Short Synopsis: The Youma in the church is finally found. Now all that’s left is to defeat it.
Good: The final part of the episode was touching…
Bad: …but also cheesy and predictable.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7,5/10
The current arc of Claymore has definitely been interesting, but it’s been nothing special. This episode was mostly meant to bring Raki and Claire a bit more together, but they did this through a rather cheesy scene. Claire is about to permanently transform to a Youma when Raki comes to her and… well, I think you can guess what happens next. The fight itself also wasn’t really interesting. Okay, it did have a lot of blood, but I’d very rather much have the fights of Seirei no Moribito or Deltora Quest.
So, what was good about this episode? Well, the relationship between Claire and the two guards. At the end of the previous episode, I saw them as a bunch of idiots, but in fact, they’re just trying to protect their city, and don’t care whether they die or not. Claire was just as thoughtless as the two of them, by refusing to accept their help. I liked this. I also liked how the Youma turned out to be a corpse, instead of a monk. This just shows that they’re able to take any kind of form they please. Could they perhaps transform themselves to inanimate objects (like flowerpots, for example) as well? I doubt that, though.
Claymore definitely has potential, and I’m really looking forward to the arrival of Teresa, the rumoured turning-point for the manga. The current episode was nice, but when compared to the other episodes to have been showcased this season, it isn’t the best. I wonder if the rest of the series will change this.]]>
Category: Finished Series: Action
Claymore – 03
Short Synopsis: This episode shows a mission in which Claire gets bothered by a couple of guys who don’t know who they’re dealing with.
Good: Claire’s acting was quite interesting.
Bad: The episode was nothing really special, though.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7/10
After the previous episode, Claire gets a normal mission: killing a youma who’s been haunting a holy city. As Claymore aren’t allowed in that city, she decides to go undercover. For that, she needs to change her eye-colour, which is done with a special medicine, which suppresses her youma-powers, including the ability to sense other youma. I was surprised to see her acting-abilities. We often see a cheerful girl turn serious, but you don’t often see a serious girl turn cheerful (the only other example I can think of was Sheila from Mahou Shoujotai. Obviously, she had a bigger impact than Claire did ^^;).
Even though this episode did introduce a few new things, it wasn’t as good as the previous two episodes. Ah well, this series needs to build up as well. I read somewhere that the first volume of the manga only contains missions like these, while things really kick off with the second volume. I’m willing to wait for that.
The episode also ended in a cliff-hanger. The medicine suppressed Claire’s youma-powers, she doesn’t have her claymore with her, the youma is exceptionally strong and furthermore Claire is getting bothered by a bunch of idiots who think they can slay youma. Overall, it’s nice, but a tad predictable as well.]]>
Claymore – 02
Short Synopsis: Raki experiences Claymore killing each other for the first time.
Good: Interesting climax.
Bad: Raki does have his annoying moments.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 7.5/10
While El Cazador and Wellber no Monogatari advanced their plot in the second episode, Claymore used this to provide more explanation of the concept. It’s quite logical, as you can’t just explain everything about the Claymores in just one episode. It’s clear now why … was added in the story, because the viewer will be able to learn the same about the Claymores as he does. He also couldn’t have had another personality, otherwise he wouldn’t just have followed Clare, but the fact does remain that he’s annoying.
Okay, let’s sum things up a bit:
– Claymores have been infused with Youma flesh.
– They can go without eating for more than a week, though they do need to eat occasionally.
– Claymores get their powers by awakening their Youma blood.
– Eventually, Claymores turn into Youmas themselves. They will then be killed by other Claymores.
– When a Claymore has to kill another Claymore, she gets a black card, probably specifying the identity of that Claymore.
We also see the introduction of one new major character: Clare’s boss. He comes to her to deliver some new clothes for her, which got themselves a nasty hole in the previous episode. He uses that opportunity to give Clare a black card. The Claymore that has to be killed seems to be an old friend of Clare, which is why she’s shocked when she sees it. I’m not sure why the guy told Raki about all of this, though. What is he hoping to achieve by letting him see Clare killing a friend of hers? Sure, he’ll cry and stuff, though it won’t make him leave Clare or anything.
I quite liked the Climax, though. The clash between Raki’s and Clare’s morals was quite interesting, and still they both mourn afterwards.]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto Review – 89/100
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto takes place in the Meiji-era, where supernatural events can occur. It follows Akizuki Youjiro, a very talented swordsman who has been tasked to seal an item called “the Lord’s Head”. This item is able to fully control others, and has to be sealed no matter what. A theatre-troupe, meanwhile is out on revenge.
One thing that immediately strikes with this series: its awesome production-values. Seriously, this series showcases some of the highest-quality art and animation for a tv-series. Characters move extremely fluid, the CG is terrific, and especially the background art is extremely detailed. The graphics just ooze with realism like no other series has managed to do before. And if that wasn’t good enough, this anime comes with an absolutely smashing soundtrack, which doesn’t lose focus for even an episode.
On top of that, it comes with a very detailed storyline, featuring both historical as fictional characters, based around Enomoto Takeaki’s mission to found the republic of Ezo, on what is now known as Hokkaido. Be warned, though, as the storyline does require some afford in order to actually understand it. A lot of references are made to the Meiji-period of Japan, and without sufficient knowledge, you’ll need to look up things a lot in order to get all the references.
Still, as the anime moves on, the story will become clearer and clearer, and it results in one of the more solid storylines I’ve seen in anime. Still, with that, perhaps one of the few problems with this anime lies. Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto may be a really solid story, it also lacks plot-twists. Most of the series is pretty straightforward, and only episodes 13 and 18 provide a number of very juicy plot twists (which, in the end, turned out to be the best episodes of the anime).
Overall, though, it may be a bit too straightforward, but it’s one hell of an entertaining series. The solid plot and great production-values more than make up for this flaw, and Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto has been one great watch.]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 26
Short Synopsis: This was definitely an Akizuki-episode, as he closes the story by defeating Kakunojou, Soutetsu and the Lord’s Head.
Good: Akizuki vs Kakunojou was so sweet.
Bad: What exactly was the role of the troupe in the later half of this anime again?
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
And thus ends Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto, one of the best series to hit last year’s fall-season. Again, the ending was as solid as ever. I loved the confrontation between Akizuki and Kakunojou, while Soutetsu’s fight was a bit predictable, though. The epilogue itself was nice enough, and I was surprised to hear that Kakunojou actually is using a fake name for herself. Soutetsu also reveals a final part of his background before he dies, which involves his meeting with Sakamoto Ryouma. It seems that Soutetsu told Sakamoto about the plans he had, though Sakamoto disapproved of them. I’m not sure what kind of effect this had.
Like I said, Bakumatsu has been a really solid series, but ever since Rook died, this solidness did show one disadvantage: the rather straightforward plot. Rook’s death, and Kakunojou’s cutting of Akizuki were the last major plot twists in this anime. After that, it’s been a straight race towards the finish, in which Akizuki catches up with Enomoto, all unimportant side-characters die, while the Lord’s Head and Soutetsu are taken care of in the final episode. While this does make for some very solid storytelling, it could have been more exciting. I would have loved a few major twists towards the end, like in episode 13 or 18, but alas.
Overall, I’m glad I watched and blogged this series. There’s no denying that for me, this was one of the highlights of the Fall-season. It’s not the best series of that season (that title goes to Red Garden), but it’s definitely been lots of fun watching this. Thanks w, for explaining some of the more difficult parts of the storyline.]]>
Claymore – 01
Short Synopsis: Humans have been forced to coexist with Youma, who like to eat their flesh. In order to fight them, the Claymores appeared, after having themselves infused with Youma’s blood. Because of this, they’ve become feared as well, and everyone’s scared of them. Apart from one boy, that is, who has been saved from a Youma who killed his entire family by a Claymore named Claire.
Good: Knows its priorities for a fighting-series, nice art style, great ED.
Bad: Interesting, the first series of the new season with no bad points.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
About two weeks ago, during my post about the 1500th comment, I made a little experiment, allowing people to vote on one series of the spring-season. That series would be blogged no matter what. The result: Claymore. No need for a quick first impression, since it’s certain that I’m going to blog this, and so far, I’m impressed. A lot.
At first sight, this series may be about the bloody fights. Sure, there is lots of blood shown, but so far it’s been more about the characters than action. We’ve got ourselves a young, naive boy who tries to make contact with the main character: Claire. As Claymore are half-human, half-Youma, they’re feared by everyone. This guy, however, isn’t afraid of them. Heck, he’s actually grateful. It’s promising to be quite interesting.
I also love Claire. Because most Claymores are either feared or hated, she’s got a really cold personality, due to the fact that she’ll never be able to become friends with anyone. I apparently spoiled myself a bit on Wikipedia, but this did give me enough information in order to follow the episode quite well, even though it was in raw. Most Claymores fuse themselves with Youma-flesh unwillingly, though Claire is the only one who volunteered. It’s for quite an interesting reason.
The Youma already have proven themselves quite clever, being able to take on the shape of humans and all. The art style so far has been really nice, and different from usual. I like it. The background music features all kinds of eerie tunes, perfect for an anime like this. It’ll be interesting to see where this anime goes. I wonder when we’ll see more Claymores appear.]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 25
Short Synopsis: What I suspected to be a Kanna-episode turned into a plot-based episode in which the castle Enomoto has built takes off in the air.
Good: As solid as usual. I liked the direction a lot.
Bad: The deaths are getting a bit too frequent.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
One thing that irked me during this episode: an awful lot of people have died in the past few episodes. This time, two more characters suffer this fate: Kanna and Taiyou. The creators are really trying to eliminate everyone apart from the main characters. I’d rather see them bring something in at the climax, but I’m glad to see that my favourite ones (the troupe) still remain alive for the final episode. Especially Shiranui has to have some kind of role left, after seeing Taiyou die like that.
Anyway, one thing I liked about these final episodes is how solid they’ve been. Okay, some plot events were a bit too much (the flying castle), and I’ve yet to be blown away by the events, but there haven’t really been any weaknesses so far. Bakumatsu seems to have chosen to prioritize solid storytelling, and I can appreciate that. I also really liked how this episode didn’t have a common theme. It’s a bit of everything. Kanna’s death, Taiyou’s death, Akizuki’s background (which was really appreciated, by the way), Enomoto, the Lord’s Head’s plan, Kakunojou, Akizuki’s quest and Kuroda Ryousuke all played a small part in this one.
And then, with only one episode left, the usual question to ask is: will this end right? Will this series end too abrubt? Well, it would be a huge shame if it did, as this series has been building up and up, even in this episode. I’d love to see every side-character play a role in this. The fact remains that Akizuki is the only one who can seal the lord’s head, and he’ll definitely fight Kakunojou. I’m hoping for the others to take care of Soutetsu for some reason. (Still, there has to be a reason why Soutetsu took the trouble of inviting the troupe to Hakodate, hasn’t it?)
(On a side-note: did I misunderstand this, or did Kakunojou also spend a bit of time with Shouten-sama? See the scene about the child-version of Akizuki? All of his friends get picked up by their parents, while he is the only one to remain. One of these friends looks an awful lot like a young version of Kakunojou)]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 24
Short Synopsis: A Hijikata-episode. Last episode, we saw him finally realizing that Soutetsu’s up to no good. This gets continued in this episode, while Enomoto masters the power of the Lord’s Head even more.
Good: The past few episodes have been building up quite nicely for the climax of the series…
Bad: …now let’s hope that the next two episodes won’t mess up.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
And there goes Hijikata. Ever since episode 18, Akizuki has been kept away from the main events of this episode, and he’s been in the shadows, walking around a bit while the side-characters finish their stories. This episode, it was Hijikata’s turn. Next episde will be a great one, as it’ll continue Akizuki’s fight versus Kanna. I’m looking forward to the final episodes a lot. I finally realize that Bakumatsu is a good series overall, but masterful in its climaxes.
So far, we’ve got ourselves quite a formidable foe in Enomoto. In this episode it becomes clear that he actually brainwashes people. Judging by the fact that Kakunojou and Kanna have been affected, while Soutetsu and Hijikata have not, then it must mean that he can only do this with weak-hearted people. Hijikata, meanwhile, meets his end in the episode. With the end so near, I’m actually wondering whether the troupe is going to play a major role in the final episode. It would be awesome if they were, but somehow I’m feeling that they will just be spectators.
Still, a formidable foe Enomoto may be, the fact does remain that Akizuki is an excellent swordsman. He already showed that he’s capable of cutting the lord’s head more than anyone else has, and he probably also has some kind of trick up his sleeve to take care of Kakunojou. Soutetsu also is a good swordsman, but his skills will probably never match those of Akizuki’s, which means that the next episode is going to be very exciting. Speaking of Soutetsu, I’m still wondering why he needs Akizuki. Do his and Kakunojou’s sword have to meet under special circumstances or something?
And silly me. For episodes and episodes, I kept wondering what this strange “Hasha no Kubi” was. Some kind of kingdom, or something with a fog? In the end, it appears that it’s been the Lord’s Head all along. Things make much more sense now.]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 23
Short Synopsis: An Englishmen episode. Under the lead of Kanna, they launch another surprise attack at Enomoto
Good: Whoa, I never expected that the creators would go that far; great fights as well.
Bad: Dammit, I was beginning to like the three Englishmen.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
At the end of the previous episode, we finally saw the Englishmen again, after having been absent for episodes. Surprisingly, they immediately launch their attack. I remember how I speculated how Queen would end up doing something stupid, but seeing all of them to get slaughtered like that was certainly something I didn’t expect at this point. The deaths could have been a bit more dramatic, but the fights definitely were impressive. Especially Hijikata vs Knight was interesting: English versus Japanese swordsmanship. The creators were brilliant in showing the differences.
And regarding Kakunojou, things are worse than I thought concerning her. When Soutetsu said that she had to “guide” Akizuki, I didn’t think too much behind it, but he actually meant for her to join their side, and convert Akizuki as well. The previous episode makes perfect sense now, but I can imagine that Kakunojou is in some heavy identity struggles. Because of her sword, it’s her destiny to protect the lord’s head from Akizuki, while she actually is in love with him. To make things even better, she even converted Kanna to cooperate with her. She’s becoming like a revolutionary icon in this new suit of hers.
This episode also revealed a bit more information about Soutetsu and the lord’s head’s goal. I obviously didn’t understand everything, but could it be that the lord’s head’s former subordinated went down in some war, and they’re trying to resurrect them? Apparently, they must hold some great values, as Soutetsu’s gestured that he’s planning to conquer the world with them. Well, that indeed is a goal worth of going through so much trouble.
Hijikata, meanwhile, makes an interesting move. With Kakunojou gone, Akizuki stands all alone at the moment, apart from his allies back in Yokohama. Hijikata actually doubted Enomoto this episode, and he returned to Akizuki. It’s no confirmation yet that he’ll definitely join him, but it does show potential. I also liked how Akizuki stayed in the shadows for this episode, by the way. Not only am I very curious to see him action again, it also made sure that the attention was where it belonged: the Englishmen and especially Kanna.
On a final note, Queen did show a potential weakness of the lord’s head before she died. Note where Kanna tries to shoot Enomoto, and discovers that all his bullets are reflected by some shield. Queen takes advantage of this by firing an arrow without Enomoto noticing, but she misses by about half a centimetre. The arrow, however, was not reflected. Does this mean that if you ambush Enomoto, you can get past that pesky barrier he keeps using?]]>
Bakumatsu Kikansetsu Irohanihoheto – 22
Short Synopsis: Kakunojou finally performs in a play again. Akizuki meanwhile catches up with Enomoto and Soutetsu carries on with his own plans.
Good: Great climax, excellent episode.
Bad: The episode started a bit slow, perhaps.
Overall Enjoyment Value: 8/10
Ah, you could call this episode the beginning of the ending. First of all, Akizuki manages to return, in an attempt to cut down the head once again, instead of sealing it. Soutetsu brings Kakunojou to the scene of fighting, and she once again protects Enomoto from being harmed by Akizuki. With this, Soutetsu hoped that he could show her that she needs to guide Akizuki, in order for his mission to succeed. After Akizuki retreated, he tells her this in person. I’m still not sure what he’s after. Apparently, he wants something to happen between Akizuki’s sword and the lord’s head. but what woould be worth going through so much trouble, just for that?
The supporters of the new government (at least, I assume it was them) also arrived in Hakodate during this episode. Their first attack failed, due to the clash between Akizuki and Kakunojou, but they’ll probably be back for a second attempts. I wonder what they’ve still got to add to the storyline. The Englishmen, by the way, also returned at the end of the episode. They’re probably assigned to stop the Lord’s Head at all costs, but I suspect that there’s also a great desire of revenge in them, for what happened with Rook. Especially Queen should have quite a grudge.
Tetsunosuke (that was his name, wasn’t it), meanwhile, start to develop feelings for Kakunojou. I’m not sure why the creators suddenly decided to introduce another love rival for her at this point of the anime. I mean, they’ve already got a huge story, why introduce yet another love-triangle which will probably end up either useless or forced?
Anyway, I really liked Kakunojou’s play. I’m not yet sure what it was meant to symbolize, but it definitely made her think about her mission.]]>