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.
