Code Geass: Lelouch of Brittania, Cal reflector

Title: Code Geass: Lelouch of Brittania
Author: Cal reflector
Category: Work In Progress (Chapters: 10 - Words: 26,178)
Rating: T
Genre: Drama/Adventure
Pairings: -
Link: FF.net
Summary: History often hinges on a moment. What if young Lelouch avoided the fate of exile and remained with the royal family? All roles become reversed. The tale of Lelouch's quest for power and vengeance as the Black Prince of the Empire.

Well, this has got to be the first Code Geass fanfic that doesn't totally and unconditionally suck...at least the first one I've encountered so far. It already is a rarity to find a CG-fic that exceeds a word count of 20k, but one that is actually decent? Who would have thought?

I liked it. Why? Here:
[spoiler]The basic premise isn't bad. It's a heavily AU 'What if Lulu had stayed in Britannia' plot that pays little to no attention to canon events. First of all, Lelouch has never even set foot on Japanese territory since he and his sister weren't shipped off as diplomatic tools. I'm not sure if the plot will ever move to Area 11, but the author seems to be able to find plenty of interesting battlegrounds for Lelouch to conquer. Next, there hasn't been a single mention of Geass, C.C, or anything else pertaining the supernatural yet. Again, it's not clear if Lelouch will get a Geass or come into contact with other prominent non-Britannian characters.

Lulu's first big campaign is in Africa and the way the author pulled that 'AU mission' off was pretty nice. He manages to keep Lelouch in character while still applying changes that reflect the different circumstances in this universe. Lelouch is still a tactical genius and holds much charisma, effectively allowing him to inspire his troups. The difference is that he hasn't come under the corrupting influence of an absolute power like the Geass (yet). He's basically a Lelouch that cares for his own troups and retainers, though I'd be careful about calling him caring.

In this AU, his mother was still murdered, Nunally was still crippled, his father is still an uncaring bastard, and the noble society is still a snake pit where everyone vies for power and influence. Lelouch grows up in this environment, he is still resentful towards his enemies and tries to find and crush the murderers of his mother. So, it's basically a Lelouch that never got a Geass - hates Britannia's society, his father and is on a jolly quest for revenge. He's just not as completely ruthless as he becomes after he gets his powers in canon, i.e. I can't see him betraying his own men, discarding them as mere chess pieces. Besides, this time, he grows up with a family that really cares about him. While the royal court is mostly comprised of greedy assholes, he still has Cornelia, Euphie, (even Schneizel to a small extent) and of course Nunally to keep him sane.

...Eh yeah, to cut my ramblings short, Me lieks:
- the way this Lelouch turned out
- good writing and plot
- nice insight into the workings of the Empire (nobility, politics, war policy, etc.)

The only things I disliked, though, not to a great extent are the following:

The language, while quite formidable and fitting for the most, can also turn into a bother sometimes. I actually kinda like his narrative style with the overly long and winded sentences, but it gave the conversations and thoughts an unrealistic touch at times.

Inspite of all of its good points and a good take on Britannia!Lulu, the story still fails to convey the feeling a Code Geass centered story should. I know that a big part of CG is about the scheming, planning, and mind games, but the other big part is about action (mecha-action in particular) and mystery/supernatural. This fic hasn't introduced much in the sense of action-laden mecha battles and great fighting scenes. It's more about the planning part and social interactions than real head-on mecha pwnage or the intricacies of the Geass. While I can appreciate the fic for its good job on the one side, I still miss the other important side. Without it, it just doesn't really feel like Code Geass.

Lelouch introductory speech to his men and the troup's British accent/slang kinda annoy me. It's another thing that I just didn't really want to see in a CG fic. I guess it's just that I'm so used to the subs of a Japanese anime, that any kind of cultural language butchering kinda irritates me.

Cheesy scenes...there aren't many, but I still had some 'roll-eyes' moments here and there, especially with the comedic duo Orange-kun&Purist#2. Some of the interactions were actually pretty funny, but then there were also some that were just corny.

I haven't followed this story before and just read the entire thing in one sitting, but the chapters aren't very long and the update rate seems to fluctuate. Not sure how this will play out, but I have a tendency to just ditch anything that doesn't update for too long.[/spoiler]

I just hope updates keep coming at a steady rate...and that maybe the word count/chapter picks up a bit. It's not something for mecha-crazed explosion fanatics, but I think it's an surprisingly good read for a fandom that's as underdeveloped and, frankly speaking, hopeless as CG.

4/5 (though I might be a bit too enthusiastic after finding my first enjoyable CG fic)

It's actually pretty good. Author says that we will be seeing Japan eventually and that he has no idea what he is going to do with C.C and Geass.

4/5. I would give it a 5/5 if the chapters were longer.

Agreed.

it's good, and very promising for now, but the chapters just seem too short...

Updated.

Geh! Tsk! Pff! Che! Meh...I really wish he'd just write longer chapters

Other than that, it was cool

Aye, chapter length and update rate is a problem. You would expect it to go quicker since there is less to write.

Heh, I like it.

Updated.

I really, really, hope the author goes i the direction I think he's going in in relation to the war.

Must say that is very enjoyable, although it took me several day to find the time to finish it.

Good grammar, and the italicized text really added more character to the story. It also helps the reader realize the kind of direction that the story will be headed, and it is a very refreshing idea and seems to portray a Lelouch of the same abilities but with a slightly different psychological makeup, which makes him slightly more endearing.

I'm not the type of person to give ratings, but if you have followed the series I'd recommend it. And for those who are reading this, and have yet to watch the series, go find it somewhere on the internet, as it is far better than the current Naruto or Bleach episodes (can't say anything for manga as I don't read those)