The usual beat down story of mad scientist making ultimate weapon is all there with everything that comes to be expected for such an uninspired theme, but what really hurts is the lack of urgency. Predictive as it is, this is not the major issue here. From the very first episode all the twists become obvious and the small remaining margin for originality is never reached.

Being even remotely familiar with the genre, there is nothing out of the ordinary to be expected from Crystal Blaze. These come pretty close to this title in terms of development and overall feeling, with some going a bit further sharing more similarities than others. If you are looking for cross-references there are a few, Heat Guy J, Speed Grapher and Cowboy Bebop amongst others. Obviously, if you are keen on specifics or my mental image simply left you absolutely clueless, please, feel free to keep reading, I will do my best to refrain from further insanity. So, in a nutshell, this is what you should expect out of Crystal Blaze… outside the fact that this is not how the story goes. By now you are fully aware, neither bullets nor kisses will save you, and if the green girl on the other side of the room screaming as she burns inside a huge pyre, or the two teenage girls playing with a dog casually right by her are any indication, it’s obvious what awaits you… A few steps where enough before the almost faded green light behind the gorgeous mistress holding a glass and inviting you to sit by her, made the blurry whisky glasses by the counter shine like stars on an empty night sky.

On the left you spot a long dirty bar filled with broken dreams and misleading smiles on the small uncomfortable sits. All your senses seem to plead you to turn back and go away, but by the time the neural impulse reaches your fingers they had already let go of the door. Your ears get absorbed by the slow jam so loud now that even your thoughts are difficult to reach, and your nose goes numb with the strong stench of smoke, alcohol and a faint scent of gunpowder.

As soon as you open the door your eyes instantly loose themselves on the tick mist of smoke against the small green lamps on each table, which provides the only light to the small cramped Walking steadily towards it the echoed water splashing sound caused by your steps against the water on the pavement, give place to a still stuffy mellow deep bass from inside the place. …you are walking down through the foggy wet night of an old badly lit neighborhood when you suddenly spot a humming neon sign on top of a brick thorn wall with a small wooden door by it.

Crystal maiden gif