Ranked #45

Claymore (Manga)

Claymore is a Shounen-based action adventure series that features a medieval-like world where "Youma" exist to become predators in eating humans. To defend the human population, an organization enlist warriors where humans or "Youma" identify them as "Claymores". While the situation stands out as it is, there are several different layers to the story that made this manga a fascinating read.

Throughout most of the story, it falls upon the fate of a Claymore warrior named Clare who deals with several themes of losing comrades, attempts on getting revenge, becoming stronger, and learning new information bit by bit as the manga progresses. Along with the fact of holding a strong bond with a exiled village boy named Raki, Clare will also deal with many dangerous encounters of strong opponents that are known as "Awakened Beings". While there are some cliche areas most readers should be familiar with from a Shounen-based series, there are other unpredictable areas of the story such as learning new information about the "Abyssal Ones" and the Claymore "Organization" itself. With the many entertaining and twisted areas of Claymore, the story certainly brings out many promising results to enjoy from the manga.

As for the characters, Clare is usually the main focus to the series but she certainly is a well-developed character to the story. Along with the present events that happen to her in the story, readers will also learn about Clare's interesting past before she joins the Claymore "Organization". While traveling with Clare, Raki also sets upon his life goal in order to become a stronger individual. Also, many interesting and unique characters are introduced to the story that provide their own personality or background. Among the different characters, several of them usually play out a necessary or interesting part to the story itself.

As for the artwork, the early chapters were a little disappointing due to the character designs being a little too plainish to its readers. However as the story progresses, the artwork certainly gets a lot better with the character designs, background images, and fight scenes that take place in the manga.

Overall, Claymore provides an intriguing story and characters that makes this a worthwhile read to check out. I certainly recommend this manga to readers that are interested in seeing a Shounen-based series providing some promising and fresh results.

(This review may be edited if necessary.)











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“Die for others, live for others”

As the story begins there’s a little drama and horror beneath it that gave me a shot to continue reading. As I continue, the flow of the story begins intriguing and exciting, then soon I noticed that I have been hooked up in continuing reading it. Protecting and revenging are the main cause of this manga, they have been passed over to be able to live longer and do what is incorrect.
An action, sci-fi and adventure type of story that revolves on the life and belief of the main character. There are also mysteries and intrigues that I found out that makes me carry away.

Story: [10]

It's about girls that was abandoned or cast away from their past and then they have been adopted by some kind of organization for them to take care of and afterward they will become a warrior that enters in a survival like arena; those who left standing are able to continue while the others who don’t will sadly face their fate. Self-interest is the main purpose why they live so far; glory, fame and power such as. A bloody and sword-fighting scene that excites me through reading, that’s why I certainly love it because the story/plot is progressing and well developed.

Art: [8]

The art is detailed and captivating, every battle scenes, equipments, special attacks are shown on every chapter, and there's some mild nudity shown, but there are some chapters that disappoint me.

Characters: [9]

What I love about the characters is their personalities, different attitudes, and different ways of thinking, and also their battle techniques which are shown on how the way they fight. Every character has a unique power to show which add some effect to the story, but sadly to say it lacks on character improvement, few are really progressing and the others are like the way they are in the first place and sometimes they die quickly out to the manga.

Overall: [10]

Ten because it's story is not boring to read and quickly to adopt.

A nice manga to read, the story is progressing, an action thrilled story that gave me excitement, and the twist and intrigues about the story that brought me to read all the way, but there I think something is lacking and the sad part are few characters are improving, the art sometimes fail for me, and release date of every chapter takes long to wait which is the saddest part.

A kind of manga for those who want action, adventure and shounen just like me and people who have patience to wait for a long time on every chapter, worthy to try, as for me I like it a lot.
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This is the best manga by far. The story is about girls with big swords (called Claymores by others) hunting down Yomas (demons who plague the world). It's incredibly violent and bloody which is awesome. The story only gets more interesting once it reaches the Teresa Arc, which talks about Teresa, the strongest Claymore ever, and how she meets Clare (the main character). This story is interesting because of the many conflicts and plot twists that will keep you reading it over and over. There's mild nudity too, not bad.

Must read.

Claymore is an amazing manga, everyone who wants to read any type of shounen manga must read claymore!
It takes place in medieval times, but that doesnt even matter. I dont think that it would really make a difference if it took place in the year 2020. You dont really even notice the time period as you read it.
Anyway, first you must know what a claymore is. A claymore is a WOMAN not man for reasons explained in the manga, who is a demon, but has a human mind. Claymores are made by the organization, which is just called the organization. I dont recall seeing the heads of the organization, but the main person who talks to the claymores from the organization is this shady dude dressed in black. He gives the claymores their missions. their missions: kill yoma (demon). Now the claymores can kill the yoma because their bodies are those of yoma. The difference between a claymore and a yoma, the claymore has a human mind and can control their thirst for human flesh.
The story revolves around a boy named Raki. Raki, which apparantly means lucky in japanese, gets his entire family eaten by a yoma. This particular yoma is plagueing the town, and in response to this threat the town resolves to hiring a claymore from the organization to kill the yoma. Since the claymores are part demon, they are seen as a necessary evil, and feered by everyone. A claymore named Claire is sent on a mission from the organization to kill this yoma. As many ppl in the town are afraid of claire, Raki is not, but is actually grateful for her presence. All in all, Claire kills the yoma and Raki, w/ no family and rejected by the village, decides to follow Claire on her adventures. The story is about Claire, and her past and her main goal, and her reaching it. Events happen in the series which are both unexpected and ingenious. The only character whose past matters in this series is Claire, for most of the caracters have very similar pasts. The story line is broken up into arcs. There are so many elements in this manga, but all the mysteries are introduced at a very modest rate, to keep the reader in control over understanding of the mysteries.
The storyline shifts away from Claire's main goal, and moves twards a very large mystery. Claire unravels this mystery with the help of fellow claymores. The reason this manga isgood is because it is not just one person who is a claymore, nor by any means is this person the strongest claymore. And once again, it shifts away from being about Claire and her goal, and moves twards hidden motives of other characters. Bascially, it gets into how ppl are screwing each other over. Its really interseting. The manga is seen in the shonen monthly, so it only comes out once a month, and sometimes skips months. However, when they do come out it is worth the wait. The manga does not move at a rediculously slow rate. But the problem is that they keep switching view ponits from character to character. So lets say manga #45 is about claire, manga 46 will switch to another character. That is the only annoying part. But besides that it is a must read!
the art is really good, i always know what is going on, its not hard to see things at all. There is not that much blood as far as i can remember, but that is becasue blood usually makes it hard to know what the pictures are showing. So like in some mangas, o they are bleeding, to bad the blood is coverning up the face so i cant see who it is. Instead they just cut off limbs, which i think is good enough. And this is intense cutting of the limbs by the way.
So anyway, i love claymore, anyone who reads it will fall in love w/ it right away, and will just be drawn so much closer in by like the 20th manga because the story line heats up.
I do reccomend reading it when the series is complete though, or else you are just going to end up smaking yourself across the face because you just want to know what happens already. read more

Starting out slowly, with a tragic story of the lives of those in the villages under Yoma oppression, then gradually expanding the story further and deeper than you might have imagined at first, this manga leaves you very little space for thoughts like "oh it's just another fighting shounen".

Under the explicit scenes of combat and gruesome looking monsters called Yoma, an intriguing story set in a well-crafted universe of "Claymore" unravels at ever-increasing pace, escalating into a conflict between unlikely allies and foes so enticing- you'll feel the Youki flowing right into you.

Story: 8/10

Although it is a combat-based manga, the underlying story is intelligent and filled with unexpected plot twists.

Art: 9/10

The characters look proportioned and beautiful, environment isn't any worse and in the latter chapters the monster design certainly doesn't leave anything more to be desired. Combat scenes are brutal (though the blood is there just in the right amounts) and really take you there.

Character: 8/10

A multitude of characters is introduced and none of them are exploited more than they should, I have yet to find myself disliking any of them, even those rather one-dimensioned ones.

Enjoyment: 8/10

"Claymore" is extremely addicting to read, it is quite easy to forget yourself and immerse in the story.



Overall: 8/10

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Hot chicks killing monsters with big swords, who could ask for more? Claymore is better than most Shonen that you've read (including Naruto and Bleach) with its plot twists and character development.