Review: Claymore Volume 1

I finished this volume 2 months ago maybe? I have the first 6 volumes and I flew past them. Are you wondering why?

WARNING! This title contains graphic violence, gore, mild nudity and a ton of blood.

Claymore Volume 1 is a dark fantasy manga focusing on the life of Clare; a "Claymore." (Humans who have consumed monsters called Youmu, to gain super human powers.) People named these humans based on their primary weapon; huge swords called Claymores.



The story starts with a town being plagued by a Youmu, slowly decreasing the numbers of townspeople. The Youmu's can transform into humans they have consumed. The chieftain of the town then ordered a Claymore to get rid of the Youmu. Clare comes in to the picture and instantly kills the Youmu disguised as the brother of Raki; the second main character. As Raki becomes an orphan, he follows Clare in her adventures to kill Youmu.

Art: The art is unique and it certainly adds more realism to the story. I just love the art because it can be serious and awesome at the same time. BTW, the cover art for the volumes 1-6 are just cool as hell (I'm taking about the SILVER EYES!)

Story: It feels unique but the story of a main character turning into a monster or having a monster's power is not original. Attack on Titan? Rosario+Vampire? Venus Versus Virus? The story feels unique by having characters that are really stable, you can feel them, you can relate to them. This plus the setting (based on the medieval time Europe) make it more intense and makes you want more.

The series emphasizes action than dialogue like the old mangas have done (that's one of the differences between manga and comics, the emphasis on action rather than dialogue) like the manga Path of the Assassin.

Bottomline: This is not a manga for beginners but it can be interesting to those who love D&D type of fantasy manga.

Read the hell out of it. I know I'm over praising this series when I've only read the first six volumes but it is the kind of manga that turns you into an addict after the first few chapters. It's also unforgiving as the setting allows the mangaka to do whatever he pleases to the characters.

The pacing can be too slow at times BUT it does deliver intense action with just the minimum amount of ink put into it. It's just too good to pass up or ignore. You need this if you are a manga collector like me.