lelouch finally get to Nunnally, Lelouch goes "Hang on Nunnally! I'll get you down from there!" -- completely failing to notice the bomb hanging above her.
I guess this also explains why Lelouch chose all the wrong words at the end of episode 25 >__>
I think someone (either in this topic or elsewhere) complained about Lelouch being emo instead of giving orders to his Knights while he and C.C. were flying towards Kaminejima, but I'm pretty sure Gawain was out of range by that time >__>"
Read more.
----
Also the whole Lamperouge thing. Seriously, if it's his mother's name, that would make him stupid in a way that's wholly out of character. I don't know where he got it, but until I get official word, it's not hers. This is probably one of the few times I'll accept something the novels say as canon because it just makes sense as to why Lelouch continues to use his first name.
"About why Lelouch only threw half his name away:
- As C.C. mentioned in episode 10, him not being able to throw away his WHOLE name showed that he still isn't capable of giving up his past.
- This is further expanded on in the Stage 1 novel, in which C.C. notes to herself that Lelouch didn't change his or Nunnally's first names because he was still too attached to the people who used to call their names with affection (Marianne and Euphie for Lelouch -- this ties in to how Euphie never called Lelouch "Lelouch-nii-sama" but instead calls him by his first name, which is actually considered somewhat rude in Japan for younger siblings) In short, Lelouch still wanted to hold on to his memories of them, to remember every time someone calls him "Lelouch" that there used to be two (or more) special people in his life who called him that as well. To change his name now would be like denying those moments ever existed.
Also, if Marianne had been the one who gave Lelouch and Nunnally their names (not the Emperor), I can see why Lelouch wouldn't want to change them. He's just much too sentimental to be true villain material, really >__>"
"About Zero and Euphie:
I really think Lelouch didn't have a choice about Euphie. Consider:
- Zero had already set an example early on with the killing of Clovis, who massacred the Japanese in the Shinjuku Ghetto; Geass'd Euphie was after the death of all Japanese. Zero would be regarded as something of a hypocrite if he let her off.
(This reminds me of how King Arthur had no choice but to sentence Guinevere to death at the stake because of the moral code he himself drew up and was trying to enforce in his kingdom)
- Even if they caught her and kept her shut up, Geass'd Euphie was never, ever going to be able to live a normal life. She would probably spend her whole life shouting for Japanese blood. Even if they somehow manage to remove the Geass on her, she would never be happy knowing what she'd done. Suzaku had to lie to her in the end so she could die in peace.
- Zero knew that Euphie was a lost cause, and because of that his first priority changed to that of saving the Japanese, which meant stopping Euphie at all costs, and quickly. Listen to the urgency in his voice when he tells his Knights to save the Japanese at the end of episode 22, especially when he says "hurry!".
- The only way to salvage Euphie's vision of an "independent Japan" (which you have to admit, wasn't exactly independent the moment Euphie "gave" it to the Japanese and further called it the "Specially Administered Zone") was to win genuine independence from the Britannians. Zero may seem like a horrible person to further lie and tarnish Euphie's name like that when she was dying, but Lelouch has always been practical. Like ruta said, he isn't one to mourn and mope, and the best way to do Euphie justice is to not let her dream of independence die along with her. If Zero had left the scene then and not rallied the Japanese together, probably Cornelia or Schneizel would have stepped back in to regain control of Area 11.
Besides, haven't you ever wondered why it is we never got to see Lelouch's expression at all when he makes his "United States of Japan" speech? I think it might be because his expression would have betrayed his feelings, which ties in with how Lelouch's expression in episode 13's funeral scene was changed in the DVD version.
- As stated in the magazines and interviews, the difference between Suzaku and Lelouch is that while Suzaku has to repeatedly justify his past actions in order to continue on (his "Father had to die in that war!" line in episode 5 takes on a very creepy meaning once you realize what he's talking about), to the point of creating a false personality (Boku-Suzaku), Lelouch acknowledges his own sins and chooses to carry the burden. Not once did he try to justify Euphie's death to himself, and that's what I like about the confession scene with C.C. in episode 23 -- he knows what he did and what he's in for. Euphie is now the cross Lelouch has to carry throughout his life.
Suzaku is always caught in the past (all the imagery of broken clocks from the shock image in episode 11 + his father's pocket-watch, which stopped at the exact moment his father died), unable to move on, while Lelouch picks himself up and carries on, no matter how difficult it may be. When it comes to emotional strength, Lelouch >>>>>>>>>> Suzaku, IMO.
As for why Lelouch "abandoned" his Knights in episode 25:
- Nunnally is, has been, and always will be Lelouch's motivation for living. If Nunnally dies, I think there's a 95% chance Lelouch will kill himself. She's that important to him.
Unless he has someone else there to guide him, Lelouch has never been able to keep a clear head when Nunnally is in danger. In episode 16:
- He failed to notice the sound of running water in the background when Mao was talking to him on the phone. As Suzaku commented later, usually Lelouch wouldn't have missed something like that.
- When Suzaku and Lelouch finally get to Nunnally, Lelouch goes "Hang on Nunnally! I'll get you down from there!" -- completely failing to notice the bomb hanging above her.
I guess this also explains why Lelouch chose all the wrong words at the end of episode 25 >__>
I think someone (either in this topic or elsewhere) complained about Lelouch being emo instead of giving orders to his Knights while he and C.C. were flying towards Kaminejima, but I'm pretty sure Gawain was out of range by that time >__>"
Read more.
----
Also the whole Lamperouge thing. Seriously, if it's his mother's name, that would make him stupid in a way that's wholly out of character. I don't know where he got it, but until I get official word, it's not hers. This is probably one of the few times I'll accept something the novels say as canon because it just makes sense as to why Lelouch continues to use his first name.
"About why Lelouch only threw half his name away:
- As C.C. mentioned in episode 10, him not being able to throw away his WHOLE name showed that he still isn't capable of giving up his past.
- This is further expanded on in the Stage 1 novel, in which C.C. notes to herself that Lelouch didn't change his or Nunnally's first names because he was still too attached to the people who used to call their names with affection (Marianne and Euphie for Lelouch -- this ties in to how Euphie never called Lelouch "Lelouch-nii-sama" but instead calls him by his first name, which is actually considered somewhat rude in Japan for younger siblings) In short, Lelouch still wanted to hold on to his memories of them, to remember every time someone calls him "Lelouch" that there used to be two (or more) special people in his life who called him that as well. To change his name now would be like denying those moments ever existed.
Also, if Marianne had been the one who gave Lelouch and Nunnally their names (not the Emperor), I can see why Lelouch wouldn't want to change them. He's just much too sentimental to be true villain material, really >__>"