Claymore (manga)

Claymore
Cover of the first volume featuring the central character Clare
クレイモア (Kureimoa)
Genre	Fantasy, Supernatural, Action
Manga
Written by	Norihiro Yagi
Published by	Shueisha
English publisher	Madman Entertainment VIZ Media
Demographic	Shōnen
Magazine	Originally Monthly Shōnen Jump formerly Weekly Shōnen Jump currently Jump Square
Original run	May 2001 – ongoing
Volumes	20 (List of volumes)
TV anime
Directed by	Hiroyuki Tanaka
Written by	Yasuko Kobayashi
Music by	Masanori Takumi
Studio	Madhouse[1]
Licensed by	Madman Entertainment Funimation Entertainment
Network	NTV
English network	FUNimation Channel
Original run	April 3, 2007 – September 25, 2007
Episodes	26 (List of episodes)
Game
Claymore: Gingan no Majo
Developer	Digital Works Entertainment
Genre	Action
Platform	Nintendo DS
Released	May 28, 2009
Anime and Manga Portal

Claymore (クレイモア, Kureimoa^?) is a dark fantasy manga series written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi. The series initially premiered in the now defunct Monthly Shōnen Jump in the May 2001 issue. When the magazine was canceled in June 2007, the series was temporarily moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump where it was still published monthly. When Jump Square was introduced in November 2007, the series was moved to it and is currently on-going. The individual chapters are published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with 20 volumes released as of October 27, 2011 and volume 21 being released on December 2, 2011.

Madhouse adapted the first eleven volumes of the series into a twenty-six episode anime series. Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka the series premiered in Japan on NTV on April 3, 2007 and ran until September 25, 2007. A CD soundtrack for the anime series, and a CD of character songs using the anime voice actresses were released on July 25, 2007 and September 27, 2007, respectively.

The Claymore manga is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media. It released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006 and has released 19 volumes as of October 27, 2011. The anime adaptation is licensed for release in North America by Funimation Entertainment, which has released the first DVD for the series in Fall 2008^[2] and released the entire series on Blu-ray in Spring 2010. Madman Entertainment has licensed the anime for release in Australia and New Zealand and the anime is sub-licenced by Manga Entertainment for UK distribution.

Plot

In a world where humans coexist with sentient monsters called yoma (妖魔, yōma^?) that feed on human innards, a group, simply called the Organization, has created an order of half-human, half-yoma warriors to protect humans from yoma, for a large fee. Based on the large swords they carry, the people of this world have named these warriors Claymores. They are also referred to as "silver-eyed witches", based on their appearance and seemingly cold nature toward others. Claymores, as well as yoma, possess bodily energy called yoki, which allows them to perform superhuman feats. Claymores who charge their yoki auras beyond the limit that their bodies can sustain turn into hideous creatures called awakened beings. Like yoma, awakened beings crave human flesh, the difference being that awakened beings are much more powerful. Each Claymore is ranked based on his or her strength and ability in comparison to other Claymores. There are 47 ranks corresponding to the number of regions of the continent, and each Claymore is assigned a different region of the continent wherein to slay yoma.

During the premise, a Claymore named Clare heads to a small town and meets Raki, a boy whose parents were killed by a yoma. Later that night, Clare heads toward Raki's home and kills his brother Zaki, who is revealed to be the yoma that killed Raki's parents. The yoma had taken over Zaki's body when he and Raki witnessed the murder of their parents at the hands of the same yoma when they were but children. Out of gratitude, Raki ends up following Clare from town to town during her missions to exterminate yoma. The two travel together until they are separated when Clare is forced to battle a sadistic Claymore named Ophelia. Before parting, Clare promises to find him if she survives. The story becomes a tale of revenge, as Clare seeks to confront someone from her past.

Characters

Main article: List of Claymore characters

• Clare (クレア, Kurea^?), the series' protagonist, is a quiet and soft-spoken Claymore, with an occasional impulsive side. Seeking revenge for the death of a Claymore named Teresa, Clare opted to become a Claymore herself in order to exact revenge on Teresa's killer. Initially ranked #47, Clare starts out as the weakest of her generation of Claymores. However, Miria, a Claymore employed in Clare's generation, initially thought that she was in the presence of the most powerful being in the world when she first met Clare. This is because Clare's body, instead of being infused with yoma flesh, had been grafted with Teresa's head. It is later revealed that Orsay, Teresa's handler, remarked that Teresa could possibly have been the strongest being to have ever existed. Since Clare took in the flesh and blood of a fellow Claymore, she starts out considerably weaker than other Claymores. However, this gives her the ability to charge her yoki aura above the limit of a normal Claymore, all while enduring less risk of awakening. Clare's sole mission throughout the series is to find and kill the one-horned awakened being that killed Teresa.
• Raki (ラキ, Raki^?) is a young boy whose family was murdered by a yoma disguised as his brother Zaki, which Clare subsequently slew. Raki, who was then exiled from his hometown under suspicion that he is a yoma, lost consciousness after days traveling through the desert outskirts of the town. Clare found and allowed him to join her on her journey, on the condition that he be her cook. Wanting to become strong enough to protect Clare, Raki trains under an awakened being named Isley after he is separated from Clare during her battle against Ophelia. After seven years, Raki has visibly grown taller, stronger, and more muscular. He begins traveling along the paths he and Clare once walked, in hopes of finding her. An amnesiac girl named Priscilla joins him on his journey, hoping that Teresa's faint scent in Clare might help her regain her lost memories.
• Priscilla (プリシラ, Purishira^?) was once the second-ranked Claymore of Teresa's generation, and had the potential to rival Teresa for the first rank. Along with Sophia, Noel, and Ilene, Priscilla was sent to execute Teresa after the latter had deserted the Organization. During the ensuing battle, Priscilla's lack of experience caused her to charge her yoki past her limit and become an awakened being. She beheads Teresa in front of a young Clare. However, she leaves Clare alive, as the latter reminded her of her sister who was eaten by a yoma. Priscilla then flew away in search of humans to eat. She was confronted by Isley during one of her killing sprees. During the battle, Priscilla regresses to the mindset of a child and loses most of her memories. Isley, wanting to take advantage of her vast power, swears fealty to her. From that point onwards, Isley and Priscilla had been traveling together, under Isley's false promise that he would help her find her lost memories.

Species

In the fictional world of Claymore, the yoma are a species of humanoid monsters that coexist with humans and feed on their innards. Yoma are similar in size to humans, though some are noticeably larger and can support more muscle in their frames. They have rows of spikes protruding from their upper backs, elongated limbs that end in clawed digits, large jaws, sets of sharp fangs, and pointed ears. Some have bat-like wings, though this is a rare feature amongst them. Yoma have greater strength, speed, and durability than humans, and are capable of extending their limbs and digits. Additionally, yoma have the ability to change their physical appearance at will. When a yoma eats a human's brain, it absorbs the human's memories and completely replaces him or her. Yoma are identified by their yoki, which can be sensed by Claymores and other yoma. They are able to regenerate limbs and recover from severe wounds. However, a sharp blow to the head can kill them before they regenerate.

Claymores are beings created for the sole purpose of killing yoma. By implanting the flesh and blood of yoma into humans, the Organization is able to create hybrids that are stronger than the source yoma, all while retaining their human minds. It is unknown why Claymores are more powerful than yoma despite being only half-yoma. During the hybridization process, the humans' hair color becomes yellow or white, their eye color becomes silver, and they sometimes develop pointed ears, much like yoma. Claymores are able to regenerate, and have limited shape-shifting capability. In battle, Claymores wield large swords. By charging the yoki within them, Claymores begin to undergo a physical transformation, beginning with their eye color turning gold while using 10% of their power, their faces becoming grotesque at 30%, and their bodies changing at 50%, by which time they closely resemble yoma themselves. Claymores are in danger of losing control of their powers if they activate more than 80% of their yoki. A Claymore who has activated at least 80% of his or her yoki will have a difficult time powering down. When a Claymore's yoki charges past 100%, he or she mutates into an awakened being, a creature much stronger and hungrier than yoma. A Claymore who manages to power down from the 80% mark will possess permanently increased strength as well as better control over his or her yoki aura. The majority of Claymores are female, as human males who are changed into hybrids tend to awaken faster due to the feeling of pleasure, akin to sexual ecstasy, during the process of charging yoki. In an attempt to avoid becoming an awakened being when near or at their limit, Claymores will send a Black Card to a friend or trusted ally. By doing so, the recipient has no choice but to find the sender and kill him or her before he or she awakens.

Awakened beings, which result from a Claymore exceeding 100% of his or her power, retain the memories and intelligence that they had as a Claymore, but in contrast gain the bloodthirsty nature of a yoma. The true nature of awakened beings is kept from ordinary humans. Instead, they are known to the public as "voracious eaters", and are proclaimed to be particularly old yoma who have gained greater experience, stronger bodies, and an increased appetite due to their age. As they are originally humans turned into Claymores, awakened beings are as varied as their sources, possessing varying personalities and appearances. As awakened beings are more powerful than regular yoma and generally as strong as or stronger than Claymores, a team of at least four Claymores led by a Claymore ranked in the single digits is typically necessary to deal with them. It is originally believed that all awakened beings have lost their humanity, but as the series progresses, it is revealed that this is not always the case. The Organization publicly denies this, all while making use of such awakened beings in the war against creatures called dragons who roam outside the continent wherein the story begins.

Recently in the series, another species called abyssal feeders has been introduced. Abyssal feeders are females with light-blond or white hair resembling those of Claymores. However, their mouths and eyes are sewn shut. It is revealed that abyssal feeders were created by the Organization for the purpose of tracking down and killing the three Abyssal Ones: Isley, Luciela, and Riful. Unlike Claymores, which are hybrids created by grafting the flesh of yoma into humans, abyssal feeders are hybrids created by using the corpses of awakened beings in place of regular yoma. Abyssal feeders are devoid of all emotion and conscious thought and are conditioned to have a single insatiable desire: to consume the flesh and blood of one whose scent has been imprinted onto them. Like awakened beings, abyssal feeders can generate weapons from their own bodies and regenerate at a staggering rate, with only a direct blow to the head being fatal. While they are driven to seek out the one that they are looking for, they will also attack anything that makes any sudden movement. According to a Claymore named Dietrich, entire towns have been wiped out by abyssal feeders.

Media

Manga

Main article: List of Claymore chapters

Written and drawn by Norihiro Yagi, the individual chapters of Claymore began serialization in Shueisha's Monthly Shōnen Jump in 2001. After the magazine was discontinued, the series was moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump, where it has appeared monthly rather than weekly. On November 2, 2007, serialization was moved to Jump Square, Shueisha's replacement for the original Monthly Shōnen Jump.^[3][4] The individual chapters are published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, which released the first volume on January 5, 2002. As of January 17, 2011, 19 volumes have been released.^[5]

On July 18, 2006, Viz Media announced the serialization of the Claymore manga in North America in its Shonen Jump manga anthology.^[6] The first chapter of the English adaptation appeared in the April 11, 2006 issue and continued serialization only until the entire first volume was released. Viz released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006,^[7] and as of June 1, 2011 has released 18 volumes.^[8][9]

The series is also being released in English in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment. It is licensed for regional language releases in Russia by Comix-art,^[10] in France and Spain by Glenat, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid, in Italy by Star Comics, in Brazil by Panini Comics and in Germany by Tokyopop Germany.

Anime

Main article: List of Claymore episodes

Madhouse produced a twenty-six episode anime series based on the manga series.^[11] Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, the series aired between April 2007 and September 2007 in Japan on Nippon Television. The series adapts the first eleven volumes of its source material over the first 24 episodes, then uses an alternate ending for its final two episodes.

As of February 2008, seven DVD volumes, each containing three episodes of the anime, have been released in Japan by Avex Trax.^[12] In addition, four limited edition sets have been released. The first limited edition set contains the first DVD volume, while the other three sets each contain two DVD volumes.^[13] The latest limited edition set and volumes were released on January 30, 2008. Two more DVD volumes and one more limited edition set are planned for release on March 26, 2008.^[12] On February 15, 2008, Funimation announced that it has acquired the Region 1 DVD and broadcast licenses for the anime,^[14] and released the first DVD in North America on October 14, 2008;^[15] as of February 2009, three volumes have been released. On February 16, 2010, Funimation released a boxed set containing the complete series in Blu-ray format. Madman Entertainment has licensed the series and Volume 1 released early 2009.^[16] All 26 episodes are available on Netflix via streaming video and DVD. ^[17]

Two pieces of theme music are used for the episodes: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is "Raison d'être" (レゾンデートル^?, lit. Reason for being) by Nightmare. The ending theme is J-pop singer Riyu Kosaka's single, "Danzai no Hana~Guilty Sky" (断罪の花 ~Guilty Sky~^?, lit. Flower of Conviction~Guilty Sky). These two themes are used in all twenty-six episodes.

The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel September 6, 2010.^[18] Shortly thereafter, Netflix also began offering all 26 episodes as streaming content.

CDs

Two CDs have been released for the Claymore. Claymore TV Animation O.S.T., the soundtrack for the anime series, was released on July 25, 2007 with instrumental compositions by Masanori Takumi. Spanning 32 tracks, the soundtrack includes the television-sized versions of the opening and ending themes.^[19] This Soundtrack is not a complete collection of the tracks of the anime, though (for example the track in episode 17, at 1:55 is missing).

A CD of character songs, Claymore Intimate Persona: Character Song Shuu (CLAYMORE INTIMATE PERSONA~キャラクターソング集~^?) was released on September 27, 2007. It contains ten tracks, one each for ten characters from the series, featuring songs performed by the character voice actresses from the anime adaptation.^[20]

Video game

Cover of Claymore: Gingan no Majo

A Claymore video game for the Nintendo DS was released in Japan on May 28, 2009.^[21] The game is titled Claymore: Gingan no Majo and was released by Digital Works Entertainment. In the game, the player controls Clare in a similar fashion to side-scrolling Castlevania and Metroid games. She can alter the strength of her yoki aura by using the touch screen and stylus.^[21]

Reception

In his review of volume 7, Carlo Santos of Anime News Network says about Clare's action scenes that "Clare's fights are nothing short of eye-popping, with page layouts designed for maximum dramatic effect." About the drama, he says that "even the occasional attempts at drama feel oddly distant." About the part in the story where Raki and Clare are separated, he states that it's more like "leave now because that's the obvious next step in the plot."^[22] The art of volume 7 is rated A, story C+, and overall B.^[23]

Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network, says in his review of volume 14 that "the series has lost some of its luster, and it seems like less and less is actually happening with each volume." About the action scenes, he says that "the actual fights lack some of the dynamism seen in earlier volumes." As for the art, he states that "as has been true in the past, Yagi's artistry lacks for nothing."^[24] He rates the art A- in his reviews for volume eleven, twelve and fourteen.^[25][26][27] However, in his review of volume sixteen, Theron Marton says that "Yagi is back on track," and that "he provides a good mix of old friends popping back up, new allies, startling revelations, dire threats, and of course good-ol' beatdown action, in the process returning the series to arguably its strongest level since volume 12."^[28]

Theron Martin also gave his thoughts on the first five episodes of the anime. He stated that "while not without some flaws, the first five episodes generally get the series off to a strong start, practically assuring that Funimation has a solid hit on their hands."^[29] The rating he gave for the anime is: story A-, animation B+, art A-, music A, and overall A-.^[29] In ICv2's list of "Top 50 Manga - Summer 2008", Claymore placed 42nd.^[30]

References

1. ^ http://www.ntv.co.jp/claymore/cast/index.html
2. ^ "Claymore DVD 1 (Hyb) + Artbox". Rightstuf. http://www.rightstuf.com/1-800-338-6827/catalogmgr/xZke-XGP-NJvmMBaHz/browse/item/80860/4/0/0. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
3. ^ "月刊少年ジャンプ休刊のお知らせ" (in Japan). Shueisha. 2007-06-30. http://mj.shueisha.co.jp/suspend.html. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
4. ^ "Shueisha to Launch New Monthly Magazine". Anime News Network. 2007-04-06. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2007-04-06/shueisha-to-launch-new-monthly-magazine. Retrieved 2008-09-21. 
5. ^ "CLAYMORE -月ジャンネット-" (in Japanese). Shueisha. http://mj.shueisha.co.jp/claymore/main_c.html. Retrieved 2007-10-09. 
6. ^ "New Viz Manga - Anime News Network". Anime News Network. 2005-07-18. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2005-07-18/new-viz-manga. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
7. ^ "VIZ Media . products - Claymore, Vol. 1". Viz Media. http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=5879. Retrieved 2007-10-09. 
8. ^ "VIZ Media . products". Viz Media. http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?series_id=450. Retrieved 2007-10-10. 
9. ^ "VIZ Media . products - Claymore, Vol. 16". Viz Media. http://www.viz.com/products/products.php?product_id=9198. Retrieved 2010-06-05. 
10. ^ "Клеймор". Comix-art. http://www.comix-art.ru/node/89. Retrieved 2009-11-14. 
11. ^ "Nippon Television Licensing Catalogue for Animation". Nippon Television Network. http://www.ntv.co.jp/english/pc/ntv-animation.pdf. Retrieved 2007-10-02. 
12. ^ ^{a b} "CLAYMORE クレイモア" (in Japanese). Avex Trax. Archived from the original on 2007-10-06. http://web.archive.org/web/20071006173747/http://avexmovie.jp/lineup/claymore/dvd.html. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
13. ^ "クレイモア" (in Japanese). Nippon Television. http://www.ntv.co.jp/claymore/dvdcd/index.html. Retrieved 2007-10-08. 
14. ^ "Funimation Licenses Claymore Anime Series". Anime News Network. 2008-02-15. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2008-02-15/funimation-adds-claymore-anime. Retrieved 2008-02-15. 
15. ^ "FUNimation Entertainment Acquires Claymore from NTV" (Press release). AnimeOnDVD.com. 2008-02-18. http://animeondvd.com/news/pr.php?pr_view=1270. Retrieved 2008-02-18. 
16. ^ "Claymore (TV) V01 & Limited Collector's Box". Madman. http://www.madman.com.au/actions/catalogue.do?releaseId=11341&method=view&webChannelId=1. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
17. ^ "http://www.netflix.com/Search?v1=claymore"
18. ^ http://www.funimationchannel.com/schedule/2_e037.htm
19. ^ "Claymore CD" (in Japanese). NTV. http://www.ntv.co.jp/claymore/dvdcd/cd.html. Retrieved 2008-09-21. 
20. ^ "Claymore CD/Character" (in Japanese). NTV. http://www.ntv.co.jp/claymore/dvdcd/cd_chara.html. Retrieved 2008-09-21. 
21. ^ ^{a b} "Claymore Ginme no Majo". National Console Support, Inc. http://www.shopncsx.com/claymore.aspx. Retrieved 2009-05-17. 
22. ^ "Claymore GN 7". Anime News Network, Carlo Santos. 2007-09-13. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-7. Retrieved 2010-01-08. 
23. ^ "Claymore GN 7". Anime News Network, Carlo Santos. 2007-09-13. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-7. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
24. ^ "Claymore GN 14". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2009-03-23. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-14. Retrieved 2010-01-28. 
25. ^ "Claymore GN 11". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2008-03-15. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-11. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
26. ^ "Claymore GN 12". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2008-07-05. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-12. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
27. ^ "Claymore GN 14". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2009-03-23. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-14. Retrieved 2009-05-05. 
28. ^ "Claymore GN 16". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2010-06-27. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore/gn-16. Retrieved 2011-02-10. 
29. ^ ^{a b} "Claymore + Artbox DVD 1". Anime News Network, Theron Martin. 2008-08-19. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/claymore+artbox/dvd-1. Retrieved 2010-01-28. 
30. ^ "ICv2 Top 50 Manga - Summer 2008". ICv2. 2008-09-29. http://www.icv2.com/articles/news/13211.html. Retrieved 2009-03-05. 

External links

• Official Shueisha Claymore manga website (Japanese)
• Official Shueisha Claymore anime website (Japanese)
• Official NTV Claymore anime website (Japanese)
• Official Funimation Claymore anime website
• Claymore (manga) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Claymore (anime) at Anime News Network's Encyclopedia
• Complete List of Characters (With Preview)
• Japanese Transcript of All Claymore Episodes