Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation (Code Geass: Hangyaku no Lelouch I – Koudou) is a 2017 original theatrical anime film directed by Gorou Taniguchi and written by Ichirou Oukouchi, and animated by studio Sunrise. The film was theatrically released in Japan on October 2017, and is the first of three in a compilation series recapping the events of the 2006 television series Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion.
Brief Unboxing Note:
This unboxing was first posted back in November 2018, however I had decided to go back and provide improved photos as well as additional context so that it is more accurate.
Background:
“In a world dominated by the Holy Empire of Britannia, most of the globe has been conquered and forced into submission by this behemoth of a superpower. Japan, now renamed Area 11 after its defeat at the hands of the Empire, continues to harbour pockets of seemingly futile resistance that seems powerless in the face of the might before them.
Enter Lelouch Lamperouge, an exiled Britannian prince hidden away under a false name in Area 11 – harbouring a deep hatred for the empire which has forsaken him, he grabs the chance to fight back when a mysterious power known as “Geass” is bestowed upon him, and begins working from the shadows to bring Britannia to its knees as the faceless leader of Area 11’s resistance.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, November 2018
Back in 2006, Sunrise aired an original anime series that eventually became one of the biggest shows for both Japan and the international anime community. That show being Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion. The series was distributed by Bandai Entertainment and got dubbed along the way.
Eventually Bandai Entertainment and Beez Entertainment, both of whom handled the main series in the United States and United Kingdom, lost the rights and they were eventually passed on to Funimation in the US, and KAZE followed by Manga Entertainment in the UK for a Blu-ray release.
While the main series, which had two seasons known as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion and Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2, was readily available, eventually the 10th anniversary of the franchise passed and studio Sunrise as well as director Gorou Taniguchi decided to revisit the franchise once again after wrapping up the 5 episode OVA series Code Geass: Akito the Exiled with a movie compilation series.
The movie compilation series, simply known as Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Trilogy, essentially compiles all 50 episodes across three feature-length theatrical films with about 7 hours runtime in total. The biggest attraction to the film series was the idea that it would redo the conclusion of the original series.
That being said however, the films were reportedly pretty messy and that is mainly true to its second film, which I’ll talk about soon. Regardless, the films are not newcomer friendly in all honestly and is best suited for those who had watched the original series and wanted a refresher in general in preparation for the recent film Code Geass: Lelouch of the Re;surrection, which takes place in the same verse as the film trilogy.
For the home video release, UK distributor Anime Limited acquired the rights for the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Trilogy this time around, and released the films separately as at the time it had no other English release. Rather than waiting for an English dub to be produced by someone like Funimation who had the US & Canada rights (which was eventually released subtitled only), Anime Limited decided to get the film out there as soon as possible similar to what Madman did with Code Geass: Akito the Exiled.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation recaps the first 17 episodes of the first season of the anime. New scenes are included, though are mainly to provide some context to specific parts of the story or plot points throughout.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
As previously mentioned, Anime Limited released the films in the Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion Trilogy individually and as collector’s edition sets that mirror the distributor’s style for their releases. Though it does not share a digipack because it is a single disc release, the overall look is pretty decent in general.
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation offers a rigid box and inside an Amaray case housing the film. The physical contents include a fold out poster and a couple of art cards to go alongside the set.
The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray has 1000 units printed for an SRP of £34.99. There is currently no word on how a standard edition Blu-ray will be handled, whether as a complete trilogy set or not. Don’t expect a DVD release either. I pre-ordered the film during its early bird for £19.99.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 8 Art Cards
- 34x40cm Fold-out poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 26th November 2018
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation contains the entire film on a single Blu-ray disc. The encode and authoring were done by Anime Limited via an undisclosed individual who’s worked on a couple of UK anime releases. The audio options available for the film include Japanese with English subtitles.
The white subtitles are locked during playback, and the regions are locked to B for Blu-ray.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | Japanese |
| Audio | Japanese Linear PCM 2.0 Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 16:9 aspect ratio |
| Region | B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | Yes |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
No extras included on this disc
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion I: Initiation is currently no longer available to order and has been out of print for an unspecific amount of time.
The Normanic Vault 