Product Description

Studio: Adv Films Release Date: 11/01/2005 Run time: 650 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32772 in DVD
• Brand: ADV Films
• Released on: 2005-11-01
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Japanese
• Number of discs: 5
• Running time: 600 minutes

Amazon.com
The offbeat supernatural adventure Chrono Crusade takes place in 1928, when the hedonistic culture of Prohibition-era New York has fueled a rise in Satanism. Sister Rosette of the Magdalene Order is a klutzy, gun-toting exorcist-cum-devil-hunter who wrecks her period cars, blows up the wrong buildings, and generally adds to the headaches of her superiors. Her level-headed partner Chrono tries to rein her in and minimize the damage. He's a devil (literally), but he's bound to Rosette by psychological and magical ties. The supporting cast includes a lecherous inventor who peeks up Rosette's habit; handsome Father Remington; Azmaria, a mysteriously powerful girl who adores Rosette; and the formidable head of the Magdalene Order, Sister Kate (who doesn't shimmy).

Chrono Crusade was adapted from a long-running manga by Daisuke Moriyama, and its biggest weakness is the central character. Rosette is a screechy, clumsy comic heroine, but she and the Magdalene Order are all that's keeping the devil Aion from realizing his nefarious plot to remake the universe. Chrono Crusade feels like someone dropped Lina Inverse from Slayers into Hellsing: it's too dark to be funny, but too silly to take seriously. Although many anime series depict battles against devils and demons, the constant references to holy water, God, the Vatican, etc. in Chrono Crusade may offend religious viewers, especially Catholics. (Rated TV 14 V, suitable for ages 15 and older: violence, grotesque imagery, risqué humor, nudity, bizarre religious imagery) --Charles Solomon

From the Back Cover
Chrono Crusade is based on the original manga series by Daisuke Moriyama, a best-seller published here in the States by ADV Manga. Directed by Yuu Kou and produced by the famous GONZO Digimation (Full Metal Panic!), Chrono Crusade’s holy heroes are elite exorcists sworn to stop a steady onslaught of demons crossing over into the human world of America in the 1920s. Chrono Crusade is "an outstanding series and embodies just about anything and everything that any anime fan could ever hope to have in a single show' (Underland Online). The series recently began airing on Showtime, where it will be broadcast in its entirety.

The year is 1928. Jazz is hot, bootleg liquor is king and the idle rich of a nation have discovered a horrifying new past-time: summoning demons! To combat this growing threat, a new order of Holy Warriors has arisen. This is the story of Sister Rosette, an elite Exorcist in the Order of Magdalene, whose soul has been bound by alchemy to that of the devil Chrono. Armed with Sacred ammo, they form an unstoppable team, ready to wage war at a moments notice… because when the gates of Hell are opened, someone’s got to put the devils back!

Customer Reviews

A Powerful Message
In an initial review I wrote for the first volume of this series, I presented Chrono Crusade as no more than an action-oriented comedy that dealt lightheartedly with some rather controversial stuff. While I believe that was okay for the time, I've since learned, in watching the entire anime, otherwise. Yes, this series will make you laugh, especially at the antics of the two main characters. And about half of the of the twenty-four episodes are light-hearted, while the others are surely dark. Of those twelve more serious episodes, the last four or five are as as heart-wrenching as Aztec sacrifices. But, so as not to confuse, the constant contrasting emotions have no effect on the anime itself. The happy-go-lucky stuff happens early on, mainly to introduce the characters or the settings, or whatever, and the darker stuff comes later, during the main story line.

The story itself follows Sister Rosette Christopher, a spunky girl great at destroying things, and her trusted partner-in-mischief Chrono, a peaceful, child-like devil. Both of them work for the Order of the Magdalene, a fearless group of exorcists and devil-slayers. Early on in the series, Rosette and Chrono are sent on a collection of unrelated missions, either to destroy threats from devils or to save those in danger. In one of these missions, they meet Azmaria, a girl with a tremendous power to heal, yet a power she's unable to control. They take her under their wing. Soon after, the real story begins. Chrono and Rosette's histories are revealed, and the two main enemies, Aion and Joshua, Rosette's brother, begin their quest to start the apocalypse. This ignites a war between man-kind and devil-kind, and though the sides are sometimes blurred between the two, it's clear that the final outcome wanted by Aion is one that may be inevitable. Still, help for the good-guys comes from odd places, including a pagan jewel-witch who has the power to materialize creatures from gemstones, and a horde of devil/hell-police, who want to keep the order in place, the way God had intended.

By the end, I, personally, was floored. Not only did I like the idea of devils with morals, but I enjoyed the fact that Chrono Crusade was fearless in its attempt to present a great story, controversy or not. It uses stories from the Bible, as well as religious mysticism, and mixes things that would be considered sacrilegious in our society, such as the love between a human girl and a devil. Even with that controversy, though, the message of this series is deep, and one that tells the story of human history and how many mistakes we have made over the years.

And of course, there is the actual climax of Chrono Crusade, which I will admit brought more than just one tear to my eye.

Chrono Crusade ranks close beside Last Exile as one of GONZO's greatest anime. The story ranges from moronic to dead serious, and pulls this off well by presenting a message and a theme, something that's uncommon in anime meant for laughs. The ideas in this story, though rich with controversy (if anime were as mass marketed as Harry Potter, this would be a series in the burning pits), are unique for an anime, and the ending is one of the best I've seen, especially when you consider the history of anime endings. I recommend this box set to anyone who wants to see something unique and worth multiple viewing, because that's exactly what Chrono Crusade is.

Great value, great series...
I'm really surprised at some of the negative reviews surrounding this series. My wife and I just finished the collection, and we were both blown away. If you're at all into Catholic mysticism, exorcism, angels, and demons, all with a good helping of Japanese existentialism, you'll love this series. If you want mechs, you're on the wrong page. Chrono Crusade has its silly, humorous moments, but by the time you've gotten to the end, you'll find yourself moved, unsettled, and sad that it's over. It's worth seeing, and the five-disc collection is an excellent value.

Fantastic
Chrono Crusade is the best if not the greatest anime i've seen thus far. The storyline is great the introduction of the characters the plot of the story was not rushed it flowed smoothly and the animation is awesome. ADV Films have done a fantastic job in getting the right voice actors for the job. 24 Episodes loaded with comedy, action, romance its soo good it will bring a tear to your eye seriously. Even though i give this series high praise........i wish the ending wasnt so sad.......From episoeds 1-15 its all fun and you get to know the characters but through episodes 15-24 things get all serious dark and gloomy.
But um if ur a person that really gets into the anime and the development of the characters this will leave in crying in the end. But with the collection bundle it doesnt include any special features but to sum things up Chrono Crusade is a great series to add to anyone's collection