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.
A movie studio is being torn down. TV interviewer Genya Tachibana has tracked down its most famous star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who has been a recluse since she left acting some 30 years ago. Tachibana delivers a key to her, and it causes her to reflect on her career; as she's telling the story, Tachibana and his long-suffering cameraman are drawn in. The key was given to her as a teenager by a painter and revolutionary that she helped to escape the police. She becomes an actress because it will make it possible to track him down, and she spends the next several decades acting out that search in various genres and eras. -Jon Reeves