Reviews for Chrono Crusade

Reviewer’s Brief Notables: I know that most people often don’t trust or are a little skeptical about a Perfect 10 review, but that is, without any exaggeration, how I feel about Chrno Crusade. ______________________________________________________________ Story: I first watched Chrno Crusade without any expectations for it whatsoever. After completing the first episode (weeks before I completed the series), I wasn’t really fascinated with it at all. For the time, I just thought this anime was pretty generic and somewhat dull. I was wrong. After a few weeks, I was led to completing the series. To make the most general and the most appropriate statement: It was captivating! The story behindChrno Crusade is very intricate with numerous characters, subplots and details. The story is brilliantly put together with no holes in the story and also a very complete ending (sniffles). Chrno Crusade is full of action, comedy and romance; the key ingredients of a great production. The general plot is nothing unordinary and is usually played out as other anime have, but there is just something about this anime that I thought really set this one apart from the others. Unfortunately, I am unsure of the reason myself; or am not able to explain it in words. As you watch Chrno Crusade, I am sure you will understand what I mean. –and I apologize for the slightly unclear story briefing.

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Art:

As for the art in Chrno Crusade, it would have to say that it is brilliant! The art gave me a very strong sense of familiarity. The animation is very similar to many series’ such as Full Metal Panic and Kaze no Stigma because they’re from the same animators. The kind of animation that Gonzo offers is my all time favorite. Everything is greatly detailed accurate lighting and shading. Skin tones look very natural and give the characters physical depth (they don’t look so 2-demensional), and best of all, the character’s eyes aren’t the size of my monitor. In the series, there are barely any CG and most of the time, it’s very unnoticeable.

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Sound:

Most of the time, I prefer subtitles over dubbing because usually the English voice actors talk like they’ve been deprived from their souls; emotionless and doubtable. In the case of Chrno Crusade, I very much enjoyed the English dubbing. One, because the voice actor for Rosette talked very fast and her pitch was very high (much like Excel from Excel Saga). Second, because my favorite English seiyuu, Hilary Haag (Teletha “Tessa” Testarossa from Full Metal Panic) was acting for Rosette. And lastly, because the series is set in America it would make more sense for it to be in English. The dubbing included uses of slang back in the late 1920’s which was when the series takes place. As for the opening song, it was very enjoyable and blended well with the opening animation that also suited the anime flawlessly. And the ending song…well, quickly became one of my favorites (it is actually playing on repeat as I write this review). Entitled “Sayonara Solitaire”, the song expresses feelings of sadness, loneliness and hope. The animation for the ending was beautiful too. The ambience of the ripples gave an awkward feeling of loneliness and at the end of the credits; the animation showed the watch that Rosette bore as a drop of water ran down from it while the ending song was closing with a small string orchestra. Having thought of that drop was a tear and by the knowledge of what that watch really represented in addition to the sad music made it easy for the viewer to cry. That short section at the end also gave a hint of foreshadowing that was just even sadder to accept. SAD but not depressing; which is all I can say.

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Character:

What I thought while watching Chrno Crusade was that the real essence of this series were the characters. Character development is a strongpoint in this anime and the process of it takes on most of the series itself. Each character is unique in their own way; even for the supporting characters. They all have their own personality and individuality. That effort from the producers made a real difference for me. The cast in Chrno Crusade are all affable; even the villain. Rosette (awkwardly) reminds me of Naruto. They are optimistic, earnest, hard-working, and both have the drive and potential to reach their ambitions. Rosette was just so lively and full of energy which made watching the series more or less pleasant. Chrono is depicted to be a very modest, kind and selfless character though he is a devil. Rosette and Chrono’s relationship are like of best friends if not more. They are both very close to each other, not hesitating a second to protect one another. Their partnering gives off such a deep feeling of fulfillment in your heart. They are both lovable and enjoyable to watch which makes the ending of the series even more melancholic.

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Enjoyment:

Chrno Crusade has quickly and easily made it into my top anime list. At first, as I’ve stated, I wasn’t really fascinated with it. Until a few weeks later, I found myself completing the whole series in less than a day. Every episode was captivating as I watched one right after another. There were a few episodes where it felt as if it were a filler, but I thought it was good to have a few fillers here and there to take a break from the story. Character development was not something I expected from Chrno Crusade, but it turned out to be my favorite point of the series. The rating I gave for Chrno Crusade went from an Eight out of Ten to a Ten out of Ten during the last two episodes. These two episodes are notorious for making viewers cry. Honestly, I cried for about 10 minutes straight; coming from a guy who hasn’t cried like that in over 5 years. The last episode had such an astounding impact and because of that, Chrno Crusade had earned the right to be on my favorites. This series has been very memorable and also very rewatchable. It is PERFECT.

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Overall:

I recommend anyone to watch Chrno Crusade. From the average otaku to an early anime watcher, you can’t go wrong with this series. If you plan to watch it, at least watch the first 3 episodes. Do not do the same mistake I have and nearly dropped it on the first episode; which I deeply regret doing. Give it a try.

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..

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.

This is a short review. This is basically a very driven girl trying to save her brother from being manipulated by the forces of hell. She is a sister in a branch of a military-church sort of deal, and her best friend is a devil. The plot is very interesting, including the questions towards God's involvement, death, and devils, and you can tell that every episode is somehow relating to the overall picture. My only qualm with this amazing anime would be the accent for the "Jewel Witch" (Satella). Being a German and speaking fluent German, and knowing my parents' accents with English... i'd haveto say that she's actually closer to Transylvania and Hungarian than German. But that's only the English dubbed. I saw the SUBBED version, too, and enjoyed the Japanese actress's pronunciation of most of the German words.

STORY- 10

Because of the originality (in a sense) and the religious undertones that make you question things intently, and because the character development is very, very intrepid. This has one of the most meaningful story arcs that i have ever come across. Every single episode means something. Making you empathize with a character, understand them, or even pity them. Even though there are flashback sequences that can sometimes be confusing, as long as you pay to the subbed dates, you will enjoy this series more than any other 24 episode anime, i guarantee it.

ART- 10

Beautiful. The action sequences use the "shaky camera" effect, but not to an overdose such as certain animes i have watched. The colors are always fitting for each of the episodes, and the blood is all the more gruesome with the contrast between the scenes

SOUND - 8

I LOVED the music. The openings and endings were amazing, i watched each and every one (i usually skip), but the music was captivating and well suited for the genre. The ending theme (for the last ep) was utterly perfect, too. Well-sung.

CHARACTER - 9

The contrast of character personalities makes this an a-typical anime. The main protagonist being a female with a very outspoken and agressive personality, the main male protagonist being very drawn back and selfless, and side characters that make you believe that there's either faith in humanity or lose your faith in humanity. The development is amazing too, you see between each episode a character grow stronger, or weaker, and the comparison is there.

ENJOYMENT - 10

This is one of those animes you can't stop watching. Just looking at the preview for the next episode makes you want to say "Eh... i'll go to bed at 11:30pm tonight." Then, the next previews make you watch another episode, etc. By the time you've pulled an all-nighter you're still fulfilled and energized to watch the next, and call in a sick day to work.

Overall - 10

I have finally completed the entire series, and i have to say, this has the most meaningful ending and perfect flow that makes Chrno Crusade one of the only animes that has PERFECT length and timing. This has amazing art, amazing characters, and an amazing message. One of the things lacking from most anime now is the artistic value and philosophical value. Sure, it's nice to have a good laugh every now and then, but if you're looking for a great series with characters that are funny, deep and intriguing, look no further. Chrno Crusade is a great series.

Enjoy!

TIP!!!!!

I enjoyed watched the subbed versions better, and have all together stopped watching the dubbed versions. There are too many scenes where the laughable accent of Satella has gotten in my way. Though i do love Rosette's dubbed voice, i had to part ways with it.

I was proven wrong again. I am appalled at how much I get wrong impressions, but then again it’s fun to be pleasantly surprised when I find out that the anime I thought was going to be bad, ends up to be something spectacular and memorable. My first impression was that the show is too serious, and since I don’t like serious themes, I probably won’t like it. I was wrong – I LOVE IT! I even overlooked the blasphemy since it rocked. It was funny when it needed to be funny, it was cute when I needed to go “awww…” It had high energywhen I looked for some action. Thank God (no pun intended) my first impression was so wrong.

I love the characters. Rosette was cool – she was so brave and a bit inspiring. She didn’t waste her time at all, and she was always trying to help out. Then there’s Chrno. What a cutie. I love how hard he tries to be accepted. The Chrno – Rosette love match was weird at first, because a) Chrno’s a demon. b) The height difference. c) The age difference (Although at first I was going for a Chrno – Azmaria love match.. I have a sick mind, I know). Despite that, it worked out in the end, since their love for each other was at a different level. I also like Azmaria. She’s just so adorable, and so pretty and well designed too. And then there’s Joshua – woah! Hottie alert. Too bad he’s under age and a bit of a retard.

The drawing style was ok. It wasn’t bad, it wasn’t great. It was acceptable. There was nothing new about it but it was just alright. Chrno’s design was ok, but something about him wasn’t right. He’s still cute though. The villains looked cool too – they were well designed. Speaking of the villains, generally the fight scenes are ok and actually quite exciting.I like the colors – but sometimes too much blue and brown just sickens me. I know it’s in the 1920s and I guess they didn’t have much color then (Did that last comment make sense at all?) but more or less the colors were balanced. I also like how they used CG effects. It made it look more interesting and modern. It complemented the high energy of the story.

The music had a western feel to it, at least for the BGM. That was another reason why I hesitated watching it because I hate western themes. It grew on me after a few episodes since I realized that the music did match the feel of the scenes, and it really improved the scenes. I really like the opening scene too – again, it matched the anime. I think it was called pleasure line or something like that. It was really well made, it even had violins to complement it. The ending song was just touching. It kinda hinted that the series was going to end in a really sad way, but it was still beautiful and delicate (remind me never to use the word delicate again)

I am just so happy to have watched a really good anime. I know it isn’t perfect, it’s not as popular as other series out there (And I would personally liked it better with less unecessary fan service - she's a nun you know), but what I got out of it is just so special. It really touched my heart (I’m a sap, I know) and it’s definitely one of my favorites now.

Apart from the few high-tension moments that come in the latter episodes this anime really has nothing that merits recommendation. It's a good enough series to watch if you are bored....or you have the type of job where you could watch this to while away the hours. ART/ANIMATION Art/Animation was done by a big budget company, Gonzo, which usually means there isn't going to be anything lacking by way of animation. I would assume this would be considered a period piece [since it takes place in the 1920s] and as such, a lot of the artistic design was from or inspired from that era: thecars, civilian clothing, scenery and buildings. Movements and high-tension moments, like, car chases and fight scenes were all very smooth and realistic. The only thing I really liked animationwise was the ending sequence.

SOUNDS

The ending song I really liked it. It was very beautiful and melacholy at the same time. The OP was not to bad either. However Azamaria's singing....tho quite lovely, totally annoyed me for some reason, it just didn't look real or that it would come from her. Why is there an echo coming from her voice like she is singing in a great hall.....eventho she's outside? Other than that I have no complaints, the voice acting was great as was the sound effects.

STORY

The storyline was not put together well, this could have really been one of those 12 ep. shows. The basic premise of this show is that of a young, reckless and impetuous nun her cute sidekicks, a meek, angelic apostle and a once powerful but now somewhat inhibited demon, go searching for her missing brother battling all sorts of evil along the way.......hilarity supposedly ensues. Yet, I never find this show as funny they maybe wanted it to be and most jokes seem to fall flat and fizzle. With some of the earlier episodes, it was such a yawnfest, at times I found it so boring that I found other projects to do, such as begin writing this review and scrubbing my toilet. It's not as if I was totally lost on what the creators were trying to achieve with this story and the whole church aspect but somehow, in this series, the whole idea/concept of gun-toting nuns and demon-banishing clergymen seem forced or just overall silly with a lot of religious catholic symbolitry being tossed about with no real meaning behind it. It did make for one heckuva battle scene in the later episodes, however. But it just didn't make sense, the story could have been the same...if not better in my opinion if they were regular clerics instead of warrior-nuns. Religious animes are a tricky affair but sometimes they work out really well like for example Trinity Blood or having a rogue monk like Saiyuki's Sanzo, it seemed “believable” or to at least fit neatly within the storyline as opposed to just being thrown into the mix.

CHARACTERS

I had no particular affinity for any of the characters in this show, which is a rare thing to happen for me, I usually get bonded to at least ONE character very quickly. However with this show, I found these characters so insincere, unreal and even cookie-cutter[ish]. I can't place my finger on one singular reason why they appeared that way to me but one reason could be the randomness of their emotions..... one minute she's teary-eyed then the next minute she's yelling and the scene is supposed to be funny. The Demon-kid seems emotionless for the most part—and I don't think it was supposed to be intentional, and Angel/Apostle-girl seemed too cutesy and 2-Dimentional personalitywise..With Character Design, again nothing too unique and a lot of the clothing of the principal characters seemed out of touch with the times [what grown woman wears a giant yellow bow at the end of her hair?] also modding a nun's gear and habit for battle with humongous splits running down the sides and garters seemed......NOT right.

ENJOYMENT

I don't know how to feel about this show. I want to say that it was bad....that it sucked and maybe overall it kinda did. However, it does have it's awesome moments like the Demon Battle scene, which was out of this world. But a few good scenes can't carry a show. And there were just too much conflict and contradictions: Biblical facts v. Science Fiction and then you have the past [the 1920s] mixed with futuristic elements. The creators bit off more than they could chew with this story I think or maybe too many random ideas...I'm surprized someone didn't throw in a headless Indian running around with a tomahawk.

It isn't something I'd watch again if I had the choice and I can't recommend it without letting the viewer know what they are in for.

“Chrno Crusade” is the anime and video game industry’s lame attempt at tricking people who legitimately liked “Chrono Trigger” to give up their hard earned cash in return for satisfying the apparently growing nun fetish in Japan and the West. Considering that this anime has a huge following it seems to illustrate either the appeal of nun T&A to the general anime audience or Chrono Trigger fans not giving two shits about whether the show is related at all to the video game. Though both seem to share the common indifference over the misspelling of “Chrono” in the title (though I hear that it wasintentional I still think it’s stupid).

It’s the roaring 1920s and in this supposedly kick-ass anime the jail-bait-D-cup nun Rosette with her younger demon assistant Chrono (hey second time’s the charm I guess) are on a quest to hunt down demons that are causing pain and suffering because of the general lack of morality in the world or some such BS.

Rosette who operates on two settings: 5-year-old and full-blown Fran Drescher is the theoretical comic relief to the series. Though she comes off as more annoying, as the writers no doubt deluded themselves into thinking they had channeled Rosette to the character of Auska Langley Soryu, but forgot to carry over the catharsis.

Chrono, the demon, who carries a laughably huge rotary phone on his back seems slightly more competent than his female counterpart but, always seems to suffer constant verbal abuse from Rosette. I can’t help but think that the only reason he sticks with her besides the contract that binds them is the hope that he’ll be able to eat her out before the series ends. However, she’ll have to start taking her crazy pills and shut up for five-fucking-seconds to make that happen.

Though there is a story-line to this show, there is a possible ninety-percent chance that you’re motivation to watch this is for the hot nuns. Yeah, they all have suspiciously huge breasts which can only mean that the Vatican is fronting the cash for the boob jobs. It kind of makes sense since the church is always hurting for more money and followers. Not that those breasts do the poor nuns any good since they’ve sworn a life of celibacy and can only wait for the return of Jesus to give him a nice tit-fuck (which gives the phrase “second coming” a whole new meaning).

In conclusion, skip this anime, watch Full Metal Alchemist instead.

I decided to write another review on Chrno Crusade because my last one wasn't very good for me and considering this is one of my top two favorite anime of all time, I thought it deserved something better. For the general, loose synopsis, Chrno Crusade is about a young girl named Rosette Christopher, who makes a contract with a demon named Chrno that cannot access his true powers anymore due to reasons in the past and together they are attempting to find Rosette's brother, Joshua, who had something extremely horrible happen to him in the past and he went missing. Rosette works with a church asa demon exorcist but has Chrno, a demon himself, as her partner. Generally, the church looks down upon this, but since Chrno is an exceptionally sweet guy and Rosette will not part with him, he is allowed to be around.

From the outside Chrno Crusade just appears to be a story about a girl, her demon partner and them hunting down demons, but the story inside of that is much deeper and an epic 'crusade' through time, through Heaven and Hell, across the land and with amazing and interesting characters laced into everything.

The story overall is one of my favorites - I love everything about it from the setting - the early 1900s and revolving around the Catholic Church and their obsessions with demons and artifacts, the clothes they wore, the weapons they use, the different demons and devils they encounter to the actual story itself, with Rosette, Chrno and her missing brother that she loves dearly.

The villain is overall one of the most evil villains in anything and has a plan that would destroy most of the world and he cares not for who he uses, hurts, and kills in the process, as long as he gets his way.

The main characters, Chrno and Rosette are among my favorites - Chrno is my favorite guy. His normal form, a 12 year old demon, is absolutely adorable and sweet, who is extremely caring and loving, but when in his true form, a sinning devil, he is the most amazing character, ever. He is loyal, loving and would do anything for Rosette and you know this from the beginning of the entire story.

A lot of people call Rosette whiny, but like a lot of other shows, she often makes light of things that would otherwise be viewed as extremely dark and dismal because you need some relief in your life, when you're living the way they do.

The voices in Japanese are amazing, too - Chrno's voice actor became my favorite of all time due to Chrno and still is to this day. Rosette makes me giddy, too, since she does a voice of a special character in my favorite anime of all time, as well as Chrno Crusade. The music is exceptional, too, fitting very well into the time period, but mixing in the fantasy and demonic attributes, as well.

Chrno Crusade is an outrageous story of love and loyalty, Heaven and Hell and should not be missed by anyone that wants to be moved as much as any show can move you, and who wants to experience a truly deep and meaningful storyline, with wonderful and real characters.

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 morehe 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.

Welcome to my Review of Chrono Crusade, this is definitely one of my top 5 rated anime's. I remember the first time I came across this anime was when I was in a anime club where I got free dvd's sent through the mail. I think I checked out a few episodes. They were dubbed though. Viewers beware if you watch this anime, definitely do not watch it dubbed. Its WAY better if you watch this series subbed. I tried giving it a chance until I heard Satala's Dubbed English voice. Her screams were just damaging to the ears lol. Story: Chrono Crusade talks about a demonthat has lost his powers due to his horn being taken away, and has a contract with a sister called Rosette. In order for Chrono to turn back into his true form (demon), he requires Rosette to give him her life force. The longer he stays in that form, the shorter Rosette's life becomes. Rosette tries to find his missing brother, and Chrono helps her out along this journey.The story is really captivating and keeps the audience looking forward for the next episode. The story stays intact from the beginning until the end, there's almost no made up episodes which are unrelated with the actual plot. Let me reword that, absolutely NO FILLERS. The plot continues its pace through out the anime. The ending is very very sad. Be prepared!

Characters:

The characters are indeed captivating and eye catching, especially the girls. Rosetta Christopher the Heroine is a Nun whom I highly enjoy. She is beautiful, hot, short tempered, does stuff her own way, and can be really selfish at times, clumsy, and never listens to anyone! Azumaria, the sidekick of their group is one cutie pie, her voice is like an Angel's. Not to mention that she sings so gracefully and magnificent. Its hard for me choose which is my favorite characters, both Chrono and Rosette's play just perfect roles in the plot. The character development is clearly presented, and you get to know about the character's past, as well as the history to what has been the cause of the present situation. The main villain is way to cool. He doesn't have a bunch of corny lines either like most evil villains do on some anime shows.

Music:

Despite having the same opening and ending being played again and again for the entire 24 episodes, the songs were very nice and pleasant to listen to. The lyrics and music are well versed and suitable for the anime. Nothing to complain here, I just love the music. The audio sounds with in the series are perfect and match every moment rather if its a hilarious funny scene or a very emotional sad part. You know something is going to happen when you here the BG music play.

Art:

Not much to say bout the art. The art is just brilliant with beautiful colors, the animation is just spectacular.

Enjoyment:

You will definitely enjoy this series, it starts out kind of slow during the first few episodes but after you watch through a few of the episodes and get to understand the plot, you will be hooked, take my word for it. The first time i watched this series from beginning to end. I watched it all in just two days, stayed up late and kept watching it. I actually worked in the morning during this time and I tried to put the series away, but then i just kept watching it. I should of called in sick that day lol.

Overall:

This is a great anime to own and worth your time. However, this anime might not be suitable for audiences who are sensitive towards their religion as they might find it disturbing. It does deal with a bit of Christianity, if this doesn't bother you, then you have nothing to worry bout. I would recommend Chrno Crusade to anyone and looking for something different. This series is kind of similar to hellsing in away in that deals with demons and satanic rituals. I have watched alot of Demon type anime's to name a few, hellsing, Dn Angel, Devil Lady. Other series just don't catch my attention as much as this anime does. The characters are so lovable and memorable, seriously after finishing this anime because of the sad ending, its quite hard to just go right to another series and start watching it. I hope you guys and girls out there would enjoy this series as much as I did.

10/10

I admit the animation is well done and the art is beautiful, but that is that. In the end it is a bad developed idea, shows a very poor knowledge of catholic ethos (if you want to make an anime with this concept you need to at least STUDY what you are trying to use to do it in an artful way. The concept was so intriguing at first..) and with very absurd depictions of said organization. I saw it to the end and deleted it whole afterwards. The end was also badly ploted and executed. And do not mistake me for any religious ascet. Iam not. Animes like Trinity Blood work far better using the catholic organization and its truculent side than this one...

In the religious ideas use for instance Demon Lord Dante has a real interesting plot, using the catholic ethos with much more attention and hability than what was used in this series.That anime is one of my favorites!

It is sad, for the characters could have been a lot better, and the overall idea was really interesting...

It was a waste of good art and animation style

I thought I was lucky to find the complete set for $30 at movie trading company the other day. I have never been more wrong. In a nut shell this series had lame comedy, lame fan service, a lame story loosely based on Christianity and various mythologies and lame animation. Animation - You can clearly see the cheapness of the animation from the start. The action uses a lot of choppy fighting (still frame action or a few cells of animation) and the character/monster models are clearly reused with just minor differences. This is ok if its 20 years old. Not for something madein 2003.

Sound - It's just not memorable at all.

Story - I have one word to describe the story. Lame. The way it blends christianity with mythology and mixes contradiction along side factual history is ludicrous. It's not even interesting.

Characters - Chrno becomes Super Saiyan, screaming and all, when he gets mad but will lose it immediately if someone says "dont please."

Enjoyment - I started to fall asleep during episode 7. Thats never a good sign. I wouldnt recommend this to anyone.

Well, even with distorted story well and with little explanation about the events, there can forget Chrno Crusade. In my humble opinion, one of the best of the supernatural genre. Well, let the review: Story (9/10) Well, as I already mentioned above, the story followed a completely different route from the manga. The story in the anime, it was a little hard to understand and some events were cut from the anime. But does not have much to complain about the story, the story in the anime even not following much of the manga, it was great. I do not know what happened, but the end ofthe anime is something that leaves most of the people who did not follow the manga confused. When I watched the first time, I also was very confused. It's something you can not understand very well without reading the manga, but once understood, the story gets really interesting. In the manga happens pretty much the same things, but differently. The story just did not get a 10 because of several things cut from the anime and that most of the events had a bad explanation, especially at the end.

Art (9/10)

I found it very interesting animation for that time. Even if it is not the best animation in the world, we have to consider the time it was released. I generally do not like the animations of Gonzo, had several I've ever seen with a deplorable art. I do not have much to talk about the art of Chrno Crusade. It was one of the few good animations of Gonzo.

Sound (10/10)

I really liked the songs presented in the anime, it was very well chosen. The ending is something I can not explain. Music is more than perfect, and the way the music is similar with the history of anime is awesome. I think that's one of the things that make this anime is so good.

Character (10/10)

I think are lacking in today's anime characters with personalities that you find in Chrno Crusade. My favorite character is Rosette. But I like almost all the characters. The only one I can hate the anime is the Aion (I wonder why?). Chrno has a unique personality. It's hard to watch this anime and do not like it. Azmaria is very cute, she is in charge of leaving the funny anime. Satella is the typical antagonist that we see in various animes out there, but with the course of the story it becomes a great character. Rosette is complete. She is very clumsy, also has a great nose when the business is to find problems in the beginning it is very cold compared to Chrno. What she likes most is to help others. This is not cute? The reason for my hatred for Aion is simple and short, "I will destroy the world" and many other things like that, did this character come all my hate. But I must admit it was well spent.

Enjoyment (10/10)

I enjoyed the anime. The end made me very perplexed, I was very thoughtful and I did not think so good at the time. Soon I tried the manga and then I could understand the events. I remember after finishing, I stopped to see some anime. I cried a lot after the end, ahh we skip that part, it is too painful for me.

Overall (10/10)

Honestly, it's almost impossible not to like this anime. The anime has few flaws and many are not remarkable for someone who does not know the series. Chrno Crusade was one of my first anime, anime is hard to review, not the end in itself, but to know that will not be more when it's over those 24 episodes. If you are looking for a comedy, romance, and a bit of action, Chrno Crusade is the anime.

So let's first get some things out of the way. I do NOT recommend you watch this. I personally dropped it 2-3 times before episode 12 and decided to come back and finish it out of the blue one day. Animation: Holds up really well if you excuse the 4:3 aspect ratio. Characters: They're actually pretty good and likable. Story: The story is pretty good for the first 8-10 episodes and maybe a few more in the middle. Sadly though around episode 16-19 the story begins to drag heavily feeling similar to One Piece. The last episodes get worse becoming even slower and more drawn out but ifyou manage to hold out until the last episode you'll realize it was 100% NOT worth it in the slightest.

Many of the fights are very anticlimactic and poorly paced, and the ending feels very shoe-horned and odd (in a bad way) leaving you with a very bitter taste in your mouth knowing so much could have been done and that this probably wasn't the intended ending.

This sentence is now obsolete due to very strict spoiler criteria: Due to the ending, explaining why it's so bad without spoiling it is incredibly difficult (for me at least) so you'll either have to watch it or trust me (one of the few who didn't like it). So in a twist this review might actually get you to watch it and be extremely disappointed.

Chrno Crusade is an early 2000s anime based off of a manga by Moriyama Daisuke. The anime version was handled by the folks at Gonzo. Yes, the Bakuretsu Tenshi, Final Fantasy Unlimited & Trinity Blood studio. Story: We open with representatives of the Magdalene order, a religious order that hunts demons, going into action. These are our main characters, Sister Rosette and her daemonic partner Chrno. We quickly learn that Rosette's younger brother, Joshua, was taken to a twisted version of Shibuya to play a reaper's game. I mean, he was kidnapped by a demon named Aion. To search for him, she's formed a pact with her friend,Chrno. The price being her very life force.

I have to give Moriyama a lot of credit here. The writing is brilliant. It's one of those series where the premise has potential but only if it's handled very well. Which it is. The theme of time is a powerful one and it's handled immaculately. The way the series builds up to big events is superbly done as well. It's very good at giving escalating hints at what's coming and of having worthy pay off.

This series is also excellent at mixing some more light-hearted comedic elements with its more serious, dramatic moments. Which is one of those things that most media can't manage. But this series handles it by making the comedy more subdued and never going too far with its dramatic elements. Even the most serious moments contain a strong spark of hope and even the most comedic moment has some serious undertone playing out. As a consequence, the shifts are a lot more natural.

I can also credit the series with having fantastic world building. It doesn't just throw back stories and fantastical terms at you. It eases you into them gradually so, when some aspect actually gets explained, you're able to easily grasp it as part of the world and see where it fits in with the rest. It helps that the visions of heaven, earth and hell in this series are really compelling.

The ending is absolutely perfect. I won't spoil it, but I will point out that a lesser writer would not have gone with the ending this series has. They would have seen it as too risky or not marketable enough. But it is also the ending that works best with all the build up and events of the series.

This series also deserves some credit in being one of those rare anime that makes me tear up. There are two scenes in particular where I had to dry my eyes. And I don't cry at that many pieces of media. Especially not after multiple viewings but I re-watched this series for a third time for this review and it still got to me.

Characters:

My minor complaint here is that Chrno Crusade has one of those comedic dirty old man characters. To its credit, there is more to the elder than you would usually get with that type of character. He does have some complexity. But it's still a tired and kind of shit archetype to work off of.

That gripe aside, the characters in this are excellent. Rosette starts out seeming like one of those more brash, action girl heroines. But as the story progresses she gains more complexity and you learn that a lot of her more reckless behaviours tie into her wanting to live every day to its utmost due to her more limited time.

Every major character is like that. They start with some, simple archetype and elevate it to something unique, complex and interesting. Which also leads to some superb character dynamics and interactions. Chrno and Rosette in particular have a superb bond. The minor characters may not be as perfectly developed and fleshed out, but they have enough complexity to come across as actual people.

I also have to credit the series for its antagonists. The villains, Aion especially, are complex characters with clear and compelling motivations. Aion makes such an excellent villain because he is very blatantly villainous but he's also got his own twisted reasons behind everything he does and he excels at manipulating others into doing what he needs them to do. He doesn't come across as the most physically intimidating but he doesn't need to because his powers of persuasion and manipulation make him a terrifying opponent.

Art:

My minor gripe here is that there are points where Rosette or Satella will have their clothes torn in battle in a fashion that borders on sexualised. To the series' credit, it never crosses that line but it does come uncomfortably close.

Aside from that, the artwork is very strong. The demon designs are great. The various technical devices the Magdalene order uses have interesting designs. Steeped in religious imagery, obviously, but that just adds to the aesthetic. Gonzo deserves a lot of credit for framing their important scenes very effectively. For instance, there's a scene towards the end where Rosette is going out and helping people but its framed in such a way that it comes across as very unsettling. And a lot of that comes down to the art since she isn't moving right and there's something just a bit off about her face.

The action sequences are fairly strong as well. There's a lot of creativity behind them and they're very effectively animated for the tone that the series is going for. The more light-hearted scenes come with more high energy, fun action scenes while the more serious scenes have heavier sequences.

Sound:

The performances in this are superlative. Ishida Akira, Kawakami Tomoko, Chiba Saeko and Neya Michiko are all excellent. I don't even care that Neya Michiko's Deutsch isn't quite natural. And you can't fault Inoue Kazuhiko's performance as Aion. The music is excellent as well. Amazing theme tunes with Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line & Sayonara Solitaire and perfectly fashioned in episode music. Which includes some lovely song performances by Saeko Chiba.

Ho-yay:

There are moments in Chrno's shown back story that make it seem like maybe he and Aion were more than friends but it's not a lot and there's nothing definitive.

Areas of Improvement:

Give the elder a different comedic attribute. Yeah, I admit that I just personally can't stand the dirty old man trope. But even putting that aside, you could definitely do something more unique here.

Less attire tearing during fights.

Show a little more of Joshua's fate in the ending. After the effort put in on his behalf, it would be nice to know a bit more about what happens with him.

Final Thoughts:

This series is excellent. In terms of writing, acting and animation it's really exemplary. I did struggle a bit with whether to give it a 9 or a 10 since I do have two gripes with it that somewhat affected my enjoyment but given how stellar the whole thing is and how minor they are by comparison to everything it does right, I'm going with a rare 10/10.

I'll make this review somewhat quick. Chrno Crusade was simply an alright series. While it has issues, I enjoyed the series somewhat and if it's on your watchlist and you have nothing else you want to watch, go ahead and give it a go. It's not bad but it isn't great either. The art was acceptable but I couldn't get over that Kids-WB-saturday-morning-cartoon look. Most animations were crisp and clean but there were corners cut, especially with flying characters (ever flying scene was a static character moving around the screen), and the awkward animations of some side characters. The story was decent and did sufferfrom pacing issues. At the start it's entertaining and fast paced (but not too quick) but about a dozen episodes in, the pacing slows to a crawl. Episodes go by with little to nothing of importance happening. There is lots of entertainment to be had in the first few episodes but it's somewhat sporadic after that.

The characters spend too much time being tongue-in-cheek to allow themselves to be taken seriously later on. That being said, the chemistry between the protagonists is some of what helps the series go from being mediocre to just 'okay'. The characters each have their own goal and they work toward their goals as a group and the teamwork aspect was something I enjoyed quite a bit.

My biggest complaint is the latter part of the series. The anime release outpaced the manga release and it shows. Despite the pacing issues, the anime was progressing fine up until a certain point and the story Some aspects of the ending are decent and fulfilling but others just don't make sense and you will end up scratching your head (I'm looking at you, final scene) as they rely on information that we aren't ever shown. The climactic battle upset me as it was quick with no tension. Many events within the series are shown to be meaningless to the overall plot and I found that frustrating.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers for Chrono Crusade because I'm still a dumbass who doesn't know how to review things without spoiling them. "Because my time is limited, I don't have time to waste hesitating. That is why I can walk straight ahead. That is why I never stop." Chrono Crusade is an anime adaptation of Daisuke Moriyama's manga, from the ever controversial and bold studio Gonzo, the series made quite a stir back when it aired in 2003 due to elements such as a taboo romance between a nun and a demon, Christian lore integrated into the plot, religious themes and a tragic finale that stillto this day is pretty rare to occur in shounen anime. Both the manga and the anime series are among my favorites, but I tend to give special attention to the anime, because it is the version of Chrono Crusade that tends to get the most criticism, either from manga purists who automatically call anything that isn't an exact panel-to-panel adaptation of the source material garbage, or because of criticisms such as "the whole plot is pointless because everything was for naught" or "the second half has an inconsistent tone and gets too convoluted" and other things commonly said by those plebs who got caught in the filter. In fact, I disagree with the vast majority of the criticism the Chrono Crusade anime receives, as the points tend to be either straight up wrong or only partially right, and I'll discuss some of them in this review when it's relevant to talk about them.

Anyway... Yup, the Chrono Crusade anime diverges from the manga, even in the first half that adapts the manga storyline, it's still a fairly loose adaptation: Some of the manga-adapted stories play out differently, some chapters of the manga got cut out because they're not relevant to the anime's storyline, several episodes are exclusive to the anime, and the plot in general for the second half is radically different from the source material. However, I don't care if a series follows its source material faithfully or not, as long as it's still a good story, I'm more than willing to accept it for what it is and recommend to anyone else, as I do with the 2003 version of Fullmetal Alchemist and Bokurano, another controversial Gonzo manga adaptation that gets flak for not following the manga. Maybe I'll write a Bokurano review too once I stop being a lazy bastard, but not today.

Sadly, though, Chrono Crusade is barely discussed nowadays, as older anime tend to fade into obscurity after everyone has already discussed everything about them, unless they're either famous long running shounen or provide quality shitposting material for weebs to keep on making memes and/or waifu wars for eternity, like Evangelion, Code Geass and Darling in the FranXX managed to do. Fortunately, I'm one of those guys who remember Chrono Crusade and still think it's a masterpiece of a series, and since my opinion is the only objectively correct one in the entire internet, you either agree with me, or you're simply wrong. Now, let's properly dive into this series as I try my best to explain what makes it so great.

Set in America fresh out of World War I and all the prosperity of the roaring 20s, Chrono Crusade tells the story of a nun called Rosette Christopher and her demon partner Chrono as they work for the Order of Magdalene, an organization created to combat the demonic threats that started to mysteriously pop up all over the country. Rosette and Chrono aren't just fighting demons for the sake of it, however, they're after Rosette's brother, Joshua Christopher, who was taken away by a mysterious demon called Aion and his group called the Sinners, all of which seem to share a bit of a history with Chrono.

The way Chrono Crusade plays out during its first half is somewhat akin to early Fullmetal Alchemist in a sense that it's an action shounen with dark undertones and some comedy thrown in there so the series doesn't get way too gloomy... Often bad and poorly-timed comedy that honestly the series would have been better off without it. But hey, if Fullmetal Alchemist (especially Brotherhood) can get away with that shit, then so can Chrono Crusade. Regardless, the first quarter of Chrono Crusade mostly revolves around Chrono and Rosette taking up demon-hunting missions for the Order as their personalities and relationship get fleshed out and we're introduced to other characters, the most important ones being: Azmaria Hendric, a portuguese soprano singer who's also one of the seven apostles blessed with God's holy power, and Satella Harvenheit, a pair of breasts who's able to summon magical stands with her jewels, called a "jewel witch" in the series.

One of Chrono Crusade's strengths is precisely the interactions between its characters, striking a perfect balance between lighthearted fun, genuinely heartwarming and sad. Chrono and Rosette are at odds with each other in many ways, her being a hot-headed energetic girl who gets in trouble easily while he's calm, composed and passive to a fault, the way they play off of each other and have all this bantz is pretty fun. The series does a fantastic job at showing how different their personalities are, yet at the same time how deep their borderline-romantic bond goes and how much this contract between then hurts on both sides, it's easy to see how important they truly are to each other despite their silly antics as they both grow as characters. Azmaria and Satella, while not having as much focus as the leading pair, still get their fair share of moments, moreso Azmaria than Satella, who unfortunately is a bit underdeveloped in here.

That's not to say they're not good characters individually, each one of them develops and the character arcs they go through are very satisfying... Mostly. As I mentioned before, Satella leaves a bit to be desired due to her having significantly less screen time than the other three, but it's good enough to be acceptable nonetheless. The character arcs are mostly tied to the central themes of the series: Mortality, faith, loss, family, stuggling with the past, and last but not least, the concept of "good" and "evil" and how the line between those two opposites is blurrier than we believe, and all of these are more or less incorporated into the main protagonist, Rosette.

The way Rosette is handled is a brilliant example of subtle characterization and development, she's presented as this idealistic headstrong girl who, despite having a tragic past that caused her to essentially miss out on enjoying childhood and adolescence, as well as making a contract that's cut her life short and will prevent her from making up for that in the future, is still very optimistic, passionate and caring towards the people around her. But Rosette isn't quite the shounen hero she appears to be at the start of the series, that's more like an image she puts up in order to convince Chrono and the others, as well as herself, that she's fine and it'll all turn well in the end. Rosette isn't really fine, though, her traumatic past and the fact that most of her short life was spent fighting and looking for her brother are taking a toll on her, emotionally she's far weaker than she lets it show and fears that she might die before saving Joshua.

The series starts to show this around episode 8, when one of the Sinners, Rizelle, mentions Joshua and actually succeeds in convincing Rosette to board a train with her under the promise that she will see her brother if she goes with them. Rosette was actually willing to abandon everyone that was on her side just for a slight chance at getting to Joshua, not even caring if she could be walking alone into a trap or anything, and if Minister Remington hadn't stopped her at the last second, she would probably be in a much worse situation. From that episode onwards, Rosette still retains her lighthearted personality, but at the same time she also slowly starts to get gloomier, she gets visibly disturbed by seeing people die because she, more than anybody, knows how valuable life is. Around episode 16 Rosette doesn't resemble her earlier self all that much, she's more fearful of what will happen to her, especially because of the holy stigmata that started to appear on her body.

The last time we see Rosette being lighthearted and having fun with her friends is on episode 18 during the festival, but even that episode has a really sad undertone as Rosette and Chrono talk about how important they are to each other and Chrono states that he does not intend to live longer than her. If this was Rosette from the earlier episodes, she would get angry at Chrono for being overdramatic and wanting to throw his life away for her, but now that she has even less time than before and got considerably less certain of her future, she reluctantly accepts his wish of dying together with her. It's one of my favorite scenes and shows how far they are now from the goofy pair we saw in the first couple of episodes.

Then things go to hell right at the end of that episode and never go back to being lighthearted fun again... It all culminates in one of the most powerful and gut-wrenching final episodes I've seen in any anime, probably the most well-known episode from this series too. However, as much as I love the final episode and have it as my favorite, I disagree with the notion of some people that it's "by far" the best episode and the rest of the series doesn't compare. No, the final episode is only as good as it is because of how the rest of the series built up to that conclusion, if you detach it from the rest it becomes just another tear-jerking moment and loses its impact.

Final episode aside, the other characters receive quite a bit of development too, but they don't have as much focus as Rosette, not even Chrono. I mean, Chrono is a very good character here and has a well done arc exploring the trauma he suffers from his own past way before he met Rosette and Joshua and how it affects him in the present, but I always thought he played second fiddle to Rosette way too much. Aside from when he transforms into his true form and uses the full extent of his demon powers to fight at the cost of Rosette's lifespan, he's kind of weak and gets his ass kicked around quite a bit, and I feel it would have been more interesting to have him fight in his sealed form too instead of just being some kind of support while Rosette does the fighting. Nevertheless, it is a minor complaint, he's still a well-written character for the most part, my only gripe is that I wish his past with Aion, the Sinners and Mary Magdalene wasn't explored in just one episode, it came off as a bit rushed.

Azmaria's character arc, unlike what people usually assume, is not about her becoming a badass fighter who can take on demons like Rosette, people often call her useless because of her fear of demons during combat, but that's not really the point. I mean, she does say she wants to get stronger, but she's still just a 12 year old girl who's been through a lot of grief and has zero combat experience, you don't just become an amazing demon hunter overnight. Azmaria's story is about her finding her place in the world after losing her parents to WWI at a very young age and her status as an Apostle blessed with God's power causing her to become a target of people who want to use her powers for their own gain, leading her to be adopted by Ricardo Hendric, one of the early villains in the series, and the band of singers with whom she traveled around the country to get killed by demons.

After being Rescued by Chrono and Rosette and joining the Order, Azmaria is shown to be submissive and have an incredibly low self-esteem as she blames herself for all the tragedy that's happened with those around her and does not believe her own worth. Inspired by Rosette, she becomes determined to change into a better and stronger person, but of course, this is a tough road for such a young girl, so she still shows more than a few signs of weakness until later in the series when she's matured, so much that when Chrono is at his lowest point moping about how he's taken Rosette's life away, she's the one who reminds him that there's much more to their relationship than just him draining her life away, which puts him back on track. I just love Azmaria's growth from a girl who believes he's worthless due to only bringing misfortune to those around her to realizing she deserves to be happy, and most importantly, she is capable of bringing happines to those important to her, the Christmas episode focused on her is one of my favorite episodes because of this.

Satella... Is the weakest of the main characters. Not because she's a bad character herself, but she's mostly separated from the other three doing her own business, and her arc is a bit cookie-cutter: She holds a grudge against demons because her family was slaughtered by a mysterious hornless demon who's taken away her older sister and is totally not Aion, and she thinks Chrono might be the one since he also doesn't have horns, but starts to warm up to him later and becomes friendlier towards Rosette and Azmaria too as she begins to trust them more. She's pretty likeable, though, and there are a couple interesting aspects to her, the parallels between her and Rosette are nice and episode 11 (one of the weaker episodes, unfortunately) at least does a good job at portraying how different their views on life and sacrifice are despite their similar struggle.

A few minor characters also get some development as the series goes on, mainly Sister Kate, the leader of the Order's NY branch who's not very happy with Chrono being Rosette's partner in the ranks of the Order as she, along with pretty much everyone else, views demons as pure evil. Sister Kate gets a bit of Rosette's optimism rubbed on her and starts to appreciate Chrono as well, which leads to her defending him as an important member of the Order later in a discussion with the higher-ups when they were offered to join forces with the demons in order to fight the Sinners, who are a common enemy. I find it interesting that Sister Kate did not back off from defending Chrono and suggesting that they take this offer, even though everyone was criticizing her for it, and this experience changed quite a bit about her faith, she started to question some of the things God apparently planned for everyone, even though she still keeps believing.

I wish more was done with other characters who had potential and ended up playing a relatively minor role, like Joshua, Fiore and Remington. I mean, Remington does a handful of stuff in the story, but I feel the twist regarding his actual status later in the series could have been better used. Regardless, I don't think there's any bad character to speak of here at least, just some that could have been done better and a few others that are just mediocre or forgettable.

As the series goes on, it introduces a handful of plot elements: The Prophecies of Fatima, the seven Apostles, the Astral Line, which is more or less the Lifestream from Final Fantasy VII, the demons' source of power being their horns which draw energy from the Astral Line and Chrono's lack of horns forcing him into using Rosette's life as a substitute source, we get some glimpses of the demon world Pandemonium, the mother of all demons who's also called Pandemonium. All of this stuff gets properly explained in the series, but I wish we got more of Pandemonium... Both Pandemoniums, since details about the demon society and how Pandemonium was ruled are pretty scarce, but what's been shown is at least enough for me to get what was going on: The Sinners killed Pandemonium and stole its head, throwing their society into chaos and causing them to be branded as traitors by the other demons who are still hunting them to this day.

And this leads us to Aion... Who is a fairly difficult character to talk about, actually. In a sense, I guess you could say that superficially he's evil for the sake of being evil and embodies the most despicable aspects of any living being, but he's a much more nuanced take on this type of villain. Aion seems to be inspired by the prophecized Antichrist especially in the final stretch of the series, his goal is to collect the Apostles and use their power along with the head of Pandemonium to get rid of God and the system he binds the demons to, essentially using them as tools to test people's faith, increasing his authority as a result. Through Aion, the series puts God in a more negative perspective, as the big bad does some horrible things to everyone and asks why doesn't God show up to stop him if he's able to do so, constantly mocking and blaming God for everything. With time, you start to question the same thing, like... Yes, why doesn't God do something about Aion? Does he not care about what's happening on the Earth? Does he think humanity deserves to be tormented by Aion like that? What's his deal anyway? I'm pretty sure everyone has asked questions like these before, it's natural that we expect an all-powerful benevolent being who created us to be able to do something about the bad things that happen.

Chrono Crusade's portrayal of God is not necessarily that he's evil or that he's uncaring of his creations, after all he gave humanity the means to fight the demons off and even blessed a few among us with a fraction of his own power in order to assist us. But God also gave us free will, we can use the gifts he gave us in any way we want, and unfortunately cases like Azmaria's power being used by terrible people for their own gain happen. Even in the real world we see things like pastors using God's name and performing "miracles" just to get money out of people who are too blinded by their faith to realize that they're being deceived. But in Chrono Crusade's case, you can argue that God was actually watching all along and only decided to act when it was most convenient to him, not by personally showing up and stopping Aion, but by giving Azmaria a power boost when things got out of hand at episode 7, or giving Rosette the holy stigmata. It's like God is still manipulating everyone into acting according to his plan, even Aion who fails to realize it and still believes he's doing something that will bring an end to God.

Basically, what Chrono Crusade has to say about religion and God isn't that they're bad, but that God is a mysterious figure, we don't know who exactly God is or what he wants, so we shouldn't be blinded by our faith like so many people out there end up becoming. And religion, while having many good people attached to it, can also bring out the bad aspects of other people, the final stretch of the series even shows how easily people who fell into despair can be manipulated by someone who poses themselves as some kind of holy savior to them, becoming completely oblivious to this person's true intentions. It's a much smarter way to tackle this subject than the cynical "naw man religion bad" message that's often present in japanese and even a handful of western works.

The writers certainly did their homework, the way Christian lore and symbolism are incorporated into Chrono Crusade's plot doesn't feel like it was done by people who don't know what they're talking about. Even if certain liberties were taken, like demons being capable of being good and working with humans while in actual Christianity they're just pure unadulterated evil, but that's part of the themes here. Due to how they were created, demons and humans are different in nature, the former leaning towards evil and the latter towards good, but much like humans are capable of going against their nature and doing bad things, demons can do the same and perform good acts... Because, you know... Things aren't black and white. During the final episode, it is implied that after Rosette and Chrono died together, her soul definitely won't be damned to hell by God for dealing with a demon, and I think this moment makes it very clear that God also does not view things in black and white either.

In any case... Chrono Crusade is still an action shounen series at heart, which makes it easy for some people to just write the more complex aspects of the plot off, because apparently a fun action shounen can't possibly have anything profound to say. A common criticism is that the series suffers from tonal shifts, which I agree, but they're not nearly as bad as they're made out to be. The poorly-timed bad comedy certainly helps with the tonal shifts and I'd rather not have pervy old man boob jookes, as well as the (thankfully few) fanservice moments feel out of place. But when I see people saying the series "suddenly" becomes very dark in the final quarter which is supposed to be totally inconsistent with the rest of it being a lighthearted action shounen, I have to ask... What series were you watching? Because it's definitely not Chrono Crusade.

It's true that the final quarter of the series is much darker than the rest, but it's simply not a case of a fun action series that suddenly became an apocalyptic tragedy. The dark and tragic elements of Chrono Crusade were always there since the beginning: Chrono and Rosette's contract slowly killing her, characters like Azmaria and Ricardo were victims of tragedy from World War I, Satella's family was murdered right in front of her, the story of how Rosette and Joshua met Chrono, how he was taken away by Aion and how the contract between Chrono and Rosette was form was anything but happy, there's the entirety of episode 7... I could go on, but I think you get what I'm saying. As much as the series presented itself as an action shounen with some lightearted moments and episodes, it always had a dark atmosphere as well, it just didn't take the center stage completely until the climax from episode 18 onwards, but the progression towards a darker tone was always visible.

Regardless, Chrono Crusade is a well-paced series for the most part. There's one episode in particular, that being episode 14, that I feel could have been cut off because it doesn't really offer anything of significance despite being cute and all. And really, I think the time spent in this episode could have been used instead to add more time to the events in episodes 21 to 23, because they do feel like they're unfolding a little too quickly, and an extra episode to cover what happens in them would certainly help. But aside from that one episode, all of the others contribute to the narrative of the series, the ones that don't advance the plot all that much give more insight on the characters and the setting. Speaking of setting... Yes, I think there are some historical inaccuracies, but I don't really care much for that kind of thing. I usually accept this kind of stuff as alternate pasts, and as long as they at least capture the feeling of whatever period in the past they're trying to go for I'm fine with it, and Chrono Crusade captures the atmosphere of 1920s America very well.

Production-wise... Well... It's a Gonzo series, which means the series can look very good for most of the time, but then in some episodes it decides to look like complete shit with off-model characters and awkward animation. Fortunately, the badly-animated episodes are a minority, and while the art and character designs may very much be a product of 2000s, they're all colorful and distinct, so it's pleasing to the eyes at least, and the scenery is fantastic, with lots of details and vivid colors to look at. Action scenes are pretty solid, demons (especially the Sinners) are pretty threatening in a sense that they seem to be invulnerable to a lot of the weaponry Rosette has and can require a bit of brains to be dealt with, I just don't get why they chose the demon aura color to be yellow, it doesn't really match them very well, but alright then.

To make up for the standard Gonzo production, there's a gorgeous soundtrack to listen to as you watch the series unfold, the opening theme is good but standard for anime, and the ending is just amazing in its melancholy, Sayonara Solitia is one of my favorite ending tracks ever... But aside from that, the music is pretty good, it's largely orchestral stuff with some jazzy tracks, and my favorites being the ones that play during the sadder moments of the series, especially the one that plays in Chrono and Rosette's final moments, it's just so beautiful it hurts.

This write-up has already been way longer than necessary, so I guess I should stop. I just wanted to express how much I love Chrono Crusade, it's not very common for me to feel touched by an anime series the same way I did with this one. I'm not one to cry to stuff like anime, games or even movies, but the final episode of Chrono Crusade is one of the few things that made me almost shed a tear. Despite the rough edges, this is a fantastic series that manages to be fun, heartwarming, tragic and genuinely meaningful in one package. Maybe the religous elements won't be for everyone and I understand that, but it is what elevated Chrono Crusade from simply a good action shounen to something greater and more unique to me. Gonzo may be a hit-and-miss studio overall, but this is one of their shows that will always have a special place in my heart, I hope I'm able to convince more people to give it a shot.

chrono crusade centers around a girl who made a contract with a demon to help her search fro her brother and how the order for which she works for deals with the situation in the early 1900s. The story is fantastic. I have never seen anything like it.It inculcates many elements such as supernatural,romance(suttle),comedy,historical,drama. Though the romance that occurs between the characters is not very dramatic it is one of the rare "versions" that is also quite romantic in its own way. I loved the story for how it was able to incorporate the supernatural element into such a life-like story,as if the story itself isreal as they do follow real events in history. The story is also very deep containing many themes such as the despair and suffereing during the time as well as questioning christianity itself.so if you are a devout christian who hates being discriminated or to see an alternative i suggest you don't watch this, but i feel this theme is what makes the story very interesting as well. The story also has a good deal of action to keep you glued to the screen.

The art is nothing special, it can be a bit cartoony at times to portray the comedy but besides that it is of a good standard.

I loved the opening and closing songs, i felt that they were very suited for a drama anime like this. Also, the songs that are sung during the show are quite soothing and the choices were good.

The characters were another spectacular feat. The main characters all are deep, as you get to know about their pasts and their resolutions. What makes them so interesting is how they are in continuous conflict with the desires of their heart and how they face reality, i feel that the characters do portray very well a lot of the themes and bring out the realness of the anime by how life-like they are.

I thoroughly enjoyed the anime as there was a good mix of the genres, so it would not be to dark and serious and the comic relief is done up quite nicely to allow optimum enjoyment, while not making the anime seem childish or stupid. Though i must say that the anime is quite dark in that its not all happy endings due to the realism, but this is what i like about the anime as we can empathize a lot with the characters due to the realism.

so if you are looking for an anime with depth and meaning and a good sesnse of realism along with a dabble of supernatural and ethnicity then give this anime a try. Truly a masterpiece.

(one little spolier ahead) Of all series that come's with a religious outlook soo powerful it comes from the mind of Daisuke Moriyama Chrono Crusade embarkes on a very adventurous were the outlook the christian faith have been completly altered, were god is our father & are here to store balanced & to hold our faith...or so we think the story take as any other good impulsive Rosette make good & just in 1020's New york with along side Chrono her contract parther, but like all decision's she has a moving motovation to driver to find her brother as her Chrono, & all her friends goface there demon's it also leave us to know of ourself's & were we are in life

My reason for recomending is for the obvious knowlage that you recive(if you have not read the bible)also the light moment's it give's to the views for example the love of Chrono & Rosette at the San fransisco carnival this series will leave you with happy tear's of joy & show now matter what "All good thing's must come to an end" & with that said Sayonara Solitaire if you loved Fullmetal Alchemist or D.Grey Man you must watch Chrono Crusade a gem of it's own goodness

I can't fathom why this is rated so high. The first 12 episode were decent. They're an okay comedy action thingy. But once the plot starts to move, it just becomes stupid. The main story was really bad. Aion makes this extremely convoluted and unnecessary complicated plan to do something, and just ends up dying anticlimactically at the end. After watching the entire series, i honestly can't tell you what Aion was trying to do, or why he was doing it. The last 12 episodes are so bad it brings this down to a 3. Characters do things for no reason. Nothing is explained. By theend, i didn't care the slightest bit about any of the characters. I didn't care it they lived or died, or what happened to them. The last episode had more characters doing inexplicable and random things that make more sense, but there is one scene where Rose and Chrono die. It's actually the only decent scene that makes sense in the last half of the show. It's actually a great scene, one might say beautiful, but I didn't care about the characters so i felt absolutely no emotion in that scene. What a waste. I felt this scene was good enough to raise my rating to a 4.

I didn't really like the art. It wasn't bad, it just didn't fit the series. It seems too cartoony and happy for something trying(and failing) to be deep and dark. Chrono in his true form looks goofy and stupid.

It should also be noted that the author of this has no understanding of christianity. I don't understand why animes keep doing this. If you're going to butcher chistianity, just make up a fake religion instead of trying to be clever.

I think this anime is probably one of those hidden good anime that are out there. Covered by the main stream horror and action anime this has its own place from almost the beginning in a way. The story is what i would call an emotional rollercoaster at times the feelings you get from watching and listening to whats happening in it is crazy coming from an anime thats got demons , exorists and what not. The original and new spin on the struggle in hell and the feelings of revenge that comes from it unleashed upon our world. Strangely if i say that aboutthis anime you might expect action scenes in every episode or something like it but thats were your wrong. This anime takes time to give you the story and not just the characters. There will rarely be a time for anyone to question whats happening because there is a big chance that answer will be answered through the story faster than you might think.

The music captures and shows greatly how this anime is filled with a religious feel yet a demonic feel. It gives the watcher that extra edge when they listen to the fights between and hear the story comming from the different characters.

The character are made to fit this anime greatly.There is never a time there i think that character doesnt fit in with the rest. From everything to the dual Main characters to the different bad guys springing forth.

When i first watched this anime i got addicted from the first episode but it also gave me the hint of the emotional feelings i will always have when i revisit it.

The overall joy and sadness that comes from this anime is something not found in many newer anime and this makes it its own and this anime gives you what you need. So it deserves 9/10