Claymore is another manga that I like that contains more violence and gruesome fighting than I prefer. It was the first voluntary anime I watched after Berserk that showed that much blood and castrating. I don't know how I ended up watching the show, but after one episode I was hooked.
Claymore is a dark fantasy set in a medieval world where humans are plagued by Yoma. Yoma are shape shifters that terrorize and feed on humans. To combat the Yoma, a group called the Organization created human-Yoma hybrids called Claymores to slay the Yoma. For a fee.
While Claymores do protect the people from the Yoma, they are not liked and feared due to their strangeness and unnatural abilities. Every human that turns into a Claymore experiences a change in hair and eye coloring, strength, abilities, and sometimes personality. They are called silver-eyed witches and generally look like they could and would kill you.
Clare did when she first appeared. Clare is the protagonist of this story. She ends up heading to a town to save them from a Yoma invasion. This Yoma was using the disguise of a human and hiding in plain sight. Eventually Clare manages to kill this Yoma and save a boy named Raki. He ends up following her afterwards and becomes the reason she begins to open up and get more in touch with her human side.
The anime has three arches to it. The first is the arch where Clare and Raki first meet, the second flashes back to Teresa, the no. 1 Claymore of her time, and how she saved a young Clare, and the third arch that deals with Priscilla.
Plus Factor
I think it was the female warriors that got me into watching Claymore. Plus, they are fully covered warriors unlike the fan service female warriors seen all over the world on video games, anime, and manga. All of the Claymores are female and they are not degraded sexually like other women which I appreciate that.
Claymore has a great storyline and amazing fighting scenes. It is not nearly as gruesome as Berserk, but it has its moments. The Claymores have a unique history and are as interesting as the Yomas themselves, but the anime only reveals enough to keep you interested in thinking.
Clare, the heart of the story, also becomes someone you start to root for. The more you dive into her story and see all the hardships she had to endure the more you bond with her. She has had the most things happen to her in her short life, but she keeps moving. I am sad that I can't get into the details of her life without spoilers, but if you like unwrapping a mystery then Clare's past should satisfy you.
The writers of this anime follow the theme that no one is safe. It gives the anime unpredictability, which I have missed in a world that seems to just make the same kind of stories where characters don't get hurt or die because the author likes to wrap his or her characters in wool. I appreciate that no one is free from dying or harm, even if I wait in dread for the sickening surprise one of my favorite character might face.
The Negatives
Sigh…there are always a negative to something. My enthusiasm for this anime helped keep things moving, but there were some points in the anime where I was wondering when things were going to the good part. Pacing things correctly without boring readers is a hard thing to do. I wanted to know more and more about Clare and Teresa (I hate what happens to her) and the story wasn't providing it fast enough.
Like most Anime, I felt like it was to short, but like a good story it left the story open enough for you imagine what happens afterward. I have not read the manga yet, but I look forward to uncovering what happens in the future for the characters and Priscilla.
Overall, there was many bases that I felt like weren't covered (Priscilla), but it was more annoying than anything. I hate feeling incomplete in a story. Claymore also lost some steam that it had in the beginning. What started off as a spark slowed down to a fizzle, and left an ending that…well I'll let you judge whether you like the ending or not.
Despite everything, I would watch Claymore over and over again. They is something about the way the story is told that draws you in and doesn't let you go. It's interesting, thoughtful, and inspiring. The artwork and the music makes everything goes hand in hand. It has its gray areas, but Claymore is worth a watch. It aimed for my heart, especially where it concerns Claire and Teresa.
Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go off somewhere to cry. I hate what happens to Teresa. Seriously, it makes me emotional. *Goes cries in a corner*
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