C is above all, a lot of fun to watch. It’s got an awesome premise, and makes awesome use of that. The action scenes are full of creativity and there is a ton of fast-paced intrigue that keeps this show going. The soundtrack is amazing (third best of the season after Hyouge Mono and Tiger & Bunny), and everything is pointing at the creators planning to make this as fun to watch as possible. Great!
At the same time though, it does have its weaknesses, and doesn’t try to hide it. I like that kind of honesty, at least. The main character did end up to be “the chosen one”: the complete rookie who with a very flimsy reason suddenly does things no other rookie has done before… aside from his big rival. (The rest of the episodes really need to un-flimsy that “asset” of him that allowed him to summon such a giant beam).
Also: 3D CG. It’s clear that the animators are ambitious, but don’t have the budget they need. They want a lot of movement, but they just can’t do everything at the same time, which leads to A TON of 3D CG. On actual characters. Whereas in Tiger & Bunny at least the models are consistent in either 2D or #D, here they really are all over the place, really convincing me of the budget problems. And yet, the scenes at which the animators did focus their attention… are absolutely gorgeous and amongst the best eye candy of the season. Take your pick.
Now, as for the characters: they’re not the best, but I like ’em. The male lead is more than your average male lead, despite his cliches, his female fighting companion is short and to the point, and has the potential to grow, and his rival is probably the most intriguing. They’re all likable, they have potential but need more depth to really work, though. Especially the main character; this episode was instead all about developing the premise. In terms of the really minor side characters though… that probably is the worst part of this series. That thug was just…. too much.
In any case, I’ve been asked what my favourite shows of this season are. I consider the big four to be Hyouge Mono, Anohana, Hana-Saku Iroha and Tiger & Bunny. Those really instantly captured me. After those come Steins;Gate, and C: two series that have all the ingredients to become amongst those other four, but just need a bit of extra time. Right now, the most important thing for C is to remain entertaining throughout its entire 11 episodes. If it manages that, then I’ll be happy, and I won’t mind the flaws at all. The key ingredients for that right now seem to be: more depth on the different characters, and a variety on the different episodes.
Rating: ** (Excellent)