Claymore

At first glance Claymore could be as any other shounen anime including blood, gore,fights and a fair share of revenge. However when I continued I noticed that the characters captured my interest. The pain they suffered, the trials they faced and the despairs they were thrown formed many different people. Depending on how they coped, processed and the amount of acceptance they were each capable of thrown into a clash of competition was a brilliant combination for me. The frail limits of a human mind when pressed to the ultimate created this fascinating anime.

I admit that the story was typical as expected and I didn't ... particularly grow fond of the the way the characters were drawn but with the excellent casting of voice actors it became acceptable and after a while I hardly grew annoyed with the art in itself. The depth of characters lifted this anime from something average to my absolute favorite anime seen so far that is if a second season is to be expected otherwise I feel that the whole season was wasted but I give points to this anime while assuming that a second season is on its way.

I just finished the last episode of Claymore and I have to say it left me with a bit of thinking. Claymore is a very unpredictable anime with a lot of blood spilling. Watching it, you will think that the story will flow as any other common anime would, mixing together war, love, hatred and revenge resulting a mixed-up story, but that is not true at all. Claymore respects the primary goal throughout the story.

The environment is dark, obscure, giving it a more serious air but also a spooky and cold one.

I really admire that despite the fact that the anime has got a lot ... of beautiful blonde girls appearing in it, Claymore respected its genres of adventure and action all the way, without any ecchi involved.

The thing I did not really liked was the bitter taste that Claymore left me with. Even though the anime was really good, something was missing. At some point i realised that the story lacked some details and could have been wider and richer. That made it just a little bit unsatisfactory.

Some may learn something from the last episodes, maybe a life lesson, some may accept it, some may not agree with it, but that is for you to decide, I dont want to spoil it.

All things considered, Claymore is a "must see" and I strongly recommend it.

Claymore is an action, fantasy, supernatural based anime which was released in the spring of 2007. The show itself was adapted from its manga, spanning 26 episodes- although it should be noted it does cut off from the manga near the end in order to fit the anime in. This show gets going straight from minute one and from there on it’s almost impossible to stop. Almost.
The premise upon which Claymore is built is actually a very absorbing one, the setting and plot doesn’t seem clichéd and right from the first episode it is likely to have you hooked. The world in Claymore ... is inhabited by both humans and monsters which are otherwise known as Yoma. They are beings who are always thirsting for human flesh and have a veracious appetite for guts. What makes these Yoma so special is the fact that they can change forms to look just like humans and thus they can reside in villages and towns, getting by undetected and pounce whenever the opportunity presents itself. Humans themselves are unable to fight back as the Yoma are simply too strong and so the humans often call for help in the form of claymores. Claymores are half-human, half-Yoma beings who are controlled by an “organisation” and have the power to slay most Yoma with relative ease. They are however not trusted and feared by the humans due to their Yoma connections despite the assistance they provide.
The first episode introduces the two main protagonists in the show, Raki, a young boy who had lost his parents to Yoma and also Clare, a claymore who is sent to rid the Yoma in Raki’s village. Through various events, Raki eventually tags on and travels with Clare on her journey- very much to Clare’s disdain. Without getting into spoiler territory, I would like to point out that this is initially a very interesting relationship in terms of how the two quite different people start to bond. Raki slowly tries to win Clare over and eventually they start to build a bond over the length of the show which is key to many parts of the story. However, this isn’t the only relationship and in fact there is an arc far better involving a relationship much fuller and richer than that of Raki and Clare.
The show actually has a theme running throughout of brotherhood, togetherness and friendship. These themes are the backbone of so many arcs and sub-plots and the way in which the characters are united can seem to strike up a few emotions. It certainly promotes a very healthy and real sense of camaraderie which means you can really connect and empathise with many of the characters. They use this attraction to the characters to really play with your emotions, not always for the better, in this show you can feel frustrated, shocked, elated all at the same time for almost all of the characters throughout the show. Personally apart from two or three characters, I didn’t find the characters to be amazingly deep and most were average.
There are some deeper questions this show asks too however, which are interspersed frequently in every episode. The main one being- what is it to really be human? What is it within us that keeps us sane? When do we cross the line that turns us into a metaphorically speaking, monster- I’m thinking murderers etc. here. These are just thoughts that will pop up from episode to episode and get you thinking- although the anime itself doesn’t take it upon itself to really answer these questions.
At this point I’ll also mention the amount of guts and gore involved in this show. Basically, I don’t there was a single period of ten minutes where I didn’t see someone’s limbs or head flying off. Every single episode is full of blood and gore, that isn’t to say however that it is off putting, it’s just extremely over the top. The amount of damage some of these people can take just has you thinking “oh c’mon you’ve got to be dead by now!” So you are certainly covered if you are looking for a lot of over the top action!
Now, so far everything seems pretty good. Fairly gripping characters? Check. A storyline and setting that can really go somewhere? Check. Do we end up actually going anywhere? Not really.
There were quite a few problems with this show, which personally I feel stopped it from really going on and becoming a really top rate show. The biggest problem with this show was that it was simply too short, it needed to, HAD to be longer. It could really have benefitted from further episodes, not to keep the story going, but instead to expand on the situations within the initial 26 episodes. The show starts to run out of steam as the show goes and after an extremely strong start, fails to keep it up. As a result by the end of the show you feel as if there loads of details that have been missed out and that the whole thing is just too rushed. The strong premise of the show and the action means you will keep watching-while still enjoying the show- but at some point you will feel as if you have hit some kind of wall and that nothing is really progressing.
A further problem was that the show seems to lose the overall plot over the course of the show and fumbles its way through to the final few episodes. The sense of closure when you will finish the show is missing, you don’t really feel as if the show has ended and you’re left with a sort of “wait what, that’s it?” feeling. After all the plots and storylines which are set up it can feel like a massive let down and that’s where the flaw lies.
The art style was quite good for an anime of the 2007 period and also complemented the style of show that Claymore depicts, although it did seem a little odd at times with the way some humans were portrayed. The Yoma themselves weren’t all the same and were sufficiently different enough to keep you guessing. The music was simply superb, the actions scenes were complemented with the kind of music that really pumps you up and the tense moments really did give you a sense of unease. The OP was very good in my opinion, while the ED was average.
Despite the criticisms, Claymore is still a thoroughly enjoyable show which sadly falls short of its rather massive potential. However if you are looking for fast paced action with loads of over the top fighting and blood and gore, then this is your show.
For recommendations for similar shows, I would certainly recommend attack on titan if you haven’t already seen it since they are both similar in terms of action, although attack on titan in my opinion has a far more even paced and frankly better story line.

Claymore is one of the animes that you certainly would look a second time, just to enjoy the thrilling fights, yet while having an already seen concept.

It plays out in a medieval world where predators called ,,Yoma'' reign terror over humanity. They are able to hide in a human ,,shell'' and can pop up anytime to kill and eat a human when they see fit.
Humanity though then showed the politely described ,,Go away'' -Finger to the Yoma by the creation of a sub-race.
A secret organisation has brought women together and had let them consume Yoma flesh, or implanted yoma flesh into them. The ... result to that is that they gain the power to see Yoma even in their human shell, but in exchange -they have to stay emotionless. When those girls unleash their emotions, the yoma in them rises and thus takes over them. If they reach a certain limit then they are not able to revert to their human form.
I will come back to this part in a bit.

The Story brings us Raki, a young boy that that had lost his parents due to a yoma attack and thus was left only with his brother who tries to teach him swordsmanship. Raki is faced with a sudden yoma attack and even that the elder called the famous ,,Claymore'' to their aid. Claymore , is an unfortunately not explained nickname that the citizen gave the cursed women. Some say that they could see nothing behind those eyes , yet when they changed the colour - they were able to see Yoma.
A young woman with short hair then arrives at the city, she was the one called, but then the story does a rushed step where raki gets attacked by the yoma that hid himself as his brother while telling him bit by bit that he was the one that ate his brother back then.
Naturally this wont go unnoticed by the Claymores' Eye, and she saves the little boy Raki. Him having nothing left, he began to follow her and thus we finally hear her name, Claire.

Claire is basically the same like Raki. The story begins to deconstruct her by showing a bit of affection and care for his welldoing while she protects and trains him too. Up to that point where she even gets saved through his will. Despite Claire being clarified well in the story. We unfortunately get little to no more information about Rakis Backstory during the whole series. The Plot goes then further to introduce the main villain, a demoness called ,,Priscilla'' which violently killed Claires guardian and her friends back then. You get a good feel from then on that she seeks only and only to avenge her killed friend.

Coming then to Art. If you are a fan of gore - you will be fine with this. The art is trying to be realistically and creative and when something should look like it hurts - it does look very very very painful. I was also amazed at the competitive fights and the different yoma designs, not to forget that its style its leaned towards older anime maybe bringing even a bit more comic-like features in it. The sound is more medieval oriented and thus also very fitting. Though while the Opening is very fitting, i feel like the battle themes hadnt had the power they should. Theme should make you pumped, should make you excited for the fight..yet it went a little lash, but thankfully the plot makes up for that so it wont get boring midway through.
Characters, as already mentioned, were sometimes left out and not really well fleshed out, leaving you with scenes that hadnt much reasoning attached to them. Like, why did Teresa not kill Priscilla -it is clear that she would have been a threat, why did she hesitate at the moment of Priscilla being overtransformed and begging to be killed. I know that the new Priscilla might have been too fast for her, but ît seemed like she gave time on purpose instead of ending it quickly.

Though some flaws, i mostly had enjoyed Claymore - even looking it in English dub and japanese dub too. (though i ensure you that watching the original jp dub is much better) i issue it a solid : 7.5

If you have read it all up until here, know that im very grateful for that :) and i Hope that my review could have helped you making the choice to watch it or not.

First of all, I'm not a huge fan of this genre of anime. It troubles me when the entire series can be seen as a progression of power. Much like in the Dragonball series, Z, GT and such, the villains can only get so powerful, and the main hero can only grow in strength so much. Now, if all you want to see is some pretty cool sword combat, lots of blood and dismemberment, even bodies being cut to little tiny pieces, then you've come to the right place. But don't come expecting some phenomenal story-line either. Essentially, what you ... get is a typical tale of revenge - "you took something from me, so I'm taking your life" kind of response. Now while this isn't such a bad thing, it depends entirely upon the presentation. What makes Claymore a respectable entry into this genre is in the characters and the art. Somehow, with over 47 different Claymores, each one has their own unique personality and appearance. Each villain is also given a unique and interesting personality that makes each encounter fresh, exciting and tense. The art, as well, is something unique to this anime. I don't believe I've seen another series that has quite this level of animation. It's hard to describe fully so that you can understand what I'm talking about. But if you watch the first episode, you'll get a feel for what the rest of the anime will look like.
One other issue I had, was a "flashback" that happened in a series of quite a few episodes in the middle. There's no clear reason or indication that this is a flashback. I sat there and wondered for the longest time "What happened to Clare (the main character) and who's this Teresa lady?" It isn't until the end of the flashback session that you realize that is has been a flashback. I feel that could have been done better, but, even then, the characters presented there (in just a few episodes) become likeable and enjoyable to watch.

Be prepared for a lot of action, a lot of tense "what's going to happen next" moments, and several incredulous "over-the-top" scenes with limb regeneration/reattachment and the likes.
All in all, I enjoyed the anime and would recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good, bloody action series.

Claymore is not a groundbreaking series. While it's great fun to watch, it does not feel like it's doing anything particularly new. The story is fairly standard, but does the job, excluding the inconclusive and, frankly, disappointing ending, the art style takes some getting used to (before I got used to it, I found that faces looked very odd, but the backgrounds and the Claymores were always excellent), the characters are fairly shallow and, in Raki's case, very annoying in parts (he just won't stop whining and blubbing - even if you don't mind him at first, you'll see what I mean later on).

Despite this, ... Claymore is well worth a watch. It is certainly one of the more compelling anime I have watched, and I got through it in three days (this pace of watching is very rare for me). It never drags, with the possible exception of the three epiosdes or so that flesh out Clare's backstory, and this only slightly drags because I always find flashback sequences a tad boring - this was about as good as they come, and it's nice to see a few episodes devoted to fleshing out the characters, instead of the usual token episode per character.

Claymore's animation is variable. While it sometimes seems jerky (I found that after a few episodes I no longer noticed this), the fights feel very lovingly done, with nice animation. The series avoids excessive repetition of animations, and it happens a lot less than it normally does in anime of this type, especially the classic head-on view of multiple, identical, repeated swordstrokes and constant parrying. Not saying it doesn't happen, just it doesn't happen nearly as often as it does in other sword-heavy anime. Towards the end, the flashbacks of scenes from earlier episodes begins to grate.

The Japanese voice acting neither stood out for nor disappointed me. It does the job. Where Claymore's sound really excels is in its moments of rousing orchestral score. Had it had a bit more variation and slightly better voice acting, I would have given Claymore a 10 for sound.

One of my major gripes, before which I was considering giving Claymore a 9, was the ending. Not only was it inconclusive, but the final fight couldn't hold a candle to the penultimate one. It's hard to describe without spoiling anything, so suffice to say it felt rather formulaic and dull. The ending left me wondering whether there was a second series, of which there is currently no sign.

If you like this sort of series, you should definitely have a look at Claymore, as its faults do not stop it from being a highly enjoyable watch.

Remember the time when Claymore sucked ? Neither do i ! This is easiest one of my favorite series of all time.

In a medieval world, there are monsters called Yoma, they love to eat human flesh and they often disguise themselfs with human form... it is not rare a yoma disguising as one of their eaten victims, eating their brain to gain their memories the disguise becomes even perfect.

Imagine the terror one would have to live in a world like this...constantly haunted by demons.

But don't panic ! There is hope and they are here to help us ! (or they are just following orders in ... exchange of money ? )

Yes ! Claymores ! It is the name given to a female warrior whose have made a pact of blood with the yoma, thus gaining some of their ability to regenerate their body (defensive type) or increase speed and attack power (offensive type). They can sense if a human is a disguised yoma or not. They are controlled by an organization which aims to protect humans from yomas.

In fact, claymores are not the heroes for justice or human salvation in any form, most of them are dragged by their own sentiments of hatred/suffering/revenge.

It is a great action show, with consistent fights and terror. Why did i mention terror ? because unlike other action/fighting animes like dragon ball z where people often gets their ass beaten by big explosions and their body parts don't fall apart, in claymore a misjudged moves would rather result in a loss of an arm, a head or in a fatal wound. So the entire show you are immersed in this atmosfere, with terrific fights meaning the characters could die at any time and often severely wounded.

As the plot develops, you start to get the "BIGNESS" of their world, and you realize that the most powerfull enemies are light-years away from the claymores, leaving a feeling of impotence and weakness, increasing the tension and the terror they must face.

But most people criticize the end of the series, stating they didn't follow the manga and etc... but for me was more than perfect, as the internal conflits around the protagonist comes to a closure and raki, the most useless and pathetic (fighting?) character of the entire anime history, would not later become a baddass fighter as in the manga, preventing an inconsistent powerup which would drop the series rating.

Claymore is a violent, terrific, full of terror, baddas action anime series of all time, it is only better than Berserk because they didn't animate the black swordsman/conviction arcs onward which Berserk's history starts to get similar.

I don't know what to say, except for the fact that I can't believe that I didn't discover this anime earlier. This is not only a great anime, but its also got to be one of the darkest that I've ever seen. However; despite it being real dark, they actually kept it at the right balance with the light elements in it as well.

The story deals around a group of female warriors known as Claymore's who are half-breeds; half-human and half-yoma, a demonic like creature that can not only shape shift into humans but feast on human flesh. This was the first action adventure ... anime that I'd seen where all the warriors were pretty much all female. Well, actually they were all female. It's not that often you see something like that and it really worked here.

The animation is just great in both light and dark elements. The design of both; the Claymore's and Yoma are very well done. I feel that there could had been a little more color to the Claymore's maybe but this is about a group of half-breeds who carry the blood of a demon in them so yeah you can understand why they went the way they did. Even the designs of some of the awaken beings were very well done. The action was also fast passed and worked towards its advantage. I also liked that each Claymore had their own symbol to keep identify them. I found that very interesting that they had their own unique form of identity.

The music was just awesome, especially; the theme songs. The opening theme is good and does leave a great impact, but my god the ending theme though, I can't get it out of my head it's just that damn good it's called; Danzai No Hana and it really leaves a big impact on ya.

The characters are just thenomonal. You have Clair who the story mainly ventures around with and travels with a boy named Rocky after saving him from a Yoma, and as good as a character Clair is I have to admit that she is not my favorite character. No, despite her only being in like 4 episodes, my favorite character would have to be Teresea. It's another way of saying of not giving credit where credit is due because even though she wasn't in that many episodes she clearly developed very well and changed quickly. However; we also find out that there is a big plot twist in all of this to which I will not spoil though I'll admit that it caught me off guard.

Overall; I really enjoyed this anime and am still ashamed that I didn't find it sooner. Truth be told, there's really only one thing that's holding it back and that's the fact that there is only 26 episodes and yet the manga is not only continuing to expand today but has like over 100+ chapters. So, I don't know for sure what happened but would have loved to have seen more. Despite though of it only being 26 chapters long, I like what we got. It's great, it's dark, and it has a ton of action to it.

Claymore is set in the medieval times where demons called, Yoma, terrorize humans. Luckily however the humans have the claymores on their side, half human half Yoma beings ordered by a mysterious organization to rid of the Yoma. The story follows Raki and Clare who venture off to fulfill Clare's revenge quest.

Story:
The story is not unique but that ins't a issue because the story although cliche is well executed. the story is also easy to follow so there shouldn't be confusion as to what is going on in the story.

Art:
The artwork is great and reminds me much of the anime, Monster's animation, making the characters ... look like actually people.

Sound:
I really enjoyed the soundtracks in this anime and have no complaints about the sound

Characters:
This is the shows Achilles heel, which is not good since the charterers have to carry the show along. It felt as if most of the characters were just lacking in personality, aside for a few select of dynamic characters, most characters could be classified as either cocky, evil, or naive. The characters genuinely were generic and some had zero substance.

Enjoyment:
Aside from some characters i had a blast watching this anime, It was badass even in spite of its flaws.

This anime is a classic for me. As an person who loves action anime it delivers some good epic stuff.

Action: 9/10. This anime is violent and gory and I'm totally fine with that. People get eaten, monsters get cut up, half humans and half monsters ( claymores) get cut up. People getting killed left, right and center. Its perfect from an action point of view. Tonnes of action throughout the series. Won't be disappointed by it either. There's fast paced action. Slow emotional paced action and intellectual action where characters outsmart there opponents or evaluate the battles in detail. It's absolutely wonderful.

Story: 6/10. This story ... was basic, effective and started of good. Without revealing too much its about revenge and a organization which deploys half human and half monster warriors ( claymores) to exterminate monsters. Relationships get built both between humans and claymores and the series just progresses from there. There's tonnes of emotion and hardship which will get you sucked in and focused on this. The story is great you'll love it. You'll hate the ending though. Many unanswered questions left. This is the type of anime which just didn't end. It needed a season 2 but never got it. I guess a part of that could be because it stopped following the manga at one point. The ending is catastrophic its bad and it ruins the whole series because the story was brilliant. Nevertheless if you like action and character development you should watch this series. Plenty of emotion and character and plot development.

Overall 7/10. The action and massacres are worth watching. The story is very seducing. The ending is heartbreaking it hits me every time i watch it.

Since Claymore is one of those anime that doesn't adapt the whole manga and has an anime original ending; I never really bothered to watch it. The premise looked cool, but I didn't want to be disappointed. Now that I've finally finished it; here are my personal thoughts on it:

Claymore's setting can be described as Dark Fantasy; it's very grim, there's virtually no comedy or fanservice; it's violent and a lot of people die. So first of all, what is this anime about: Claymores are half-monster girls (not as sexy as it sounds) who defeat actual monsters ("Yoma") with their giant swords. But since ... there are part monsters themselves, they might turn into "awakened beings" who are even more dangerous than normal monsters. The main characters are a young woman named Clare, who seeks revenge for a beloved person from her past and her sidekick Raki who doesn't really do anything, except whine.

Probably the first thing that you'll notice, is that 95% of the characters are female. What, a fighting shounen with females who aren't weak? Exactly. I have to be honest here if it wasn't for the strong women in Claymore; this show wouldn't have that much identity. That's a pretty poor statement, but I still really appreciate the author's decision, since action anime with girls are still pretty rare.

I didn't like the number of character deaths though. Too many characters die 2-3 episodes after they're introduced, which made it hard to like any of them (except for Clare). The fact that most characters look the same didn't really help (same clothing/armor and very similar hair and faces).

This show had an interesting art style and I really liked the atmosphere in Claymore, it felt really dark and edgy. The music was decent too and there are a few tracks that really stood out. Animations are good too, the action scenes usually look fluid.

The ending was by far the worst aspect of this anime. It wasn't satisfying at all and felt like there was so much left (which it was since the anime only adapts 40% of the manga). But what this anime adapt was pretty good and for the most, I felt very entertained. After you finished this show, you either want to quickly read the manga, because this anime made you a Claymore fan and you want to see the real ending or you're just disappointed and want to never touch Claymore ever again because of the ending(in my case it was the former ^^).

Set in a medieval environment, Claymore takes an interesting take on the girls with guns genre swapping the guns with a broadsword (or Claymore).

Starting off, the first few episodes set the foundations of who the Claymore are, and how they are tasked to battle the the Yoma (demons that have crossed into this world whom have a taste for human flesh - guts especially!). Although a tad boring but a necessary set up, the series really doesnt become addictive until episode 4 when we see the backstory of the lead character Clare and the entrance of fan fave Teresa (I love her!).

Although action heavy, ... as the series progresses the question of "what does it mean to be human" does come into play, as does the concept of fighting for people who fear/dislike you. Clare is a likeable lead, with striking beauty and you can feel the emotions she goes through. Which was a difficult feat to represent given that the Claymore are emotionless killers. Some of the higher level Yoma have interesting designs and you can sense the fear in the characters when they are in battle.

The supporting characters are just as fascinating to watch if not more due to their differing personalities, and if this is show doesnt inspire the ladies for a new hairstyle i dont know what will! ;) This was in my opinion one of the series' strengths, the development and focus on the supporting characters. The sense of camaraderie between the Claymore is apparent and their actions are worth your attention. Also it is refreshing to see the Claymore as intelligent, tough, skilled female warriors without the ecchi factor thrown in which would've made the series a joke. The last 6 episodes do have an epic feeling to them which makes you want to keep watching.

The series is not perfect however. Some of action sequences become generic and slightly boring. I also felt that the fights couldve been a bit more "cooler" for a better choice of words. There is also a tendancy that in a middle of a battle, a long speech or story is given that does ruin the pace, and couldve been handled better - i think this is where the manga is superior and somehow works better when reading. The supporting character of Raki is so annoying and nearly ruined the whole series for me. He is important in Clares development however, but did he really have to be such a whiny, annoying t*t??!! The conclusion to the series was a bit of a let down and didnt make much sense, however the ride getting there was worth the investment, if anything a good introduction to the manga.

The opening and closing themes will grow on you, and the soundtrack - although the guitar riffs sound okay, i think this series wouldve been suited to a more natural orchestral sound track given the lush environments and medieval settings. The rock just didnt seem right, but nothing too distracting to the overall enjoyment, and that what this series is, entertaining.

An overall 8/10.

Story:
In a world that is rife with deadly creatures called "Yoma", a young silver eyed woman, Clare, works on behalf of an organization that trains female warriors called Claymores, Half Human Half Yoma warriors with the ability to destroy these creatures to protect humans, while struggling to hold on to their own humanity.


Story: 9/10
The story is great, plenty of plot and plot twists, character development, background and good story in it, it also keeps on track and never loses it's thread and keeps really close to the original Manga storyline, though it isn't the most original plot line, the way it is done makes ... more fresh and original than many others.


Art: 9//10
The animation is great, Set in a medieval time most likely in European setting, the characters look good, the backgrounds were good, good detail and layout, the fight animations were amazing very fluid motions, it didn't seem choppy or stiff as it can in other anime battle scenes. The character motions and movement seemed to flow very well in general.


Characters: 10/10
I liked the character's in this story, they were well done with good character art and development shown to grow a lot during the short season, change their attitudes towards others and develop friendships, We follow the main protagonist Clare and see her development most and her relationship towards her companion Raki a human boy. Varied looks and personality kept it fresh, the only major drawback, is the main cast is predominately seen in the main uniform all the way through, it can be a little boring, but considering the effect it has in the plot and story, i would overlook it.

Sound: 9/10
the sounds were great in the anime, excellent character voice's even the english dub wasn't so bad, general sound effects and battle sound effects, the music was pretty good too, and i liked the opening/ending themes in it.

Enjoyment:
For enjoyment i rate it at 10, the story was engaging and quite gripping and the fight scenes were a great watch, i could happily watch the season over again a couple of times, and not get bored of it.

Overall Score: 9/10
Overall a great anime, definitely one for keeps, the animation, sound, characters, etc in this were great and well thought out, the story was gripping and it did the manga justice. My only major problem with this is the length of it, it's only 26 episodes , it's a bit of a shame and a waste of it's potential, if it was kept exactly (or really close enough) to the manga at the end, another season and at least an OAV or two could have been brought out of this, the last episode's ruined that though, completely diverged from the Manga and rounded off the anime so for that i couldn't give it a perfect 10 though i would have loved too, overall i rate it at 9.

regardless of the end, it's definitely a great anime on it's own and certainly worth a watch.

i recommend you read the manga as well, since it goes a lot deeper than the anime does.

Claymore is a fantastic anime that's most definitely worth the watch if you're interested in a fairly good story with some really interesting characters and awesome action scenes, its an anime that in my opinion is very underrated and not talked about and i wish it had more exposure.

The story of Claymore is for the most part very good and very consistent well until the ending that is, but i wouldn't let that put you off as the anime is still worth the watch despite the ending seeming a bit anti climactic. The reason for the ending maybe seeming like a little bit of a ... let down is because the manga at the time hadn't advanced to a point where the anime could adapt the story and so an ending effectively had to be made up and put together without the manga. The basic introduction to the plot is that there are evil creatures called yoma roaming and stalking humans as pray and when a village or town becomes pray to a yoma they call the Claymore organization to eradicate the problem, That's a very basic outline to the plot it does get more depth with both the characters and plot.

As for the action in Claymore, its probably one of the strongest factors in the anime. The unique draw to the combat scenes in Claymore is the fact that while in combat you cannot exceed your power limit, these Claymore warriors are essentially half yoma half human. If they were to exceed their power limit they themselves would become a yoma and completely transform. this adds a very interesting twist and layer of depth to the action scenes in Claymore allowing for each combat scenario to have much more tension with the Claymore warriors having to effectively hold back on using their maximum strength or risk becoming a yoma themselves.

The characters in Claymore are also very good it introduces a fair amount of characters and all of them are fairly unique with their own strengths and weaknesses, Claire and Raki are the two main protagonists and while i really enjoy Claire's character Raki kinda does get on my nerves a bit and that seems to be a common complaint with a lot of people who have watched Claymore. But there are more than enough awesome characters like Teresa for example that make up for that.

All in all i think Claymore is a fantastic anime that is most definitely worth your time, with fantastic action scenes, awesome characters and a decent story its really a must see if you're a fan of this genre of anime.

===============STORY: 9===============
Claymore is a very well thought out story that is presented in an effective way. Although the plot has exceptional moments, what makes Claymore so compelling is its dark setting and masterful use of reveals and plot twists.
Taking place during a medieval era, the world of Claymore is full of mystery, horror, and evil. Its this strange setting that keeps viewers watching, even after establishing the basic Claymore vs Yoma premise. Viewers want to know more about this world: What are Yoma? How are Claymores created? What is on Claymores' bodies that is so disgusting? What is the Organization? Its questions like these ... that stem from the setting of the story and entice viewers to continue watching.
The use of reveals (discovery of a previously unknown key element of plot or setting) and plot twists are what makes Claymore's story so addicting. Because Claymore is a dark and mysterious world, it provides many opportunities for secrets to be revealed and the unexpected to occur. Furthermore, none of these reveals or twists feel forced; all of the story's many surprises flowed within the narrative and made sense within Claymore's fictional world.
The plot, for the most part, is in typical shounen fashion. Claymores are sent to hunt monsters called Yoma. The main character, Clare, has an ultimate villain that she must destroy. She trains to get enough power to accomplish her task, and etcetera. However, Claymore contains many seinen aspects as well. There is a lot of blood and gore. The series is not afraid to kill off main characters, some in shocking fashion, and severed limbs are common. Furthermore the series contains hints of rape, abuse, and discrimination.
Unfortunately, during the later half of Claymore, the story slightly regressed back to its shounen nature. While it was still very entertaining, the story focused more on the battles rather than the mysterious world itself. Another issue is the lack of a concrete ending. Because the anime was produced faster than manga, its ending defers greatly from the manga and is very open-ended. Nonetheless, the story is excellent and easily the best aspect of Claymore.

===========ART/ANIMATION: 9===========
For a series made in 2007, Claymore's animation is top class. The fighting scenes are usually fluid and rarely is motion jagged. During battles, capes and hair can be seen fluttering to emphasize motion. Furthermore the variety and creativity in the fighting styles of each claymore is well animated. From Miria's phantom step, Irene's flash sword, Ophelia's rippling sword, to Galatea's yoki control, each power is smooth and looks amazing.
The art is excellent, not because everything looks pretty and beautiful, but because often characters look strange and flawed. This style actually fits perfectly with the dark and mysterious atmosphere of the story. Finally, I would like to add that Claymores have the sickest eyes I have ever seen in anime. During close-ups you can even see the silver or gold fibres in these eyes.

===============SOUND: 8===============
Claymore doesn't boast a very diverse musical repertoire, often relying on mysterious instrumentals throughout the series. However, although the music is limited, Claymore has an amazing OP and ED that truly reflected the medieval and dark mood of Claymore.

==============CHARACTER: 7==============
The characters are the weakest aspect of Claymore. For a show featuring a cast of femme fatales you would expect a lot of the characters to be deep and well developed. Well most aren't. Unfortunately there is very little character development apart from Clare and if a character does get some development it is miniscule. This is especially disappointing considering each character is unique and interesting, yet we never learn enough about their pasts, their goals, how they became claymores, and other aspects of their lives like family and friends. Another issue is that the characters are very "robotic" as they seem to live for the sole purpose of killing yoma and they do not interact with others unless its related to their jobs. As a result most Claymores are cold, calm, and show no form of emotion other than anger, surprise, or pain. This makes it extremely difficult for viewers to relate to these characters. For example, although Clare gets a fair share of development, its extremely hard to relate to her as she seems almost robotic in emotion. I dont recall ever seeing her smile. Nonetheless, what I do enjoy about the characters is their uniqueness. Each Claymore is unique in appearance and ability, and this is the sole factor that makes the characters interesting. This sense of uniqueness is emphasized by the symbols that each warrior is assigned.
Finally, I should mention that if you absolutely cannot stand useless and idiotic characters then avoid watching Claymore. Raki is the most frustrating character in anime I have ever seen.

==============ENJOYMENT: 10==============
Being more of a story driven person, I found this series to be extremely enjoyable. Once I picked up Claymore I just could not stop watching (I finished the series in 2 days). Not only were the fight scenes really enjoyable, but I also found myself so engrossed in the mysterious universe of Claymore. I watched to learn more about this intriguing world and its characters. The skillful use of reveals and plot twists kept me at the edge of my seat and always wondering what was going to happen next. I was addicted.

===============OVERALL: 9===============
The series had the potential to be a 10. It really did. However, the lack of character development outside of Clare was very disappointing, especially since there was so much potential for development. Nonetheless, Claymore, presents a very intriguing and addicting world that will definitely leave viewers thirsty for answers. The action is sick, the blood is plenty, and when you have a cast of femme fatales whats not to like?
Overall, if you are an action fan, or if you value a story-driven plot that uses reveals and plot twists to keep you at the edge of your seat then watch Claymore. Fans of Attack on Titan should end up liking Claymore as both series have extremely similar stories and both series rely on the same plot devices to move the story forward.
Finally if you do end up liking the anime and want more closure I highly recommend you read the manga. More of the anime's mysteries will be explained.

Feedback is welcome.

The Claymore are an organisation of female half human half monster warriors that protect humans from monsters called Yoma. In the beginning we are shown a town where a monster had been killing people and they had to call for a Claymore. When she comes to town everyone is afraid of her but a boy named Raki who becomes the target of the monster, but is saved by the Claymore Clare. After she leaves he is exiled because of his exposure to the monster. Outside the city walls he almost dies but is saved by Clare, who at first wants him to leave but later ... allows him to join her on her travels. And so their adventure together begins.

Let’s start with the story, while interesting it was not especially memorable as two weeks after finishing watching I already had trouble remembering the details. The first few episodes are extremely well done with great pacing and character development but then start the unreasonably long fights that can last for entire episodes and while decently animated and choreographed just start to drag. After watching the series I was interested how the manga was and I have to say that it was better in this aspect. Up until now I have been only complaining but I have to say that the story was otherwise really interesting and the ending was pretty well done considering the final few episodes are anime original but they do not allow for another season, at least one that follows the manga.

The main characters are both really well fleshed out and explored in the show especially Clare who has two or three episodes dedicated only to her back story. The character development is also extremely well done and there is hardly an episode where nothing happens that would influence either Raki or Clare. The show has plenty of other characters and they are also interesting, the only problem being in the number of Claymore and their familiar appearances, because of that it is quite hard to know who is who. I had a few problems with the villains because we never get to know truly why they are doing what they are doing. Also the power levels of the characters are a bit inconsistent especially Clare.

The sound and animation is decent but I personally did not like the art style. The monsters rarely seem terrifying and the people look boring. I find there is a lot o variance in the look of the Claymores which at times look beautiful but otherwise look just strange. The fight scenes are very well done but for the length of some of those and I especially like the delayed blood flow effects. Here I have to say that there is a lot of blood in this anime so if you have problems with that this might not be the anime for you. The sound is nothing special but it always complements the happening onscreen well enough. The opening and ending are both good enough to be worth a listen but after twenty or so episodes it gets a little annoying.

Overall Claymore is a decent anime worthy of a high 7 and it could have gotten an even higher score if not for the art and the exaggerated length of the fights. After you finish watching this I highly recommend the reading of the manga because there a lot of the lose ends are explained. You can start from the beginning or continue at around chapter 50. Anyways I am new to reviewing and am always looking for feedback so fell free to leave a comment or check out my other reviews.

What can I say about Claymore that everybody doesn't know already? Well for me one of the best (if not the best) animes I've ever seen. So if you haven't watched it do it now and you'll know what you have been missing out.

Now let's start with this question: Why is this anime so good? Well the answer lies in a perfect balance between Story-Art-Sound-Characters. Seriously I cannot find any weak points in this anime so all I will be doing is praising this one, or not?. The story is set in an old medieval theme and goes on in a very detailed but ... not happy world. It has the same old concept: demons vs. demon slayers, ups I forgot to mention that this demon slayers are also half Demons (or in one particulary case a quarter demon), so all of this put together gather a really good story, but again I´ve seen better. Actually the story doesn't have the feeling to be (like in almost all the animes in this genre) Good vs. Evil, the story is fluid and you don't feel it slow or fast: it just goes on at the pace it should and it has it's twists, but not to many to worry about, very straight forward really.

Now concerning the art-animation aspect, I have to say it's a bit tricky. At first it's a little hard to get used to this type of animation. It's different from other animations, but it inspires a old, mistic, antique and specially dark theme, this is very important for an anime. Once you see it for a while you get used to it and deeply enjoy it. Other things to take notice of are the gore scenes: these are richly animated not letting anything out of it, definitely it contains one of the more satisfactory body-dismembering scenes I've seen.

I think the sound is what I love more about this anime. The ending and opening themes, they are very good (Guilty Sky is in my list) almost perfect. The soundtracks are just my style, just mix a medieval theme for parcially calmed situations and a variety of extremely good rock-metal BGMs for the battle scenes and you have a perfect and amazing sound for every event that happens, that is what is all about, perfection.

Now the other tricky part: Characters. Well I should have mentioned this in the art part but who cares, I will gladdly state it here: The females Claymores are all the same in looks. Yeah well a little bit of a change in the hairstyle and in the facial expressions but either way it feels really monotonous watching the same blonde looking characters fighting by or each other. But even so every single one has a special ability different from the other ones (at least the secondary and main characters do) and that added with each ones personality will make that, in time, one can differenciate one from another. Now the character development is as the story not fast not slow but beautifully done in a way that makes you have a more individual concept of each character.

At the end I truly enjoyed this anime. It was just right for me: Gory, bloody and full of action and supernatural occurences. So let me tell you this: I am writting this review in comparison with other animes I've seen, I hope this has been made clear so it doesn't bother you when you read the following statement: This anime is crap. A contradicction is it not? Well yeah is crap in comparison with the manga. Really if I compare this with the manga the story wouldn't get more than a 2 or 3 from me and the enjoyment issue it would be ranked at 1 and I would be still thinking I gave away too many points. I watched the anime, I enjoyed it very much but then a friend told me that the manga was so much better so I started reading it until there was a moment I couldn't do it anymore and stopped. And my conclusion is this: Watch the anime first and then, if you must, read the manga, although I do not recomend it because you will hate the anime afterwards. Do not ever read the manga before watching this anime because when you get a little bit past half the episodes you will be dropping it, trust me...

Potential Spoilers:


After finishing Stein;s Gate, Berserk, and Fate/Zero, I thought that it was time to begin watching Claymore. It did not disappoint compared to the other three series. I'm a fan of Berserk, as well as Shingeki No Kyojin, so watching a show similar to their types of style and genre was a good appetite.

The story starts with a boy who lost his family from demonic predators called Yoma, as they feast on humans and are able to blend in with humans with their type of appearance manipulation. To face against such demons, an organization created a hybrid of female humans and Yoma warriors ... known as the Claymore, which brings us to our main protagonist, Clare. Claymores are detested by society for the fact that they still hold Yoma flesh in their veins, and as Raki, the young boy, realizes that Clare shows similar qualities with himself, they bond. Now, Clare's determined to protect Raki, as well as holding a strong ambition to defeat the main antagonist that terrorized the days of her youth.

Now, this is a special story. I cannot compare this to SnK as it was made afterwards, and Berserk is kind of different in regards to its plot as well. So in terms of story in the shounen/18+ mix, Claymore excels.

Moving on to the art, the character designs are kind of repetitive as almost every Claymore have silver/blonde/white tinted hair, silver eyes, etc. The thing is though, that is their character. My rating of art, however, comes from the design of the Awakened Beings and the Yoma themselves. The kaiju have unique designs, symbolic, or religious. The aesthetic deigns almost remind me of Berserk as well, pardon me for comparing the two so much but both are fantastic fantasy series. However, to argue against my rating for the art, the animation is sometimes lackluster as characters lack faces as the scenes zoom out, although it might also be the quality of the episodes (i'm not watching this in 720p). The demons actually look like demons though, and sometimes do appear quite frightening. Horns, spikes, wings, the demonic designs in Claymore are unique.

The sound is mediocre from what i've heard so far. The soundtrack is nice and all but sometimes the voice acting suddenly downgrades in quality mid sentence, although again this might be from the source that I watched this from and might not be from the creators of the anime themselves. Although, I won't really put sound as something in the overall grade in the first place, so this doesn't weigh as much as the others, if not at all.

The characters are kind of a weak point here, as a lot of the Claymores you see in the series die. Although, Clare, Raki, Priscilla, and Teresa are each the better characters of the series. Clare especially, as you see her suffer through the death of her comrades countlessly just like Guts from Berserk, or Eren from SnK to compare the suffering each characters have lost in their own respective series. Clare is one of the better female protagonists in all of Shounen/Seinen, viewers and readers might see why as they read or watch the source material. Raki has appeared annoying at first for me, but he's generally the voice of reason or the "pussy" character, but at the same time you'll see that in his own way he grows semi-interesting, but depends on the person. Personally I still dislike him. In terms of Teresa and Priscilla, I will not spoil them for the reader of this review so go watch/read this.

Overall I did enjoy Claymore a lot. Did I enjoy it as much as Berserk, however? No. Berserk still remains the pinnacle quintessential king of Seinen/Fantasy in manga history, although Claymore is definitely an amazing follow-up. is it better than Shingeki No Kyojin? In my humble opinion, I view Claymore as the better series, yes. However, this doesn't mean that SnK isn't a good series, it just means that some artists/studios are doing a better job handling the fantasy elements of their own respective shows. Claymore is a series never to forget in terms of fantasy shows/anime, however there are existing flaws and cliches that appear often, especially the ending, but most series have their own bits and stuff as well.

Overall, Claymore is a 7.8/10 series, however due to MAL's system of only using whole numbers, I shall round it up to an 8/10 that it deserves, instead of a 7.

Alright guys, second review :D

Despite the fact that i haven't seen many anime's Claymore is one of my favourite ones. It is also my favourite shounen type of anime.

Story: 9

This anime's set-up and plot are fantastic, as well as its focus. It kinda feels like an adventure-travelling anime by the point you get to the half of it, so the space for character development is given to itself by default.
The anime has a quite serious feel to it, as it is almost completely focused on the development of our main character.
The sci-fi aspect on this anime is also well explained. The Claymore universe ... is easily understood due to this.
Forget about comedy or harems, this anime is for a mature audience and if you find love or romance in it, it treats the topic in a pretty direct and open way.

Art: 6

The art style catches the medieval atmosphere in a pretty convincing fashion.
The characters are well drawn, but they could have better expressions.
The animation could have been better, specially in the battle scenes, which happen quite often. I know it might be a manga thing, but I'd like to see more detail of the fights instead of a representation of "This character is moving her arm and oscilating her sword 90 cicles per second". It feels rushed and they put little to no love in it.

Character: 10

Oh my god, I loved the characters so much. They are pretty relatable (all things considered) and their development and progress is awesome. Specially our godly-powerful warriors, which give a strong message of discipline and humility: You always have to accept there's gonna be someone better than you at some point. Even our male "lead" learned that and decided to voluntarily become a better man and a person.
Make decisions, accept consequences and changes, and keep your ones by your side. It may sound cliché, but the way they execute this development in non-expressive mercenaries is priceless.
Pay special attention to our main character's back story.

Enjoyment: 8

I pretty much enjoyed all of this journey from begginning to end, and it constantly kept me saying "WOW" to myself.
However, the only problem I had with this, is the resolution of some things. There are many questions unanswered, and the fist that punches your face at the end, has writen on it: READ THE MANGA!!

Overall: 9

I deeply recommend this anime to anyone that loves shounen animes and wants a different experience when it comes to characters and progress.

Story: 10
Claymore seems to be something new for me. The reason is because It's not like the other Shounen animes, but the plot Itself is so unusual, and It's so unique and so well-made it's unlikely any anime like this or even close will be remade.

Art: 9
The art/design in the anime seems kinda unusual for the first time, honestly It seemed ugly in the first two episodes. Watching the 3rd episode, I got used to It, and in the middle of It I really liked It. The characters are detailed, and It's the same about the environment. With one word again: "unique".

Sound: 9
I don't ... have a lot of ideas about It, but I liked the opening and the ending song, and the battle's fighting sound also fit everything. The character's voices were also well chosen, the only thing I found annoying is Raki's voice, but I got used to this one too after a few episodes.


Characters: 10
The characters behaviour was awesome at every situation. Rolling from the past back to the present told you almost everything that you had to know about them. You will love all the characters.

Enjoyment: 10
I guess I don't have to tell that I loved watching this, It didn't take me a day to finish this. I just couldn't stop with this. Seeing that this was released in 2007, I'm still interested in a second season since the manga finished in 2014. I just would love to see that. (Guess I can read the manga for now)

Overall: 10
If you watch this you won't regret It. You will just love It. It's a great anime, and as I said above It's similar in the base of the usual "Shounen" animes, but It's more than those, because It's more unique.