Canaan

Oosawa Maria is a Japanese photographer currently working in Shanghai, China. Along with her partner Mino, she searches for potential newsworthy stories throughout the city. When strange events occur at a local festival, Maria and Mino immediately investigate. Quickly, the two are immersed in a battle between unknown masked men and a strange, white-haired woman. Just when Maria is about to be caught in the crossfire, an old friend by the name of Canaan appears and helps Maria escape. But a sinister plot over a deadly virus soon develops, and Canaan learns she must confront her past if she wants any chance at stopping the perpetrator and saving her friends.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Canaan Main

Sawashiro, Miyuki Japanese

Alshaya, Alphard Main

Sakamoto, Maaya Japanese

Oosawa, Maria Main

Nanjou, Yoshino Japanese

Minorikawa, Minoru Main

Hamada, Kenji Japanese

Qi, Liang Supporting

Tanaka, Rie Japanese

Taxi driver Supporting

Nakata, Jouji Japanese

Yunyun Supporting

Tomatsu, Haruka Japanese

Hakkoh Supporting

Noto, Mamiko Japanese

Cummings Supporting

Ookawa, Tooru Japanese

Santana Supporting

Hirata, Hiroaki Japanese

Horikawa, Kenji Producer

Saitou, Shigeru Producer

Nagatani, Takayuki Producer

Tsuji, Mitsuhito Producer, Production Manager

Reviews

Jul 31, 2024

AshVampire

Recommended

Anime is a cultural product, and for most (even non-otaku), that much is obvious. But the importance of this fact seems underestimated by my estimation. When I say anime is a cultural product, I don't just meant that it is set in Japan and infused with Japanese motifs, tropes, and ideals. Those things certainly play a part, but anime is a cultural product in its ethnocentrism as well. Though we western otaku have embraced anime and gone to extensive lengths to do so efficiently, anime is not really made for us. Anime is predominantly set in Japan, utilizes jokes specific to Japanese locales and language, ... and generally doesn't concern itself with perceptions of reality outside of Japan.

This level of ethnocentrism is, I think, partly why many western otaku go from simply being anime fans to becoming whole hearted weebs. It is a natural, horizontal expansion of interests and significantly increases one's ability to enjoy more of what anime has to offer. Frankly, that it doesn't happen to more of us is more surprising than it happening in the relatively few instances it does. After all, for me at least, part of the appeal of anime is that it is distinctly and blatantly not western in construction. And I can't be the only one for whom such is also the case, whether the source behind it is an outright distaste for western media or just being bored by our native story telling tropes.

But the same ethnocentrism that turns some of us into Japanophiles and draws us to anime over western media is equally responsible for gatekeeping it from others. Because anime is so foreign and uninterested in explaining itself to the uninitiated, it radiates the alien and unintelligible; and we all know humans are most frightened by what we don't understand. So it is with the monumental task of overcoming a facet of the human condition that an ongoing debate rages in our community.

What is the best show for introducing someone to anime?

Answers to this question run the gamut, as one would expect, and are often prefaced by a qualifying question, "What is the person into media-wise?" Regardless of the answer, it's my experience that the anime of choice is so given the honor for 'showing, not telling anime', as it were. The core of the idea is the same as ripping a bandage off quickly rather than slowly peeling it away. Since we value the alien of anime against the culture of our home, we feel this is what should be represented to newcomers. For if they cannot or do not love this more overarching, genre crossing aspect, how or why would they ever watch anime? We want to flood them with as much of what screams 'anime' to us, imagining something in that barrage will stick.

But thinking back to the first show I ever watched (Eureka 7 for those wondering), it being Japanese was not the principle reason I chose to pick it up. Hell, I can't even remember what it was aside from knowing there was a connection to something else I had watched around the same time. Sure, after seeing E7 and realizing there was an entire community around anime, I gradually came to value anime because of it's ethnocentric roots; but the key there is 'gradually'.

I think a good show to introduce someone to anime with should abscond from typical anime stylings and cultural trappings. And I'll be damned if I don't have an exceptional candidate.

Canaan.

Little discussed and likely only half remembered, Canaan was a simple anime original show from PA Works in 20009. There isn't anything overly standout about Canaan from a technical perspective. The animation doesn't cut corners when it matters in the action and isn't unwatchable in more passive scenes. The directing properly maintains episodic suspense without sacrificing intrigue of the overarching plot. And the writing stays easily followable, only flexing in a few key moments for maximum emotional impact. Canaan is a good action fling and doesn't try reaching to be more.

But the show's value as an introduction to anime lies more with its tangible details and their marked similarity to western films and shows of the same genre. Remember, though tangible details are rarely what make a show great, they are what an audience latches onto in the moment. For not being a fantasy or sci-fi show, the most immediately noticeable difference in Canaan from other action anime is in its not being set in Japan. Already in this, much of the ethnocentric alien nature of anime is removed since it would make little sense to stick to Japanese cultural cues when not in Japan. The show is instead set in Shanghai and the border between China and Pakistan.

Both of these locations are far more easily digested by a western viewer. Shanghai itself has been a common setting in countless films as a bustling cityscape which brings in the familiarity of a western skyline while being able to maintain a sense of foreign intrigue. And indeed, this is the approach taken by Canaan with its main characters of Maria Owasa and Mr. Mino. As Japanese reporters in Shanghai, they are strangers in a foreign land but a foreign land not so completely alienating as to be distracting. Their sense of being mildly out of place can be latched onto by the viewer, regardless of whether the viewer is from the West or Japan.

When the show moves out of the city into the desert wilderness of the boundaries of the Middle East, a far more recognizable setting is given to the Western viewer. In light of recent modern politics and foreign affairs, the deserts of the Middle East are a near constant in Western war dramas and action flicks just as the jungles of southeast Asia were following the Vietnam and Korean Wars. As such, the desert in Canaan garners a sense of 'setting association' as it were from a Western viewer, setting and meeting expectations for that decision.

In keeping with taking its setting to the Middle East, Canaan embraces the political landscape of the region by making its entire plot revolve around the shady dealings of the CIA and terrorism as a whole. Political intrigue and the CIA's misuse of the US's power have been a common and easily grasped theme in Western media since the end of the Cold War and well into the modern era to the point of being the focus of entire media franchises like 24. Furthermore, the tendency to have villains function as and receive the badging of 'terrorist' has increased to the point of unanimity in a post 9/11 world. In so choosing these plot details, Canaan need not go to lengths to explain the motives of its cast nor a green anime viewer have to struggle to decipher plot details.

But if a more recognizable setting and easily understood plot details were all that were necessary to qualify a show to be good introductory anime material, Canaan wouldn't exactly hold the edge. Instead, Canaan further reduces its Japanese ethnocentricity with its cast. Specifically their distinctly diverse ethnicities. Canaan herself is called out twice in the show itself as being noticeably Arabic, Yun Yun and Liang-Chi bring in a Chinese aesthetic, Santana and (arguably) Cummings are American, while Alphard seems to be a Chinese/Arab mix. Only Maria and Mino are Japanese. Though nothing each of the characters does or says marks them for being from their respective culture and are so in name only for all practical purposes, the effect is not diminished. In the same way that modern Hollywood (over) emphasizes diverse casts and female led projects (ironic, considering the number of anime where female characters are a consistent focus, Canaan being one of these), simply having this eclectic mix of peoples decentralizes the cultural applicability of the plot.

Furthering this end, Canaan does not steer clear of using other languages when it can. There are multiple instances where citizens of Shanghai are heard and seen speaking Chinese, and of more particular note, the military forces of the US. Those Americans with more extensive voice lines speak in Japanese for flow and clarity's sake, but the President's Secret Service entourage, the B2 bomber pilots, and the task force soldiers which attack the Factory all have their lines in English. This is of particular note because it is not in the broken, mispaced 'Engrish' more seasoned Western anime fans have come to expect and regard with a sort of amused fondness. Though brief, their lines are all just as one would expect of an American film or show. Though this level of dedication is standout to us Western otaku, in a new viewer, this is likely to engender thoughts of how western media sometimes will break from English for authenticity's sake for scenes where all characters speak a different language.

But now beyond the tangible details, Canaan goes a step further to position itself as a prime first anime. As mentioned earlier, much of the vocabulary and setting details are reminiscent of Western government conspiracy action titles. This similarity is perhaps the most important in setting Canaan apart from its anime contemporaries. The show does not stop short with the above specifics; instead even going so far as to structure itself like a Western action piece. Episode plots and rising tension are managed in the same manner, continually shifting from high stakes world changing events the protagonists must give their all to prevent to intensely personal conflicts which test the hero's emotional mettle. That it is difficult to keep from comparing Canaan herself to the likes of Jack Baur, Eggsy Unwin, or 007 himself is no accident. And examining the tangible details as indicative of Canaan's nature as a love letter to Western action suddenly makes a world of sense.

So the next time you are in a position to explain your love of anime to family or friends or have the opportunity to put on something around the uninitiated, remember, similarities to our home tropes isn't necessarily a mark against a show. It might even be a catalyst to bringing more, potentially just as passionate people into our community; something every culture needs to grow and survive. Show your people Canaan.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

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Jun 20, 2025

Canameeeks

Mixed Feelings

tdlr: watch for some yuri and action only. Do not watch it if you consider playing 428: Shibuya Scramble

Before I start, let me tell you a story of a man not known to many.

He's a very passionate journalist, striving to report the truth to the best of his abilities. He's very egoistical but had the talent to back it up. He has a quick temper and is quick to blame others. Despite this, deep inside, he's a kind man. He cares about those close to him. Even after his spirit was broken, he kept running until he reach the finish line.

People who have watched this ... anime probably couldn't guess that I'm talking about Minorikawa Minoru.

Hi, this is the 1 very Minorikawapilled review... thing

Canaan is based on the Canaan bonus story by Type-Moon featured in 428: Shibuya Scramble. Tonally, it's closer to Canaan bonus story (obviously) but more light-hearted and raunchy. I think it actually works quite well most of the time. Later into the anime, they drop it as the anime gets into its plot, like 428. It might sounds good, but the plot... uh...

The plot is a mess. It starts slow but it actually got interesting! ...until they threw that away and started again somewhere else. It kinda feels like they forgot what they're writing about halfway through while throwing new terminologies and concepts. I really don't know for whom this anime is aimed for. People who don't know 428? They'll get lost as they don't really explain anything, yet still spoils some twists from 428. Fans of 428? They didn't even do anything with that Minorikawa plot from the final side story of the game.

At that, Minorikawa... Who is this man? If you know the Conspiracy thing from 428, they must've gotten him. He's so normal. Too normal. He doesn't even really do his classic pointing pose. That's like what if Phoenix Wright stops pointing at people, or if Kiryu Kazuma stops ripping his shirt. That's scary.

Still, even with 10x more Minorikawa fingers, that won't fix the anime. The big problem with this anime is that it's WAYYY too ambitious for its own good. It wants to delve deeper into Canaan and Alphard's relationship. It wants to talk about topics like terrorism, oppression and human experimentation. There's like 10 different effects to the virus now. On top of that, they're adding several new characters that want that precious screentime to bloom properly. As expected, none of them are resolved nicely, some are even pretty much abandoned. They even tried to develop Minorikawa in the midst of it for some reason! I could argue that 428 Minorikawa grew in a much more compelling way than this Minorikawa, and he's the least changed character in the game!

The only thing that I genuinely enjoyed was the fleshed out relationship between Canaan and Maria. In the game, we only get very tiny bits and pieces, so having them actually do stuff together is just fun! Like Minorikawa, Maria also felt a bit off, though it's to a much lesser degree.

The art is cool. While personally I thought the design is quite... interesting (blonde Maria, Saber face Canaan), I actually like this take of their design. Minorikawa though... that's rough buddy. Even OG Minorikawa from the Kinpachi-sensei game has that obligatory cute factor missing on this Minorikawa. Anyway, the animation is beautiful. The action scenes are really cool, lots of eye candies here.

The music, direction, etc. are actually really enjoyable. It's just the plot isn't worth it. It's a shame really. While I didn't like, super like the bonus scenario this anime is based on, I was quite satisfied with it. It didn't overpromise anything, just a short story of how Canaan and Alphard came to be. Meanwhile, this anime made me wish that Minorikawa Minoru actually died during the bomb attack in 428.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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Jul 6, 2023

chips901

Not Recommended

On April 28 20XX, the CIA formed a joint operation with Tokyo PD to help resolve a kidnapping case. As you'd imagine, if the CIA are involved, this is pretty serious business. See, the victim of the kidnapping case, Maria Osawa, was injected with the Ua virus and was set loose onto the busy streets of Shibuya.

The Ua virus is particularly deadly, causing the victim to violently bleed out of every orifice after 12-24 hours of infection. You can already imagine the means of transmission if the symptoms are *that* horrific. If they did not find Maria Osawa within this timeframe, the streets of Shibuya ... would be painted in red.

That's all in the past though. Of course, the CIA and Tokyo PD would work together to keep this case away from public light. But to those who did know about these events, they would call it the 428 Shibuya Scramble.

428 Shibuya Scramble is a legendary visual novel and is one of the best that you'll ever read. It leaves an everlasting impression with its writing, the presentation, and its characters.

428 Shibuya Scramble was so good and confident that they featured a special scenario from Type-Moon! This scenario would then get a sequel anime, Canaan!

Canaan on the other hand... isn't good. And I never bothered to compare it to its predecessor. Even though Type-Moon can shit out a well-produced anime, sometimes the shit flies all over the toilet seat. Such is the case with Canaan.

The biggest issue I have with Canaan is that it's simply too campy. It's an anime that's blissfully ignorant, lollygagging along the ghettos of Shanghai while dragging you along for uninteresting ride.

The story revolves around Canaan and Maria Osawa, but you don't need the visual novel pretext. You're not expected to know it either. Cool! What's not cool is literally everything else.

Type-Moon is the only studio to place serious plot points near armpits and butts. They're the only studio to show a no-name idol singing at an Anti-Terrorist Convention that gets taken over by terrorists. All of this feels very loosely written. The lack of cohesion and overload of camp proves that a coherent story isn't a priority. And I didn't mind this, as I have 0 expectations for anything.

For 12 episodes you are thrown through a cat and mouse charade, which is uninteresting because all Type-Moon did was flex their choreography.

Oh, sure. Type-Moon does what they do best, I suppose. In Canaan's case the action still feels lacking because fancy anime military backflips are innately less interesting than an overflow of shiny particle effects. But despite the criticisms, it was still entertaining to watch the eye-candy-laced scenarios unfold.

The characters on the other hand are not interesting. They look strong but end up degrading themselves as all characters search for and display the basic principles of a good anime human. The fact that it isn't grounded in any capacity makes me feel like I'm drowning in this bottomless pool of sentimentality rather than wanting to coddle these cold-blooded apex predators.

In the end, much like the visual novel, the taxi driver is my highlight of the show. Even when he's subjected to anime bullshit, he'll laugh, brush it off, and still give you a ride to the strip club the very next day.

On the other end, I was very disappointed to see the main villain, Alphard, degrade beyond recognition. When subjected to anime bullshit, she quite literally falls off in such a way that nobody could've predicted. She acted crazy cool, but was penultimately weak. Fallen from grace. Truly unbefitting of the mastermind known as Alphard.

And Canaan... ugh. For a show to be THIS centered around her... UGH. 12 episodes to show that stoic apex predators can smile too. There's not much to be said about her since Canaan is a simple girl. The show goes out of its way to reinforce that idea and it wasn't interesting because for 11 episodes she didn't display any hint of any meaningful character development.

In conclusion,

Just another day of cute anime girls smiling, terrorism, and unimportant plot twists in favour of campy feels. There's nothing wrong with any of this, but that toilet seat still needs cleaning. So get to it. 4/10.

Until next time.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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