clank clank

Sep. 7th, 2007 09:23 pm
[personal profile] seichan
Not sure why they are called Claymores when they sound like tin cans when they walk.
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Claymore 2-11! Quenching my thirst for blood and gore and flying limbs...

*ton of spoilers...in my quick summary style*
In episode 2 we learn Claymores eventually turn into Yoma/Awakened Ones/ugly monsters the more they use their Yoma powers. In episode 3-4, conveniently, we learn that Raki/Lucky?'s love/willingness to sacrifice/hug counteracts suppresses Claire's instinct to turn into a big monster. And in these episodes we learn Claire isn't as stoic as she first seemed.

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A turning point to the series is when we get introduced to Theresa, another Claymore, who is strong enough to not ever have to use her powers and who has an amusing personality. Her story is quite engaging, since she has a likable dry humor. In episodes 5-6, we see how powerful she is as she violates the Claymore rule of not killing humans and then smoothly walking away from the Claymores sent to kill her. Episode 7 introduces more Claymores with even more interesting personalities. Since Theresa was the No. 1 in the organization, they send No's 2,3,4,5 out to execute her. The sword fighting kinda reminded me of the cheap animation used in Dragonball Z fights, but of course was a little better than DBZ. The gore and shock factor was pretty good. Theresa's fate was sad. I would have liked more of her. Enter Priscilla...the strong evil to defeat later in the series.

Admittedly, Claire's how-I-became-who-I-am story is far from original; orphan abused by the town, finds a hero-like figure, loses said figure, wants to become strong. She's like Naruto with boobs and with tin armor living in a medieval fantasy world. The unique part of the series is the visual aspect of the anime and the presence of all those blond, silver-eyed Claymores...and the blood -thirsty nature of the world.

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Episode 9 returns to the present as you learn more of what Claire want to accomplish; ie. revenge for Theresa, kill Priscilla who is a 'voracious eater' or 'awakened one'. It was unexpected to find that Claire is the lowest ranked Claymore after all this time. Each episode seems to reveal a new piece of information regarding the world, Yoma, and Claymores. In episode 10 we learn males used to be Claymores too, but couldn't suppress their violent instincts enough to last long. Episode 11 creates some comrades for Claire and depicts the organization as a pretty shifty group of slimy men.

As far the production goes, the animation ranges from good to cheap. It's sorta like Death Note where the design is high quality, but the action isn't smooth all the time. The music is appropriate but not to my tastes. Not going to seek out the OST anytime soon. The opening and ending music and visuals are also mediocre. I do like the tension and mystery they create in each episode. The director/writer is clever to make the viewer keep wanting more by the time you get to the end of the episode.

Date: 2007-09-09 07:37 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] akujunkan.livejournal.com
Heh. This is one of the manga series I bought and then resold before moving back Stateside, as I just never got around to reading it. Maybe I'll be able to check out the anime once I get my own internets again.

Date: 2007-09-09 09:16 pm (UTC)
From: [identity profile] nokiirat.livejournal.com
Yeah, the beginning was sorta slow, so I can see why you'd let it go. As with other manga, the how-i-became-a-half-yoma story is where things start moving. I just digested the 23 available episodes in 3 days.

http://www.animorc.net/downloads.php

Enjoy.

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