Code Lyoko Episode 9 Review

[AeonFrodo]

Code Lyoko Season 1 Episode 9: Satellite

In today’s episode, a very common school rule is broken involuntarily by every student in the school. It leads to disorder in the school in form of a hilarious protest, and XANA managing to take control of a highly advanced military satellite...

Allow me to be a bit unprofessional here, but back when Code Lyoko was first aired in my country, this was the very first episode I saw in full. So it brings back a lot of memories of my first impressions of the show. Now reviewing it, I can see why I got into the show.

Most of the Earth section involving the mobile phone protest was hilarious. Teenagers love using their mobile phones, especially iPhones and other smart phones that they cannot function without. So when the students come up in arms about their confiscated phones, it’s something that although unrealistic, really livens up the episode a lot, producing a lot of highlights and quotes for the episode. Sissi even goes as far to call her father a dictator just by abiding by the school rules that the school board would’ve come up with. Not only that, they protest to free Yumi when Mr. Delmas tells her to come into his office for a different rule that she broke. Also, the ‘no more phones, no more school’ slogan is incredibly catchy. I wouldn’t be surprised if a protest about this happened, that it would be a slogan that some person came up with.

It’s a good thing that plenty of the teachers like Jim are a bit more involved in the episode than the last two episodes where Jim in particular was just put there to fill the episode. However, there are a few problems with them. In particular, Mrs. Hertz at the start of the episode sounds like she’s voiced by a different voice actor. It’s a bad decision by whoever thought it would be a good idea to change her voice, because she doesn’t sound like her age. Good thing it’s only for this episode.

Regarding the scene with Odd breaking and entering into the staff room and retrieving the group’s mobile phones back, he was extremely lucky that he was not caught by the teacher (Mr. Fumet) that came into the room. Considering how close Odd was to the edge of the table surely the teacher could’ve seen him when entering the room and finding out the door was unlocked. Although, what’s really neat about the scene was that instead of bending down to try to reach the pen under the table, which would’ve lead to the teacher discovering Odd. The teacher used his foot to bring it close enough to him so that he could just reach down and pick the pen up without looking. It’s a nice touch to being realistic, as some people (including myself) tend to do that.

The Lyoko part looked like it was heading in the stupid direction at first, where everybody who was there was initially waiting for the Hornets to attack. Now, since Jeremie told the group that XANA is trying to take over a satellite, you would think that encountering the Hornets, Odd would at least fire an arrow at them. But no, Jeremie has to spell it out to them that XANA is trying to bide time to take over the satellite. Fortunately, this is the only major moment of stupidity that happens in the episode.

Actually, the fighting animations on Lyoko were quite amazing for a Season 1 episode. It was extremely fluent and all actions were humanly possible. And it was a nice touch having Ulrich slash at the Hornet when it was in the Hornet’s point of view, and Ulrich running backwards while defending Aelita. Oh, and they didn’t make stupid decisions unlike the first one.

It’s a strong filler episode, with a lot of great quotes and highlights. Although, with that being said, it doesn’t develop the storyline further, and that and a few other things prevent it from being a fantastic episode.

Score: 7.5/10

Loose bits: Love how there is a maths equation is in the background while Mrs. Hertz is talking about neutrons.

Why was Kiwi growling and barking at Odd when he entered the room? Did something happen between them?

When Odd gives the mobiles back, he also gives Yumi’s hers back too. This is a continuity mistake, since Odd only broke into Mrs. Hertz locker, and Yumi being in a different class to them, she shouldn’t have gotten her mobile phone back.

When XANA is discovered to have possessed the group’s mobile phones, Jeremie is at the computer. Not only that, but it appears that Jeremie has eyes at the back of his head, because he noticed that Odd’s first, and Odd is standing behind Jeremie.

Also, somehow Jeremie’s glasses fell off when he stood up, and then when it zoomed in on him, he was wearing his glasses again.

Jim survives electrocution from something that would require a lot of voltage. Not only that, but he falls a few floors before the boys pull him up. Apparently each of them became Mr. Fantastic from the Fantastic Four for one scene.

Mr. Delmas loves dying his moustache, because it’s changing colours again between scenes. Between the same two colours as Image Problem too.

For a dog his size, Kiwi shouldn’t have been able to jump from Jeremie’s bed to open the door.

Apparently Yumi managed to hear the slogan of the protest from at least a hundred metres away. She must have sensitive hearing.

The protest apparently goes as far as Sissi wanting to defend Yumi for breaking another school rule that is completely irrelevant to the mobile phone rule. Perhaps she knew that Odd was the actual owner of Kiwi…

At one point, Jeremie states that between the poison and the laser damage, Odd has only lost seven life points. Now, not only that the Hornets are weak this episode, but Odd never stepped or got covered in the poison.

Apparently, teleportation must be genetic in the Delmas family, as Mr. Delmas somehow reached the front of the school before the protest group.

Odd and Yumi somehow jump and roll out of the laser’s way just as it’s almost about to hit them. They should’ve both been killed, considering how much damage it did to the area around them.

Ulrich is shot off the edge, knocking him unconscious. Although this doesn’t make sense now, it should make sense 33 episodes later.

How did Odd know that the laser was targeting Yumi? Did he break the fourth wall and found out it was Pick on Yumi Week?

Quotes: “XANA’s sure going to be happy about this.” – Odd

Yumi: You’re going to take back your cell phone? That’s called stealing, you know that.
Odd: No it’s not. Taking back what belongs to you in the first place is not what I call stealing.

“Oh, you know how Jim is. He’s a regular livewire.” – Odd

“You see, we all signed a petition, so you have to give us back our cell phones.” – Sissi

“Oh really? First let me remind you that in this establishment the students do not make the rules.” – Mr. Delmas

“No more phones! No more school!” – The protest group

“Incredible. For a dog he’s stubborn as a mule.” – Jeremie

“Did you see that? We have to save her from the dictator! Free Yumi!” – Sissi

“Everybody! Into town! We have got to get all the schools on our side!” – Yumi

“You have no right!” – Sissi

“Sir, it’s a question of life and death! Let us all leave! Please!” – Yumi

“Anyway, I’d like to see somebody try to confiscate my mobile phone!” – Sissi

[Stella Luce 333]

How did Odd know that the laser was targeting Yumi? Did he break the fourth wall and found out it was Pick on Yumi Week?

As soon as Od gets to the lab, Jeremy tells him that Yumi’s in trouble…

[AeonFrodo]

Wasn't talking about that part of the episode. There's the part before Aelita deactivates the tower, and somehow Odd guesses from the ground that the laser was targeting Yumi.

[Snickie]

Quote: I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be "middle school students", not "medical students".

[Tsunamix]

Wasn't talking about that part of the episode. There's the part before Aelita deactivates the tower, and somehow Odd guesses from the ground that the laser was targeting Yumi.

Doesn't matter. It's not like Odd forgot what Jeremy told him before he ran up to try to save Yumi.

[AeonFrodo]

Quote: I'm pretty sure it's supposed to be "middle school students", not "medical students".

I checked it again, and now that you mentioned it, it may have been middle school students. However, the voice acting makes it sound like medical students instead of middle school students, which is now confusing. I'll remove the quote because of that, since it's one part of the episode that had bad voice acting.

Doesn't matter. It's not like Odd forgot what Jeremy told him before he ran up to try to save Yumi.

I wouldn't take that chance if I were him. The Satellite could've aimed either for him or Yumi, and that's a pretty dangerous situation as it is.

[Snickie]

Well considering the satellite had already started firing by the time Aelita had deactivated the tower and Yumi didn't (shouldn't have had) her cell phone, it was basically either run out and try to save Yumi or let the satellite kill Yumi and every other unsuspecting person within a ten-meter radius while they were standing there like sitting ducks. There's no way they could have fixed that with a Return to the Past, so Odd chose to sacrifice himself to try to save her and buy enough time for Aelita to finally deactivate the tower.

As for how Odd knew exactly that it was Yumi the satellite was after, I'd have to watch the episode again because I don't remember exactly when Jeremie figured it out. All I remember off the top of my head at this moment is that Odd said the factory was safe because XANA wouldn't target himself, and they somehow they came to the conclusion that it would target the school, after which they cried, "Yumi!" And I think that might have been when Odd ran.

Edit: Okay, I've got it. Odd's on Lyoko firing at the hornets (called waspsters for some reason), but after he fires what can be assumed was his last arrow, he tells Ulrich and Aelita it's game over for him and is subsequently devirtualized. Jeremie watches the satellite locate its target. Satellite finds its target very quickly. Then another fight scene is seen I think, and then Jeremie wonders aloud just how accurate the satellite really is, and upon zooming in he realizes that the laser is aimed right at her (or more specifically, at the top-left corner of her head). That's when Odd comes in from the elevator and Jeremie says, "Yumi's in danger! The laser's aimed right at her!"

And THEN Odd leaves to get to the school to save Yumi.

[AeonFrodo]

And THEN Odd leaves to get to the school to save Yumi.

No no no no no. I'm talking about the very end of the episode, where the satellite has the possibility of either targeting Odd or Yumi. At that time, Odd is with Yumi, not at the Factory. Odd runs out from cover first, then Yumi follows shortly. How Odd was able to tell from looking at the satellite in the space, and stops to shout to Yumi, should be impossible. Unless he remembered what Jeremie said in the Factory, which may possibly not be valid at this time because there's a 50/50 chance he could be shot by the satellite.

[Snickie]

Oooohhhhhhhhhh THAT part. You're right; the satellite could have gone for either of them, and thus Odd's shout to Yumi wasn't exactly valid. I understand what you were trying to say now.

What I want to know is how Kiwi teleported from who-knows-where into Odd's arms from when Yumi leaves the group to when they're running from the laser that's firing at them right then and there.

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