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Claymore (manga)
Encyclopedia
is a dark fantasy
manga
series written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi
. The series initially premiered in the now defunct Monthly Shōnen Jump
in the May 2001 issue. When the magazine was canceled in June 2007, the series was temporarily moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump
where it was still published monthly. When Jump Square
was introduced in November 2007, the series was moved to it and is currently on-going. The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
volumes by Shueisha, with 20 volumes released as of October 27, 2011 and volume 21 being released on December 2, 2011.
Madhouse
adapted the first eleven volumes of the series into a twenty-six episode anime
series. Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka the series premiered in Japan on NTV
on April 3, 2007 and ran until September 25, 2007. A CD soundtrack for the anime series, and a CD of character songs using the anime voice actresses were released on July 25, 2007 and September 27, 2007, respectively.
The Claymore manga is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media
. It released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006 and has released 19 volumes as of October 27, 2011. The anime adaptation is licensed for release in North America by Funimation Entertainment
, which has released the first DVD for the series in Fall 2008 and released the entire series on Blu-ray in Spring 2010. Madman Entertainment
has licensed the anime for release in Australia and New Zealand and the anime is sub-licenced by Manga Entertainment for UK distribution.
, the people of this world have named these warriors Claymores. They are also referred to as "silver-eyed witches", based on their appearance and seemingly cold nature toward others. Claymores, as well as yoma, possess bodily energy called yoki, which allows them to perform superhuman feats. Claymores who charge their yoki auras beyond the limit that their bodies can sustain turn into hideous creatures called awakened beings. Like yoma, awakened beings crave human flesh, the difference being that awakened beings are much more powerful. Each Claymore is ranked based on his or her strength and ability in comparison to other Claymores. There are 47 ranks corresponding to the number of regions of the continent, and each Claymore is assigned a different region of the continent wherein to slay yoma.
During the premise, a Claymore named Clare heads to a small town and meets Raki, a boy whose parents were killed by a yoma. Later that night, Clare heads toward Raki's home and kills his brother Zaki, who is revealed to be the yoma that killed Raki's parents. The yoma had taken over Zaki's body when he and Raki witnessed the murder of their parents at the hands of the same yoma when they were but children. Out of gratitude, Raki ends up following Clare from town to town during her missions to exterminate yoma. The two travel together until they are separated when Clare is forced to battle a sadistic Claymore named . Before parting, Clare promises to find him if she survives. The story becomes a tale of revenge, as Clare seeks to confront someone from her past.
Claymores are beings created for the sole purpose of killing yoma. By implanting the flesh and blood of yoma into humans, the Organization is able to create hybrids that are stronger than the source yoma, all while retaining their human minds. It is unknown why Claymores are more powerful than yoma despite being only half-yoma. During the hybridization process, the humans' hair color becomes yellow or white, their eye color becomes silver, and they sometimes develop pointed ears, much like yoma. Claymores are able to regenerate, and have limited shape-shifting capability. In battle, Claymores wield large swords. By charging the yoki within them, Claymores begin to undergo a physical transformation, beginning with their eye color turning gold while using 10% of their power, their faces becoming grotesque at 30%, and their bodies changing at 50%, by which time they closely resemble yoma themselves. Claymores are in danger of losing control of their powers if they activate more than 80% of their yoki. A Claymore who has activated at least 80% of his or her yoki will have a difficult time powering down. When a Claymore's yoki charges past 100%, he or she mutates into an awakened being, a creature much stronger and hungrier than yoma. A Claymore who manages to power down from the 80% mark will possess permanently increased strength as well as better control over his or her yoki aura. The majority of Claymores are female, as human males who are changed into hybrids tend to awaken faster due to the feeling of pleasure, akin to sexual ecstasy, during the process of charging yoki. In an attempt to avoid becoming an awakened being when near or at their limit, Claymores will send a Black Card to a friend or trusted ally. By doing so, the recipient has no choice but to find the sender and kill him or her before he or she awakens.
Awakened beings, which result from a Claymore exceeding 100% of his or her power, retain the memories and intelligence that they had as a Claymore, but in contrast gain the bloodthirsty nature of a yoma. The true nature of awakened beings is kept from ordinary humans. Instead, they are known to the public as "voracious eaters", and are proclaimed to be particularly old yoma who have gained greater experience, stronger bodies, and an increased appetite due to their age. As they are originally humans turned into Claymores, awakened beings are as varied as their sources, possessing varying personalities and appearances. As awakened beings are more powerful than regular yoma and generally as strong as or stronger than Claymores, a team of at least four Claymores led by a Claymore ranked in the single digits is typically necessary to deal with them. It is originally believed that all awakened beings have lost their humanity, but as the series progresses, it is revealed that this is not always the case. The Organization publicly denies this, all while making use of such awakened beings in the war against creatures called dragons who roam outside the continent wherein the story begins.
Recently in the series, another species called abyssal feeders has been introduced. Abyssal feeders are females with light-blond or white hair resembling those of Claymores. However, their mouths and eyes are sewn shut. It is revealed that abyssal feeders were created by the Organization for the purpose of tracking down and killing the three Abyssal Ones: Isley, , and . Unlike Claymores, which are hybrids created by grafting the flesh of yoma into humans, abyssal feeders are hybrids created by using the corpses of awakened beings in place of regular yoma. Abyssal feeders are devoid of all emotion and conscious thought and are conditioned to have a single insatiable desire: to consume the flesh and blood of one whose scent has been imprinted onto them. Like awakened beings, abyssal feeders can generate weapons from their own bodies and regenerate at a staggering rate, with only a direct blow to the head being fatal. While they are driven to seek out the one that they are looking for, they will also attack anything that makes any sudden movement. According to a Claymore named , entire towns have been wiped out by abyssal feeders.
, the individual chapters of Claymore began serialization in Shueisha
's Monthly Shōnen Jump
in 2001. After the magazine was discontinued, the series was moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump
, where it has appeared monthly rather than weekly. On November 2, 2007, serialization was moved to Jump Square
, Shueisha's replacement for the original Monthly Shōnen Jump. The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
volumes by Shueisha, which released the first volume on January 5, 2002. As of January 17, 2011, 19 volumes have been released.
On July 18, 2006, Viz Media
announced the serialization of the Claymore manga in North America in its Shonen Jump
manga anthology. The first chapter of the English adaptation appeared in the April 11, 2006 issue and continued serialization only until the entire first volume was released. Viz released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006, and as of June 1, 2011 has released 18 volumes.
The series is also being released in English in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment
. It is licensed for regional language releases in Russia by Comix-art
, in France and Spain by Glenat, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid
, in Italy by Star Comics
, in Brazil by Panini Comics and in Germany by Tokyopop Germany.
produced a twenty-six episode anime series based on the manga series. Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, the series aired between April 2007 and September 2007 in Japan on Nippon Television
. The series adapts the first eleven volumes of its source material over the first 24 episodes, then uses an alternate ending for its final two episodes.
As of February 2008, seven DVD volumes, each containing three episodes of the anime, have been released in Japan by Avex Trax
. In addition, four limited edition sets have been released. The first limited edition set contains the first DVD volume, while the other three sets each contain two DVD volumes. The latest limited edition set and volumes were released on January 30, 2008. Two more DVD volumes and one more limited edition set are planned for release on March 26, 2008. On February 15, 2008, Funimation announced that it has acquired the Region 1 DVD and broadcast licenses for the anime, and released the first DVD in North America on October 14, 2008; as of February 2009, three volumes have been released. On February 16, 2010, Funimation released a boxed set containing the complete series in Blu-ray format. Madman Entertainment has licensed the series and Volume 1 released early 2009.
All 26 episodes are available on Netflix via streaming video and DVD.
Two pieces of theme music
are used for the episodes: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is by Nightmare. The ending theme is J-pop
singer Riyu Kosaka
's single
, . These two themes are used in all twenty-six episodes.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
September 6, 2010. Shortly thereafter, Netflix also began offering all 26 episodes as streaming content.
A CD of character songs, was released on September 27, 2007. It contains ten tracks, one each for ten characters from the series, featuring songs performed by the character voice actresses from the anime adaptation.
A Claymore video game for the Nintendo DS
was released in Japan on May 28, 2009. The game is titled Claymore: Gingan no Majo and was released by Digital Works Entertainment. In the game, the player controls Clare in a similar fashion to side-scrolling Castlevania
and Metroid
games. She can alter the strength of her yoki aura by using the touch screen and stylus
.
says about Clare's action scenes that "Clare's fights are nothing short of eye-popping, with page layouts designed for maximum dramatic effect." About the drama, he says that "even the occasional attempts at drama feel oddly distant." About the part in the story where Raki and Clare are separated, he states that it's more like "leave now because that's the obvious next step in the plot." The art of volume 7 is rated A, story C+, and overall B.
Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network
, says in his review of volume 14 that "the series has lost some of its luster, and it seems like less and less is actually happening with each volume." About the action scenes, he says that "the actual fights lack some of the dynamism seen in earlier volumes." As for the art, he states that "as has been true in the past, Yagi's artistry lacks for nothing." He rates the art A- in his reviews for volume eleven, twelve and fourteen. However, in his review of volume sixteen, Theron Marton says that "Yagi is back on track," and that "he provides a good mix of old friends popping back up, new allies, startling revelations, dire threats, and of course good-ol' beatdown action, in the process returning the series to arguably its strongest level since volume 12."
Theron Martin also gave his thoughts on the first five episodes of the anime. He stated that "while not without some flaws, the first five episodes generally get the series off to a strong start, practically assuring that Funimation has a solid hit on their hands." The rating he gave for the anime is: story A-, animation B+, art A-, music A, and overall A-. In ICv2's list of "Top 50 Manga - Summer 2008", which subjectively ranks manga based on sales and perceived popularity, Claymore placed 42nd.
Dark fantasy
Dark fantasy is a term used to describe a fantasy story with a pronounced horror element.-Overview:A strict definition for dark fantasy is difficult to pin down. Gertrude Barrows Bennett has been called "the woman who invented dark fantasy". Both Charles L...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series written and illustrated by Norihiro Yagi
Norihiro Yagi
is a Japanese manga writer and artist from Okinawa Prefecture. He started making manga in 1990.Norihiro Yagi is a successful manga artist, having won the 32nd Akatsuka Award for his very first work, Undeadman. Undeadman appeared in Monthly Shōnen Jump and has had two sequels...
. The series initially premiered in the now defunct Monthly Shōnen Jump
Monthly Shonen Jump
is a now defunct monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shueisha from 1970 to 2007 under the Jump line of magazines. It was the sister magazine to Weekly Shōnen Jump.- History :...
in the May 2001 issue. When the magazine was canceled in June 2007, the series was temporarily moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
where it was still published monthly. When Jump Square
Jump Square
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump...
was introduced in November 2007, the series was moved to it and is currently on-going. The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Shueisha, with 20 volumes released as of October 27, 2011 and volume 21 being released on December 2, 2011.
Madhouse
Madhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
adapted the first eleven volumes of the series into a twenty-six episode anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series. Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka the series premiered in Japan on NTV
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
on April 3, 2007 and ran until September 25, 2007. A CD soundtrack for the anime series, and a CD of character songs using the anime voice actresses were released on July 25, 2007 and September 27, 2007, respectively.
The Claymore manga is licensed for an English language release in North America by Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
. It released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006 and has released 19 volumes as of October 27, 2011. The anime adaptation is licensed for release in North America by Funimation Entertainment
Funimation Entertainment
Funimation is an American entertainment company. Originally founded in 1994 by Gen Fukunaga, the company became a subsidiary of Navarre Corporation on May 11, 2005...
, which has released the first DVD for the series in Fall 2008 and released the entire series on Blu-ray in Spring 2010. Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
has licensed the anime for release in Australia and New Zealand and the anime is sub-licenced by Manga Entertainment for UK distribution.
Plot
In a world where humans coexist with sentient monsters called that feed on human innards, a group, simply called the Organization, has created an order of half-human, half-yoma warriors to protect humans from yoma, for a large fee. Based on the large swords they carryClaymore
The term claymore refers to the Scottish variant of the late medieval longsword, two-handed swords with a cross hilt, of which the guards were in use during the 15th and 16th centuries.-Terminology:...
, the people of this world have named these warriors Claymores. They are also referred to as "silver-eyed witches", based on their appearance and seemingly cold nature toward others. Claymores, as well as yoma, possess bodily energy called yoki, which allows them to perform superhuman feats. Claymores who charge their yoki auras beyond the limit that their bodies can sustain turn into hideous creatures called awakened beings. Like yoma, awakened beings crave human flesh, the difference being that awakened beings are much more powerful. Each Claymore is ranked based on his or her strength and ability in comparison to other Claymores. There are 47 ranks corresponding to the number of regions of the continent, and each Claymore is assigned a different region of the continent wherein to slay yoma.
During the premise, a Claymore named Clare heads to a small town and meets Raki, a boy whose parents were killed by a yoma. Later that night, Clare heads toward Raki's home and kills his brother Zaki, who is revealed to be the yoma that killed Raki's parents. The yoma had taken over Zaki's body when he and Raki witnessed the murder of their parents at the hands of the same yoma when they were but children. Out of gratitude, Raki ends up following Clare from town to town during her missions to exterminate yoma. The two travel together until they are separated when Clare is forced to battle a sadistic Claymore named . Before parting, Clare promises to find him if she survives. The story becomes a tale of revenge, as Clare seeks to confront someone from her past.
Characters
, the series' protagonist, is a quiet and soft-spoken Claymore, with an occasional impulsive side. Seeking revenge for the death of a Claymore named , Clare opted to become a Claymore herself in order to exact revenge on Teresa's killer. Initially ranked #47, Clare starts out as the weakest of her generation of Claymores. However, , a Claymore employed in Clare's generation, initially thought that she was in the presence of the most powerful being in the world when she first met Clare. This is because Clare's body, instead of being infused with yoma flesh, had been grafted with Teresa's head. It is later revealed that , Teresa's handler, remarked that Teresa could possibly have been the strongest being to have ever existed. Since Clare took in the flesh and blood of a fellow Claymore, she starts out considerably weaker than other Claymores. However, this gives her the ability to charge her yoki aura above the limit of a normal Claymore, all while enduring less risk of awakening. Clare's sole mission throughout the series is to find and kill the one-horned awakened being that killed Teresa. is a young boy whose family was murdered by a yoma disguised as his brother Zaki, which Clare subsequently slew. Raki, who was then exiled from his hometown under suspicion that he is a yoma, lost consciousness after days traveling through the desert outskirts of the town. Clare found and allowed him to join her on her journey, on the condition that he be her cook. Wanting to become strong enough to protect Clare, Raki trains under an awakened being named after he is separated from Clare during her battle against Ophelia. After seven years, Raki has visibly grown taller, stronger, and more muscular. He begins traveling along the paths he and Clare once walked, in hopes of finding her. An amnesiac girl named Priscilla joins him on his journey, hoping that Teresa's faint scent in Clare might help her regain her lost memories. was once the second-ranked Claymore of Teresa's generation, and had the potential to rival Teresa for the first rank. Along with , , and , Priscilla was sent to execute Teresa after the latter had deserted the Organization. During the ensuing battle, Priscilla's lack of experience caused her to charge her yoki past her limit and become an awakened being. She beheads Teresa in front of a young Clare. However, she leaves Clare alive, as the latter reminded her of her sister who was eaten by a yoma. Priscilla then flew away in search of humans to eat. She was confronted by Isley during one of her killing sprees. During the battle, Priscilla regresses to the mindset of a child and loses most of her memories. Isley, wanting to take advantage of her vast power, swears fealty to her. From that point onwards, Isley and Priscilla had been traveling together, under Isley's false promise that he would help her find her lost memories.Species
In the fictional world of Claymore, the yoma are a species of humanoid monsters that coexist with humans and feed on their innards. Yoma are similar in size to humans, though some are noticeably larger and can support more muscle in their frames. They have rows of spikes protruding from their upper backs, elongated limbs that end in clawed digits, large jaws, sets of sharp fangs, and pointed ears. Some have bat-like wings, though this is a rare feature amongst them. Yoma have greater strength, speed, and durability than humans, and are capable of extending their limbs and digits. Additionally, yoma have the ability to change their physical appearance at will. When a yoma eats a human's brain, it absorbs the human's memories and completely replaces him or her. Yoma are identified by their yoki, which can be sensed by Claymores and other yoma. They are able to regenerate limbs and recover from severe wounds. However, a sharp blow to the head can kill them before they regenerate.Claymores are beings created for the sole purpose of killing yoma. By implanting the flesh and blood of yoma into humans, the Organization is able to create hybrids that are stronger than the source yoma, all while retaining their human minds. It is unknown why Claymores are more powerful than yoma despite being only half-yoma. During the hybridization process, the humans' hair color becomes yellow or white, their eye color becomes silver, and they sometimes develop pointed ears, much like yoma. Claymores are able to regenerate, and have limited shape-shifting capability. In battle, Claymores wield large swords. By charging the yoki within them, Claymores begin to undergo a physical transformation, beginning with their eye color turning gold while using 10% of their power, their faces becoming grotesque at 30%, and their bodies changing at 50%, by which time they closely resemble yoma themselves. Claymores are in danger of losing control of their powers if they activate more than 80% of their yoki. A Claymore who has activated at least 80% of his or her yoki will have a difficult time powering down. When a Claymore's yoki charges past 100%, he or she mutates into an awakened being, a creature much stronger and hungrier than yoma. A Claymore who manages to power down from the 80% mark will possess permanently increased strength as well as better control over his or her yoki aura. The majority of Claymores are female, as human males who are changed into hybrids tend to awaken faster due to the feeling of pleasure, akin to sexual ecstasy, during the process of charging yoki. In an attempt to avoid becoming an awakened being when near or at their limit, Claymores will send a Black Card to a friend or trusted ally. By doing so, the recipient has no choice but to find the sender and kill him or her before he or she awakens.
Awakened beings, which result from a Claymore exceeding 100% of his or her power, retain the memories and intelligence that they had as a Claymore, but in contrast gain the bloodthirsty nature of a yoma. The true nature of awakened beings is kept from ordinary humans. Instead, they are known to the public as "voracious eaters", and are proclaimed to be particularly old yoma who have gained greater experience, stronger bodies, and an increased appetite due to their age. As they are originally humans turned into Claymores, awakened beings are as varied as their sources, possessing varying personalities and appearances. As awakened beings are more powerful than regular yoma and generally as strong as or stronger than Claymores, a team of at least four Claymores led by a Claymore ranked in the single digits is typically necessary to deal with them. It is originally believed that all awakened beings have lost their humanity, but as the series progresses, it is revealed that this is not always the case. The Organization publicly denies this, all while making use of such awakened beings in the war against creatures called dragons who roam outside the continent wherein the story begins.
Recently in the series, another species called abyssal feeders has been introduced. Abyssal feeders are females with light-blond or white hair resembling those of Claymores. However, their mouths and eyes are sewn shut. It is revealed that abyssal feeders were created by the Organization for the purpose of tracking down and killing the three Abyssal Ones: Isley, , and . Unlike Claymores, which are hybrids created by grafting the flesh of yoma into humans, abyssal feeders are hybrids created by using the corpses of awakened beings in place of regular yoma. Abyssal feeders are devoid of all emotion and conscious thought and are conditioned to have a single insatiable desire: to consume the flesh and blood of one whose scent has been imprinted onto them. Like awakened beings, abyssal feeders can generate weapons from their own bodies and regenerate at a staggering rate, with only a direct blow to the head being fatal. While they are driven to seek out the one that they are looking for, they will also attack anything that makes any sudden movement. According to a Claymore named , entire towns have been wiped out by abyssal feeders.
Manga
Written and drawn by Norihiro YagiNorihiro Yagi
is a Japanese manga writer and artist from Okinawa Prefecture. He started making manga in 1990.Norihiro Yagi is a successful manga artist, having won the 32nd Akatsuka Award for his very first work, Undeadman. Undeadman appeared in Monthly Shōnen Jump and has had two sequels...
, the individual chapters of Claymore began serialization in Shueisha
Shueisha
is a major publisher in Japan. The company was founded in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The following year, Shueisha became a separate, independent company. Magazines published by Shueisha include Weekly Shōnen Jump, Weekly Young Jump,...
's Monthly Shōnen Jump
Monthly Shonen Jump
is a now defunct monthly shōnen manga magazine published in Japan by Shueisha from 1970 to 2007 under the Jump line of magazines. It was the sister magazine to Weekly Shōnen Jump.- History :...
in 2001. After the magazine was discontinued, the series was moved to Weekly Shōnen Jump
Weekly Shonen Jump
is a weekly shōnen manga anthology published in Japan by Shueisha under the Jump line of magazines. The first issue was released with a cover date of July 2, 1968, and it is still circulating. One of the longest-running manga magazines in Japan, it has a circulation of 2.8 million copies...
, where it has appeared monthly rather than weekly. On November 2, 2007, serialization was moved to Jump Square
Jump Square
is a Japanese monthly shōnen manga magazine with a circulation of over 300,000. Published by Shueisha, the magazine premiered on November 2, 2007 as a replacement for Monthly Shōnen Jump, another manga anthology that Shueisha discontinued in June of that year. The magazine is a part of the Jump...
, Shueisha's replacement for the original Monthly Shōnen Jump. The individual chapters are published in tankōbon
Tankobon
, with a literal meaning close to "independently appearing book", is the Japanese term for a book that is complete in itself and is not part of a series , though the manga industry uses it for volumes which may be in a series...
volumes by Shueisha, which released the first volume on January 5, 2002. As of January 17, 2011, 19 volumes have been released.
On July 18, 2006, Viz Media
VIZ Media
VIZ Media, LLC, headquartered in San Francisco, is an anime, manga, and Japanese entertainment company. It was founded in 1986 as VIZ LLC. In 2005, VIZ LLC and ShoPro Entertainment merged to form the current VIZ Media LLC, which is jointly owned by Japanese publishers Shogakukan and Shueisha, and...
announced the serialization of the Claymore manga in North America in its Shonen Jump
Shonen Jump (magazine)
Shonen Jump, officially stylized SHONEN JUMP and abbreviated SJ, is a shōnen manga anthology published in North America by Viz Media. It debuted in November 2002 with the first issue having a January 2003 cover date...
manga anthology. The first chapter of the English adaptation appeared in the April 11, 2006 issue and continued serialization only until the entire first volume was released. Viz released the first volume of the series on April 4, 2006, and as of June 1, 2011 has released 18 volumes.
The series is also being released in English in Australia and New Zealand by Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment
Madman Entertainment is an Australian company that distributes international films as well as Japanese anime and manga in Australia and New Zealand. The company is owned by Funtastic Limited and is one of the major entertainment companies in Australia. It employs 130 people and has an annual...
. It is licensed for regional language releases in Russia by Comix-art
Comix-ART
Comix-ART is a comics imprint of russian book publisher Domino It serves as a translator and the licensor of graphic novels, manga, manhwa and Original English-language manga. Comix-ART, founded in 2008 with headquarter in Saint Petersburg, releases its titles in collaboration with Eksmo, another...
, in France and Spain by Glenat, in Mexico by Grupo Editorial Vid
Grupo Editorial Vid
Grupo Editorial Vid is a Mexican comic, manga and books publisher. It was founded in the early 1940s as Editorial Argumentos ....
, in Italy by Star Comics
Star Comics
Star Comics was an imprint of Marvel Comics that began in 1984 and continued to publish comic books until early 1988. Titles published by the imprint were aimed at child readers and were often adaptations of children's television series, animated series or toys...
, in Brazil by Panini Comics and in Germany by Tokyopop Germany.
Anime
MadhouseMadhouse (company)
is a Japanese animation studio, founded in 1972 by ex–Mushi Pro animators including Masao Maruyama, Osamu Dezaki, Rintaro, and Yoshiaki Kawajiri. It has created and helped to produce many well known shows, starting with TV anime series Ace o Nerae! in 1973, and including western favourites Ninja...
produced a twenty-six episode anime series based on the manga series. Directed by Hiroyuki Tanaka, the series aired between April 2007 and September 2007 in Japan on Nippon Television
Nippon Television
is a television network based in the Shiodome area of Minato, Tokyo, Japan and is controlled by the Yomiuri Shimbun publishing company. Broadcasting terrestrially across Japan, the network is commonly known as , contracted to , and abbreviated as "NTV" or "AX".-Offices:*The Headquarters : 6-1,...
. The series adapts the first eleven volumes of its source material over the first 24 episodes, then uses an alternate ending for its final two episodes.
As of February 2008, seven DVD volumes, each containing three episodes of the anime, have been released in Japan by Avex Trax
Avex Trax
, listed in the Tokyo Stock Exchange as 7860 and abbreviated as AGHD, is the holding company for a group of entertainment-related subsidiaries based in Japan...
. In addition, four limited edition sets have been released. The first limited edition set contains the first DVD volume, while the other three sets each contain two DVD volumes. The latest limited edition set and volumes were released on January 30, 2008. Two more DVD volumes and one more limited edition set are planned for release on March 26, 2008. On February 15, 2008, Funimation announced that it has acquired the Region 1 DVD and broadcast licenses for the anime, and released the first DVD in North America on October 14, 2008; as of February 2009, three volumes have been released. On February 16, 2010, Funimation released a boxed set containing the complete series in Blu-ray format. Madman Entertainment has licensed the series and Volume 1 released early 2009.
All 26 episodes are available on Netflix via streaming video and DVD.
Two pieces of theme music
Theme music
Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...
are used for the episodes: one opening theme and one ending theme. The opening theme is by Nightmare. The ending theme is J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
singer Riyu Kosaka
Riyu Kosaka
is a J-pop singer, as well as a member of the Konami-produced J-Pop group BeForU. Kosaka was born in the Kanagawa Prefecture on January 17, 1985.- Discovery by Konami :...
's single
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, . These two themes are used in all twenty-six episodes.
The series made its North American television debut when it started airing on the FUNimation Channel
FUNimation Channel
The FUNimation Channel is a 24-hour cable network which broadcasts anime series in the United States. OlympuSAT was chosen as the exclusive distributor of the network....
September 6, 2010. Shortly thereafter, Netflix also began offering all 26 episodes as streaming content.
CDs
Two CDs have been released for the Claymore. Claymore TV Animation O.S.T., the soundtrack for the anime series, was released on July 25, 2007 with instrumental compositions by Masanori Takumi. Spanning 32 tracks, the soundtrack includes the television-sized versions of the opening and ending themes. This Soundtrack is not a complete collection of the tracks of the anime, though (for example the track in episode 17, at 1:55 is missing).A CD of character songs, was released on September 27, 2007. It contains ten tracks, one each for ten characters from the series, featuring songs performed by the character voice actresses from the anime adaptation.
Video game
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
was released in Japan on May 28, 2009. The game is titled Claymore: Gingan no Majo and was released by Digital Works Entertainment. In the game, the player controls Clare in a similar fashion to side-scrolling Castlevania
Castlevania
Castlevania, known as in Japan, is a video game series created and developed by Konami. The series debuted in Japan on September 26, 1986, with the release of for the Family Computer Disk System , followed by an alternate version for the MSX 2 platform on October 30...
and Metroid
Metroid
is an action-adventure video game, and the first entry in the Metroid series. It was co-developed by Nintendo's Research and Development 1 division and Intelligent Systems, and was released in Japan in August 1986, in North America in August 1987, and in Europe in January 1988...
games. She can alter the strength of her yoki aura by using the touch screen and stylus
Stylus (computing)
In computing, a stylus is a small pen-shaped instrument that is used to input commands to a computer screen, mobile device or graphics tablet...
.
Reception
In his review of volume 7, Carlo Santos of Anime News NetworkAnime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
says about Clare's action scenes that "Clare's fights are nothing short of eye-popping, with page layouts designed for maximum dramatic effect." About the drama, he says that "even the occasional attempts at drama feel oddly distant." About the part in the story where Raki and Clare are separated, he states that it's more like "leave now because that's the obvious next step in the plot." The art of volume 7 is rated A, story C+, and overall B.
Theron Martin, also of Anime News Network
Anime News Network
Anime News Network is an anime industry news website that reports on the status of anime, manga, Japanese popular music and other otaku-related culture within North America, Australia and Japan. Additionally, it sometimes features similar happenings throughout the Anglosphere and elsewhere in the...
, says in his review of volume 14 that "the series has lost some of its luster, and it seems like less and less is actually happening with each volume." About the action scenes, he says that "the actual fights lack some of the dynamism seen in earlier volumes." As for the art, he states that "as has been true in the past, Yagi's artistry lacks for nothing." He rates the art A- in his reviews for volume eleven, twelve and fourteen. However, in his review of volume sixteen, Theron Marton says that "Yagi is back on track," and that "he provides a good mix of old friends popping back up, new allies, startling revelations, dire threats, and of course good-ol' beatdown action, in the process returning the series to arguably its strongest level since volume 12."
Theron Martin also gave his thoughts on the first five episodes of the anime. He stated that "while not without some flaws, the first five episodes generally get the series off to a strong start, practically assuring that Funimation has a solid hit on their hands." The rating he gave for the anime is: story A-, animation B+, art A-, music A, and overall A-. In ICv2's list of "Top 50 Manga - Summer 2008", which subjectively ranks manga based on sales and perceived popularity, Claymore placed 42nd.