Yup, the ending is going to be really important for this one: how will this get solved? That’s the big question. That will be the biggest factor in whether this show will leave a bad taste or not. The thing is that Mikuni is not one of those stereotypical villains who are evil for the sake of being evil: he made the decision to drastically alter the country and tighten the grip of the Midas Money on Japan, because the alternative would be even worse. What can Kimimaro and the information broker offer to prevent bankruptcy?
If it hits the right marks however, then this will end up as a really good series. The interesting thing with C is that we were all obviously expecting the same directional style as with Mononoke and Kuchuu Buranko, and yet it was very different. And yet, the direction in this episode was once again really good. The use of music got even better than it already was, it kept changing and keeping things dynamic while at the same time keeping things together and developing its plot in one direction. This climax so far has been rushed, but not random, and yet it was packed with neat ideas worthy of a climax, rather than just let everything devolve into just “more power!” like anime often pull this.
I am still surprised that this show hasn’t self-destructed yet, though. Lately, I’ve gotten very sceptical of series that try to stuff too much in too little. Especially adaptations suffer from this (Togainu no Chi, Yumekui Merry, Kuragehime, Sengoku Basara, Durarara), but also original stories like Fractale and Sora no Oto tripped up pretty badly in their final stretch. Interestingly, the cause of this seems to generally be half-assed pacing: the shows misuse their time, plowing on slowly and forgetting to build up vital plot points, or suddenly force a huge increase of pacing when they suddenly realize that they need to end on something epic, ending up with too little time to actually pull that off. C doesn’t have that, or so far at least.
It will depend on the next episode to see whether the creators really knew what they were doing, but so far I can see the layout of this series: first it took its time to flesh out the world with its random cases, showing a different part of is concept with every episode, while it actually started in time gaining momentum for its finale.
I mean, this show has still flaws: there’s a lot of stuff that came out of bloody nowhere, and that lack of ability to explain this stuff is unfortunate due to the short length. That black card in particular came out of nowhere and while it’s understandable that that clown would have some sort of trick like that, it would have been nice to have seen that announced beforehand. This episode also again has Kimimaro winning against all odds and I’m still not sure how he exactly did it. This was a flaw that had it coming from the beginning, and unfortunately wasn’t avoid. But those action scenes looked damn cool though.
Rating: ** (Excellent)
you’re so generous…I thought this episode was complete garbage…except for the beginning where Americas clown dude was all like America has super entrepreneurs, take your c shit back. . .that made me lol. but yeah other than that…complete trash. Im glad im not watching anymore of this.
Wow. And I’m on the other end of the spectrum. I thought this episode was great. It’s bringing everything together and doing so in a great way. Yes it’s kind of rushed, but in some ways for me the rushed quality of it actually intensifies the action. Like, the fact that you constantly have to USE YOUR BRAIN to understand what’s happening is engaging and interesting. Far too often series like this try to explain every little detail, and they forget that they are an action series and overload the show with dialogue. C realizes it doesn’t have time for this, so it hits the most important points and focuses on presentation to a great effect.
That said psgels, I think your skepticism is valid. Still, I don’t see how elliot can call it “trash” Surely there is a lot worse out now right?
While I have to agree to the fact that it’s rushed, it’s putting up a pace that is still readily followable (and it’s action packed fun).
At least some questions are answered as well (ie. asset trading is as simple as it gets)…
Another thing, someone’s philosophy’s about to be put to the test…
I’m just really nervous right now about whether the creators will pull a sudden bad ending. It’s bad when the guy who’s got your back against the final(?) boss just happens to represent the system you’re trying to destroy. Sato suggested reversing the rotary would be the way to go, but if the guy enabling it to happen is Masakaki himself, you gotta wonder if the financial district will win either way. I have no idea what’s going to happen next. Actually, this whole week has been full of this (points at Iroha and Ano Hana).
My guess is Kimimaro’s unexpected victory is linked to their plan to devalue the yen.
It’s likely that they switched their assets over to the dollar so they would be stable since their entire plan was to weaken their opponents and not themselves along with it.
Mikuni just has so much money that it hadn’t weakened him to the point he could be beaten yet while his peon felt the effect a lot sooner.
It’s likely that they switched their assets over to the dollar
Is that even possible, given that they’re attached to Japan’s financial district? I think it might be either an overlooked loophole or something due for an explanation later.
Honestly, I think it would take a deus ex machina to get everyone out of the jam they’re in now. Even if the story is resolved happily somehow, I doubt if there would be time for proper closure.
while his peon felt the effect a lot sooner.
Hm. I thought his asset/future got weakened thanks to Mikuni’s second turn at the rotary. Although Sato said the effect would take several hours to hit reality, I think the entres’ assets were hit first.
This series has been a complete disappointment for me. From the character design to the direction I find little things to be saved; They will need a really emotional ending to make up this mess a little. If they rely on the solidity of the script then it will be the last nail on the coffin.
@ Cytl: we can’t really judge what we have not finished(unless you’re dropping it now…)
@ meow: if they did (during the time when they were @ the ATMs) it would be the most obvious piece we’ll see in an anime for a while…
anyone thinks that Jennifer’s actually dead? (only because she was still cut in half when she sold George and disappeared)
anyone thinks that Jennifer’s actually dead?
Going bankrupt alone would not have killed her. But it would have made her vulnerable to the effects of C. Question mark whether C can be stopped/reversed in time by Togo, assuming he confronted Mikuni immediately after.
@info600: I find it hard for an ending to save a whole series.