Claymore: Series Profile - All About The Claymore Anime Series

The Gist:

A group of superhuman warriors are created by a secret organization to protect humans from flesh-eating creatures known as Yoma.

The History:

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 Jum 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. The North American release was licensed by FUNimation in February of 2008 and scheduled for DVD release in October of the same year.

Manga vs. Anime:

Because the manga series is on-going, the anime was bound to stray from the original storyline sooner or later.

In this instance, the anime follows the manga until episode 20 and then veers off into its own story.

How To Watch:

Claymore will be released on DVD beginning on October 14, 2008.

You can see Claymore anime series trailer from FUNimation here.

Genres:

Action, adventure, drama, fantasy, horror, supernatural

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Studios:

Distribution: FUNimation
Animation and Production: Madhouse Studios

Rating:

Teens - 16+

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The Review:

The Claymores are a secretive, superhuman group of warriors that are dedicated to protecting humans from flesh-eating creatures known as Yoma. The 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 creatures, a secret organization injected blood and tissue from the 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. They are referred to by humans as "Claymores" because of the grand claymore swords they carry and fight with.

The Claymore anime series follows the life of Clare, a "Claymore" warrior who volunteered for the assignment after her adoptive Claymore friend Teresa was killed by an "Awakened."

What makes this series really gripping is that the Claymores aren't just superhuman beings who go around kicking butt all day. 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.

Throughout the series, Clare struggles to maintain her own humanity while she fights off the Yoma and hones her skills.

Claymore is a grisly, complex series with a chilling supernatural element to it that is not for the faint of heart. If you're a fan of the manga, you should be generally pleased with the anime since it closely follows the original storyline. Due to release on DVD on October 14, 2008, this is one anime I can't wait to see.