Ah, everyone’s been telling me, but I kept believing the opposite. When Priscilla went berserk, there was one Claymore who survived. I really liked how she chose to live her life afterwards. It’s quite interesting that nobody knew that she lived after she faked her own death, and how she became scared of dying. That’s why she’s nowhere to be found on the top-level Claymores, she isn’t with the organization anymore.
What I didn’t like, though, was the huge Deus ex Machina that introduced her. Just as Claire is about to die, she plays for saviour in order to keep the main character of this series alive. I thought the creators knew better than this. I mean, why now, of all times?
It’s also quite surprising that Claire lost her right arm. This means that her swordfighting will get worse, now that she has to learn to use her left arm all of a sudden. To make up for this, she now knows Irene’s flash sword. Oh, and Ophelia has awakened. You’d wonder how she acts in the presence of the numbers 1 to 3, when she lost her cool this easily. She seems to have quite a brother-complex here. The next episode should feature the awakened Ophelia against the two Claymores with only one arm.
This episode, unfortunately, wasn’t that exciting, but there was one interesting point: Ophelia’s special attack looks like a cheap version of the flash sword. She never spent the time to perfection it, and never thought about the possibilities. If you look at her using it, you’ll see that her entire body is trembling, instead of the calm Irene. I think that that’s how she’ll be defeated in the next episode, combined with her carelessness.]]>
Claymore – 13
As Irene said, she sensed a familiar yoki (or “nostalgic presence”) that is why she came out to see what was going on. Of course that presence was Clare who also have Teresa’s flesh, hence probably a similar yoki.
I think Ilena appears now because she felt the presence of someone familiar from afar. I know that it is kind of coincidental that they happen to be near where she is living, but she sensed Teressa somewhere and had to check it out. All anime is like that it seems. Just check out Death Note! That one is the worst when it comes to conincidences.
You thought the same thing when I was reading the manga, the next episode resolves it in an “interesting” way to say the least.
Ophelia’s special trick is incredible body flexibility. That’s how twisting her head around doesn’t bother her. Her attack, the Rippling Sword, is a waving vibrating motion that’s impossible to predict or defend. Meanwhile the Flash Sword is a pure speed technique, focusing all your yoma energy into one arm so that it explodes into action.
It’s one of the (many) things I really like about Claymore, fights aren’t purely about ‘raising your power level’. Skill and tactics matter, and everyone important has a personal specialty. It makes it so much more character dependent. That’s why I had to drop Bleach, in the end.
Hope Clare will be able to regenerate her arm somehow in the future. She looks pretty weird without it. I’m glad Irene is alive, I always liked her character. This show is starting to remind me of berserk somehow. I hope Irene joins in on the fight in the next episode.
(You said you didn’t like how Irene was introduced)I don’t think there were many more options. Ophelia obviously has to be far superior to Clare, even a half-awakened Clare, and so the only way that Ophelia doesn’t kill her is a deus ex machina.
We already saw Irene in the OP when we didn’t see those other two so we could expect her to show up again.
By the way, I think Ophelia wasn’t going for the Flash Sword. Ophelia’s basic concept is that the sword is never in the same place from even milisecond to milisecond, and is threrefore difficult or impossible to block, whereas the flash sword technique is basically just swinging your sword at incredible speed, incidentally also making it difficult or impossible to block. So, it’s the same end result, but fairly different techniques.
I’m very glad to see Irene alive still! Yes, I’m hoping Clare heals her arm somehow or she’ll have trouble with future battles. But anyways this show really is getting interesting. My favorite at the moment!
excellent episode
screamed like a school girl on a roller coaster when Irene was reintroduced. She was nothing in the presence of the great Teresa but she sure is a badass now (one armed and all)
I can’t believe she can just learn the flash sword that easily. So anybody can just learn the techniques that make the single numbers so powerful? I thought these techniques were innate. Clare is gonna become a super Claymore. Next she’ll learn the most powerful healing technique and get that arm in place.
Just continue watching. You will be quite surprised on how Clare gets her arm back.
Clare Did learn Flash sword from irene but she can nv master it at her best go the power of her flash sword is not even 10% of irene’s flash sword.
[SPOILER]Clare somehow got her “hand” back and irene somehow died~ and clare somehow fight ophelia ALONE.[/SPOILER]
Quote from Sarabos
“Hey there. Sporadic reader, first time commenter.
I don’t think they go into Ophelia’s (or anyone else’s, at this point) personal backgrounds other than a word or two sputtered at crucial moments, but they do say something. In my opinion Ophelia’s background isn’t so much a cause as an excuse. It’s just as likely for Claymores to be sociopaths as any other person.
And none of the other Awakened Beings really seem to be like the one killed by Ophelia. They all put up a pretty good fight. I think it says more about the Awakened Being herself than the organisation. E
Ummm… If you’re referring to my earlier post, I think you need to read it in its entirety, taking everything I wrote into context. The opinions I have developed after observing everything thus far from eps 1-12, are just that, opinions, and are just as valid as yours until the writers of the series prove one or both of us wrong. As far as me being a first time commenter, well, we all were first time commenters some times, so let’s cut each other a little slack? We’re obviously all fans of the show and want it to do well, so let’s play nice, ‘kay?
Oh, and if your comment wasn’t directed referring to mine, my apologies, and allow me to chug a tall, refreshing glass of “SHUT THE HECK UP!”
Snakedog: I think that Vincent captured the essence of your question (by the way, next time please mark your spoilers(!!!)). She can learn the technique, but she’ll never be as good at it as Irene. Incidentally, a technique is much easier to obtain if it’s taught to you by a master. Irene probably never taught the technique to anyone else at that point.
Galaxyconvoy: um, I think that Sarabos was referring to her self, and not to you personally (he/she was a first-time commenter as well, in fact). ^^;
Haha, I haven’t read the manga, and everything I said is my own speculation – none of it is a spoiler. If it happens to play out the way I said then this show is more predictable than I thought.
I agree with Kurotowa and yoshi927 about how the Ophelia’s rippling sword is different from the Irene’s flash sword, and not just a cheap knock-off.
I don’t see Clare fighting with one arm throughout the entire series. I think that she’ll get her arm back by either (1)regenerating it (Thus far, the powers of half-Awakened Beings is pretty much uncharted territory), (2) she’ll Deebo someone else’s arm and reattach it to her, or (3) she’ll undergo some sort of prosthesis. I numbered options 1-3, in the order that I believe is most likelyto occur. The reason I think that (1) is the most likely possibility is that the power of a half-Awakened Being is pretty much uncharted territory, and overcoming the limitation of being a strictly offense focuse fighter would greatly make Clare all the more stronger in the long run. (2) is less likely, because right now there are only two “Donars” available to give Clare an arm, Ophelia and Irene, and I don’t know how averse the later would be to giving up her arm to Clare. (3) is the least likely, because the world that the Claymores exist in just doesn’t seem to have the technological know-how to pull it off, though there are still many things about it which we don’t know or fully understand.
Cloning an arm was another option that I considered, but I pretty much dismissed it as a Deus ex machina type solution, because it would require technological know-how, as well as a firm grasp of genetic engineering and anatomy, that far surpass exceeds that of option (3).
galaxyconvoy- At number two, I could see Irene dying and giving up her arm to Clare… Although, I personally think it’d be cooler if she DIDN’T get the arm back.
Well, it would indeed be quite unique for a shounen-anime like this one where a main character remains without an arm for the rest of the series. Until Shigurui, at least. But I think option 2 is quite plausible. I can indeed see Claire either using Ophelia’s or Irene’s arm.
Keep in mind Irene is a deserter.
Keep in mind there has been nothing saying you can or can’t attach other people’s body parts except it seems kind of awkward since we only know of joining your own flesh. However, it seems plausible.
Also, all the top calymores had special techniques. Keep in mind that claymore tend to be secretive to have an edge on others. They don’t like to teach others their special techniques. However, they CAN if they want. There is nothing saying they can’t but tons saying they don’t. They all want to stick out so they develop them and keep them to themselves. IF you teach it to someone else they will bypass you.
Irene can teach it because she isn’t part of the organization anymore and has no fear of being “one-upped” anymore.
also, clare doesn’t need as powerful a flash sword. she can use her yoki sense to know how the opponent will defend before they defend. combined with flash sword = pwnage
I’m looking forward to seeing Jean’s special technique animated. ^.^ It’s mightier even than Flash Sword, even if it takes quite a long time to warm up.
I do enjoy how the special attacks tend to reflect character traits of their wielders. Ophelia’s attack is crafty and snake-like, just as she is. Irene’s requires her great willpower to control. Jean’s requires steadfastness. Helen’s extendy-bendy-arms are just silly, but she’s one of Claymore’s few humor characters.