I was very impressed by the storyline of Chrono Crusade, which is set in the 1920s and focuses on the demon-slaying adventures of Rosette Christopher and her reformed devil partner Chrono. The first half of the series is fairly slow while it sets up the characters, but the latter half goes through the story at breakneck speed.
The series starts off mostly as just another happy-go-lucky anime show, where the main characters skate through great danger unscathed while fearsome enemies fall at every turn. But after about the halfway point, things take a dramatically different turn. The storyline runs through everything from self-sacrifice to (literally) making deals with the devil before the end. The ending pulls no punches - no last-minute miraculous rescues here, which I think fits the rest of the series perfectly.
Be warned - this series delves deeply into the spiritual realm, and has some very pointed comments about the roles of God, Heaven, Hell, demons, etc. that may not sit well with some. If you're offended by such things, I wouldn't watch. I certainly don't agree with all the philosophy the show describes, and I view all such things as I would any other part of fiction - suspend your disbelief and enjoy the show, don't take it as an attempt to challenge your beliefs.
My only real complaint about Chrono Crusade is the voice acting. Just about every episode has several instances of too-shrill yelling and shouting over some minor outrage or comedic interlude. I found myself turning down the volume a lot, then having to raise it and rewind when someone actually said something important. This isn't uncommon in anime, but that doesn't make me like it any more.
Overall, well worth the time to watch. As long as you aren't offended by opposing religous views, and can put up with some unnecessary screaming, Chrono Crusade is a great series.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
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