Claymore Edit What would you like to edit? SynopsisBackgroundAlternative TitlesPictureChapters/VolumesPublishing DatesRelationsTypeExternal Links   10az

It took me 11 days to finish it. It was an enjoyable read, and at certain points, the manga fired on all cylinders and became incredibly gripping. I actually figured out a secret piece of information about the organization early on in the manga—something one of the Claymores discovered after growing suspicious of the organization they work for, conducting lengthy research, and then revealing it to the other Claymores she was close to. I laughed a lot about this because it seemed like these Claymores were a bit slow on the uptake.

You could say the Claymore manga is a blend of the Berserk manga and ... The Witcher game. I’m not too familiar with The Witcher, but Berserk is on a whole different level compared to Claymore, of course. So, Claymore isn’t on par with Berserk, but it’s still a very enjoyable manga. I believe anyone who loves Berserk will enjoy reading it. If you’re into the fantasy/horror genre and appreciate good monster designs, don’t wait—start reading Claymore right away !

My frist review on MAL ever, here I go. I wanted to write this first to say that I disagree with some of the criticism points. But first, a quick summary of the story, without spoiling.

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The story starts and feels a bit like "The Werewolves of Millers Hollow" except that the "Claymores", introduced as the protagonists of the story, possess all the powers necessary to defeat the strong and cunning shapeshifters. Soon enough the reader is informed about the first tragedy of the story, a twist to the Claymores' power, and then as the plot begins to unfollow, a twist to their whole existence and ... purpose as a Claymore. This results in tight and sometimes unclear lines between ally and enemy.

Note, though, that Claymore is a shonen.

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So, now what do I have to say about the main criticism?

For one, the character designs. Imo it is actually a cool idea for the characters to look the same except for their hairstyles. It also fits within the plot, storyline and worldbuilding. It is also a fun alternative to giving personality to the characters instead of their hair colours being as variant as the rainbow as happens in so many anime at least.

Secondly, the idea that the outside world was too unexplored... I get it, to name it merely as a side point to give reason(ing) to the plot is a bit of a bad practice as it will either end in a plot hole or a spoiled stretch of the original in order to make continuation possible. Someone here also said that the manga was supposed to be only a couple of volumes, so for the latter option the whole plan for the original series would probably have been stretched out and overcomplicated especially for a story that doesn't focus on complexity, but that's my option. <--that being said, for the outside world to be told, I feel like IF it happened, it shouldn't have used the characters from the original story. The manga had a good ending and enough sacrifices had been made.

Thirdly, character development. Other than, say, the side characters whose names are indeed hard to even because they don't play as much as an important role, firstly I wouldn't have liked it for the main cast if character development would mean a personality change. On the other hand, I think the author, Norihiro Yagi, did a great job reflecting their personalities against their personal storylines. Yes they developed, but more in of strength and character than personality, and I love it that way, because the characters have been able to develop without resetting their whole being to put it into extreme although that is literally what happens in various other stories. <-- and ofc I mean character development from the plot on, when the story takes its twists and turns. Yeah some characters had backstories, and that doesn't contradict what I was just saying.
So yeah, the side characters didn't get as much character development and importance, but ig that's why they are side characters in the first place (haha)! Jokes aside, I agree that the sudden amount of new character introductions in the latter part of the story, or after the timeskip rather, felt like a bombardement bc of how many they were. But especially at the end I feel like one should already have become able to realise that those characters were _supposed_ to be minimal. But yeah, their names and numbers being apparently important enough to mention... I get how people feel. With the story's fast pace, the reader shouldn't have the feeling pushed onto them that they are memorable. It was a monthly jump, so if you don't get the pacing right, unimportant character figures will naturally become a point of criticism.

Fourthly, Raki. Without spoilers, I disagree with how people treat him as a miscontribution to the storyline. Why should every MC-companion relationship be cliché, corny, expected, you name it? I get it if those feelings of criticism stem from a subconscious feeling that Yagi misdirected to his readers that the story would progress in a certain manner that it eventually did not, but what I have to say in turn is that I believe those people miss the point of symbolism and significance used in this story. For one, lol, the similarity between the names "Raki" and "Baki" doesn't mean that this being an action/dark fantasy shonen means Claymore is supposed to be about fighting and every character meeting their strength-development driven goals in the way that they wished for. Hence why the author decided to put it into clear at the end of the story where to seek the true value in, which Raki fulfills just fine.

Finally, the "arse-pulls". No, there weren't "arse-pulls". They literally made sense and were foreshadowed too.

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So now my personal analysis aside from what I wrote above.

The artwork is amazing. In the first chapters not, but after that you'll learn why so many people love it. Truly deserves its name as a monthly dark shonen jump. In the anime the OST is good, but that's a different matter ofc lol.

Now what is the unspoken rule of shonen and seinen battle anime/manga? That you are intuitive about when certain battles start to become repetative or unnecessary. After that, you continue to progress the story by moving on in one way or another. Claymore follows the rule pretty good. It starts off calmly and as the story progresses and the main cast is introduced, the plot begins to unfold until the point where you say to yourself: "here is where it starts to become crazy." That part keeps you interested and motives you to keep reading. With Claymore, there were barely parts that felt more like a chore to read because of the pacing. In other words, short intervals between interesting and interesting, when the plot progresses, gets more explained, etc.

Sadly the outside world, which again I preferred not to see within the Claymore story, being a plothold isn't the only thing about Claymore leaving you with certain questions. The motives of some characters like Isley, imo at least, were not clear and hard to follow. When looking them up on google, they make perfect sense though. And perfect sense doesn't necessarily mean complex. It's just the part of them not being evident, again imo, to the point that I have to look them up *after* reading the whole story lest I might get spoiled, that is off-putting.

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Finally

Now I've said that the story isn't perfect, and as a minimalist dark shonen there isn't much to call original in the sense that if it didn't exist no one would've made something similar. The manga had business flaws and unexpectancies, so a perfect story cannot be expected from that either. That's why I rank it higher than an 8, a 9/10 because a 10 would mean an absolute masterpiece which is exaggerated for this one and almost every other manga/anime. It was very interesting and enjoyable, though, and for many of the things which others criticise the manga for, I rather had either positive counteractive feelings or counteractive arguments to bring.

So yeah, a *9/10* for an action/mystery/dark fantasy shonen. Again, this isn't Baki, Berserk, or Bleach, so please get that straight, dear ones. I get that the "B" and "C" are very closely alinged to each other in the alphabet - adjacent, even -, but they aren't the same letter. Claymore starts with a "C"... Cya lat--

Claymore, unfortunately, falls short as a subpar, sub-mediocre, forgettable, and unimaginative read.

Its cast lacks any creativity, and the Claymore organization, which should be the highlight, features more than 40 female monster hunters that look, fight, and act the same. They are praised as great female representation, but the more you grow as a reader, the more you will realize that they are an absolute joke.

-The main character, Claire, fails to stand out, appearing like a recycled character from another story. Her arc revolves around being emotionless but learning to feel while traveling with Raki, who is arguably the worst character in the series. ...

-Raki's presence adds little to the story, he does nothing but create problems, lacks depth, and somehow ends up in a romantic relationship with Claire. His development is unsatisfying, as he drops out for training and returns able to face multiple Claymores at once, leaving readers unimpressed as all this “development” is offscreen.

-The main antagonists are equally underwhelming, with one becoming evil due to issues controlling her own power, said villain is also defeated through an asspull, and the disappointing revelation of the Yoma's origin ties to an unexplored region in the story, further diminishing the narrative's impact.

-The story's regard is not high. The beginning involves Claire and Raki battling monsters, with a middle reveal of the Claymore organization's hidden nature.

However, the end devolves into a battle frenzy resembling DragonBall Z but with Near Identical Lesbian Sword Fighters. The final stretch lacks strategy, relying on random power-ups, and resurrecting dead characters to resolve conflicts taking place in a setting which is nothing more than a mundane medieval backdrop.

In conclusion, Claymore's mediocrity outweighs its little potential. For a more captivating experience, exploring the Witcher series by Andrzej Sapkowski may be a better choice. The Witcher offers a similar plot with a diverse cast of characters, a creative setting based on mythology, and the advantage of enjoying the story through books, games, comics, TV, and more. This story has political dramas, heartfelt moments between parents, magic, thrilling fights, and so much more than this unfinished paintjob of a manga.