*contains spoilers*
**very long and in depth review, so bear with me**
Guess i finally reached it - the point where i can review this anime with near full understanding... It took over four views over the years since its release and a lot of pondering, scaling with my growing understanding of economics, politics and even philosophy, as well as a bit or research on top.
So yeah, as you understand, this isn't your average nut and takes some special tools to crack, mainly economical.
So then its easier to start with the negatives, since there are very few of them so it won't take too long. First of all, i consider the fact that its so inaccessible as a minus, since a person without the proper understanding of what i mentioned above will lose a lot of the meanings behind the actions, and a lot of what's going on. I consider it a slight minus since it takes away from the availability of the show, and the audience enjoyment and appreciation of it if watched unprepared, but it isn't critical, since i watched it before, back when it came out and i didn't know a THING of most of the things required to understand it and i still enjoyed it quite a bit, if not as much. The other minus about it is that 3d graphics are often used, and sometimes make things look a tad awkward, both visually and kinetically (awkward cgi movement)...
Additionally the battles make little sense as far as economics go, which i think is quite a waste, but at the same time they're colorful and entertaining enough for the economically educated to look past, and for the newcomers to get interested in and look into, because there's nothing to it, so its not all bad, i guess? I doubt it could be done much better anyway, but i can be mistaken. Also there are a few things story wise that don't make much sense since they go to waste and could be used to strengthen the symbolism and anime's message instead (for example the protagonist, who is an economics student nor his professor seem to know a thing about economics), or just don't add up, culminating with the lack of the 12th episode (at the very least) that would allow to expand on the important scenes a little, and perhaps add a little to the ending to fully complete it.
Other than that, i think the anime is next to perfect. From the likable and colorful characters (especially the main assets), to the story, art and even sound, its all pretty brilliantly put together (especially if you consider its an original and had no manga or novel to work with) to immerse the viewer and not just for the fun of watching, but also as a word of warning on what the world and its current economical state is, and how it looks when things start to inevitably go awry.
Through the metaphors and the somewhat exaggerated events, C points out the dangers of the world we live in as an economical unit (individual) and even as countries as a whole, using the magical influence of the alternate universe of the district on the real world to draw exaggerated pictures of economical catastrophes and their direct effect on people, companies and whole countries, and thanks to the fantastical elements, the effect is seen instantly and not months, years or decades, as it usually is in the real world, which helps the masses and those in power stay oblivious to, or ignore said consequences, facing them from a position of bewilderment and unable to point to the cause, just try face the consequences. Which is where this show comes in, or can come in as an introduction to inspire interest toward the economy in older children and young adults alike, and why i think it has not only great entertainment value, but real life value to it.
***
The story mainly deals with two people, who in turn represent two different life styles/ideologies and their matching economical strategies (to a degree, especially in the case of the protagonist who is more consequence and reaction driven towards the first. those could also be projected into politics and political approaches, but i won't go there since it will take too much time and will probably cause political debates, but feel free to make the parallels yourself)... Note that none of the two is portrayed as the "right" one, as each has its pluses and minuses, and both of the characters are portrayed as heroic, caring and positive, though one does seem to fail, as does his approach both in the show and real life, over time.
First off - Mikuni Souichirou, both a side protagonist, driver of the show so to say, and slight antagonist. Previously a rebellious, ambitious rocker that quit the pursuit of that goal because he both understood that he won't be able to sustain himself with that profession, and his life goals and circumstances demanded a massive income on top, leading to his band breaking up before a major contract was established. He moved to become the adviser for his father who owns a large company. His father puts said company before everything, leading to inevitable neglect of his son Mikuni and daughter Takako, and when an economical crisis strikes, he chooses his company over funding a low chance surgery in America for his daughter, leading to her death. This event is what forms and finalizes Mikuni's personality and economic/ideological approach.
Mikuni is understandably furious over this, and after becoming a very successful Entré (short for entrepreneur, which is the show's word for the financial battlers) uses the money to buy out his father's company - the thing he cares about the most as a form of vengeance. Later, after noticing the immediate effect Midas money is having on reality, he forms the Mukudori Guild that is dedicated to minimizing those harmful effects, but also use the money from the district to help people who are in need. He throws everything he has at that cause, hoping to help people in the here and now (which is in line with his economical ideology that he adopted after the death of Takako, for the obvious reason that she needed IMMEDIATE help), even while disregarding the people's future and his own along with his very life (as seen in the end where he sacrifices first fractions of his lifespan, and eventually even his whole life to print money), desperate to sustain people in the present.
His asset resembles his sister and seems to contain her essence, or perhaps soul if you will (as seen in the end), and he is shown to care for her even as an asset, probably guessing, or feeling the truth at some level. She is shown to eat exclusively black Midas bills, further symbolizing the fact she needed money in the here and now to survive, no matter what the cost and origin of that money was, even the future (his father's company in the past, or in the here and now, just the Midas money which represents the future and is printed by taking it as collateral) just like Mikuni's ideology. Since assets are said to represent an Entré's future, the fact she, his main asset looks like Mikuni's long dead sister, can also perhaps be taken as a hint that he has no future.
***
The second character and the protagonist is Yoga Kimimaro, an orphan that lost his father who was also an Entre to the financial district after he went bankrupt there and was probably forced to hang himself, or rather did so to protect his son and wife from the effects of failing in the district by paying the highest price to avoid having it taken from his family instead. The death of his mother isn't explained, but was probably linked to her husband going bankrupt in the financial district as well.
Kimimaro is a finance university student (i'll mention my dissatisfaction with his lack of financial understanding again), and works two part time jobs, hurting his studies somewhat (some sources say he's a scholarship student, but i don't believe it since he barely can make ends meet even with the TWO part time jobs he has, and is shown to make nearly no personal expenses, to the point he can't allow himself to go out with friends, and is mostly seen eating instant cup Ramen noodles).
Being an orphan and probably wanting nothing more than a family (having been raised by his aunt), he overworks himself and disregards his present (its not directly stated, but very well shown with his lack of expenses and sacrificing fun and even personal time to work and study exclusively), aiming for a stable job that will allow him to support his future self and family. After being lured in (somewhat tricked) by a small sum of money and ending up as an Entré, he quickly shows promise and catches Mikuni's eye by defending his asset which is apparently a rare act that Mikuni himself was recorded doing before, and reminding him of his younger self. He takes a liking to him, calling him to work for him and even to the point he plans to make him his heir in the future.
At first, after witnessing and being shocked by the immediate catastrophic consequences the financial district battle related fluctuations have on reality, Kimimaro accepts Mikuni's system of minimizing the impact of Midas money, joining his guild, even if he remains weary of the mystical black money.
However, soon, the long term effects of the inflow of black money on reality are seen by him, and the true meaning of the words about the district taking the future as collateral is witnessed - children (that represent the future, obviously) disappear off the streets and other, economically vulnerable people instantly lose their future in the forms of their jobs, homes, whole businesses and even entire buildings vanishing when a large sum of Midas money is printed in order to 'sustain the people in the here and now' (which is actually financially and metaphysically accurate, the very simplest example being how the extreme national debt, taxation and insane cost of having children in Japan gets in the way of them having kids to the point the demographics are collapsing, in an alternative timeline without all of that it wouldn't be an issue though, so this is just a mirror image, a world without Midas money (that could be equivalent to money printing and perhaps taxes in our world) that buys it with the people's futures as collateral, and the more of it is taken, the more of said people and their futures disappear, especially the financially weak), used to buy out the national debt, government liabilities and collapsed businesses.
It is at this point Kimimaro's personality in the show is formed and finalized - he decides to protect the FUTURE instead of the present (giving up on the 'here and now' and the printing of the dirty Midas currency (which i am convinced is a parallel to national debt and infinite printing of increasingly worthless government money to cover it that we see in our world today), leading to his duel with Mikuni.
Kimimaro's asset is Mashyu, and as mentioned before, since assets are said to represent an Entré's future, she seems to be his future daughter but it is vague and uncertain, and somewhat awkward if it would really be the case, given their somewhat romantic relationship in the anime, even if one sided (when pushed to kiss her, he does it on the forehead instead, as a father would do). Another speculation on my part is that she may be Kimimaro's unborn sister, since his father seemed to have had a very similar asset, and bankruptcy in the district WAS shown to lead to make children disappear from existence, and that, again, may have been the reason his father hanged himself, to prevent his son from vanishing as well), although again, the one sided romantic relationship makes it somewhat unlikely (although the alternative is daughter, so not impossible)... There is also the scene of him dreaming of someone holding a baby and calling her Mashyu, but it is unclear if it is him or his father... Perhaps it could also be both - the transfer of an asset/soul from father and his potential sister to son as his future daughter when he won her back from the district? The very first option seems the most likely but you never know, not to mention that the shared assets would then be harder to explain.
The anime's ending also brings something sort of unusual to the table - a vision of Japan without Yen (every price is in dollars since Kimimaro helped devalue the Yen with Midas money in order to destroy it along with the local Midas money district that was based off of said Yen, and bring, bargain, or buy everyone's futures back by giving it up and back in that way, however it may work in the universe and context...), what normally you'd think the Japanese pride would never allow to imagine, but perhaps many dream to get rid of the massive national debt and crippling taxation they have which made it possible?
Overall i think C is an excellent anime and a must watch for all, especially those who have the basic knowledge to process it, but even those without it, since i did enjoy the anime on my first view all those years ago (and the concept of black money and possibilities in reverse really makes you think on the implication of the real world equivalent in completely different colors (black money taking people that already exist (which is magic so only possible fictionally), our world's money being 'stolen normally' robbing the possibility of those people from being born and existing in the first place), even though i missed a lot of what is mentioned above. The real world parallels and examples are quite direct and dare i say useful, so aside the considerable entertainment value, i'd definitely say its worth a shot.
