Chrono Crusade: A Plague of Demons (vol.1)

Reviewed By: Carla Land

ADV DVD

Review based on first disk (episodes 1-4)

Rating 15+

What it’s (basically) all about: In 1920’s America there is more going on than bootlegging. Sister Rosette Christopher has an interesting job for a 16 year old during this time- she’s an exorcist for the Order of Magdalene in New York City. With her partner, the demon Chrono, she fights demons and demon worshippers and tries not to destroy too much of the city in the process….well, maybe next time, Rosette.

Nitty Gritty: To call this nuns with guns isn’t entirely accurate, because Rosette isn’t actually a nun, and the Order of Magdalene isn’t part of the Catholic church. (Not to mention that Rosette isn’t always wearing a nun’s habit while working on a mission.) Still, it rhymes and gives a ballpark idea of the concept.

There is a lot of demon killing in this series, and some of it can be pretty gory. Equally as gory is the way some of the humans meet their ends at the hands of demons (corpses are shown sucked dry of their life forces, one bad guy turns to ash while screaming in horror.) Rosette is a little trigger happy, and she isn’t immune to getting hurt, either. More than once she nearly gets herself killed. Language is surprising mild, and is limited to “damn”, “hell”, and, in the subbed version, “bastard.” One thing to note is that the dubbed version, at least, tried to use idioms and slang from the 1920's to stay true to the time period, so expressions like "It's duck soup" show up.

Character development is slow, but as each episode passes the main characters get a more rounded feel. By the fourth episode there is a clear bond between Chrono and Rosette, and even though we don’t have a lot of their back story we have enough to know that these two haven’t just met up. Chrono is an interesting character. His powers are kept limited by a charm around Rosette’s neck, and on rare occasions he gets to show his true demon self. He goes from kid with a purple mullet to hunky demon with an eight pack when his powers are mot limited, yet he remains a good guy through it all.

Rosette is well endowed, and (according to the audio commentary on episode one) in later episodes she gets to wear some rather revealing outfits. As it is, in episode three she is working incognito in a casino, and the jiggle meter is on. There are several scenes where inappropriate comments are made about her chest or rear, and Rosette isn’t above using her figure to try and get her way. (These scenes are few, but when an old man requests to fondle her voluptuous breasts, it sticks in your head.)

Special features include the mandatory Anime Network/ Newtype Magazine promos (these were a little more hardcore than others I’ve seen); Azmaria’s Extra Classes (which are little history lessons giving background on 1920’s America, the Order of Magdelene, etc.); clean opening/ closing animation; original on-air openings for all four episodes; Chrono Crusade Chronicle (bios of the characters, weapons, and other points of interest); DVD credits; and previews for Peacemaker, Neo Tokyo, Aquarian Age, (New) Fist of the North Star, Parasite Dolls (lots of sexual situations in this one), and Messo (lots of fan service and some mild beeped out language in this one.) There is also commentary on episode one by Greg Ayres, Hilary Haag, and the director. This is one of the better commentaries I’ve heard, and it was very insightful and fun to listen to, which often isn’t the case.

Survey says: Adult sections are the most appropriate place for this one. Teens won’t have any problems watching it, understanding the humor, or dealing with the violence (after Freddy Versus Jason this is nothing.) However, the content can be more mature than a teen section needs.

Personal Ad: I liked it. I liked the dichotomy of a demon and a pseudo-nun working together, and the voice work was very well done. I’ll be sure to watch volume two in the near future.