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Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth-
Episodes 1-2

by Rebecca Silverman,

How would you rate episode 1 of
Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth- ?
Community score: 3.5

How would you rate episode 2 of
Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth- ?
Community score: 3.7

If there is one thing that Code:Realize absolutely gets right, it's the fabulous steampunk backgrounds. Based on the otome game of the same title (which is available in English, if you're curious), Code:Realize's story takes place in an alternate steampunk England during what I think is the very end of Queen Victoria's reign, based on the cars and what background characters are wearing. Interestingly enough, only one of the main players lifted from literature appeared in the late 1890s: Abraham van Hellsing appeared in 1897's Dracula. However, leading man Arsène Lupin was first published in 1905, Victor Frankenstein's story dates to 1818, Impey Barbicane from 1865, and the mysterious Saint (based on Comte de Saint Germaine) is originally from a 1978 novel by Chelsea Quinn Yarboro, based on an 18th century figure. All of this is pretty common for the “literary mashup” genre, and it also can be used to soothe fans of historical accuracy; if all of these men somehow exist together, why not let the world be a combination of the worlds they would have known?

As far as the genre goes, Code:Realize's first two episodes are playing it pretty safe. The story revolves around Cardia, a beautiful young woman whose skin is poison to the touch; she even dissolves the clothes she wears and the forks she uses if not properly protected. This is because of a strange jewel embedded in her chest – the Horologium, an artifact of great power that her father bestowed upon her after an illness. My initial guess as to why he would do this is more or less confirmed by episode two, when Victor Frankenstein confirms that Cardia has no heartbeat. Although Lupin immediately leaps to the conclusion that she has no heart (which might explain her total lack of affect, beyond the obvious reason that she's the player character from an otome game), it seems much more likely that Cardia actually died a few years ago and her father revived her with the Horologium. Given that it already has amazing destructive powers (the poison), if it could also revive the dead, that would explain why it's so heavily sought after. It is nominally why Lupin and Impey abducted Cardia from her home – although it was more like saving her from agents of the crown – but there's clearly more to their methods, as suggested by the presence of Sisi, the three-legged corgi that Impey saved.

Sadly, there isn't much in the way of plot yet. About all we know at this point is that Cardia's dad is on the run, and a mysterious group of plague-masked bad men known as “Twilight” (they can't be good because their leader's name means “the end”) would very much like to take the Horologium from Cardia. Lupin and his merry band have other ideas, and in episode two, they manage to convince Abraham van Helsing to join them—although to be honest, it's still not entirely clear why they want the Horologium, and Frankenstein's arguments to convince van Helsing aren't terribly compelling. However, the second episode does appear to set up the chief romantic rivalry between Lupin and van Helsing for Cardia's affections, so there's that. The real draw of episode two is its tour of London, where huge gears slowly turn on the sides of buildings and steam-powered machines spew smoke into the air. It's a great visual combination of fanciful and actual 19th-century filth, as well as a nice distraction from the fact that everyone acts like Cardia's dress isn't missing the entire front panel of its skirt, which makes Lupin's embarrassment when she rucks it up to run seem weird.

Code:Realize's first two weeks aren't hugely promising in terms of plot, but they're still pretty fun. As Cardia develops more interest in the world (and the men) around her, she becomes more interesting as a heroine, and it's always entertaining to see different literary characters interact in a steampunk world. Lupin feels appropriately rakish and van Helsing broody, and even if Impey and Frankenstein aren't quite as I might have imagined, they're still fun. (Plus I really need to reread Jules Verne; Impey may be more on-target than I'm remembering.) My only major concern right now is whether or not the woman Finis was talking to is Queen Victoria, but that's mostly because I get especially excited about these things. This isn't an amazing story thus far, but since the characters themselves have some promise, it may turn out to be a pretty good time.

Rating: C+

Code:Realize -Guardian of Rebirth- is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.


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