SPOILERS
I've always had a soft spot for this story ever since watching the anime adaption of this manga when it came out in 2007. At the time I was looking to find more Berserk-like content to fill its ever stacking hiatus', and around five years after finishing the show I finally picked up the manga. I remember it leaving me with mixed feelings, so I thought I would try it one more time and consider a more deeply about what makes it good and where it often falls short.
It’s one of the fastest-paced mangas I've ever read and definitely finds itself feeling more suited to the Shonen demographic as it goes on, meaning there’s quite a few of the expected tropes and cliches throughout the story. Despite that, there are aspects to Claymore that do really shine and are worth celebrating, and it definitely made a nice impression on me as I've watched and read it over the years.
We’ll start with the art, which is, for the most part, fantastic and what makes this manga iconic. The concept design and execution of the Awakened Beings and Abyssal ones are brilliant, imaginative, and highly detailed, and it was always a joy to see a Claymore go past her limits and explode into a new grotesque form, with those disconnected demon eyes that lust for human flesh. There are not many dark fantasy mangas out there, and this one has the style and tone well set from the first chapter.
The technical detailing and panels on offer at times may even pass some of the iconic demon work done by Muira in Berserk. Personally, I preferred the more twisted, abstracted, and multi-limbed awakened designs over the anthropomorphic ones, but it was all cool one way or another and showed how flexible author Yagi could be with his creature concepts.
Favorite designs that come to mind are Orphelia's snaking form, Priscila's demonic form, and Alicia's black-bladed form. There are plenty of others, but with so many characters in this manga, I can't even begin to remember half of their names or sensical ways to describe them.
Visual quality in character design aside, Claymore's paneling and world did feel curiously barren, lacking the depth and detail that one might expect from a fantasy of this kind. While the female warriors are drawn with charisma and memorable traits, the same cannot be said for the backdrop and settings against which their struggles unfold—a missed opportunity that leaves the world of Claymore feeling undeveloped and bare but can be overlooked somewhat considering how much care is given to the central figures, salavged a little by the drawings of the city of Robana, which do have significant visual and story led moments.
Volumes 1 to 12 (right up to the aftermath of the battle of Pietra) are just awesome and stone-cold classic manga storytelling. If I were rating up until this point, it would be an 8.8/10. The intertwining backstories of Clare, Terresa, and Priscilla are excellent, and the mechanisms and details that underpin the fantasy world, like the Yoma energy, secret organization, Claymore ranking, and constant struggle against the threat of awakening were genius, setting a strong narrative foundation that kept me interested through the entire 27 books, despite all the cracks that begin to form shortly after Pietra begins to wrap up.
The confrontation with Orphelia and the ensuing fight is one of my favorite parts to read. She was so menacing, even before her awakening. In this moment we are treated with genuine high-stakes tension and depth, which, as the story progressed, became increasingly more rare to come across. Instead, relentless barrages of increasingly elaborate and ridiculous battles intensify as the chapters roll on, packed with all the generic tropes and trappings you would expect from a typical shonen.
Each enemy seemed “more powerful” than the last, and with the power ceiling being abandoned midway, there was never really a sense of urgency, threat, or despair to be tapped into. This was not helped by the constant long expositional dialogue mid-battles and the inevitable and contrived power moves that get unleashed to save the day, leaving battles often feeling like boring, empty spectacles.
I was always hoping for it to pause and cool down, maneuvering away from the combat in order to spend more time developing characters (instead of endlessly adding new ones). Sometimes it did, and those were some of the best parts in the later volumes. There was potential for an interesting world, with towns, races, cultures, and politics all offering the context for complex character actions and decisions to unfold, but instead that all took a backseat for battles that continually failed to deliver emotional investment.
And yet, for all the flaws, there is a certain charm to Claymore; good fights and characters can be found and enjoyed, and the finale successfully wraps up the convoluted story and delivers a decent and satisfying ending. Stoic and fallible Clare is likable throughout, and her band of Claymore buddies also had a certain charm to them too (as did some awakened/abyssal ones too). I was rooting for everyone right until the very end and enjoyed Raki delivering his crucial blow into Pricilla's neck, followed by the reunion of Clare and Terresa that leaves the story on a nice high.
VERDICT
Overall, the manga is more or less an enjoyable read, with an excellent first third that establishes some cool ideas, concepts, and characters, carried by its top quality creature design that stands up against the very best in the industry. But there was so much potential here. With a more serious and considered approach and a properly fleshed out world, we could instead be talking about one of the manga greats. Despite the dwindling story and character development, I would still recommend it as a solid and easy to read action fantasy, best suited for casual reading where expectations are tailored for a style over substance experience.
RATING BREAKDOWN
Story
60
Visuals:
80
Characters:
70
BONUS
Concept design
FINAL
