Canaan

Genre: Action
Age Appropriate: Adult
Emotional Response: Confused, impatient, and painful (emotionally)
Notable Features: rampant super virus, bioterrorism, cover-ups, genetically altered superhumans
Language: English
Length: 13 episodes
Overall Recommendation: Good

Canaan is a girl whose village was burned to the ground during Middle East conflict. Finding her under some rubble, Canaan is rescued by a military man, who trains her in combat abilities as a child. She has synesthesia and uses it to pinpoint enemy targets.  Her enemy is an organization named Snake, and it is now run by Alphard, with Ua virus survivors, or borners, under her control. The plot focuses on the battle between Canaan and Alphard in Shanghai, the location of their current operations. The underlying plot includes a complicated past between Canaan and Alphard.

While Canaan is the main protagonist of the series, each episode focuses a significant part of the story on her friend, Maria. As some point in her past, Maria was infected with the the Ua virus, but doesn't remember what happened. She does remember befriending Canaan at some point, and teaching her Cat's Cradle - an underlying activity that brings them together. Canaan, though a bit detached, seems her most "normal" when she's with Maria, clearly making the effort for Maria's sake. She holds their friendship precious and often has to save her from situations perpetuated by Snake. Maria is wanted both for her status regarding the Ua virus, and as bait for Canaan. A good portion of those situations are a result of her desire to be a photographer, and the relationship she has with her partner, Minoru, a journalist interested in the happenings of the Shibuya incident and the cover-up including gathering information about the strange mark that appears on those who've been exposed to the virus.

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Canaan was a surprise for me. It was mixed, though. When I first read the description, I thought I would like it more. When I started the series, I thought I was wrong. It's slow. The problem is committing to watching the whole thing, but in the end I found it to be worth it. It isn't really my typical genre, but it was a good change. In my efforts to be more inclusive with this blog, I've challenged myself to watching anime that I normally wouldn't. I'm glad that I did in this instance. Unfortunately, the slowness of the series doesn't let up. I struggled to finish it on time, and I had an extra day to get it in. It is definitely one of those series where you really should keep it to one episode per week.

It's complicated, and messed up. If you can get past the beginning parts, and get into it, you'll eventually hit the deep emotionality. You just have to be willing to sit it through. The messed up parts, including one messed up, insane sister, I found a bit tough. It's emotionally painful, and I suppose that makes it a success. Also, there is no comedic relief past the first episode or two. The end takes a little bit away from having to sit through it. This series isn't that messed, but it's rough enough that I would definitely not recommended it for anyone younger than an adult. It's a guy anime, with the violence and military leanings that remind me of certain video games, but good. I won't watch it again, but I would seriously recommend it to someone I thought would appreciate the genre/subject matter.

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For your viewing pleasure: Uraboku