Claymore: Volumes 5 & 6

Introduction

Doesn't time fly when you're having fun? Actually, that cliché doesn't quite apply here, as Manga Entertainment's release policy with Claymore means twice as much content in two volume sized chunks, released in less than half the time that a normal series would take. That works out at four times as much fun as before. Trust me, I did maths at A' Level. Waiting for a single volume every two months can be quite a chore, and many is the time that I have forgotten what happened in a previous volume before the next one arrives. These are shows that are meant to be watched on a weekly television schedule after all. But as DVD collectors, we would much rather have our fix sooner rather than later, and these two volume sets have worked out to be a splendid compromise between the single volume releases and eventual boxsets. Hopefully this has proved enough of a success to allow more anime to be released this way in the UK.

In a world where demonic Yoma prey on hapless humans, and can walk among them unsuspected, there is only one group who can stand against them, the Claymores. But Claymores are feared almost as much as the menace they stand against. They are half human and half Yoma, women all, who have made a drastic sacrifice in the name of vengeance. Claymores alone can sense Yoma, their tell-tale silver eyes turning gold when they find a foe to face in battle, and their altered physiology allows them to survive and heal from wounds that would kill lesser humans. But the more they fight, the more the monstrous half of their nature asserts itself, bringing closer the time when they too will become monsters to be hunted. Clare is such a warrior, accepting missions to kill Yoma and defend people who fear and despise her in return. But it's when she rescues a young boy named Raki that her life begins to change.


The stakes couldn't be any higher than when last we left Clare. Her journey of self-discovery, and her friendship with Raki took her past boundaries that Claymores aren't meant to cross, although she soon learned that she wasn't the first to head in that direction. She also learned that the Organisation was prompt to clean its own house, which led her to face even tougher challenges from her own side. This led her to being separated from Raki, and learning of the Creatures of the Abyss, three #1 ranked Claymores who Awakened, and became dreaded monsters. The Organisation offered her a chance for redemption, join a force of 24 Claymores and head north to thwart the plans of Silver King Isley, Creature of the Abyss, who is gathering an army of Awakened Beings to him, and declaring war on his fellow Creatures of the Abyss. It serves Clare's purpose two-fold to acquiesce. One, Raki was last seen heading North, and two, Priscilla is rumoured to be at Isley's right hand.

Manga Entertainment release the final two volumes of Claymore in a two-disc collection.

Chapter 5 - The Sisters in Arms

19. The Carnage In The North II
The battle rages in Pieta, as 24 Claymores face off against three Awakened Beings. It's a harsh and bloody awakening for the inexperienced among them, and even the strongest of their number are stretched against three powerful demons. Clare's group has a tough time facing a creature that can control his opponents' actions, and even their Captain Undine finds her blades at her own throat. Claire and Deneve will have to cross the line to face this opponent, but this time their fellow Claymores will witness. Not that it matters, as it soon becomes clear, even after defeating these foes, that this is a suicidal mission. It isn't long before there is dissension in the ranks. Meanwhile, further north, Raki wanders an abandoned town, searching the grave markers of fallen Claymores, hoping desperately not to find Clare's. He spots a young girl wandering the ruined streets, and protects her from a piece of falling masonry, earning her gratitude, and that of her silver haired guardian. He invites Raki back to their camp, stating that it's the first time he's ever seen Priscilla so taken with a young man.


20. The Carnage in the North III
Priscilla has taken a shine to Raki, but when Raki hears that Claymores are in Pieta, he's determined to leave. The silver-haired man instead offers to travel with him, so that Priscilla can spend some more time with Raki. He also offers to teach him some swordplay, a chance that Raki jumps it, in his quest to become strong enough to protect Clare. Meanwhile, in Pieta, the Claymores are dealing with the aftermath of the battle, healing where necessary, fighting shattered nerves, and their own fears. Deneve realises that beneath the gruff, masculine warrior Undine, lies a terrified little girl, and she shares her own story with her. Meanwhile Flora wants to speak with Clare, to ask her more about the Quicksword technique, as well as that right arm of hers. Clare realises that trust is more important than keeping secrets, and tells Flora, and Jean her story. They don't have a lot of time to spare for healing and girly bonding, and you remember that silver haired guy with Raki. It turns out that he is Isley, and he's just ordered the annihilation of all life in Pieta.

21. Invasion of Pieta I
As Isley, Priscilla and Raki head south towards Pieta, it's taking a long time for it to sink in that Raki is getting in over his head. In Pieta, the Claymores realise that their previous battle was nothing compared to what is yet to come, as force of Awakened Beings some 27 strong attack. The Claymore slaughter begins, or so the demons think, except their earlier battle has prepared them, and after some initial losses the Claymores stand firm. But the leader of the attackers, Silver-Eyed Lion King Rigaldo is watching from afar, taking note of whom the Claymores' leaders are. Meanwhile the penny finally drops for Raki, when Priscilla wanders off, and he finds her, feasting on a human victim. He's about to put that swordsmanship to work, when he realises that she is crying while she chows down on a human heart. Now he's confused. It's less confusing in Pieta, as the attackers withdraw, to give Rigaldo clear access to his chosen targets.


22. Invasion of Pieta II
Rigaldo has taken out all of the leaders, all except one, Miria. As his attention turns to her, Clare is determined not to lose any more friends. It's just that Rigaldo is too fast, and she's hard pressed to keep up. Clare needs more speed, and she's about to ask more of her body, and her Yoma half than ever before. It may just be too much. At the same time, Raki is having a hard time sorting out his feelings for Priscilla, who at the same time is a bloodthirsty Awakened Being, as well as a scared little girl. As they arrive at Pieta, he bids farewell to Isley and Priscilla, and races off to keep his promise to Clare.

Volume 6: The Awakening

23. Critical Point I
Clare has awakened, sort of. She is dangerously close to the edge, but it's bought them enough time for the other Claymores to regroup, while she faces off against Rigaldo. Yet she insists on demanding even more power, and Helen and Miria begin to fear for her. Which is when Raki arrives in Pieta, and he's unprepared for what Clare has become. Not far behind, Priscilla has sensed Clare's power.


24. Critical Point II
The situation at Pieta comes as something of a surprise for Isley, while Priscilla isn't sensing Clare at all, she's sensing Teresa, and all of a sudden she starts to remember her past. Meanwhile, joy quickly turns to despair for the Claymores, as Clare can no longer control her power, and she's on the verge of Awakening. Desperate to remain human until the end, she demands that Helen kills her before she changes. Unlike last time, there's no Raki to bring her back, as this time, Raki is cowering against a wall, scared out of his mind. But all thoughts of Awakening are forgotten when Priscilla appears, and Clare is reminded of her search for vengeance.

25. For Whose Sake
The showdown between Priscilla and Clare takes place atop a molten volcano, but racing to help Clare are Miria, Helen and Deneve, while not too far behind them are Jean and Raki.

26. To The Successors
The conclusion.

Picture

The 1.78:1 anamorphic transfer is most rewarding. It's a rare NTSC-PAL conversion that limits the flaws of that to a minimum. The image is clear and sharp, ghosting is practically absent, and the pans and scrolls are smooth and free of judder. There is a clarity and sharpness to it that could almost be a native PAL image. It's excellent. Madhouse Studios head up the animation on this project and it tells in the final product. The character designs do take a bit of getting used to, but in the long run, the singular style and difference of the piece help it stand out from the crowd. Also the world design takes a leaf from Death Note's book in terms of palette, mood and detail. It's a very effective, moody and stylish animation, getting the balance between quirky individuality, and mass-market appeal just right.

Sound

You have a choice between DD 5.1 English and DD 2.0 Japanese, with optional translated English subtitles and a separate signs only track. I went for my usual option of the Japanese track and was perfectly happy with clear dialogue, nice music and pleasant action. I did sample the English dub, and it's well acted with the characters suitably cast. It's also worthy of the 5.1 track, as the sound is immersive, the action and sound effects are placed well, and there's more than the usual level of sound design applied to this show. Dub fans will have a lot to appreciate here.

Extras

There are extras spread across both discs, and both discs get suitably atmospheric presentation in terms of menu design.

Volume 5

We begin with an interview with the man in charge of Art Setting, Nobihito Sue (Kusanagi). This lasts 4 minutes, and he talks about the world designs and exterior and interior locations of Claymore. It's interesting in that they have to deliberately draw things freehand to make them look mediaeval, avoiding pesky straight lines.

The Commentary on this disc accompanies episode 19, and features Caitlin Glass (Deneve), and Jamie Marchi (Helen), and it's another light and frivolous track, although there are some interesting ADR perspectives.

As usual, there are the textless end credits.


Volume 6

On this disc, you'll find the Original TV Commercials, 2 of them. Running at 4 and 3 minutes respectively however, the come across more as promo reels, and they are a nice look at the series.

The audio commentary accompanies episode 26, and features Brina Palencia (Priscilla), and Stephanie Young (Clare). Once more, it's a typical anime commentary, light-hearted, with a couple of anecdotes, a bit about the ADR process, an extensive lovefest, and plenty of giggles.

There is a Production Art Gallery with 11 line art images.

And one final time, you'll find the textless credit sequences.

Conclusion

It happens far too often for my taste, the fact that an anime series has to end while the manga that it's adapted from is barely halfway through. Rarely, such quandaries result in something very special, as happened with the first Fullmetal Alchemist series. Unfortunately, more often than not, it results in the series creators hastily putting together their own version of an ending that just doesn't live up to the rest of the series, and winds up putting fan noses out of joint. Guess which one Claymore opts for. To use a cricket metaphor, it's as if Claymore has been consistently hitting them for six, and come the final over of the match, it's just got bored and knocked it's own stumps over. This in some ways is even more troubling than an average series with a poor ending, if only because the letdown is more extreme.


Of course, it's ultimately unfair to judge a series, or in fact even a single volume on the strength of just one episode, but as this final episode is our last exposure to Claymore the anime, it leaves a sour taste in the mouth, and it does reflect somewhat on the series that came before. So let's get that final episode out of the way first, before going on to more pleasant matters. According to reliable-ish Internet sources, episode 22 is where the series begins to diverge from the manga storyline, although the mission North, the 24 Claymores banding together to face an army of Awakened Beings is similar to a great extent. The difference is that Raki isn't part of this storyline in the manga, and as Raki plays more of a part as we get further into the finale, the greater the divergence. Even still, events apparently play out much the same until the final two episodes, and of these two episodes, it's really only the last one that offends my sensibilities.


Everything up to this point has been building up to a final reckoning between Clare and Priscilla. Clare has been rapidly gaining in skill and strength, and her whole purpose in becoming a Claymore has been to find Priscilla and avenge Teresa. The whole Silver King Isley arc, the mission North has been geared towards engineering that confrontation, and it's here that the anime creators begin their contrivance, to give us the ultimate confrontation that we have been waiting for. It doesn't happen in the manga, but by golly, we're at least going to get that closure with the anime series. Except we don't, not really. The final episode is an explosion of eye candy, action set in a molten volcano, visually akin to the climax of Revenge of the Sith, with Super Awakened Being Priscilla versus Super Almost Awakened Claymore Clare, but at the last minute, someone recalls that the manga series is ongoing, and there may just be a chance at a second anime series, and they put the brakes on. It's resolved with a reset button of an ending, totally out of place given Clare's determination for vengeance, with the sort of schmaltz and high melodrama that wouldn't be out of place in a Hollywood production. Also, I found in the denouement, and in this final episode in particular, the dialogue took a nosedive, and the multi-layered and deep story vanished to be replaced with something one-dimensional and tacky.


But, that's just the final episode of this two-disc set. There are seven other episodes to talk about, and they at least maintain and build on the high quality storytelling of the first two releases. Of course, all eight of these episodes is devoted to the Claymores' battle against Isley's Awakened Beings in the northern town of Pieta, so in a sense it's all one arc that carries on from the end of the previous volume. The first order of business is to deal with the three Awakened beings that are terrorising the town, and the first episode is wholly action, with groups of Claymores working together to take on the demons. Out of context and at the start of this volume, it does feel a tad out of place, but watched in close succession to the previous volume, it will fit in quite naturally. It's followed by a respite episode, as we see the Claymores deal with the aftermath of the fight, come to terms with the colossal challenge that they face, work out their interpersonal issues, and fight a few personal demons. It's a nice pause for breath between action episodes, and given the plethora of Claymores, all tall, blonde and carrying big swords, it offers a chance to get to know some of the new characters such as Undine and Flora.


While this is happening, we also follow Raki's story, as he encounters Isley and Priscilla, and travels south with them to his eventual reunion with Clare. This shows us the 'human' side of the monsters, for want of a better word. Priscilla is damaged goods at this point, regressed to childhood and lacking any memory of her past as a Claymore. She's a lost girl who is apparently with Isley for safety and protection, and who latches onto Raki after he saves her from an accident. Isley on the other hand is suave, confident and charismatic, certainly not monstrous, and as they travel together, Raki begins to respect him. It's only as they get closer to Pieta that doubts begin to form in Raki's mind, and by the time he learns of his companions' true natures, he's more conflicted than ever. It certainly throws the whole Claymore versus Awakened Being conflict into question, with things certainly not as black and white as they were at the start of the series. Regrettably these are questions that aren't resolved in this series, although they do get more coverage in the ongoing manga.


Then follows Clare's toughest challenge yet, with the arrival of the Silver-Eyed Lion King Rigaldo, an Awakened Being so strong, so fast, and so deadly that he's perfectly capable of taking out all the Claymores by himself. Around this point I could begin to feel the standard of the show slipping ever so slightly. For one thing, Rigaldo commits the cardinal anime cliché sin of dismissing all his troops, declaring that he will fight all the Claymores alone. Second, the show's shonen credentials become more obvious. At heart, Claymore is a vengeance story, and Clare's journey basically involves going from battle to battle, increasing in skill, strength and ability, and levelling up for the next fight down the line. It's a trope as old as the hills, and recognisable in half a hundred series like Naruto, Bleach, Yu Yu Hakusho and so on. Claymore managed to mask it beneath awesome characterisations, and a devilishly smart and complex storyline. I knew I was watching a shonen show, but I just didn't care. Except somewhere in the battle against Rigaldo, it becomes obvious. It's most likely when Clare starts verbalising her need for more power and more speed. It's unnecessary writing to remind us of the show's basic nature, and I didn't really appreciate that reminder. Still, the story, the characters, and the rest of the writing do remain of a high standard, so it's just a small irritation.


Then comes that final episode, where it all takes a nosedive. It's not all that bad, there are one or two redemptive moments, and I love the way that Jean's arc developed, but it doesn't do the rest of the show any justice. The only way the final episode of Claymore can be salvaged is with a whole new second season, one that steers back towards the manga storyline. That final episode may leave something of a sour taste in the mouth, and little of consequence is resolved in the finale, but taken as a whole, it still means that 95% of this series is something supremely worth your while. I wouldn't let it put you off from trying this series out. And you can bet that Claymore is going to the top of my rewatch pile.