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E179: 'Claymore' Review (Patreon)

Published:
2022-04-24 14:00:07
Imported:
2026-06
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Content

In this episode we discuss and review 'Claymore'...

VIDEO LINK: https://youtu.be/tdd_HPmDwmM

Comments

zengei

I had heard about Claymore for a while and knowing the basic premise I read the first couple of chapters on Manga Plus sometime last year. I liked what I read, but it didn't hook me (not a criticism, it's rare for any series in any medium to hook me that quickly), so I put it on the backburner as a series that I would eventually get to once I had gone through my enormous backlog. Fast-forward to a month or so ago and new printings of the Claymore box set were coming into stock. Knowing how hard it has been to get reprintings of manga these last couple of years and how quickly these new ones would likely sell out, FOMO drove me to jump on it and buy the entire box set on mostly reputation alone. I had been burned in the past buying manga on reputation that I ended up not really liking, so I was not looking forward to eating the cost if it turned out I hated it. Luckily for me, it became my favorite manga series of all time, and one of my favorite series in any medium. So let me just gush for a minute or ten. I read the first few volumes at a leisurely pace of about one per day, but when it hooked me it got me real good. I tried to pace myself to savor the experience but in the end I couldn't help myself and read the last half dozen or so volumes in one sitting. All in all, I probably read the entire series in about ten days or so. And the funny thing is that what hooked me isn't even some awesome action sequence or huge revelation. Instead it was just a minor character detail that re-contextualized Clare's place in the world. It's hard to point to any one thing and say that that's the reason why I love Claymore, so much as it's the confluence of a bunch of different things that all work really well. The art isn't the greatest, but when it hits, it hits hard and some of the panels and spreads in Claymore, especially in the latter half, are some of the most striking images I've seen in any manga. Like you mention in the review, the story is a bit of a slow burn, revealing bits and pieces in a steady dribble rather than info dumping on the audience in hopes of catching their attention. I can see how if you were reading it contemporaneously as a monthly manga this may lead to pacing criticisms, but that has never been an issue for me personally when it comes to serialized storytelling and it reads incredibly well in a binge. Related to that point, the world also "feels" really good. One of my chief criticisms of fantasy is that the worlds they're set in feel a mile wide but an inch deep. There's a lot going on, but no depth nor consideration given to most of it. When I often describe this sense to others, I usually draw analogy to theater plays. You know how in some plays when audience focus shifts, rather than having actors not involved in the scene leave and reenter, they just stay in the darkened background, unmoving? So you get the impression that the world of the stage play only exists for the audience's benefit and when the audience isn't present nothing is happening. The characters aren't living their lives unless the audience sees them and the world itself is just on "pause" until the scene changes. Well, that's the impression I get from a lot of (bad) fantasy: the universe revolves around the main character and when they're not around everything is literally frozen and unchanging and nothing can happen without their involvement. Claymore, thankfully, doesn't fall into this trap. You're not given a lot in the beginning but as more and more is revealed everything feels coherent and carefully considered. You also get the impression that if Clare didn't exist a similar story would still take place and that change in this world isn't at the whims of Clare. This isn't to say Clare lacks agency in the story, she absolutely does have agency, the story without her would be vastly different, but it would still be a story. Another important aspect (and probably the most important to me personally in any story) are the quality of the characters. It's hard to tell in just the first volume with so few named characters actually introduced, but the series has a great set of supporting characters. They feel distinct, they feel like they have their own agency and motives aside from Clare's, and they feel like they each could be the protagonist in a version of this story told from their own perspective. Clare, as "the stoic", also fits into an archetype that is very easy to do poorly, and create a very grimdark, edgy story. But as the story progresses and we get to know her better she becomes really endearing and we see aspects of her personality that could be equally described as both character flaws and strengths, and when other characters acknowledge this you’re relieved to know that the creator is actually doing it intentionally and it’s not just a happy accident. Before I get to my final point and without spoiling anything, one thing I really like about this series is the power scaling. Power creep is often the bane of many action/shounen series, devolving into a game of perpetual one-upmanship. But the clever thing about the powers in Claymore that's introduced in the first volume is the fact that there's a very good reason why they wouldn't want to become stronger or use more of their power, since it just leads to the inevitable takeover by the yoma occurring much more quickly. So there's a built-in restraint in the power mechanics that just creates more conflict and drama. Finally, I really love the conclusion to the series. I don't know what the general consensus is (nor am I particularly interested in learning), but I was completely satisfied with how it ended and it gave me a feeling that's very rare in stories in general, I think. (Even saying what that feeling is I think would ruin it a bit). There's only one small part of the overall conclusion that I was disappointed with and it's so minor as to just basically be a footnote. I loved Claymore so much that when I finished it, my initial urge was to go back and reread it. However, I decided to go back and read the creator's first serialized work (Angel Densetsu, as you guys mentioned) and while it is COMPLETELY different from Claymore I've fallen in love with that one too. Now once I'm finished with that, I plan to read his current manga (Soukyuu no Arianne) and eventually reread Claymore without hopefully fresher eyes. I'm glad FOMO and poor impulse control led me to buy the series and I'm glad you guys reviewed it and enjoyed it so soon after I finished it myself. Here's hoping you guys eventually complete the entire series.