Disclaimer: These rankings are purely a reflection of our own opinions and tastes, which are admittedly rather different from your average anime fan. Just because we don’t like a particular show doesn’t mean you won’t enjoy it. Your mileage may vary, etc etc. However, if you do have a different opinion about a show, by all means post a comment so that people reading have more than one opinion to go by.

Summer often gets a bad rap as the “filler” season in between the generally much more packed spring and fall anime seasons. This season, however, summer boasts an excellent crop of new shows for fans of all different genres. Although I’m ranking these shows numerically according to my favorites, almost all of them are enjoyable in at least some respects.

Almost all.

17. Element Hunters

Send it to hell, Marge, send it to hell.

No seriously. Usually I try to give a series at least 3 or 4 episodes before making a judgment call, but this show had me pulling my hair only minutes into the first episode. I still watched a few episodes so that I can say I’m not making a premature judgment, but man that was torturous.

The plot is something along the lines of:

Earth is in crisis because our precious elements are disappearing! As it turns out, they are being stolen by an evil alternate dimension known as “Nega Earth”! Yes, that’s right. They are coming to earth and stealing our elements. Like, one at a time. An element.

And! And the only way to stop them is to transport teenagers in spandex outfits to Nega Earth to fight and bring back our elements! On account of grown ups can’t go to Nega Earth. No seriously. It’s because of science! Yeah…

So they go to Nega Earth, and there’s lot of emo bullshit and teen angst, and then they fight a monster using strategies that sound like some kind bad science project. And the element is captured in their “Pokedex”. Gotta catch ‘em all.

And everybody lives happily emo after.

16. Fight Ippatsu Juuden-chan

Another typical fanservice fest, and one with an incredibly sketch plot to boot.

Well, maybe I shouldn’t call it “typical”. I understand this series really pushed the envelope in terms of what you can get away with and still be on broadcast television, what with masochism and urination in every episode. Or so I hear anyway. I couldn’t deal with the insipid plot long enough to even find out if that claim is true.

15. Aoi Hana

Yuri. That’s the only term that this show can really be described with, and also its only “redeeming” quality.

If you’re into that you might enjoy it, but beyond that gimmick the plot doesn’t really offer anything interesting or substantive. The characters are incredibly one-dimensional, and not in a good “one-dimensional funny trope character” way. And did I mention that the one dimension is yuri?

Sigh…

14. Kanamemo

This series is so ridiculous and creepy on so many levels, I can’t even begin to describe it. The constant loli yuri fetishism was emphasized to a degree that I found downright disturbing, and the plot alternated between cringe-inducing awful and yawn-inducing boring.

The only bright ray of sunshine were the vocal performances of Kugimiya Rie (Shana, Sanzenin Nagi, Louise), who is practically a requirement these days in any series with a loli tsundere, and Mizuhara Kaoru (Misao from Lucky Star), who really needs to get more roles, because her voice is incredibly awesome.

13. Umineko no Naku Koro ni

Sigh. I really wanted to like this show. I tried very hard.

The show has most annoying cast of characters I’ve seen since Code Geass R2, which is saying a lot. The dialogue comes across as extremely forced, the characters are all wholly uninteresting, and most of the plot and pacing feels as though the scriptwriters just grabbed random text from the game and stitched it together slapdash.

12. Umi Monogatari

I actually like this show quite a bit, surprisingly. It’s fairly typical magical girl fare with a side of fanservice, but it’s delivered with solid animation, an excellent soundtrack, and a rather tongue-in-cheek approach that makes it a bit more memorable than most similar shows.

11. Sora no Manimani

A predictably slow tale of highschool life and budding romance, Sora no Manimani won’t knock anybody’s socks off. It does, however, manage to provide a good amount of random humor, some cool astronomy lessons, and the occasional heartwarming moment.

10. NEEDLESS

This show is trying to be Gurren Lagann so hard it hurts. Not only does their logo look nearly identical, the main characters bear a very suspicious resemblance to Kamina and Simon, albeit in appearance only.

The sad part, as much as I hate NEEDLESS for having a name in all caps and being essentially one huge rip-off, it’s actually a halfway decent series. The production values are above average and the show features a colorful cast of super-powered blowhard badasses beating the crap out of each other. There was supposedly some kind of larger plot involved, but I wasn’t particularly interested in it, and judging from the way the show progresses I kind of get the feeling that the production team wasn’t either.

9. Zan Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei

Season one of Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei was legendary. Season two was lesser, but still hilarious. Season three seems to be lowering the bar even further. While still vintage Shinbou comedy, this season is really missing a lot of the magic that made this show great in the past.

SHAFT seem to have their best animation squad committed to Bakemonogatari right now, so the visual caliber of the series has taken a noticeable dive. Beyond that, however, the humor just doesn’t seem quite as fresh as it as was in previous seasons. For better or for worse, the format is exactly the same as it always has been, but the jokes are less original and the scenarios less creative.

That’s not to say it’s bad; by no means. I still watch SZS and laugh at it. Compared to some of the other awesome shows in this season’s line-up, however, I have a hard time justifying giving it a higher spot.

8. GA – Geijutsuka Art Design Class

GA is this season’s obligatory “slice-of-life, day to day adventures of a group of high school girls” anime. I’m pretty sure that Japan is legally required to make sure that at least one show like this is airing at all times.

As a typically slow-paced slice of life show, it features the usual cast of unusual moe characters doing silly things in silly ways. Given the subject matter of the series, the natural inclination is to compare it to Hidamari Sketch, and in that respect I’d say it measures up extremely well. Not only are the production values much better than Hidamari, GA has more consistent humor. It also puts much more of an emphasis on (gasp) the actual art and related artistic endeavors of the cast, so it’s both entertaining and educational.

I’ve enjoyed Geijutsuka Art Design Class so much, in fact, that I went out to the local Kinokuniya and bought up the tankouban collections of the original 4-koma series the anime is based on.

7. Taishou Yakyuu Musume

This is the real sleeper hit of this season.

Set in 1925, during the transitional Taishou period in Japanese history, this show follows the misadventures of a group of school girls as they try to form their own baseball team and compete on even terms with the boys. The story starts off extremely slowly, but quickly develops into an endearing tale of failure, success, perseverance, and personal growth that really epitomizes the Japanese spirit of teamwork.

I’m a huge fan of jidaigeki, or Japanese period dramas, and Taishou Yakyuu Musume has quickly become one of my favorites in this sort of genre because of its slice-of-life approach to storytelling, as well as its interesting progressive perspective on the changing role of women in society during this pivotal period in Japanese history.

For more info, check out 2DT’s great write-up about the series.

6. Princess Lover

I was actually expecting Princess Lover to be terrible, mainly because of the name, as well as the number of overgenerously proportioned females featured in the promo art. I’ve ended up been pleasantly surprised by this series, fortunately.

Make no mistake, this show is completely ridiculous, but that just serves to make it incredibly hilarious. The story of a young man who is taken in by his incredibly rich grandfather when his parents pass away, Princess Lover covers everything from school hijinks at Yuppie Academy to random international intrigue. It doesn’t shy away from the fanservice, but it also manages to do it in a sort of tongue-in-cheek manner that doesn’t turn me off from the series.

I also have to give them mad props for including an awesome Kaiji parody, as well as the many other lulzy moments of the hot springs episode. The director is just having way too much fun making this series.

Also the grandfather is voiced by Wakamoto Norio (Emperor Britannia, Vicious, Narrator from Hayate no Gotoku), so how can you not enjoy this show, really?

5. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya S2

I don’t know which is more surprising to me – that I’m actually ranking a Haruhi season as low as number 5, or that I’m still loyal enough to have it this high on the list considering everything that has happened this season.

Just for reference, by the way, the reason I’m including it in the rankings this season is because last season was almost entirely recap material, and thus I skipped it in my Spring Rankings post.

In any case, I still enjoy the Haruhi franchise, and while the hype has died down considerably and the newer episodes aren’t anything special, the series still manages to deliver consistent, predictable fun. As long as Haruhi dominates all life, Mikuru cowers, and Kyon facepalms and provides his characteristic dry narration, I’ll continue to be well entertained by this show for a long time to come.

For more Haruhiism, nobody does Haruhi posts better than Jason Miao.

4. Bakemonogatari

If you’re a regular reader you know that we’ve already said quite a bit about Bakemonogatari, some of it negative and some positive. Just like Sayounara Zetsubou Sensei, this series is classic SHAFT x SHINBO, with all of the quirks and visual oddity that that combination fosters. As a result, it probably will not appeal to everyone.

That said, if you can get past the odd visuals, even weirder music, and even more bizarre characters, this show is a real gem. The visual style, however, while creative, just serves to set the stage. Dialogue is really the soul of this show.

The incredibly clever banter between Araragi and the various supporting characters is witty and sarcastic, at times innuendo laden, and always off the wall. It really makes it fun to watch, and paired with all the kooky audiovisual trappings serves as a textbook case of surreal, wacky humor.

Add in the unique wit and charm of Bakemonogatari’s leading lady, Senjougahara Hitagi, and it’s no wonder that this “Senjougahara Fascination” craze has started to dominate the otaku mindshare.

To supplement your Bakemonogatari crazy, I recommend checking out Kurogane’s posts on the subject, as well as our summary.

3. CANAAN

After a ton of initial hype surrounding this Type-Moon produced series, it seems like many people felt somewhat let down by CANAAN. I think most of the disappointment stems largely from the fact that the anime tries to cultivate a very “serious business” vibe in the beginning, but then quickly shows its true colors as a somewhat goofy, if beautifully animated, action series.

That said, I think CANAAN is brilliant at what it does. If you’re looking for a show with a moody, gritty realism to it, CANAAN is probably not your show. If you just want to see awesome gunfights and have no interest in character exposition, CANAAN is probably not your show. If all you’re interested in is yuri-goggle fodder… well ok, CANAAN might still be your show.

Ultimately, however, CANAAN’s appeal doesn’t rest on it’s action scenes or any potential yuri-bait that may or may not exist. It’s about the characters and the way they somehow come together to create a hilarious, quirky, and entertaining story that is greater than the sum of its parts.

For more on this series, Kabitzin has the best episode summaries. We’ve got several CANAAN related posts here at Epic Win, as well.

2. Tokyo Magnitude 8.0

I simply have no words to adequately describe this series. It’s gone beyond all my expectations, pulled relentlessly at my heartstrings, and spun a fascinating tale about courage, cowardice, hope, and despair.

Most disaster films really try to play up the spectacle of a disaster for entertainment value. Many of them try to play up some kind of romance subplot. And unsurprisingly, they’re mostly pretty terrible.

Tokyo Magnitude 8.0 strays away from the traditional disaster flick style of presentation for something much more down to earth (so to speak). Focused on the story of two children caught in the quake far from home, and the woman who helps guide them back, this series is about a surprisingly simple and personal story that portrays the very human reactions that we all exhibit when the world we know breaks apart. It’s a story about hope through the most despairing of circumstances, and persevering through difficulty with the promise of a brighter future.

I really just can’t properly convey how awesome this show is. So instead let me refer you to someone much more qualified to do that, who has written extensively about this series and its many ups and downs.

1. Spice & Wolf II

Spice & Wolf is a rare kind of story. It’s one in which there are no grand large scale plots, no clear beginnings or endings. It can’t even properly be called a romance story. And yet, it is exactly that lack of many normal or stereotypical elements that makes Spice & Wolf a very unique and enjoyable tale.

I’ve been a fan of the novels and the manga that inspired this anime for a long time. The first season of the anime, although lacking in a few areas, was brilliant and captured most of what I liked about the series. This second is now following in its footsteps, except now under the direction of a new studio and with a larger budget it’s become better in every aspect.

Horo and Lawrence’s hilarious yet heartwarming hot-and-cold relationship is endlessly entertaining, and the rich dialogue the show features reveals an incredible depth and uniqueness in its multi-faceted protagonists that is rarely matched.

For more on Spice & Wolf, check out DarkMirage’s review, or Martin’s excellent write-up.

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I’m sure this is exactly how terrorists behave in real life.

Somehow I feel like this should be “the rejected Nintendo Wii commercial”. Fun for the whole family… if your family happens to consist of crazy siscon maniacs and masochist henchmen. Maybe cut to Liang Qi playing Mario Party 8, you know. At least that would explain why she seems so furious.

But man, if nothing else CANAAN is certainly generating lots of fodder for the internet meme-factories to work with. Between this and “LOVE AND PEACE”, CANAAN is a definite leader when it comes to legendary Engrish.

The random bathroom fight sequence between Canaan and Alphard was entertaining on so many levels.

Kabitzin opines that:

While Canaan may be a great shot, she needs some serious work on her close quarters combat.  I have not been put in this exact same hold, but I am 85% sure that grabbing the attacker’s ass is not the proper defense.

So there’s a 15% chance that it is the correct defense?!

Although, to be fair, if your opponent is strong enough to pin you against the wall by your throat, legs completely off the floor, using only her forearm, there probably aren’t too many good counter techniques.

And now that I think about it, although it looks awkward, technically Canaan does have an underhook from the clinch there. Maybe she was looking to drop her weight and execute a judo throw?

My favorite part of the fight scene was actually this shot right here, where we only see their stance and leg movements and have to infer the other details of the fight. This is a common technique used in Hong Kong martial arts films, so it was nice to see it used here as well.

I really enjoy this style of cinematography because it emphasizes the fact that footwork is the foundation of any stand-up fighting discipline. You can actually get a pretty good feel for what’s happening even though you only see the combatants from the knees down.

Or maybe they just like animating lots of leg fanservice. Legservice?

Ponyo by the sea he’s not

You know there’s something seriously wrong when a Japanese person looks at a fish and has that kind of reaction. Considering that Japanese people are freaking hardcore and regularly eat things that would cause most Americans to flip out, it takes something pretty bizarre to give them pause.

Of course, with that hair and eye color Maria is so not authentic Japanese anyway, so perhaps it’s a moot point.

The scene where Yun Yun leaves her boat was surprisingly poignant, I thought. She is literally leaving her old life behind, having packed all of her earthly possessions in that backpack of hers and left her home boarded up.

We haven’t really seen the significance of Yun Yun giving Maria a key to the boat yet in the story. I really do hope that plot point comes back later in the story, though, if only because that boat is incredibly awesome.

I was a bit surprised at first that Canaan would actually help Yun Yun out by showing how to shoot a gun. It makes sense, though, because of her synesthesia. She knew from the beginning that Yun Yun did not have the “intent to kill”, and thus there was no danger.

“198! 199! 200! 200 sticks of dynamite, ah ah ah!”

I love taking screenshots totally out of context.

The look on Maria’s face was priceless, too. No reaction from Canaan, though. Just part of the normal routine for her, eh? Or maybe she wasn’t concerned because she saw that Mino didn’t have the color for “rape and pillage”. Whatever color that might be.

“I see what you did there.”

Here’s one more.

“All hail Brittania!!”

LOVE AND PEACE!

I really think this is supposed to be a social commentary on how the rest of the world views American foreign policy. Lots of energetic and (mostly well meaning) bravado about how we all need to understand each other for the sake of LOVE AND PEACE, but in the end no real solutions, just lots of empty platitudes.

Gotta infect ‘em all!

OK, now this was the one big letdown for me in what has been an otherwise fun and creative series. I understand that they aren’t going for realism, but so far they’ve mostly stayed in the realm of “unrealistically awesome”.

This chibi anime terrorist avatar was so terribly out of place with what had been a fairly serious hostage crisis scene up until that point. At first I laughed awkwardly. It got old real quickly, though. Eventually I threw slices of cheese at the monitor.

I’ll stick with “get some”, thanks. Oh well.

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I mean seriously. Look at her blatantly wallhacking, shooting people right through the walls.

And her movements? Pretty obvious speedhacks going there. Possibly even a bunny hopping script.

And I don’t care what game you’re playing, anyone who spins in circles while shooting everybody within 100 yards is an aimbotter. That’s just common knowledge.

As I mentioned in my more detailed Canaan post, the concept of synesthesia as a superpower is really a legitimately interesting concept. Of course, here they’ve just made it an excuse for Canaan to do everything from rapid target acquisition to deflecting bullets to computer hacking, Tachikoma-style.

Not to say that isn’t totally awesome. I’ve never been one to let minor details like, you know, physics get in the way of a good fight scene. At the very least this series establishes early on that its objective is basically just to deliver truckloads of awesome, not gritty realism.

Why do Chinese people even bother having roads when they’re always just running on the rooftops?

And deliver it most certainly does! The whole festival setting was perfect for a badass, John Woo style rooftop running gun battle. The use of fireworks to mask gunshots or to highlight key moments in the battle was brilliant, and the overall cinematography was really adventurous  and engaging. I love it.

Sugoi! Sugoi! Sugoi sugoi!

Gotta love Maria too, the kind of person who would probably be extremely obnoxious in real life, but who fits right in in a fast paced action flick like this. Did I just call it a flick? It really does feel more like a film than an anime series, now that I think about it, both in pacing and plot development.

Om nom nom.

OK, now I know I said that CANAAN doesn’t sweat some of the details when it comes to realism, but this right here?

Totally 100% realistic. I have absolutely seen Japanese schoolgirls do exactly this. No, I have no idea how they do it either. Just… spoon into the parfait and “nom”, the entire top of it is gone.

I can’t even finish an entire one of those, but I regularly see Japanese girls literally half my size devour those things in a matter of seconds.

This guy needs to stop using default metering. And buy a bigger CF card.

Now on the other hand, if we’re talking about lack of realism… how the hell did Mino expect to get decent action shots at that distance while shooting handheld at 1/60th of a second shutter speed?

Also, based on the style of the viewfinder, the camera Mino is using here is part of the Canon 1D / 1Ds line-up, so at least that part is pretty accurate.

“He grabbed my buns!”

Can’t help but like a girl who just wants to give the audience a little fanservice. And she’s rockin’ handlebar braids and little moe fang? Brilliant.

Her quirky Japanese is really fun, too. She consistently uses “~su” instead of desu as a sentence ender, much like Momo from Saki (the disappearing girl). Coupled with lots of slangy informal Japanese it produces a speaking style more typically associated with the male highschool delinquent type, but it works really well for her character.

“Driving cars off of cliffs, taxis with wings, these are a few of my favorite things.”

Most awesome taxi driver or most awesome taxi driver ever?

Not only does his driving give Takumi Fujiwara a run for his money, he does it while singing along with ridiculous J-pop idols. And then he drives off the edge of an unfinished overpass. If that’s not just sheer, unadulterated win, I don’t know what is.

“In addition to giving me magical ninja powers, this purple mark unlocks the infinite ammo cheat for my Uzi.”

Two heart brother and green shirt kid were a great combo. I was actually rather sad to see them both get taken out so early in the story.

Canaan always picks the most ridiculous, unstable shooting platforms. Maybe she has a perk that gives increased accuracy when hanging from poles and ladders?

Although come to think of it, it’s rather ironic that Canaan was able to 1-shot all those hidden bad guys at the festival while spinning around a pole, but she empties her clip at this guy who is in plain sight and can’t hit him.

Maybe she was afraid of getting banned and turned off her hacks?

Tetsuoooooo!

I also really like the OP for CANAAN as well. The song is incredibly catchy, and the lyrics are quite fitting for the show as well. Coupled with the great animation sequence it’s easily one of the most engaging and memorable OPs this season.

And really that’s a good description for CANAAN as a whole. While I do feel that people are overlooking some of the deeper story elements, at the end of the day CANAAN is just a good old-fashioned adventure in theatrics.

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I’m mildly surprised that CANAAN seems to have received a fairly mixed reception so far. It’s one of my favorite shows this season, not only for its gorgeous art and memorable characters, but also because of the strong emphasis on symbolism and metaphor used to portray the deeper elements of the story.

That said, CANAAN is not without its flaws, but I view as a similar kind of story to Darker than Black. It’s not necessarily about the world and the larger plot. It’s not about realism. It’s about creating an environment to develop interesting characters and to explore their personalities, motivations, and relationships.

I’ve often said that I hate being mollycoddled by a story. There are entirely too many writers that feel it necessary to beat you over the head with the script rather than allow you to engage with it at your own pace. I much prefer a story that leaves itself somewhat mysterious, that requires the viewer or reader to dig a little below the surface.

CANAAN certainly provides that in spades. While a lot of it may not have any particularly deep meaning, it’s pretty clear that the story is using several key metaphors to portray the relationships between the characters and to foreshadow elements of the overarching plot.

The name of show, as well its titular character, Canaan,  is of course the first and most obvious piece of symbolism woven into the fabric of the storyline. In the Bible, Canaan is referred to as the “promised land” that the chosen people were led to. In an interesting twist, however, the promised land was not something they were simply given. It was something they had to earn by conquering. Although it’s been hinted at somewhat, ultimately we’ll have to wait and see how the writers develop the theme of the promised land deeper into the story.

It’s also interesting to note that, although the etymology of the word “Canaan” is unclear, according to some scholars it was derived from an ancient word meaning “purple”. Although a bit obscure, it’s possible there’s some intentional symbolism there which might tie back into the synesthesia theme.

Alphard’s name, on the other hand, is much easier to understand. From the corresponding Wikipedia article:

“Alphard is the brightest star in the constellation Hydra, marking the heart of the snake.

Alphard is an orange giant star. The name Alphard is from the Arabic الفرد (al-fard), ‘the solitary one’, there being no other bright stars near it.”

Having thrown away her previous name, she’s taken on a new moniker representative of her role – “the heart of the snake”. It’s also interesting that the name of the star comes from Arabic and is a “solitary” star, both of which are fitting to her background. Again, the symbolism might not have any deep significance in the story, but it is fun to note these connections.

The conversation between Maria and Mino on the airplane is what really sets the stage for a lot of the more significant philosophical ideas that come up throughout the series. Maria describes her passion for photography by saying:

“I believe that there are many things in this world that no one has seen yet.

“Actually, if you truly want to see something, really there isn’t anything you can’t see. We’re simply closing our eyes on purpose. If we really opened our eyes and looked, it would be too painful, to sorrowful. That’s why we keep our eyes closed.

“I believe photography is like borrowing someone else’s eyes. Even if your own eyes are closed, you can still borrow another’s.”

This concept of choosing to either see the ugly truth for what it is, or to pretend it isn’t there is a persistent theme throughout Canaan.

Beyond that, however, it’s a significant issue in many Eastern cultures as well, and one that probably resonates much more powerfully with a Japanese audience than a Western one. 2DT points out that, while the plot and setting of the show aim to have a strong international feel, they are still strongly rooted in Japanese culture and history.

In many Asian countries, and in Japan in particular, the concept of a shame based culture combines with a strong desire for outward harmony. This conditions people to overlook things that may be unpleasant, or to outwardly ignore them in order to preserve harmony and prevent shame. Those familiar with Japanese culture may be familiar with this through the dual concepts of honne and tatemae, or inner feelings vs. the outward “face”.

Many times in Japan I’ve seen someone trip and fall, and everyone around them doesn’t so much as glance their way. If you attempt to help them or ask if they are ok, in fact, they are likely to become even more embarrassed and might even refuse to acknowledge your help.

The reason is because by refusing to acknowledge what happened, they can avoid the shame and loss of face that accompanies a negative event. If no one acknowledges it, then it never happened, and thus there is no need to feel ashamed.

This kind of cultural concept, sometimes referred to as “nakatta koto ni suru” or “making it as though it never was”, is often seen even on very large scales, such as in the Japanese business world where it helps to preserve harmony between different groups or organizations when mistakes are made or conflicts arise.

That said, although these concepts are largely considered positive and necessary, it is recognized that they present certain other societal problems. The story of CANAAN, in many ways, is a story about that dichotomy of whether it is better to look at the truth and acknowledge it for what it is, or to pretend it doesn’t exist because recognizing its existence is too painful.

As Mino watches the gun battle in the first episode and the reaction of the crowd as he asks:

“Do they think that it’s part of the festival? No… the truth is placed right before their eyes, but they purposefully choose to ignore it.”

The camera then pans down to focus on Mino’s camera. He lifts the camera, his third eye, to see and capture the truth. He refuses to turn away or to hide from reality.

The idea of the camera as a sort of “third eye” that allows you to see a different perspective is a great analogy because it really is true. As an avid photographer myself, I’ve often thought of the camera in exactly this manner.

In the direct sense, a camera lens and sensor (or film) functions quite differently than the human eye. A camera literally can capture a view of reality that is impossible for the human eye to see. With careful thought as to lens, shutter speed, aperture, ISO, framing of the shot, color, light, subject, and a host of other variables – the camera has myriad ways to capture in time a unique moment and perspective on the world. In the indirect sense, through mass reproduction the view seen by the camera can be transmitted around the globe and can confront people across the world with images of a reality they may not want to see.

Maria’s passion for photography is really the same as the passion all artists share. It’s the desire to capture a unique perspective of the world we live in, and to tell a story or present an idea through that medium.

OK, camera geek rant over.

In any case, it’s pretty clear that Maria has some kind of hidden past that ties into all of the larger plot. The fact that Alphard knows her and calls her a “deceiver” makes that apparent, as does the imagery from episode 2 depicting her “getting freaky with a huge snake”, as Kabitzin so delicately put it.

Whether her almost child-like naïveté is a result of the memory loss she appears to be suffering from, or whether she is willfully hiding from the truth of her past remains to be seen.

The other significant allegories that the series presents are the cat’s cradle string, or shiritori, and the stuffed cat given to Maria by Canaan. The cat’s cradle represents their relationship in the past, a pure, carefree friendship as “normal girls”. The white stuffed cat I believe represents their current relationship, and all of the complications it endures. Both symbols are used liberally throughout the progression of the story to help clarify the relationship between the two.

We first see the white cat during the opening scenes of the first episode, when Yun Yun pulls it out only to discover that it has what looks like a bullet hole in it. Presumably it was shot through by Canaan, since she comes by later and claims that she “won” it.

Although damaged, the white cat has a certain purity, as it is without color to both Canaan and Maria. Maria is able to use the cat’s cradle string to mend the hole in the heart of the white cat, a hint that it was probably her relationship with Canaan that helped to serve as a healing influence to mend the wounds of the past, and to prevent the both from succumbing to hatred or fear.

Later, as Maria gets more and more caught up in Canaan’s world and the dangers it entails, her hotel room is attacked as a warning and the cat becomes covered in red, as though bloodstained.

In episode 3 this foreshadowing is realized when Maria is held hostage by the Borner. When Canaan shoots him right before her eyes, she is forced to face the reality of who Canaan is, as well as who she is. Previously Maria had tried to close her eyes to that truth, but ultimately the reality placed before her was so obvious that she could no longer hide from it.

Although she struggles with it, in the end she is able to see and accept reality for what it is, and at the end of episode 5 we see her holding the red cat in her arms as she falls asleep with a smile on her face.

Another interesting bit of symbolism is the difference between the shiritori Maria uses and the one we see Canaan use in episode 3. Maria’s cat’s cradle is yarn, gentle but easily broken. To even maintain its shape requires someone to hold it up, to constantly support its form. As soon as it is let go, it returns to being merely a string.

Canaan’s, on the other hand, is made of metal. It is much stronger, a tower capable of standing on it own – but not without leaving some scars in the process.

It also shows up that Canaan is freaking badass. And that she will probably need a good dentist down the road, assuming she lives long enough.

Also, although I don’t know that there’s necessarily any great symbolism related to Yun Yun and her hairstyle, I should note that they do look like they’d make for great handlebars.

Synesthesia itself is a pretty fascinating topic, and as a sort of superpower it becomes even more interesting. As a mild synesthete myself, not only does it give me hopes for latent supernatural skills, it also makes me want to post about it. I didn’t really cover synesthesia at all in this article primarily for that reason. I’m hoping to do a separate post in the near future exploring some of those concepts more in depth.

Sorry, I know this is a pretty long and rambling post. I wish I could consolidate my thoughts on this series better, but when the show itself is still all over the place it’s hard to really draw all the different threads together. Hopefully it will at least serve as some good food for thought, and give a better appreciation for some of the more subtle aspects of CANAAN.

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