I'm finally watching Chrno
Crusade, after nearly a week of pining for the anime. Thing is, as much as I've
been dying to watch it and I adore the manga, it makes me feel slightly ill to
watch it, because I know it ends tragically. I'm a secret sap, I love happy
endings, no matter how cheesy or contrived they may be - sad endings always
depress me. Anyway...
Episode 1 { Pilot - Sister Rosette }
Brain...breaking...at the thought of...that voice being Xellos! Argh!
Wrongwrongwrong! Brain bleach now please...
I know I've watched this thing before, but...WTF? What happened to the ship??
What the...'omaera'??! *splutters* How uncouth for a girl, Rosette!
Eh? Testing out a Gospel bullet? But surely it was the Spirit bullet she
tested...?
Ahh, here's the ship!
Hang on...wasn't it supposed to be the zombified crew who started the ship
moving again?
Awww, no 'precious contractor' line! No fair!
The end theme comes across even sadder when you see the words in English.
OK, so it's just the first chapter, but padded out...a lot. Well, I knew there
would be a lot of padding in the series - talking with a friend about it on the
way home only reinforced that impression, as he talked about fights and scenes I
knew nothing of.
Episode 2 { The Covenant - The Contractor}
Uh oh, attack of the padding!
*grumbles and glares @ Hex* Damn stupid crappy computer, play this damn file
without skipping you idiot, I'm missing vital bits!
Episode 3 { Apostles }
Huh? The Apostles represent stuff like hope and charity?? This is new...I think.
I don't remember it from the manga anyway.
Episode 4 { Sinners }
What? Ricardo doesn't want to save his wife now, just himself? I guess Gonzo
thought the cloning thing was a bit much for the 20's...
Hmm, looks like those three other Sisters who were friends of Rosette have a
bigger part to play in the anime.
Woah, cool, true Chrno...pity I couldn't see most of the sequence because of my
shitty computer...I'm tempted to move my base of operations downstairs, since
this thing is being so annoyingly crappy.
Hmm, Lerajie kind of reminds me of Alucard right now - I wouldn't be at all
surprised if he had the same seiyuu, but he doesn't sound...growly enough to be
Alucard exactly.
Episode 5 { Militia }
A...bit different, but essentially the same. I don't like the rather dull 'let's
just make 'er transparent' approach to animating Rosette when she was 'Diving' -
the manga make it look like she was more whispy than just transparent, like
vapour. And what happened to that link thing on the back of her head??
But..but...what happened to the astral projection chapter?? It's one of my
favorites! It feels like the anime is rushing through things - it's going to
need so much padding soon. Plus we haven't seen a full explanation of the
events at Seventh Bell yet.
Episode 6 { Jewel Summoner }
What's this?? A new OP sequence animation? And a change of sponsor voice-over
too.
'Couragous May'?? WTF? What happened to Jewel Knight? And jeez, does it ever
remind me of the Escaflowne! *L*
What? But...the fight was supposed to be in some kind of dimension, with Rosette
left behind. WTF? Why are they changing it?
A lion thing? Now we have one biiiiiiiiig WTF... And we don't get to see Chrno
with that sword either, dammit. This suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuucks! What, couldn't
they be arsed animating a sword fight, but wanted to do one huge-ass lion-thing
instead?
*sigh* I wasn't happy with the changes here - I really wanted to see Chrno kick
ass against those mummies in his child form, dammit.
Episode 7 { The Devil }
Uh oh. I sense an anime-original episode here *winces* If it's the one I think
it is...
What the heeeeeeeeell?!!! A red moon, black sun, bleeding statues, dying flowers
and burning frickin' hail?? Come off it!
No, do not tell me they meet Aion before the carnival! Oh jeez...
Why the hell is he mentioning Magdelene's name?? And what's this with Ion
mention 'Him' or god all the time?
WWWWHYYY is he calling Rosette 'Magdalen Maria'?? Why the heck??! Or is he using
the name to remind Chrno of her?
Euuuuwwwwwwwww!! Snogged by the uber-bastard...>_< Gag indeed! And what for??
Just to get on Chrno's wick? I think he managed that as soon as he grabbed
Rosette.
Episode 8 { Falling Rain - Puppet }
Wow, they're really padding out this first encounter with the Puppet Master -
and since it's taking so long, they've had to change it so that Chrno and
Azmaria aren't waiting in the car too.
Oh well, substantial padding-changes, but at least we get a hug into the bargain
at the end. And I understand why they padded it out - it's only one chapter, but
it would be too weird to try and tack another chapter into the episode with it,
it just wouldn't fit.
Ah, good, maybe we'll finally get the whole Seventh Bell back story now, judging
by the preview.
Episode 9 { Joshua }
What the...they put the entire building inside a dome?? But I thought they just
stuck a fence around it...? *wracks memory* It was in the middle of no-where
anyway. And sliding doors like that in the 20's? I know the manga has a few
anachronisms, but that's just a bit...hmmm...
Episode 10 { Horns }
(Bah, stupid Hex wouldn't play this episode - had to move downstairs to watch
it)
Hmmm, is Chrno supposed to glow like that when he's using his powers??
Preview - Oh god, another anime-original filler episode - Rosette on a
motorbike?? Ye gods and little fishies...
Episode 11 { Gabriel Hound - The Beast }
(Bah, can't watch this one on Ziggy because either the file is totally buggered,
or I don't have the right codecs - maybe I'll have more luck upstairs...
Apparently so...)
*cough* South 'Brooklym'?? *rotfl* Oopsie!
Haha, at last, some reality! Cars that can't go much faster than 50 mph in 1920!
Oh god, there's the motorbike...I seriously don't think so...
Blimey, it looks like the anime is trying to make Satella come across as a total
stony-hearted bitch.
Oh my god, no frickin' way! A jewel-summon that looks like a motorbike?? Or can
Satella shape what she summons in the anime? Hmmm...no, it looks like she melded
the motorboke Elder made with her fish-summon.
Preview - No way! A Christmas episode?? But that's...so...US animation! But
appropriate right now *L*
Episode 12 { Holy Night }
My god, Satella does have a heart strapped down under that dress of
hers...
Rosette dressed as Santa and Chrno dressed as a reindeer...*thunk*
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!
Oooh, finally we get the Marionette Train 'arc'. I bet it doesn't make it
unscathed into the anime though - from what Rich said, the way they dispatch
Rizel is a bit different. Or...no, he must have thought I was talking about the
first encounter with Rizel actually.
Episode 13 { Marionette Train - Sister }
Hey no fair! Taking out Rosette's sneaky, clever bit with Rizel's webbing to
pull herself closer to Rizel so she could shoot her...and then just having Rizel
fall off that bridge...pah!
Preview - Oh my god, what on earth is Rosette wearing?? Wouldn't the train have
stopped or something?? Couldn't she have managed to borrow something if she
could find that...sack thing?? What happened to finally reaching San Francisco
via plane? I mean...wahhhhh....
I think it would have been better if Gonzo had waited an extra 6 months for the
manga to finish and make the series 13 episodes, instead of having all this
padding that mucks the cool bits up. I don't want to be a manga-elitist, but I'm
not impressed so far...
Episode 14 { Invocation - Prayer }
Satella again?? Why don't they just have her travelling with them, because they
always end up that way in the end anyway - why would she have just let them walk
when she would have let them go in her car, since they're travelling to the same
place and...and...aaaaaaarrrrrggggggghhhhhhh!!!
Eh? Why the heck is Chrno looking...blushy? Or unwell? Can demons even get
ill?
Oh my god...what the heck...that's not even funny, sending an obviously ill
Chrno into Lower Earth Orbit, Ranma-style...
*cough* What're they going to do, walk up to the pharmacist and say "'scuse me,
got anything for fevered demons?"
Oh no WAY, they DID! O_o
OK, now this thing is making Rosette look like an idiot...
Holy...are Satella's boobs getting bigger by the episode?!
Damn, what a wasted plot-point, a fortune-teller...that could have been used
better. And what on earth did the old lady tell Rosette? What's she got to do,
kiss Chrno better or something *snickers*
O_O Not Rosette too, taking a dive into Satella's cleavage. Now that's just...in
bad taste.
C'mon, why don't they take that headband off before plonking a wet flannel over
Chrno's forehead? That's just stupid...
Oh my god, no way! Don't tell me I was right about the 'spell'??!
You have GOT to be kidding me...that is so damn cheesy, it's not even cute...it
doesn't make sense either. Urgh, shoe-horning the slight romance in - the whole
drunk scene and the bit afterwards from the manga was sweeter. Hmph. And we got
to see Satella in a better light there too.
Preview - Uh oh, anime-original episode once again *sigh* How much of the manga
was out when the anime started production I wonder...
Episode 15 {The Pursuers}
Who the HELL is this guy Duffau??
Why would anyone want to help rebuild Pandemonium? And why would they need
Chrno's help? This got to be some kind of trap...
Wow, we're getting quite a graphic flashback to what gave the Sinners their
name.
Urgh, the pervy Elder gets even creepier...
Why are all these demons calling Rosette 'Maria of Magdala'?? I mean, heck, we
haven't even seen a hint of Magdalene from Chrno's memories yet.
Oh no way, the anime is making Rosette an Apostle too?? Oh deary me...
What the fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu...*cough*..geh??
What the...I mean...gawd, no wonder I kept hearing and being told that the anime
went waaaaaaaaaaay off on a tangent from the manga! Bloody hell...
Oh no WAY!!! Stigmata?? Oh...*bangs head on desk* And drops of blood forming
into heart-shapes? Give me a break...
Looks like ep 15 is where everything starts going to hell, anime/manga plot
wise. And from the preview, it looks like the twain shall never meet again O_o
Episode 16 { Believer }
(*sigh* Another episode that sticks worse than UHU glue. Off downstairs we go
again then...)
(And after waiting for an hour to get near the downstairs computer, the file
looks distorted due to not having the right codecs *sigh* time to download a
codec pack I think)
(Then again...looks like Windows Media Players can play it...for once! I'm
shocked, truly. WiMP is finally not so wimpy)
Oooh, Satella's back story, at last! About, oh, 10 episodes late...
Ha, Chrno probably knows full damn well that Rosette's lying through her teeth.
Oh my god, it's the pig-demon and Gulio...this is...weird. I bet we won't get to
see Chrno and Rosette paste pig-boy to the floor with their pipe-gun combo now
*sulks*
Why the heck are they having Rosette decide this stuff? It's not like she's a
Higher-up with the Order, she's just a kid.
*gawps* That looks almost like the symbol Edward and Alphonse Elric wear in Full
Metal Alchemist...
What's with Aion kissing women in this thing? And Satanists in the show indeed!
And there he goes again with Satella...
Uh...since when was Aion a telekinetic?
Episode 17 { Accomplices }
So, what, Rosette's life being used up to keep Chrno alive and able to use his
powers isn't enough, now she has to be some kind of sacrifice? Angst much.
Rosette's cooler when she's just a normal girl going to extraordinary lengths to
get her brother back.
When did Chrno's kill-count go from 100 to 100 million?? Was that a mis-translation
in the scanlations? Or was just 100 simply not impressive enough for the
animators?
Oh how sweet [/sarcasm] Calib saved Rosette's friends.
Joy, we get the carnival, eh? So if that much of the manga was out, why the hell
have they turned the rest of the thing upside-down?
Preview - Carnival ep, yay!
Episode 18 { Photograph - Four People }
*shudders* I'm suddenly reminded as to why I dislike cat-girl characters >_<
*cringes* Oh no, it's 'foot-fu' time on the dance stage *snicker*
*tears up* Awwww...what a sweet scene between Rosette and Chrno *sighs*
Preview - at least the anime is finally running parallel to the manga again for
the next episode it looks like - but for how much longer after that?
Episode 19 { Atonement - Neck }
No! Poor Steiner...
Woah! I swear that sword didn't do that before!
Euw! Where the hell was Aion stashing that head? What, did he nick that coat
from Doctor Who's TARDIS or something? O_o
Whaaaaat the hell? What, no 'Chrno goes nuts' bit? It's just Aion trashing the
city? I don't like this...
What on earth is happening to Rosette?? And how is Chrno going to get up from
this if not for Aion pissing him off until he breaks the seal on the watch?
How the heck did Remington get from New York to San Francisco so damn fast?? I
think Gonzo are going to pull another 'WTF' to fill a plot-hole...
Preview - promises more non-manga WTFism.
Episode 20 { Temptation - Poison }
Ehhhh?? They going to have Chrno fight Joshua while Aion kidnaps Rosette??
Now Sheda fights arse-first, with her tail, and Genai has turned into Voldo from
Soul Calibur *sigh*
Woah! Chrno got his horns back already??!
. . . or maybe not if he's been petrified with that time magic.
What the...Remington's an angel??!!
I thought that Rosette destroyed the head of Pandemonium?
It's like Azmaria and Rosette have swapped roles - Rosette is kidnapped instead
of Azmaria, and she's the one who is lead to a petrified Chrno in that room. I
wonder if they picked up his horns too...
Why the hell would Aion yank off his own horns - and where does he get his power
from now without them, and with no Contractor?
Oooookay, so what, the spirit of Magdalene shows up for a petrified Chrno, and
Rosette's gone all Lily from Legend on us...this is wacked out...
Preview - Oooh, we get Chrno's past now. Spontaniously *sigh*
Episode 21 { Mary Magdalene - Magdalena }
Oooh, so Aion removed them to be free, eh? Is that why many of the other Sinner
lack horns too?
What the heck happened to Rosette?? Wait...isn't Pandemonium supposed to have
possessed her or something?
Episode 22 { Sayonara - Goodbye }
Huh? Rosette can heal people now??
Oh jeez, the whole 'Holy Maiden' gig, flashing those marks around too...it's
like a twisted PR campaign.
Psshh. Why doesn't Remington use his 'angel super speed' and get over there now?
Oh, sorry, was it a one-time only thing for when it was convenient? *sneers*
Dang, Aion's an evil bastard...poor Chrno!
Oh my god, Satella...
Have they totally forgotten about Chrno's horns or something? I mean, what, did
they just leave them on the ground when they took his petrified form away?
Episode 23 { Noise }
If Chrno has his horns in his possession, why hadn't he put them back on? Surely
then he would stop draining Rosette's life-force...??
An electronic dowser again? *lol*
Gawd, Rosette looks practically grey and dead already...
Well, that was a short and rather...anticlimactic fight.
Does Chrno have his horns back? It looks liked he had them in his hands as he
entered the Seventh Bell compound anyway. Has he gone there to undo what Joshua
did to the inhabitants?
*sigh* The last episode next, huh? As much as I wanted to see the anime, it's
been...disappointing. Scenes I really wanted to see movie in color have been cut
or changed, moments I really wanted to see and hear are not there, and
everything just seems wrong. And worst of all, I know there won't even be a
happy ending to compensate for it all.
Episode 24 { Chrno }
What? This episode starts some time from the end of the last, but the children
don't look any older, and neither does Azmaria. It can't be that much later I
guess.
*cries buckets*
Why is this episode still going on now that Rosette and Chrno are dead and gone?
Woah! A skip to 1981?! That's...quite a jump. And poor Remington looks awful!
OK, that ending makes no sense. Why is Aion still around? They should have had
the scene where they find Rosette and Chrno at the end or something, and just
skipped Remington's bit all together. I mean...what was it for?
