Canaan

A thirteen episode Action/Drama series, Canaan is based on the manga written by Type-Moon. The manga is published by Kadokawa Shoten, but has yet to reach the states. The anime had it’s original run in the summer of 2009 from P.A. Works Studio, and has been dubbed in English by Anime Network in September 2010. The story actually takes place two years after the Nintendo Wii visual novel, 428: Fusa Sareta Shibuya de. I already watched the subbed version and recently watched the dub, so I’m gonna take on both versions. Two years ago, Shibuya was ravaged by a biological terrorist attack using the deadly Ua virus. Maria Osawa was saved when her father inoculated her against the virus, but is left with partial amnesia from the shock. She works as a cameraman when she reunites with a girl named Canaan in Shanghai, China. A gifted assassin with synesthesia, she is under orders from an unknown organization for a yet unspecified mission. (Anime News Network) There are two types of people who are infected by the Ua virus, Borners and Unbloom. Borners are those who survive being infected by the virus, some gaining powers (Hacko) or just some extra body parts (Yun Yun). Unbloom are those who also survived the Ua virus, however gain no special abilities and become extremely vulnerable to UV rays and outside noises. Snake, a terrorist group run by Alphard, ran experiments on people in a distant village a few years prior to the events in the anime. Their goal, to study the effects of Borners and Unbloom in order to use the Ua virus to, pretty much, cause war. The only person really standing in their way is Canaan. The look of the series is pretty much your basic Action anime series with decent animations. The most interesting look of the series is Canaan’s synesthesia powers. Whenever we look through her eyes everything becomes color coded, depending on people’s emotions and condition(her targets are blue, hungry is gray, kindness is yellowish gold). The story is pretty basic: a girl working for an mystery organization (Canaan) and is also out for revenge against the person who killed her mentor (Alphard). At the same time she also befriends another girl eventually turning her into her new reason for living (Maria). Add in a strange virus and some sadistic characters and you’ve got this anime. There are a few parts that are never explained at all in the series. For instance, in the beginning we are just told that Canaan and Maria are friends. The only thing about their past that the anime calls our “explanation” is a) Canaan saved Maria from bad guys and b) the two of them bond over Cat’s Cradle. Another piece that is never explained is why Minrou went to Shanghi, besides trying to get “the big scoop”. What kind of “big scoop” are we looking for? Did the gossip magazine get a tip that a teenage girl who can see colors and can shoot like a ninja-monkey would be tearing around Shanghi? However I did find out that Minrou was actually one of the main characters from 428: Fusa Srenta Shibuya de, and a survivor of the Shibuya incident two years prior. So if you haven’t even heard of the game then you are completely lost. Both the English and Japanese versions aren’t bad, but if I had a preference I would stick to the Japanese. The voice actors in the Japanese version match the idea of the characters better then the English. Although both versions have very good portrayals. Both Maaya Sakamoto and Lesley Pedersen give a good performance as Alphard, as well as the actors for both Minoru and Santana. Shelley Calene-Black plays a decent Canaan, but I preferred Miyuki Sawashiro’s more tom-boyish and naive Canaan better. When it comes to Maria and Yun Yun the Japanese voice actors are certainly superior. But I believe the best portrayal of a character in either version is Liang Qi. Both Rie Tanaka and Jessica Boone do an amazing job with this role. Playing out not only her obsession for Alphard but the insanity that goes along with this character. You almost feel sorry for her and the torture she goes though both mentally and emotionally. The downside to this series is, again, the fact that it’s your generic action series. It has huge gun fights, secret organizations bent on taking over the world, and the occasional necrophilia.... Oh wait.... That’s just this show..... however that’s also the major downfall of this series, the story itself. The characters are decent, with some of them developed nicely while others not at all. There are patches in the story where, unless you have seen it’s proceeding visual novel, then you have no idea where some parts of the story come into play, or why some of it matters. It’s still enjoyable to watch whether you want to see those gun fights or watch the complex mind games between Canaan and Alphard. Or, hell, see Liang Qi lose her marbles! In the end, Canaan is a good action series that has a few twists to keep the audience’s attention. It sticks to the story through and through with a few fun parts at times. Mostly from seeing Yun Yun and her many many jobs, plus the jokes about her boobs(or lack thereof). It’s one to at least take a look at, and either you’ll love it, hate it, or just go “eh”.

Fourth Review - Canaan Well where to start with Canaan then, this anime in my opinion was actually really good. I loved the plot of the anime and thought that it was well planned out, although you have to pay attention to the anime to keep on track. The development of the plot helped with character development as the plot at the beginning is quite empty and it picks up during the course of the series. Characters were already involved with each other before the beginning of Canaan, however as the anime went on you could understand what terms the characters were on and after awhile this shown how closely planned out each character was. The one thing that lets down the whole character development with the main protagonist (Maria) is the way she was portrayed, a 'damsel in distress' and a 'dumb girl'. This was good as it grew closer with the other main character Canaan however it was the same story of what happens when the 'bad people' are around. To me Canaan had a good animation for the year it was made, it shown detail and different lights in animation during the anime. The animation was well created and gave the 'realistic' anime look rather than a sketchy look, this is what made me like the anime more. The sound in Canaan was also good, the opening especially was well produced and went with the genre and style of the anime Canaan was. Putting on my 'Yuri-Goggles' now, Canaan shows Girls love like a normal real-life love, the characters weren't on top of each other like other anime. The Yuri was slim and was discreet, however you could tell there was something there between the main protagonists. If your into Yuri anime then this is one that could be nice to see. (Sorry shouldn't go into too much detail here.) I personally enjoyed Canaan a lot, I found that the enjoyment was good as it kept you wanting to see what happens next, it kept you engrossed to see what the story is about and what happened in the characters pasts. I loved how Canaan itself was quite a smooth running series that didn't just have random fillers in the storyline and didn't have just random unexplained parts. If you love fighting anime that is not overpowering in the fighting, If you love a simple plot in a story with really no fillers and an anime that keeps you wanting more. I would recommend Canaan, a good anime about girls with guns and some discreet Yuri bases. Canaan ~

The short of it is that this is a very action-oriented anime similar to Black Lagoon - but with a better story and characters - all while being only 13 episodes long. Story: A relatively generic affair overall; Canaan's story blends Full Metal Alchemist and a little bit of Ghost in the Shell - but ultimately falls short of both of them in terms of emotional impact and comprehensiveness. It makes you care and remains consistently engaging through all of the thirteen episodes. There's nothing terribly original about it but it does everything well; it struck me as being more Western movie inspired. Art: I don't remember ever being stunned or impressed by the visuals, but I don't remember seeing anything bad, either. The action scenes flow nicely and have interesting, fairly detailed, backgrounds and the characters move fluidly - coming together in some well-done fight scenes. Sound: Good FX compliment the fight scenes; bullets hit with a solid thud and punches and kicks are delivered with a muffled thump. There aren't any annoyingly voiced characters or poorly done stuff (like "engrish"). As long as audio doesn't hurt an anime it's good in my book, and it certainly didn't in Canaan. Character: This is where Canaan really shines - there are no unnecessary side-characters, everyone is important to the main story line and is treated as such. All of them really feel like they develop and evolve from beginning to end. Canaan also has a really solid villain that takes you on a rollercoaster of feelings. Had the actual story been a bit better, Canaan's characters could've shined even more. Enjoyment: A semi-believable action-thriller with great characters and fight scenes, Canaan made me happy that I chose it over the innumerable other anime I need to watch at some point. It isn't a classic or anything - nor do I think it should regarded as such - but Canaan left me feeling satisfied; if I had to watch it all again, I would. Overall: A flawed gem, Canaan impresses with its character development despite a fairly derivative story line.

The girls-with-guns movement is spotlighted again during my time and this show has come to mind to have some elements of shows like that in the past and wondering that will this be a déjà vu comparison to those other shows? Well, first, the name “CANAAN” is a reference to the Old Testament, describing a land with milk and honey. Also, the anime is based on the scenario of a visual novel game 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de made for the Nintendo Wii and onto a sequel to the game, it centers around three women and their connection to an anti-terrorism summit two years ago, Shibuya was ravaged by a biological terrorist attack using the deadly Ua virus. Maria Osawa was saved when her father inoculated her against the virus, but is left with partial amnesia from the shock. She works as a cameraman when she reunites with a girl named Canaan in Shanghai, China. A gifted assassin with synesthesia, she is under orders from an unknown organization for a yet unspecified mission. You know what? I already sensed the déjà vu situation describing the plot details of this anime…….mainly because it all reminds of the Bee Train trilogy of Noir, Madlax, & El Cazador de la Bruja, three shows whose plots are not really that different from each other and the fact the latter two are spiritual successors to the original. Personally, I do like the Bee Train trilogy more or less (Madlax being the less, El Cazador being the more) but I have developed a sense of what to come across to these types of show, for example: 1. The show is set in an exotic place other than Japan. 2. Sometimes the theme is war (either inner or outer) and an organization unknown to the world is somehow involved. 3. Main female character is an assassin or bounty hunter; the other one has amnesia and can’t remember shit. 4. Sometimes one is stoic (or both in Noir’s case); the other can be the picture of innocence and naiveté. 5. The tone of the relationship between the two female characters has more or an equal amount of Yuri tones. (i.e., I sense a lot of fan fiction about these girls wink wink). So that’s basically what I sense when I watch these types of anime……… Now as for characters, Canaan herself is the basically stoic female assassin we seen and she can get pretty dull to know about (she became an assassin due to death of her parents and her mentor Siam and wants revenge against the person that offed him) but she was interesting for a while. Maria Osawa is the archetype character of being the eyes of an innocent naiveté young woman and she was a likable character from start to finish (and cute, too. I’m just saying). There is also her boss Minorikawa or Mino-san, who feels more like he’s just in for the ride, like a role reversal considering Maria would fit into that role. Then there’s Yun Yun, the eccentric and energetic young girl and the comic relief (which is kind of new in my book of these types of shows) and one of the surviving test subjects of the Ua virus experiment. The prominent antagonist of the show is Alphard Al Sheya, the leader of the terrorist organization Snake and Canaan’s archrival and there is Alphard’s top lieutenant Liang Qi and I got to say that she has got to be one of the craziest, obsessed, and deranged secondary characters I’ve seen……..it scares me a bit but, hell, I love that about her. Her almost OTT appearance makes it seem believable that she is that fucking insane about what she does. I actually cared more about her than the main villain or the main character. I would say that Bee Train is somehow involved in the production and they are, but they don’t do the main animation, it’s the work of P.A. Works, the same animation team behind Angel Beats and Another and it looks absolutely beautiful. There was no noticeable mistake and hiccup in any of the fight scenes and I applaud them for that. The character designs were a bit basic for anime design of character although I keep thinking of Yun Yun as a little girl rather than an older female. The opening song of the show comes out a bit obnoxious especially with the electric keyboard in the beginning. The rest of the BGM and ending song were quiet, melodic, and sometimes stealth for a while. The dub by Sentai Filmworks was alright, however I should have talked about this guy already the last time I reviewed something from Sentai (that wasn’t a re-release from Geneon) and yes, for those who know what I’m about to say is about the ADR director/writer Steven Foster, who is responsible for the dubs of High School of the Dead, Ghost Stories, and the majority of most Sentai Filmworks dubs today and he can be either decent or awful and fortunately for him, it’s on the line of listenable for me. I will give praise to the voice actors/actresses including Shirley Calene-Black, Hilary Haag, Andrew Love, Serena Varghese and especially Jessica Boone for her role as Liang Qi. Yeah, you can tell I really loved that performance. FINAL VERDICT: I can easily say that I really did enjoy the series all throughout the run, even if most of the plot either seems already done in an anime but some of the time the dialogue is a bit awkward and jarring to hear because of the adapted writing, but I’ll say that if you like any of the girls-with-guns anime trilogy, you’ll like this. If you don’t (and I know some who don’t), then you might want to skip this.

I'm not really used to seeing female characters being the hero so I was afraid to watch this. But I'm happy that I did decide to watch it since I would've missed out on one of the greatest female rivalries ever. I can't say no more, just that this anime has great art, music and a solid story to keep you in your seats, till you gotta move that mouse again for the next episode. Watch this, especially if your a girl, I know this because girls like to fight, I know from experience, lol. Enjoy this!

Canaan proved to be quite the mixed bag for me with its fair share of worthwhile aspects and some major flaws that keep me from wanting to rate it higher. Before I get to my praises, I shall tackle my issues with the show. The show's plotting proved to be Canaan's weakest area where there wasn't much in the way of buildup concerning the plans that the Snakes had with the Ua virus as the show's central focus was more on the character relationships between the major female characters of the series than the virus plot. As a matter of fact, this plot element seemed so irrelevant that the show ran it alongside a typical case of government corruption by the American government without much explanation as to why and what was ultimately being planned with the virus seemed like something you could pull out of a science fiction/ horror movie. Adding to my snags with the series would be some over-the-top characters among those of the villains such as psycho lesbian Liang Qi and a childish-behaving old man with ridiculous speed and agility. What does save the series from complete mediocrity for me would be the character interactions and developments involving the major female characters of the series. The connections between Alphard, Canaan and Maria are a complex one as all three are essentially conflicted over how to treat one another in regards to their past relationships that are hinted at points through flashbacks. For example, Canaan cares for Maria dearly because of her desire to care for somebody yet does not consider Maria's feelings of helplessness from her encounters with the Snakes. Maria desires to be someone on Canaan's level yet because of their different upbringings, they can never truly have a deep friendship with one another. Alphard detests Canaan for getting the attention of their mentor Siam, yet does not have any desire to kill or make her rival suffer as she halts attempts made on the lives of Canaan and Maria; as well as having the desire to fight with Canaan at her potential. The chemistry between the three proves to be an interesting one because of the internal conflicts the three have over one another and it does more than enough to make up for the weak plot buildup with the virus. Canaan was one of the better-looking 2009 anime titles I've come across in terms of visual presentation. It sports clean and defined details plus a bright color tone with scenery and character designs; as well as having some great looking action scenes where you can expect fluid movement to be the norm without too many noticeable shortcuts in the animation. Animation highlights for me in the series included a gun-fight on city rooftops during a festival and an intense fight on a train between Canaan and Alphard. Overall, Canaan is quite the mixed bag of an anime. While it sports a high-quality visual presentation for a TV series with interesting character dynamics between the three central female characters, the series really suffers in its plot buildup and had to toss in some characters that seemed too over-the-top to be in a series as serious as this. While a decent watch, this isn't a series I would be willing to hop back to anytime soon.

Guns and Girls, Tomboys and Terrorism, Sci-Fi and Supernatural, all for one big... bland experience? Disappointing. Lately, Mino has found his time as a reporter to be somewhat unfulfilling. He only ever produced gossip stories, which one would read at sunrise and then promptly forget by sunset. So, in order to get that huge scoop, he made the decision to dig into a certain terrorist group while pretending to be writing an article about the "International Conference on Anti-terrorism" that's going to be held at the capital of the factory of the world, Shanghai. He is accompanied by Maria, his blond and jovial new photographer. But when Maria unintentionally captures images of the blood-coughing masked guys at the core of a carnival that everyone appears to be rather passionately involved in, things take a sharp turn. And to her amazement, Cannan, her one and only white-haired, gun-toting batman of a friend, arrives for her rescue. Mino notices that something strange is happening in the city. What might it be, and what other unexpected and frightening facts are awaiting our team? The essential characteristic of "Cannan" is how well it manages its cast of characters. There are close to 15 of them, and while some rapidly recede into the background such as the gun-hu old man with his young companion or the masculine Moe cab driver and his favorite idol, others have a significant impact on the plot. With the exception of YunYun, everyone in the story is paired: Mino & Maria, Cannan & Alphard, Sandy & Hakko, and Liang & Cummings. By the end of the story, everyone has undergone a complete transformation, but each character's development depends entirely on the pair counterpart they are interacting with because without them, you can't really like these characters and you might even detest a few (I hated Liang as much as I felt sorry for her). I had the distinct impression that the titular two tomboys were descended from Shiki of the "Garden of Sinners". All three of them have a guy or girl they like or look up to and are both cool and strong. However, Cannan and Shiki are similar in terms of abilities, while Alphard and Shiki are more similar in terms of personalities (they even share the same VA). Although this was more prominent later in the narrative, the anime concentrates on their rivalry and how these two overcame their origins. Beginning with some comedy and fan service, there is also sporadically lighthearted action. The fundamental issue with "Cannan" is that it falls short of conveying all of the different themes it set out to do. Themes of terrorization and human experimentation set the stage for a story of acceptance, but it was handled rather sloppily because the plot never really engaged the audience emotionally. Additionally, despite having so many characters and only 13 episodes, none of them really hit the emotional high points they were established for, which can leave the viewer with an unsatisfying experience. Although it makes every effort, it never succeeds in bringing about the progress it promises to bring about in its own characters, even if it breaks them in the process. It contains some impressive gun-fu action scenes, one character moment when they elevate a woman who is amusingly strolling by a sparkling fountain, and of course, those buns' bounce is beautiful, but regrettably, there aren't many action scenes. Considering that both titles have the same creator, I suppose it makes sense that the character designs are extremely similar to those in Garden of Sinners. I paid no attention to the soundtrack other than the final song that plays as an insert, and I have no interest in looking it up either. However, the opening is quite strong. Who should watch this? Personally, I don't think this anime is worth the watch as its shortcomings outweigh its merits. But, Watch this if you want to see some gun-slinging action or just want to waste some time. However, I believe there are far better Anime.

Honestly, I don't know how I'd even begin to describe this show. If someone were to ask me, "So what is Canaan even about?" I don't think I'd be able to give them an answer. But I think this ambiguity works in Canaan's favor as the series can point the audience in the direction of the characters as they slowly unravel the mystery of everyone's past. You're thrown into the story as if you were halfway through a season, and the show puts together the pieces as the episodes go on. I'd liken it to Darker than Black, which happens to be a favorite of mine. Another thing I found to be incredibly compelling about this show is the way it depicts the downfalls of living your life solely for another person. "Canaan" throws the audience right into the middle of the story, introducing multiple characters who seem to know far more about the backstory than you do. Some may dislike this since it makes the series harder to follow in the beginning, but as for me, I think it's a very intriguing concept that more narratives (whether they be manga, light novels, anime originals, and any other form of western media as well) should take advantage of, as a story that builds the past, present, and future around itself as it progresses is something I really enjoy. Such a method of storytelling also allows for the audience to really get to know each character and how they fit into the grand scheme of things, and considering how interesting and complex every character is in Canaan, this works immensely in the show's favor. Every episode you're made aware of how two seemingly unrelated characters know each other, or what some character did in their past and how it affects the present day affairs of everyone. There's a lot of great things to be said about a plot that continuously thickens from beginning to end. My 2nd point isn't quite as straightforward as the first, as your interpretation of this may be different than mine. I found that the show really emphasized the importance of living for yourself, and how devoting your life entirely to one person will only lead to more pain. I've heard a lot of people online saying things like "I stay alive because my mom would be sad if I was gone" or "My dogs would miss me if I died" and it's always bothered me that people place such little value on their lives. The story of Maria and Canaan's friendship lends credence to my point, in that Maria's constant dependence on Canaan as the light in her life only left her more troubled as the ending neared. My favorite quote from the show is proof of this: "You're my light, Canaan. You keep shining straight on, even to the end of the world. But being loved and illuminated by you has cast a shadow inside a corner of my heart." Leaving no room in your heart for yourself is a dangerous game that led to the downfall of multiple others throughout the series, which is what led me to believe that this was the message the show aimed to present: one of putting yourself above others and valuing yourself as a person. I started Canaan looking for all the cool action scenes I saw in an AMV and left feeling more grounded in my ideals regarding self-worth. If you're just looking for something that'll keep you occupied for a while, I'd suggest finding another show to watch. This is a show worth paying attention to, and it's been my goal in this review to prove that.

Canaan was an okay anime to me. The first few episodes were intriguing as the anime tries to draw the viewers attention. As the series progressed the quality started degrading. Story: The story of Canaan stroke as something interesting at first glance but aftert a certain point the plot became kinda obvious and felt a bit generic. And by the end of the series it was all over the place. For instance- A terrorist organization creating a virus to use people as biological weapons. The P.O.T.U.S being taken hostage. The close friend of the protagonist searching for her purpose and wanting to be self-dependant for being able to stand by her friend's side and in the process getting caught up in commotion and making things harder for the protagonist bla bla.. Characters: The characters didn't get much development through out the series. The motives of the antagonist was not clearly shown. Well the protagonist and the antagonist both were raised and trained by the same man. The protag possessed superpower where as the antagonist didn't. So it was kinda like the latter wanted to fight the former at her top level although she outmaneuvered her many times and purposely spared the former's life many times inorder to let her become stronger. Many questions remained unanswered also the protagonist's backstory didn't fully came to light as there were more and the post credit scene seemed like there might be a another season which would be able to cover the remaining story. Animation: This is the redeeming department of the series. The fight scenes were well executed. The animation was very good. But the enjoyment was quite good. The majority of the characters were female and they were hot, specially the antagonist If you want to watch hot chicks fighting around, shooting and dropping karate moves to kick ass then go for it. Not just that, you might end up liking the show yourself, despite it being an average one.

Canaan is simply mediocre in every way. It wasn't ever horrible to watch, but it wasn't ever particularly good either. As opposed to a separated art/sound/character/story type of review, as I often do, I'll just go over some of the good things and the bad things the show did, because doing it by section would get very repetitive in this instance because, again, everything about this show is mediocre. Some of the stronger points include a straight into the action first episode, heavy action and healthy pacing in the latter part of the show and strong female characters being the focus of the show. Weak points include flat, cookie-cutter characters with little to no development, extremely non-believable/hard to take seriously plot elements and and a completely forgettable soundtrack. Some plot stuff in particular was just like... come on man... Two egregious examples include when a couple of the main characters return to their hotel room to find it absolutely ripped apart, ransacked and completely covered floor to ceiling in blood. When the hotel staff discovers this, what do they do? They ask them to leave of course! It's ABSURD to believe that a cleaning lady or whatever member of the hotel staff would walk into that room- completely floor to ceiling covered in blood- and not call the police. Hotel management responding to this situation by simply asking the guests to leave is just stupid. The other is when some of the main characters need to get in a cab as soon as possible so they flag down the first cab driver they can find on the street, which is some random guy they've never met before. This driver then proceeds to drive like a professional stuntman including down alleys that are not roads, down staircases and even up and over a bridge and onto a rooftop. Is that remotely believable? Random Joe Blow cab driver is going to drive like that? It happens only because the plot needs it to happen, but it's just stupid. There are other similar, smaller examples of things like this but they all ultimately lead to making it very difficult to take the plot remotely seriously. There are also a couple of scenes that are just super WTF, the most disturbing of which being when a female character decides to get naked and cuddle with at best, more than cuddle with at worst, the corpse of her male love interest. This scene was supposed to be emotionally impactful but it was really gross, really weird and really unnecessary. At the end of the day Canaan was not the worst or the most boring anime I've ever watched, but it was ultra underwhelming all across the board. I could have lived without watching it this first time around and I can't imagine ever wanting to watch it again. This is definitely among the most forgettable anime I've seen in a while and I wouldn't recommend it. OBJECTIVE RATING- 6 PERSONAL ENJOYMENT RATING- 5.5-6

To me, Canaan is the perfect kind of entertainment. It has a story intriguing enough to pull someone in and keep them there through it's entire run, I went into this show with zero expectations and found myself finishing it with them blown out of the water. Nothing I have ever seen has kept me interested in a story as well as this one, and I've re watched it three times... That alone speaks volumes of how well it does it's story telling, even if the story itself isn't groundbreaking, all of it was enough for me. The characters of this story were developed and nuanced pretty well enough to keep me coming back time after time. Everybody gets their time to shine and be fleshed out in their own ways. Canaan is a story about a multitude of things, big and small, but what stood out to me was character relationships and how they interacted with each other. I am inclined to say that the characters are where its at with this show, but that was the case for me and might not be the same for everybody else. Set in China, Canaan is considered to be a spiritual successor to 428 Shibuya Scramble, a visual novel of which I have personally never played. Apparently there are a few returning characters from that game, but I don't believe that not playing the game has any effect on the enjoyment of Canaan, It hadn't for me. The animation is probably what a lot of people are here for, every action scene is filled with tight editing and choreography, and good sound design to compliment it. The fights themselves are weighted and impactful, every punch and kick landed is felt by the receiver, all guns are loud as well as deadly, getting shot is actually a real problem. The animation quality itself is always on top of the game, never failing in quality. The music to me wasn't bad, but not exactly worthy of high praise, Its all well made and a perfectly adequate soundtrack. Ultimately if you are indeed interested in watching Canaan, I would recommend it to you. Every bit of it is enjoyable to experience for the first time, and being an action show with cute girls and the such, I do not doubt that there it always something of value for everybody who watches.

WARNING Minor Spoilers (I guess lol) CANAAN is an anime that really blowed-up my expectations. It started as what may appear as a common action anime with just battle scenes (greatly animated though), but it also surprised me with the story that it unfolds, although at first could be somewhat confusing to understand. One of the may things that I'd like to point out is the excellent work of the voice actors and actresses, they really did an excellent job! Lastly, I'd also like to point out somewhing that most animes don't achieve and that is character growth and story-telling through the series. It's amazing to see the psychological effects on the characters due to the atrocious events of their past and the way the anime portrays it it's just excellent (specially Hakko's character) Overall, it's an 9 just because the story is a bit difficult to grasp at first and it's very easy to get lost if we're not paying attention to what the characters are saying.

"Canaan" is intriguing by staff alone. It’s not obvious why I skipped over it initially. Maybe my fascination with P.A. Works didn't exist yet. Maybe Type-Moon and Mari Okada weren't the rock stars they are now. Some things age like wine, but "Canaan" is Pepsi Blue. If you have nostalgia for laser blue consumer products, perhaps you also have nostalgia for the George W. Bush era of blockbuster terrorism, dubious US military operations in tandem with evil paramilitary forces, black hawk choppers circling bombed out desert villages, a shadowy vice president and his cabal pulling the strings, the pervasive browns of tactical shooter video games, and more time bombs than you can shake a stick at. Canaan offers all this and more. That said, it's watchable. Takashi Takeuchi’s familiar character designs are rendered crisply in its acrobatic bullet-opera shootouts. And Kinoko Nasu & Mari Okada’s grim sensibilities align in a story about a warrior of fate burdened by her supernatural “synesthesia” vision (or one could call like it is: The Mystic Eyes of Death Perception), and the web of guilt and envy that surrounds her. Unfortunately it rarely transcends the mundane of its era. Okada’s now-familiar brand of over-the-top melodrama makes for some entertainingly grotesque moments, but its drama is shortchanged by a semi-supernatural global conspiracy story that reaches for "Metal Gear Solid" levels of convolution. The hows or whys are hard to keep track of, and lack Hideo Kojima’s eccentric knack for camp and absurdist levity. Though "Canaan" is only P.A. Works’ second TV series, proceeding Okada’s "True Tears", it feels older than it is. Perhaps by its 2009 release, it already missed the zeitgeist. The inauguration of Barack Obama was the culmination of post-9/11 fatigue reflected in popular media. "24" was already in its final seasons. The apocalyptic, terrorism-packed "Battlestar Galactica" just aired its tortured finale. "Metal Gear Solid 4" wrapped up its canon a year earlier. The market was not ripe for a terrorism-flavored action anime in the desert with cartoony analogs of Bush, Cheney and Blackwater. Oh, and Pepsi Blue ended its distribution in 2004. Perhaps it’s better to experience this era, and this anime, with curious nostalgia than with the contemporary viscerality it never fully grasped.

This needs to be as popular as Fate and KnK, I mean, darn. Story:6 The story is certainly not what I liked best about the series. The story kinda gets the job done and that's about it. Not that I didn't like a lot of moments, but it is overall very obscure and introduces discussions about bunch of vague emotions that just come and go. Also, while the Siam backstory is very interesting, there is not quite enough focus than I would like, compared to Fate/Zero or Elfen Lied, where the main character's backstory is the main focus of a couple of episodes, . There are great standout moments, but the story itself is kind of a mess. Though to its credit, it ties up everything better than fellow 13-parter Angel Beats. Presentation (Biased Version): 15 Holy crap these action scenes are amazing 15/10 would watch again Presentation (Sureeus Verzhun): 10 But seriously, the action scenes are very fluid and are very exciting. Even quieter scenes have a decent amount of fluidity to it. While a lot of time is spent in dark military bunkers and the gritty streets of Shanghai, it is actually a pretty gorgeous anime. While some scenes seem a bit jagged, these are merely nitpicks and are overshadowed by the gorgeous action scenes Sound: 9 While this isn't the usual pairing of a Type/Moon property and Yuki Kajura that was pretty much made in Heaven, the soundtrack is very strong, espescially the themes of Alphard and Siam. The OP is amazing, flashy, and catchy as hell. The ED is meh, and I skipped it a lot of times to see the OP again. Characters: 8 I had a lot of fun with the characters, the taxi driver, though he only appears in a couple scenes, is freakin' awesome, and makes singing Jpop songs about China cool. Yun Yun was a combination of adorable, yet annoying, she doesn't get too much focus and is more of a comic relief vehicle and does the job adequately well, at least better than Jar Jar. Hakko is probably one of my favorite characters in the entire series, though, at first, she seems a bit off since she rarely speaks, when she does speak, she is very awesome, even if it often ends up bad for her. I'll have a hard time discussing the titular character without spoiling anything, but she is very interesting. One of the biggest problems I have though, is the relationship between her and Maria, it seems that they keep teasing the Yuri audience frequently with what I can only assume is just a strong mutual friendship. Oh I almost forgot The Snake Organization, here's a haiku for you weaboos out there Alphard bleeds awesome I could care less 'bout Cummings Liang is cray-cray FINAL VERDICT 8/10 Pretty freakin' cool But the plot kinda sucks Liang's still cray-cray RECOMMMENDATION: MEDIUM-HIGH

Canaan was a HUGE surprise for me. As I am familiar with TYPE-MOON I was a little bit worried when I heard about it, since two girls is not their normal choice of main characters, and I feared it may be some common Yuri anime with flashy action scenes and a little bit of science or religion (like they do). I was glad to find how wrong I was, as Canaan is both enjoyable and profound. Story: The story is kind of complicated, which is part of the enjoyment of the anime. you need to finish the anime to understand it. it does have some hardcore action scenes that every action lover will enjoy, but they are all according to the plot. there is a perfect balance between story and action, so don't worry about it. Art: normal TYPE-MOON goodness. nothing left to say. Sound: same. I only wish that the song they hum would be louder. Characters: BEST CHARACTERS IN THE WORLD. Canaan is just a normal girl, and Alphard isn't perfect. usualy, the hero is so powerfull and gracefull that only wants to be a loser, or a loser who wants to be a hero, but Canaan is different. she doesn't want to change, she is so normal it hurts. even though she is a cold blooded killer, she is still just a confused little baby girl. Alphard on the other hand seems very mature and looks as if she has it all figured out, but her character is dramatically developed in the end, unlike most of villians. Who would enjoy it: smart people that love actions and boys who like hot girls fighting half naked. Who won't: shojo lovers, romance lovers, and people who don't like complicated plots.

I was looking for a “cool” new animé a year ago, when I stumbled into Canaan, and thank God it’s cool since during that time I was really looking forward to the good animés. Canaan is about the title itself since the protagonist is Canaan herself. I can’t follow the story at first since it’s a bit “what was happening?” and then after two or more episodes you’ll get it. The number one thing I don’t like is Maria since she’s the kind of character too typical, a damsel in distress who almost have no likable traits aside from being a good friend who sticks with you no matter what but aside from that she’s stupid, weak, dependent, and not cute nor pretty at all. Since the cutest would be Canaan and the prettiest would be Alphard. Every hateful detail in the animé were compensated by Alphard LOLXD I wish Canaan and Alphard just be guys and not girls since they really look cool and HOT in a manly way. I do believe this has a bit of a shoujo ai hint in it, though it is not the main thing you’ll see when you watch it because most of your attention would be on those awesome fight scenes. I think the characters namely Canaan and Alphard really portray a guy because that’s the feel you’ll get when you watch it; it’s just that they were drawn as girls for the intention of having that shoujo ai feel. Another plus point for me is the fact that Maaya Sakamoto the one who sang the OP song for this animé is the seiyuu of one of the characters (Alphard); I really love her as a guy coz that’s how I see her, haha and I also like Canaan as a guy to she reminds me of Allen Walker of D.Gray-man though they’re not similar at all. Overall it’s an animé that would be really good to watch.

As a fan of minimalism, I'll write a laconic review (as laconic as MAL would allow me). This anime is one of those shows that has a big pile of things done right, so big, it could be a masterpiece, but it's outweighed by an equally big pile of things done poorly. The best part is exploring a theme of friendship between quite different persons. Of course, something new can be explored in this theme only if the characters are not too one-dimensional and not too immature. This anime fulfills this requirement, unlike what usually the anime industry produces. The worst part is pacing, despite having a good amount of action scenes.

loved it.Every episode pack with lots of action.didn't expect it to end the way it did but o well.Just a loney girl try in gto protect her only friend and making more along the way.

tdlr: watch for some yuri and action only. Do not watch it if you consider playing 428: Shibuya Scramble Before I start, let me tell you a story of a man not known to many. He's a very passionate journalist, striving to report the truth to the best of his abilities. He's very egoistical but had the talent to back it up. He has a quick temper and is quick to blame others. Despite this, deep inside, he's a kind man. He cares about those close to him. Even after his spirit was broken, he kept running until he reach the finish line. People who have watched this anime probably couldn't guess that I'm talking about Minorikawa Minoru. Hi, this is the 1 very Minorikawapilled review... thing Canaan is based on the Canaan bonus story by Type-Moon featured in 428: Shibuya Scramble. Tonally, it's closer to Canaan bonus story (obviously) but more light-hearted and raunchy. I think it actually works quite well most of the time. Later into the anime, they drop it as the anime gets into its plot, like 428. It might sounds good, but the plot... uh... The plot is a mess. It starts slow but it actually got interesting! ...until they threw that away and started again somewhere else. It kinda feels like they forgot what they're writing about halfway through while throwing new terminologies and concepts. I really don't know for whom this anime is aimed for. People who don't know 428? They'll get lost as they don't really explain anything, yet still spoils some twists from 428. Fans of 428? They didn't even do anything with that Minorikawa plot from the final side story of the game. At that, Minorikawa... Who is this man? If you know the Conspiracy thing from 428, they must've gotten him. He's so normal. Too normal. He doesn't even really do his classic pointing pose. That's like what if Phoenix Wright stops pointing at people, or if Kiryu Kazuma stops ripping his shirt. That's scary. Still, even with 10x more Minorikawa fingers, that won't fix the anime. The big problem with this anime is that it's WAYYY too ambitious for its own good. It wants to delve deeper into Canaan and Alphard's relationship. It wants to talk about topics like terrorism, oppression and human experimentation. There's like 10 different effects to the virus now. On top of that, they're adding several new characters that want that precious screentime to bloom properly. As expected, none of them are resolved nicely, some are even pretty much abandoned. They even tried to develop Minorikawa in the midst of it for some reason! I could argue that 428 Minorikawa grew in a much more compelling way than this Minorikawa, and he's the least changed character in the game! The only thing that I genuinely enjoyed was the fleshed out relationship between Canaan and Maria. In the game, we only get very tiny bits and pieces, so having them actually do stuff together is just fun! Like Minorikawa, Maria also felt a bit off, though it's to a much lesser degree. The art is cool. While personally I thought the design is quite... interesting (blonde Maria, Saber face Canaan), I actually like this take of their design. Minorikawa though... that's rough buddy. Even OG Minorikawa from the Kinpachi-sensei game has that obligatory cute factor missing on this Minorikawa. Anyway, the animation is beautiful. The action scenes are really cool, lots of eye candies here. The music, direction, etc. are actually really enjoyable. It's just the plot isn't worth it. It's a shame really. While I didn't like, super like the bonus scenario this anime is based on, I was quite satisfied with it. It didn't overpromise anything, just a short story of how Canaan and Alphard came to be. Meanwhile, this anime made me wish that Minorikawa Minoru actually died during the bomb attack in 428.

On April 28 20XX, the CIA formed a joint operation with Tokyo PD to help resolve a kidnapping case. As you'd imagine, if the CIA are involved, this is pretty serious business. See, the victim of the kidnapping case, Maria Osawa, was injected with the Ua virus and was set loose onto the busy streets of Shibuya. The Ua virus is particularly deadly, causing the victim to violently bleed out of every orifice after 12-24 hours of infection. You can already imagine the means of transmission if the symptoms are *that* horrific. If they did not find Maria Osawa within this timeframe, the streets of Shibuya would be painted in red. That's all in the past though. Of course, the CIA and Tokyo PD would work together to keep this case away from public light. But to those who did know about these events, they would call it the 428 Shibuya Scramble. 428 Shibuya Scramble is a legendary visual novel and is one of the best that you'll ever read. It leaves an everlasting impression with its writing, the presentation, and its characters. 428 Shibuya Scramble was so good and confident that they featured a special scenario from Type-Moon! This scenario would then get a sequel anime, Canaan! Canaan on the other hand... isn't good. And I never bothered to compare it to its predecessor. Even though Type-Moon can shit out a well-produced anime, sometimes the shit flies all over the toilet seat. Such is the case with Canaan. The biggest issue I have with Canaan is that it's simply too campy. It's an anime that's blissfully ignorant, lollygagging along the ghettos of Shanghai while dragging you along for uninteresting ride. The story revolves around Canaan and Maria Osawa, but you don't need the visual novel pretext. You're not expected to know it either. Cool! What's not cool is literally everything else. Type-Moon is the only studio to place serious plot points near armpits and butts. They're the only studio to show a no-name idol singing at an Anti-Terrorist Convention that gets taken over by terrorists. All of this feels very loosely written. The lack of cohesion and overload of camp proves that a coherent story isn't a priority. And I didn't mind this, as I have 0 expectations for anything. For 12 episodes you are thrown through a cat and mouse charade, which is uninteresting because all Type-Moon did was flex their choreography. Oh, sure. Type-Moon does what they do best, I suppose. In Canaan's case the action still feels lacking because fancy anime military backflips are innately less interesting than an overflow of shiny particle effects. But despite the criticisms, it was still entertaining to watch the eye-candy-laced scenarios unfold. The characters on the other hand are not interesting. They look strong but end up degrading themselves as all characters search for and display the basic principles of a good anime human. The fact that it isn't grounded in any capacity makes me feel like I'm drowning in this bottomless pool of sentimentality rather than wanting to coddle these cold-blooded apex predators. In the end, much like the visual novel, the taxi driver is my highlight of the show. Even when he's subjected to anime bullshit, he'll laugh, brush it off, and still give you a ride to the strip club the very next day. On the other end, I was very disappointed to see the main villain, Alphard, degrade beyond recognition. When subjected to anime bullshit, she quite literally falls off in such a way that nobody could've predicted. She acted crazy cool, but was penultimately weak. Fallen from grace. Truly unbefitting of the mastermind known as Alphard. And Canaan... ugh. For a show to be THIS centered around her... UGH. 12 episodes to show that stoic apex predators can smile too. There's not much to be said about her since Canaan is a simple girl. The show goes out of its way to reinforce that idea and it wasn't interesting because for 11 episodes she didn't display any hint of any meaningful character development. In conclusion, Just another day of cute anime girls smiling, terrorism, and unimportant plot twists in favour of campy feels. There's nothing wrong with any of this, but that toilet seat still needs cleaning. So get to it. 4/10. Until next time.