Claymore – 20

So, basically because Eclipse took so long with their release for this week, I got impatient and checked out the raws. At times like these, I’m glad that I can understand them. 🙂 Anyway, this is one of the few Claymore-episodes without fighting, but it’s definitely one to look forward to, as there’s a really high emphasis on character-development, and this episode may have been one f the best ones of Claymore yet, especially not considering the fights. There’s only one part I didn’t like, so I’ll start with that one: Raki. We still don’t know how the heck he ended up in the north in the first place. If I heard correctly, he’s supposed to have been victim of slave-trading in the manga, which is a perfectly good explanation, though I never heard any of the sorts in this episode. Either that or I must have missed it. Okay, now the good stuff: Raki is getting closer to Priscilla and Isley than I thought. I’m eager to learn of the background of the two of them, as they’re definitely behaving unlike other awakened beings I’ve seen so far. Priscilla also is entirely different from the Priscilla we saw in episode eight. The creators will definitely be using this for when Claire runs into Priscilla. I wonder if Priscilla still recognizes Claire, by the way. The biggest focus of the episode was on Deneve and Undine, though, and I both loved them. Undine proves yet again that she’s more than just a cocky muscle-machine. It seems that she has learned to always activate a small piece of her youma-powers in order to keep her muscles tense at all times. She’s just someone who likes to act tough, afraid that people will find out her true nature. That second sword of hers, it also seems to be from a good friend of hers. Deneve was the one who found this out, and she acts really mature at this. I think I finally begin to understand why she chose to be a defensive type: unlike Claire, whose loved one was killed by an identifiable enemy (Priscilla), her loved ones (most likely her family) were killed by unknown Youma. Instead of swearing to kill off all youma, like Priscilla did, Deneve swore to protect as much as possible. That’s why she demands perfection from both herself and others. Flora, meanwhile, shows that she’s been around since Claire’s youth, because she recognized Irene’s arm. That’s not something you do easily, since Miria, who’s a lot stronger than Flora (I assume, at least) couldn’t recognize it. Because of this, she and Jeane become some of the few to hear Claire’s raison d’Être of killing Priscilla. Flora should be getting character-development in the next few episodes. To add to that, the fina minutes of the episode show Helen, trying to encourage a minor Claymore, who looks surprisingly unique, and it ends as the second wave of Isley’s henchmen are coming. Look forward to the next episode!]]>

0 thoughts on “Claymore – 20

  1. first of all…abandoned boys and girls in the world of claymore is picked up by slave traders…the girls are traded to the east to become claymores while the boys are traded to the north because they are short with people…

  2. I think the question is not whether or not Priscilla would recognize clare, but whether or not she would necessarily care…

  3. Also, please note that I haven’t read the manga for this, Flora doesn’t necessarily have to be as old enough to recognize Irene’s arm from when she was a Claymore, there could always be a back-plot called filler in which Flora meets Irene while she is in hiding, and is flora the one that has that insane draw and sheath speed thing? Because if so then it would fit…

  4. And last repost, I love how they seriously underplay the Flash sword. Let’s see, using the Flash Sword technique’s Idea, one can instantly copy the tech of Clare’s practical slave and Ophelia’s thing as well, not to mention come up with a few grand old ideas of your own, like instead of going, HA, LOOK AT ME, I CAN HIT EVERYWHERE ON YOUR BODY IN UNDER 4 SECONDS to HA, I JUST CUT OFF YOUR HEAD BECAUSE I CHOPPED IN THE SAME EXACT SPOT 27349327749327 TIMES IN 4 SECONDS!!!!

  5. I cannot understand understand the raw except for a few things here and there, but what I can say is that this is the first time that this show has seriously deviated from the manga. I was looking forward to the showdown between Flora and Clare even thought it did look a bit cheesy in the manga (the whole thing with Jeane being there is also new). Priscilla and Raki etc weren’t supposed to be in the forest, but rather a run down town etc…, I don’t remember Helen showing up with Deneve and Undine in the stocking barn. Many many other things. As you have stated, the manga a few episodes back explained that Raki was taken as slave trading and also a few episodes back the manga touched on Number 1 and Number 2 which also explains how they know Galatea was lying when she returned. A few more things etc… This is the first claymore episode where I REQUIRE the translation to fully understand what is going on in the scenes. [as I stated before, it doesn’t mean its all bad, but there are a few small things being left out, especially to someone like you (who listens closely and intently to detail)]

  6. The Latest Info From Newtype seems to confirm that the anime will divert from the manga plot, with the next few episodes being very much different from the manga storyline.
    Looks like they are going to find a way to carry on the story without the manga perhaps.

  7. I think they’re trying to end the story with 24 and 26 episodes. Otherwise they would have just finished with this arc, before going with their own story. The question now remains whether they’ll succeed. It all depends on how good the creators are in making up their own storyline.

  8. why must they divert? thats stupid. they can just end it at the end of the arc like many other good series have. they can make a second season much later.
    Either way I haven’t read the manga past the previous arc as I don’t want to read ahead and be spoiled.
    That said I think the only characters that will die are Undine and Jeane. Anyone else who dies will surprise me.
    Undine will die finally being strong inside and out. Jeane will die saving Claire.
    The only other death I can see is Miria to prove how badass an enemy is. Though I think that one is unlikely.

  9. I liked this episode- to a point. The first round of conversations was awesome, but they pressed the “random people meet and talk” thing too far. Interesting how Miria’s an atheist, apparently.

  10. Claymore the Altering
    They plan to change the Claymore storyline heavily at the end so I’m dropping the anime and watching the manga instead. http://community.livejournal.com/claymore_fans/37815.html
    “How do you watch manga?” You might ask. Easily: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x84FJe-fiCY
    Note thats episode 19 of the series in manga form.
    The series will no longer be faithful to the manga (which I have been watching along with the series).
    So I will drop the series to watch the manga all the way through. I hate that they followed so faithfully and then declared they were going to change it.

  11. Yeah, I think I’m going to keep watching the series. Changing things isn’t necessarily bad. But, I’ll probably read the manga too. Though that watching-manga thing doesn’t really do it for me.

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