Anirban Chakroborti

My first stride into the dark (and surreal even before surrealism emerged out as a movement), captivating world of German Expressionist films, the on point misé-en-scene reflects the perplexed state of mind with the warped perception of the environment. With themes as grave as mental illness, a travelling mystic with a somnambulist under his sway and a series of unsolved murders plaguing the town with the arrival of a fair, the movie justifies its use of complex, fragmented and painted sets.

I watched this anime first as a young adult with a very vague idea of the financial markets across the world. Despite the fact that the anime takes a shonen manga like turn with the 'Deals', battles where the Entres' assets engage, the entire series is very symbolic and makes effective use of metaphors. While the fight sequences help cater to the younger audience, it also reels them in to attune them to the grave and apathetic world of money, with sudden surges of pride and troughs of fear taking over once in a while. Opening our eyes to the way our futures are at the mercy of the ongoings of something most do not understand, we are made to feel a lot like our ancestors who once feared the never before seen God or supernatural forces they believed could control our fate, while also kindling a spark of curiosity and willingness to try, understand and better grasp this once created, and now uncontrollable market and the economy at large. Nonetheless, this is an anime for a niche audience, one with an eye for detail and a mind that picks up the subtleties.