1 out of 2 school children think volcanoes are exciting.
The other 1 is apparently terrified of black people.
Claymore
(Full Series Review)
Director: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Original Creator: Norihiro Yagi (anime is based on his Claymore manga series)
Length: 26 episodes
Licensed by: FUNimation
It's hard to say what I like best about this series: its scathing political satire or its unflinching exploration of religion in modern culture.
Okay, so no, Claymore doesn't have either of those. But I'll tell you what it does have: Swords. Lots and lots of swords. And lots of ladies carrying those swords. And lots of ladies using those swords to tear human-munching monsters called Youma into itty-bitty monstrous pieces, all the while sending up enough streams of purple (yes, purple) blood to make The Bride proud as Crazy 88-killing peacock. Because this show is about kicking ass and chewing bubble gum – and in this Medieval European fantasy world, they haven't even invented the bubble gum.
But before we can delve into the ass kicking, let's start with Clare, our protagonist who is part of a race of human-Youma hybrids called Claymores (now try to guess what kind of swords they carry). These “silver-eyed witches” have been created specifically by a shady organization (oh-so-cleverly calling themselves The Organization) to hunt down and decapitate any Youma that might be running around and snacking on the local overworked, half-starved, and of course shit-covered peasants. It's on one of these missions that Clare meets Raki, a shit-covered peasant whose special powers include crying and giving really good hugs. After saving his life half a dozen times within the first episode, Clare decides to let the kid tag along with her providing he becomes her kitchen wench and puts himself in mortal danger as much as humanly possible. A beautiful relationship begins to blossom.
The story has enough carnage to keep
you entertained, but it doesn't get really interesting until Clare
gives us a flashback session, telling us the story of
Teresa, a Claymore of old who saved the shit-covered peasant
girl Clare from both ravaging Youma and the pitchfork-wielding townsfolk (because humans in this world are
nothing if not neighborly to the traumatized orphans). Teresa's tale
kicks off a series of action-packed story arcs featuring Claymores
more badass and generally more interesting than our taciturn
protagonist, all of which culminates into a finale that digresses
entirely from the manga (which the show has been following with obscene loyalty
to up to this point) and is really unnecessary, but damn it if they
didn't figure out a way to set it in a volcano.
But don't be fooled by my sarcasm. Claymore is a fine anime series. The art is both gritty & gorgeous, the action scenes extremely well-animated, and the loyalties and friendships that grow between the many female characters kept me involved in the story line. The ending is weak because the directors decided to fake an ending rather than bore us with hundreds of filler episodes while they waited for the manga artist to finish his story, but it's nothing that will make you want to use the DVD as a frisbee (that privilege is reserved only for the last 15 minutes of My-HiME). All-in-all, Claymore is a solid, if not jaw-dropping, action series worthy of your collection - or at least of a good renting.
------------------------------------------------
Op/End:The
ending theme takes the cake in Claymore.
“Danzai no Hana~Guilty Sky” has both perfect lyrics and an
appropriately gothic feel, giving it a spot on my Super-Nerdy iTunes
Anime Playlist as well as making it a damn good Stepmania file. (And
yes, there are still people who play DDR, you bastards.)
Score
One For Feminism: Raki,
the only prominent male character in the entire series, champions
women's rights by constantly needing to be saved by one. Sure, he may
play a crucial role in the humanization of the main character, but
god damn, the boy would get his ass kicked by a Roly-Poly.
Alternate
Title: Splat Goes the
Demon, or There & Back Again
Final Grade: Let's go with a B. It might be an A for some people, but after reading the manga I had unrealistic expectations.
~R