Newest Post
Archive for April 2015
Hey guys, kanna here.
So, I know you're all expecting a review of Puella Madoka Magica for this week. And in video format. There's a reason for why this isn't what I promised.
I stumbled across a fairly messed up anime. One that has had more than a few of its clips earn a spot on my "Biggest WTF Moments in Anime" list (as for whether or not any are on my "Top 10 Biggest WTF Moments in Anime" list...that remains to be seen). Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce you to...Claymore.
Claymore is one of those few series that I honestly don't know how to describe. I mean, it's not good, it's not bad, but it's...well...pretty violent. And bloody. This makes Higurashi look like a kid's show. And, to be honest, I'm not sure if that's a good thing. I mean, there are probably LOTS of anime that make Higurashi look like a show for kids. But this one...I'm honestly not sure what to say about it.
Well, might as well start this off in my usual format. Background!
So, Claymore started out as a manga written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi. It premiered in Monthly Shonen Jump in the May 2001 issue, and...well, let's just say it got traded around quite a bit. See, when Monthly Shonen Jump got cancelled after six years (June 2007), the manga got moved to Weekly Shonen Jump where it was published monthly. Why it got a monthly release in a magazine called Weekly Shonen Jump is anybody's guess.
In November 2007, Jump Square was introduced, and Claymore was moved to it. Individual chapters were published in tankobon volumes by Shueisha, and by June 2014, there were a total of 26 volumes. This concluded the main plot.
An anime series based on the manga was produced by Madhouse and directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka that aired in April 2007. It didn't last for very long, considering it was only twenty-six episodes, based off the first eleven volumes of the manga, finished airing in September 2007, AND didn't get a second season. There is a reason for that, but I'll get to it later.
Anyway, plot.
The plot isn't really confusing, but it's not really explained well in the first episode. I'd say you could skip the first episode, but there are a few key points. At any rate, you need to understand the kind of universe that Claymore is set in. Because...it's actually one of the more fascinating aspects of the anime.
Claymore is set on a fictional island. The music sometimes reminds me of something you'd hear in Scotland or Ireland, but given I haven't been to either of those places, I can't really say for a fact that it takes place there. It's probably just a coincidence.
Getting back to the point.
Claymore is set on a fictional island where humans are constantly attacked by creatures known as Yoma. A yoma is a humanoid shape-shifter that...well, what else but feeds on humans? Entire villages have been massacred by yoma. However, balance is maintained by a mysterious group known simply as The Organization. Yeah...that's more than a little fishy. Back to the point; The Organization is a group that creates female Yoma-human hybrid warriors that eventually became known as Claymores (probably due to their Claymore swords). The warriors wear armored uniforms and carry giant Claymore swords.
Like the Yoma they fight, Claymores are also powered by a demonic energy known as Yoki.
So, the story revolves around a Claymore named Clare. She's a Claymore who starts to travel with a human boy named Raki, who she "adopted" when he was exiled from his home village. She kept trying to ditch him every time they reached a new village, but he wasn't having it. And...that's basically about it. Raki travels around with Clare as she fights Yoma.
OK, there are more than a few story arcs thrown around. The first one introduces Clare and Raki, and the second talks about a warrior named Teresa and the young girl she saved from Yoma - Clare. This arc ends with their tragic encounter with Priscilla.
The third arc introduces other Claymores in the present day and is called the "Slashers" arc. It's then followed by the "Gravestones" arc, which introduces another Claymore.
The last two arcs are "The Witch's Maw" arc, where we meet MORE Claymores, and the "Northern Campaign" arc, where we meet more Claymores and two...I'm not really sure what they are, so we'll just say they're two other characters.
So let's talk about the Yoma.
These creatures are...well, they're not Titans, I can tell you that much. But remember how I said that the Titans were actually terrifying? These...GOOD G-D WHERE DO I BEGIN?
For starters, these things are shape-shifters and often take on the form of humans. In other words, it's a decent cover for them, because not only can they live among humans unnoticed, but they can also easily access a food supply. And boy oh boy are you going to get a kick out of this bit...
Turns out, Yoma are created by The Organization! Yeah...apparently, The Organization creates Yoma by rounding up orphan boys and sending them to the north, while the girls are sent east to become Claymores. I won't go into all the details, because that bit is from the manga and they didn't really mention it in the anime.
Anyway, a typical Yoma is the main source of revenue for The Organization. These Yoma are relatively week, as opposed to their flying and Awakened kin. They tend to vary in skin color and build, but they are always muscular and have long torsos.
Again, there's more, but they touch more on this in the manga than the actual anime. And given this blog is called Anime Mondays...
Claymores possess Yoki energy, as they have consumed the flesh and blood of a Yoma to become the warriors they are. So they're half human, and armed with their extensive martial arts training and the ability to release Yoki energy in various amounts. There are limits to this, which the anime showcases quite well, by showing us that Claymores, too, will eventually succumb to their Yoma sides and lose their humanity.
When a Claymore releases over 80% of their Yoki energy, not only has their physique completely changed, but they are unable to revert back to their human forms. At this point, it's only a matter of time before the human mind goes as well. However, this can also happen the more that a Claymore uses her Yoki powers. In most cases, though, a Claymore will lose her human mind and become a super-predator known as an Awakened Being through a process known as "Awakening."
Anyway, my thoughts: um...I'm giving this a *shrug* out of 10
Why: Well, this anime isn't good. It's not bad, but it's not good. I'd say I'd give it a 5 out of 10, but I feel like I just can't rate it properly. There are a few reasons why, and while the bad points do outweigh the good points, I still find the anime interesting in...some way. Not really sure what way yet.
My first problem with this anime is that ALL THE CHARACTERS LOOK THE SAME. I mean it. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER CHARACTER. For example, you have one of the Claymores, Noel
And another Claymore, Priscilla.
OK, this might be a bad example. But let me put this into perspective so that I can try to make sense of this for you guys. When you're creating a manga, you want to base your character designs off of a basic model. However, it's important when using that model to give each character distinguishing physical characteristics. For example, one character might have bigger eyes, another character might have a rounder face, and the list goes on.
With Claymore, this doesn't exist. The only thing that distinguishes the Claymores from each other is - on occasion - their hair. And most of the time, even their hair looks the same! It could be because all the scenes are done with the same color scheme and that makes it hard to tell them apart from each other, but even then, WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST USE A DIFFERENT COLOR SCHEME?
The music is pretty nice. I can't say whether it fits or not, but it's great music. The opening is nice. It's by a group called Nightmare and the song is called "Raison d'etre." I'm not really sure what that means, so if any of my French speaking readers want to translate that for me, that would be great.
The ending song has a Japanese title, "断罪の花: Guilty Sky," which literally means "Conviction's Flower." It's by J-Pop singer, Riyu Kosaka, who some of you might recognize as a former member of the group BeForU, which did work on Dance Dance Revolution: SuperNOVA, or from her solo work from the same game.
The animation is pretty good...when it wants to be. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts where the animation is great (for an anime from the early to mid 2000s). It looks interesting; almost vintage in some areas. Again, however, the color scheme brings up a problem. Not only that, but the fight scenes are next to IMPOSSIBLE to understand on occasion, which makes them...not very interesting. Sometimes, the fight scenes are great to watch and the animation is amazing. Other times, though, the animators get too focused on showing off a character's speed and/or abilities, and show the scenes either in close ups, or the animation just gets sloppy and the scene becomes hard to follow.
One aspect of the animation that I REALLY enjoyed, however, is the transformation that...well, I'm just going to post a spoiler warning right here. If you want to be spoiled, by all means, scroll past the picture. If not, then go watch the series and then come back. The blog will be waiting and ready.
In the second story arc, we meet the No. 1 ranked Claymore at the time, Teresa, and a young Clare (not yet a Claymore) in a flashback. We learn that Teresa had saved Clare, but during their travels, Teresa had killed a human; a huge no-no in The Organization. The Organization targeted Teresa for execution, but Teresa realized that she had to live on for Clare, and killed the warriors sent to execute her.
Shortly after that, four more warriors were sent to execute her. These warriors were Priscilla (No. 2), Irene (No. 3), Noel (No. 4), and Sophia (No. 5). Priscilla was unique in that she was able to fight off Yoma without releasing any of her Yoki energy. However, the warriors were easily defeated. Teresa considered killing Priscilla, but noticed the incredible potential she possessed. Because Clare softened Teresa's warrior heart, Teresa let Priscilla live, and left with Clare in tow.
Priscilla wasn't having any of this. Her idealist views of "the good guys always win" were shattered. She released over 80% of her Yoki energy, pursued, and attacked Teresa. Because Priscilla was able to fight off Yoma without releasing so much as 10% of her Yoki energy, she never had the proper training necessary to learn how to control her Yoki power.
Despite the 80% that Priscilla released in contrast to the 10% that Teresa released, Priscilla still lost to Teresa and was unable to revert back to her original, human form. Having passed her limit, Priscilla begged Teresa to kill her before she fully Awakened. Teresa agreed and as she was about to behead Priscilla, Priscilla saw this as a chance to attack and cut off Teresa's hands before decapitating her. And then she Awakened. And BY G-D, IS THAT TRANSFORMATION INCREDIBLE. SOME OF THE BEST ANIMATION IN THE ENTIRE SERIES.
Just don't watch the video below if you're squeamish. Because it's bloody. And violent.
Good G-d...great animation, but BOY was that bloody. And violent.
Now, remember back when I said how this anime didn't get a second season and was fairly short, despite the amount of manga? Well, there's a reason for that, which I'll get into right...now!
OK, I may have kinda-sorta lied about there being a reason for the lack of a second season. The truth is that the anime only adapted the use of the first eleven volumes of manga for the first twenty-four episodes, and then wrote a different ending for the final two episodes. Many people have speculated that this is why there was no second season. And...given the way the anime ended, it's hard to say whether it could have benefited from a second season.
On one hand, the ending left a lot of unanswered questions and maybe left some fans wanting more. On the other hand, the ending did answer a lot and let the fans speculate on what may have become of the Claymores and what their future conflicts might be. Given the number of years that have gone by, it's unlikely a second season will happen, but I wouldn't call it impossible.
Next Anime Monday: Puella Madoka Magica!!!!
So, I know you're all expecting a review of Puella Madoka Magica for this week. And in video format. There's a reason for why this isn't what I promised.
I stumbled across a fairly messed up anime. One that has had more than a few of its clips earn a spot on my "Biggest WTF Moments in Anime" list (as for whether or not any are on my "Top 10 Biggest WTF Moments in Anime" list...that remains to be seen). Ladies and gents, allow me to introduce you to...Claymore.
Well, might as well start this off in my usual format. Background!
So, Claymore started out as a manga written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi. It premiered in Monthly Shonen Jump in the May 2001 issue, and...well, let's just say it got traded around quite a bit. See, when Monthly Shonen Jump got cancelled after six years (June 2007), the manga got moved to Weekly Shonen Jump where it was published monthly. Why it got a monthly release in a magazine called Weekly Shonen Jump is anybody's guess.
In November 2007, Jump Square was introduced, and Claymore was moved to it. Individual chapters were published in tankobon volumes by Shueisha, and by June 2014, there were a total of 26 volumes. This concluded the main plot.
An anime series based on the manga was produced by Madhouse and directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka that aired in April 2007. It didn't last for very long, considering it was only twenty-six episodes, based off the first eleven volumes of the manga, finished airing in September 2007, AND didn't get a second season. There is a reason for that, but I'll get to it later.
Anyway, plot.
The plot isn't really confusing, but it's not really explained well in the first episode. I'd say you could skip the first episode, but there are a few key points. At any rate, you need to understand the kind of universe that Claymore is set in. Because...it's actually one of the more fascinating aspects of the anime.
Claymore is set on a fictional island. The music sometimes reminds me of something you'd hear in Scotland or Ireland, but given I haven't been to either of those places, I can't really say for a fact that it takes place there. It's probably just a coincidence.
Getting back to the point.
Claymore is set on a fictional island where humans are constantly attacked by creatures known as Yoma. A yoma is a humanoid shape-shifter that...well, what else but feeds on humans? Entire villages have been massacred by yoma. However, balance is maintained by a mysterious group known simply as The Organization. Yeah...that's more than a little fishy. Back to the point; The Organization is a group that creates female Yoma-human hybrid warriors that eventually became known as Claymores (probably due to their Claymore swords). The warriors wear armored uniforms and carry giant Claymore swords.
Like the Yoma they fight, Claymores are also powered by a demonic energy known as Yoki.
So, the story revolves around a Claymore named Clare. She's a Claymore who starts to travel with a human boy named Raki, who she "adopted" when he was exiled from his home village. She kept trying to ditch him every time they reached a new village, but he wasn't having it. And...that's basically about it. Raki travels around with Clare as she fights Yoma.
OK, there are more than a few story arcs thrown around. The first one introduces Clare and Raki, and the second talks about a warrior named Teresa and the young girl she saved from Yoma - Clare. This arc ends with their tragic encounter with Priscilla.
The third arc introduces other Claymores in the present day and is called the "Slashers" arc. It's then followed by the "Gravestones" arc, which introduces another Claymore.
The last two arcs are "The Witch's Maw" arc, where we meet MORE Claymores, and the "Northern Campaign" arc, where we meet more Claymores and two...I'm not really sure what they are, so we'll just say they're two other characters.
So let's talk about the Yoma.
.jpg/revision/latest?cb=20101216073751) |
| A winged Yoma. One of the many types of Yoma. |
These creatures are...well, they're not Titans, I can tell you that much. But remember how I said that the Titans were actually terrifying? These...GOOD G-D WHERE DO I BEGIN?
For starters, these things are shape-shifters and often take on the form of humans. In other words, it's a decent cover for them, because not only can they live among humans unnoticed, but they can also easily access a food supply. And boy oh boy are you going to get a kick out of this bit...
Turns out, Yoma are created by The Organization! Yeah...apparently, The Organization creates Yoma by rounding up orphan boys and sending them to the north, while the girls are sent east to become Claymores. I won't go into all the details, because that bit is from the manga and they didn't really mention it in the anime.
Anyway, a typical Yoma is the main source of revenue for The Organization. These Yoma are relatively week, as opposed to their flying and Awakened kin. They tend to vary in skin color and build, but they are always muscular and have long torsos.
Again, there's more, but they touch more on this in the manga than the actual anime. And given this blog is called Anime Mondays...
Claymores possess Yoki energy, as they have consumed the flesh and blood of a Yoma to become the warriors they are. So they're half human, and armed with their extensive martial arts training and the ability to release Yoki energy in various amounts. There are limits to this, which the anime showcases quite well, by showing us that Claymores, too, will eventually succumb to their Yoma sides and lose their humanity.
When a Claymore releases over 80% of their Yoki energy, not only has their physique completely changed, but they are unable to revert back to their human forms. At this point, it's only a matter of time before the human mind goes as well. However, this can also happen the more that a Claymore uses her Yoki powers. In most cases, though, a Claymore will lose her human mind and become a super-predator known as an Awakened Being through a process known as "Awakening."
Anyway, my thoughts: um...I'm giving this a *shrug* out of 10
Why: Well, this anime isn't good. It's not bad, but it's not good. I'd say I'd give it a 5 out of 10, but I feel like I just can't rate it properly. There are a few reasons why, and while the bad points do outweigh the good points, I still find the anime interesting in...some way. Not really sure what way yet.
My first problem with this anime is that ALL THE CHARACTERS LOOK THE SAME. I mean it. EVERY SINGLE CHARACTER LOOKS LIKE ANOTHER CHARACTER. For example, you have one of the Claymores, Noel
 |
| Noel |
 |
| Priscilla |
With Claymore, this doesn't exist. The only thing that distinguishes the Claymores from each other is - on occasion - their hair. And most of the time, even their hair looks the same! It could be because all the scenes are done with the same color scheme and that makes it hard to tell them apart from each other, but even then, WHY COULDN'T THEY JUST USE A DIFFERENT COLOR SCHEME?
The music is pretty nice. I can't say whether it fits or not, but it's great music. The opening is nice. It's by a group called Nightmare and the song is called "Raison d'etre." I'm not really sure what that means, so if any of my French speaking readers want to translate that for me, that would be great.
The ending song has a Japanese title, "断罪の花: Guilty Sky," which literally means "Conviction's Flower." It's by J-Pop singer, Riyu Kosaka, who some of you might recognize as a former member of the group BeForU, which did work on Dance Dance Revolution: SuperNOVA, or from her solo work from the same game.
The animation is pretty good...when it wants to be. Don't get me wrong, there are some parts where the animation is great (for an anime from the early to mid 2000s). It looks interesting; almost vintage in some areas. Again, however, the color scheme brings up a problem. Not only that, but the fight scenes are next to IMPOSSIBLE to understand on occasion, which makes them...not very interesting. Sometimes, the fight scenes are great to watch and the animation is amazing. Other times, though, the animators get too focused on showing off a character's speed and/or abilities, and show the scenes either in close ups, or the animation just gets sloppy and the scene becomes hard to follow.
One aspect of the animation that I REALLY enjoyed, however, is the transformation that...well, I'm just going to post a spoiler warning right here. If you want to be spoiled, by all means, scroll past the picture. If not, then go watch the series and then come back. The blog will be waiting and ready.
 |
| I love this meme :) I think I'll start using it from now on |
Shortly after that, four more warriors were sent to execute her. These warriors were Priscilla (No. 2), Irene (No. 3), Noel (No. 4), and Sophia (No. 5). Priscilla was unique in that she was able to fight off Yoma without releasing any of her Yoki energy. However, the warriors were easily defeated. Teresa considered killing Priscilla, but noticed the incredible potential she possessed. Because Clare softened Teresa's warrior heart, Teresa let Priscilla live, and left with Clare in tow.
Priscilla wasn't having any of this. Her idealist views of "the good guys always win" were shattered. She released over 80% of her Yoki energy, pursued, and attacked Teresa. Because Priscilla was able to fight off Yoma without releasing so much as 10% of her Yoki energy, she never had the proper training necessary to learn how to control her Yoki power.
Despite the 80% that Priscilla released in contrast to the 10% that Teresa released, Priscilla still lost to Teresa and was unable to revert back to her original, human form. Having passed her limit, Priscilla begged Teresa to kill her before she fully Awakened. Teresa agreed and as she was about to behead Priscilla, Priscilla saw this as a chance to attack and cut off Teresa's hands before decapitating her. And then she Awakened. And BY G-D, IS THAT TRANSFORMATION INCREDIBLE. SOME OF THE BEST ANIMATION IN THE ENTIRE SERIES.
Just don't watch the video below if you're squeamish. Because it's bloody. And violent.
Good G-d...great animation, but BOY was that bloody. And violent.
Now, remember back when I said how this anime didn't get a second season and was fairly short, despite the amount of manga? Well, there's a reason for that, which I'll get into right...now!
OK, I may have kinda-sorta lied about there being a reason for the lack of a second season. The truth is that the anime only adapted the use of the first eleven volumes of manga for the first twenty-four episodes, and then wrote a different ending for the final two episodes. Many people have speculated that this is why there was no second season. And...given the way the anime ended, it's hard to say whether it could have benefited from a second season.
On one hand, the ending left a lot of unanswered questions and maybe left some fans wanting more. On the other hand, the ending did answer a lot and let the fans speculate on what may have become of the Claymores and what their future conflicts might be. Given the number of years that have gone by, it's unlikely a second season will happen, but I wouldn't call it impossible.
Next Anime Monday: Puella Madoka Magica!!!!
