Ranked #346

Chrno Crusade

Originally written by Daisuke Moriyama, Chrno Crusade (sometimes translated to Chrono) is an excellent action anime, that is possibly the saddest one I've ever seen.

I created this review, because unlike the one other CC review, I've seen the whole thing, and I appreciate it. Sooo, here's my opinion.

Story
Rosette Christopher, and her little brother, Joshua, two little orphan children, are exploring, when they come across a mysterious cave. Within, a devil named Chrno was living, but the two young children befriend Chrno easily.
One day, Joshua is driven insane by the powers he had already had, and the horns on Chrno, given to him by Aion, and puts all the other children of the orphange into a temporal stasis, where they are frozen for four years. Aion than takes Joshua away, as one of the 7 apostiles.
Rosette, devestated by the loss of her brother, makes a contract with Chrno. She is given a mysterious time-piece, where when she opens it, Chrno feeds off her soul to gain power.
As Rosette and Chrno try to find her brother again, Rosettes life is ticking away from her pack with the devil.

Animation
There is something I love about this animation, I can' even explain it. Unlike a lot of other action anime, this one does not cut corners with the shakey-screen effect. It's beautifully designed, with vibrant colours, and flows so nicely. I can't even explain it, as I said earlier. The best animation is definitly in the opening sequence, though.

Sound
Again, I just love the music. It's hard to explain. The ending and opening fit the series so well, it's perfect. The music within the series is awesome, with it fitting every scene perfectly. I especially love one of the songs, that usually occurs after commerical breaks in the first few episodes. It gives off a very mystery/horror sound, which I feel the series has a bit of, deep down.

Character
I love the characters. All but one.
Chrno was my personal favourite. He is a cute little devil, but can change into his awesome true form. He is such a nice little thing, and I can't possibly see anyone not liking him.
Rosette, while being a typical annoying female, I still loved. She is emotional, yes, but she's not helpless like so many other leads. For the first few episodes, she is doing the majority of the fighting. Of course, towards the end, she gets a bit helpless, but it's not like she didn't try!
I like Azmaria, for some odd reason. Just a cute little girl that admires Rosette. And I swear, that song she sings, I've hear somewhere... J
oshua was so adorable as a child, and just cool as a nut-job.
Aoin was pretty neat, having more layers than the "I want to destory the world" thing.
The only character I wasn't fond of Satella, and it was probably because I watched it in English, and I could barely understand her accent. It hurt.

Enjoyment
I watched this series in 3 days. I couldn't pull away. When I wasn't watching it, I was thinking about it. I was obsessed. I was Chrno Crusade sick. When I finished it, I cried. The ending was sad, and it was over, so I cried. Than I went to work, and I told everyone about this awesome anime I discovered. I proudly told them all I cried. I hummed the theme, until I went home. I am listening to the theme now.
I think that could qualify as I enjoyed greatly.

Overall / My Comments / My Feelings
I love this series, and I've owned it for 4 days, so far. I am a sad, sad girl. The ending was such a depressingly happy ending, that I cried. Sure, they... umm.. [SPOILER] sure both the main characters died, but they looked so happy, and I just get that "they're together forever" feeling that it makes me happy. [/SPOILER]
Anyways, I highly recommend this series. I love it for reasons unknown (maybe just Chrno? He is named after a game I love...) but anyways, I suck terribly at explaining the story, but believe me, it was awesome. Awesome, I say. Go out and buy this series, don't just download it. It needs to be enjoyed from your cozy couch, where you can cry into some blankets. read more

There have been numerous stories that take an unusual view of the war between Heaven and Hell and those who fight that war. Some are focused more on their interpretations of the Divine Mission, some more on action and some more on the supernatural.

The focus of Chrono Crusade is on its characters and the relationships they share. Of course there's action, too, and supernatural elements, and a touch of the Divine Mission... but mostly it's about its memorable characters. Rosette Christopher, a nun in the Magdalene Order, has a contract with a devil named Chrono, meaning his power comes from her very soul. The more he uses, the shorter her life becomes. But Chrono is a good devil (excuse the oxymoron) with a sad past who only entered into this contract because of extreme circumstances, and is actually doing everything he can not to use her soul up. The two have a long history together and are very close, though at times Rosette's somewhat abrasive personality gets the better of him, leading the two to argue. Whatever conflicts they have, however, they truly love one another, and it is this love and how slowly it comes to the forefront that serves as one of Chrono Crusade's great strengths.

The anime series, based on the manga series of the same title, starts off essentially the same as its source material, but partway in begins to deviate into an alternate storyline. Even in episodes where it takes inspiration from the manga by including certain locations or events, the anime does its own take, and leads us towards a very, very different ending; it is so different, in fact, that by the last episode it feels as though we've experienced an entirely different story, and in many ways, we have.

While I would say the manga has the superior story to tell, the anime series tells its own story very well. You would have to have a heart of stone to not come to care about Rosette, Chrono, Azmaria and Satella and the adventures they share. Other areas in which the anime excels are its animation, which is absolutely gorgeous; its music, which is also gorgeous (especially "Sayonara Solitaire," the closing theme); its voice acting (though I'm speaking of the Japanese cast; I have not watched the English dub); and its good balance of humor, action and plot. If the anime has any real weaknesses, they would be the fact that it reveals certain secrets way too soon, and that its final battle is surprisingly underwhelming (to be fair, however, the anime's intent in the final episodes is to focus on Rosette and Chrono's relationship rather than the battle they are fighting). The villains, especially Aion and Fiore, are very well-portrayed and behave exactly the way anyone familiar with the manga would expect them to. Their stories are, of course, also altered, as is Joshua Christopher's; his story ends up petering out towards the conclusion, whereas in the manga he remained important right up to the end. This isn't the jarring change you might expect, but it doesn't exactly carry as much weight, either.

As mentioned before, it's the love between Rosette and Chrono that really makes this series strong, and their most tender moments together are the series' most powerful. Episodes 18 and 24 in particular moved me greatly and brought tears to my eyes. Special praise should go to Tomoko Kawakami, who plays Rosette. She brings the character to life in ways that even the animation couldn't. There is not a single flaw anywhere in her performance. Whether she is expressing happiness, anger, sadness or any other emotion, we believe her completely.

Don't allow the religious imagery or elements keep you from giving this series a try. There is a lot here to recommend, from a good, moving story to beautiful, cinema-quality animation. Of course, I would also recommend reading the manga as well; the story, as I said, is different and the manga's ending is so powerful it is certain to bring a lump to the throat at the very least. I had to wait a long time to watch the anime, but I must say: the wait was worth it. read more