Apr 13, 2012
SPOILERS BELOW: PLEASE DO NOT READ IF YOU HAVEN'T FINISHED THIS SERIES!
Alright so I'll say this right away: my argument will most likely be biased because of my love for this series (but then again who isn't biased to some extent). I've seen quite a few people post about how [C:] tried and failed to upkeep things they created, tie in Economics properly, ect. Personally, I feel that if you think these things that there is either a reason or you're not looking hard enough.
[C:] is very much about Economics. I'll try to keep the symbolism explanations simple:
Midas Money = Loans
The reason
...
for this is because Midas Money gives you purchasing power in exchange for your future. Ultimately, that's what a loan does. When you take out a loan, you enter a legal contract saying that you will receive temporary money in exchange for the thing you spend it on (since the money you spend using the loan isn't really your money, it's the banks). Ex.) You take out a loan on your car. If you fail to repay that loan, the bank will then own your car. In [C:]'s case, they are trying to invest in their futures. If they can't pay back the loan (the Midas Money) then they lose their future as part of the contract. When people go bankrupt within the Financial District, they have lost all their Midas Money, and can't pay back the loan. The future that they invested in (whatever it may be, for the teacher it was his children and wife) will be taken as compensation.
The Financial District = The Capitalistic Economy
Before the Industrial Revolution, there were not many "businesses" so to speak. For the most part it was part of what you grew up in, and it was what you lived on for basic needs. However, after the Revolution, the topic of Business became very appealing and profitable, but to start a business you need money. In our modern day economy, most entrepreneurs start up their businesses on loans (in [C:]'s case - Midas Money). The life blood of most businesses are formed and thrive off the loans that they obtain. The Financial District is a representation of this new economic structure. New Entres borrow Midas Money to start up then fight in "deals" to basically take the money of the person they're fighting. Note how ALL the money in the Financial District is Midas Money. That's because what they are doing is fighting with the financial power form their loans to take the financial power of other Entre's loans. It's somewhat odd, and it's why it's questioned in the series if the Financial District is good or evil. After all, business keeps the world going and goes towards the future, but the entire Financial District uses money that really doesn't even exist (loans - Midas Money)
Assets = Entre's Future
The assets of a business really are the potential future of the business. They are the entirety of power, so to speak, the business has. If a business loses all it's assets, the business has no future, it is dead. In [C:], the assets can be "invested" in. Likewise, in reality, you can invest in your own assets to hopefully gain some type of progression (such as technological advances) to improve your assets ability. In [C:], that "ability" is portrayed as supernatural abilities to win deals.
Masakaki = Personification of the Will of the Economy
I know Masakaki isn't a term, but he does represent something. The economy isn't something that can be fully managed, controlled, understood, ect. Masakaki shows this time and time again by refusing an offer that would seem logical (such as when Yoga tries to buy back his teacher's future), appearing at random intervals (surprising people), giving Yoga a "Black Card", ect. Although, Masakaki didn't necessarily GIVE the Black Card. The "one from above" did, the laws of the economy did. Masakaki is simply a servant of this "economic god".
Now, I'm off the terms, and I'm onto complaints that I've heard before:
"The mystery of the Financial District is never solved" - It was never meant to be solved. The viewers are called to see the connection between the economy of the modern day and the Financial District. Even though you see mythological guesses at what it could be in the series, you should see that they're meant to be only as such, guesses.
"What's with the Deus Ex Machina at the end with Yoga and the Black Card?" - The ending isn't supposed to be displayed as the main character using his "main character powers" to somehow beat the odds or to gain something to beat the odds. Like I said previously, The "one from above" that Masakaki refers to is the law of the economy. The economy is volatile and unpredictable so when Yoga gains the Black Card, it was because it's sending a sort of message that "you can never be too sure". I know it may sound odd, but when this scene occured, I realized and recreated on my own face, the smile that Masakaki is always seen with. The idea that the economy is just a game. Now, I understand that the economy isn't purely chance nor is it purely a game, but it does have those aspects to it.
"Some of these asset attacks don't make sense at all. They don't fit in with what's happening." - The asset attacks aren't supposed to "work" with their actual physical form and context. They are meant to just perform a "move" that sounds like what it's name could be used for. Mashyu used fire-type attacks so they found a few economic terms that could be used with fire (Scorched Earth and Overheated Economy). The argument could be made that these moves represent the asset's personality, goal, ect. and through them the entre's personality, goal, ect.(due to the asset being the entre's future). For example, Mashyu's Macroflation is Overheated Economy. An Overheated Economy is caused by huge amounts of spending and leads to inflation. To reduce spending, loans are sometimes reduced in availability. This means less people can borrow money, and less amounts of money can be borrowed. The Financial District runs on loans (Midas Money) so Yoga and Mashyu could represent the enemy of the Financial District in that sense as well.
subcategory: "How is Q's cannibalization and economic term?" - A simple search for economic terms with cannibalization in it can solve this problem. The one that seems to be the one Q is using is called "Market Cannibalization" which is when someone produces a product that ends up harming the entire market.
"What's all the random stuff with the Future and the Present? It doesn't relate to the economy at all." - The main thing is the use of Midas Money (loans) it's a philosophical battle to determine if loans are something that should exist or not, how the economy should be operated, and the reasons why. My friend compared this battle to the arguments between Kaynes and Hayek who are very intelligent economic philosophers who had very opposing views. Kaynes being played as Mikuni, and Hayek played as Yoga. Even more than the Future-Present battle, Mikuni believed that having a ton of money to influence the economy is what should be done while Yoga just wants to live an average life involving no forcing the economy to steer in the way you want.(also opposing views with Kaynes and Hayek) Mikuni wanted to completely hold the Financial District. By preventing deals and businesses competing, there would be no reason to invest since you don't need to compete. You're all in one giant business so to speak. Because no investments are made, the future isn't being aimed towards. There will be no future advances because of no investments thus leading to a present standstill - only caring for the present and consumption now instead of later.
There are more complaints, but none that I can think of immediately. Finally, I just have some side-notes of [C:]:
Whenever the world "changes", it represents the business going bankrupt just like in our economy, but in [C:], these changes are not only instant, they never existed in the first place. For example, let's say that in real life there's a shoe store and it goes out of business. In a few days/weeks, the spot/building where it once was will be replaced by a new business; in this case let's say it's a shirt store. People will remember the shoe store, and the shoe store employees will have lost their jobs. In [C:], the shoe store immediately becomes the shirt store, the shoe store never existed, the employees of the shoe store did something other than working at the shoe store (possibly being jobless during the entire time), and no one notices the change. This aspect of [C:] really is meant to be an eyeopener to the horrors of bankruptcy, and also, near the end of the series, the horrors of a recession.
To further explain my point about the entre's losing their future, I want to use Ko (the angelic charity guy) as an example. He was funding a charity program for many poor children. Once he went bankrupt, his money never existed. He never spent it on the charity, and all the lives that he saved were never saved in the first place. The future that he invested in with the Midas Money was taken from him because he couldn't pay back that loan. The same goes for Yoga's teacher who lost his wife and children.
All in all, I loved this series. It's my number one anime tied with Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. This series has a hell of a lot of connections through symbolism which is very admirable. Simply put: the creators didn't half-ass this work.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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