“ ʚ " . . . You can come after me as many times as you want. I’ll cut you down every time . . ." ɞ
Claymore is hands down one of the best series I've ever read, if not the best. Claymore, in my eyes, is so perfectly crafted and honestly great. I've always wanted to get into it ever since I saw it a couple years back, but I never had the chance until I found it in 2021, at my school's library, with a majority of the volumes, so here's why I love it so much.
ʚ Overall 10/10 ɞ
Overall, 10/10, Claymore was such an experience to read, And I mean that in a good way. Everything about it is so great (other than the price of the books) and it's in my top ten for sure. There's nothing about Claymore I truly hate about it.
As I might be biased because of my love for manga, Claymore is one that I place in my top 5 of all time. Its excellent storytelling, unique art style, and the depth of its female lead characters make it stand out.
I truly enjoyed how Yagi narrated the story in segments rather than short chapters. At times, the story can be complex, but once you piece it together, it has twists and turns that bring the world to life and draw you in! The symbolism, lore, and lessons are on par with any top-tier shonen series.
I recommended it to a good friend, and he loved it. He's not easily persuaded, but once he started reading, he never looked back.
Art - 10
I was consistently impressed by the art in Claymore, with its unique yet vivid qualities. So many excellent panels and a great deal of creativity with the various Awakened Beings, especially in the last several volumes. Very tastefully done, although sometimes it was a bit difficult to tell characters apart with their silver hair and similarly shaped faces. I really enjoyed the Teresa panels towards the end; I wish she had more time in the manga because I find her character to be really interesting and alluring, almost divine. I often felt as though I was taking a peek into another realm, with these intricate yet terrifying creatures… something any fantasy manga should hope to create for the reader. No complaints here, 10/10.
Characters - 6
Although there were a fair amount of characters, I didn’t feel that I connected to any one individual. I always felt that there was something missing, something just on the edge of existence that I could not quite put my finger on. I thought Teresa was interesting, but I never felt that she ever got enough development, although that aspect of the ending was satisfying. I felt Clare’s character was shallow… Most of the development that they worked off of seemed to be from a couple specific moments related to her beginnings; the same goes for most of the claymores. I wish I had a better glimpse into the psychology of Clare and the other claymores… too often it felt related to battle and revenge. However, the characters were not necessarily bad, just not fleshed out enough for me to connect to them. For character relationships, I thought the connection between Raki and Clare was one of the weakest parts of the story. There was almost never any unique dialogue between the two of them, instead just a repetitive cycle of what they told each other from the beginning: something along the lines of “I will always be with you, I will always find you, so we can be together.” I just felt this could use more growth, more development, more important conversations. Separate from depth, I really enjoyed when the claymores worked together to win a battle; there’s no denying that that’s really cool. So… not great, not terrible, 6/10.
Story - 7
I have mixed feelings; I thought the first ten volumes were very good, the middle ten were fine, and the last seven were great. I made the mistake of taking a several month long break after chapter 120 or so; it always messes up a story for me when I do that. I felt that they were really going in a good direction with the Battle of the North and the different claymores trying to figure out the origins of the organization… The island/other nation reveal was not that interesting and poorly developed. I feel like it would have been better if the authors dipped into the conflict happening elsewhere and weaved it into a bigger story, but I also understand that the main plot of Claymore is not really political in that sense. I despised the abyssal eaters, or whatever the organization was using to counter Awakened Beings. They suddenly appeared and had barely any development whatsoever. They felt like overpowered zombies. On top of that, references to organization laboratories and tests became so remarkably consistent that it dulled the idea that everything on the island was one big experiment. The middle part of the story kind of devolved into battle to battle for me, and I didn’t feel a connection to or involvement with the reasoning by which they fought. However, in the final arc I felt very engaged and intrigued at what was occurring. The way in which various plot elements culminated was a little clunky, but I really found myself enjoying those last few volumes. Teresa’s involvement in the ending was so cool, linking back to the relationship between Clare and Teresa established in the beginning. The stronger development of Priscilla as a character was great. The very last few panels were a little cliche, and I didn’t like that Clare and Raki going off together was one of the last ideas drawn because I was never invested in their relationship… A bumpy slope of ups and downs, but still good overall, 7/10.
Enjoyment - 7
I found myself enjoying the beginning and ending the most, with the middle part of the story being the weakest imo. I’m glad I read it, I really like fantasy stories, but I feel that one of the hardest things for me was the lack of strong individual character development. I’m someone who really enjoys characters and resonating with them as they go through their experiences; something I found myself really struggling with in this story. 7/10.
Overall - 7
A good story with several weak points. I feel that it could have been shorter, and that there could be more dialogue associated with psychology rather than battle. I might read it again for the art. Good stuff, 7/10.
Claymore is one of the most disappointing manga I've read. From chapter 1 to about 60, it's amazing; however, afterward, the quality declines gradually until by the end there is barely anything left to enjoy. Let me explain.
The story starts out fairly simple but quickly becomes more complex as we delve into the past of the main character. We slowly get introduced to more aspects of the life of the Claymores and how it affects them. We see what makes the main character special among all the other warriors and watch her grow stronger and form relationships with others. All of this culminates in the best battle of the series. The buildup to the onslaught is excellent, recurring characters return, and interactions between the cast are both sweet and terrifying because we know not all will survive. Then the battle starts and it is great. Claymore never came close to recreating these chapters, despite trying. So what went wrong?
There are underlying problems with Claymore that were never addressed and eventually ruined the manga. Some of the worst shonen tropes being present definitely didn't help.
One of the things most praised about Claymore is the art. This is for good reason since the creativity in the monster designs (awakened ones) is outstanding. However, many people overlook where the art falls short. The backgrounds aren't detailed enough and are often absent in fights. The character design of many Claymores is very similar, making it easy to confuse them due to their sheer number. Most importantly, the fight choreography is lacking. It isn't always bad, but the author overuses "teleports behind you" moves. Also, monsters' use of projectiles is a shortcut for the author to draw white lines colliding with characters instead of making the fights look cool. This doesn't always happen, but the frequency of the fights doesn't help. The author also fails to establish a power ceiling, making the stakes non-existent. Initially, we're introduced to the basic setting, power levels of the main characters, and what seems to be the power level of the main villains. The problem is that it's a lie. As the series progresses, the author feels compelled to escalate each enemy. Villains who were supposed to be the final villains become footnotes to the actual villains of the later half. The danger is lost because we know the characters will win no matter what, and the next villain will be much stronger but still lose and get replaced by someone even more powerful. Due to the sheer volume of fights, later chapters become a slog of identical-looking women outspeeding monsters for hundreds of chapters in battles that feel the same.
The second big problem with Claymore is how the protagonist appears less and less over time. This isn't an issue at the beginning because the side characters are solid, but it keeps happening, and the story loses direction. With nothing to do, the author fills pages with side characters fighting powerful monsters that contribute nothing to the story.
The third (and biggest) problem with the manga is the overreliance on bad shonen manga tropes. I don't have anything against shonen. I think my scores for Slam Dunk and Chainsaw Man show that. However, authors writing shonen can sometimes fall into cliché and lazy writing. In Claymore, this manifests as the overuse of flashbacks, especially to evoke emotional reactions from villains. I understand that writing complex antagonists is generally good, but when your story explicitly states that the monsters have lost their humanity and are now just evil cannibals, maybe you should ease up on the sad flashbacks to their earlier lives. I understand doing it for very important figures, but when you're trying to make me empathize with someone I just met who has gutted one of the best side characters, there's a problem. Also, the time skip requires many flashbacks to explain gaps, which is time-consuming and unnecessary.
The final complaint is that the biggest plot twist, which Attack on Titan apparently ripped off, is actually meaningless. A more complex aspect was added to the story yet dropped entirely until the final chapter, where it suddenly reappears and gets resolved in less than three pages. I don't want to criticize this too harshly since it probably wasn't the author's decision to cut short such a potentially large storyline, but it still bothers me quite a lot.
All in all, Claymore isn't a bad manga. Just an incredibly disappointing one. I'm not sure if I recommend reading it, but you might like it if you... Enjoy dumb action and don't care about the plot, love horrifying monsters, or want to experience the great first third of the story and then stop reading and pretend it ended at its highest point.
I approached Claymore with the expectation that it would be akin to "Berserk's younger sister," as many have suggested. I was anticipating a narrative that was dark, profound, tragic, and thought-provoking, even if not on the same level, at least to some degree.
It turned out to be just another shonen manga, featuring an art style reminiscent of Tsutomu Nihei, accompanied by some of the poorest dialogue I can recall. All the characters, dialogues, and plot points felt excessively recycled, making it easy to associate them instantly with other manga series.
Every manga draws references and inspiration from other works. However, for me, Claymore crosses the line, becoming very predictable and sometimes even boring because of this. I found myself constantly predicting battles and the fates of characters. They all seemed formulaic rather than like real personas with unique intentions and personalities.
Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Claymore. It has a fantasy setting and a cool concept for its monsters and everything. Yet, the only parallels you can draw between Claymore and Berserk are big swords, monsters, and a fantasy setting. Not much else.
As the story begins, there's a touch of drama and horror that grabs my attention, compelling me to keep reading. The narrative soon becomes intriguing and exciting, and before I knew it, I was hooked. The themes of protection and revenge drive the plot, leading characters to make morally questionable choices in their quest for survival.
An action-packed, sci-fi adventure centered around the life and beliefs of the protagonist. Mysteries and intrigues abound, pulling me deeper into the story.
Story: [10]
The tale revolves around girls who were abandoned or cast away, adopted by an organization that trains them to become warriors. They enter a brutal arena where only the strongest survive. Glory, fame, and power are their primary motivations. The bloody, sword-fighting scenes thrilled me, making the story/plot progression incredibly satisfying.
Art: [8]
The artwork is detailed and captivating, showcasing every battle scene, equipment, and special attack meticulously. There’s some mild nudity, but a few chapters disappointed me visually.
Characters: [9]
I love the diverse personalities, attitudes, and fighting styles of the characters. Each has unique powers that add depth to the story. However, character development is lacking; few progress significantly while others remain static, often meeting untimely ends.
Overall: [9]
Ten because the story never bores and is easy to get into.
A must-read manga with a progressing plot, thrilling action, and engaging twists. It excels in excitement and intrigue, but falls short in character improvement. The art occasionally disappoints, and long waits between chapter releases can be frustrating. Ideal for those who enjoy action, adventure, and shounen genres, especially if they have patience. For me, it's a solid favorite.
Story:
Convenient. A lot unfolds for the sake of moving forward. There's no real urgency or fear, as each fight ends with an unknown savior stepping in last minute. With so much emphasis on the enemy's overwhelming power, it's disappointing to see this undermined by poor direction.
Dialogue and combat handling are weak. Characters pause mid-fight for expositional dialogue, making it tedious—over 70% of pages are filled like this.
The work is event-driven, which can be effective. However, a world driven by events needs vibrancy, and this one feels barren. Different locations are mentioned but lack detail about their unique races, commodities, or cultures—a missed opportunity for a fantasy work.
The main villain isn't compelling. Comparisons to Berserk’s Griffith highlight how uninteresting she is. Initially disappointed, I found her more engaging in the last 30 chapters, improving my overall experience.
Positives include some intriguing events. Though never fearing the cast's mortality, escaping peril was fun. Despite unrealistic conflicts, the hurdles were enjoyable. The finale is satisfying, efficiently executed with a believable surprise.
Art:
Claymore's Awakened Beings have cool, practical designs but lack awe due to convenient saviors. Backdrops are boring and uninspired, mostly rubble, missing opportunities for special locales. Early art has proportion issues, repetitive combat motions, and later chapters confuse action sequences, frustratingly requiring next-page clarifications.
Character:
Tropes abound but aren’t overly offensive given the event-based narrative. An ensemble cast makes it hard to distinguish characters despite different hairstyles. More quiet periods would help character growth. Many introduced characters get sidelined without purpose, wasting interesting ideas.
Despite issues, correctly written characters shine. Occasionally, they act sensibly, endearing, and relatable. Character arcs handled well in the finale showcase exemplary writing.
Enjoyment:
Stable but bordering boredom at times. Convenience undermines fight interest; world-building past chapter 50 felt lacking. An event hinted at mortality but lacked follow-up, leaving me feeling cheated.
Still, I wanted to keep reading. Something interesting kept me engaged, though identifying what exactly remains elusive—a testament to the narrative's charisma despite flaws.
(If you liked this review, friend me for new reviews on other works, both manga and anime!)
Three words: Berserk but better. These words may be hard to believe, and many may disagree, but in my mind this is what I wanted Berserk to be.
SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE MANGA:
.
.
.
.
.
.
The art in Claymore is a bit off, with all characters having faces strikingly similar to infants', but if you can get past that, the art is superb. From green grasslands to icy destroyed villages, Claymore has enough variety to keep you interested in its plus-shaped continent. Sure, the fights are well drawn in Claymore, but where it excels is in its monster design. While you start off with goblin-esque Yoma, they're merely fodder for the real stars of the show: awakened ones. These excellent antagonists range from boring 'eh, I guess they’re goofy monsters' to H. R. Giger-inspired abominations that dropped my jaw, making Claymore truly special.
The plot involves a mercenary who seems bog-standard at first and only mildly enjoyable, but quickly opens up to creative brilliance. The boring relationship of Claire and Raki is tossed aside for focusing on Claire’s relationships with her comrades. From the honor-bound to the coincidental renegade, Claire defecting with others she found out of what feels like coincidence only felt enchanting. Not only are the secondary characters upgraded, but so are the antagonists. The boring Yoma are replaced with epic awakened ones whose creative designs give them a feeling of awe, wonder, and fear as we see the science of Claymores go haywire.
Seeing Claymores give into their urges and awaken is one of the best parts of Claymore, with the power scaling being a Sanity vs Power tradeoff. This origin showcases the author's creativity, such as Jean slowly morphing into a grotesque awakened one, or Orphelia’s games reflecting in her strange design. This lends a sense of majesty to the awakened ones and makes them better foes. This creates one of the best moments when we see Claire sacrifice herself to awaken body parts, signifying her desperation in a visual and interesting way.
The organizations and magic system kept me enthralled and always felt like they gave another surprise. It almost feels scientific in how different magical flesh can give different properties depending on the flesh’s original owner. Having the story’s setting only being a fraction of the larger world is a similar move to HunterxHunter’s and I feel works well and more realistically by grounding the story as it makes it seem the world doesn't revolve around its narrative and the characters involved with it. The explanation of having all magic in the manga coming from scientific experimentation of naturally occurring magical soldiers was a neat twist.
There are many scenes which just made me think “this is so awesome!” so I compiled a list of what I considered to be the highlights.
-Claire tossing aside her disguise to save a squad of Claymores from Riful
-Orphelia’s defeat
-Claire’s partial transformation in the northern lands
-Isley’s defeat
Just these scenes alone made this manga a 10/10 for me.
A note on the ending: I found it overstayed. I think having Raki’s sneak attack finish off Priscilla would have been a better conclusion, and having Claire get a special transformation for no good reason felt more Deus ex Machina and less of a logical conclusion than Raki’s attack.
Popular Reviews
“ ʚ " . . . You can come after me as many times as you want. I’ll cut you down every time . . ." ɞ
Claymore is hands down one of the best series I've ever read, if not the best. Claymore, in my eyes, is so perfectly crafted and honestly great. I've always wanted to get into it ever since I saw it a couple years back, but I never had the chance until I found it in 2021, at my school's library, with a majority of the volumes, so here's why I love it so much.
ʚ Overall 10/10 ɞ
Overall, 10/10, Claymore was such an experience to read, And I mean that in a good way. Everything about it is so great (other than the price of the books) and it's in my top ten for sure. There's nothing about Claymore I truly hate about it.
As I might be biased because of my love for manga, Claymore is one that I place in my top 5 of all time. Its excellent storytelling, unique art style, and the depth of its female lead characters make it stand out.
I truly enjoyed how Yagi narrated the story in segments rather than short chapters. At times, the story can be complex, but once you piece it together, it has twists and turns that bring the world to life and draw you in! The symbolism, lore, and lessons are on par with any top-tier shonen series.
I recommended it to a good friend, and he loved it. He's not easily persuaded, but once he started reading, he never looked back.
***SPOILERS AHEAD***
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Art - 10
I was consistently impressed by the art in Claymore, with its unique yet vivid qualities. So many excellent panels and a great deal of creativity with the various Awakened Beings, especially in the last several volumes. Very tastefully done, although sometimes it was a bit difficult to tell characters apart with their silver hair and similarly shaped faces. I really enjoyed the Teresa panels towards the end; I wish she had more time in the manga because I find her character to be really interesting and alluring, almost divine. I often felt as though I was taking a peek into another realm, with these intricate yet terrifying creatures… something any fantasy manga should hope to create for the reader. No complaints here, 10/10.
Characters - 6
Although there were a fair amount of characters, I didn’t feel that I connected to any one individual. I always felt that there was something missing, something just on the edge of existence that I could not quite put my finger on. I thought Teresa was interesting, but I never felt that she ever got enough development, although that aspect of the ending was satisfying. I felt Clare’s character was shallow… Most of the development that they worked off of seemed to be from a couple specific moments related to her beginnings; the same goes for most of the claymores. I wish I had a better glimpse into the psychology of Clare and the other claymores… too often it felt related to battle and revenge. However, the characters were not necessarily bad, just not fleshed out enough for me to connect to them. For character relationships, I thought the connection between Raki and Clare was one of the weakest parts of the story. There was almost never any unique dialogue between the two of them, instead just a repetitive cycle of what they told each other from the beginning: something along the lines of “I will always be with you, I will always find you, so we can be together.” I just felt this could use more growth, more development, more important conversations. Separate from depth, I really enjoyed when the claymores worked together to win a battle; there’s no denying that that’s really cool. So… not great, not terrible, 6/10.
Story - 7
I have mixed feelings; I thought the first ten volumes were very good, the middle ten were fine, and the last seven were great. I made the mistake of taking a several month long break after chapter 120 or so; it always messes up a story for me when I do that. I felt that they were really going in a good direction with the Battle of the North and the different claymores trying to figure out the origins of the organization… The island/other nation reveal was not that interesting and poorly developed. I feel like it would have been better if the authors dipped into the conflict happening elsewhere and weaved it into a bigger story, but I also understand that the main plot of Claymore is not really political in that sense. I despised the abyssal eaters, or whatever the organization was using to counter Awakened Beings. They suddenly appeared and had barely any development whatsoever. They felt like overpowered zombies. On top of that, references to organization laboratories and tests became so remarkably consistent that it dulled the idea that everything on the island was one big experiment. The middle part of the story kind of devolved into battle to battle for me, and I didn’t feel a connection to or involvement with the reasoning by which they fought. However, in the final arc I felt very engaged and intrigued at what was occurring. The way in which various plot elements culminated was a little clunky, but I really found myself enjoying those last few volumes. Teresa’s involvement in the ending was so cool, linking back to the relationship between Clare and Teresa established in the beginning. The stronger development of Priscilla as a character was great. The very last few panels were a little cliche, and I didn’t like that Clare and Raki going off together was one of the last ideas drawn because I was never invested in their relationship… A bumpy slope of ups and downs, but still good overall, 7/10.
Enjoyment - 7
I found myself enjoying the beginning and ending the most, with the middle part of the story being the weakest imo. I’m glad I read it, I really like fantasy stories, but I feel that one of the hardest things for me was the lack of strong individual character development. I’m someone who really enjoys characters and resonating with them as they go through their experiences; something I found myself really struggling with in this story. 7/10.
Overall - 7
A good story with several weak points. I feel that it could have been shorter, and that there could be more dialogue associated with psychology rather than battle. I might read it again for the art. Good stuff, 7/10.
Claymore is one of the most disappointing manga I've read. From chapter 1 to about 60, it's amazing; however, afterward, the quality declines gradually until by the end there is barely anything left to enjoy. Let me explain.
The story starts out fairly simple but quickly becomes more complex as we delve into the past of the main character. We slowly get introduced to more aspects of the life of the Claymores and how it affects them. We see what makes the main character special among all the other warriors and watch her grow stronger and form relationships with others. All of this culminates in the best battle of the series. The buildup to the onslaught is excellent, recurring characters return, and interactions between the cast are both sweet and terrifying because we know not all will survive. Then the battle starts and it is great. Claymore never came close to recreating these chapters, despite trying. So what went wrong?
There are underlying problems with Claymore that were never addressed and eventually ruined the manga. Some of the worst shonen tropes being present definitely didn't help.
One of the things most praised about Claymore is the art. This is for good reason since the creativity in the monster designs (awakened ones) is outstanding. However, many people overlook where the art falls short. The backgrounds aren't detailed enough and are often absent in fights. The character design of many Claymores is very similar, making it easy to confuse them due to their sheer number. Most importantly, the fight choreography is lacking. It isn't always bad, but the author overuses "teleports behind you" moves. Also, monsters' use of projectiles is a shortcut for the author to draw white lines colliding with characters instead of making the fights look cool. This doesn't always happen, but the frequency of the fights doesn't help. The author also fails to establish a power ceiling, making the stakes non-existent. Initially, we're introduced to the basic setting, power levels of the main characters, and what seems to be the power level of the main villains. The problem is that it's a lie. As the series progresses, the author feels compelled to escalate each enemy. Villains who were supposed to be the final villains become footnotes to the actual villains of the later half. The danger is lost because we know the characters will win no matter what, and the next villain will be much stronger but still lose and get replaced by someone even more powerful. Due to the sheer volume of fights, later chapters become a slog of identical-looking women outspeeding monsters for hundreds of chapters in battles that feel the same.
The second big problem with Claymore is how the protagonist appears less and less over time. This isn't an issue at the beginning because the side characters are solid, but it keeps happening, and the story loses direction. With nothing to do, the author fills pages with side characters fighting powerful monsters that contribute nothing to the story.
The third (and biggest) problem with the manga is the overreliance on bad shonen manga tropes. I don't have anything against shonen. I think my scores for Slam Dunk and Chainsaw Man show that. However, authors writing shonen can sometimes fall into cliché and lazy writing. In Claymore, this manifests as the overuse of flashbacks, especially to evoke emotional reactions from villains. I understand that writing complex antagonists is generally good, but when your story explicitly states that the monsters have lost their humanity and are now just evil cannibals, maybe you should ease up on the sad flashbacks to their earlier lives. I understand doing it for very important figures, but when you're trying to make me empathize with someone I just met who has gutted one of the best side characters, there's a problem. Also, the time skip requires many flashbacks to explain gaps, which is time-consuming and unnecessary.
The final complaint is that the biggest plot twist, which Attack on Titan apparently ripped off, is actually meaningless. A more complex aspect was added to the story yet dropped entirely until the final chapter, where it suddenly reappears and gets resolved in less than three pages. I don't want to criticize this too harshly since it probably wasn't the author's decision to cut short such a potentially large storyline, but it still bothers me quite a lot.
All in all, Claymore isn't a bad manga. Just an incredibly disappointing one. I'm not sure if I recommend reading it, but you might like it if you... Enjoy dumb action and don't care about the plot, love horrifying monsters, or want to experience the great first third of the story and then stop reading and pretend it ended at its highest point.
I approached Claymore with the expectation that it would be akin to "Berserk's younger sister," as many have suggested. I was anticipating a narrative that was dark, profound, tragic, and thought-provoking, even if not on the same level, at least to some degree.
It turned out to be just another shonen manga, featuring an art style reminiscent of Tsutomu Nihei, accompanied by some of the poorest dialogue I can recall. All the characters, dialogues, and plot points felt excessively recycled, making it easy to associate them instantly with other manga series.
Every manga draws references and inspiration from other works. However, for me, Claymore crosses the line, becoming very predictable and sometimes even boring because of this. I found myself constantly predicting battles and the fates of characters. They all seemed formulaic rather than like real personas with unique intentions and personalities.
Overall, I really wanted to enjoy Claymore. It has a fantasy setting and a cool concept for its monsters and everything. Yet, the only parallels you can draw between Claymore and Berserk are big swords, monsters, and a fantasy setting. Not much else.
"Die for others, live for others"
As the story begins, there's a touch of drama and horror that grabs my attention, compelling me to keep reading. The narrative soon becomes intriguing and exciting, and before I knew it, I was hooked. The themes of protection and revenge drive the plot, leading characters to make morally questionable choices in their quest for survival.
An action-packed, sci-fi adventure centered around the life and beliefs of the protagonist. Mysteries and intrigues abound, pulling me deeper into the story.
Story: [10]
The tale revolves around girls who were abandoned or cast away, adopted by an organization that trains them to become warriors. They enter a brutal arena where only the strongest survive. Glory, fame, and power are their primary motivations. The bloody, sword-fighting scenes thrilled me, making the story/plot progression incredibly satisfying.
Art: [8]
The artwork is detailed and captivating, showcasing every battle scene, equipment, and special attack meticulously. There’s some mild nudity, but a few chapters disappointed me visually.
Characters: [9]
I love the diverse personalities, attitudes, and fighting styles of the characters. Each has unique powers that add depth to the story. However, character development is lacking; few progress significantly while others remain static, often meeting untimely ends.
Overall: [9]
Ten because the story never bores and is easy to get into.
A must-read manga with a progressing plot, thrilling action, and engaging twists. It excels in excitement and intrigue, but falls short in character improvement. The art occasionally disappoints, and long waits between chapter releases can be frustrating. Ideal for those who enjoy action, adventure, and shounen genres, especially if they have patience. For me, it's a solid favorite.
Story:
Convenient. A lot unfolds for the sake of moving forward. There's no real urgency or fear, as each fight ends with an unknown savior stepping in last minute. With so much emphasis on the enemy's overwhelming power, it's disappointing to see this undermined by poor direction.
Dialogue and combat handling are weak. Characters pause mid-fight for expositional dialogue, making it tedious—over 70% of pages are filled like this.
The work is event-driven, which can be effective. However, a world driven by events needs vibrancy, and this one feels barren. Different locations are mentioned but lack detail about their unique races, commodities, or cultures—a missed opportunity for a fantasy work.
The main villain isn't compelling. Comparisons to Berserk’s Griffith highlight how uninteresting she is. Initially disappointed, I found her more engaging in the last 30 chapters, improving my overall experience.
Positives include some intriguing events. Though never fearing the cast's mortality, escaping peril was fun. Despite unrealistic conflicts, the hurdles were enjoyable. The finale is satisfying, efficiently executed with a believable surprise.
Art:
Claymore's Awakened Beings have cool, practical designs but lack awe due to convenient saviors. Backdrops are boring and uninspired, mostly rubble, missing opportunities for special locales. Early art has proportion issues, repetitive combat motions, and later chapters confuse action sequences, frustratingly requiring next-page clarifications.
Character:
Tropes abound but aren’t overly offensive given the event-based narrative. An ensemble cast makes it hard to distinguish characters despite different hairstyles. More quiet periods would help character growth. Many introduced characters get sidelined without purpose, wasting interesting ideas.
Despite issues, correctly written characters shine. Occasionally, they act sensibly, endearing, and relatable. Character arcs handled well in the finale showcase exemplary writing.
Enjoyment:
Stable but bordering boredom at times. Convenience undermines fight interest; world-building past chapter 50 felt lacking. An event hinted at mortality but lacked follow-up, leaving me feeling cheated.
Still, I wanted to keep reading. Something interesting kept me engaged, though identifying what exactly remains elusive—a testament to the narrative's charisma despite flaws.
(If you liked this review, friend me for new reviews on other works, both manga and anime!)
Three words: Berserk but better. These words may be hard to believe, and many may disagree, but in my mind this is what I wanted Berserk to be.
SPOILERS FOR ENTIRE MANGA:
.
.
.
.
.
.
The art in Claymore is a bit off, with all characters having faces strikingly similar to infants', but if you can get past that, the art is superb. From green grasslands to icy destroyed villages, Claymore has enough variety to keep you interested in its plus-shaped continent. Sure, the fights are well drawn in Claymore, but where it excels is in its monster design. While you start off with goblin-esque Yoma, they're merely fodder for the real stars of the show: awakened ones. These excellent antagonists range from boring 'eh, I guess they’re goofy monsters' to H. R. Giger-inspired abominations that dropped my jaw, making Claymore truly special.
The plot involves a mercenary who seems bog-standard at first and only mildly enjoyable, but quickly opens up to creative brilliance. The boring relationship of Claire and Raki is tossed aside for focusing on Claire’s relationships with her comrades. From the honor-bound to the coincidental renegade, Claire defecting with others she found out of what feels like coincidence only felt enchanting. Not only are the secondary characters upgraded, but so are the antagonists. The boring Yoma are replaced with epic awakened ones whose creative designs give them a feeling of awe, wonder, and fear as we see the science of Claymores go haywire.
Seeing Claymores give into their urges and awaken is one of the best parts of Claymore, with the power scaling being a Sanity vs Power tradeoff. This origin showcases the author's creativity, such as Jean slowly morphing into a grotesque awakened one, or Orphelia’s games reflecting in her strange design. This lends a sense of majesty to the awakened ones and makes them better foes. This creates one of the best moments when we see Claire sacrifice herself to awaken body parts, signifying her desperation in a visual and interesting way.
The organizations and magic system kept me enthralled and always felt like they gave another surprise. It almost feels scientific in how different magical flesh can give different properties depending on the flesh’s original owner. Having the story’s setting only being a fraction of the larger world is a similar move to HunterxHunter’s and I feel works well and more realistically by grounding the story as it makes it seem the world doesn't revolve around its narrative and the characters involved with it. The explanation of having all magic in the manga coming from scientific experimentation of naturally occurring magical soldiers was a neat twist.
There are many scenes which just made me think “this is so awesome!” so I compiled a list of what I considered to be the highlights.
-Claire tossing aside her disguise to save a squad of Claymores from Riful
-Orphelia’s defeat
-Claire’s partial transformation in the northern lands
-Isley’s defeat
Just these scenes alone made this manga a 10/10 for me.
A note on the ending: I found it overstayed. I think having Raki’s sneak attack finish off Priscilla would have been a better conclusion, and having Claire get a special transformation for no good reason felt more Deus ex Machina and less of a logical conclusion than Raki’s attack.
Leave a Review