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Claymore
Anime DVD Review
Claymore is a grisly, complex series with a chilling supernatural element to it that is not for the faint of heart. The anime series follows the life of Clare, a Claymore warrior who volunteered for the assignment after her friend Teresa was killed.
There's a lot to learn in the series as technical terms are thrown at the viewer quickly; "Yoma" are shape-shifters and can live among humans without detection, feeding on them in secret and even taking on the appearance and memories of those they've eaten.
 To battle these demon-like creatures, a secretive, underground organization injected blood and tissue from Yoma into humans, most notably girls whose families were destroyed by the Yoma. This gives the warriors some of the same shape-shifting abilities as their Yoma counterparts, but also makes them much stronger and more intelligent than the creatures they hunt. These superhuman protectors are called as "Claymores" because of the grand claymore swords they carry and fight with.
 Because they are essentially part Yoma, they can succumb to the primitive instincts of the Yoma and if that happens, they will lose their humanity and become an "Awakened" being, a super-version of the very monsters they are trying to kill.
What makes this series really gripping is that the Claymores don't just go around kicking butt all day; indeed, Clare struggles to maintain her own humanity while she fights off the Yoma and hones her skills. It's this internal battle for her soul that is as interesting as the adrenaline-fueled action sequences that really make Claymore shine as an anime series.
 Claymore was created by Norihiro Yagi and debuted in Monthly Shonen Jump magazine in May of 2001 and continued that run until June of 2007 when the magazine ceased publication. The series continued briefly in Weekly Shonen Jump and then found a new home in Jump Square, which debuted in November 2007. An anime adaptation directed by Madhouse Studios and Hiroyuki Tanaka premiered in Japan on April 3, 2007, and ran for 26 episodes.
Reviewed by Brian Cirulnick, November 2008
Below: Scenes from Claymore.
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