As one of the series that I watched when I was beginning to get into anime, Chrono Crusade was one of the first to truly highlight to me what the format could offer in terms of a complex and at times emotional storyline. Sure it was back in those frustrating days when anime publishers would release a maximum of four episodes every couple of months, but every release day I found myself compelled to head into stores into my local library to check out the latest adventures of Rosette and Chrono. Even today it is a series that I occasionally find myself compelled into watching again, with an appeal that has lasted more than a decade now and a complication of extra features that no other publisher but ADV Films seemed to consistently provide back in the day. Time has unfortunately not been that kind to Chrono Crusade and is now out of print in Australia, but nevertheless is worthwhile tracking down or importing by those who want something different from anime we see released in stores today.
Taking place in the latter half of the “Roaring 20’s”, Chrono Crusade takes place in New York City and other areas of America where the summoning and worshipping of devil’s has become commonplace. To counter this growing threat, a religious organization known as the Magdalene Order works tirelessly to destroy any devil that threatens humanity and take down those who have summoned them. One of the nun’s charged to carry out these missions is Rosette Christopher, a young lady who at a young age watched her brother become corrupted and taken away by a malicious “Sinner” known as Aion. Seeking to stall the threat of demons and rescue her brother, she is partnered up with the demon Chrono whom she holds a contract with – allowing him to exist in the human world and access immense power at the cost of her life. What initially begins as a comical compilation of episodes showcasing how the eccentric duo’s approach to stalling the threat of devil’s is through further chaos, the storyline quickly becomes more serious and complex as time is spent developing each of the major characters and darker events start to unravel.
While there is a great disparity between the seriousness and storytelling approaches of the first and second half of Chrono Crusade, everything comes together to deliver an experience that is fulfilling. There are plenty of episodes that are packed to action, there are a number of heartwarming episodes, and the writers don’t always attempt to sugar-coat the outcomes of each character nor do they under-use the religious undertones and concepts they have set themselves up with. 
While there were a few wasted episodes that contributed very little to the experience, most of the episodes were memorable and contributed to an overall satisfying experience.
Like many other anime series released back in the early-2000’s and earlier, the visual quality of Chrono Crusade struggles to meet the standard that we would expect to see from an anime that airs in Japan nowadays. But when you compare it again series aired during the same time period, Chrono Crusade fares very well – with some highly detailed 2D designs and strong animation. This level of quality carries over into the music department, with the fast-paced opening theme “Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line” by Minami Kuribayashi hitting all the right notes, complemented by some solid animation. The remainder of the series’ OST was also of a high quality, with composer Hikaru Nanase delivering a diverse compilation of songs.
Only in more recent years have publishers outside of Japan been tempted to publish anime without an associated English dub, meaning that like almost all series back in the day, Chrono Crusade contains an English dub in addition to the original Japanese dub. The core voice cast consists of Greg Ayres (Chrono), Hilary Haag (Rosette Christopher), Jessica Boone (Azmaria Hendric) and Tiffany Grant (Satella Harvenheit); all of 
whom to this day remain active in the industry today. The cast on average managed to perform their roles very well, however there seemed to be a few lapses in recording quality across the episodes that were noticeable.
One thing that I loved above ADV Films anime releases that no other anime published today has come close to is their dedication towards on-disc extra content. Similar to their release of Princess Tutu (Which I reviewed back in 2011), every since disc in their 7-disc collection contains a plethora of extra content including
- Textless Opening/Closing Animations
- Episode Commentary with different members of the cast
- Background information on the characters and settings
- Azmaria’s Extra Classes – Lengthly segments dubbed in English where Jessica Boone (As Azmaria) leads the viewer through different concepts present in Chrono Crusade which you may not pick up while watching it.
- Production Sketches
- and much more…
The amount of content present is beyond satisfying, and I would love it to be a standard for all future anime releases. Alas, that will likely never be the case.
I have made a habit over these last few years of tracking down and purchasing as many of the older anime series that 
I originally borrowed from my local library as possible, and Chrono Crusade was at the top of my list. Featuring a consistently high production quality and an intriguing storyline, this is a series that I personally consider as timeless. It is a shame that it is a license that some countries have dedicated to let expire without renewal.
Those in North America or looking to import can pick themselves up a copy of Chrono Crusade via RightStuf.com as a Complete Series, with a S.A.V.E. edition also available for purchase. As I have based this review of ADV Films’ Hell of a Holiday Special Edition which is now out of print, I cannot guarantee that all extra content will be present on-disc in Funimation Entertainment’s license rescue.
