Every year, a new anime pops up, furbishing new interest into the Japan-inspired culture and renewing the hope within former fans.

This year, the new anime to hit the market was Claymore, debuted in 2007. Although this anime series has similar parallels to other anime, Claymore has taken Japanese animation to a new level, thanks to its strong character development, incredible plots, and high-quality animation.

Set in a time where clothes were handmade by all and computer technology is non-existent, Claymore reincarnates the struggle between man-eating monsters called Yoma and humans with an obscure organization standing in between the two sides. One side, where Yoma reign, eat humans as a food source and grow powerful enough to take on the skin of their victims until they are indistinguishable amongst their food. On the other side, humans struggle to live their normal lives without becoming a plate to Yoma or turning into a Yoma.

Though what stands between the two sides is not a fence but an ambiguous company, it is the humans’ only hope to keep some semblance of peace in the world. Their hope-bearers belong to enhanced women sent from “The Organization” who travel from town to town only to hunt and kill reported Yoma. Although these women—ungraciously dubbed Claymore because of the large swords they carry—exterminate Yoma, humans treat them as equal as the monsters they kill. With their silver hair and sable eyes, Claymore are viewed more monster than human. Fused halfway with Yoma blood, Claymore have the speed, strength and senses of a Yoma, but lack the emotions and worldly concerns of the humans they protect, making them impossible to approach openly.

In Claymore, one boy, Raki, approaches a Claymore named Claire sent to his town to purge his hometown of a Yoma eating villagers. Thankfully, Raki is saved by Claire, and their relationship deepens as they begin to travel together. Though their star-crossed paths make for a nice anime alone, the actual series focuses on Claire’s vengeful goals. Ironically, though Claire manages to get closer and closer to her number one enemy, she falls deeper into becoming the beings she hunts. All in all, Claire’s background is what drives the story, and even severed as a main plot by itself, her history has the capacity to stand alone.

As simply put, a Claymore turned Yoma killed Claire’s only friend, Theresa, a powerful Claymore, making Claire to become a Claymore and pursue the freed Yoma. By becoming a Claymore, Claire’s only life purpose is to take revenge on the Yoma. Fortunately, with several tangents from her original purpose and many encounters with powerful Yoma and Claymore alike, Claire becomes a formidable player in the game of Claymore versus Yoma. Her role as the lowest ranked Claymore begins to blur lines when the abilities from Theresa’s fused blood emerges in various parts of the story.

The real appeal that Claymore has as an action anime stems from Claire’s upward efforts to becoming stronger. Watching her piece together new skills and reveal talents that even other Claymore do not possess makes Claire’s story reminiscent to other successful and popular action series like Dragon Ball Z, Bleach, and Full Metal Alchemist.

In Dragon Ball Z, one of the most exhilarating parts of the action anime was when the Earth-resided Saiyins learned and honed their strengths to fight against strong villains. Claymore has the same effect, but with a story line to boot. Even the semblance of Bleach’s “humanity versus other beings” is not comparable to Claymore’s appeal; Claymore is simply riveting when separating humanity of humans and the inhumanity of non-human. Although Claymore shares the angst elements of Full Metal Alchemist, it still contains more depth and overall development that shatters Alfonso’s and Edward’s sad story. Lastly, Claymore lacks almost all humor seen in Dragon Ball Z, Bleach and Full Metal Alchemist. No random scenes where characters become chibi—or cherubim like—and no jokes that are equivalent to low-end comedians. Claymore’s story is depicted as just a story between humans and non-humans and everything else in between.

Though the main plot of the anime lacks humor, the only comedic relief that is seen inside of Claymore comes from Claire’s pre-pubescent sidekick, Raki. His many human flaws and his ignorance of the Claymore world makes him stumble, fluster, or stutter in the face of danger in spite of his naïve decision to “protect” someone stronger than himself, namely Claire.

With his family eaten by a Yoma and his older killed by Claire when the Yoma possessed his body, Raki was kicked out of his village for fear of being a Yoma himself. After searching for Claire to only have her rescue him again from another Yoma, Raki becomes Claire’s “cook”, making meals for himself and the light eater Claire. Obviously, Raki is Claire’s only hold on the human side she once possessed, which is one aspect in the anime that is identical in other anime under the same genre. As the story broadens, so does the cliché relationship between Raki and Claire that can only be described as siblinghood.

The important part of Claymore besides its appeal and powerful development overall is its animation. Claymore’s on-screen animation is almost on par with revered animations like Samurai X. The movement in the fight scenes are exhilarating—the superficial qualities of a great animation. During the fight scenes, the movements of the characters are fluid and easy to follow, but what makes it exceptional is how well every motion is captured. There is no sporadic dynamics. There are no long bouts of idle conversation between battles. The fight, the battle simply exists in a manner and animation that can pull in any viewer. If anything were to characterize Claymore apart from other action anime, besides its plot, let it be its animation.

Claymore is one of the best anime I have watched, and in referring it to close friends, I have received calls saying, “Thank you!” Obviously, Claymore as a top anime is in agreement with other anime lovers like myself.

Main point: Be sad that there is no Season 2 of Claymore airing.

Rating: 10 out of 10