Claymore

The last Anime I've really enjoyed must have been Death Note which impressed my with it's overall genius plot and the character development. Although Claymore clearly cannot reach this (well actually it's kinda cruel comparing 2 Animes of different categories), it sure has some really good moments as well. The main focus of this series lies, obviously, on good old sword combat mixed with some really impressive ideas on how to swing, slash and bash a Claymore-sword in almost every way possible. While the story seems to start slow, there is definitely a certain appeal, which I've missed on several other Anime series I've tried for the last two years. If you manage to stay with the story until the first twists and turns you start to get into the characters and what first seems to be another bad half-Hentai porn (just by judging the fact that the title is presented by full-laden blonde "girls" on the cover) turns out to be less sexistic and more action-laden like any other Anime you've watched for quite a long time.

I would like to see a Season 2. I enjoyed this. It had to grow on me for a few episodes. But Claymore tells a great story. The concept and plot are unique and well put together. Some great emotion storytelling. Good action. Not predictable. There are plot hole moments at times. Its almost a combination between Witcher and Ergo Proxy.

I've always been a fan of anime series, my favourite being Berserk. I tend to focus a lot on the pacing and the built tension when I watch anime, and Berserk is The master of pacing. Another thing I tend to focus on is character development and overall sentimentality of the show. Many anime characters are quite over-the-top, a major let-down for me. As are many scenes in anime. Claymore succeeds on most levels. The pacing is some of the greatest I've ever seen, and the inclusion of ranked characters just adds to the excitement. It's always interesting to see who's got the higher rank. Furthermore, you really start caring for the characters and picking out your favorites (mine being no. 6, Miria). The show only fails on a few levels. You're in for a lot of melodramatic scenes, and the protagonist's male friend, Rocky, is just another annoying brat who cries more than good is. It's no worse than so many other animes and gets better halfway through. The second, and final, major letdown is the anti-climatic ending. There is an epic battle, but the way it ends after the battle is simply not good enough. It feels unfinished, ill and way too sentimental and moral for a show of this kind (it might have something to do with the continuing issues of the manga).

However, you're in for a treat. And you're not going to want to put this show down, before it's ended.

For those who know nothing about anime it should better be on your list of firsts.Except in the last 2 episodes and some scene in third last episode and hardly in some scenes of other previous ones the anime story follows the main story.but the real -2 on the anime is that it is hastily ended on following the manga it ends in a total wreck.besides that the main characters are excellent ; well connected to the story , the story-line is strong and the animation is good.what makes this anime good are the characters of the story line,they are complex as well as fairly simple to understand and feel for.the story line since is a monthly shonen so,doesn't suffer much stretching as for most of the weekly ones and has a sense of flow to it.It has everything you'd expect from a sword,dark fantasy tragedy anime and much more.

so if you are anime fan and like to watch it i think you should skip last two episodes and continue the story-line with manga.

The recommendation came from a Discord chat which was not even related to anime or manga. Needless to say, thought the affair wouldn't last long.

I binged it in 2 nights.

Animation is as you might expect from a budget anime produced in 2007 but it still makes it on my list as one of the best anime I have ever watched. Grippingly intense without going too much overboard. There were some weakness in parts of Clare's character development towards the last few episodes but all in all, a very good story line.

It is a pity there hasn't been enough interest in making a reboot, improving upon the story line or continuing on with a season 2 finale.

Highly recommended.