Two years ago, Shibuya was ravaged by a biological terrorist attack using the deadly Ua virus. Maria Osawa was saved when her father inoculated her against the virus, but is left with partial amnesia from the shock. She works as a cameraman when she reunites with a girl named Canaan in Shanghai, China. A gifted assassin with synesthesia, she is under orders from an unknown organization for a yet unspecified mission.
Canaan: Miyuki Sawashiro – Canaan our protagonist is one of the main characters of the series. Her character is pretty quiet yet strong willed. The seiyuu Miyuki Sawashiro has had many different rolls that go unseen/unheard. I would have to say she is one of the most notable seiyuus this year for her excellent voice casting. She speaks her part so well it is occasionally hard to pick out that it is her.
Maria Oosawa: Yoshino Nanjou – Maria is a new hire photographer that wants to change the world through her pictures. She works along side Minoru. Maria is our focal character of the series. The seiyuu Yoshino Nanjou was impressive in this roll. I thought her voice casting was done very well and expressed the emotions of her character well. This is another major roll for Yoshino; she has had very few rolls in the industry, but is making a name fairly quick.
Minoru Minorikawa: Kenji Hamada – Minoru is a supporting character to all of our protagonist characters. He is a mentor for Maria; Minoru is trying to become a better reporter and cover the greatest story all times. Minoru may seem like a dull character, but plays the support roll well. The seiyuu Kenji Hamada played the roll of Minoru well. Seeing as the character was developed through others it was hard to feel the real emotions of the character through Kenji.
Alphard: Maaya Sakamoto – Our antagonist Alphard, a strong willed soldier who has a mission of her own. Alphard will not let anyone stand in her way of completing what ever it is she has set out to finish. It was interesting seeing Maaya Sakamoto play such a strong antagonist roll. She pulled it off; and pulled it off well. I was impressed when I found out it was Maaya Sakamoto.
Personal Thoughts:
Canaan was one of the few series I found enjoyable this season. Though, I have been catching up on older series I managed to squeeze in this one. The animation style is your typical 2008/2009 style so it was easy on the eyes to adapt to. The character development was done exceptionally well and most of the characters are likable. The story progression is smooth and enjoyable. I found the concepts of the series to be intriguing. Their take on synesthia was my favorite part. I was a bit down about the 13 episode run time, but was glad to hear that Canaan has been approved for budget for 3 movies. Overall I would say this was a great series and one to watch.
