Ranked #1244

C

I was surprised to see that most of the reviews for this anime rated it so low! I honestly thought it was a good anime!

Story: 8
The story is very original, the first with a setting and plot like this that I've ever seen. It does get confusing at points, especially near the end, but it really kept me entertained. I think it just needed a few more episodes to develop it more.

Art: 9
I really loved the art, it's just the kind I like ^^ I enjoyed how they made the creepy Midas guy (forgot his name ^^") kind of 3D, though it was a bit weird in the beginning and took some getting used to.

Characters: 8
I like how the main character honestly has no idea what the heck he was doing in the beginning, and how he and his asset interacted. I think there should have been more episodes (once again) so that there would have been better character development, and I would've liked to have seen Masyu and Kimimaro interact with each other more and to have seen more of their battles.

Overall: 8
This was a really entertaining anime. It requires a lot of thought, so if you aren't in the mood for a thinking anime, don't watch it. It has some action, but it's definately not a mainstream battle anime. It's interesting and has some cute little romance going on between the main chara and his asset. The only thing I really have to complain on is the ending. It just cut off. It seemed like a good 30 seconds or so was hacked off of the end. Other than that, I think it was a pretty good anime, and definately worth your time ^^ read more

[C] The Money of Soul and Possibility Control starts off as an interesting enough idea. It is an action show centering around economics of all things; an odd concept but unique, and seemingly well suited for the older audiences that its noitaminA time slot is geared towards. However, the show quickly loses sight of what it wants to be and what it is trying to say. On one hand, it is a sleek action show, on the other economic commentary; yet it also tries to be a profound story about the relationship between the present and the future. The end result is needlessly convoluted, the victim of too many ideas going in too many different directions.

Fair warning, this review contains mild spoilers.

The story follows Kimihiro Yoga, an average college student, who just like any other college student is pretty hard pressed for money. That is until a strange ethereal being offers him a way to make a lot more money; it entails fighting battles (which are called deals) in the otherworldly Financial District along side mystical creatures called assets, whom are the embodiment of their owners futures. Though just a newcomer, Kimihiro and his asset, Msyu, draw the attention of a veteran of the Financial District, Souichirou Mikumi, and gets sucked into a struggle that has the fate of Japan hanging on the line.

On the technical-side of things, [C] looks stellar. The backgrounds for this show look fantastic, just brimming with detail and finesse. In particular, the financial district is a sight to behold, looking both majestic and ominous and featuring near flawless integration of 2-D and 3-D animation. The show has a unique digitized look which makes for very good eye candy. Character designs are not really anything special in the realm of anime, but still look very attractive, especially the ones for Msyu and Q. The animation is fluid and the vivid color scheme is eye-popping, which makes the action sequences a joy to watch. Like the visuals, the soundtrack here is impressive. Well composed and attention grabbing, it heavily features electronic beats and chanting vocals that will get your blood pumping in the action sequences, yet still fits the action-less moments just as well.

With the superb animation and soundtrack out of the way, lets get to brass tax... [C] has a lot of interesting ideas, but struggles tremendously to keep a hold of them. It starts off seemingly as a critique of Japan's economic system (or perhaps just economic systems in general). Kimihiro's financial situation; the high stakes of battles (called Deals) in the financial district; the extremes people are driven to by financial loss, these all fit together into a rather biting commentary. If the show stuck with just that it would have been fine.

However, the show attempts to deepen its impact by giving the money flowing out of the financial district a rather ominous effect, it steels peoples' futures. This is where the show starts running into some major issues. With their futures being stolen, people, buildings, and even countries start vanishing into thin air. This does add a little surreal creepiness to the show, but it also is incredibly contrived. There are some huge holes in logic flaws in the way things vanish, unimportant characters seem not to notice any difference, but Kimihiro and other important characters do. Perhaps it is because of their involvement with with the financial district, but it is still a flimsy explanation. Far more problematic, however, is what this plot device does to the story thematically. First off, one must wonder why the writers found it necessary to even include this device to begin with... isn't the threat of financial crisis threatening enough, a quick look at today's economic situation will tell you that it is. By adding the whole 'mystical future stealing money' angle, the show actually downplays the severity of an economy in crisis.

Even worse is the 'present vs. future' debate between Kimihiro and Mikuni that is caused by the future stealing money. Both characters start spouting philosophical babble about the nature of the present and future, and which is more important. What had started off as economic commentary becomes something completely different, with economics playing only a minor role in the story. This debate about the present and future is not developed well enough to be impactful, which isn't surprising because the show is only 11 episodes long, and culminates in a Dues Ex Machina ending that feels pretentious.

The characters of [C] are not anything remarkable either, but they do offer just enough to win some of the audience over. Kimihiro for his part is a pretty typical male anime lead, flickering between being meek and heroic as a lot
of anime leads do nowadays. Still, the way he struggles to do the right thing gives the audience something to latch on to. His relationship with his asset, Msyu, is more interesting than his personality; in fact one of the best moments in the show is Msyu reflecting on their relationship. Probably the best developed character in the show is Mikumi, whom actually has a fairly interesting back story (which is of course tragic) which serves as his motivation. The rest of the characters are a bunch of walking plot devices, and don't develop into anything more than that.

Honestly, it pains me a little to be so hard on this show, because it is not terrible. The ideas behind the show are interesting enough, and it is certainly easy on the eyes. However, the plot is poorly executed, ending up as a lot of sound and furry with little substance behind it. If you are interested in the subject of economics, watch Spice and Wolf instead. It does a better job of incorporating economics into its plot, has better developed characters, and is not contrived like [C].





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