Claymore volume eight is even better than the last, if that’s at all possible. Everything in these books keeps coming to a huge thunderhead of climactic glory – the big moment happens - and no more than 20 pages later another huge conflict more than often erupts. It’s hard to keep a story that exciting and have that many relevant conflicts, but Claymore does it in a way that makes it impossible to stop reading. The fights never let up in their brutality, though some are starting to possess a bit more emotion. Some of the creatures being beaten are showing emotions that they hadn’t before, and as a reader you don’t know whether to feel sorry for them or to be glad they were beaten. Ambivalence is a feeling that only emerges from a story with characters that possess true depth and realism. Claymore allows for that too.

On a side note, something that recently occurred to the mind – Claymore is a truly serious story and can therefore really be taken seriously. That may sound like no big deal, but in a sea of half-serious, goofy manga all trying to be funny with their oddball offerings, Claymore comes as a breath of fresh air. Even some of the more serious stories with good depth to them seem to require moments of ridiculous behaviour from someone or a super-deformed face to express the emotions coming about – but Claymore stays true to being as realistic and serious as a fantasy story can be. The more Claymore you read, the more it may remind you of Berserk, but with less of the “overly disturbing” factor, and more of the truly artistic aspect that makes both of these series worthy of being called classics of the genre.
 
Just for a little added background, why don’t we learn a bit about the very talented creator of Claymore, Norihiro Yagi? Noihiro won the 32nd Akatsuka Award for his debut work, Undeadman, which appeared in Monthly Shonen Jump magazine and produced two sequels. His first serialized manga was his comedy, Angel Densetsu (Angel Legend), which appeared in Monthly Shonen Jump from 1992 to 2000. His epic saga, Claymore, has been running in the magazine since 2001. In his spare time, he enjoys things like the Japanese comedic duo “Downtown,” martial arts, games, driving, and hard rock music, but he doesn’t consider these actual hobbies.

Now on to the plot summary! Volume eight begins with some more surprises. Clare’s battle with the awakened Ophelia ends with a surprising request from the now towering monster. Ominous signs begin to emerge as Clare searches for Raki. Not only are the usually solitary Yoma joining forces, they also appear to be preparing for battle. More mysteriously, Clare is taken captive by a male Awakened Being and held in a dungeon with other Claymores. Who are her captors, and what do they want?

IN SUMMARY:
Claymore is exciting – it’s a total joy to read. Fights are brutal, art is awesome, and the compelling story ties this whole package together in one hard to put down package. If that wasn’t enough, each book retails for only $7.99 US! Don’t pass this one up; it’s very much worth a good look.