Posting this here because your blog
hate me doesn't want me to comment
(I have yet to watch episodes 4 or 5 at the time of this post)
Like I said here before, I consider [C] an amazing anime.
Much like you've pointed out, this anime draws inspiration from a diverse number of sources. Yugioh, Eden of the East, Spice & Wolf, Persona 3, Beyblade, Pokemon, Code Geass, Death Note, Mononoke, Trapeze etc. It also amazingly cheap with low production values and horrible artwork, the music has been done on the airing day etc. and yet, despite all of that, despite how much the potential of this series becoming a train wreck, it manages to not only be entertaining, but also interesting to watch from start to finish. It's far too cleaver for what it appears as.
Now the YGO! comparisons, while I think are a great deal of fun, may have confused some as that the battles here in [C] are the same as they are in YGO! (going by what I've seen in /a/ and AS that might be the case) The difference is, where YGO! had initially ridiculous rules that had no bearing whatsoever on the actual game, and then moved into a similar rule set but constructed absurd card/monster effects to get out of desperate situations (in an attempt to create false tension) [C] on the other hand follows closely the laws it set (I think someone translated the laws of the Financial district earlier) and then creates interesting situations around them.
As if this show is targeting a younger audience, I don't think that's necessarily the case. It could be the constant problem all noitaminA programs seem to be having with trying to figure out which segment they are trying to target.
I personally think that it's something similar to what Dragon's Den has done. It's clearly a show with actual business thinking process and decision making going in the background, but a whole lot of the foreground is all entertainment, making the show appear less ''economic'' to not drive viewers away.
(And yes, that's a really sweet looking picture.
)