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Reviewed by Michael Aronson Clare’s first battle with the Yoma of Rabona cathedral has left her body drained and shattered. With no time to recover, she must face the creature again after it chooses Raki as its next victim. Lukcily, Raki remembers that he is carrying Clare’s trusted broadsword and manages to get it into her hands. But unlike Clare, the Yoma is fighting at full strength and thirsting for blood… The story arc begun in volume two wraps up – brought to you by the Power of Love ™ – while a new arc kicks off with an entirely new protagonist. Teresa is a Claymore more ruthless and efficient than Clare, and apparently more rife with character development. Teresa’s tale isn’t such a digression from what we being presented with Clare, but at least there’s some depth to the character, not to mention more secrets revealed about the nature of Claymores. Like the rest of Claymore, there’s nothing wildly original or shocking about the presentation, but it’s all done well enough and depicted beautifully. In this respect, Claymore remains a standout bulb on the manga Christmas tree: lusciously ornamented, but ultimately hollow inside. Claymores fight Yoma – I’ve gotten that much from the series, but what’s their greater purpose? Rid the world of all Yoma? Find a way for Yoma and humans to coexist? Locate the ingredients to make the tastiest Yoma sandwich? The plot needs direction and design, and the reader needs to be clued in as to where the series is going. I don’t think that’s much to ask after three volumes. The first volume handled the task of spelling out the nature of Claymores and the world in which they operate; we’ve got the who, the what, the where, the when (well, it’s a fantasy world, so that’s inapplicable), and the how. We need some why. Interested in writing for MangaLife? We're always looking for talented reviewers and columnists, so drop us a line! Charles Webb Editor-in-Chief, MangaLife.com |
1 September 2010
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