I guess people rather speak about things they don't like rather than the opposite. Which is why I'm picking by far the worst anime I've watched for my first review.
Let the rant begin. Note that I probably wouldn't be writing this review if Claymore had a score of 5 on MAL, but it's near 8. How can people stomach it - and more so, consider it good - is just beyond me.
Art. It's just horrendous. I know Claymore is an old anime. I know the drawing style changed a lot over the years. But I don't think Claymore's art was ever considered at least mediocre. I'm not even going to mention Hiyazaki's movies, since movies are movies, but there are plenty shows from the same period which trump Claymore in the art department. The animations are pain to watch, the whole world is coloured with shades of grey with some red spatters on top, and the characters and backgrounds are just god damned UGLY. It's not like I've ever actively searched for one, but I can't say I've ever seen an anime with art style worse than that of Claymore.
I'd like to say that sound was the only saving grace of this anime, but I only recall the opening and ending, which were decent, but 2 songs don't make the whole soundtrack. I can't remember any of the themes in the actual show, which means they either didn't exist or were very forgettable. OST probably was just mediocre and not worth the brain power to remember. However, considering how bad the anime generally is, sound is probably the best part of it anyway.
Story and characters. Yeah, this is just Dragon Ball with an almost exclusively female cast. I vaguely noticed the poor attempts at storytelling Claymore was making, but they were immediately trumped by retarded shouting, last second saves and ridiculous LEVEL UP moments that make 90% of the show. It actually starts off decently, the pace is quite nice, and though Raki is extremely annoying since he first appears on screen, it's bearable, though filled with cliches. Unfortunately, the further it goes, the worse it gets. It culminates in the last 6 or so episodes, in which the storytelling simply ceases to exist. They are just a huge avalanche of shounen bullshit (that is, again, LEVEL UPs, shouting etc.) that only 11 yo kids could find interesting.
There's a total of 2 possible schemes for each episodes. Both start off with Claire getting roflstomped by whatever opponent, some Terese flashbacks, and then either Claire goes Youma mode or she's saved by a stronger Claymore. Oh, make that 3 - Claire goes Youma mode and overdoses, a stronger Claymore appears and intends to whack Claire, at which point Raki appears, hugs Claire and she reverts to normal. It gets boring after a while, but there's literally nothing the writers try to surprise the viewers with. It's like watching a Rocky movie turned anime, only if it was made by first year cinematography students.
There is no enjoyment to be had when watching this anime, but there's a serious risk of a critical brain shutdown. So, unless you want that, stay the hell away from it. Don't believe the high score Claymore has on MAL, remember that the masses once thought the Earth is flat - they can be wrong. They definitely are in case of Claymore.
