Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Take A Pick Christmas Edition: Chrono Crusade


Take A Pick Christmas Edition : Chrono Crusade

 

So how is this for a premise, set in the roaring twenties, where bootlegging, gambling the spread of jazz and behind the dark corners devil worshiping rule. One nun from the Magdalene Order and a devil fight the creatures back to the darkness they came from, exterminating them when blessed weaponry and intervening when a human gets in over their heads in dealings with a devil. That’s the premise for Chrono Crusade a twenty four episode series based on the manga by Daisuke Moriyama.  On their journey the two main characters Rosette Christopher ( the nun) and Chrono (the devil) along with fighting against the devils for the order, they also search for Rosette’s  younger brother Joshua and hope to restore the victims of an incident long ago that has shaped everything for the two.
 
 

 

       In this journey they will deal with a new threat unlike any other the order has faced but two themselves know well enough, another group of devils that are rebelling against pandemonium and hope to challenge heaven and bring their own vision of the end of the world to life. Despite the dreary situations they deal with there’s plenty of humor, just trying to see Rosesste fit in with the rest of the order of nuns with her temper is funny in itself as it is to see Chrono to have to be the voice of reason, a usually kind and warm hearted devil, just don’t piss him off.  While Chrono Crusade has been criticized for its serious or dramatic moments turning without warning into humor and has been considered at times unbalanced for this reason it seems instead to be a way for both of us and the characters not to be consumed by the darkness of the problems around them and in life even the most serious of situations often have humor and a switch off not too far off, just a part of life I suppose.  Pretty much the show knows how dark it can get and will do so, more so than you might think after the first few episodes and it might just want to pull back a bit just to bring it back doubled later on. There are also moments that are heartwarming that come back to the underlining themes of the shows, such as Azamaria someone saved by the two and taken in by the order experiencing her first Christmas when she was told before that Santa doesn’t exist. See where I’m going with this week’s choice.

 

      Of course another element is horror in the show which gets to take center stage more often than not, after all with everything that’s going on it usually goes hand in hand, a red moon, a Jesus crying out tears of blood, rituals done by humans to summon devils,  if nothing else it runs parallel to many the horror movies out there of course though that isn’t Chrono Crusade’s sole purpose, like all the other genres it flirts with the story happens to touch on these things, you see the danger and feel the gravity of the situation. With an interesting display of wickedness that hides behind any era, especially the one the show is set in nicknamed the Roaring 20’s, one of several eras where the United States had reached a height of prosperity while also defining the lines set between the rich and poor, they would be shown in the anime along with shades of foreshadowing of things to come such as The Depression and of course World War II or the second storm if you will. 



 There is indeed the aspect of romance which is hard to miss, the relationship of the two main characters is sincere and Chrono's dedication to her is beyond words, you'll see what I mean. After all what Rosette wears around her neck is connected to Chrono their contract which costs her something dear they are already connected, her devotion to finding her brother is proof of that but in this journey you can see her devotion might be as much to Chrono as his is to her. Eat your heart out Father Remington. Chrono Crusade plays with these things becoming effected by them and effecting them in return as well and things might seem sort of bleak in the show but do not forget what one of the important themes of the show is. Before I get into that, a worthy comparison to the show is the original manga that ran for eight volumes, there are differences that I won’t spoil but it might be interesting to read after or before the show. The theme and message of the show really has to do with the characters more than anything, hope, what the main cast of characters seek, no matter how impossible things may seem at time, no matter how bleak  that one should never stop hoping.
 


 
 

 

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