Claymore 13 – AHHH!!! NOOO!!! Clair lost something on her…

eat.jpg

Her right arm, that is. That makes her kinda look like that Venus statue – OK, that’s weird. But anyway, this eps proves that the creator of the show and the writer of the manga (I was told the show pretty much follows the manga), aren’t afraid to make the main character looking real bad – I was appalled to see her arm gets destroyed worse than ground meat in a juicer on high spin (yeww…), good thing we didn’t get to see that happen realistically, otherwise we’d be seeing ground beef before getting made into hamburgers. Do you want fries with that? (NO, and I know I’m not funny) But yeah, let’s just say that it is possible in Claymore world that Ophelia’s sword can vibrate so fast that anything gets in the way become tiny little bits of meat…OK! STOP THAT! I still want that burger! And yes, I want the goddamn fries!

Anyhow, I’m not turning to vegetarian any time soon. But I was sad, I guess that a beautiful, short-haired supermodel warrior with nice feet, lost part of her body. It is indeed a devastating defeat for Clare, not to mention it’s her sword using arm that got lost.

We got to learn a little about difference between the Claymores. Some are defensive types that can regenerate, some are offensive types that can’t. But that brings out this question: Doesn’t Clare do better when she’s on the defensive? I mean she has trouble switching from defense to offense when she uses her powers. So technically doesn’t that make her a defensive Claymore? I’m a little bit confused here. Or maybe that doesn’t matter it just means that she somehow learned to use defense better but she’s technically not a defensive type. In any case this spells trouble, because she can only reattach limbs but not regrow them.

clare-ouch.jpgclare-grimances.jpgclare-shocked-and-bloody.jpg

Ophelia is smart, deadly, fast and absolutely ruthless, that, plus being almost psychotic, makes her a formidable if not impossible to defeat warrior. I think she’s number 4 on the list. Wow. Only number 4? It seems like to me some Claymores can’t quite contain their rage, and you know what they say in the Force, anger, fear, and aggression, the dark side of the force are they (no, I don’t love George Lucas’ franchise, but in this case this kinda works). At any rate, anger and super hostile aggression and then the frustration of being defeated by the former number 2, Irene, ultimately drove Ophelia to the dark side. She becomes the very thing she loved to hunt – the awakened. It’s a bit of an irony there.

Let’s back up a little. Clare, in the second time of her life, sees despair up close, threatening to destroy her. She has no way to defeat Ophelia, who is insurmountably powerful and very cunning. Clare thinks she got out of the situation but Ophelia is too smart for her. She loses her sword using arm for good. What to do? Well, since Clare is the main character she isn’t going to be killed. So the former number 2, Irene is sent by the author to help her… I mean Irene shows up at the right time and at the right place to save Clare’s ass from death.

clare-tries-something.jpgirene-clocked.jpgirene-kicks-ophelia-ass.jpg

The conflict continues. Ophelia isn’t going to quit hunting for Clare, and for Irene probably, who prevented Ophelia from completing her hunt. It isn’t going to matter if Ophelia turned into something she hates. What will be interesting is how Ophelia’s going to explain “reason for being” (I forgot the French) when she and Clare confront each other.

I thought I saw in the preview that Clare gets her arm back (Yay). Well, more power ups are in order. She’s learning to use the lighting sword from Irene, but how’s she going to get out of this jam?

The only thing about this eps I wanted to pick on is the impossibly strong Ophelia. She’s number 4, sure, but she’s way too strong for our protagonist. However, at least this show takes care of the “power ranking” problem by having clear distinctions – Ophelia is number 4, she has no trouble beating the crap out of Clare, who’s only 47, but Ophelia can’t defeat Irene, who is the former number 2. To me at the present stage, it all looks very strictly number based (not that anyone watching really cares about such a system). In DBZ (Ugh), the previous super villains become insignificantly weak when the next strong character shows up, but somehow when our heroes fight them, they always seem so indestructible. Doesn’t matter if half of a villain’s body gets blown off, he always look surprised and a little scared, but in a minute or two he laughs like nothing ever happened and completely recover without any damage at all. I think that’s a problem with shonen manga with the formula: character wins a few bouts, meets stronger enemy, gets broken, upgrades his (or in the case of Claymore, her) power, or grows some weapon/modifies his weapon (like Allan from D-Grayman. D-Grayman is an excellent manga but the show drags a little) and beats the enemy, then he encounters an upgraded enemy, and then the process repeats. It’s the shonen formula but also the RPG formula.

clare-stares-in-the-sun.jpgirene-with-one-arm-left.jpgophelia-coup-de-grace.jpg

In the case of Claymore, however, I think they have a great though not perfect solution for handling the opponents’ and the main characters’ strengths and how they would fight in battles against each other basing on their assigned strengths. I don’t know any show that has a perfect solution for this, if anyone knows, please do tell. I’d be very interested to check out a show that has done this perfectly and I would love to see how they handle it.

So far, the best characters of this show have to be Teresa and Ophelia, if only because these two characters are allowed more emotional range. Miriya the Mirage, played by Kikuko-sama, also did a good job in the eps she appeared. But Teresa made a strong impression on me, and her sudden death left me unsatisfied – she didn’t get any lines before she got her head cut off. No lines before dying, but I guess that’s the point – it strikes all too sudden. That seems to be the device they love to use in anime – it strikes all too sudden. In Kenshin OAV (not the later one, but the 2 OAV eps when we got to see him in his former assassin days), the tragedy strikes when the woman he loves steps in and tries to block her father, but ultimately Kenshin’s sword deals the mortal damage on her, by pure accident. If she stays out of the way, Kenshin may win the battle and take her home alive. In any case, it just strikes so sudden. I know that was quite a stretch but my point here is that a lot of anime deaths seem to be complete surprises. But that’s a rather minor point. Romi Paku played a great Teresa. I don’t know the name of the seiyuu for Ophelia but she’s clearly a character I love to hate. Now she’ll have to deal with she being the thing she hates. I’m looking forward to the voice acting.

ophelia-going-insane.jpgophelias-sword.jpgmemory-of-pricillia.jpg

I’m also looking for what solution they’ll come up to get Clare out of this jam.

ophelia-powers-up-into-awakened.jpgclare-lying-in-thought.jpgpoor-clare.jpg

95% recommended for your daily anime diet.

Author: Ray

I'm a hardcore Anime Fan and I'm proud of it. I know so many things and I've acquired so much knowledge you wouldn't believe. But my love is anime. I've been drifting in this world for so long that I don't even know what an anchor means. I've seen so many shows that I've lost count. The only thing I'm sure of myself is that I care for the lowly and disenfranchised. I hate the rich and powerful and I love what I do, or what I can do. I like anime and I don't mind watching different types of shows. I have experience in different types of Japanese animation. I would be called an "expert" in a bizzaro world. One day, I'd like to start a revolution. I love the US, pizza, beer, sashimi, Chinese food, and steak. But I love freshly baked bread more than a well-aged steak. In reality, if I were born Japanese I'd be a real, hardcore Otaku. I love to love and I can hate strongly. I'm passionate in nature and I don't mind shedding tears. I can be reached at rayyhum777 at animediet. My Twitter is rayyhum777 at twitter.

11 thoughts on “Claymore 13 – AHHH!!! NOOO!!! Clair lost something on her…

  1. The difference between offensive and defensive types does’t to do with their fighting styles, but what they were thinking when they became claymores; whether they wanted revenge(offensive types) or whether they wanted to stay alive(defensive types).

  2. Well, in defense of Ophelia getting her #4 butt pwned by former #2 Irene, she was 2nd only to the Jedi Mistress Teresa of the Faint Smile. And Irene’s had how many years to master the force since that fateful day before she met up w/Clare?

    And even though she’s missing an arm, she’s still so hott…

  3. Arakan – you’re one sick man (Just kidding)…or you’re one really kind person at heart who doesn’t mind a little physical disability on a girl (if she’s an Elf). But seriously, so maybe it’s not quite the ranking that decide who’s stronger (otherwise Clare would never have a chance in this show). Well, in all classic shonen anime, main characters has the potential of defeating an impossible to be enemy, they just have to draw the potential out under extreme situations, such as getting their asses kicked so much and for many eps (see DBZ, and an even further throwback classic, Saint Seiya). In this case instead of men being in the situation, it’s women.
    So I guess you’d love be with a Elfin supermodel with long hair, eh?

    Ittaak – are you Klingon I mean a trek fan? It’s just your nickname sounds so much like Klingon (I love the Next Gen and DS9 was good, but I don’t know enough about trek to be a trekkie) or is it a name from an anime? Anyway, yeah I guessed I missed that. However, I feel that “offensive type” based on wording means good at “offensive” and “defensive type” based on wording means good at “defensive”. But (just joking) maybe Clare is more offensive to others, but she fights defensively and Helen (from a previous eps) is more defensive toward others, but fights offensively (ha a ha ha. NOT)
    They all power up like DBZ, don’t they. Next thing you know, one of the Claymore will fire a hameiyameiya wave from her sword…J/K.

  4. Actually, as Irene should explain in the next episode, even offensive types can regenerate their limbs, if slowly. The problem is that they will no longer be able to channel their yoki through the limb—it will be weak and nearly useless for the kind of techniques that Claymores use in battle.

    The reason Irene is still one-armed is likely because she has been so careful in suppressing her yoki in order to avoid being discovered. As Irene will mention, the re-growing for an offensive type can take weeks, at the least.

    As for the ‘offensive’ vs. ‘defensive’ types, the bane of being a defensive type is usually a lack of a very powerful attack. Deneve, a defensive type, will eventually develop a clever solution. As it will be later explained, defensive types are usually stuck with ‘tank’ duties during awakened one hunts, taking damange while providing offensive types the opportunity to use their more powerful strikes.

    The offensive vs. defensive difference also seems to show up in rankings. Throughout the manga, most single-digit Claymores are offensive types.

  5. Silvering – that’s an awesome explanation for everything. Now I see what’s going on. Thanks, now I really am looking forward to the later eps.

  6. Silvering – shows how little I know about Claymore. I wonder if they’re going to power up Clare through that problem?

  7. I’d definitely fall for an Elfin supermodel with one arm. Strength of character really shines through. Well, that and she’s still hott…She’d be stupidly popular at cons.

  8. Arakan – plus, she can kick some asshole otaku bouncers’ asses (at AX, according to my buddies, there were asshole otaku bouncers). I guess at the next con there will be women dressed up as Irene…heh heh heh, cool.

    I’m kinda for Clare, short hair with a cute voice. Nice.

  9. Ok…so many things I gotta point out (I even have to number em)

    1. Its not that Clare has infinite potential. I think it’s that she learns a lot faster than other Claymores do.
    2. My friend is good at History but became a Math tutor. It’s just like how Clare is good at defensive battles but actually became a offensive Claymore (cause she wants to kill Priscilla or whatever)
    3. Lol…a lot of people said Irene came outta nowhere. This was my friend’s explanation:
    Irene was hidding from the organization so she obviously picked a secluded place to hide. The Awakened One that Ophelia killed would also pick a secluded place to hang out so its no big surprise these two picked the same place. In plus, Irene wasn’t just “in the area” because she said that she thought she knew one of the two so she came to check it out.
    4. Teresa was also my favorite character. Anime deaths are super sudden…except the later episodes of Claymore that will come out.
    5. Teresa is hotter than Irene =)

  10. Charles – I forgot that Irene said that. So that’s probably it. Still, I guess Irene and the dead Awakened One happen to have the same taste for hiding, eh (not being sarcastic here)?

    “5. Teresa is hotter than Irene =)”
    I think you and Arakan 7 will have to debate on that one. XD

  11. Mhmm yes, It still seems like a big coincidence. But hey, me and my friend made up corny explanations for everything that didn’t make sense in Claymore. Well…except one thing (which I’m surprised no one else pointed out)

    1. When #5 came to execute Irene, Irene asked “Why are you stuck on that number?” or something like that right? So she is implying #5 should have a higher rank but how can she tell if #5 completely hides her yoki aura? (thats why she was sent to kill Irene cause she could hide her yoki aura)…that i still dont get
    2. This “Arakan 7” doesn’t have to know what i said =)
    3. I like to number things…im so weird xD

Comments are closed.