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Jul 25, 2014
C: Control for short is probably one of the most misunderstood, under appreciated shows in anime. Many people gloss over the show, since it is slow moving, very psychological and introspective, and most of all very economically founded, so that the terminology is alienating for those with no background in economics. So, to set the record straight, here I am with my take on the show C: The Money of Soul and Possibility Control.
*This review contains NO SPOILERS. Please read on at NO RISK*
Story: C: Control has a unique story, I will avoid describing it as it is one of the biggest strengths the show
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possesses, and really draws the viewer in. The fact that there is no simple battle between good and evil, but a struggle of viewpoints, makes it complicated and intricate, tying the story in well with the characters and setting. The only issues that one can have is that it is too complex, which makes it difficult to fully understand (my advice is to rewatch it, it is only 11 episodes), and that there are several questions left unanswered at the end, to which I say that they are the right questions, all of the major issues are resolved and only irrelevant questions of personal interest remain. Story in C: Control gets a 10 out of 10.
Art: Art in C: Control is very appropriate for the other-worldly setting, especially the shapes and subtle designs mimicking the stock market and other economic symbols. The color palette is very limited, however, as well as certain scenes seeming very poorly animated as the show was clearly made with a very limited budget, which I cannot overlook. Even so, the show's use of what it has is very ingenious, and earns an 8 out of 10.
Sound: The soundtrack in C: Control is very forgettable, especially on the first watch. Having rewatched the show several times, certain tracks really stick, and at minimum it blends very well with the setting and plot. There are no bad tracks on the soundtrack, something that can kill a show for me personally. Sound gets a 8.5 out of 10.
Characters: The characters in C: Control are another strong point of the show. You have a very inexperienced, naive main character that has some of the best growth for said stereotype in all of the shows I've seen. There is of course an antagonist, but not out of evil or malice, but out of a different mindset on the solution to the issue they are faced with. All characters get a good amount of development, and the amounts of development fit perfectly with the character's role in the show, so that the main and important characters get large amounts of development, and the lesser characters get less development. The characters themselves are slightly bland, but the show will take your initial conceptions and smash them, leaving you loving many of the characters, or disliking them, by the end. Character gets a 9.5 out of 10.
Enjoyment: I personally very much enjoyed C: Control a lot, so much that I am horribly disappointed at the lack of enjoyment by the anime community. The main thing to keep in mind with C: Control is that the genres are not what they seem. I would describe it more as a drama, psychological, with hints of action and supernatural. DO NOT WATCH IT if you are looking for an action show, or a superpower show. You will not enjoy it. For me, enjoyment gets a 10 out of 10.
Overall, C: Control is a show that, if appreciated fully, can easily be liked and even loved, and claim a good spot on a list of favorite shows. If not properly watched, it can seem to be a very mundane, unenjoyable show. It is a great example of taking many risks and making them work marvelously. My final, overall rating of C: Control is a 9 out of 10.
Reviewer’s Rating: 9
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Nov 12, 2013
A failed attempt at an interesting concept.
Day Break Illusion (avoiding the tedious title) is a show that started off with potential but a prime example of dropping the ball halfway through.
The story synopsis is above, so I'll just give my perspective on it. Basically, it is unique at first but does not explore its total potential by the end. There are many loose ends not tied up by the end and many things introduced lack clarification (such as the Daemonia). I found the story to be a bear to watch as it quickly became redundant, focusing on several things only and not answering
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many of the viewer's questions. I give the story a 4.
Art was decent enough, really colorful to suit the magical girl genre but dark when it needed to be. Art doesn't normally make a difference to me though unless it's horrible. 7 for art.
Sound was a bit better than average, it had a good variety of songs, which suited the show's ominous tone and cheerful tone accordingly. 6 for sound.
Characters were one of the biggest failures for this show. The characters seemed to be very static, and did not develop by the end. Getting over a single traumatic event is not adequate development for 4 characters in 13 episodes, period. For the characters, I cannot avoid writing spoilers, so I will put a mark at the end for all who have not seen the show.
*SPOILERS BELOW - SORRY*
Akari is a very bland protagonist, timid, not confident, and very concerned about others. As the story progresses, Akari seems to only get over the death of her cousin. Instead of dealing with her hesitation to kill Daemonia, the show glorifies this fault, turning most life-or-death situations into a simple conversation, resulting in the enemy seeming to have a will the sturdiness of paper. She does not gain any mastery over her power, no training is shown, and little is explained about her mother even by the end of the series.
Luna is a tsundere friend, which seems to be the only development she gets the whole series. Eventually she gets over her issues, but not really much is explored into her past or circumstances. Not much to say on this character other than mediocre.
Seira is the BA cold-hearted character who opens up to the protagonist by the end of the series. She is probably the best developed character in the show, since she gets over her cold-heartedness in multiple ways and seems a much more rounded characters at the end. This mostly occurs during the period in which she loses her powers, where she is forced to face reality and the value of life.
Ginka is the "dumb blonde" who is fun to be around. She would have been my favorite character, as the development and character interaction leading up to her "death" were very well executed, but her return at the end of the show was the biggest BS move I've ever seen. The biggest thing the show had going for it was to show the seriousness of the struggle they were in, and her return was an excuse, not a reason, which resulted in me losing respect for the entire show. Death is a serious matter, and making light of it is an instant failure in my book, no matter the circumstance.
Cerebrum is the stereotypical villain: manipulative, secretive, and heartless. Cerebrum was not developed, which loses a huge impact on the viewer for the final confrontation. Whereas a good show makes you invested in all the characters, whether for their defeat or success, Cerebrum is sort of "just there" for the majority of the plot, and only serves as a bland "final boss" for the girls to face. Once again, the limited and vague descriptions of the dark tarot cards made his actions less meaningful. It's like going to a party where everyone has their own lingo and you feel out of place since they don't describe it well.
*END OF SPOILERS*
As for my enjoyment, I found the show to hook me at first, lost me for a couple episodes in the middle, hooked me again near the end, and then smacked me in the face at the end as punishment for watching it through. Needless to say, I did not enjoy the show as much as I'd hoped. I cannot say I didn't enjoy it, but it failed to meet my expectations in many ways. Enjoyment is 3.5 out of 10.
Overall, I give the show 4.25, which I've rounded to 4 for the review. The show is just lackluster and mediocre, and fails to live up to the expectations of the viewers. Even without having seen shows like Madoka or Nanoha, the show does not execute its plot well or develop its characters successfully.
In conclusion, as I said before, this show is a prime example of not using its full potential. I don't give shows scores less than 5 unless I truly do not recommend this anime, so hopefully I dissuade some people from making the decision to sit through the 2 1/2 hours of this.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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