What’s your opinion on crona’s redemption arc and return to evil in the manga?
oooooooookay this could be a little complicated and very long
also I should probably warn that this is not an easy read for Crona fans
firstly, I don’t even think Crona had a ‘redemption arc’. they had done nothing to redeem themself. they just followed Maka and did what the DWMA told them to. if there should be a redemption arc somewhere, then it was done poorly
in summary, I like the whole descent to madness thing, from a writer’s perspective, bc often more than not, we have a constantly positive redemption instead of a regressing one in popular medias
and Crona’s inability to feel remorse is interesting
but as a person, there’s things I don’t like aside from Crona’s mentality, mainly Maka’s selfish behavior
someone should slap her back to reality that everything just couldn’t go as she wanted it to, that she should see around herself more instead of chasing a person who had betrayed and endangered her and her loved ones
I know that she has issues herself, but rather than letting her do as she please, the other should tell her that sometimes, tough choice should be made for the greater good
bc what is the use of endangering the world they worked so hard to protect for someone who was questionably able to be saved?
Maka just completely shut out her other friends’ feelings when chasing Crona. she hadn’t even considered Soul’s feelings; the very victim of Crona's attack and was the one most affected by their descent to madness
I kind of wished for Black Star to yell all of that to her. I want him to make her see that even though Crona was not entirely in the wrong, even though they were briefly able to receive kindness, they were still a killer, they had still committed many unforgivable sins, and they had almost killed her partner
I want Liz and Patty to scold Maka, bc they had lost their precious partner, and were probably feeling all sorts of horrible things and regrets. They were probably so anxious and were scared to death of not seeing Kid ever again.
but Maka...... Maka still actually had her partner with her, but no, she ignored his feelings by chasing after someone who had nearly killed him instead of cherishing him and doing her best to protect his well-being
even more so bc I can see Star and the sisters being so close with Soul, so they should be able to tell his discomfort
to be noted, I don’t say this as a SoMa shipper, but as a neutral fan who criticized her loyalty to her friends and partner. she had received many kindness and loyalty from her partner and friends, but she didn’t think of them at all. frankly, it felt sooooo one sided
they even kind of blamed Lord Death for putting Crona in his List, and even said it was kinda unfair to assign Spartoi for finding them. idk, but frankly, for the entire Spartoi to just feel that Crona should be saved bc they were friends briefly was so unrealistic
honestly, Crona was more than deserved to be put on the List, since they had consumed hundreds of souls and had killed thousands more, whatever personal feelings they have, Spartoi should know that as DWMA agents, their first and foremost job is to protect the world by collecting the Listed Souls
like it or not, it is their responsibility
I can understand it for Maka, but for the other kids, they had done nearly nothing to bond with Crona except for playing basketball and throwing parties here and there. Crona had also done nothing to return the kindness to other people not named Maka Albarn. they were just passively there, confusedly asking why everyone was nice to them, no actual group fighting hand-in-hand or emotional bonding scenes going on.
the kids shouldn’t be feeling the friendship that deeply just yet
the key being just yet. it could be good if there’s more serious arc for them to bond between the Revival Arc and Crona’s betrayal. but bc there wasn’t, the betrayal was just like.... meh I kinda expected it
on the other note, I feel that Crona’s sacrifice was necessary and a great way to end their madness, bc I don’t see any other way for them to repent for their sins. but I dislike how they implied that with their sacrifice, Crona was instantly set free from all of their other sins and was viewed as a hero
bc no, sacrificing themself doesn’t mean hundreds of lives they’d killed was back
I personally don’t think they deserved to be saved from the moon, because they didn’t feel remorse. they didn’t think that all of the things they had done was wrong. you just can’t save people who refuses to be saved
BUT, if they find a way to get Crona out and eventually bring them to the good side, I would only accept it if they also give the punishment they deserve
see, like Roy Mustang in FMA:B, he was a war hero in the Ishval War. but he wants to be the Fuhrer so he could repent the sins he and the other soldiers had committed, because even though he had no choice back then, he still knows it was wrong and that he committed the sins with his own hands
I would only accept a redemption if the character admits they were wrong, and willing to atone for their sins. also, more importantly, they should feel remorse
sadly, Crona didn’t have all of that, so, in my opinion, no, they are not redeemable
SO, as I often said, I love Crona as character. But as people, nope. I don’t like them. but this only applies to Manga!Crona, for Anime!Crona, I love them all the way 💜
tl;dr: I love Crona’s character and their descent to madness is absolutely fascinating, but I also think that they’re being too glorified
