C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control - Episode 6

So, Kimimaro has finally opted to join Mikuni's so-called "Starling Guild" as of last week's instalment of C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control - indeed, he seems to be doing pretty well under said guild's strategy of only taking marginal winnings to avoid their Financial District deals making any real-world impact, setting himself on a winning streak via strategies which seem to be working rather well.

However, Kimimaro's next Deal seems him put up against a tricky challenger - the incredibly rich philanthropist Ko Sennoza, a pairing which also sees the interest of Jennifer Satou towards Kimimaro yet further.  Even more interestingly, Kimimaro and Mashu's first meeting with Sennoza sees the latter putting a proposition to the former - if Kimimaro backs out of the deal, Ko will pay the fee necessary for him to do so (half of his wealth, which is a simple transaction for someone with Ko's cash flow).  While Kimimaro goes away to mull this offer over, he finds himself kidnapped by Satou, who comes to reveal the real core tenet of this week's episode.

Essentially, the focus this time around is on the present versus the future as it pertains to the Financial District.  While Mikuni's guild is working hard to minimise the impact of Deals to stabilise the country as it is as present, Sennoza takes a different view, that being that Mikuni's dealings simply pump more Midas money into the real world and thus further limit the future opportunities of Japan to progress and move away from the Financial Districts clutches.  It's a fascinating dilemma to mull over, and needless to say it's a tough one for Kimimaro as he finds himself torn between Mikuni and Sennoza's positions on what is the "right" thing to do before his hand is effectively forced by his own indecision and what turns into a harrowing Deal that leaves him little choice but to act.

As seems to be increasingly the case with this series, this episode of [C] blended a great (and dare I say fantastic) concept with a delivery that ranged from the pedestrian to the clumsy.  The use of Satou to deliver the concept was horribly done in many senses, while Kimimaro's indecisiveness and complete reluctance to choose a side in the question that was raised was hugely frustrating - add in some clunkily animated and/or progressed scenes and transitions and the whole endeavour felt "cheap".  This is a real shame when the very same episode also offers up some powerful scenes to chew over - Mashu's agony during the final deal was palpable and chilling, only to be frittered away with an unbelievable turn in Kimimaro's fortunes which rendered it as little more than a side-note.  Overall then, I'm still thoroughly enjoying this series for the concepts that it brings to the table, fascinating and relevant that they are - I just wish they were being delivered in a more forceful and polished fashion.