The ongoing battle with the evil and undead continues for Sister Rosette, Chrono and the rest of the fearless warriors of the Order of Magdeleine. This time it appears that there is a more powerful devil on the loose, and his plans include the capture of the Apostles — a revelation that suggests that not only is Azmaria in danger, but it brings up painful memories from Rosette’s own past. The whereabouts of her brother Joshua are still unknown, and her overwhelming desire to rescue him threatens to interfere with her work. Nevertheless, Rosette’s enthusiasm leads Father Remington to consider her for entry into the Militia, the most senior level in the Order’s team of exorcists.

The story has had the opportunity to get off the ground now, and as a result Chrono Crusade is shaping up to be a great series. There are a couple of new characters introduced, and more insights into the more familiar ones that adds some depth to their personalities. Even Sister Kate is portrayed in a more favourable light, showing a slightly wider range of emotions than anger and exasperation, although Azmaria’s idea of Rosette being a role model is understandably not well received. The freelance exorcist and ‘jewel witch’, Satella Harvenheit, is a particularly interesting new face, having travelled from Germany to search for someone dear to her; whatever her mission is, it involves crossing paths with Rosette and Chrono and causes some rivalry and complications during their missions. The devil Aion also makes an appearance, and proves to be a very sinister individual indeed. Like Satella, he will no doubt grow to be a very important character as the series progresses.

What is also becoming clear is that the producers have struck the difficult balance between action and comedy very effectively: there are some pretty dark themes and plenty of action sequences, but these are interspersed with much lighter, comedic moments. This ensures that the horror themes and personal problems don’t make for heavy viewing and lighten the tone without detracting from the impact of the more serious scenes. The animation quality is also up to the standard of the first volume, painting a rich and imaginative picture of 1920s America with a supernatural twist.

The quality and quantity of DVD extras are equally impressive this time around. In addition to the usual clean opening/closing animation sequences and trailers, there are production sketches and the ‘Crusade Chronicle’, a feature that gives some background on characters and settings in a picture gallery-style format. The most informative of all are several of ‘Azmaria’s Extra Lessons’ — charmingly-presented short films in which certain aspects of the episodes are explained in even more detail.

In Summary

The second volume of Chrono Crusade maintains the pace and atmosphere of the first, and with the addition of new characters it is just as entertaining and intriguing, if not more so. A few more questions are answered and secrets uncovered, but there are still enough unsolved to keep the viewers’ interest.