So I sorta caught some flack after saying that CLAYMORE looked like a generic shounen anime. Okay, so it’s got a girl with a huge sword as the lead character! After watching the first episode, I’m still convinced this anime will suck.
CLAYMORE is set in some fantasy universe where there are humans, youma, and claymore. Humans are humans, y’know, like you and me (hopefully). Youma are monsters, and claymore are half youma, half humans. Claymore are always female, and apparently it’s their job to exterminate youma, because humans are too wimpy to do it themselves.
One particular claymore, Clare, has just entered a town where a youma murder has occurred! One of the victim’s relatives, Raki, develops a sort of fascination with Clare and follows her around town. She saves his life not once, but twice in this episode! The first time at his house when he gets ambushed, and later on in the forest. The second battle is particularly gruesome since the youma sticks her arm through Clare’s stomach! Ouch! She seems to have some kind of super healing factor, so no harm, no foul I guess.
At the end of the episode, Clare decides to let Raki follow her around some more. Or at least, I’m assuming she’s letting him, since they both walk into the sunset…
So as far as the story goes I’m not really impressed. Clare must have some kind of tragic past, but I’m not quite relating with her since she’s kind of a bitch. Plus the sidekick Raki is also really annoying. I kind of like the youma better, to be honest.
The art didn’t do much for me either. The animation itself was decent (though overly dark for my tastes), but the characters themselves are totally ugly! If only Clare wore glasses… Also, I was totally reminded of the annoying kid from Futakoi when watching CLAYMORE, and guess what, the voice actor for Raki is the same! I can’t help but associate those characters now.
CLAYMORE is sort of a novelty since it’s so gory, but other than that, I can’t really think of a good reason to keep watching. I was literally falling asleep at parts of this anime. I’ll go ahead and put this on my “list of anime to make fun of if I get bored” list.
People were saying good things about the manga, though. Perhaps I’ll try a volume, and if I like it, I may return to the anime some time.
68 replies on “CLAYMORE – Anime First Impressions”
It may look generic at first… It’ll definitely get better. Like I said @ omni’s blog “Claymore will definitely get better. Just put it like the 1st season of Nanoha, which sucked till Fate appeared. Like Claymore, wait till you get to Teresa’s story and after that the story will get better and better.”
Yes, you are right Clare does have a tragic past. *spoiler*She only takes Raki because she see’s herself in him, from what i understood of the manga.*spoiler*
Claymore might look like a monster of the week type show at first. Soon the real story will begin xD.
And oh yeah…
Anime art >>>> Manga art.(Which says a lot to me since i usually prefer manga art over anime.)
I had heard this was a good manga so I checked it out prior to the anime airing.
Vol1 of the manga really really sucked, it was lame monster-of-the-week kind of crap with clare pwning them all with ease. If I had anything else to do I woulda stopped reading then and never come back, but I was bored so I read vol2. It was a lot better but still nothing special (good enough that I’d keep reading atleast), it wasn’t really til vol3 with teresa’s story as Endz mentions where it got really good, and then it just keeps getting better and better after that.
The anime looks to be getting through the initial boring bits of the manga as fast as it can (covers like 2/5ths of volume1 in the first episode) and judging by the episode titles, it’ll be nearly done with vol2 by ep4. This is a good thing since well, the start sucks lol (presumably they’ll slow down once the better parts arrive).
Oh and I agree with Endz, the manga art was pretty plain (so it’s purely the great story later on which makes it so excellent) and the anime looks much nicer.
Keep watching Claymore. Sure it starts out rather generic, but I’ve read 7 volumes of the manga, and it really doesn’t start coming into its own until the Teresa arc and beyond, which begins in volume 3 of the manga. Like willowywicca mentioned, the anime appears to be moving quickly through the first couple of volumes, so hopefully you won’t have to wait long for it to really start getting good.
From looking at the screen shots the art in the anime looks awesome. It looks a lot better than the manga art. The manga art is kinda dull, but then again that makes Claymore rather unique.
I was floored by the manga. Gods know I’m an old anime/manga fan, but somehow Claymore just hit the spot. Plus, personally I liked the manga art and I’m quite pleased with how it looks in the anime.
Clare saved him 3 times! Twice from youma and once in the desert. That said, it may be better that she didn’t because he’s most likely to ruin the show.
Having NOT read the manga I offer my PREDICTION on Clare’s past. The short flashback sequence seemed to show a young Clare being sacrificed to a youma and then saved by a Claymore, inspiring her to become one. She takes Raki along with her because he was abandoned by his village like she was. Or something like that.
Close Maverick.
Claymore is one of the better manga’s out there nowadays. The anime looks decent. Can’t wait to see how they animate the upcoming youmas
True, it kind of sucks at the beginning but will get better later probably (or so I hope…it would be a shame if they screwed over a series like Claymore >
no doubt claymore is one of the best manga/anime out there ^^’ tot i hv read the manga only and hvnt watch the anime but im sure u guys will like it very much .. full of action.
I just got finished watching all 50 episodes of Blood+. Went down to the next title which was claymore, I felt like i was watching a cheap knock off of Blood+. It was ok but i think i will continue down my list. i will comeback later and look at later episodes to see if it has gotten any better.
Right now i give it a (2/5).
While your waiting for new episodes, check out Blood+. I think you will enjoy it.
It gets me excited just thinking about the kind of animation claymore requires just to show scenes in later volumes of the manga. Youma designs from early volumnes are basically discarded, replaced with creations much more impressive, and grander in scale. I liked the manga due to its story, great at building tension and twists. For action fans, the action scenes are nothing generic and boring such as Bleach/One Piece(where the only method of attack is a hack and a punch and they are as powerful as the speech that accompany them, ie they all look the same but just described differently…yawn!).
I liked Claymore yea the first episode is kind of predictable, but you got all these svelte girls running around with big ass swords kill monsters. It a nice change of pace from the girls with guns anime.
With such good manga material to work with, Claymore is practically garuanteed for greatness. Madhouse is an excellent studio, so there’s no doubt they’ll do a good job.
Claymore is brilliant. I can’t say the first episode hooked me but combined with the second one it enticed me to look for the manga. Now *that* was definitely a one way street – read the ones available online within 3 days (that’s 12 volumes) The anime itself condenses alot of the manga but as the previous poster said – there is so much good material to draw from that it would be difficult for the anime to be bad! I do recommend that everyone should read the manga though 🙂
Claymore is great! i actually really enjoyed the first episodes and i also like the characters a lot. This anime is really unique compared to the other animes i watch and i find it’s a good thing. I’ve read a bit of info on the series and the Claymore organisation and the rankings are pretty cool. If Clare is n.47 i guess it means that the n.1 claymore is pretty strong… yikes. I’m going to read the manga soon and i can’t wait.
the very first episode was very dark and moody but then after watching more episodes…i cant get enough of it personally….if you guys are interested…go to veoh.com…you can watch episode 1 to 8 and i just saw episode 8 which is the latest episode…it was sad but basically its telling a story why Claire the main character decided to become a Claymore.
Ep 8 has been subbed and it’s already turning into crap. Ep 7 was the first real sign of this. They build up one character as this super strong warrior and then they die in about 2 seconds. What a disappointing way to go. Massive failure there.
Anonymous, your a tard. Try to watch something else then DBZ and Naruto and you might have a clue. Here is a hint: its called plot. It might come as a shock to you but you know, there are some anime out there that are meant for more then “zomg super ball of fire kaboom” effects. The storyline REQUIRED theresa to die in this exact manner for a single reason: the creation of a Awakened one HAS to put foward how much of a monster they rly are. If Theresa had put up hell of a fight on 3 episodes with lightning effects, sure some 14yo kid like you woudve been pleased… and the rest of us woudve weeped for the loss of depth in the storyline.
If you RLY want a story were every fight is a huge streched out battle that doesnt rly make sens in terms of strenght or storyline but has big booms, go watch bleach or something. I lift my hat to Claymore for creating something more then just big streched out meaningless battles.
Claymore is awesome!! Initially I thought it’s going to be lame anime but after I watched the first ep my point of view totally changed. The song and background music is totally cool and it reminded me of ‘beserk ‘ anime. I even searched for the manga. Talking about the characters, they are nice and I like it. It is different from other anime with typical drawing. To me this is one of the best anime of the season. It is so worth it to watch this anime.
I totally agree with erv, Im currently looking for all great animes out there. First started watching Naruto and Bleach, after that HunterxHunter and such, but then I saw Basilisk. This anime totally pwned and changed my point of view. I watched Berserk soon after, Crhono Crusade, Elfen Lied.
No more sissy fights of 4 episodes!
Straight drama and hardcore lines of great plots. Currently also watching Kaze no Stigma, Blood+ and Death Note. I Have to say that compared to Blood+, Claymore certainly is far more better (looked blood+ till ep 9 still). Blood+ is just another Vampire hunt with some traumatised girl atm. Claymore is way more fun. For those interested, Kaze no Stigma aint bad either.
Claymore is definitely a great anime. It may look boring at first but at the 2nd epi onwards, it rawks. So far only till epi 9 came out but the suspense for the next epi bring out the thrill. I love this anime and seriously recommend you all to continue watching!
Don’t all anime tend to suck in the beginning? Look at Bleach. It’s an extremely popular show, and I find it quite entertaining. Regardless of whether you like Bleach or not, if you based it on it’s initial episodes, you’d realize how different it is now.
If it was nothing but a show where he killed generic hollows all day, I swear it would be dropped by every site out there, but it turned out to be a good show.
Then again some anime are good in the beginning then suck later like Naruto… but hell, whatever. I say give Claymore a chance, it definately comes at a time where gory and flashy anime’s are at a rarity these days since Berserk has left us years ago. Hellsing was way too short too.
Let’s give it some time.
I am completely hooked, after watching eps 9 of the anime i was simple addicted to it. So i gave the manga a search and i’ve read up to the latest chapter all in one day. You won’t stop reading until your eyes are so strained you cant keep them open. At first glance it is a rather average anime. Everything up to the fourth chapter is negligble, well the fourth is kind of crucial *spoiler*. A Great and absolutely mind blowing storyline will follow. The colouring of the future “voracious eaters” will surely have colour artists near the state of insanity.
I must admit that the author of this article didn’t look at the series seriously, just like some critics in Movies who call 2001 Space Odissey of Stanley Kubrick a retarded and boring film.
The series are quite excellent since they don’t have anything in common with the other series but it had still kept the precedure they used in Cowboy Bebop.
That’s a shame. I really think you should give this anime another chance. I promise you won’t be disappointed! True, it’s not that appealing in the beginning but it does get BETTER!!! I’m hooked, I did even catch up with the manga. I can’t even describe my obsession with this. I wish I could tell you how good this anime is without giving away spoilers :/
once u watch all 10 episodes you will appriciate it
my first impression was deep story line with little action and goofy anime style however
its strong points are the gore, the faces (take time to get used to though) and the story line isnt as hard to grasp as i first thought i would be.
not suitable for under 16s i would say due to sexual references and the gore
well .. i just started with claymore a few weeks ago .. i saw the 1st episode a little while after it aired .. i had found it just by chance (never even heard of the manga) and it seemed interesting .. but not that much .. then came the 2nd ep, it was ok .. so i kept watching the show .. after the 10th ep i was a little bit curious about whats gonna happen next .. so i got hold of the manga .. the complete up to date manga .. chapters 1 – 73 ….. and when i started reading, i just couldnt let go of it until i finished it at 5 in the morning !!
oh my goddess! 😛 .. what happens starting with The Slashers III its gonna blow your mind away .. especially towards the end the action gets so intense ..
its like the next chapters are in a whole new league of their own .. the first 10 ep are kids stuff compared to the complex story thats coming
damn it .. the manga takes a one month break .. its hard to wait 2 months for the next installment
I had the same feelings as you did on the first episode of Claymore, but once you hit episode 5 everything will start making sense. The story becomes much more detailed as you continue watching which will be revealed through flashbacks. You will eventually feel sympathetic for the characters as you begin to understand their pasts and how it has affected their present. Eventually everything will start mixing together into a fully developed and understandable story.
The action in general is really great, but I have to say the storyline of Claymore is what makes it a first-class anime series. An absolutely amazing series.
Well… Claymore IS a great anime. The first episodes are mainly just to show you WHAT a Claymore is. If you understand that much about how plot devolps, then you can still enjoy them. It can’t just jump straight into the deep stuff right off the bat, or else this would be a 13 episode series, instead of a longer running one. (26+?)
This series has a lot of potential.
Top 3 2007 anime/manga are:
Claymore,
Romeo x Juliet,
Seirei no Moribito.
the first couple of episodes wont get you hooked, but once you hit the *Spoiler* Teresa arch… well thats when things will only get better and better.
I stopped watching at episode 9 cause i honestly didnt think it was really that good.. but i just dl’d up to episode 12 and damn…. this is definitely an anime that has HUGE potential as an awesome series.
i agree that erv is an idiot, if you want pointless fights that drag on for 25 episodes than watch DBZ(granted it was a good anime in its time), claymore is about more than action, the story is deep and requires great amount of thought…something a 14 year old is apparently not capable of. I kinda liked the first few episodes, but the Teresa arc was simply awesome! thats the main part that got me hooked, I would recommend this to any mature audience out there. key word MATURE!
sry, i meant that anonymous was a tard and that i agree with erv.
well i like the plot… been reading the manga after seeing the anime. i also like how in your face it gets, hacking legs and such but not getting too much like elfen lied.
At first I was interested because it seemed rather different than all of the other animes… then the story was getting even more interesting until I reached to Teresa’s story… that was really interesting.
Now I’m done watching episode 13 on stage6 and it seems to be heading towards full of action and suprises and I like how it is unique and mature… even though I’m kind of worried about *Spoiler* … her arm because I would want her to fight with it… I hope it doesn’t keep being like that -_-*Spoiler*
Well I really hope to enjoy the rest
Give it until the Teresa arc, and I’ll find you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
Just recently started watching and boy was I blown away! The twist with Teresa made the story great in a mater of seconds, love it when you cant predict anything.
don’t forget the manga Claymore ES that is, if you like Teresa. Yeah I started watching this a few days ago, and I can”t wait for episode 15 which comes out on the 10th … oh so far away, so I just had to read all 73 chapters of the manga that I could find today.. though I don’t watch much anime anymore, nor read a lot of manga, but I thing the characters are drawn rather well, and the animation is very smooth. I think I’ll go and try to find some more, though I don’t think there is any more released at this moment… what a shame!
What animes what you guys recommend if someone likes this anime? Ive seen Blood+, trinity blood, elfen lied, basilisk, berserk, FMA, Kaze no stigma. Im running out of ideas, I noticed this new anime, Zombie-Loan, seems nice, gonna watch that. Are there any good old timers I need to know about?
This show started a bit slow. I will give you that. But amazing things come to those who can get through the first arch of the storyline. Everything needs a foundation, and too much impressive plot tends to dull a series overall. As for the characters being ugly, call my taste peculiar, but I think the art is absolutely beautiful.
This series is absolutely amazing. period.
I had low expectations at first but at around episode 8 it gets INTENSE not going to spoil anything. Sure it may not be the most innovative series but the characters are interesting enough and the action is pretty sweet (and satisfying)
I started watching anime properly with Naruto (excluding the pokemon as a kid)which was damned cool and i watched every episode then i found Bleach which pwned Naruto due to its better storyline and more in depth characters, well the other day i found Claymore and i was blown away, yes i did like the first episode aswell but of course that just pales in comparison to the later ones now and i think you havent given the seires a fair chance and should watch more of it before you slate it.
This serie kicks ass big time.. After watching the 2 first episodes i figured it would be pretty dull, monster attacking town, girl with big sword kill monster… repeat..
But the story got more and more interesting with each episode as we learned a bit more about the claymore background each episode.
Seen 12 episodes so far and it’s by far the best anime I have seen.
Yeah thats what i thought at start too, generic heroine hack and slash anime. I gave it a few more watching, as soon as it hits the Teresa episodes, i was hooked, lets just say after her episodes, things become more interesting, and the pace of the story goes faster. I say as of this year, the best i have seen.
And yeah, unlike most anime, the art rivals the manga. impressive.
Claymore is definitely the best thing I’ve seen since Fullmetal Alchemist, and I am obsessed with FMA so that’s saying a lot. I actually read the manga first, but I didn’t like the artwork so I sort of ditched it. But then I took a look at the anime, and the story’s so awesome I can’t put it into words without sounding like a rabid fangirl (which I am, technically, but you get my point). Plus, it’s gory, which rocks.
[SPOILER….sort of]
I cried at the end of episode 9. Was it episode 9? I think so.
here’s an interesting tidbit for you claymore fans out there:
Norihiro Yagi, the artist responsible for claymore has also another manga on the works titled: Angel Densetsu. I strongly suggest you look it up.
The twist here is that while claymore is gory, dark and serious, Angel Densetsu is purely comedy.
And its seriously hilarious. Honest!
Just like the Claymore series, its also up to chapter 73 as of july 2007, and its only towards the later chapters that you would recognize two characters very similar to Claire and the boy in terms of looks, character traits and even in their relationship in this series.
well guys all i can say
the first ep is very boring i totaly agree with you on that one
but i saw up to 17ep and it get really good
filled with blood lol people who like bleach and gantz will love this
i personally did not think it is that good till the 2nd ep where things came out differently than normal (monster type anime) which is just plain simple
well that all i can say to you guys
I am feeling really satisfied with this anime,alot of people down it.When I watched the teresa storyline I knew this was an anime to watch.I’m currently on episode 17 and waiting for 18,there’s only 26 episde anyway.
well i also start manga (well since i got bored i decide to read more)
it get even better yeah they do say it end at 26 but so far in managa it shows that the story goes on
as we all know you never know if people really started to like and write decided to make long (which i am looking forward for it)
Yeah at first I thought it was going to be a stupid anime. But as I start to watch it more and more I started to like it. It’s like Bleach. Bleach sounds generic and stupid, but after watching it for a while, you start loving it. I really like this anime and hope to see more of its latest episodes.
I honestly liked it from the first episode onward. I think it helps to be able to stream and watch a ton of the episodes in a row rather than waiting a week per episode. Because then if nothing happens in that episode you feel short changed. I hope they make another season of this that keeps going with the manga.
Wow, I really like this anime. One of the most intriguing anime in a very long time. The beginning was a little slow, but it got very interesting and intense. Claymore just got a new fan. Keep them coming!
I wasn’t too impressed with this anime to begin with. Like you, I thought it was a little too dark and more about the gore. After i’d watched a few more episodes, I was hooked! You should watch a few more episodes and then see if you still don’t like it.
I totally agree with Romantix. Don’t just judge an anime by it’s first episode. Watch it a little more and see it’s awesome storyline. I got hooked into Claymore through the manga and by far I love the plot! I recommend watching it!
I love the manga the episode I even really like the first episode one.
I could tell from the first one that this would be a very deep anime.
Well it not deep like death note but it pretty close and there action which make it really good. Plus I like Rika I thank that they always need to be that weak link to make the main person look better.
Know for the problem I am having with episode 20 it change 3 very vital
scene will two of them they really need if they wanted to fallow the manga the other I just really like but with that episode it told me that they are finishing it at 26 not going any father they going to change it so it will end at 26 a new ending that is which mean it want be as good as it could be.
Claymore is one of those shows that starts off really slow, but really starts picking up, sort of like Noir or Blood. Episode 22 is out, and OMFG the series so far has been awesome. I read the wikipedia page a while back, and around Episode 20 had to find the manga and see where the story is going.
All I can say is I hope they manage to squeeze Clare’s battle with the Silver Eyed Lion King into the next 5 episodes (scene 59-60 in the anime).
This is definitely one of the best shows I’ve seen to date, up there with the first Bleach arc before the show hit rock bottom.
By episode 8 or so you will be hooked…
yep, Claymore starts out slow and has the “cliche” emotionally loaded storyline– at first. but after you get several episodes into it, you quickly realize why most polls rate it with 5 out of 5 stars. it is absolutely superb! at first you think it’s blonde girls with big swords killing ugly monsters. but you find out that there is a real depth to the story that most anime try to achieve but never do. the lines between good and evil are blurred, all the characters get caught up in it… true suspense. Few stories leave me with surprises anymore, but here i find myself wondering what is going to happen next and who the good, the bad, and the ugly really are!
someone mentioned that they spend a lot of time building up really powerful characters and then they die seemingly suddenly. i like that quality– it adds realism, and i’m sick of anime that are afraid to kill off the main characters. i would argue that even if Clare dies, there will be plenty of story left to tell.
first impression? not impressed. but get into it, and it’s easily one of the top 3 anime of all time.
and it’s only at episode 24!!
Just finished ep. 26… What a rush… Just loved this series. All I can say without spoiling anything is that if there isn’t a next season, it won’t be because of how this episode ended.
*crosses fingers and hopes for more episodes*
I will definitely agree I was recommended to watch this show by a friend. It starts off way to slow but does a 360 and is one of the hottest animes out. Please check this out it is that offical
If you know anything about Cinema or film, you’ll appreciate this series quite a bit. It has a lot of details in the animation. If you know anything about lighting, composition, and the many other aspects of film, you’ll like this.
Please tell me there is a second season…. PLEASE!!!!!!
Here’s something I learned with watching anime or any other film or movie out there: NEVER judge anything by your 1st impression. Give it a 2nd, a 3rd, a 4th – hell, even a 10th chance – THEN feel free to ignore it. ^^
spoiler*
don’t die galatea!(manga)
—————-
claire don’t die too! hehehe! i want to see the 2nd season! this anime gave me a hangover i can’t wait for the 2nd season! wahhh!
Need season 2 NOW! This is definitely one of the best animes with TOP QUALITY graphics.
My first impression of this anime was just like yours,
after the first few episodes i was hooked! I’ve realised that the story was not just about blonde girls killing monsters but that’s a deeper meaning to it. The music and sound effects were superb and the episodes were engaging, suspenseful and action packed.
Even though the plot did change from the manga since the 25th episode onwards, it was still good unlike all the other anime I’ve seen where the anime changes from the manga and completely sucks from that point onwards.
The graphics in the anime were actually better than the manga and usually it’s the otehr way around. So i recommend people start off with the anime since it skips most of the boring bits at the start of the manga.
CLAYMORE IS ONE OF THE HOTTEST ANIMES OF 2007 AND RATINGS JUST KEEP GETTING HIGHER AND HIGHER, IT’S A BIG LOSS IF YOU DON’T WATCH IT!
note: not recommended for those who dislike gore. This anime has quite alotta gore in it.
The further you watch, the better it gets lol
Season 2 would be very appreciated…
i say this anime will be a great one ( the truth is that,i have yet to watch it )
Who cares, i like almost every anime from madhouse studio
Honestly, I expected it to suck too at first. Still I gave it a try. I give everything a try, really… It turned out to be amazing! I’m stalled at the halfway point though, because it’s just so tragic, and I was in a bad depressive episode. ;_; When I’m emotionally messed up like that, I have to immerse myself in HAPPY shows. I was just surprised at how deep Claymore turned out to be.
I just watched the entirety of the series. Overall, I thought it was alright, however, if there is not going to be a season 2, then I’m going to have to read the manga. Why? Because there is no closure to the series whatsoever and they made it this “happily ever after” and just ended it.
Don’t get me wrong, up until the fight with Priscilla it was actually pretty good. After that I was confused and some of the characters personalities, Raki’s for example, just bugged me.
So read the manga first, then watch it to see which would be better…