Chrno Crusade Review

[Zephie-chan]

It is now time to give a review on one of my most favored anime, one that completed some time ago yet I hadn't the courage to write it up.

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Chrno Crusade...
... is a 24 episode series created by Moriyama Daisuke who was a newcomer to the world of manga when by began his work on Chrno Crusade back in 2002(?).

STORYLINE
It is the year 1928 A.D., and the place is New York, U.S.A. The economic prosperity brought forth by the Great War also nurtured something far more dark and sinister: The demons called “Sinners”.

The Magdalene Order was an organization created to counter these forces and composed of worshipers of God. Two of their exorcists are Rosette Christopher and her assistant and long-time childhood friend, Chrno. Both appear out of place within the organization and are on a quest to find Rosette's missing brother, Joshua, who disappeared four years ago by mysterious means.

Rosette Christopher, Sister of the Magdalene Order; Chrno, a demon who's power has been sealed within a locket possessed by Rosette; and Joshua, someone suspected as being one of the seven Apostles of God -- Their relationship, secrets, and fate can only be revealed in time...

ANIMATION
At first not that special and seemingly plain, after a while it grows on you and as more scenes are unveiled, you realize just how unique it really is in terms of character design originality and background detail.

Rich with detail, everything from the characters to their clothing to the weapons, each seems to have been given individual attention. The coloring was also something that awed me. Throughout the series, you'll realize as time goes on that they're sticking with a specific theme: Dark colors that tend to blend seamlessly into specific bright and washed-out colors such as green or yellow.

MUSIC
Perhaps one of the best thing about this series is also the music. Throughout the series, many of the background melodies are composed of acoustics such as a guitar, violin, piano, or flute which are chosen, I believe, for the feel of that specific scene.

“Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line” by Minami Kuribayashi
This song is one of my favorites and it also provides realistic truth to the theme of Chrno Crusade's story that makes it all the better. A perfect blend of rock and pop, it got me to watch the opening sequence several times over per each episode. I just couldn't get enough of it and I genuinely recommend buying the single.

“Sayonara Solitaire” by Saeko Chiba
Only slightly less desirable than the opening theme, Sayonara Solitaire's true “colors” are revealed until the final episode where an extended version is played over the ending credits. As the series continues on into the double digits, it provides a perfect backdrop for the episodes.

FINAL COMMENTS
Not so apparent until around the double digit episodes is the extreme religious carrying that this series has on Christianity. It deals with some extreme aspects of God, angels, devils, the seven apostles, and even Pandemonium. As well, it also involves a serious plot point tied to the Fatima prophecies.

I'd suggest that those of you who are truly and seriously religious in Christianity to steer clear of this anime as it'd probably just contradict a lot of your beliefs. I'm not religious so I wouldn't actually know -– I just know that some of you are really testy about these types of things.

OVERALL SCORE: 10 (and more)
I believe this anime to be prefect in all aspects: Story, animation, music, presentation, voice acting, and researched religious history. It takes place in the US and all English words, which are included in the titles of the episodes themselves, are entirely perfect.

This anime is something very precious to me. It touched something in me that I didn't even know I possessed. It touched my soul and took me to a happiness about, not just an anime, but a story, that I had never experienced before...

This series, this story, is something that I will forever remember throughout my life. It is not something, I believe, to be missed by anyone. Period.

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Side Note: ADV Films holds the license to Chrno Crusade and have released it under the name “Chrono Crusade”. Fuck them and import the original if you're buying it. Believe me, they just fuck it up like everything else; they even renamed one of the major characters (aside from Chrno to Chrono, that is).

[Typheus]

Well you should've seen it comming...why they would even bother with replacing the name is beyond me but meh...

I am a Christian but that doesn't mean I would hate the show just because it says a few things...unles of course the whole theme is that Christianity is fake then I would get a little pissed...but from your description I don't think taht would be the case.

Im a fan of anime but I am not hte kind of person to be walking out of blockbuster with an anime DVD (id rather get a game instead ). So unless this show is legal to download or it comes on Adult Swim I probably won't be enjoying this one.

err is the glory in the storyline or are there action scenes as well? Like them trying to get rid of a bunch of demons from hell >>; ? Speaking of hell...isn't Pandemonium the capital of Hell? I looked it up once because I knew it had somethign to do with chaos...you know as it "All of the zoo animals escaped! My god this is Pandemonium!"

Whoa dude as soon as I started talking about Pandemonium and demons from hell the stereo in my parent's bedroom turned on...and they aren't home 0.0; Wait isnt that what it did in SH4? O SHIT!

[Zephie-chan]

Oh yeah, there's a lot of fighting of the demons from hell. Lots of action. And yes, Pandemonium is the capital of Hell. There's also some talk about the fallen angel -- I'm not sure what exactly the angel's name is though. But the action is really superb.

Call Harry Mason.