 | | ▪ | RELEASED BY: | | VIZ MEDIA | | | ▪ | AUTHOR / ART: | | NOROHIRO YAGI | | | ▪ | FORMAT: | | JAPANESE / B&W | | | ▪ | PAGES: | | 189 | | | ▪ | RATING: | | OT | | | ▪ | RELEASE DATE: | | 07/01/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEW DATE: | | 06/11/2008 | | | ▪ | REVIEWED BY: | | SCOTT CAMPBELL |
In a world where monsters called Yoma prey on humans and live among them in disguise, humanity’s only hope is a new breed of warrior known as Claymores. Half human, half monster, these silver-eyed slayers posses super-natural strength, but are condemned to fight their savage impulses or lose their humanity completely. After sacrificing his awakened underlings as pawns, Isley, one of the Three Great Awakened Ones, goes to battle Luciela of the South. But warrior number 5, Rafela, suddenly appears. What is her intention, and what of the disappearance of Clare and her comrades? Seven years have passed since the devastating battle in Pieta, and now a new generation of Claymores carries on the fight against the Awakened Ones. However, the mystery of Claire's fate, and of that of her comrades, resurfaces after a surprising discovery made by a young Claymore. Claymore is always good, but something that makes volume twelve really stand out is the focus on the story. There is so much interesting plot twisting and plot related information in this particular volume it will make your head spin. There are some changes coming about, and some revelations to boot. Again, as always, Claymore is just great. Not enough can be said for the awesome drive and sheer power of this series. It is emotional and bloody and frantic, but never without story and understandable motivations from all sides. The art is so unique and well done – I just love it. The visuals can be so dark and violent at times, but at the same time they are filled with life and character. The maturity and artfulness of the visuals is so key, and it is easy to appreciate the artist talent that goes into this very fine manga. Another great thing about Claymore is that you can’t say it only appeals to males – there is plenty for the girls to go on with this series also. Claymore should have a wide appeal for many reasons – it is a top pick for sure – not one to miss! Norihiro Yagi (the author and artist of the Claymore series and more) was born in Okinawa, Japan, in 1968. He 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 the comedy Angel Densetsu (Angel Legend), which ran in that magazine from 1992 to 2000. His epic saga Claymore has been published in the magazine since 2001.He enjoys the comedic duo Downtown, martial arts, games, driving, and hard rock music, although not as hobbies. Seems like an interesting guy – hopefully we’ll see more from him!
IN SUMMARY:
Claymore is gaining continuous respect from a wide range of fans, especially with the anime series coming out in Japan right now. This series is awesome – everything about it says quality and emotion. Don’t pass up Claymore without giving it a shot! |
