Reviews

Claymore 1 by Norihiro Yagi

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tartbarbie's review against another edition

4.0

Claymore is a manga about Yoma who pretend to be human in order to kill and eat the humans. The Claymore are the hybrid of the two stronger faster but still human with the ability to slay the Yoma which they do for a price. They travel from village to village slaying Yoma with nothing but the sword on their back using the Yoma abilities but slowly turning into a monster that they hunt. When the time comes a Claymore will send a black card to another claymore to be slain before the Yoma takes over and so they die as a human.

In the first installment Clare arrives in a village to slay a Yoma which has been killing humans. While the villagers fear her it’s one boy who is thankful that she’s come because he’s lost his parents to the Yoma. Clare will offer the revenge that he so desperately needed but never did he expect to find the Yoma pretending to be his own brother. After slaying the Yoma Raki has lost everyone and decides to follow Clare on her journey even though she doesn’t want him to. However the unlikely friendship is formed as they both have experienced tragic lost and left alone in the world.

I like Clare she’s a sword carrying slayer who isn’t afraid to die charging in risking her life. She may not survive every encounter but that doesn’t stop her from doing what has to be done protecting the humans. While most Claymore’s wouldn’t allow Raki to tag along she accepts him and maybe it’s partly because they are kindred but he needs her and she him to keep her humanity. I find Clare to be an intriguing character and can’t wait to see more about her back story as well as what’s going to happen next.

I’ve seen all of the episodes on Netflix a few years ago actually binge watched them over a long weekend. I love the concept for the Claymore the hybrids created using parts from the monsters that they have been created to fight. While I am familiar with the story it’s interesting to see it play out as I read it. The art is great it gives me just enough to create the story in my head as I read each detailed page. This is only my 2nd manga so I don’t have a lot to go on but so far I’m super exited to read the series. I ended up reading the first in just a quick before bead session and half of the second one. Claymore is a fast paced loaded with action series that is captivating right from the start hard to put down till the last page. Can’t wait to start the next one.

fakespy87's review against another edition

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adventurous dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

dorinlazar's review against another edition

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3.0

I just love the central character of this book. Clare is a Claymore, a silver-eyed half-monster that fights monsters called yoma, and she gets followed by Raki, a kid whose family is slayed by yoma. Clare kicks ass, but doesn't say much - Raki is the usual somewhat silly, somewhat annoying manga kid, with exaggerated reactions. But somehow it works from the start. Clare just works, I guess because of the contrast with the kid, and the kid doesn't bother me that much.

I loved the awesome ideas behind the Claymore. It's just an awesome, awesome idea, and I love it.

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Edit 2022: I downgraded my rating - after re-reading it, it seems that my initial reading was too much influenced by the anime. The first volume is not very well put together - the first four issues are loosely linked and the story has less of an impact than I would expect from the genre. It really feels a bit out of order - Clare's relationship to her old friend, Elena, is not sufficiently used, the scene ends too fast and there's no emotional impact when she has to kill her old friend. Raki, her human kid-friend, is not very compelling as a character - his motivation to move from his home town is very loose, and if he's in love with the silver eyed witch then it's badly communicated.

It's interesting how my POV on this changed in a few years.