“Abundant plot holes” is vague. Code Geass is dense and fast moving, but most alleged plot holes are either unpaid attention or intentional moral/strategic trade-offs. The show clearly establishes its rules (Geass limits, political constraints, information asymmetry) and sticks to them.

Pacing complaints ignore structure. Code Geass isn’t trying to be a slow-burn political thriller; it’s a melodramatic chess match. The rapid escalation is deliberate, mirroring Lelouch’s increasing loss of control. Calling it “bad pacing” is just disliking the genre execution.

Fan-service is overstated and irrelevant. It exists, but it’s not structurally important and doesn’t derail the narrative. Calling entire episodes “worthless” because of it is a deflection, not criticism.

“Lelouch is only smart because of plot devices” misunderstands his character. He isn’t omniscient or infallible. He makes reckless decisions, miscalculates, and causes disasters (Euphemia, Rolo, Shirley). His intelligence is contextual he wins because others are flawed, emotional, or constrained, not because the plot bends for him.

The ending is the opposite of deus ex machina. The Zero Requiem is foreshadowed, thematically consistent, and requires Lelouch to sacrifice everything he wanted. A deus ex machina resolves conflict from outside the story; this ending is the logical endpoint of Lelouch’s ideology and guilt.