Chrono Crusade Volume 1

Note: This review is for Vol. 1-8 and not just Vol. 1. ---------- The first time I encountered Chrono Crusade (I called it 'Chrno' Crusade for many years!) was when the anime was still being fansubbed. It was random; I saw it was being subbed by a group that was subbing something else I was watching at the time and I decided to give it a go. I ended up following it weekly until the depressing (yet satisfying) conclusion, later going on to buy the lovely R1 slimpack box set. While I didn't give the anime top marks due to the rushed Gonzo 'original story' second half of the anime, I do think of it as a very solid 8/10 series that's great to watch. Until last month, the above was the end of Chrono Crusade and me - I hadn't started reading lots of manga until long after my memories of the anime had faded and by then I didn't have the motivation required to read the manga online. However, I saw an auction for mint copies of Vol. 1-8 (the entire series) and, since I've always wanted to see the real story in full if I could get my hands on the series for a good amount, I won it. It's safe to say the cover art of the volumes is the best I've seen up to this point. All of the cover art is wonderful and all of the covers have vivid colours that would catch the eyes of a wandering manga reader in a book store. And, to sweeten the deal further, the lovely colour artwork doesn't end with the covers; every volume has at least one colour page inside the book, the early chapters having quite a few and the near end volumes having only 1 or 2. These volumes were the first I've read to have some colour pages and I hope to see more of the same in my future purchases. As for the standard black and white pages, the art quality is excellent throughout, thanks in no small part to the manga having been serialized monthly, which means the author had a lengthy amount of time to do his work in. Although I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to good and bad art, my uneducated brain failed to spot any flaws in the drawings. The only problem with reading the panels I had was following certain parts of the action. A problem that I'm sure certain manga authors have is with planning fights and how the fights should flow from one panel to the next - it must be very difficult to accomplish when they're restricted to a set amount of pages. Some manga authors are good at putting stories together and others are good at putting action sequences together, and I think the author of Chrono Crusade is better at creating stories than he is at making action flow from panel to panel. But don't get me wrong; the fights weren't put together badly and I was able to understand what was going on most of the time, it's just I noticed how I wasn't following the action as well as with some shounen manga (Bleach, Dragon Ball, Naruto...) that I've read recently. Before getting into anything else, it's best I give a description of the plot for people who, unlike me, haven't already watched the anim

I bought this manga because my friend told me it was awesome and adorable, and I HAD to read it. To make her strop nagging, I bought it. I'm glad I did! Being a Catholic, it was intersting to see a manga done off the influence of Catholism(sp?) And not too many mangas are set in America's roaring 20's, so it was a breath of fresh air to see these things in a manga. The manga-ka really knows his history! ^_^ Anyway, this manga is really worth buying ( or even reading if you are broke) and you won't regret it once you by it! By the way, i really love the realationship between Rosette and Chrono. It's so adorable!!!! ^_^

I love this series, its just too good to be true. The fact that Christianity, is taken with a light heart, doesn't make it the usual, too dark to make a joke. You don't normally see a Catholic based uniform that shows legs, and priests who joke about staring at teenage nuns. Rosette, is one hot nun. Well anyway, after reading up to volume 4 and seeing the first episode, I was blown away. I never thought I'd see an anime have so much research done on American history, albeit having a little creative license, that you could care less about. The fact that the author centers the theme around Rosette and Chrono's relationship is very, how you say, cute. There's no slapstick loser male character in Chrono. Chrono's older, but his 13 year old appearance makes it funny to see Rosette ordering him around like a little brother. The other main theme that the author himself claims, is "living on borrowed time" much like Kikyo from Inuyasha. It's not if you're going to die, but when, and the anxiety of that day. Rosette searches for her brother, Joshua, who's become a demon who also looks for her. Rosette she does it despite literally killing herself by shaving of years of life to power up Chrono in times of need. Chrono, a demon who massacred other demons, is on her side, feeling responsible, as his horns (source of power) may as well rest on Joshua's head. This series knows how to keep the plot moving, whether through character development, action, or background information. The fact that you can make a series based on the 1920s before the Great Depression, cute nuns, witches, demon summoning, tommy guns, and Church militias, promises something most anime don't, a very accurate (feeling) of a foreign culture, with the exception of Christanity. The only stereotype on Americans played in, is Rosette's gung-ho attitude, which you can also say, comes from her youth. Just think about how, Hollywood portrays the Japanese, and compare how well this was done. This series, whether, manga or anime, will keep you coming for more.

This is definitely the best series I've ever read! There is never a dull moment. It is funny but has moments filled with intense emotion as well as an original plot. Set in the 1920's in New York, the story revolves a nun - Sister Rosette Christopher, allied with a demon named Chrono. They are the exorcists of the order of Magdalan, fighting against the demonic spirits. Chrono's powers are sealed inside a pocket watch, which Rosette wears. However every time he draws on his powers, Rosette's lifetime becomes shorter. They make strange team, a gun wielding nun and a demon...The personalities of the main characters makes it hard for the reader not to like them. It is a series filled with humor but at same time darkness buried beneath. Although the anime is available, it is still worthwhile to read the manga. The art is simply beautiful, opening with a few colored pages. Chrono Crusade is a masterpiece, full of action and suspense. Out of the many manga I've read, this is definitely the best.

I really can't praise this wonderful series enough. The first volume serves as an introduction for a much darker, highly emotional series, yet is still excellent, full of action and lots of funny moments. The characters are very well written, three dimensional and each one with a very complicated past that gets revealed little by little in the following volumes. In this series nothing is what it seems, but you have to read it for yourself to fully appreciate it. I'm sure everyone is going to fall in love with the characters, most specially Rosette, a strong-willed, optimistic, cheerful person who never gives up, despite her tragic past and uncertain future; and Chrono, a kind and loyal person who supports Rosette in every way possible, keeping all his troubles and his dark past for himself. The story is also excellent, full of twists and very addictive. The artwork is also great. I highly recomend this series, I consider it as one of the best mangas I've read. If you, by any chance, have seen the anime "Chrno Crusade", simply forget about it and read this manga instead, is at least a thousand times better in every way imaginable (no absurd plot holes or filler episodes), and also has a different, more fluid storyline. Can't go wrong with it!