I actually played Chrono Cross before playing Chrono Trigger, so I had the “clean” experience with CC. Can confirm, I thought it was a good game and was confused about all the flack (until I played CT, then I could at least understand a bit better).

One thing I appreciated in CC (compared to a lot of other RPGs) was the color mechanics. I think some found it confusing, but I found it quite engaging and unique.