Code Geass : Lelouch of the Rebellion Part 2 Limited Edition

Happiness and relief, two words I’m choosing with the latest release from Bandai Entertainment. I viewed the two volumes today once on a standard dvd player and a second time on the PS3. The reason for viewing on a standard dvd player is simple. If you received the first set of volumes from Bandai, the initial shipment of discs were riddled with encoding problems. The results of these errors varied from one dvd player to another, even the PS3 could not power past some of the issues.

I am pleased to say the Denon dvd player played every single second without issues. I watched every single second on each volume, extras included, and found not one solitary problem. No pauses, no skips in playback, etc… Here it is a flawless release from Bandai, a step in the right direction for the release of this series. The playback on the PS3 with the upconverting is truly amazing. I will say time and time again Anime on a PS3 (or upconverting dvd player) to a high def tv is the way to go. Older releases may or may not look at as good as this, but going back as far as 2003-2004 the are shows (ie. RahXephon) that look outstanding.

The audio even though it’s in English and Japanese 2.0 is still nice to hear on a surround system. If you don’t have a surround system then it’s not a problem at all. I would love to see Code Geass in 5.1 to truly rock the walls and piss off the neighbors at 9:00 am. Also included are some commentaries, for episodes 11 and 14, these are nice to listen to if you have the time. My complaint is that there are only two commentaries. I like a good commentary and I’d like to have more of them.

For fans of Japanese audio and subs, you will be pleased with the subs this time around. The first release had some typos with the subs, there’s only a couple but if you’re a detail freak like me you’ll spot them. This time around it looks like the QC department fixed everything and made sure it was all accurate. For fans of the English dub, the strong and consistent voice acting keeps it going. I’m very pleased with the casting and talent involved. It’s not perfect but having Crispin Freeman and Johnny Young Bosch in the same cast has an amazing flair to it.

That covers the dvd aspects, but there were other goodies with this release that helped make it worthwhile. I am not a huge manga collector though I do enjoy a good series. It’s a good inclusion, as are the booklets and mini-comic. Fair warning at mild spoilers with the booklets, nothing major but there’s a couple tidbits in there. Lastly, is the sound episode cd #2, though I have yet to actually listen to any of the sound cd’s. However, the wide variety of goodies and nothing insanely cheap inside makes the LE worth its purchase. If extra goodies are not important then the regular edition is a great path. I do highly recommend picking up the actual set of Part 2 instead of the individual volumes. There is a price difference going that route especially if you buy online.

After a first release plagued with encoding problems Bandai has brought out a flawless release. If you like Code Geass and don’t want to wait for a complete set in about a year this is the way to go. If you like anime with a strong story, compelling characters or awesome action then this one is for you. I give this release 5 out of 5 Kallen kisses!