Posts Tagged ‘chrno crusade’

Today Funimation has re-released a little horror/action series called Chrno Crusade for fans to buy, enjoy and savor. And believe me, there is a lot within this series to become completely lost in. Produced by Gonzo in 2003, Chrno Crusade managed to find life and rave reviews within the shores of region 1 thanks to ADV in 2006 (though not really the legions of fans that it deserved) before disappearing from radars and store shelves quietly. Finally though, a brand new audience can discover the demon fighting thrill ride that is this series.

Taking place in late 1920’s New York, Chrno Crusade focuses on a demon fighting nun named Rosette Christopher (Hilary Haag in the English cast) in the Order of Magdalene and her demon partner, Chrono (Greg Ayres), as she searches for her missing younger brother Joshua (Chris Patton). As she continues to search however an enemy appears bent on bringing Hell to the surface and it turns out that he requires Joshua to do it. An amazing series all the way through, here the things that you should know ahead of time before starting in.

Period Speak:

Taking place in 1920’s New York, the staff behind this series really wanted to reflect that through the language. This is particularly true of the English script which is filled with references to ‘apple Sauce’, ‘the bee’s knees’ and other references appropriate for the period. This can sometimes be annoying though more often than not I found it to be a really nice touch that helps to create the world.

You Won’t Be Saved But…

All of the main characters from this series are connected to the church in one way or another but do not let this scare you off. Within the 26 episodes Chrno Crusade explores religion from new perspectives while asking questions that will leave audiences with something to think about for days afterward. Even if you’re not interested in western religion at all, the points that this series raise make this series much more thought provoking and thoughtful than anyone would suspect.

Moe Before There Was Moe:

Satella is easily, hands down the best fiery German redhead since Asuka and Azmaria is one of the cutest sidekicks in anime history. This is just another point to Chrno Crusade that completes the entire picture. While the foreground is never lacking in interesting events or situations, the background is equally filled with the side stories of the easily likeable supporting cast.

Ear Plugs:

I don’t own a big home theater system so this is hardly an issue for me but if you do own one, get your ear plugs ready. As Rosette remembers moments from her past with Joshua there will be moments that constantly shift from soft whispers to blood curdling screams. Sometimes it even happens within the same sentence.

Get Your Tissues Ready:

If you take nothing else away from this article just remember that you’re going to need to stock up on tissues. I’m not interested in spoiling how it ends but this is one of the best climaxes of the decade. No major open questions, just satisfaction and buckets of tears.

One of the most underappreciated series of the last few years, Chrno Crusade is one of the titles that I worried no one would ever release again. Thanks to Funimation though, a brand new wave of anime fans will get to see one of the best series to be produced by Gonzo (possibly ever). If you weren’t watching anime a few years ago or you were but didn’t check this one out, I cannot let this end this without urging you to change that. A classic to be appreciated, if you like action, demons and wonderful writing this should be in your collection. If you’d like to check it out yourself, the series is available in a brand new collection on Right Stuf and Amazon.

So back in November I came up with an idea for a monthly salute and then quickly realized that perhaps I could have prepared it a little better. So after some re-tooling, Otaku Review Salutes is back and better! If you missed the first feature, the point here is that we all love anime but sometimes we need to stop (or momentarily pause on our way to the next thing in our Google readers, rss feeds, etc) and smell the… um, themed image galleries of characters that we’ve enjoyed. Hm, maybe I should start thinking these introductions though a bit more carefully.

After my review of El Cazador, the theme for this month was an easy pick. So without further delay, Otaku Review salutes… Babes with Bullets!

Madlax: At least one Bee Train girl was a given to be on this list and for my money, Madlax is THE Bee Train poster girl. Capable of killing you in fatigues, a cocktail dress or nothing at all; Madlax could wipe the floor with Nadie, Ein or Michelle!

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Rushuna Tendo (Grenadier): So Grenadier isn’t exactly a masterpiece of animation but I can’t think of another character that has a better one motion reload sequence! They don’t call her the ‘Smiling Senshi’ for nothing.

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Yoko Littner (Gurren Lagann): Every list needs an easy pick but in this case it’s more obvious than easy: Yoko! I didn’t love Gurren Lagann but it’s hard to think of a girl who can handle a rifle better than her. Though in my mind the eternal question will always be ‘She lives freakin underground so why does she only wear a bikini and hot pants?’

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Rosette Christopher (Chrno Crusade): So she doesn’t shoot bullets but how can any list like this be complete without at least one demon killing nun? It can’t and I’m glad that we’ve come to agreement here.

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12 Sisters (Coyote Ragtime Show): So this is my grey area entry for this list since technically only a few of the sisters actually carry guns (and my personal favorite is actually July who can slice you in half without even messing up her hair) but come on… it’s 12 android, gothic loli assassins! Are you really going to deny them this? Didn’t think so.

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No honorable mentions this month but who do you think should have been included on the list? Who are your favorite girls with guns? What little slice of anime would you like to see Otaku Review salute in the future? Share your favorites in the comments!

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.

Intro

            Finally I can put this anime in the “completed” category though I’m sad to see it go.

The Story

            In the final volume of this anime, characters are preparing to say good bye to those they loved and some are preparing to absolutely destroy those they loved. While Satella works to get her sister to remember who she once was, Rosette is going around using her new found powers as an apostle to heal the injured in the company of Aion and is thus picking up followers.

            In these final three episodes, many battles will be fought. First will be Satella against her sister and Satella will be forced to take drastic measures in order to win her sister back from the side of the devils.

            Meanwhile, Chrono is trying to win back Rosette but her followers won’t even allow him to get near her and after spotting him wearing the mark of the Magdalene Order, they have stormed their headquarters as well demanding that they release Chrono so that he can be destroyed.

            Aion is using the faith that Rosette is inspiring in the masses to cause mass hysteria and chaos. Rosette, in her altered form, is demanding the contract she shares with Chrono be destroyed but he must still face off against Aion and make one last stab at saving the life of his partner.

The Good And The Bad

            The battle sequences were better than I’ve ever seen from this series before. The battle between the jewel summoners was a great way to star the volume. While the battle between Aion and Chrono was a little anti climatic, this was ironically one of the least important parts of the volume and thus the series.

            In a double dose of irony though, despite this battle being one of the least important parts of the series and volume; the six volumes of build up was far from a waste. With Aion being one of the most manipulative villains to ever grace an anime series, the build up was more than worth it to see where it all led.

            This volume does a great job of wrapping things up though and leaves no loose ends that many other series forget. Every character is taken care of and every plot point is closed up neatly and in a way that satisfies the viewer.

Music

            Once again, the music on this volume was strong with some tracks that I didn’t recognize from the OSTs but the music in this volume is so subdued that it was hardly noticeable. With only two real battle scenes, the music never tries to play up any intensity really besides in those scenes. All the rest of the music is simple and easy going providing a very relaxed atmosphere which is exactly what the audience is going to need with what they are going to be put through.

Dub vs. Sub

            As with all the previous volumes, I really did prefer the dub track and Hilary Haag did such a fabulous job with her role. I’ve said it many times in the past and I will continue to say it in the future that this is one of Hilary’s best roles and will probably always be one of her best. Jessica Boone was also shining brightly in this volume as Azmaria and Tiffany Grant’s scenes as Satella were brilliant. An all around wonderful performance from all the dub cast members.

Extras

            Along with the usual clean animations and production sketches, we are treated to three unused opening animations for episodes 22-24 and the final editions of the Azmaria lecture series and Chronicles. The subject of the lecture from Azmaria is the head of Pandemonium which Aion uses frequently and was the start of this whole series of evil. The Chronicles cover two more character profiles, some of the events that took place in 1929 and some of the fashion styles that are worn by characters on this volume.

            In previous volumes, it wasn’t a huge deal to look at these extras before you watched the episodes but on this final volume you will want to avoid looking at these extras before the episodes, especially the Chronicles because major spoilers are given away in them.

            One thing that was missing that I really wished that was included on this final volume was a commentary track with a couple of the actors, most especially Hilary and Greg to get their take on how this series ended.

Overall

            At the close of volume six, I was absolutely excited to see the end of this series but a part of me was really hesitant because I was worried that my expectations would not be met and I would be forced to give this volume a poor review and thus have wasted my time on a series that had such wonderful potential from the start but now I am sitting here writing this review much later than I usually write my reviews because this final volume was so well done that I really had to collect myself.

            Though it is two years old, this is very easily a series that I would still highly recommend to people and have done so just recently in fact. The characters are easily liked; the story is unique and raises many interesting questions and ideas and the ending ties things up nicely with no loose ends. This is a series that I am happy to have in my collection and is one that I will be telling people to watch for years to come.

            Now if you’ll excuse me, I need to go watch something happy.

Final Grade: 96% – A

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.

Intro

            Another anime that got lost in the shuffle a couple of years ago is being finished off tonight.

The Story

            On volume six of this anime, three more episodes are shown that bring us closer to the climax. At the close of volume five, Rosette was brought face to face with her long lost brother, Joshua, who has been in the possession of the evil Aion. Joshua is not the brother that she remembers though, his mind has been warped from years of having devil horns. The trap has been laid though, Aion has all of the apostles in his possession and his plan to lower heaven has begun. It will not go as you expect it to and there will be fatalities.

            Soon though, the numbers of many will go down to two: Aion and Rosette and Rosette will be forced into making a terrible decision while histories are revealed in full detail.

The Good And The Bad

            To say that there are bad things about this series is really quite a difficult thing to say with a completely straight face. No series is perfect and this series is far from perfect but when you make a list of this volume’s good and bad qualities, there really aren’t many ways to compare the two.

            With only three episodes leading to the climax on the final volume, you really have to look hard for the major imperfections. The easiest of which is that there are some predictable turns in the plot on this volume though to be fair, I was still surprised by them when they first appeared on my screen. Later as I sat down to write this review and thought back to those scenes, I did realize that I probably should’ve seen them coming but I was so engaged in what I saw that I didn’t have time to think about what I thought was going to come next.

            Upon its release, this series was easily one of the most innovative because of the story and willingness to push some boundaries. Of all the topics in the world, religion isn’t so much a taboo anymore but to challenge what is known or widely accepted still carries a risk in any form (one only has to look at Kevin Smith’s film “Dogma” for a prime example) and it makes you wonder why the creators of this anime were able to get away with it as much as they did.

            The writing in this volume continues to be phenomenal though in terms of characters. This series has always had very strong characters and this volume pushes them to new limits and takes them into new lights that I wasn’t expecting nor prepared to see them in.

            The animation continues to be another strong point within this series with crisp lines and colors that looked great two years ago when it was released and still looks good when I put the disc into my player.  

Music

            There is lots of great music on this volume but the tense strings tend to be overused quite a bit. While it obviously the same song that is being used over and over, at least it is not the same part of the song that is played over and over which is a plus but not by much since anyone who listens to music on a regular basis will be able to tell that it is the same song. I did think it was interesting though that on this volume I heard more than a couple of songs, including a choral song, that weren’t included on either of the OSTs, at least not that I remember ever hearing when I reviewed them.

Dub vs. Sub

            Since the beginning, I’ve always preferred the dub cast over the sub cast for four primary reasons: Hilary Haag, Greg Ayres, Jessica Boone and Andy McAvin. While Tomoko Kawakami does a great job with the spunky Rosette, Hilary catches it perfectly and this is easily one of Jessica’s best performances along with Andy McAvin as the deliciously evil and manipulative Aion. These performances are stellar and while the sub cast is good, the dub cast is stellar.

Extras

            Besides the usual production sketches and clean animations, there is another unused opening animation sequence for episode 21. The most important extras as always though are the lectures given by Azmaria which covers the rite of atonement on this volume and the Chronicles which has a bio of Joshua, some more details about the Ritual of Atonement and finally some more details about the history of Chrono and his relationship with Mary Magdalene along with some more of the details behind Aion’s history.

            One would be well warned to realize that there are some minor spoilers in the Azmaria lecture and Chronicles but nothing major and I really don’t think that my viewing experience was dampened by watching them first. You might feel differently though so use some discretion when deciding on if you want to watch them first or last.

Overall

            As I said earlier, from the beginning I have been a huge fan of this series and I really do think that I always will be. With its stellar characters and storylines, this anime has captivated me and kept me engaged from the beginning and even though all my experience with anime has me screaming that I should know better, my hopes are high for a dramatic and stunning conclusion to this anime.

Final Grade: 89% – B

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.
 
Intro
 
        I wanted more after last volume but I certainly wanted more than this.
 
The Story       
       
        The last episode of volume four left me wanting more and finally I get more starting with Satella letting it be known right away that she has no intention of prolonging the alliance that has been formed between the order and the devils. She’s been having terrible dreams and a rash of disappearances have been striking in both Denver and San Francisco making everyone believe that the devils are kidnapping them to boost their power. Satella begins a search for these missing people on her own but is kidnapped by the new enemy for her trouble and is offered up as a sacrifice to Aion. 
 
        In the second episode of the volume Satella is a wreck after her ordeal, not even getting out of bed. Rosette isn’t doing any better with the second part of her stigmata appearing on her forehead. There’s no time to deal with either of that though as the devil’s hideout has been found and an attack has been organized bringing both the devils and the Order of Magdalene together to fight side by side. Quickly realizing that it’s a trap though, the devils fight hard and the Order is quickly pushed to the rear lines until a barrier is put up, causing sacrifices to be made on both sides.
 
        The final episode of the volume has many losing faith including those in the New York branch of the Order. Rosette and Satella are pushing themselves past their breaking points while Chrono and Rosette are worried sick. In an effort to lighten the mood, Azmaria insists on taking everyone out to a carnival. The party ends on a rather precarious cliff though as Rosette is suddenly brought face to face with her brother, Joshua.
 
The Good And The Bad
 
        Up until now this has been a very solid series with very few technical flaws and so when I started watching this volume you can imagine my surprise and disappointment when I found flaws popping up such as the sound quality drops for a scene during first episode and the battle sequences in second episode being a little too dark. While the battle sequences were almost certainly designed to be a little dark, the very short drop in sound quality during the first episode was quite annoying. Rarely does a mistake like this happen though and so I am not concerned about it since it does disappear very quickly.
 
        My real complaint with this volume is the low episode count. With the series coming so close to it’s final volume, I really was hoping to see more episodes on this volume to really set up the final climax and battles but sadly that just wasn’t to be found in this volume and if I were someone who wasn’t completely committed to this series, I would find it very hard to get excited about seeing the final two volumes.
 
        Luckily though I am someone who has been very committed to this series since the very beginning and so even though I’m a little worried with where the series plans to go on the next volume, my interest in it hasn’t been diminished by this one. 
 
Music
 
        I’ve said some less than nice things in my reviews of the soundtrack to this series but that is simply because when taken out of context the songs in this series just aren’t that enjoyable. When used in the proper times though and shown with the animation, the music in this series is phenomenal. “Dance Stage” is one of those songs that I loved and I loved finally getting to see it being used in the proper context of this series and it’s always a joy to hear Azmaria sing.
 
Dub vs. Sub
 
        Both the dub and sub tracks have been winners with me since the beginning and I really never get tired of hearing Hilary Haag and Jessica Boone as Rosette and Azmaria. Tiffany Grant as Satella is always a joy to my ears as well.
 
        Both dub and sub fans really can’t have much to complain about here.
 
Extras
 
        The usual wonderful extras are included on this volume including two more of Azmaria’s lectures in which she covers the history of Mary Of Magdalene and stigmata. Also included is another edition of the Chrono Crusade Chronicle which talks about the main devils that are fighting alongside the Order including the duke of the devils, Duffau, and Carv. Also talked about are the California gold rush, the traditional carnival before Lent and even more info about stigmata.
 
        Also included are clean animations and production sketches. 
 
Overall
 
        I have to say that I was really disappointed with this volume. Even though there were a couple of strong episodes, I just really felt that it wasn’t a very good lead in to the final volumes. I really felt like there was something lacking here in terms of the story really coming together.
 
        I think that fans of this series are going to be pretty disappointed with this volume but overall it’s worth watching simply for some of the very precious moments that are shown between Rosette and Chrono.

Final Grade: 79% – C
 
 

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.
 
Intro
       
        Another fabulous release of this creepy series is here for our pleasure, just wish it were a bit longer.
       
The Story
 
        Three more episodes are shown on this volume but don’t let that fool you, a whole lot of plot is crammed into these three episodes. In the first episode, Rosette and the bunch are headed towards San Francisco to try to find Joshua. Along the way they run into Satella who has a case on the west coast to investigate. Also along the way they run into the spider devil who appeared a couple of volumes earlier and Rosette must fight her.
 
        In the second episode, everyone arrives in San Francisco but unfortunately Chrono comes down with a terrible fever and soon after Rosette does too. Rosette searches desperately for some medicine that is strong enough to work on a devil but comes up short until she meets a fortune teller who tells her how to cure Chrono’s fever but also secretly learns of Rosette’s fate.
 
        In the final episode of the volume a devil pays a visit to Chrono. He is a duke within the devil kingdom and he is just as determined to see Aion defeated as the Order of Magdalene and so he offers an alliance between the two factions. An uneasy truce is formed between the two and Rosette learns that she too has been blessed with a gift from God. Also revealed in this final episode of the volume is the original battle that Aion created, the story behind the Civil War that is being fought among the sinners and the role that Chrono played in that battle.
               
The Good And The Bad
 
        Even though there were only three episodes on this volume I was absolutely hooked from beginning to end here. The biggest points for this volume were easily the humor that was taken up a few notches in the writing here. There is some fabulous interplay between Satella and Rosette that is absolutely hilarious but also some scenes in the second episode that made me crack up completely.
 
        I think that this boost in the level of humor was a great idea because the third episode goes back to the usual dark tone in the series with the arrival of the new devil and the revelation that Rosette is going to play a much more pivotal role in the climax of this series than the main character usually does.
 
        While other reviewers may disagree with me, I am of the state of mind that if your biggest complaint about a volume is that it ends too soon than the creators are doing everything right thus far.
 
Music
 
        I have really gone off on the soundtracks to this series in my reviews of them and I stand by those opinions but I am finding that when the music is used in context within the series, it becomes much better and much more enjoyable.
 
        The music on this volume was absolutely fabulous and while I am not in any rush to go out and listen to the soundtracks again, I still think that they were fabulously done.
 
Dub vs. Sub
 
        In the first two episodes of this volume, you can’t go wrong with either track. Both of these episodes are hilarious and very well done in either language but starting with the last episode I highly suggest that you go with the dub track unless you are very good at reading details quickly and retaining them in your head. The plot starts to get very complex starting in this episode and I found it much easier to handle it when I was listening to it in the dub track rather than sub.
 
        Standout performance goes to Jessica Boone. Jessica has an incredible talent for playing characters that are just so sweet and cute you are worried about going into diabetic shock and her portrayal of Azmaria is no exception.
 
Extras
 
        Besides the usual clean animations and production sketches, we are also treated to another edition of Azmaria’s extra classes in which she talks about the sinners and some of the lore behind them within Christian literature. Also included is the Chrono Crusade Chronicle with four articles. Three of them are about life in the 1920’s and the fourth is a feature about some of the main sinners working for Aion.
 
Overall
 
        I really like this series. It’s dark, it’s creepy and it’s going places that I haven’t seen an anime go before. It’s highly original and innovative and should be at the top of many people’s ‘to watch’ pile. If you haven’t gotten into this series yet, you have no reason to wait any longer to do so.
 
Final Grade: 95% – A
 
 
 
 

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.
 
Intro
 
With four Volume 1’s sitting on my ‘To Watch’ pile this weekend I thought it might be a good idea to start with something a bit more familiar with this, the third volume of the deliciously dark series, Chrono Crusade.
 
The Story
 
This volume balances out very nicely with the first two episodes of the volume being incredibly plot driven and the final two episodes being filler and yet all of them were great episodes. In the first two episodes, the story is finally revealed. The past is there for all of us to see. In a brilliantly done two part episode we are taken back four years to the Seventh Bell orphanage where Rosette and Joshua spent their time. It is in this time that we not only get to see Joshua as he was before Aion corrupted him, but also how they met Chrono. These episodes were fabulous mostly because I loved finally getting to see the incredibly twisted beginnings to this story.
 
In the third episode of the volume, we are faced with pure filler but I don’t mind because one of the best characters of the series makes her return here. A devil worshipper has sacrificed her life and her soul and brought forth unto New York City a hell hound. A demon which is fueled purely by her hatred and want of vengeance against the mafia families in the city that she blames for the death of her fiancé who was killed six months ago in a cross fire with the police. Rosette and Chrono are sent out on the case but along the way they run into everyone’s favorite Jewel Witch, Satella.
 
In the final episode of the volume (and easily one of the best), it’s Christmas time at the Order and it is revealed that Azmaria has never had a Christmas before. She’s never even been given a gift. She’s convinced that it’s because she’s just a bad girl who doesn’t deserve gifts but in this episode, Azmaria finally gets to learn the true meaning of the holiday. Meanwhile, Father Remington has discovered that new happenings are going on in San Francisco and feels that it’s time for Rosette, Azmaria and Chrono to go forth on their own to conduct an investigation and find out where Joshua is.
 
The Good And The Bad
 
Anyone who isn’t impressed by the animation in this series should just go away now. The animation in this series is just absolutely flawless. From the brilliant way computers and ink are blended together, to the incredible use of light when Satella summons one of her creatures to the incredible shading on Rosette’s face when she’s in a battle to the incredibly hilarious ways that the characters are drawn when they are happy or embarrassed, this series nails it all beautifully. This is as close to flawless animation that I have ever seen.
 
The big complaint that I think anyone would come up with is that this series is very dark and gothic in it’s nature and especially since religion is such a central theme to it, people can very easily be turned off by this but all I can say to this is that religion is only the very surface of this series. If you really want to get at the heart of this series, you have to dig much deeper and look at all the wonderful things that included within it.
 
Music
 
I really liked the background music used in this volume. The music that I loved in particular were the very campy segway songs which really make you feel like you’re watching something from the 20’s. I love how the creators went that extra mile to make it feel that much more authentic and really put you where you need to be.
 
The choral music in episode four in particular was also gorgeous and I loved the soft piano themes used during the pageant. Very well done and it transferred over beautifully.
 
Dub vs. Sub
 
Both tracks were great but I enjoyed the dub track much more by a long shot. Everyone on this volume really went above and beyond the call of duty to deliver the great performance. Hilary Haag really had to let herself go as Rosette here, Chris Patton also had to tear his throat to shreds but he really nailed Joshua and Jessica Boone has never sounded better as Azmaria.
 
Extras
 
Lots of great extras but most of them are the usual clean opening and closing animations and production sketches. The real great extras though are the great Azmaria lectures. Two more are included on this volume and both of them are fabulously interesting with the first one covering Satella’s creatures (well some of them at least) and then some more about devil worshippers. I really wish that they had been longer and covered a bit more but they were good for the most part and so I’m definitely not complaining.
 
The next extra that I thought was a great addition was a glossary of slang terms used in the series that come from the 20’s. I thought this was just a handy little reference guide and there were so many entries in it!!
 
The final extra worth noting here is the commentary track featuring Matt Greenfield (ADR Director) and Chris Patton (Joshua). Normally I really like listening to these tracks but in this case I found it fairly boring. There were some interesting bits but the most part I think it was something that I could’ve skipped.
 
Overall
 
This series has been absolutely fabulous so far. I love how dark it has been getting and creepy but never so much so that I feel turned off or want to turn away. It’s just drawing me in, bit by bit and if this volume is any indication, it’s only going to get darker and more twisted from here and so I am buckling myself in for a very bumpy but enjoyable ride.
 
Final Grade: 98% – A
 

NOTE: This review is a continuation of my reviews of this series. If you have not seen any of the volumes or my previous reviews, you risk spoilers by continuing.
 
Intro
 
Breaking with tradition, Volume 2 of this series jumps head first into plot development rather than spending any more time developing characters.
 
The Story
 
Volume 2 of this dark series is all about Rosette and her search for her missing younger brother, the apostle of Hope, Joshua. Four more episodes are shown on this volume. In the first episode, Rosette applies for a promotion within the Order of Magdelane so that she can conduct her own investigation as to the whereabouts of her younger brother but at the same time, Azmaria has decided to test to become Rosette’s apprentice.
 
In the next two episodes, two characters are introduced and both of them are going to play a major role in the future I believe. The first character to be introduced is a German immigrant by the name of Satella who is free lance exorcist but her methods are very different in that she is a Jewel Witch. The second character to be introduced is our main villain named Aion. Aion is evil to the core and it is revealed very quickly that not only does he know the location of Joshua and that he and Chrono have a history together, but also that his prime objective is to declare war on Heaven and reshape the universe to his vision.
 
The Good And The Bad
 
As with volume one, this anime is very dark and has a very gothic feel to it. This is definitely a series that will really drag you in. Though it’s not incredibly creepy, the dark feel to this one definitely makes it something that teenagers will get into the most.
 
What I love most about this series thus far is that even though the series and the story is incredibly dark and is presented as such, there are still plenty of light moments of humor interjected into the anime and since the story is so dark, whenever you have one of these moments pop up their impact is magnified because of the sudden change. Very well done.
 
Music
 
As with the first volume, the opening and closing themes are very well done but what stands out most to me is the tranquil background music that is used in the church scenes. Also transferred over very well were the very tense fight scene music choices.
 
Easily the best music on the volume isn’t in the series at all but actually within the extras. Be sure to listen to the music used in the ‘Magdelane Chronicle’ extra. The music is very tense and has a very nice beat to it but also the strings are very well done. Definitely something that I wish had been used in the series more.
 
Dub vs. Sub
 
Both tracks were very well done and after listening to them both I have to admit that I have no real preference. I think that overall though the sub track wins out here. Standout performance has to go to Tiffany Grant who for two episodes, had me absolutely convinced with her German accent as the Jewel Witch, Satella. Normally I am very much against voice actors putting on accents because they just never turn out that well, Tiffany did a great job in this case though.
 
Extras
 
Not as many extras as last time which is unfortunate. There are the usual extras clean opening and closing animations and production sketches as well as the original opening animation for episode 5.
 
The extras that I really enjoyed this time around though were Azmaria’s ‘classes’. In this volume two more editions are shown, the first of which talks about the weapons used by the Order and the second one talks about the Apostles. While there are some minor spoilers in them, I actually watched these first and while I was spoiled on some very minor plot points, knowing the information that was in these before hand really helped me out and helped my enjoyment of the series by a bit.
 
The second extra is the ‘chronicle’ which is shown in a newspaper type format and talks about various things within the series such as characters, weapons, and places within the series. Again, there are some minor spoilers but nothing that major and nothing that hurt my enjoyment of the series. What was annoying about this extra though is that there is a lot to read and each section scrolls automatically so I had to pause the screen so that I could read each bit.
 
Overall
 
This was another great volume and I am absolutely psyched to see the next two volumes as soon as I can. It’s not often that such a dark series comes along and is done as well as this one is, I can only hope that this series gets a sequel and that is done just as fabulously as this one has been thus far.
 
 
Final Grade: 89% – B