A battle between the abyssal ones continues and a new abysmal one shows up in vol. 25 of “Claymore”. Can the Claymores defend the holy city of Rabon?
© Claymore image courtesy of Norihiro Yagi, Shueisha Inc., VIZ Media
MANGA TITLE: Claymore Vol. 25
STORY AND ART BY: Norihiro Yagi
FIRST PUBLISHED IN JAPAN: By Shueisha
PUBLISHED IN USA BY: VIZ Media
RATED: T+ for OLDER TEEN
RELEASE DATE: November 4, 2014
Three battles unfold around the holy city of Rabona as demonic forces seek to destroy one another, the rebel Claymores, and the city itself. Seemingly intent on devouring all life, monsters of unprecedented strength rage on as the rebels struggle to contain them. Could the cause of this rage lie in a distant childhood memory?
As two abysmal ones fight against each other, a third emerges and now the city of Rabona is in grave danger. Can the Claymores take on the third and will they be able to protect the city?
Find out in volume 25 of Norihiro Yagi’s “Claymore”!
What is “Claymore”?
In 2001, the manga series “Claymore†debuted on Monthly Shonen Jump. The popular series created by award-winning mangaka Norihiro Yagi (“Undeadmanâ€, “Angel Densetsuâ€).
The series has remained popular and is still ongoing in Japan via Jump Square. Animation studio Madhouse adapted the first eleven volumes of the manga series in the 26-episode anime series “Claymore†which debuted on NTV in 2007. The DVD’s were released separately in individual volumes and a complete series box set by FUNimation Entertainment in 2009 and in 2010, here we are with a Blu-ray High Definition release of “Claymore: The Complete Seriesâ€.
“Claymore†takes place during a time where monsters known as yoma have lived in villages, disguising themselves as human. They feed on humans and when things get to the point where countless murders are happening in a village, a mysterious organization sends a Claymore to dispose of the Yoma.
The Claymore are humans that are half-human and half-yoma. They are the only ones that are capable of defeating yoma and are primarily female, blonde and have silver eyes. They carry with them a sword and some have supernatural abilities.
Upon defeating the yoma, someone in black collects the money for them. If a village does not pay, a Claymore will no longer defend the city. Claymore also have a rule that they can not kill any humans and also, as a Claymore tries to keep their humanity, by using their supernatural talent, they unleash their own personal yoma but each time they do that, they lose part of their humanity.
The animated series focuses on the Claymore known as Clare. She comes to a village who has been terrorized by a yoma and defeats it. But a boy named Raki becomes attached to Clare and will follow her everywhere to become close to her.
Clare is warned not to have a human close to her but for some reason, she allows him to be close to her and also feels protective over him. Over the course of the series, we learn about Clare’s history and why she is protective of Raki. We also learn what happens to Claymore who overuse their yoma energy and when they become the “awakened†and much, much more.
In volume 23 of “Claymore”, Clare has been gone for several years but an attempt by the Claymores along with Raki in order to save her, will be their ultimate task.
Claymores who have revolted have been on the hunt against the Organization. Who will find who first?
As the truth of the Yoma was finally revealed in volume 23 of “Claymore”, volume 24 begins the battle between the abyssal ones.
The rebels are planning their attack against the abyssal ones but as they watch the two fight against each other, they are evenly matched and they are of immense power and only if the rebels work together, they may be able to defeat them. But can everyone work together?
In volume 25, the battle between the two Abysmal Ones continues and out of nowhere, a third appears. And its intent is to destroy the holy city of Rabona and feed on humanity. Leaving the rebel Claymores to fight and protect the city. But can they?
The main characters of “Claymore†are:
Clare – The protagonist of the story. A Claymore who may be low-ranked Claymore but she is more powerful than most. At times, reserved and emotionless, her life is changed when she meets a human named Raki.
Raki – A boy who’s family was murdered by the yoma. When he first meets Clare, he is the first and only person to welcome her and now wants to be by her side.
Teresa – A woman important in Clare’s life. Known as “Teresa with the Faint Smileâ€, once was the #1 Claymore and is the most powerful Claymore who is emotionless but that was until she came across a human girl named Clare.
Priscilla – A true believer of the laws of the Organization, she has a tremendous amount of power but has not been trained to utilize it quite well. Priscilla uses a lot of her yoma energy that changes her life completely. She has since changed to an abysmal one.
Miria – Phantom Miria known for her tremendous speed. Suspects that the Organization is up to no good and although a Claymore, uses her position to investigate the Organization of any wrongdoing.
Ilena – A Claymore from Clare’s past who is known for her “Quick Sword Technique†and returns back to Clare’s life to give her another chance in achieving her goal.
With the release of “Claymore” 25, the U.S. is now behind by two volumes from the Japanese release.
With this latest volume, the fierce battle between both abyssal ones (formerly Cassandra and Priscilla), with no signs of either side letting up. But Miata has also turned to an abysmal one and she wants to feed on the people of the holy city of Rabon. This leads to the Claymore’s doing whatever they can to protect the people and the city. But are they up to the task?
And through this battle, more characters meet their tragic end.
With this latest volume, because of the focus on action, you can go through pages that are mostly pictures. So, this volume is a very quick read.
As for the manga series, I’ve been captivated by Norihiro Yagi’s character designs. From the eyes to the hair, especially how his shading patterns are, much different from other series as they are literally cross hatching and line art and a style that is very much unique and a style, quite personally his own.
So far, “Claymore” has been a complex but yet entertaining series. It goes beyond the anime series and for those wanting a storyline that is deep and entertaining but also action-packed, many will find Norihiro Yagi’s “Claymore” to be a manga series worth reading!
Volume 25 of “Claymore” is recommended!