#and everyone goes on and on about how Suzaku betrayed his country even though Lelouch did the exact same thing?

[skieystar]

Can you guys imagine if Suzaku, Lelouch's best friend, killed Shirley, a girl Lelouch adores, and Lelouch gets mad at Suzaku and puts a vendetta against him yeah that would totally make sense BUT if Lelouch, Suzaku's best friend, killed Euphemia, a girl Suzaku adores, and Suzaku gets mad at Lelouch and puts a vendetta against him then in THAT case Suzaku is just being an asshole and his desire to kill Lelouch is unjustifiable even though the two situations are exactly parallel? At this point I'm convinced that people are just finding excuses to hate Suzaku.

[mononoke-no-ko]

[Trans] Writer Okouchi interview from Resurrection pamphlet

Taniguchi’s interview: https://mononoke-no-ko.tumblr.com/post/182977225429/trans-director-taniguchi-interview-from-movie

--How did you work over the plan for "Code Geass: Lelouch of the Resurrection"?

Okouchi: At first the idea was to make a movie with "Geass". The so-called reboot technique which starts over the story from the beginning so that even those who haven't seen "Geass" can understand it, another route that was supposed to pick up from "Stage 26*" onward, that was written when it was broadcasted at late night slot... etc. I tried to write a few things but in the end I thought of it in a simple way; "What people want to see, isn’t it the characters' life afterwards?", and so it became a sequel.  

* it’s this https://rainfall.dreamwidth.org/107694.html

--Then next, you thought about what kind of continuation you're going to write?

Okouchi: First of all, I didn't want to write about some war that is set in like, 100 years in the future, that has nothing to do with Lelouch and the others at all. To begin with, there was "Want to see the characters' life afterwards" at the root after all.

--The old characters unite and head towards the new enemy, a country named Zilkhstan. Regarding this country, how did you conceive it?

Okouchi: Because Britannia and Chinese Federations are nations that have lost once, they aren't intimidating anymore. Considering the length of one single movie, we can't afford to globe trotting. From there it's then decided to make a setting that there's this very strong country. But what is a "very strong country"? It's strange for a country to possess tremendous military power. A country that was ignored during the previous war, even. Moving from there, I came up with the idea to have Geass users as the country's head. There are two battle stages in the world of "Code Geass"; physical battle and geass battle. With this, then both characters from physical side like Suzaku and characters from geass side like C.C. can play active roles.

--Chamna and Chalio from Zilkhstan are siblings like Lelouch and Nunnally but the reverse.

Okouchi: At the time I wrote the last episode of TV series, Lelouch didn't manage to say his farewell properly to Nunnally. Nunnally also didn't manage tell Lelouch the things she wanted to tell him. They understood each other in the end, but by that time it was already too late. I thought if I got the chance to make a continuation, I wanted to settle those unsettled parts. Moving from there, to draw afresh Lelouch and Nunnally's relationship, I deliberately made the enemy the reminiscent of their past selves. Chamna loves her younger brother, but it's a wrong, one-way kind of love similar to Lelouch in the TV series. Disregarding Chalio, Chamna decides on her own what it is that he wishes. Chalio also being Chalio, "This must be what Nee-san thinks/wants. That's why I'll do my best" and strive for it on his own. Lelouch in the TV series was also like that. He says "for Nunnally", but Nunnally herself doesn't wish for it. I wanted to draw Lelouch and Nunnally using those two relationship as a mirror.

--Lelouch's driving force is always Nunnally.

Okouchi: After Lelouch was revived, where would his motivation lie? Should he fight for justice? I don’t think Lelouch is that kind of person. But, if it's for anyone who's important to him, he would go to save them right? Then, who would that be? The options that came to my mind were C.C., Nunnally, and Suzaku. Among those three, I thought it should be "go to save Nunnally" after all.

--Not the one who's made captive, Suzaku?

Okouchi: I didn't want Suzaku to become a heroine. I wanted the two to be equals, and when he learns that Lelouch is alive, I think, won't Suzaku be angry? To be Zero is, maybe, something that's supposed to be crazy hard once you try to do it. He has to wear mask all the time, and not just fighting, he would also get asked to do things he isn't good at. But, because he's Zero, he can't say he can't. Because it's a promise he made to the late Lelouch, he wouldn't throw that away, and continued to work hard at it, but if that Lelouch turned out to be alive, I think he would go "Did you trick me again?!". Even though he understands the situation, he would want to say "Then, you become Zero." These two won't be able to join forces unless this gets settled. I thought with a drama that resolves this matter, I could draw something that's just like these two, and it could also be the point of the movie.

--This work is an all-star movie through and through, but what did you pay attention to while moving the old characters?

Okouchi: I wanted to make an alliance among characters I couldn't form alliance with at the time of TV series. Like Kallen and Lloyd for example, they actually didn't have much scenes together in TV series. Others such as combination of Ougi and Cornelia, it's not anything strange for them to meet yet I never wrote a scene where they conversed with each other. "If these two people converse with each other, it's like this" "Aah, this person speaks with formal speech towards that person", I think it’s fresh and interesting. It's a part I had fun while writing and put a lot of thoughts into. "Back then they were friends/enemies, but now the position is also different huh" "they couldn't say it but they've always regretted it" "well both have been betrayed by Zero the same after all" and so on, I thought I could draw the various feelings and their one year that has passed.

--This also has been mentioned earlier, what was in your mind as you think about the way to portray Lelouch?

Okouchi: I wanted Lelouch to look undignified up until he gets resurrected. At first I wrote him to be more like a baby. With things like his meals and excrement scattered all over the place. But everyone ended up telling me "That's too much, he's supposed to be the protagonist", so I fixed it (laugh). As to why I wanted to do it, I didn't want to make him out to be someone who's living comfortably after all he's done. I wanted him to live miserable life, I wanted him to receive his punishment accordingly. Above all, I wanted Lelouch to be someone who was prepared to die at that time. If his resurrection is a scheme he included in his plan, then that resolve and smile, all will become a lie. I think that would be an act of betrayal not just towards Suzaku and the others who believed and cooperated with Lelouch, but also towards the fans, and I absolutely didn't want that.

--Such Lelouch, from Okouchi-san's perspective, what kind of person do you see him as?

Okouchi: As a friend he's annoying, but as someone you make anime with, Lelouch is wonderful.

­­--The standard is "someone to make anime with", I see (laugh).

Okouchi: I think it's good for anime directors to be annoying (wry smile). Taniguchi-san is exactly like that. Even if I tell him "Taniguchi-san, the flow will be good if you do it this way", he just replies "I don't like it" or "No, it goes against my aesthetics". Life can't be breathed into the work unless you reinforce your will even if you're disliked by your surrounding, a stubbornness that you yourself absolutely won't yield. For example if you make anime together with Schneizel, it may achieve commercial success, but as a work it will be buried with time.

--What if you apply that theory on "Code Geass" world?

Okouchi: Sounds like people who work with Schneizel will be happy. It seems you'll be able to get paid properly, and the workplace also looks "white". In comparison, working with Lelouch sounds tough. He says big things, but it's unclear whether it'll make money or not, and it looks "black" too... I think as a profession, it's not really something you can recommend. But the experience of having worked with him, regardless of whether it resulted in failure or success, will be the one page in your life you won't ask for exchange. What Lelouch tries to do in this movie too, the thing about thoughtlessly going to Zilkhstan with only 17 people, I think if it's Schneizel, he will probably prepare more people, or he will tell these 17 people "I've prepared this much money and military power. I’ll also prepare the after care. That's why, please do it." But Lelouch doesn't do any of that. He just goes "Sorry, just do it". Normally, you wouldn't do what he said, right. After all, you may get killed and there's no compensation either. Even so, 17 people will follow him, probably because Lelouch is charming, a moment of the life that he lived was something that is hard to get anywhere else.

--There's a considerable number of people who will follow him knowing they'll probably never come back, and they are Kallen, Suzaku and the others.

Okouchi: Up until now, Lelouch has killed people, he also lies to his allies. Honestly, he's not someone you can call a good person at all. He has no sincerity either. However, he's faithful to his own pride, and he has softer sides more than what he shows through his actions. I think because they see charm in such Lelouch, even though there are a lot of annoying sides to it, 17 people will still follow him.

--Do you think Lelouch is annoying too, Okouchi-san? (laugh)

Okouchi: Yes, very (laugh). I was always having thoughts like "Lelouch, if only you do this, you can go to the next scene without having to make preparations. Do you really hate lying to Nunnally that much?". Even if I asked Taniguchi-san, he would say of course Lelouch can't do this or that. With Lelouch and Taniguchi-san, it felt like there are two pundits. But it wasn't just limited to Lelouch. As we’ve made 50 episodes TV series, "how the characters should be" has been completed. They're supposed to be the characters that we made, but they're not just ours. They're the characters that are completed by the staff and the actors who breathe life into them, also the fans who have supported us. They already let go of our hands, and take a life of their own.

--Please tell us what you made as the point in this "Lelouch of the Resurrection" movie.

Okouchi: In addition to what I've mentioned earlier, I guess I wanted to make C.C. happy. For Lelouch's resurrection, the one who made the greatest effort, the one who was drenched in the mud the most, is C.C. after all. I didn't write every details on the script, but it's pretty tough to travel with baby-like Lelouch all the time. Of course the are things to be settled with Suzaku and Nunnally too, but I think the relationship that Lelouch left unresolved the most is his relationship with C.C. I'm not thinking to make everyone in the show happy. Some people aren't supposed to be happy, I also think there should be some unreasonableness in the world. It's just, "I want to make C.C. happy". I thought "Isn't it fine for her to get rewarded any time now" as I wrote that into the script.

--You have written "Lelouch of the Rebellion" for 10 years now. What are your thoughts at the beginning?

Okouchi: When I wrote "Lelouch of the Rebellion" for the first time, I was still young. The me from that time, standing next to Lelouch, getting angry together with the Elevens who're being stomped. I guess the me from that time had a strong inkling that I have to fight against "the upper folks" or "the powerful people". "If I don't make something that exceed my seniors' works, I won't be able to survive. I'll disappear". But 10 years have passed since then, now I can afford some allowances. If that time I was on high-school student level, now I guess it feels like I'm on 2nd or 3rd year in member-of-society level. I got to stand on my own feet economically and mentally, I learned to do my job well too. This movie is like an invitation to an alumni reunion which arrives at such time. This time, I met with Lelouch and the others on a script for the first time in awhile, and thought "So that's what you're doing now?" "You haven't changed at all, that's relieving". Then some of them take out photos from high school days, and everyone gets excited.

--It seems you want to look back on the TV series from the beginning again.

Okouchi: Now when I look back on the first episode of TV series, I think "Lelouch and the others are so young", the me who wrote it and Taniguchi­-san who wrote it together with me also feel young. Staff who spent our days together in the studio, including the voice actors, it was such a young job. Fortunately for "Code Geass", many of the voice actors and animators are still active in the industry. Hence we were able to make this movie with almost the same staff lineup. It's great. At that time, I strongly felt that it was a good thing to be able to work together with this group. When I go to the preview screening and meet with everyone, it really feels like an alumni reunion. It's fun to be able to get everyone together, it really makes me happy.