Claymore is a story of female warriors fighting against a monster-led organisation. Its main protagonist Clare is introduced to the audience with a strong and tragic background. This article will be all about my Claymore anime review.
I’ll talk about what the anime is about, and what I liked and disliked about it. So without further ado, let’s get started.
What Is Claymore About?
Before I get to the Claymore anime review, let me give you an overview of what it is about.
The anime is a fantasy story, but it’s more entertaining than your typical sword-and-monster tale. It’s about a world where humans coexist with monsters, called yoma.
Yoma are essentially demons, and they can take the form of humans to blend in with society before slaughtering and eating them.
They can even take a human’s memories, making it nearly impossible to tell the difference.
To combat the yoma, a mysterious organization created half human-half yoma warriors, known as Claymores (named for their Claymore swords). These female warriors are distant and stoic, and they’re not trusted by normal people.
The Claymores have the ability to sniff out yoma and kill them, for a fee of course.
A Claymore’s job is dangerous and violent, so they have a strict code of conduct. They are not allowed to trifle with humanity or kill other yoma, and they must be killed if they do. They also must remain stoic at all times, because showing emotion is considered a weakness.
What I Liked About Claymore
Now, let’s get into the main Claymore anime review. Here’s what I liked about the series:
It’s a rarity for an anime with sword fighting and monsters to feel so unique and emotionally engaging. Claymore is a perfect example of this, with its army of female warriors and the underlying themes of strength despite weakness.
Unlike other anime that treat strength as something innate and given at birth, Claymore shows that true strength is earned through struggle.
The story of the Claymores is an intriguing one, with their origins shrouded in mystery. They are half human, half Yoma hybrids who fight youma on behalf of a mysterious organisation. Aside from fighting the monsters, their other role is to protect humans and they are ostracised by society.
They have to limit their power and abide by strict rules to remain human, with any violation punishable by death. They also don’t trifle with humans, kill them (unless they are treasonous or criminals) or think of themselves as equal to humanity.
The anime is also not focused on fanservice. It does not have a lot of nudity or scenes with sexual tension.
While it is a bit on the violent side, it never goes overboard. There is also a lot of backstory, and the anime does a good job of revealing the reasons behind the current events in the world of Claymore.
Like many other anime, Claymore ends on a cliffhanger, and it leaves some major plot threads unresolved. Nonetheless, it is still an enjoyable series that is worth checking out.
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Characters Written Right
One of the things that I wanted to talk about in this Claymore anime review is about its characters.
The show stand out from other sword-and-sorcery anime thanks to its characters. The world is full of interesting and unique people, and the show does a great job of creating believable relationships between them.
The show also manages to avoid some of the common stereotypes that plague many shonen anime, such as brash and sassy female characters or a male character who is a chick magnet.
The main story centers around Clare, a Claymore who hunts yoma – man-eating monsters that infiltrate villages and kill residents.
The Organisation imbibes young women with Yoma flesh to create warriors like Clare, who hunt and eradicate yoma for a fee. These warriors are often feared, and their ranks are distinguished by silver eyes and hair.
Each of them have their own unique backstory and personality. While they don’t trust no one, we get to see the bonds grow between the main Claymore trio.
The anime features a strong cast of female warriors, and the show does a good job of building their relationships.
Artwork Is Alright
The artwork is good, with detailed character designs and creepy monsters. It’s a style that is typical of studio Madhouse, best known for Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust and many other horror anime titles.
The animation isn’t as impressive, though. It’s a bit stiff and lacks fluid motion, with many of the action scenes consisting of still shots with quick camera movements.
What I Didn’t Like About Claymore
Now let’s get to the part of Claymore Anime Review where I rant about what I didn’t like.
The main arc follows Clare and her companions as they battle the youma and discover more about the organization behind them. However, the story often deviates from the main plot and becomes its own entity with small arcs focusing on other characters and their struggles.
These arcs sometimes feel unconnected and don’t add much to the overall story. Moreover, the Claymores’ victories against the Awakened Beings can get tiresome since the beings are so hard to kill.
And let’s not forget about the main male character. He’s just indecisive, spineless and does absolutely nothing useful till the very end. But apparantly, he grows a lot amazing in the manga.
My Overall Rating: 7.5/10
This is one of the best action/fantasy anime to come out in the past decade. It is definitely a must-see for anyone interested in medieval fantasy/action, or just wanting to see a good show.
The character development is intense, and the story flows out of the decisions made by the characters. While most action shows focus on fan service and some comedy, Claymore is a more serious show that makes you feel the pain and agony of its characters.
The animation isn’t the best, but it does the job well enough. The soundtrack is also a plus and really adds to the atmosphere of the show. The fight scenes are incredible and it is a fun watch. The only thing that keeps this from getting a perfect 10 is the cliche ending.
Overall, Claymore is a great choice for those looking for a dark medieval fantasy series. This show is not for everyone, however, as it does have some adult themes and some blood and gore.
The ideal viewer for this show would be someone who can handle mature themes and enjoys watching a well-crafted, complex anime. The female protagonists are strong and dominate the show, with a few decent male characters (overlooking the walking insult that is Raki).
This is a refreshing change from most of today’s anime, which focuses on putting women in submissive roles in favor of men who are either hunky or witty.
And that’s it for my Claymore anime review! Hope you found this article useful.
