Chrono Crusade

Publisher
ADV
Director
Koh Yuh
Production
GONZO
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
24 episodes
Year
2003

Chrono Crusade vol 1: A Plague of Demons

By John Huxley
12th Apr 05

Chrono Crusade? That wouldn’t have much in common with the Square Chrono series of videogames, would it? As much as I’d like to see a Chrono Trigger/Cross animation one day (and while you’re at it, Square/Enix, a sequel would be nice!), Chrono Crusade is an altogether different kettle of fish. The title does have a certain logic behind it, though; one of the characters is called Chrono and thanks to some heavy religious themes our characters embark upon a crusade of sorts. Besides, Chrono Crusade’s storyline is a million miles away from Square’s RPG games...

Chrono Crusade is set in the midst of the bustling metropolis of New York circa 1928; the demand for bootleg liquor glamorises and empowers organised crime, Chaplin and Keaton are the stars of the silver screen and an unparalleled economic growth has given rise to towering skyscrapers. Hungry to feed on this vain decadence, demons have begun to filter through into the city’s easily corruptible underworld. With the police force unable to oppose these terrifying beasts, it’s up to Sister Rosette of the Order of the Magdalene, armed with an array of blessed demon-slaying artillery, to save the day. However, when the action really heats up and regular ammo simply won’t cut it, Rosette calls on her unassuming partner Chrono for a little assistance. A once powerful demon, Chrono has betrayed his lineage in order to fight by Rosette’s side in the name of God; his demonic alter ego cutting swathes through the demon hordes.

Whilst severely lacking in the originality department, this simple premise remains relatively engaging thanks to Gonzo’s typically slick execution. After all, Gonzo have been here and done this before with the popular vampire-related anime Hellsing. It goes without saying that the two shows share many similarities beyond their production studio, although Chrono Crusade’s atmosphere distinguishes it from its older sibling; here the gratuitous violence takes a back seat in favour some humourous moments which make Chrono Crusade a much more lighthearted experience. That said, Hellsing fans should still find something here to rekindle pleasant memories even if the comparisons aren’t entirely favourable.

Much like Hellsing, the first couple of episodes are spent introducing all the major players. Unsurprisingly the centre of attention, flame haired Sister Rosette is an exciteable, bubbly personality who often verges on the irritating. Nevertheless, her generous portion of screentime should see us wamring to even her most annoying traits as her character develops alongside some of the more involving storylines. The (very welcome) antitheses of Rosette comes in the shape of the quasi-demon Chrono, Rosette’s loyal protector and potential romantic interest. At first glance Chrono appears to be a fairly unremarkable character, but when his shady past comes in to the equation things start to get a little more interesting. I’m afraid I can’t really say much more without dropping a few massive spoilers, so you’ll just have to watch and find out for yourself! Although fairly unremarkable, these characters should be solid enough to hold your interest (and take your attention away from the awfully stereotypical secondary characters) throughout the rest of the series. It will certainly be interesting to see how Chrono and Rosette’s potentially tragic relationship develops, at least.

The story proper doesn’t really kick in until around the third episode; a two-part storyline which sees Rosette and Chrono attempt to rescue a gifted young apostle, Azmaria, from the grasp of an evil millionaire. Whilst this is pretty much a self contained storyline much like the previous two episodes, it’s the appearance of several more established characters that really makes this a much more fulfilling viewing experience. There’s a few hints throughout this volume of an overarching plot developing in the background, but I suspect we’re going to have to wait a while longer yet before we’re treated to anything in the way of an explanation. For now we’ll have to make do with a few more side stories, which is perfectly acceptable as long as they’re all of a similar quality to this enjoyable effort.

As is the case with Rosette’s dubiously fetishistic nun’s outfit, Chrono’s stylish design, especially when in demon form (which is slightly reminiscent of Devil Man, although I suppose comparisons are only natural given the subject matter), would probably shift a few action figures if they were ever to see a release (hint, hint). It might not be entirely accurate, yet Chrono Crusade’s period setting really helps to add a lot of visual interest with plenty of 1920's pre-depression American icons such as the Model-T Ford and artdeco architecture. Forsaking authenticity for pretty colours and flash designs, Chrono Crusade is undoubtedly an attractive piece of animation. Technically this isn’t Gonzo’s strongest effort in recent years (I haven’t spotted much CGI yet), but it all holds together well enough even during some of the more ambitious action sequences.

During the first couple of episodes the action scenes are really disappointingly lacklustre, yet much like Hellsing things begin to improve dramatically as our heroes face more established adversaries, the first of which appears in the towards the end of this volume. This is the first time we’re treated to Chrono’s full transformation and the first time the action really heats up. Whilst lacking any real innovation, these fight scenes make for a decent enough distraction and a welcome change of pace. They’re definitely on a par with many other recent Gonzo series including Hellsing, although I personally don’t think they’d compare too favourably alongside the likes of the Devil Man OVAs.

There’s really a lot to enjoy in Chrono Crusade. It’s just a pity that no one element stands out and really grabs your attention. Regardless, it’s early days yet and I’m hopeful that Chrono Crusade will go on to bigger and better things. As it stands, Chrono Crusade is still well worth checking out if the concept appeals. And who here doesn’t find gun-toting nuns and winged demon slayers appealing?

R2 DVD Notes

Features: English 5.1 and Japanese 2.0 audio, English subtitles, Azmaria’s extra classes, Background info for characters and settings, production sketches, clean open/close, original on-air opening, ADV previews

Release information: UK: 2005, ADV

Notes: ADV have really gone to town on this Chrono Crusade release, fitting in a fair number of decent extras and a reversible cover to boot. The regular cover is pretty much par for the course for a series such as this, with Rosette and a demon Chrono in action-ready poses set against a dark and fiery background. The alternate cover, practical for display, lightens the tone a little with a sky blue colour scheme and softer imagery. They’re both nice designs but I feel the alternate cover’s composition just about gives it the edge. There are plenty of extras included on the disc itself, but it’s Azmaria’s extra classes and the background info which will hold the most interest. Lasting only a few minutes, Azmaria’s extra classes takes us through a whistle-stop tour of Chrono Crusade’s setting, plenty useful for people like myself who don’t know much about the era. Much like Abenobashi’s booklet, the background info is presented as a mock newspaper, with each article revealing more information on that particular character, weapon or location. It’s not as witty as Abenobashi’s effort but it’s a decent distraction nevertheless. Although not their best, this is easily one of ADV’s better packages of recent months.

-- John Huxley 12th Apr 05

Chrono Crusade Images