Claymore vol. 1

Claymore takes place in a land similar to medieval Europe, were shape shifting, flesh eating monsters called yoma terrorize the human population. The only hope commoners have for survival is to hire Claymores, mysterious, sword wielding women whose frigid beauty(not to mention icy personalities) are complimented by their pale skin and hair. They are not quite human and far more powerful than a mortal, so they are feared by the same people they protect. They simply go to a town, slay the yoma(s) and leave, their payment given to a shadowy man who represents the equally shadowy "organization" who controls the Claymores. On one such mission, Claire, the main character, comes across a boy whose family had just been killed by a yoma, Claire has a brief moment of sympathy and finds a family for the boy to stay with in the town. But fearful that he is cursed from his contact with a yoma, the towns people later banish him from the village and Claire finds him again, wandering in the desert. She allows him to travel with her temporarily and the two slowly bond. it is soon obvious that there is more to Claire than her icy exterior. We certainly understand this much more when a flashback arch begins on the last several episodes of the volume, showing Claire's life before she became a Claymore.

Claymore is a compelling, interesting take on the dark low-fantasy sub genre. The plot is only getting geared up at this point, but all ready there are many points of interest and the viewer can certainly tell its going to be a hell of a story. The flashback episodes in particular are a gutsy move, but completely pay off so far, they pack a emotional punch and give you a strong attachment to and better understanding of Claire. The Claymores themselves are amazing, their character designs are some of the most appealing i've seen in anime. It is refreshing to see powerful, beautiful female characters in anime that aren't running around half naked all of the time. The claymores exude femininity and sensuality but are fully clothed in battle suits and armor. While Claire and Theresa are excellent characters, the young boy that follows Claire around is not. He earns sympathy from the viewer and has his moments, but gets rather obnoxious at times. Also, while there is plenty of gory action scenes, some very well choreographed, the frame rate is a bit slow and there is a over reliance on still frames. Despite this, Claymore looks like it is shaping up to be a top notch series.

Grade:B+ Reviewed: episodes 1-5 Format: English Dub, DVD