Summary: Without going into to much detail, this anime had a lot of potential but wasted a lot of time. It's definitely more than your average run of the mill anime and the idea is unique. But it hit a brick wall. I discuss this more in the story.
Story (6/10): Now before I say anything else, I'm going to say that on the basic idea alone the story would have been worth a 9 or higher. The only reason this show fell to a 6 here is because the ending left a gaping plot hole. Of course this ending may resonate with those who enjoy a cliffhanger ending - although it wasn't so much a cliffhanger as they just ran out of ideas. Besides the ending, the story arcs were well done. The introduction of Claire and Raki is nothing special but the decision for the next arc to be a flashback was pretty good. And of course flash forward to the present. It isn't clever but it is well executed, of course besides the ending. The original idea is both unique and interesting. The half demon idea of course isn't unique, but a lot of the elements of this plot are. The Yoma Claymore struggle is good to watch. The dark mood really resonates well with the story and creates a nice path to the final battle with Priscilla. It is a good story and well worth watching until they hit the wall.
Art (5/10): Frankly the art wasn't all that appealing to me. I think the blade and Yoma art appeal well, but the human characteristics were kinda hard to swallow. Of course this was my personal opinion and this changes by viewer. But I found a lot of people who share my viewpoint on this.
Sound (10/10): Raison d'Etre was probably the most perfect fit an opening could have for an anime like this. Nightmare's lead has that really strange and creepy voice that matches the mood so well. This is another in my playlist. Other background noises were acceptable. The opening really is the reason for the 10.
Characters (6/10): On their own, the characters aren't much to look at. We have the weakest (and later strongest) claymore and a weak little human boy who really doesn't do much except maintain Claire's humanity. But, what is really great is that we see growth in Claire. Power is one thing, but through the flashback arc we get to see the transition and explanation of how she became a claymore. It was interesting to see how Claire changed throughout the plot. Raki...I'm not sure how to classify other than wimp. While the parallel with young human Claire is clearly visible, Raki is pretty useless and he stays that way throughout the plot. "Oh but he keeps her humanity. That's so brave." Ummm yeah thats great but this is a battle between badass claymores and Yoma. What can Raki do when he can't even use a sword properly. I think he is a necessary character for the plot, but that doesn't make him an enjoyable one. Other characters are support. Necessary but non-unique.
Enjoyment (7/10): I'm not sure how I should classify my enjoyment. I thoroughly enjoyed everything but my happy meter just dropped like a rock after I hit the brick wall ending. I wouldn't have a problem if there were a second season, but seeing as there is none to explain what happens next, I have to downgrade my enjoyment here. But the battles were enjoyable to watch. It's not as if the battles were unique in any way but watching Claire continue using her yoma powers to the limit was pretty badass. Also the Yoma artwork gets mention here.
Overall (6/10): I think that for many people this rating might seem slightly harsh, but I'm averse to giving this anime more than a 6. The story blew up at the ending and while Claire was valuable, Raki was a pain. Seeing as even my enjoyment here fell from the ending, I have one major complaint about this anime that would have entirely changed my score had it been fixed: GET SOME FRICKIN CLOSURE ON THE PLOT!!!
