04.05.07
Claymore Episode 1 - Review
First Impression:
Let the bloodletting begin… uhg. Not only does this show start with a monster eating the guts out of a somewhat disemboweled person, the animators at Madhouse were definitely trying to fill the now dry pools of blood leftover from Blood+ (no relation in quality however).
Now, I know there are many fantasy/medieval fans out there, and I have nothing against a good ol’ chop-an-arm-off-and-scream storyline. But, I think for the casual anime fan, the blood pours, sprays, squirts, drips and lays stagnant far too much to save Claymore’s potentially good premise.
Now on to the premise: Girl who-was-nearly-killed by a monster (Youma) apparently becomes a ‘Claymore,’ or half-human/Youma, and is sent around from village to village to kill Youmas. Claymores are considered witches by villagers and also by true monster type Youmas - and all are generally feared.
Episode Breakdown:
The story begins when you meet Raki from a village besieged by a Youma. Raki, and his brother are orphaned, after a Youma slaughters their parents. The villagers contract with a group of Claymores (which is not their real name, but one given by humans, and they are all women) to exterminate the Youma problem.
(Think vampires and you might have Blood+… but not really) After Raki spent the day with the mysterious Claymore, (who brushes Raki off) he heads home to cook dinner for everyone.
All I gotta say is… stay away from the red light! (I hope this isn’t a thematic element, because every time from here on out in the show, when you see the red light, you will go… “oh no, red light means RUN!” but they wont and they will die…)
OK… back to the breakdown
So Raki runs into his uncle who is gutless and is just a bloodstain on the floor. Then he turns around, and sees that his brother who is taking cues from Michael Jackson in the Thriller video where his muscles start growing and his face monsters out.
Back on topic…. The older brother tells Raki that he is actually a monster that took his brother’s body and was just enjoying a late night uncle-snack. Hmm.. so much for dinner eh? The monster/brother then says he was waiting to enjoy the young boy at a later time (kinda like Michael Jackson, kinda not) Then you get obligatory rescue by emotionless Claymore, who beefs up just like the Youma does, and get Youma’d eyes.
The next scene cuts to the village elders praising the Claymore’s efficiency, and then they quickly dump the crushed Raki out in the desert for fear of him going Youma. You could say the village deserted him. Raki nearly dies, is rescued by the Claymore on her way to another job (she’s a hard monster kill’n girl on a medieval mission) then is used as bait after recovering.
Wait! What did I say - bait! Yup a Youma spied the soft hearted Claymore caring for the kid, then used him as bait to catch a the Claymore. Um-hum! (-nods-)
More blood is spilled as the seemingly clever Youma gets Claymore’d by _____.
There is no humor in cleaving arms from monsters, nor ramming fists through guts - which could mean this show will be devoid of any humor.
When Raki thanks his woman savior, and it becomes clear to Claire that Raki was abandoned, like she was, she takes him in as her cook. Kinda like a knight and her serf. End of episode 1.
OP-ED: The crappy opening music and animation (still pans) that are not so good in quality just make me worry about how low the bar was set for this show.
Animation: Rough in most spots, with a half painted manga mixed with lots of single cell pans…. fight scenes are choppy experiences with few frames being used in the motion of characters. Lets just say it’s another bad sign….
Music: HORRIBLE - talk about ‘could-do-better-with-radio-shack-synthesizer kinda music.
Plot: Decent idea, yet predictable. “Watch out for the red light!”
Characters: You have ‘kid whiny’, ’stoic claymore’, unsurprising monsters and everyone else filling the ‘generic medieval villager’ parts.
Must watch value: 2 out of 5 with 5 being the highest. It would have been a 1 but I gave it a bonus point for being just out of the gate and I hope they improve the quality.
IN SHORT:
If you like women who go medieval on monsters, do not have a lot of emotion, and star in a really predictable opening episode with a whiny young teen… and enjoys buckets of blood - than this episode is for you.