Chrono Crusade
Chrono Crusade, originally known in Japan as Chrno Crusade, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Daisuke Moriyama. It was serialized in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Comic Dragon from 1998 to 2003 and later in Monthly Dragon Age from 2003 to 2004, with its chapters collected in eight volumes. It was licensed in North America by ADV Manga.
Set in New York during the 1920s, Chrono Crusade follows the story of Rosette Christopher, and her demon partner Chrono. As members of the Magdalene Order, they travel around the country eliminating demonic threats to society, while Rosette searches for her lost brother, Joshua.
Chrono Crusade was adapted into a 24-episode anime television series, animated by Gonzo and directed by, broadcast on Fuji TV from 2003 to 2004. The anime series was licensed in North America by ADV Films in 2004 and later acquired by Funimation in 2010.
Plot
Chrono Crusade is set in the height of the Roaring Twenties, where jazz is king, bootleg liquor flows freely, and the mob rules the streets. It is a time of prosperity, luxury and decadence, and the division between rich and poor grows even wider in the wake of the First World War. It is at such times of great change and upheaval that the dark things that lurk below the world of man can come to the surface. In the world of Chrono Crusade, a fictional organization known as the Order of Magdalene exists to fight the demonic threats that appear with increasing regularity across America. Both Rosette and Chrono are revealed during the course of the story to be driven by a shadowy past, centered on a search for Rosette's lost brother Joshua who is shown to have been taken from her by the Sinner, Aion, a demon who shares a dark and bloody history with Chrono. He seeks nothing less than to overthrow the delicate balance between Heaven, Earth, and Hell.The anime follows the manga through the events of Volume IV, but it diverges during a crucial plot event, creating different courses of events and endings. The characterization of some of the characters, including Rosette and Aion, and their roles in the story were changed drastically in the adaptation of the manga. Much of the story is driven by the individual pasts of the main characters and the complex relationships between them.
Setting
The Order of Magdalene is an organization that banishes devils and demons. The Order has many branches around the country ; each one is presided over by the Council of the Catholic Church. The New York branch of the Order is headed by Kate Valentine, assisted by Ewan Remington, who lead the fight against the forces of darkness. The Order has many members; however, in times of great crisis, other less generally accepted individuals may be introduced into the Order to help fight the forces of darkness.They use various weapons, mainly guns, swords, and melee weapons, many of which are developed by the New York branch's own Edward "Elder" Hamilton. The Order's preferred handgun is the Colt 1911, often loaded with Sacreds, standard bullets containing holy water, and Gospels, bullets with alchemy-transformed silver. The Spirit bullet was also developed, but upon test-fire it was found to be too dangerous, using a repressed lower-class demon for its explosive power. Tetragrammaton, a gun with high power against demons with low backlash, is given to Rosette and later used by Chrono. Besides using guns, there are members of the Order with special powers as well, using devices like tomes, violins, or dolls. They also use Angel Capture Fields, specialized barriers that can repel demons, their powers, and other astral based substances, and are set up by creating a rectangular array of cross-shaped stakes in the ground and activating them. The Order also developed the Soul Dive, an experimental system used to dive into souls for direct exorcism. The Order also unveils its flagship, the Metatron, in the final showdown with Pandemonium and Aion.
Characters
Main
Magdalene Order
;Sister Anna;Sister Claire
;Sister Mary
;Mary Magdalene
Pursuers
The Pursuers are demons sent by the elders of Pandemonium to eradicate the defected Sinners. The strength of their demons varies from weak to powerful, with numbers many times over those of the Sinners.Sinners
Sinners are demons who have separated themselves from the demon hive Pandemonium and openly rebelled. In the case of the story, after Aion reached a higher domain and acquired forbidden knowledge, he was classified as a Sinner, with both him and his brood marked for execution. As a result, he becomes the de facto leader of this group, who eventually fight their way to freedom on Eden, although many comrades were lost. Of the Sinners, only Joshua and Fiore are not demons.;;
;;
Production
In an interview with ADV Manga, the original manga author Daisuke Moriyama expressed his own opinion about the differences and similarities of the anime and manga, with one of them being the theme of the story. Although the bond between Chrono and Rosette and the idea of time running out were the same, Moriyama felt that the anime and manga showed this theme in different ways. While the anime centered more on the currents of time, fate and trust, Moriyama believed that the manga focused more on Rosette's individual ideology and how the potential strength of her will can change her current situation.In producing the English-language version, ADV did extensive research in keeping the slang words within 1920s canon. One word, "bimbo", is explained to mean a tough man in 1920s slang, while the modern version refers to a stupid woman. The English voice actors for Rosette and Chrono nearly lost their voices on numerous occasions due to the fast-paced voice work demanded by the anime.
Media
Manga
Written and illustrated by Daisuke Moriyama, Chrono Crusade started in Fujimi Shobo's Monthly Comic Dragon on December 9, 1998. The series later continued in Monthly Dragon Age from April 9, 2003, and finished on May 8, 2004. Its individual chapters were collected in eight volumes, released between November 30, 1999, and September 1, 2004. Shōnen Gahōsha republished the series in a new eight-volume edition under its Young King Comics imprint from January 8 to April 9, 2010; in this edition, the title Chrno Crusade, which appeared in the original edition, was corrected, appearing as Chrono Crusade.The series was licensed for English release in North America by ADV Manga. The eight volumes were released from 2004 to 2006. Some of the series' chapters were featured in the Newtype USA magazine. In Australia and New Zealanda, Madman Entertainment released the eight volumes from 2005 to 2006.
Anime
A 24-episode anime television series adaptation, animated by Gonzo, was broadcast on Fuji TV from November 25 to June 10, 2004. The series was directed by, with Atsuhiro Tomioka writing series scripts, Kazuya Kuroda designing the characters, Tomohiro Kawahara handling mechanical design, Hisao Muramatsu in charge of gun design and Masumi Itō composing the music.The series was first licensed in North America by ADV Films, who announced its acquisition in 2003. The episodes were collected on seven DVDs released from September 21, 2004, to August 1, 2005. In the United States, the series was broadcast on Showtime Beyond from February 17 to July 28, 2006. The series was re-licensed by Funimation, who announced its acquisition in 2010; the entire series was released on a single DVD set on February 22, 2011. It was also broadcast on SyFy in 2011.
Drama CDs
Several drama CDs based on the series have been released:- Chrono Crusade: The Contractor of the Beginning
- Chrono Crusade II: The Time of Eternity
- Chrono Crusade III: The Time of the Beginning
- Chrono Crusade Original Drama Spirit
- Chrono Crusade Original Drama CD: Predecessor Version
- Chrono Crusade Original Drama CD: Ghost in the Watch
- Chrono Crusade Original Drama CD: The Messenger of Joshua
- Chrono Crusade: Magdala Girls' Academy vs. Pandemonium Academy Part 1
- ''Chrono Crusade Magdala Girls' Academy VS Pandemonium Academy Part 2''
Novel