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Art: some people say it's bad. But it's a very abstract and surreal style that perfectly complements the abstract and surreal story. This style would have been much more well received if it had been colored too. I read the omnibus that had some color parts which were just overall more pleasing to my eye.

Plot: let's start off by saying that I won't rate it by a number because it deserves somewhere between a 6 and an 8 which depends on your admiration for the FLCL franchise. Unfortunately for me I saw (and loved) the original anime first (from which this manga is based) so ... throughout my reading I found myself constantly trying to compare and create connections between the two, of which there are none. I honestly just couldn't follow the story there is not really much else to say.

Quality: again, I read the omnibus so from that standpoint for a omnibus it was really nice. Thick covers and decent pages. The inks were nice and dark as well. The spine held up well and so far nothing has come apart.

Well that's my review. Just wanted to put my two cents in the jar. If this review has left you feeling confused and unsure then you are primed to start reading it! Enjoy!

Claymore is like that epic rollercoaster ride you can't get enough of except sometimes it throws a few unexpected loops. Set in a world infested with shape-shifting Yoma, it follows Claire, a warrior with a vengeance, slicing her way through monsters with powers obtained from the people she meets and the bonds she forms.

The manga crafts a world so dark and gritty, you can practically feel the blood and sweat dripping off the pages. Norihiro Yagi's art is like a twisted ballet, where monster designs get more wild as it goes on.

Towards the end, the story kinda loses its mojo. Suddenly, there's this parade of ... super-powered monsters, and you're like, "Really? Another one?" It starts feeling like the mangaka is just pulling stuff out of a hat, which can be a bit of a buzzkill.

Also, Raki stays loyal to Claire through thick and thin, even when they're miles apart for what feels like forever. But why? It's like the story forgot to give him a reason or something. Dude deserved more spotlight especially considering the power he attains towards the end.

But hey, despite its flaws, Claymore still packs a punch. The characters, especially Claire, go through some serious development. The overall story is near a masterpiece but just felt a little too long winded for what it wanted to tell for me.

So yeah, Claymore has an amazing ramp up followed by a huge plateau that over stays its welcome a bit but it's still one heck of a ride. If you're into dark fantasy that's equal parts guts and glory, give it a shot. Just be ready for a few detours along the way.

COMING IN ALL THE WAY FROM 2024 WITH THIS ONE! WOW!
Ok lets get this stuff out of the way first. I didn't even know there was a previous series to this until I read the reviews here and I never felt like I was missing out on any references except for 1 that was all the way at the end (A pilot mentions how she understands that the MCs distant relative had greatly helped her great great grandma or something along those lines) pretty much everything else is explained.

The other part fan service/romance aspect. At first I found it non intrusive and sometimes funny. But ... it happened so much and did so little to advance the story and in the end had zero impact on the story overall. It was there simply to be there. There is quite a bit of spicy content on offer as well. It is funny when girls get their clothes blown away by accident but after the 50th time of this its charm is gone. One volume had a part where they were doing a bike race. It was literally 3/4 of the entire volume of them just blowing away their clothes as they raced. The race and all aspects of it were pointless and if it wasnt for a semi big reveal at the end of the volume I would have just said skip the whole book.

Lastly a bit of my own personal taste. The action (which is a huge plus for reading this manga imo) goes from this really awesome magically infused physical action style and changes into a mostly magical berserk/claymore art style with crazy fantasy beast/alien designs. I really didnt like this. I wish it had stayed more rooted in the physical aspect like it did in the beginning. The end was very abrupt and the main villian was barely featured in it at all which seems like an odd decision to me. Also, the story in general kind of overstayed its welcome, while I enjoyed it overall, I was very much ready to be done with it by its end.

Now if you made it this far into this review, you are probably thinking why did you give this an 7? Well despite the above the overarching storyline and themes were pretty cool. There are some moments that really make you stop and think about immortality. The art is quite good and the action scenes manage to really emphasize the action in the scene and display power, motion and strength quite well. Ken Akamatsu is a skilled mangaka imo and it shows here. Character development does happen and there are some twists and turns but the development of them are kind of all over the place. This is just one of those things were for almost all positives I can think of a negative to go with it. That is why its mixed feelings. I think if you enjoy the story you are going to be giving a 7-8 on it. If you dont enjoy it you will pretty much greatly dislike it. I dont think there is a huge on the fence with this. My biggest thing is if the story had stayed in line more with how it was in the first half and dropped 80% of the lewdness and romance aspect thus shortening the overall story significantly I think this could have been a solid 9/10. Anyways, I hope this made sense and in some way helps you decide if you want to jump in on this.