CAUTION! Very minor spoilers ahead...
The character development has improved so much since the last volume!! Those classmates of Lelouch (that a lot of people probably forgot about already) have finally shown a part of their importance. By doing so, they've made an impression on the readers. Maybe I'll even remember their names! ;)
Suzaku -who is evidently still alive, along with the mysterious girl called C.C- has become much more of a problem. His constant interference with Zero's plan and possibly revealing his identity, has put Lelouch on edge a little bit. Lelouch's clever intelligence and planning so far in advance makes the story that much more interesting to read. Similarly to Death Note's main character Light, Lelouch is always aware of what's about to happen, and needs to keep his true identity a secret from anyone and everyone, including close friends and family. (Sorry, I just had to point out the similarity...)
I love that there is so much hilarity involved in the manga version of this series. It gets way too serious, especially with all the killing. Lelouch falling asleep on the bus? Cute. Lelouch in a cat suit? Adorable. Suzaku and Lelouch "battling" it out with a physical test? Crepes. A cat party for Arthur the cat? SQUEEEE!!! Lemme join!! (Haha I know that these parts weren't exactly funny, but I'm amused easily.)
Things have gotten exciting, but I also feel like Lelouch, (or technically the author) could have explained his thinking more clearly. For example, how he justifies exactly what he wants to do, his reasoning behind it. (Like KILLING all those people with a bomb!!) Lelouch has also been quite careless it seems with his Geass, (which he did NOT name. C.C. said it when she met up with him after her "death".)
Ah well, I'll be reading the next manga! I'm still enjoying it very much. I just can't believe it's only 8 volumes long. (Ha I'm probably mistaken there.)