The Show:
Chrono Crusade is a series of ups and downs. Some of the
shows are very entertaining and advance the plot, while other episodes
feel like filler and others just seem to drag. Up until the last
volume, the series had been pretty good overall, but the last set of episodes
contained on volume seven really add a lot to the show and the story it is telling. This disc
manages to wrap the series up in a most satisfactory way. There are
some unexpected twists and it also answers most of the questions that have
popped up in the show. If only all anime shows had such well thought
out and strong conclusions.
Rosette is a nun who belongs to a unique order, the Order of Magdalen
a group dedicated to hunting demons. She's looking for her brother
Joshua who was stolen by a monster at a young age. Fighting at her
side is Chrono, a devil himself who looks like a young boy, and Azmaria,
a little girl with some interesting powers. Set in America during
the roaring 20's, this series has a wonderful art-decco look to it, and
some references to ancient pop-culture that add a sense of fun to the show.
In this part of the series, Rosette, Chrono, Axmaria, along with the
Satella the jewel summoner find themselves in San Francisco. The
battle between the demons and the Magdalen Order for the fate of the earth
has come. The demon Lord Aion has been plotting to destroy both heaven
and hell, and
Aion's plans are coming to fruition, and that's not good for humanity.
The Order of Magdalen has captured Joshua, but he doesn't stay in their
custody for very long. Satella's sister, Fiore, helps him to escape.
While looking for the missing Rosette, Satella encounters her sister fleeing
with Joshua. Abducted by Aion years ago, Fiore fights her sister as if
she doesn't remember her. Satella tries to bring her sister to her
senses, but she's not the same person anymore. Fiore is willing to
kill her sister, and tries her best to.
Meanwhile Rosette shows up, looking very pale, and heals some people
leading the tired and wounded populace to believe that she's an angel of
God who has come to Earth to aid them. By her side is the demon Aion
though and it's clear that she is doing his bidding. Aion causes
pandemonium throughout the US, causing mobs to riot in Rosette's name,
thinking they are doing God's will. Chrono can't stand to see Rosette
used in this way, and goes to the final show down between he and Aion,
a battle that he's been putting off for a long time.
The final episode is an epilog that shows the after effects of the events
that have taken place. It wraps up the series in a very satisfactory,
if bitter-sweet, manner.
This series had its ups and downs, but at its conclusion told an interesting
and very good story. This isn't your typical light-hearted anime
series, bad things do happen to good people. Some of the characters
that you've grown to like over the series aren't saved at the last minute
like you are expecting them to, but then again others are saved.
The final episode can be a little bit confusing in parts, but I really
liked the way they devoted an entire episode to wrapping the series up.
You get to see what happens to the main characters and how the events of
the show shaped their lives. A memorable ending to a solid series.
The DVD:
Like the previous volume, this DVD only contains 3 episodes.
The DVD comes in a clear keepcase with a reversible cover. There
is a double sided insert with the episodes on one side and an image of
the main characters on the other.
Audio:
This DVD has a Japanese stereo sound track with optional English subtitles
and an English dub in 5.1. Both were very good. While I wish that the original
language track was in 5.1 also, I couldn't complain about the sound quality.
The dialog was clean, and there was no distortion or other audio problems.
The English 5.1 track had a bit more punch to it, and used the soundstage
a bit more. The voice actors were very good. I was quite impressed. There
were not any stupid accents or phony sounding voices. While I prefer the
Japanese track, I enjoyed the English dub as well.
Video:
The video quality was also very good also. There is a lot of motion
in this show, something that is hard to transfer to DVD without digital
artifacts, but the authors did a great job. There wasn't any noticeable
aliasing or other common defects that plague animation. The lines were
tight and the bright colors stand out well. This is a good-looking DVD.
Extras:
This DVD had a good selection of bonus material.
One of my favorite extras was Azmaria's Extra Classes, where
the character from the show gives viewers some background details about
the show and its setting. Another extra I enjoyed was the Chrono
Crusade Chronicle, a text based newspaper that explains some more background
about the show.
There are also a clean opening and closing, a gallery of production
sketches, unused openings for the three episodes on this disc, and a selection
of previews. Altogether a great set of bonus material.
Final Thoughts:
This series did drag in a few places, and I think it would have been
better if they had trimmed a few episodes, but in the end it was definitely
worth watching. This last volume really wrapped things up in a satisfactory
manner. If you've followed the show this far, you won't want to miss
this one. A high Recommendation.
Buy: