Director: Hiroyuki Tanaka
Anime News Network Overview:
In a world rife with deadly creatures called "youma", a young silver eyed woman, Clare, works on behalf of an organisation that trains female youma halfbreeds into warriors with the ability to destroy these creatures. Considered a rogue for picking up a stray child & almost losing herself to her youma side by "Awakening", she is constantly assigned rather dangerous missions...Claymore Episode Count: 26 episodes
Claymore has to be one of the better Fantasy type anime to be out in circulation. My big reason for starting this series in the past was that the story revolves around several female warriors and their fierce struggle against yoma (demons). Then there was the given Fantasy world that is prevalent in Claymore. When Claymore begins, Clare, the main female protagonist is trying to discover where a yoma she has been assigned to kill by the organization she works for. In the village, Clare is whispered about as a "silver-eyed witch" since people like, her, who are half human and yoma attain silver eyes and usually carry huge killer silver swords.
On her assignment she saves a young boy from the village named Raki who despite everything soon brings her a small piece of happiness and raison d' etre (reason for being). Raki on seeing Clare as a real hero who is willing to fight a yoma quickly follows Clare around and eventually becomes her traveling cook. So it is in this way that we set out into a intrigue cased world full of danger with Claymore.
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| Clare's mentor Teresa (Right) and her reason for turning into a Claymore |
Claymore delves deeper into Clare's past and her reason for becoming a claymore. The anime is very well developed overall in plot and world construct which is fascinating though deadly. We also see into the workings of The Organization to which Clare belongs to that contains some eerie experiments through the years. Claymore's animation is very clean cut and full of a gray gradient tint to it. Some places when watching in the anime are, yes, injected with color but on the washed out side for a gloomy and Fantasy themed effect. In terms of anime you're getting a unique and original experience.
The best of Claymore is the generation interconnected relationships and heroism aspect. A blending which draws out the question of "what is your reason for being?". Even if not taken in that serious light Claymore will leave viewers with an obvious sense of having an extraordinary aspect.
Genre: Fantasy
Recommend? Yes
Contains: Violence
Anime Soundtrack Side-note: The Opening Theme song is "Raison D’être" by Nightmare. The OP is one of the songs that will have to list as simply good and fitting if there were to be a list of Best Anime Opening Theme Songs of All Time.
Very grave but full of emotion which reflects the serious and touching moments within Claymore.
The Ending Theme song is "Danzai no Hana~Guilty Sky" by Riyu Kosaka.
While not as impressive as the OP it does alright.
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