Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.0
Overall		3.5

Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Canaan is an action-thriller with a stylized approach to the genre. Produced by Jin Kawamura (Emma: A Victorian Romance – Second Act, IRODUKU: The World in Colors), Jirō Ishii, Kei Fukura (A Lull in the Sea, Tears to Tiara), Kenji Horikawa (Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow, The Eccentric Family), Shigeru Saitō (Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, Violet Evergarden), Takayuki Mizutani, and Yasushi Ōshima (The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow), Canaan is full of action-packed adventure and excitement for those seeking something gripping. Featuring production by Bandai Visual, Bushiroad, Good Smile Company, Lantis, P.A. Works, Pony Canyon, and Showgate, the series animation is by P.A. Works (A Lull in the Sea, Tari Tari). Canaan is a compelling thriller for fans of the genre.

Maria Oosawa (Yoshino Nanjō) is a journalist working on an important news story – her specialty in photography. As Maria covers an Anti-Terrorist Conference, Maria risks her life to cover the event when a group of assassins threatens to kill her with a brutal attack. Rescued from the grip of death by the hero Canaan (Miyuki Sawashiro), the stakes of the story have raised.

Canaan is a special op solider for hire who is determined to serve to her best capacity. As Canaan fights against a terrorist organization called Snake, she goes up against the head of the organization: Alphard (Maaya Sakamoto).  Canaan must face down against a group of terrorists as well as mutated monsters never previously encountered. The outbreak of a deadly virus has left chaos in the wake. Who will survive?

The central protagonist aids the series and expands on the production is a compelling way. Canaan is a great hero at the helm. The character is tossed in to a number of dark and gritty situations while the increasing risk of danger rises along the way. The character is tough and fierce as a fighter and these elements provide a strong action-hero vibe to the series. The series wouldn’t work as well as a thriller without these strong vibes from the lead character.

The original character designs by Takashi Takeuchi are compelling and add a lot to the production. The anime designs are handled by Kanami Sekiguchi (Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow, Sakura Quest). These character designs remind me a great deal of the efforts done on series such as Noir. Sophisticated, dark, and grittier than your average anime character designs, the designs here are sophisticated in a way that some series fail to grasp at. The results certainly vibe well with the production.

The animation on Canaan is outstanding and well realized for the thriller genre. Featuring excellent art direction by Takeshi Waki (Tenchi Muyo!, Samurai Champloo) and strong chief animation direction by Kanami Sekiguchi (Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow, Tari Tari), Canaan provides a fun, atmospheric, and dark aesthetic that works well. The aesthetic is befitting the production.

It isn’t easy to assemble a thriller anime and the animation certainly is one of the key components that must work well in order for the genre roots to be successful. Canaan is one of those anime series and the results are more involved than some might be expecting. The action scenes in particular provide darker aesthetic elements than some series and this makes the sequencing more intense.

The cinematography by Tomo Namiki (Maquia - When the Promised Flower Blooms, The Eccentric Family) is compelling. The cinematography is a great aid to the animation and provides a darker, dramatic, and compelling style with good lighting and balance. Namiki understands the goals of Canaan and the efforts of the animators. The cinematographer does a solid job of highlighting the art style and bringing it to life.

The score composed by Hikaru Nanase (Beyond the Boundary, Noein - to your other self) is one of the most creative elements of the production. The music is exciting and thrilling. The score certainly is an excellent component. A lot of action score can feel generic in some respects but the score here is an entertaining and enjoyable one. The music provides a lot of energy to the series and this is something important to making the action more involving.

Written by Mari Okada (anohana: The Flower We Saw That Day, A Lull in the Sea), Canaan benefits a great deal from excellent scripting. The writing is well-done. This is a well written series and one that showcases a strong lead character in a gritty series of situations. Okaka is one of the most gifted of anime screenwriters with many gems and it is always interesting to see what this screenwriter will manage to come up with for a production. Canaan wouldn’t be half as good with a less talented screenwriter.

Directed by Masahiro Ando (Snow White with the Red Hair, Hanasaku Iroha - Blossoms for Tomorrow), Canaan provides a more thrilling and action-packed ride than some might be expecting. Canaan has compelling direction. Ando understands the backbone of the thriller genre and what is required to ultimately craft something distinct. Canaan could have been less compelling in different hands. Yet the results here are impressive.

The action sequences are at the heart of the production. Canaan is a thriller but it is also an action series. The series has plenty of excitement with stellar action scenes and this provides a lot of fun. Considering how essential a well-sequenced action scene is to a good experience with these genre efforts, Canaan certainly provides a solid and fun time. Action anime fans who enjoy the thriller genre should give it a go.

Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Sentai Filmworks, Canaan is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. This is a decent and acceptable looking high-definition presentation. The animation looks reasonably solid on the set and color reproduction is worthwhile.

On the flip side, the animation is a bit older for more recent series productions and as such the animation isn't as crisp looking as most modern productions. There are some drawbacks to the presentation encoding with some faint traces of aliasing. This is a source limitation and is no fault of the animators. The presentation simply won't look as good as modern anime productions given the context of when it was animated and the developing technology. Nonetheless, the aesthetic is well presented and this is essential to enjoyment.

Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes a selection of lossless audio options: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround sound (with English subtitles). The audio is engaging on the release. The surrounds are actively utilized and this is something that makes this production stand out compared to many anime series limited to a standard 2.0 audio soundtrack. Rather, the surrounds provide a more action- oriented soundstage with good sound effects. The surrounds highlight the gunplay and the grittier elements of the action scenes well. The music is presented well on the release as well.

Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Clean Opening Animation (HD, 1:32)

Clean Closing Animation (HD, 1:33)

Minorikawa's Report (HD, 12:31)

The release also includes a selection of trailers promoting other releases available from distributor Sentai Filmworks: High School of the Dead (HD, 00:34), Kakegurui XX (HD, 1:33), Samurai Girls & Samurai Bride (HD, 00:59), and Alice in Borderland (HD, 1:32).

Canaan: Complete Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Canaan is an entertaining action-thriller. Fans of the genre will certainly wish to check it out. The anime has a compelling head character and the series explores the character alongside a darker and grittier narrative compared to some anime productions. The series reminds me at times of Noir, which is a wonderful and under-rated classic anime. Fans of good action sequencing should check this series out.

The Blu-ray release includes a worthwhile video and audio presentation. The video presentation is a bit underwhelming in some respects but it is worth pointing out that some of these attributes are source related and the production simply won't look as crisp or dynamic as newer productions. During the period in which this series was animated, digital master techniques were not as good as they are today (making cell based vintage anime look superior to many anime series produced in this particular era). Nonetheless, Sentai offers a solid encode and lossless audio in either Japanese or English. Canaan fans should consider picking up the release. Recommended.