Code Geass R2 - 25: An analysis of the Final Turn’s title, ‘Re;’
I’m now officially a Geass addict. I was skeptical of most of the unresolved plot threads during R2, and I still don’t think that R2 is the best series ever, but after that awesome ending I couldn’t help but place it as one of my favorite series, whether bad or not.
I sure hoped they showed this in the end =p
While I was in school today I thought of another hypothesis that would suggest Lelouch’s life. I guess I’m just this much of an optimist, and while the hypothesis is not based on the Geass universe (thus subsequently weaker), there’s no harm in sharing it. I will still provide defenses as regards my stance.
The title of the Final Turn is quite unique: among many things, I believe that it is the only one not written in Nippongo. There are no Japanese kanji and no hiragana or katakana. There is only a prefix and a semicolon: the title is ‘Re;’
The title is an ambiguous one: taken in and of itself, it would seem that it is meaningless. Re- is a prefix that connotes, for the most part, a repetition, or something which describes something occurring again; the semicolon is a grammatical symbol that separates two or more independent clauses from one another.
If the title, however, was taken in the context of the episode, the only word which involved ‘re’ primarily would be the Zero Requiem. In fact, I would argue that the title suggests the episode: the title is inextricable from the focus of the episode, and this focus I believe is the Zero Requiem. The modern connotation of the word ‘requiem’ would be a mass for the repose of the dead.
Am I arguing to the contrary? Absolutely not.
I have been attempting to use the Heideggerian approach to my debate, and I shall continue to do so: in Latin, requies originally meant ‘rest.’ This rest was, temporally speaking, one that was eternal.
It can be seen, however, that if one applied the title, that is, ‘Re;’ to the most possible word, which would be ‘requiem,’ the result would be Re;quiem. This amalgam, analyzed etymologically, suggests the meaning ‘to rest again,’ as ‘quiem’ also meant ‘rest’ in Latin, and ‘Re’ meant and still means ‘again.’ The semicolon is present to separate two distinct ideas from one another: this suggests, at least for me, that Lelouch’s requiem was not merely for the repose of his death; rather, I believe it was one of his ideas so that he could ‘rest again.’
He had lost many people that he had loved; he lost the only person who he loved for eight years (Nunnally). But he could rest again, and this time, despite his losses, he is not alone: CC is with him. 
Tags: Anime, Code Geass R2, Hypothesis, Serious
September 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Sexy pic
September 29th, 2008 at 2:00 pm
damn. i shouldn’t have visited your site. aint there yet. spoiler! but please, oh please, don’t let my love die…:(
September 29th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Do u think that we will see an third season?????
September 29th, 2008 at 2:45 pm
Interesting analysis of the title. Not sure what you mean by a “Heideggerian” approach though.
Unless you’re trying to tell us that the “things in themselves” don’t tell the whole truth and that their effects in the world of our experience is more meaningful, then I’d understand.
September 29th, 2008 at 2:48 pm
jp_zero:
What I meant was to return to the etymology of the things in the path to its analysis. I can’t truly do a Heideggerian analysis, haha.
September 29th, 2008 at 3:18 pm
Get thee to a Nunne-Re;
September 29th, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Wow, the whole thing is over my head, I’m ashamed.
September 29th, 2008 at 5:23 pm
I love to see someone thinking about anime in more intellectual terms! From a purely formal standpoint, your analysis is a good one; one only worries, of course, that the creators of the title didn’t think about it so deeply.
I feel that it is more probable that the title “Re;” recalls the final episode of the last season, in which we were also unsure whether Lelouch was dead or not. Thus, it seems to me that the situations are analogous, and that the second season’s ending is, in some sense, a “re-play” of the first season’s ending. The semicolon would therefore suggest one of two things: a) SEASON 3! or b) Lelouch’s future occupies the space after that semicolon, as Suzaku AGAIN failed to kill him.
Sadly, something tells me that I, too, am thinking too much. I suppose that one could argue that the “Re;” recalls Lelouch’s “re-creation” of the world (or something) and that the post-semicolon space suggests a new beginning for the survivors of the war, blah blah blah blah. All of that aside, it’s remarkable how much this anime has made all of us want to hope. To have denied us that hope in the end would have been nothing short of cruelty, don’t you agree?
September 29th, 2008 at 5:26 pm
And, naturally, now I can’t wait for the risqué C.C. x Lelouch doujinshi to pour fourth from the loins of the Internet! Hahaha
September 29th, 2008 at 6:13 pm
Adham:
Well, I know a lot of people would say this is overthinking, but optimism brings that to the table. I would want for both CC and Lelouch to have their happy endings.
I also can’t wait, hahaha!
September 29th, 2008 at 7:42 pm
I’m now officially a Geass addict.
So… over the last few weeks, you were just an unofficial addict???
love the image! i can’t believe that you are so obsessed with the show you’re reading through lines that may or may not be there. god bless your heart.
September 29th, 2008 at 9:02 pm
This really reminds me of Death Note, when the anime ended people also started arguing, and what happened, the directors made an OVA of Ryu (Light’s Deathgod) telling what happened to another Deathgod after the story, withouth showing Light’s Death, which was brilliant.
Maybe they do this also to this series, maybe he is dead, but then the Directors do an OVA, where Jeremiah for example tells Anya what happened in all that time from episode 1 to episode 50 in 2 hours for example, and at the end he says, Lelouch is now out there living with C.C. ! XD
Im being really optimistic about that
September 29th, 2008 at 9:57 pm
Excelent!!
Re;quiem
You’re amazing, cool analysis =P
C’mon for me is OBVIOUS that Lalouch doesn’t died… What secnce have the series if not?… Lulu is the main character, right?, he must have a Code!!! xD
I-M-M-O-R-T-A-L!!!! xD
September 29th, 2008 at 10:29 pm
@kami
i beg them not to do this to CG…
the deathnote director’s cut was merely a rerun.
September 29th, 2008 at 10:31 pm
Yea, but they did it withouth showing his death and not showing the content from episode 25 till the end, so I was happy for that part, because I hated everything what came after episode 25 in Death Note.
But I want an OVA anyway XD
September 29th, 2008 at 10:45 pm
I figured it stood for both Requiem and Rebellion, and possibly more things (one might suggest revival as a credible one, glee~).
September 29th, 2008 at 11:16 pm
All hail lelouch! all hail code geass!
September 30th, 2008 at 4:00 am
But taking your point of view, the disticntion between “Re;” and “quiem”, give the phrase Re;quiem a sense of returning to previous peace. The whole reason Lelouch set out on his war path was to recreate the world for Nunally; with this accomplished, and having been seen as an evil person, a violent dictator and a ruthless tactician, returning to “rest again” could be seen as Lelouch finally being able to let go of all those troubles and attain peace.
Your theory is more plausible, but I still feel that Lelouch being dead is just a much better ending for the series, despite all of the fanboys/girls out there wanting a LuluXC.C end.
September 30th, 2008 at 11:41 am
I have spent weeks wondering what the Hell ‘Re;’ referred to, because I’ve only ever seen it as ‘in the matter of’ (like in email headers or legal citations). This? Makes quite a bit of sense!
Still waiting for L.L/C.C. hay wain smexings doujinshi…
September 30th, 2008 at 11:41 am
http://myanimelist.net/anime/5163/Code_Geass_-_Hangyaku_no_Lelouch_R2_Specials
^
o.O
September 30th, 2008 at 1:24 pm
My congratulations on your theory. Also in your way of expressing, I really liked it^^
I go for a CCxLulu ending… hope they get a S3, OVA or sth of the sort soon. I wanna know what Lelouch’s life with CC is like=D
Once again, congratulations^^
September 30th, 2008 at 1:52 pm
I think Lelouch is alive because in the end of Code Geass R2 episode 25 you see a pink origami bird in the end of the story. if you see again Code Geass R2 episode 6 you will see Lelouch with that pink origami bird while talking to cc. Cc don’t have that origami bird and the only person that will take a origami bird as memento, is Lelouch.
September 30th, 2008 at 6:41 pm
I appreciate your comments, guys! Keep the love alive!
October 1st, 2008 at 10:41 am
Taking into account that “Re;” might have some relevence with “Zero’s Requiem,” wouldn’t it make sense that “Re;” signifies the return of Zero? (Granted the prefix “Re-” is defined as what you have already stated: “a repetition, or something which describes something occurring again.”)
In addition, I would like to make a finer point regarding the official definition of the semicolon. The official meaning of the punctuation is as follows (scrapped from Wikipedia):
The uses of the semicolon in English are fourfold:
1. Use a semicolon between closely-related independent clauses not conjoined with a co-ordinating conjunction.
2. Use a semicolon between independent clauses linked with a transitional phrase or a conjunctive adverb.
3. Use a semicolon between items in a series containing internal punctuation.
4. A semicolon can be used to separate independent clauses conjoined with coordinating conjunctions, when the clauses have internal commas that might be misread.
Out of these four options, I believe the first is the most suitable for the object of this discussion. Therefore, as the semicolon is used to separated words of opposed meanings, “Re;” itself symbolizes the return of the ‘new’ Zero (now a symbol) of whose values supposedly opposes that of the ‘old’ Zero (a.k.a. Lulu). Hence, we can conclude that the title “Re;” is nothing more than a direct summary of the epsiode.
October 3rd, 2008 at 3:43 am
Re in italian, by the way, means “king”
October 3rd, 2008 at 8:32 pm
I think Lelouch alive ’cause i think code geass will has stage 3 !!!!
I hope it will be have.
October 4th, 2008 at 1:19 pm
so sxy pic……..
Well I love them………. They are my favorite couple
of course I love him………
Lulu is the best for me
and I lke a third season…… or 26 ep for R2
October 7th, 2008 at 9:07 pm
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Заранее благодарю)
October 23rd, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Awesome pic, I am sure Lulu and C.C. did it at least once throught the series ^_^