The journey that the Chrono Crusade has taken anime fans on has been a spectacular one thus far, and it's been a tale filled with thrills, chills, and some laughter on many occasions, but the comedy is over, at least for the time being. The sixth volume of Chrono Crusade, entitled "Devil's Advocate," shows that it's time for the series to get very serious indeed . . . . serious as Hell as a matter to be more precise.

Thus far, Chrono Crusdae really ahs been an outstanding series and has embodied just about anything and everything that any anime fan could ever hope to have in a single series. However, there really ahs been a goal to everything, and it's something that even self-contained, single episodes can't stop from coming. The real issue has been Rosette finding her brother, Joshua, the previous volume completely teased fans with just that; Rosette finally coming face to face with dear Joshua who now happens to be nothing more than a pawn for Aion, and that's where this volume picks up.

However, there are numerous problems with what should be a happy family reunion. Joshua has no idea who Rosette is, and is still under the impression that his older sister is Fiorette, the woman who has been caring for him all this time. The added twist though is that Fio believes this as well, neglecting to realize that her real sibling is Satella. Yes, the older sister that the Jewel Witch lost a decade ago is alive and well, and ready to defend Joshua to the very end, and the twists aren't about to end there either.

This whole meeting and the journey to San Francisco is nothing more than a very elaborate plot by Aion to bring the Apostles together, but it's not necessarily to create Pandemonium on Earth. No, he has other plans and the ceremony is really a means to awaken the true power that Rosette has inside her. Now, she's become his unwilling plaything, Chrono seems forever trapped in a body of stone making him nothing more than a garden statue, and even Minister Remington reveals secrets of his own. To top this volume off, we get a fantastic flashback concerning how the "contract," or the timepiece, was created as well as why, and another Mary Magdalene for years past who foresaw the terrible future that awaited Chrono.

There may only be three episodes on this sixth volume, but the sheer power that they have behind them makes this perhaps one of the best volumes of the series thus far. I've always appreciated the fact that Chrono Crusade can be very serious and suddenly make you laugh, and then later offset the mood by filling in some of the details with an episode that has most of the answers. These three episodes are very serious, quite dark at times, and heavily emotional from time to time. The only problem now is just playing the waiting game for the next volume. Everything is boiling down to the final battle, and with San Francisco having become the start point for what could be Armageddon, things really don't look good for our heroes, though I will make a prediction that Chrono Crusade will turn things around by going for a "love conquers all" ending, something that normally I'd be a little bothered by as it is such a cliché answer, but I think in this case it's really going to become more of an emotional frenzy instead of being an average solution.

Chrono Crusade has not only been a fantastic watch thus far, and will certainly be until the final episode, but ADV has included some very good extras. Again we find a selection of Azmarie's Extra's Class that explains various things from the series. Here, we get more information on Aion's ceremony, not just in relation to the series, but also from the Biblical standpoint as Chrono Crusade does draw many things from the Christian religion as well as its offshoots. The Chrono Crusade Chronicle meanwhile gives us other information relating to the series including a profile of Joshua, the Ritual of Atonement, and a summary of the pasts of the devils here on Earth. You will also find clean opening and closing animations as well as an unused opening for episode 21 that I actually like quite a bit with it's weathered and worn look. All this, and a series of production sketches, too, and if you're still not satisfied, there is also a reversible cover.

The only thing that I haven't been anxious about with Chrono Crusade is the finale, and that's going to be marked with the next volume. This has really been quite a surprise and a treat, especially since back with the first volume; I really wasn't expecting to be taken in by the series. I've never been a huge fan of anime that tries to go for a more Biblical approach, but here the use of those concepts mixed with a bit of horror vibes, a great deal of action, and some outstanding animations and backgrounds have made Chrono Crusade a pleasure and a joy to watch. If you were still waiting to find out how things turn out by the final episode before purchasing the series, I'd say you really need to forgo that premise and just take the dive right now. Chrono Crusade will have you hooked immediately, and the forces of darkness have never looked so good as they do here.

Episode 19 - Head

Rosette has finally found her brother, Joshua, after many years of search, but he hasn't the slightest idea who she is. It's all nothing more than a plot by Aion to gather the apostles together and awaken the true power that Rosette has inside, and with Chrono now lying lifeless on the ground he may very well succeed.

Episode 20 - Poison

While Chrono and Joshua battle one another, Aion has the only thing that he needs; Rosette. Even Remington seems powerless to stop him and while the forces of good recover from a costly battle, Aion beings his final plan to change the world and Chrono, now encased in stone, can only sit by hopelessly and watch it all unfold.

Episode 21 - Magdalene

Trapped in his prison of stone, Chrono reflects on the past. He relives when he was close to Aion, he recounts when he met another like Rosette, the real Mary Magdalene, and he remembers what she had once told him. But will this be enough to free him, or will he forever be trapped, unable to help his friend?

-mike-
 

Genre: Supernatural/action/comedy Series Director: Koh Yuh Directed by: Episode 19 - Tatsuya Abe Episode 20 - Katsuichi Nakayama Episode 21 - Noriaki Akitaya Based Upon the Manga by: Daisuke Moriyama Voice Cast: Tomoko Kawakami (Rosette Christopher) Akira Ishida (Chrono) Yoshiko Sakakibara (Kate Valentine) Sho Hayami (Ewan Remington) Saeko Chiba (Azmaria Hendric) Tomomichi Nishimura (Edward Hamilton) Michiko Neya (Satella Harvenheit) Kazuhiko Inoue (Aion) Junko Minagawa (Joshua Christopher) Natsuko Kuwatani (Fiore) Yuki Masuda (Sister Anna) Ema Kogure (Sister Mary) Noriko Rikimaru (Sister Claire)

DVD Features: Dual Language Japanese/English English Subtitles Clean Open/Closing Production Sketches Azmaria's Extra Class Chrono Crusade Chronicle Contains Episodes 19 - 21