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.
