Claymore — vols. 3 – 6 — anime dvd review
Yes, it’s Claymore time again. Way back, when I finished Claymore vol. 2, I professed my love for the series. Now having completed the entire series, I can safely say my feelings have not changed. Claymore is hands down my favorite post-90’s anime this side of Gantz.
For those of you not in the know, Claymore follows the adventures of a half-Yoma (read: monster), half-human female warrior, Clare, who does her best to rid the world of full-fledged Yoma, all the while attempting to track down and carry out revenge on the beast that killed her former friend and mentor (for a more detailed explanation, please check out my reviews of volumes one and two). The action and setups have a very RPG-like setup, with every altercation involving increasingly difficult enemies, and each victory bringing just that much more experience to the victor. In this fashion, volumes three through six see a shift from the usual battles against basic Yoma to an almost exclusive focus on Awakened Beings (those Claymore who have used up too much of their power too fast, and become super-powered variants of the monsters they hunt), and on the powers gained and subsequently mastered by Clare. Suffice it to say, the Clare we see by the end of the series isn’t the Clare we met at the beginning – in skill, mentally, or physically – and that transformation is a complete blast to witness.
Being an action fantasy, the action in Claymore involves loads of sword fighting and super powers. And the action (and animation) is by far some of the best I’ve seen of late. Most setups later in the series last two to three episodes, yet unlike other fighting shows, they don’t feel overly drawn out or repetitive. Furthermore, the baddies fought are downright intimidating, further cementing the sense of danger. My personal favorite baddie, the number 4 Claymore, Ophelia, proves completely disturbing – frightening, even — in both her normal and awakened form. And, unlike most serial fantasies, none of the combatants are ever guaranteed to survive unscathed. Needless to say, this no-holds barred approach makes for some truly riveting altercations.
Sure, the final few episodes get a little flashback heavy, and sometimes battles are extended only to serve as backdrops for other character interactions, but by no means do they ever feel like filler episodes. The show ends with a tease of a second season, the audience never having born witness to the powers of the uber-baddie, Isley of the Abyss, or discovered the true depths of the Organization’s corruption, but Clare’s tale of revenge nevertheless sees a satisfactory conclusion.
It’s worth noting though that the Claymore manga is still ongoing, and the Claymore anime only adapted its first 11 issues (the final two episodes are original works, and serve to tie up everything). As of this writing the series is up to issue 14, so it may be a while before there is enough material for a second outing. Still, I’ll be more than happy when it arrives.
In closing, Claymore did not disappoint throughout its entire run. The action and animation are top notch, and the story kept me coming back for more. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I love this show. Be sure to check it out!
The DVDs
The Claymore DVDs share a consistent level of quality. Image and sound are top notch, though I ended up watching the series with its stereo Japanese language track for the most part. Every disc offers extras in the form of commentary tracks, clean opening and closing animations, and Funimation trailers. Discs 3 – 5 contain extra interviews with the art and sound directors, while disc 6 contains a set of the original Japanese television commercials (sort of like little stories unto themselves). By far the nicest extra is the 24-page insert booklet found in the sixth disc, containing concept art and character bios. It does contain a spoiler for the series’ final two episodes, so be sure not to look its second half of the insert before viewing those.
All in all, an excellent series, presented on some quality discs. Why are you still here? Go buy them already!
About the Author
