[C]-Control Episode 4 & 5—Investing in the Future

Building off of episode 3, Kimimaro faces off against one of his teachers, who is in the Financial District for the sake of his family. He suddenly learns the possible cost behind bargaining his “future” in the Financial District and what Mikuni intends to do about it.

Screenshots: Episode 4


The first of many cool shots in this episode. Sideways fighting, washed out expression, and a reason to win.


And he paid more than in cash for it.


This car is increasingly reminding me of Back to the Future.


And growing every day, I imagine.


I wonder how many people in the guild share Mikuni's ideals. Are they in it to help lessen the impact on the real world? Or do they just not want to lose?


I was wondering why this guy's house was like a Steven King novel, but the truth was worse...



FFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUU--


That must really suck, having memories that no one else shares. Especially memories of your kids.


Another cool shot. Now that Kimimaro knows what's potentially at stake, he's at a crossroads...


Mikuni's Asset says some interesting things. I'm still not sure what to make of her.


Handsome, rich, and a badass. This show is going to have to work really hard if they want to turn Mikuni into a unlikable villan.


Why not? He doesn't seem to be that bad of a role model...at least, not yet.


Ah! He said it!

Screenshots: Episode 5


As shown by the battle scenes in these two episodes, that takes skill.


An interesting shot for the "membership fee," which is really being used to get the nation out of debt.


The return of awkward CG!


I am really starting to wonder what part of his "future" could be affected if he loses big. This time it was grades, but next time...?


A cool shot while we get some slight details about the "organization." I'm pretty sure that they'll start acting more aggressively soon, if they're really going against Mikuni.


Yeah... I'd be weirded out by that too.


Too big to fail lose.


I've thought that this was cool from when they first introduced it; being able to literally see the transfer of money to another person.


Hard to argue with that.


And also, the return of bad English! Seriously, the female voice actress could learn a lot about pronunciation.

Thoughts
The show has raised the stakes even higher with these two episodes, with not just personal ruin on the line but irreversible consequences in reality as well. “Control” is an apt name for this series; the people who go into the Financial District are forced to gain power or risk losing what means the most to them—something that wasn’t mentioned in the fine print. The reveal that the kids had been completely wiped from reality without anyone remembering them was truly shocking, and the explanation about Mikuni’s guild seems like a perfect way to remedy it, if Mikuni does manage to take over the Financial District. However, I don’t think that this show has revealed all of its plot twists just yet. There is still a lot of mystery surrounding the existence of the Financial District itself as well as the organization that is looking into it. Also, despite the opening sequence, which shows that Kimimaro and Mikuni will eventually clash, Mikuni has been portrayed as a guy who is trying to save the world from the effects of deals as much as possible. Also, episode 5 brought up an interesting question: what does Kimimaro stand to lose in his future? The girl he likes? His aunt? Or something bigger? In any case, things should get more interesting from here on out, now that he has joined the guild.

Screenshots taken from Funimation.com and Hulu.com.