So this article got extremely long.  I’ve split it up into 3 parts so it’s easier to read.  You’ll be able to tell when I’m wrapping up by the title of each one.  I included the intro paragraph in each of these articles too in case you decide to read one, but not the others.

What do I have to say about Canaan?…well for the least, I have some mixed feelings about this anime.  The action scenes were par and the story, while it was good, wasn’t anything spectacular.  Seeing how I didn’t really many action anime this season, it was a bit sub-par for the course I’d say.  As you may have guessed, the main character of the anime is Canaan.  Canaan is a mercenary who is currently operating out of Shanghai.  She was raised from the Middle East during a war and was trained during that time.  At first glimpse, the story seems to be about a terrorist group that go by the name of the Snakes who are purposefully experimenting with the Ua Virus in hopes of creating super-soldiers that are like Canaan.  Canaan has the special ability to synthesize all 5 of her senses and use them incredibly effectively.  As the series goes on though, we learn that there are connections between Canaan and Alphard who is the leader of the Snakes.

Oosawa Maria’s role in this anime is to help stimulate Canaan’s growth as a human being.  I would say that from their relationship with each other, both of them begin maturing.  If you ignore the fact that Maria is always getting kidnapped and Canaan is absurdly killing everything that stands in her way to get to Maria for a second, and just observe their mentalities, they begin to have realizations that their relationship isn’t practical and can’t work.  In my opinion, the whole anime focusing on their relationship is kind of silly while all of the other plot is going on as well, but it seems to tie in ok.

What bothers me the most though, is the end of the series.  I’m not going to put any spoilers here, but I have to say that it’s a little cheesy and kind of ridiculous.  Whatever though – it is what it is.  I give this anime a mediocre rating mainly because I wasn’t whole hearted about watching it all in the first place, but it did keep interest.  Anymore than 13 episodes might’ve pushed me off though.

Well, we have anime about card players, people making bread, and playing go, so why not one about Mahjong?  Also, let’s add elements that make it seem that every girl in the anime seems like they have feelings for other girls while making it seem like this anime is still completely innocent.  Well with all of that aside (Wait…can we really just ignore that?!), let’s start talking about the anime.  Miyanaga Saki (the girl on the right in the screenshot) is the main character of this anime.  She has just entered high school and somehow finds her way up to the mahjong club.  The only problem is that she hates mahjong.  As the other girls in the club realize very quickly though, Saki has the uncanny ability to score 0 points every time she plays.  Through like 2 episodes of drama, Saki learns to love mahjong (and Nodoka), is super skillful at it, and can even win in a very absurd way almost every time.

There are a few filler episodes and whatnot, but from episodes 6 to 19, all the content is basically filled with the girls from Kiyosumi (the name of their high school) trying to win a spot in nationals.  I have to admit though, even within these, there are a lot of episodes about the relationships of some of the teams they are playing against and a few episodes where not much happens, but overall the anime tries to make mahjong an intense experience.  I’m not sure how many of you have actually played mahjong, but let me tell you, it’s absolutely nothing like they portray.  I’m very disappointed that there are no sparks coming from my eyes or people fighting in the background while I play mahjong.  In fact, I think my lack of knowledge of mahjong actually makes this anime more fun to watch.

By now, you must be wondering why I even kept watching this anime at all since you may have seen an episode or two and been like “well, this sucks.  What next?”  I think I kept watching it because I enjoyed the mahjong playing.  Some of the characters were even pretty supernatural on how they played the game.  No one in real life would ever be able to play the way these girls played, but it was actually kind of fun.  Not the typical thing I’d ever watch, but hey, we need these kinds of anime sometimes right?  Maybe not, but oh well.  Maybe I was just unconsciously in it for the underlying rated R themes that only perverts would pick up on, but I’d like to think not.

The figure will be released at 8,800 Japanese Yen during January of 2010.  It’s 1/8 in scale – pretty typical for a plastic figure.  I have just recently gotten into collecting a few figures (nothing major, I only have 2 currently).  It’s expensive to get into, so I haven’t really bought many yet.  They’re nice to have and collect though – the craftsmanship is pretty detailed.  Also, if a figure is really popular, you won’t have any luck finding it after it’s been released.  It seems preordering is the way to go.

If I had the money though, I think I’d probably be more moderate about this hobby.  Some people have tons though cause they’ve been collecting over a number of years.  To each their own though, right?  I’ve already got way too many expensive hobbies.  I really want this one, but no money =(.

[Content via DannyChoo]  [Pictures via GSC]

So another series that I have been watching this summer season goes by the name of “Canaan.”  The plot of Canaan isn’t the most original, but it’s a pretty good “girls with guns” take.  There’s action and some kind of plot (which I haven’t quite figure out yet, but I’m working on it).  The first episode of Canaan just kind of throws you into the action without any backdrop of the story at first, so you might be turned off from the lack of understanding.  But after giving it a few more episodes (or maybe 3-4), you start to gain some insight onto what’s going on.

So, the main heroine, who also happens to share the same name of this anime, is Canaan.  She is the closer girl you see in the previous screen.  Canaan is a teenage girl with superior assassination skills and a special ability that allows her to see different colors that represent emotions.  From what I’ve seen so far though, Canaan seems to work for some sort of government agency that assigns her missions and the whatnot.

The organization that Canaan works for, seems to be in direct conflict with a terrorist organization called the “Snakes.”  The apparent leader of this terrorist group goes by the name of “Alphard” (you can see her above).  Anyway, without going too deep into things to spoil it, the basic sum up is that this terrorist group is infecting people with the “Ua Virus” which is a deadly disease with a mortality rate of 100%.  Obviously there is a lot more connection between each of the characters and the virus, but you can watch the series to find out what.

I can see that the ice cream is..uh…amazingly large *cough*.  Anyway – the second main heroine of this series is Maria Oosawa.  She actually lost her memories, but has a strong connection with the Ua Virus as she actually survived from it without any effects.  Somehow she befriended Canaan before the anime even takes place, so there will probably be more on it later (I don’t even know how yet).  Canaan is always saving Maria from various predicaments.  Maria and Canaan seem to be more than just friends <3.

I could go on and on about the characters and plot right now, but since I want to keep this to a minimal, I’ll get on with the more technical aspects of the anime (There are a bunch of more characters, some more important than others, but yeah).  The animation is pretty decent, but what is to be expected from a series from 2009; you get your fair share of fanservice (cat girls!..but not really), and the sound is alright.  The OP and ED are nothing worth noting, so I’ll probably end up skipping out on getting the singles.  The plot as a whole has finally got me interested – it took a while, but I feel I’ve reached the point of finishing it (already halfway through anyway, so why not).  I feel that some people may feel that the story may be a little convoluted, with which I can agree with, but I am hoping for some sort of episode that will just explain things more and give me a better perspective.  Maybe I’m just dumb and can’t read between the lines, but the connections between Maria, Canaan, Alphard, the Ua Virus, Maria’s father (Kenji Oosawa), the Snakes, Canaan’s and Alphard’s trainer, some sort of war, and a bunch of other things all have their ties, but fail to bring me up to the present that is the anime.  I can sort of see where they’re going, but not entirely yet – need more flashbacks!

When did the US ever have a recent blonde haired president – there must have been at least one, right?  As Canaan goes on, more and more of the story gets revealed, especially about some of characters’ pasts; but it has been pretty slow going for the most part.  Also, it kind of seems like some of the characters are spread pretty thin – at least the supporting ones.  The action, when it happens, isn’t bad – but seems short-lived at times (don’t get me wrong though, it’s decent; the taxi-driver is awesome).  If you’re just looking for an anime where it’s action all the time, this may not be for you, but if you like a lot of plot without any sort of indication that they’ll answer  your questions, go for it!  I know this doesn’t really help to make you want to watch this series, but seriously – it’s not too bad for something to watch.  Give it a try at least, and if you don’t like it then stop watching.

Who knows though – this could turn out to be something very original and awesome.