Some anime shows get a bad rap, but might be better than you thought. Some shows could be much worse than you thought. I don't know exactly what to think about "Canaan," a show that most people online seem to say is quite poor, but I do think it makes for a servicable supernatural action thriller.Set in the city of Shanghai (China is a unique setting for a Japanese anime, so props to them on that), the show follows a girl named Canaan, a mysterious one-girl army that is affected with the ability of "synethesia," enhancing her senses to be near superhuman. A strange girl with only one true friend, a blonde photographer (Maria) who happens to be in Shanghai on assignment with her journalist as her supervisor. Also, a terrorist group known as the "Snakes" is wreaking havoc, and they happen to be related to Canaan and her mysterious powers and past. Frankly, the plot is all over the place, and the show makes a terrible first impression. The English dub is questionable in the first few episodes, making me want to switch to Japanese. Things happen quickly without rhyme or reason. It is clear that, given most of the characters are female, emotional ties between all of them showcase this as borderline lesbian porn. I am thankful that the show improves in the second half, although the second half seems almost a completely different show to the first half. That improvement only seems to come from that the emotions and relationships between the characters are used to greater effect, and that you care about them at least a little by then. Indeed, the biggest flaw of the plot is the strong emphasis on girl-on-girl friendship. There isn't much nudity or panty-shots, but plenty of fan-service of girls looking into each other's eyes and telling each other how much they mean to them. I wouldn't mind if it wasn't taken to such extremes: when Maria tells Canaan "there aren't enough beds in the hotel room, so I'll sleep in your bed," I almost wanted to throw something at the TV. These emotional ties are also what make the show seem more than what it is, but certain viewers may be annoyed. Also, while the ending does provide some nice closure, a few too many questions were left unanswered. Despite all of this, there is an exciting show to watch here. The tension between the heroine and her main nemisis is fun to watch right up to the climax.
Animation is by PA Works, and the story and character designs have loose ties to work by Type Moon. You can compare character designs and certain violent elements to work like "the Garden of Sinners" or "Fate/Zero": indeed, this seems like a cheaper version of both of those, both in quality and actual cost to buy the series. But given what I'm comparing it to, it still makes for fascinating imagery compared to most anime, usually in being grotesque or highlighting the beauty of eye color. Generally, visuals look good, and some actions scenes and facial expressions look especially impressive. Music is fitting throughout, with the opening track being enjoyable as a theme. The dub starts weak, but holds its own before the end. Overall, I'm torn about whether there is any significant value to "Canaan"'s existance. I was prepared not to buy into it, and certainly other shows do what this does better. But I did enjoy it more than I thought. If you are looking for a girls-with-guns anime, you'll have a good time. If you just want a good action show you can get attached to, give it a try when it's on sale.