Chrono Crusade Volume 4

The journey to find Joshua is well and truly underway as Rosette, Chrono and Azmaria board the train bound for San Francisco. A chance meeting with Satella proves to be the least of their worries as Aion sends Rizel to capture Rosette. When they eventually reach their destination they are visited by a shadowy figure who has an interesting proposition concerning their struggle.

There are only three episodes on offer this time around but the story makes some good progress with background on Chrono’s past experiences and the beginnings of the conflict. There are still plenty of religious references and imagery but they are used to good effect; the details about Aion’s plans for the Apostles and his ultimate aims are still shrouded in mystery so there is much to learn from the story yet.

While we are presented with three episodes that all contribute to the story there are still moments of humour that, while preventing the tone of the show from becoming too dark and heavy-going, prove to be a bit of a distraction. It was amusing to see Satella reluctantly offering to help Rosette find ‘a fever medicine that will cure a devil’ along with the interesting reactions from shopkeepers that resulted, but I was more intrigued as to why Chrono had fallen ill in the first place.

What is still consistent with Chrono Crusade is that there is ample opportunity for some flashy gunplay and face-offs between Rosette and Chrono and the devils who work for Aion: the incident on the roof of the train is real seat-edge stuff and adds some excitement during what would otherwise had been a very uneventful journey. Of course, meeting Satella at this point holds more than mere comedy value and she slowly begins to warm to our heroes, and vice-versa.

We also learn that the strange figure who makes such a sudden entrance turns out to be none other than one of the other devils – it remains to be seen what his intentions truly are but adds a whole new dimension to the storyline at large. Either way this series is becoming darker and more interesting as it enters its second half and is none the less enjoyable for it.

Before the disc draws to a close, Rosette seeks the advice of a medium while on the hunt for the treatment for Chrono; the fortune-telling hints at how deep the bond between them might be. After this and the stranger at the door it appears that Rosette and Chrono have much to do before this fight is over; how this may affect the relationship between them (which is portrayed with more depth than ever at this point in the story) is not so clear however.

In Summary

The smaller episode count on this disc nevertheless delivers interesting developments into the characters and their relationships, and firmly moves the story forward. The filler episodes are a thing of the past now and the focus is very much on the central theme surrounding Joshua, Aion and the Apostles. The comedy element is still evident but this instalment suggests that it will take a more serious approach from now on.