Code Lyoko

Code Lyoko
"Scanner, Odd. Scanner, Yumi. Scanner, Ulrich. Virtualization."
Genre: Adventure Science Fantasy Action Running Time: 26 Minutes Country: France Release Date: September 3, 2003 – November 10, 2007 Created by: MoonScoop Distributed by: Mediatoon Distribution Starring: Sharon Mann Matthew Géczy Barbara Scaff Mirabelle Kirkland David Gasman Jodi Forrest Allan Wenger Paul Bandey Christine Flowers Seasons: 4 Episodes: 97 Next show: Code Lyoko: Evolution

Code Lyoko is a French animated television series created by Thomas Romain and Tania Palumbo and produced by the MoonScoop Group that premiered on France 3. The story revolves around a group of pre-teens from the fictional Kadic Academy of Paris, France, who must frequently travel to the virtual world of Lyoko to combat a malicious artificial intelligence known as X.A.N.A., who threatens Earth with the ability to access the real world and create havoc. The backdrops in the actual world are hand-drawn, with 2D computer animation for characters and moving objects. Lyoko's scenes are depicted in 3D computer-generated imagery (CGI) animation.

Pourquoi ça règne (Why It Rules)

1. The idea is intriguing: four students from a boarding school in Paris, France, must balance attending school and traveling to a virtual realm called Lyoko to stop a malicious AI named XANA from menacing Earth with his paranormal abilities.
2. The world of Lyoko appears fascinating, and the CGI animation for it has aged beautifully.
3. Fantastic action sequences.
4. Characters such as Odd, Jeremy, and Aelita are compelling and well-written.
   • The latter two's relationship also has a great chemistry, and it was developed into a love story later on.
5. All of XANA's monsters are well-designed and terrifying, from the feeble Kankrelats to the ferocious Tarantulas.
   • And on top of that XANA is a very terrifying villain.
6. The animation is really great, both 3D and 2D.
7. Starting with Season 2, not only has the animation dramatically improved, but the plot begins to move into a more interesting direction - particularly in regard to the secrets of the newly discovered Sector 5, the origins of Lyoko, who Aelita truly is, and what connections she has to XANA and to a man named Franz Hopper.
8. The voice acting in both English and French is terrific, and for other foreign dubs such as the Indonesian dubs.
9. The show ended on a high note with the conclusion.
10. The soundtrack is also fantastic, and the theme tune is immensely memorable and nostalgic all on its own.

Mauvaises qualités (Bad Qualities)

1. Unlike Avatar: The Last Airbender, the show doesn't even resemble anime to begin with, the art style looks more cartoony than realistic.
   • The style of the characters is reminiscent of Dragon Ball character designs, albeit somewhat hideous.
   • The show resembles a failed attempt at trying to imitate an "anime" art style.
2. Season 1 had a lot of filler episodes and scarcely had an overarching story other than Jeremy's attempt to transfer Aelita from Lyoko to Earth. It also doesn't help that this season's animation hasn't aged well.
3. Sissi can be unlikeable at times, though not as bad as Code Lyoko: Evolution (when her characterization was flanderized).

Réception (Reception)

Since its debut in 2003, Code Lyoko received praise for its interesting premise, excellent characters (particularly Odd) and fascinating mix between 2D and 3D Animation. It also created a large fanbase that still exists to this day.

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