Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Kiseki no Birthday Omake Flash

Please before you proceed reading this, for the sake of avoiding critical spoilers, we're talking end of the game spoilers here. In case you're still not finished with the main storyline, just give this your back and come back some other time, that is, in case you still insist on giving this a shot. “Sometimes I wonder what's behind---”, that's a good lyric from Glassy Sky, an amazing soundtrack from Tokyo Ghoul, but that's beyond the scoop of these few paragraphs. I really don't fully understand why is this a standalone thing and what were they intending from it to be. All, in short, it's looking to be somewhere after the events of the two major installments of the franchise, after Lelouch and Suzaku are presumably “dead” and they happened to get caught by some stupid mistake in a very humorous and unserious way. They were talking and hitting towards a new upcoming series, so I don't know if that was a sneaky advertisement to something to come?! - Art (2/10): Very lazy and deformed, not event in a noticeable Chibi style, they all looked like an elementary school drawing with no motion what so ever, like a play carved onto card piece and being moved statically by hand with no depth to them. - Sound (1/10): There was literally none, no soundtracks, no voice acting, nothing but pointless sound effects, nothing to give more context at all. - Enjoyment: (4/10): Huge mixed up feelings about this, I really don't get the core idea but still appreciated the second sighting of humourous Code Geass characters. Probably the strongest thing this got going on is its short length, otherwise, it would have been a torture to sit through it all. - Overall (2.3/10): Unless you were that eager to get into this, there is nothing of value in seeing it other than waste another 3 minutes of your life, and life is very expensive.

You know, I have just finished Code Geass recently, and I really enjoyed it. So, I've been going through MAL to find some more Code Geass content so I could enjoy the show just a little bit more. I found picture dramas (wonderful), a Spin-Off, movies, recaps, and then this. This was not enjoyable. Now, i recommend you do not watch this until AFTER you watch the show, because it contains a huge spoiler. (even though i recommend you don't watch it AT ALL) Our story begins- oh right, there is hardly a story. The short starts off with 2 characters we don't even know, talking about things the viewers could honestly care less about. It cuts to Lelouch and Suzaku, dressed up in "disguises", and then Lelouch uses his Geass on one of the girls to make her call a boy she likes. That's it. That's the whole special. Now, one of my main problems with this special, is who the hell are these girls. I honestly have no clue. They might be somebody from the show, but the art was too bad for me to tell. Overall, I give it a 2. I didn't give it a 1 just for the sake of Code geass.

An extremely forgettable and difficult-to-recommend bonus feature. I confess that it was difficult to find anything positive in Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Kiseki no Birthday Omake Flash. Even though it's just bonus content and clearly not intended to be a major production, the final result seemed so limited that it's hard to see any reason to recommend it. The first difficulty begins even before watching it. This special is relatively difficult to find and, when found, is usually only in its original version. At least in my experience, I couldn't find any available translation, which already makes following the narrative quite complicated for those who don't understand Japanese. But even ignoring the language barrier, the work presents problems that go far beyond that. The animation is practically nonexistent. Most of the time, we have static images of the characters accompanied by small texts displayed on the screen. At times, the feeling is closer to flipping through pages of a digital manga than watching an actual animation. Even this comparison ends up being generous, since manga at least has the strength of the written narrative to sustain the experience. Another factor that greatly hampered my engagement was the absence of dialogue. Without dubbing and with an extremely limited visual presentation, it's difficult to create any connection with what's happening. As a result, the experience becomes monotonous and uninteresting from beginning to end. The narrative didn't help either. Whether due to the lack of translation or the way the content is presented, I couldn't engage with the special's premise at any point. Everything seems very superficial and pointless, like promotional material produced only as a curiosity for the most dedicated fans of the franchise. If there's one thing I liked, it was the character design. The chibi style used here has a certain charm and manages to yield some fun expressions. It's not exactly the type of visual I like most, but I recognize that some care was taken in this part of the production. Unfortunately, this is practically the only aspect I can highlight positively. Ultimately, Kiseki no Birthday Omake Flash is one of those extras that adds very little to the overall Code Geass experience. Its extremely limited presentation, lack of accessibility for an international audience, and absence of truly interesting elements make it seem more like an archival curiosity than a work worth seeking out to watch. Even considering its promotional nature and short duration, it was a rather weak experience for me. Rating: 2/10 =================================================================================================================Versão em Português===================================== Um extra extremamente esquecível e difícil de recomendar Confesso que foi difícil encontrar algo de positivo em Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch - Kiseki no Birthday Omake Flash. Mesmo sendo apenas um conteúdo bônus e claramente sem a pretensão de ser uma grande produção, o resultado final me pareceu tão limitado que fica complicado enxergar algum motivo para recomendá-lo. A primeira dificuldade já começa antes mesmo de assistir. Esse especial é relativamente difícil de encontrar e, quando encontrado, normalmente está apenas em sua versão original. Pelo menos na minha experiência, não consegui encontrar qualquer tradução disponível, o que já torna o acompanhamento da narrativa bastante complicado para quem não entende japonês. Mas mesmo ignorando a barreira do idioma, a obra apresenta problemas que vão muito além disso. A animação praticamente não existe. Na maior parte do tempo, temos imagens estáticas dos personagens acompanhadas por pequenos textos exibidos na tela. Em alguns momentos, a sensação é mais próxima de estar folheando páginas de um mangá digital do que assistindo a uma animação propriamente dita. E mesmo essa comparação acaba sendo generosa, já que mangás pelo menos contam com a força da narrativa escrita para sustentar a experiência. Outro fator que prejudicou bastante meu envolvimento foi a ausência de falas. Sem dublagem e com uma apresentação extremamente limitada visualmente, fica difícil criar qualquer conexão com o que está acontecendo. Como resultado, a experiência acaba se tornando monótona e pouco interessante do começo ao fim. A narrativa também não ajudou. Seja pela falta de tradução ou pela própria forma como o conteúdo é apresentado, não consegui me envolver com a proposta do especial em momento algum. Tudo parece muito superficial e sem propósito, como um material promocional produzido apenas para existir como curiosidade para os fãs mais dedicados da franquia. Se existe algo que gostei, foi o design dos personagens. O estilo chibi utilizado aqui possui um certo charme e consegue render algumas expressões divertidas. Não é exatamente o tipo de visual que mais me agrada, mas reconheço que houve algum cuidado nessa parte da produção. Infelizmente, esse é praticamente o único aspecto que consigo destacar de forma positiva. No final das contas, Kiseki no Birthday Omake Flash é um daqueles extras que acrescentam muito pouco à experiência geral de Code Geass. Sua apresentação extremamente limitada, a falta de acessibilidade para o público internacional e a ausência de elementos realmente interessantes fazem com que ele pareça mais uma curiosidade de arquivo do que uma obra que vale a pena procurar para assistir. Mesmo levando em consideração seu caráter promocional e sua curta duração, foi uma experiência bastante fraca para mim. Nota: 2/10