Canaan

Believe it or not, the name "Canaan" is actually a reference to the Old Testament of the Bible, describing a land "flowing with milk and honey". Naturally, the name piqued my curiosity when I first saw it. I was quickly surprised when I saw that this anime is set in modern day, with the protagonist of the show bearing the same name as its title. I was left pleasantly surprised in the end, and found myself considering a re-watch of the show at some point.

Canaan is essentially the story of a photographer named Maria, and her friendship with the mysterious girl named “Canaan”. Maria ... heads to China to do some investigative work, but quickly finds herself in need of protection from her friend as she winds up getting in way over her head. This anime is an excellent mixture of action, character development, and heartwarming moments. I’ve rarely seen a story told so well in so few episodes.

Here's the breakdown:

Story (7/10): You never know what you're going to get with short animes like Canaan. Much to my glee, this show is a gem among short animes. With a grand total of only 13 episodes, it's easily worth the amount of time spent watching it.

The story itself is rather straightforward, and doesn't go through any exceptionally large twists. However, I found that this added, rather than detracted from the enjoyment value. The story is fairly simple, yet leaves you eager to watch the next episode and discover exactly what sinister force is behind the strange happenings.

I won't spoil anything for you with any further synopsis (this anime is frankly far too short to bother with such things), but all you need to know is that while the story isn't the best I've yet seen, it was entertaining and fun to watch. Once again, you won't feel like you wasted your time. (Seriously, it's only 13 episodes, just give it a shot!) If you enjoy action shows, yet feel the need for good character development along the way, this anime would be an excellent choice for you.

Art: (10/10)- This show stands out to me as one of the finest examples of animation out there. Now, seeing as there were only 13 episodes to animate, the creators were able to pay more attention to each one, giving much more care to detail, and smoothing out places other animes would have been forced to skip over. I especially enjoyed the depiction of the Chinese festival early in the show, where there was some truly beautiful scenery, even mixed with some very believable CGI. The various CGI effects are given just as much attention as the rest of the lush backgrounds, creating a very smooth and coherent mixture which is very pleasing to look at. This is probably one of the best drawn anime that I have yet seen.

Sound: (7/10)- this show is superbly voiced. This isn't the sort of show that demands for many truly brilliant performances, but the actors performed the demands made of them very admirably. The one notable exception to this is the role of “Hakko”. I can’t say much without spoiling anything, but Hakko has very little dialogue until the last few episodes of the show. Remaining mute for most of the show (except for a few groans and sighs), Hakko is later given some dialogue that is both immensely important, and emotionally moving. This was no easy task for any actor, especially given the important nature of her few lines. All in all, excellently done!

The soundtrack was a good deal less memorable than the voice acting. It never stuck out to me as bad or unlikeable, but I never found myself thinking about the quality of music. It never really caught my ear, thus I couldn’t rate it as high as I would have liked. In contrast, the opening song is catchy, and very appropriately themed for the show. Overall, the music was probably the weak point of the show, but that’s hardly an insult in comparison with the quality of its other aspects.

Characters: (10/10)- Here is where the show truly shines. The role of protagonist is essentially shared by Canaan and Maria, as they are given about equal screen time and character development. Canaan is rather quiet, stoic, and rough, while Maria is friendly, outgoing, vivacious and fragile. This makes for an interesting combination, with Canaan being an ex-military, trained assassin, and Maria being an inquisitive photographer with a knack for getting into trouble.

These two share an interesting and unique friendship, which, much to my satisfaction, was devoid of any yuri themes. Their friendship is strong, and remains a driving force throughout the show. These two are supported by a cast of equally interesting supporting characters, each of which has a satisfactory, and interesting back story. Refreshingly, the villain of the show was far more than a mindless murderer, but had a story nearly as interesting as that of Canaan herself.

While Canaan can be a bit boring (due largely in part to her stoic nature), Maria easily makes up for this with her lively, innocent, wide-eyed view of the world. Canaan has a darker side to her, dating back to her military training, which Maria is still too naïve to see at the outset of the story. I found Maria to be an extremely lovable, and downright adorable character. While her constant repetition of the word “sugoi!” (amazing) may annoy some viewers, I thought it depicted her innocence and sweet nature very well. Canaan’s darker, quieter side provides an interesting balance to this duo.

These characters are placed into some rather emotionally touching situations, even to the point of bringing me to tears. I cannot say why, for fear of spoilers, but I was highly impressed by the clever use of the characters back stories, and even their unique abilities (which are given to only a select few characters) to provide an emotional charge that many action shows lack entirely. You’ll find a nice blend of action, character development, and even heart-wrenching moments that will bring you to the point of tears.

I could go on, but I think I’ve made my points clear. I grew to love each of the cast members, and I’m confident you’ll feel the same way if you give Canaan a chance.

Enjoyment: (9/10)- After all the bragging I’ve done about this show, why only a 9? I had to knock off a point because it felt too short. The show easily could have been extended without dragging, and the ending left me feeling as though a sequel was in store. I have not heard of any plans for a sequel at this point, but the ending certainly left that possibility open. Ultimately, it was an extremely enjoyable anime, but really left me wishing for more.

Overall (9/10)- Certainly not the best anime I’ve ever seen, but an excellent one, nonetheless. I highly recommend it to anyone. Even if you end up not liking it, you’ll only have lost 6 ½ hours of your life, so why not? =)

To tell you the truth, I had no interest in CANAAN at all. That all changed when at a local con, they decided to show CANAAN's Opening. Solely from that, my interest in it grew and with it, I set out to find the promised land, CANAAN.

Now let me begin with the story. First of all, it is by no means badly paced. No doubt, it was written in the anime description itself that anime was about all walks of life pulled together by a global conspiracy. A conspiracy in which only start to come together as the story progresses. ... You'll not figure out everything from the start and by the end, most if not all your questions will be answered. For some it may start off slow, but to tell you the truth, starting up like a Hong Kong action movie (set in Shanghai) is anything but slow. The progression as the action ramps up and the mysteries answered is just perfect, leaving me quite satisfied with the ending. However, they did slip up a bit. The transition is jarring by segregating the last mini arc with Alphard before the conclusion but after the mystery was solved.

What better way to accompany the story than with well-drawn art? To say that it is well drawn is one thing, but most, if not everything, is recreated in great detail. Even with the more intense action scenes, the quality stays well within the boundaries, never dropping too far below the quality of say, more static talking scenes. I'm a minor gun nut as well so I must laud the military equipment on display. Not just objects but characters too. Liang Qi never would have seemed that 'troubled' without the appropriate art to render her neuroses. There are points however, where the animation or the art could be better but that would just be nitpicking now. I would say that overall, it is a solid showing.

The sound on the other hand is not as spectacular. Sure the adrenaline rush inducing opening was indeed quite a treat, but that's just my bias towards rock music. Conversely, it could be said that the ending is merely okay, but again, that is just musical bias. The background music doesn't stand out particularly, it only acts up subtly and even then you have to actually pay attention to it if you really want to listen. But really, that's not the point of background music anyway. It keeps our attention firmly placed on the action, where its supposed to be. There is also the voice acting, which, were it horrible I would comment more on it. I don't follow any voice actors in particular and I find no fault in their delivery, so I'll have to say your mileage may vary. Sound effects aren't extravagant either. They seem realistic sounding enough to convince me they could be real. Not that I'll be comparing the sound of gun fire to actual real guns. Nope, not at all.

Now we get to the characters. Though it may be usual, the characterisation really shines for the big shots. Canaan's maturation, mentally, is well done, seeing her having to face the consequences of her actions whilst she was more naive. Or Maria's insecurities and little wishes, which by the end she seems to have come to terms with. Or Alphard, in the end, trying to banishing the ghosts of the past. Those who tag along for the ride as well are not given the cold shoulder, being treated with realistic conflicts and their ultimate resolution. Whether it is Cummings' impossible love, Santana's guilt, Yun Yun's personality or Natsume's secrets. Which is sort of a shame that some of the minor characters are still quite one sided, but I guess that's more an issue of not having enough screen time or a deliberate choice to have us focus on the main characters.

Enjoyment, well, its hard to say I didn't enjoy this Hong Kong action anime (set in Shanghai). The fight scenes particularly touching me the most, awing me time after time with the fluid animation and choreography. That's the main highlight from me. That is not to say I can't enjoy CANAAN as a whole though. The plot in the end made sense, the characters made sense, and even some things may have made less sense than others, it doesn't detract from the enjoyment at all. In my book, this is what I call a well rounded anime, probably one of the best to watch this season. So to those still on the fence, I heartily recommend you to join me in the promised land, Canaan.

Guns, explosions, superpowers, and hot chicks duking it out in fast-paced action. Yeah, if there ever was a reason to watch this show, there you have it. I guess that's legitimate enough. Sorta.

What's good about this show is the action, artwork, and sound/music. So at the very least, the show is aesthetically pleasing.

The problem with this show is pretty much everything else. The plot, whatever it was, was pretty difficult to follow. Maybe it was a combination of this show being hard to take seriously during random hilarity (like the HIGH TENSION taxi chase done CHINA STYLE) that ensued during ... the first few episodes, or maybe it was due to people making a lot of metaphoric statements that really don't relate to the viewer very well until the last three episodes. The intentions of the protagonist/antagonist forces are pretty vaguely explained late within the show, and whatever reason Alphard was doing stuff to make Canaan's life miserable, the more I think about it, the less sense it makes. And generally, the characters show very little development. The same behavior like Maria constantly idolizing Canaan or YunYun being a noisy flat-chested klutz gets pretty stale.

At any rate though, the plot really doesn't have particularly huge depth, despite being as confusing as it was. There weren't any real plot twists for the most part, nothing that really would blow your mind away as x character did something ridiculously huge that changed the direction the story was headed. Nothing like that ever happened. So really, the plot is ultimately nothing outstanding for all the trouble it goes through to pretend that there is a huge awesome story behind it.

If there is one anime where I would tell you to watch a few specific episodes and ditch the rest of the show, this would be one of such. The first three or so episodes have some of the most epicly random action you will ever find in anime. Although I guess 13 episodes isn't a huge waste of time, watching the last ten episodes I believe is ultimately a disappointment waiting to happen.

This CANAAN review is for those who are a little bit sceptic about this show. If you have watched anime for a long time (like me) you will find this anime lacking, but it might intrigue the newcomers to the world of anime.

Alright lets get this on the road. CANAAN is not unique, it does not offer anything special or new, on the contrary is rather average. Why? This show has been covered with a high animation budget, therefore it looks better than most anime. You have to admit anime trailers with good animation tend to stand out than other trailers. With good animation comes ... good story, isn't that what you had in mind?

WRONG (watched 9 episodes), you might tell me to stick to the end before reviewing this anime entirely, but I'm writing this review for you before considering watching an average show. If you are still not convinced, read on.

CANAAN starts rather odd and might throw people off balance, which was for me a bad thing, it didn't intrigue me to watch further but since I try to have a policy of watching at least 2 episodes before judging. The main story is about Canaan, a typical stereotype gunslinger girl who obviously has issues from the past until she meet a friend who tries to get back to ''normal life'' (who is a very annoying stereotype). We meet people related to Canaan, not in the family way, they just share some sort of blood mark because of some incident. And that incident gave them some abilities, either good or bad. As you might have already guessed Canaan drew the longest straw in that contest, thats how average it gets.

The action sequences and animation is nothing new in the anime world, a little bit high jump and there, some dodging bullets, some villains doing the same here and there. It's not the same after Trinity showed how its supposed to be done. The antagonists are as stereotypical as Canaan herself, uncharismatic stereotypes, apparently they share some past ''cough''.

So is there anything good with this show, besides the good animation? Yes the sound, they actually put a lot of work in the little English that is spoken there.
If you just recently started with anime, this definitely is a good watch for most.

And if you must watch crazy girls with guns with good animation, watch Black Lagoon or Full Metal Panic Second Raid (And yes I know its mainly a mecha show.). If those girls don't impress you then nothing does.

Right from the start, a certain "emptiness" can be felt as the general atmosphere. In a ravishing, but flawed universe set in Shanghai and later the deserts of the Middle East, a puzzling battle between several parties takes place.

Amidst this chaos painted with many sentiments, an impressionistic tale of friendship, unrequited love and subconscious search for one's true nature. This hollow in the heart of each character isn't easily filled and tends to expand to the anime as well, leaving it flawed and to be taken as-is, without any resolve to tie up the loose ends.

Story: 7/10

Plot itself is original. The "real world" ... conflict involving terrorists, secret organizations behind the government of USA and Japan, with a dash of genetic experiments (this is dealt in a realistic fashion) isn't often seen in the ocean of "slices-of-life", stories with supernatural phenomena and fighting animes. Bad thing is - it likes to open a lot of doors to deepen the personalities of characters, but does little to at least hint to a sensible reason behind some actions they take. This spot is usually supplemented with a variety of colors and their associations the main protagonist can see and the ongoing search for the meaning behind the name Canaan and its relation to the actual character of its bearer.

Art: 9/10

Flashy, fluid, consistent. A select number of eye-pleasing color makes the palette of CANAAN. Action sequences show the character motions in their entirety rather than resorting to "epileptic" lines in the background as the means of portraying speed and resolve (a major plus).

Sound: 8/10

Voicing is good, but I can't really say it's anything more than that; in my opinion, there isn't anything exceptional to it. OP and ED are catchy and fit the anime well, surely worth mentioning.

Character: 7/10

They are memorable and lively. Their actions are often confusing though, it's as if the makers of the anime wanted to add weight to their personalities by somewhat random and radical behavior but along the way forgot to fit all the reasons to support those.

Enjoyment: 6/10

Here CANAAN fails the most; to put it shortly, although technically you are supposed to be captivated by the bustling plot, action and general turmoil, you simply are not. I found myself often drifting away and forgetting what I was watching, by which time it was difficult to get back and realize what the hell was happening.



Overall: 7/10

Canaas is a show with a high overall rating but I disagree.
Plot: the are many ingredients tossed together but unrelated (many characters and elements which you expect to have a role in the story, in the end are nothing more than "empty filling"). If you dont care that much about coherent and complex plots though, then it will still be fine.
As for the characters: in the first episode you will notice that you already know one of the female protagonists from another hundred animés. As for complexity dont expect too much (sort of like Noir). Something I personlly dislike is inconsistency and I found that ... happening with the antagonist, who behaves in a certain way for all the show but then, at the end and with no reason, she acts completely different (if the authors needed that to happen, they should have given a reason to the character for doing so).
I know many who have watched the series will hit the useless review button, but i simply dont care. I write for those who have not watched the series yet, to whom I recommend watching one or two episodes first (especifically if you are interested in plot and character development and complexity).
Thanks for reading.

Canaan is an assassin anime with excellent animation and intriguing fighting scenes. However, Canaan is a sequel to its game called 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de. Unless you have played this game, the story will be confusing as some important events are left unexplored. The strong female leads, Canaan and Alphard, brought on the fast and furious action, but some of the characters were more comical than serious, especially the villains. Character development is quite slow. Some of the supporting characters seem irrelevant until late in the anime.

Story (7)
The pacing for the anime is excellent. The series immediately begins with fast action and later ... becomes something deeper with tragic and dramatic events. However, the background behind the story is vague and confusing for those who have not played the game. The little of the story that Canaan does tell is pretty interesting. There is not a solid conclusion to the anime, and it provides an open ending. The plot is not exactly original, but it is entertaining. The government is the main villain who are injecting random people with deadly viruses to give them superpowers.

Years ago, a terrorist organization called Snake performed an experiment in a ghost village known as Shibuya, which is several kilometers outside of Shanghai. It created an infection called the Ua-virus, which had very few surviving test subjects. The survivors from that village are broken into two categories: borners and non-borners. Borners have a purple mark on their body, giving them special abilities. They continue living by taking medication. Non-borners are like zombies, and their only chance of survival is to wear a special mascot head that blocks out UV rays and sound. No medicine can cure them. If the helmet is removed, they bleed out of their head and die instantly. The job is to stop Snake from creating more victims and find the cure to the virus.

Characters (6)
Canaan and Alphard (Canaan’s rival) are two active and serious characters in the anime by letting their guns do the talking. They are responsible for the entertaining nonstop action in the anime. Other secondary characters contribute to the series by solving the mystery within the plot. They show relevance to the story that helps viewers understand a few things about the background.

Canaan greatly lacks character development, and the relationships between the characters are not fully explained. E.g. Canaan and Maria are best friends, but the series barely emphasized on the background of their friendship.

Some characters, including the villains, take away the seriousness of the anime and makes it appear as a joke. Maria is introduced as a character who would play an active role in the story itself, but she turns out to be the character who always needs to be rescued by Canaan. She has a bubbly personality, jumping and screaming Canaan’s name in excitement in the majority of the episodes.

One of the main villains, Liang Qi (Alphard’s sister), primary objective is to please her sister by playing the “killer” role in her presence in hopes of earning her praise. This is sometimes done by either pointing a gun to someone’s head or playing with a BB gun. If Alphard ignored her, she’d run off screaming or wailing.

Some of the supporting characters appear irrelevant to the plot until near the ending. For example, Yunyun appears out of nowhere at random places but makes a contribution to the plot in the last few episodes.

Animation (9)
P.A. Works, the animation studios responsible for series like Angel Beats, is responsible for the good quality. The settings are unique and detailed, especially the streets of Hong Kong during fighting scenes. Character designs are pretty good as well, suiting their personalities. For example, Maria is drawn as an energetic character. It distinguishes the characters that are affected with the Ua virus with detailed marks on their bodies, contributing to the plot in general.

Sound (8)
I recommend watching it in English sub, because Canaan’s Japanese voice actor has a more serious voice that is fit for an assassin. Her English voice sounds dull. The other characters’ voices fit their personality regardless of the language.

The background music is not that attractive, but the OP and ED make up for it. The OP has a catchy tune to begin each episode, and the ED calms down the mood with a soothing tone. The closing song was my favorite, because it seems to fit your typical assassin anime.

Enjoyment (6)
I watched Canaan in hopes of another powerful Noir or Phantom: Requiem for the Phantom, but it was not as exciting because of the characters. Also, I was confused with the plot, because most of the important events are only in the game and not emphasized in the anime. I don’t plan to re-watch it in the future, but its ED is one of my favorite songs in anime. The action is pretty good, too.

Overall (6)
Canaan has intriguing fighting scenes and detailed settings. It would’ve been a more enjoyable series if the characters were more tolerable and serious for an assassin anime. The minor plot holes and lack of character development are disappointing, unless you’ve played the game.

I absolutely love this anime so far; the music is awesome, the whole atmosphere of the anime is awesome, the characters are actually pretty human, not those typical anime stereotypes.

I don't really get the story yet, but I don't really care, because it's one of those animes where you get truly captivated by what's happening right then and there.
This anime is not made by amateurs, that's for sure; anyone can see that, judging by the high-quality art, sound, characters and the matureness of the whole thing.

It's a pretty realistic anime, a modern-time gun-fight sort of anime, so people who are content with those rosy ... red mahou shoujo escape-from-reality things should stay away (though I personally love those too).

The main character is an assassin, so this is basically that sort of thing. Female assassins, terrorists - that sort of thing, mostly, yes.

Oh, and she's is so adorable, Canaan! :D

Anime based on video games are nothing rare. Even though it might seems like a terrible cross over, it is not to take into consideration. Just like books to anime, it could be either good or terrible. Based on the game 428,which earned a perfect score from Famitsu Weekly, CANAAN is a series with a predictable and slightly cliched story, but will still be fairly enjoyable for the viewer.



The story of CANAAN is predictable and cliched, but it does not mean it sucks. I have seen animes of the same length trying too hard for an original plot and in the end was filled with ... massive holes. For a 13 episodes series, it would be a stupid move to try looking "intelligent" and offer a complex plot. Gladly, CANAAN as a simple plot and very easy to folllow. While the main story is based on revenge and protecting the ones you love, which are fairly overused aspects in animes, the UA virus and its relation with the government will back it up correctly. Sadly, the ending is the major flaw of the anime. It is very hard to forgive an anime for a bad ending, since it is usually what you remember the most, but I'm not saying the ending was worst than shit. In a comparison to the whole series, it did suck. I would compare it to impossible endings that often american movies would include in their motion pictures, cliched and irrational. In summary, the plot is fair.

The art in CANAAN is great, no doubt about that. While the characters were variated, some characters just had the feeling of déjà vu.The 3D didn't really appeal and seemed off from the rest of the art. The real beauty is the background art. The city of Shangai never felt so alive and dangerous, and the desert of the middle east looked like a land of despair. In other words, colorful and powerful.

For the sound, a great voice cast for the characters, their voice didn't feel awkward in any way and were perfectly suited. The animation opens with an opening theme that blends well the style of the anime, action. As for the ending, it was alright.

Memorable and simple minded characters is what CANAAN delivers. Memorable in any way you would think of. Some characters were unbelievable for their personalities, while some were memorable because they looked like ultimate retards, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. There can be complaint about not having enough background stories of few characters, but a 13 episodes series it is not something you'll always get and for good reasons. As I said earlier, getting too complex can get confusing and leave massive holes in the plot. You will instead receive the essential, enough to at least understand.

The enjoyment is af I was driving on a sine wave. Having its up and down, the enjoyment was not constant or wasn't building up. While I was thrilled with enjoyment on a scene, a next scene would crash it all and vice versa. I do not mind "boring" parts at all, and boring in mean of pointless dialogues and scenes that don't make progression in the stories, but CANAAN didn't blend it well.


In overall, CANAAN is no doubt a good series. I wouldn't be reminded by it, nor will recommend it absolutely, but you will have fun watching it. And if you don't, well that's not really my problem.

Dear lord, what a missed opportunity. Like many anime of this era, we are presented with opening episodes that promise amazing animation, world-class action choreography, and an intriguing story. Then, by episode 7 or 8, you realize that it is all just smoke and mirrors and the director and staff reveal that they have nothing more to offer but a shoehorned and forced final act. The first 2 episodes of this anime have a Bebop level of promise and what you end up with is a weaksauce Madlax imitation. Special thanks to ... Beretta and Fabrique Nationale for providing the not-so-subtle advertisements for handguns, though.

I don't know what I was doing in 2009 that prevented me from watching Canaan when it aired. But as it is, I watched it about a month ago and I was blown away by how great it was. It captured my attention from the beginning, an art that some series could work on.

Story [7/10]

"Soldiers who're born within destruction take hatred as their weapon. Listen, Canaan. You must not counter hatred with hatred...ever".

I just want to say that Canaan has one of the best intros ever. The combination of Siam's solemn voice and the sad, haunting violin music in the background just sent chills down ... my spine.

The story is quite simple. It's not completely original, but it does have its own uniqueness. Basically, an organization called Snake performed an experiment on a small village, exposing its inhabitants to an infection known as the Ua-virus. The reasons for why this happened is explained later in the anime, so I won't go too deep into that. The story focuses on the survivors of the experiment. However, what truly makes Canaan stand out from all the other dark war stories is the twisted relationship between Canaan (the protagonist) and Alphard (the antagonist). Alphard believes that hate is her source of power and that by conquering and controlling it, she is unbelievably strong. She tries to prove this to Canaan (and also corrupt her) through tests and trials. I must say that Alphard is the coolest antagonist ever. Her raison d'etre is badass as hell. She and Canaan have an backstory that I wished the anime would have gone deeper into.

Art [8/10]

Canaan aired in 2009. I almost couldn't believe that when I found it. It's art is well above the quality of the other series that existed in 2009. It's good enough that I could believe it was a 2012 anime if someone told me that. While the character design is awesome, the background/scenery could use a bit of work. The fight scenes are great. THE GREATEST. The animation quality of the fight scenes is definitely top notch.

Sound [10/10]

Canaan has some of the most exquisite violin music I've ever heard. It works perfectly with the mood of the anime. It induces a strong feeling of nostalgia and regret that just makes you appreciate relationship between Canaan and Alphard even more. I love the melody that Canaan, Siam, and Alphard hum.

Also, as a Shanghainese speaker, the Shanghainese was pretty darn good. It's an amazing feeling to listen to a sub and be like woah, I understand that. I didn't look into the voice actors for some of the very very minor characters, but I could believe that they imported some Shanghainese people to voice stuff.

Character [10/10]

The relationship between Canaan and Alphard is amazing, the more we learn about it. Canaan means "the promised land". It symbolizes pureness of heart, which is made more interesting by the fact that Alphard's old name used to be Canaan. Added on to this is the cute, heart pounding relationship between Canaan and Maria. The relationships between Santana and Hakko, Cummings and Liang Qi, and Liang Qi and Alphard are also great.

All the characters in Canaan have a purpose, excluding the truly minor background characters. There's nothing I hate more than a side character who contributes nothing to the flow of the plot. They all develop. Well, a large majority of them. In this sense, Canaan is one of the most complete and satisfying anime I've seen so far.

Enjoyment [8/10]

Despite all the awesome things I've mentioned before, Canaan falls a bit short in developing the background between some characters, namely Maria and Canaan. There's an unanswered question at the end that I'm still confused about and it drives me a bit insane sometimes. Also, the pace drops a bit around episode 8 or 9, where I almost dropped it but thank god I didn't.

But overall, watching Canaan is a wonderful and thrilling experience that'll leave you with a lot of feels.

I am very pleased (although it is currently only one episode) with CANAAN, which is a very good thing. I have always enjoyed TYPE-MOON's visual novels and other games, however their transitions to anime have not been quite as enjoyable. In fact, they have been quite bad. Tsukihime: Lunar Legend was disjointed, a problem only continued with their adaptation of Fate/Stay Night. However, CANAAN so far seems like they could finally get it right. I'll update this as the series continues and reaches it's end, however two points I can make now; CANAAN has amazingly nice artwork, and as of it's opening episode an engaging ... enough premise. Here's to hoping they do not encounter their all too common pacing issues.

I always do my best to keep up with out-coming animes, but when I get bored with them, I'll drop them around the 7th episode. CANAAN, in my eyes, is worth watching. I love the animation, the story line is decent and its enjoyable to watch. Personally, I love the insane sister, Liang Qi, Alphard and Canaan but could do without Maria and Yun-Yun.

Either way, the fighting is entertaining, Canaan's power if different and the last episode left me wanting more. You really can't ask for much more in an anime.

JS

I had not heard of the anime Canaan until i was reading a review on Black Lagoon: Roberta's Blood trail and noticed it in the recommended section.

After reading a synopsis of the story and watching a short preview i was baffled to see how this could appeal to anybody who liked the gritty, over the top action fest that is the Black Lagoon series.

Still, needed a series to go to after the amazing Black Lagoon saga so i decided to give Canaan a shot anyway not expecting much. I have to say im glad i did since it is easily one of the best anime ... series ive seen of late, im a very busy person and for me to spend the time to watch an entire anime series it must have very good production value (which is why generally i prefer OVAs).

PA Works did an amazing job with this series, it is impeccably animated and the action scenes are fluid while still maintaining amazing details.
The character design was a breath of fresh air to me as well, its nice to see female leads in an anime that actually look like they can pull off the stunts they do on screen.
Canaan herself is slender framed athletic and lightly muscular, her arch rival Alphard is also stunningly depicted, with an almost fitness model look to her. It must have been a difficult decision to draw them like this instead of the typical tiny waist big bust female characters which often seem to be the "safe bet" for many other series.
The fight scenes between these characters are something you would expect to see in the most modern of action films (think along the lines of The Raid or John Wick). Details such as the weapons used are so good that i was easily able to recognise the FNH Five SeveN handgun used by Alphard the first time i saw it.

The story itself is good, i suggest reading the Canaan back story from Type Moons 428 In a Blockaded Shibuya to get the best out of it. Its easily found online and will only take you 15min to glance through. I did it only afterwards yet still thoroughly enjoyed it, though i wish i would have done so before hand.
While the story can be slow placed at times, the relationship between Canaan and the female lead Maria is developed well in general, there are some questionable moments which you hope would be explored more later on but arent, it is still good as a whole.
Maria is arguably the lead character and the story is shown from her perspective in most cases, she starts of as a ditzy ahoge haired blonde who you think is going to be another annoying wet blanket holding back the action, but she gradually starts to think and show wisdom and maturity beyond her appearance and youll start to appreciate who she is and what she tries to ultimately (sometimes unsuccessfully) achieve.

There are many supporting characters, most of which are reasonably well developed. Mr Mido, Maria's work colleague is also funny yet serious when needed to be. Canaan keeps to her self, but she is hardly shy she is just not used to having much contact with normal people much, she is basically a La Femme Nikita style lone assassin who yearns for some friendship, which later becomes obvious she really wants.
The character who steals the show for me though is Alphard, if you liked Revy from Black Lagoon im certain you will also love Alphard. She is truly interesting and her motives are not always clear until the end. However her calm and controlled demeanor paired with her devastating speed, strength and skill during combat make you respect or even admire her, even though she is a "bad guy". Despite not having any special powers she was a more than worthy adversary to Canaan right to the end, and you get the feeling that Canaan really did not like to take on Alphard. Alphard is extremely dedicated to her task.

Other than the story which lacked some consistency and substance on a few occasions, the only other weakness for me was the soundtrack. After the brilliant opening which really sets the mood (i never skipped it once), the rest of soundtrack never quite lives up to that opening, which is a shame, the outro is notably disappointing.
I watched the dub, and its a top notch dub. I highly recommend it mainly since the voices used for Canaan and Alphard are spot on and match their tough on-screen appearances well, the Japanese version may be better in terms of Maria and some of the other characters, so ill leave that decision up to you which aspect you feel is more important.

Overall, its only 13 episodes so its definitely worth your time and money provided you are willing to forgive it for its few weaknesses, if you can you have a winner and future favorite of the genre in your hands. Hopefully they visit the story again for a second season, but that looks unlikely at this time unfortunately.

So the Spring/Summer season has come to a close this past week for most shows, and it was one of the more memorable seasons in recent memory IMO...However, there was one show that stuck out to me that just seemed to do everything right: Canaan

With a concept from the writers of the Wii game: 428: Fūsa Sareta Shibuya de, the plot of Canaan has a lil' bit of tie-in but enough ground to stand on it's own...Basically, it's a scenario from the game written specifically for the anime...

With a deadly virus poised to breakout across the world, the titular heroine (Canaan) must step in and ... prevent it...While it may sound mildly cliche, the story is rather complex and with lil' twists and turns throughout the course of the 13 episode series, it satisfies...Though I did require a lil' insight for some things mentioned, I was able to comprehend the majority of the story and was completely happy with the conclusion...

The characters are what really stood out for me in this series. I can't remember the last time I have really cared for this many characters in a series at one time...The antagonists are not necessarily "bad," they just have their own motives/reasoning and it's rather hard to hate them...By the end of the series, I was rooting for them a little...Well, most of them, there were a couple I did wish to die...

Canaan is a great character overall and her "relationship" with the cute/friendly Maria was a great development over the course of the series and while it kind of left off with unfinished/unsettled business, it's just enough too not upset anyone...

The only complaint I really have for the series is the music, it's not that it is bad, it's just not memorable...Save for a couple of songs in the finale, I don't see myself listening to the OST upon it;'s release...The OP was rather "blah" to me and the ED I never watched except for the first episode...

While this isn't the most in depth review/impression (it's 5:49 AM and I'm f'n tired) I urge people to check it out...The action, while rather limited, is incredible the animation is some of the best this season, and the plot is enjoyable enough for a short, 13 episode series...

Canaan has a history that's bit unusual. The anime came before the manga or the light novel. But it is a sequel, to the critically acclaimed visual novel game 428: Fusa Sareta Shibuya de. The question is, is this sequel to a game that was only released in Japan accessible to people who have never heard of the game?

Canaan's story opens with two Japanese journalists going to Shanghai. The two of them get separated and one of them finds herself in danger only to be saved by the mysterious Canaan, whom she has some connection with from the past. They quickly become involved in a ... plot involving a deadly virus and terrorism. Overall, the story is handled very well. You might expect it to get bogged down with references that you'd have to play the game to get but it does a good job of explaining everything that's important for the audience to know. The action sequences are really strong. It's fast paced, but not to the point where it gets ridiculous or feels rushed. It has love as a pretty important theme and, unlike a lot of things that use the same theme, it does a good job exploring both the positive and the negative aspects of it. Love is shown as a source of strength but it's also connected with insanity. That goes into a second important theme, duality. A lot of the characters, conflicts and other themes explore a dual structure. The themes are well handled most of the time. Although there are a few moments where they get exaggerated in a slightly ludicrous way. The biggest weakness to the story is that they have several flashbacks and a lot of them aren't necessary for the story so they just come off as filler.

The characters are very well done. They have complex motivations that are revealed during the story and are realistic for them. Every important character is complex and well developed. There aren't any characters who are extraneous to the plot. The protagonists and the antagonists both have sympathetic qualities that make them interesting and help strengthen the conflict. They also get some compelling dynamics that help move the plot forward.

The art is great. The characters are nicely detailed and the backgrounds are vibrant and lively. Things like planes and guns are very well detailed and look realistic. The art takes advantage of Canaan's unique senses in a way that's story relevant and helps you understand her without overly relying on those segments.

The voice acting is very good. Sawashiro Miyuki, Sakamoto Maaya and Nanjo Yoshino all do fantastic jobs in their roles. The only real problem I had was that some of the English dialogue seems a little stiff and unnatural, but there are very few moments where they show people speaking English so it's not a big problem.

The yuri factor is a 7/10. Canaan and Maria have an incredibly homoerotic relationship which is well executed and adorable. Liang Qi also has a really obvious romantic interest in Alphard. But their relationship is not adorable. It's actually creepy. It's pretty obviously deliberate, so the whole difference between the two dynamics could be part of the duality theme.

My final rating for Canaan is a 9/10. Its problems are pretty minor. It has excellent characters, a very well told story and really good action sequences. If you enjoyed Bakuretsu Tenshi or El Cazador de la Bruja you'll probably enjoy it as well.

Note: I haven’t played/watched 428 yet, so this is only a review on the animation itself. Sorry if the review is a bit long.

Canaan is one of the most underrated anime I have watched in the past years. This could be easily attributed to how horrible the guns-and-gals genre has been faring lately. One would think that it would be a brilliant concept to link two popular (yet greatly different) topics together, but time and time again the industry has proven that this conventional plot doesn’t work.

Then, you may ask, why would Canaan be any different?

Let’s start with first impressions. Like most of ... my friends, Canaan seemed like a very underwhelming production at first, probably due to the fact that the pictures that you can find about Canaan often have NO relation to the actual story itself.

I have a habit of always finding the flaws of a work before appreciating its virtues, as discovering the good points of a masterpiece isn't difficult. However, I really couldn’t find any flaws during the entire anime (this does not mean it doesn’t have it flaws) but of course, in retrospect, there were certain elements that could have been done a lot better.

First of all, the story is pretty rushed and fragmented. Throughout the story, we are introduced to a multitude of characters and interludes, some serving a lot more purpose than I thought, and some, vice versa. The audience is bombarded with many many sub-stories, and I daresay, digressions, as the work mentions quite a few interesting yet rather unfinished stories. On the first episodes, we are introduced to two journalists, Maria and Mino, looking for viable news-worthy titles in the huge city of Shanghai. The story accelerates exponentially, as they manage to spiral into a gunfight with masked men that the public seem to ignore. Without time to comprehend what just happened, our protagonist Canaan jumps out of nowhere and saves our dynamic duo, and somehow is an acquaintance with one of the journalists. One of the biggest plot holes in the story is the lack of background information. A tremendous amount of emphasis has been put on the character Maria, being the light that guides our heroine forward. However, the story mentions NOTHING about the affiliation between the two. This lackluster section would definitely make the audience question why our protagonist defends her with her life, and why she is the motivation for the story to go on. Continuing on with this problematic area, the story mentions numerous times that Maria has a minor case of retrograde amnesia, but gives no follow-up to this. We do not know what happened before Shanghai, and the audience is probably as lost as Maria is, and most of us will be scratching our heads when the characters in the story repeatedly inquires if she has truly lost her memory.

But if you look at the score I give, you’ll realize that I find this series really amazing. Other than the few faults that I’ve pointed out above, nearly everything is excellent, or even near perfect. (I’ll try to give talk a bit about each section.

The visual aspect is absolutely stunning, even for today’s standards. Unlike most anime where you might be able to say that a certain scene or character looks brilliant, Canaan has both. The characters are brilliantly drawn, and the scenery is almost as good as Shinkai Makoto’s. The animation is extremely fluid, possibly due to its 29.976 frames per second, and the choreography (if that’s the right word) for the characters are simply really well thought out. There isn’t a scene in the entire series that feels stiff or rigid, and even the monotone Canaan displays a good array of emotions given that she has such a small pool of emotions.

The audio aspect is equivalently fabulous, and it’s the only reason I managed to know about this work. The music is extremely fitting, be it the opening or the ending, and the variety in the two gives the audience both a sense of excitement and tranquility. The music serves a great purpose, as it not only starts the episode off with a bang, but also reminds the audience of the core storyline. On a side note, the performances of the voice actors are beyond amazing. Canaan displays quite a wide range of characters, with some being exceptionally difficult to portray (such as Liang). Yet, each seiyuu performs his/her job perfectly, and even monotonous characters like Canaan feel are illustrated vividly.

In spite of all this, my favorite is the characterization. On the surface of the matter, Canaan uses archetypically cliché characters. A kind hearted, weak body, yet strong minded protagonist, a seemingly apathetical, yet in reality is the most caring accomplice, and a powerful, yet puzzled gun-girl are all characters we have seen way too many times. Conversely, Canaan does a good job in directing the audience in the right direction. In contrary to the many characters that aim to achieve superficial and unrealistic goals, such as world peace (or domination) or a brighter future, our protagonist has a truthful, yet effective ideal. The reason that she fights is simple, she does not want to lose what she holds precious again. The depictions of the characters are immensely lively and realistic, each doing what they feel right themselves, be it for friendship, or for love. Each character serves an irreplaceable part in the overall story, and each segment of the journey tells us a bit more about them.

Another point that is worth noting is the attention to details. There are many subtle elements that the casual viewer may miss. For example, even the name of the characters shed light to the story itself. The religious allusion of the name Canaan being the land of hope adds a second layer to the story, and even the name Maria gives an indication of her role. Many foreshadows appear, such as the discussion of sunny weather, and other motifs like the camera or the Pocky that Canaan is always chewing on, give further confirmation and hints to the story.

While accepting the imperfections of the story, Canaan has one of the most thrilling and sophisticated plots of all time. One should complete disregard any first impressions on this work, as it most definitely is an unfair judgment. The production strikes a perfect balance between the emphasis on characters and plot, making the story both character and plot driven; the work doesn’t feel like a shonen anime that features the mishaps of the protagonists, nor does it feel like a war-time anime which often overlooks how the characters develop. The overarching story of the conflict between Alphard and Canaan opens up many possibilities for parallel (yet slightly sub-par) stories, such as the intertwined touches of romance. Moreover, viewers will quickly understand the effect of minor characters on the work, and the entire reason for the richness in story is due to the diversity in characters. Every single action is useful, be it the dialogue between two characters, or the small gestures of kindness displayed towards one another.

To conclude, Canaan is definitely a masterpiece. The focus on both an intellectual and an emotional level concoct a beautiful result. It is definitely worth your time.

As the title may suggest to those familiar to the old testiment of the bible.
A person who is engraved with not only a physical burden, but a mental one, all for the wrold to see.

This anime plays with themes of love, life, revenge, the importance of friendship. All these are clearly evident alongside small more tiedious themes.

It gives us an aspect and a veiw, a small peek into the mind of a strong-willed female lead as well as a weak, wavering one.

Though some aspects are rather dark, supernatural and maybe hard to believe. But with a little patience the world of CANAAN envelops ... you, pulls you in to a fascinating world.


I could not have asked for a better anime, lacking a bit in the animation area, though not in the action department! Very sold and beautiful art though The story may have some seemingly meaningless turns and twists though all builds up to an explosive and well grounded climax, something that can't be missed!

Canaan has several things going for it:
-While the overall plotline isn't particularly original, the human stories within each episode can work really well. Episode 10 is a real heartbreaker.
-The animation quality is amazing. There is almost no reliance on panning stills, except when the characters actually are not moving. The action sequences move and flow like dances with all motions captured. The character designs are appropriate for a young-adult themed show. Even the backgrounds are memorable. The seedy yet modern depiction of Shanghai, especially in ep1, is a real eye-opener for a westerner.
- Characters: I've found Hakko and Alphard to be especially memorable characters. Alphard ... is almost a tragic hero rather than a villain. Her psycho "sister" Lian Ji is the real evil here, and it seems Alphard doesn't really hate Canaan as much as Canaan hates her, except for the effect Canaan has on her team. Canaan's relationship with Maria (Isn't Maria Osawa the name of a Japanese porn star?) is also "different" as they are such complete opposites.
-Good DivX high resolution fansubs are available. Average visual quality of fansubs in general has gone up amazingly in the past 18 months.

On the downside:
-The long-term plot is just a sci-fi, government-conspiracy action thriller. It's a fine example of the genre, but apart from the flower design, the effects of the UA virus aren't particularly original, nor is pinning the whole experiment (in China???) on the CIA. I get the feeling of gaping holes in the logic here that I just haven't been able to spot.
- The male characters are pretty generic crusading investigators or wimps.

Neutral
- The opening theme is cool and the themes during the show are fine. I haven't really listened to the closer.

Not perfect but very interesting anime and agry about similarity between Canaan and Shiki ^___^

Love art, sound and main charactes (especially both Canaans *spoil* and Maria)

Recomended. Added to favorites.