C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control - Episode 1

As if we weren't already all painfully aware of it, recent years have proven one thing across the world - money matters.  Given that, it's hardly surprising that the aftermath of a global financial crisis that still holds sway over economies across the world has given rise to a series that has money and its importance as its primary focus.

More specifically, C's first episode introduces us to the Financial District, a near-literally magical world away from the prying eyes of normal human beings and an Alice in Wonderland-esque place where fortunes can be won or lost for those willing to put their entire future at stake.

This world seems a million miles away from the every-day goings-on of Kimimaro, an economics student with little cash but an absolute determination to come good under his own steam and on his own terms.  Kimimaro shows no outward interest in becoming a billionaire or the like, aiming only for a simple yet secure life... at least that's the plan, but a decidedly odd visitation followed by the appearance of half a million Yen in his bank account soon ensnares him as the latest new Entrepreneur of the Financial District whether he likes it or not.

Essentially, this opening episode of C sets its scene and nothing more - we get to know Kimimaro and what ostensibly drives him, see his love interest Hanabi, and of course get a small taste of the Financial District.  Where does the series go from here?  Lord only knows, but there's no mistaken this series raised eyebrows towards the banking industry, with C's Financial District and its impenetrable nature to outsiders, as well as its seemingly alchemical and magical principles, serving as a clear and obvious allegory to the overly secretive and cut-throat world which caused the financial meltdown we're still all feeling the pain from.  For that reason alone C feels like an important work, and an anime that seeks to be representative of its age and point in time - only future episodes will dictate whether it can actually move beyond feeling and towards acting like such a seminal piece or not.