I didn't expect much from this show when I first decided to watch it. I was planning on watching this between shows to fill the gap - turned out it was a good call.
Story: The setting struck my immediately from the first seconds of the first episode. I remember thinking to myself "I think I've stumbled across a hidden gem again". For anyone whose a fan of Darker than Black or Speed Grapher, this will be up your street. I found the story to be unique, particularly the focus on a main character who uses a real life condition (Synesthesia) as a combat ability. The way the virus introduced through the strange masked folks at the carnival who die when exposed to sunlight sets up a great deal of mystery in a really nice way. The show grips you, and it doesn't pull its punches either - I love a show that isn't afraid to get gruesome and/or kill a few main characters off (or at least put them in extreme danger). The only let downs for me is that the series felt a little too short, or at least that it had been set up well for a sequel. There were also a few things I didn't fully get, like the masochistic relationship between Liang Qi and Cummings. Overall though, I was impressed with Canaan's story.
Art: The art is really nice. The character designs are interesting and colorful enough to be interesting and aesthetic, but not too extravagent as to seem out of touch with the rest of the setting. The setting itself - the urban complex of Shanghai (and the desert of Central Asia for a while) really set the stage nicely for a gritty plot. The action was high tempo and well animated in my opinion, without going overboard.
Sound: This really was a high point for this show. The high-stakes intro and melancholic credit tracks are a nice contrast to each other and reflect the different sides of the characters - the blood thirsty assassin (Canaan) and her caring, gentle friend (Maria). The music throughout the episodes was great and did a particularly good job of conveying the gritty setting and the suspense of the story.
Characters: There really weren't many characters in this show that I didn't like. Canaan, Hakkoh, Alphard, Maria and Santana all had really cool designs and had interesting backstories that kept me wondering. I was quite invested in Canaan and Maria's friendship, and I wonder if perhaps this show could be considered on the periphery of the Yuri genre, as their relationship seemed to be to be slightly more than just good friends. Minoru's character let me down a little as he seemed to be a little bland in terms of development and design compared to the others. Li Qiang's character confused me a lot, as did her relationship with Cummings as mentioned previously. I'm not exactly sure what the message of that relation was meant to be, or what they were supposed to represent. I suppose you could consider them good characters if you like to be kept wondering long after the series has finished.
Enjoyment: The few flaws only became apparent a while after I'd finished the show. I thoroughly enjoyed every moment of watching this anime and was always eager to start the next episode. I would recommend this to anyone who is a fan of action-packed, gritty shows.
Overall: This is a really good show, with a great atmosphere, aesthetic and interesting characters and an intriguing plot. 9/10.
