Twelve Reasons You Should Be Reading Claymore

[meganbmoore]

*I posted this last night before bed, then realized most of you wouldn't see it because I forgot to backdate a private entry.*

I rarely do posts purely to say "Look!  New icon!" but this is a special icon.  And so:

Twelve Reasons You Should Be Reading Claymore:

1.  A large cast of female characters who are made badass for the reasons shounen manga usually uses to say "she can fight...but not as well."  Reflexes, an analytical mind, speed, a specialization in a certain field, etc. etc.  Instead of being excuses for not being "as good," these things are used to their maximum potential.  And if they have a shortcoming, they overcome it.

2.  A variety of strong and important female friendships(and other relationships.)  That pass the Bechdel Test in every way.

3.  Female characters who take on stereotypically male roles (badass loner with wee cute thing, analytical mastermind, noble warrior, one-eyed warrior with a mysterious past, vengeance driven youth, etc.) without coding as male or giving up any of their femininity.

4.  The most amazingly angsty and awesome shounen origin known to man.

5.  Female characters with fully developed back stories and motivations who are not remotely defined or identified by their relationships with male characters.  Any of them.  In fact, the opposite is true.

6.  Did I mention all the stoic warrior women with swords?

7.  A mangaka who is not afraid to kill off characters in situations where characters should die, and who does not play favorites.  A character who has been fully developed and fleshed out is just as likely to die as a Red Shirt, and a seeming Red Shirt is just as likely to live as an established character.  In addition, the deaths, even the minor ones, mean something.

8.  A complex (if initially slow to develop) plot where you think you know what the Big Reveal is and you're just waiting for one of them to come out and state it, but when they do, they reveal that what you think is the big secret is really just a minor thing in it.

9.  A manga kid in a primarily adult cast who isn't sickeningly sweet, abrasive, hyper-active, or any of the things most 10-12 year old boys in most shounen action are.

10.  One of the most impressive cases of  arm loss (and aftermath) I've ever seen.

11.  Breast feeding as a legitimate plot point.

12.  At one point, you will see a blind nun rip her habit to the waist and go off to rescue the Big Strong Guardsmen from the huge, rampaging monster.

ETA: magicnoirepointed out a grave error on my part.  I forgot to mention that, in an amazing case of gender reversal, the huge, rampaging monster is a huge, rampaging tentacle monster.  A huge, rampaging female tentacle monster.

Why 12 reasons?  Because that's how many licensed volumes have been released.  And yes, I did make this post just to mention the blind warrior nun.  

Comments

[havocthecat]

Ooh! *adds to Amazon wishlist*

[woodburner.livejournal.com]

"Did I mention all the stoic warrior women with swords?"

"At one point, you will see a blind nun rip her habit to the waist and go off to rescue the Big Strong Guardsmen from the huge, rampaging monster."

THOSE ALONE ARE ENOUGH

If those can't convince people, I DON'T KNOW WHAT CAN

a;lksdjf;alskdjf;askdfj:LKDJF:LSDKJFNNNnnnggghhh stoic warrior women with swords ♥♥♥

(Not that all the other points aren't all excellent reasons to read Claymore, of course. But I mean. Stoic warrior women! BLIND BAD-ASS NUNS.)

[bellzooks.livejournal.com]

This list is so much win, although number 12 might be my favorite.
Claymore is epic. I think thats the only word for it.

Also, excellent icon.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

If the first volume doesn't completely grab you, I rec continuing to try it until vol 4, which (aside from the last chapter in vol 1) is when it really starts to take off.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It's her attitude at the rime(and everything) that make 12 so amazingly awesome, really. Stoic warrior women with swords was the main thing until we got to Clare's origin. Then it started getting really good.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

12 is almost the best thing ever.

[joketsu.livejournal.com]

As much as recent developments displease my picky, picky self... it's still one of my favorites. It got so strong in the middle and didn't let up. It's also the most metal comic I've ever read. =B

[bellzooks.livejournal.com]

12 has me thinking I have to seriously consider buying the anime, as well as the manga. Nuns who rip their habits to charge into battle are so worth the money.
Who needs food anyway? ^_^

[shadawyn.livejournal.com]

It's been on my list once I get caught up with my uber-pile :D

I'm quite excited about it.

[melengro.livejournal.com]

THIS SOUNDS EVEN MORE EPIC THAN IT DID BEFORE.

[mystickeeper.livejournal.com]

Okay, so I watched the first episode or two of this anime, and really didn't care for it. But, based on this post, I requested volume 1 of the manga from the library. Perhaps I will enjoy things more this time around!

For the last couple of months, I'm realizing that I'm a lot more tolerant of certain things in manga than I am in anime, and might even prefer manga to anime. I wonder if this is weird!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I have yet to cast judgement for recent developments. So far, there hasn't been anything in the book to worry us, just the gut "No! I'd read other shounen if I wanted that!" reaction, but nothing yet to say we need to worry about it.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Hmm. The anime is excellent for the most part, but it changes the ending of Pieta in a way that (1) keeps The Era of Awesometastic Badass Awesomeness from ever happening, (2) kinda falls apart and doesn't resolve anything. Which is annoying, and the end and immediate aftermath(just the first 2 chapters with Clarice) provide a good stopping point.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

With both, you have to wait for it to get to Clare's origin story(vol 4 I believe) for it to really take off.

I love anime, but definitely prefer manga.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

#12 is the best reason ever!

Although you forgot to mention that the huge, rampaging monster was a huge, rampaging TENTACLE monster. A huge, rampaging FEMALE tentacle monster. Best gender reversal!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

YAYNESS!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

You have no idea.

[bellzooks.livejournal.com]

Hmmm, thats a shame D: Does it change it in such a way to make you go "wtf, how on earth is the anime going to follow the manga now?" or is it tolerable? Perhaps I will download more of it (I have have only seen the first couple of episodes) to see how I feel about it before I set myself upon it.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

MUST GO FIX!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Uhm...the anime's ending makes the manga after that impossible.

IMO, it's definitely worth watching, just get ready to be frustrated by the last couple of episodes.

One thing I will say in favor of the ending, though, is we do see Raki's reaction to realizing what Clare will eventually become, which I doubt we'll ever see in the manga.

[bellzooks.livejournal.com]

Oh no! That kind of sucks. I'll check it out anyway, if it is worth watching despite that then it sounds like it must be pretty cool.

Awesome! I do like Raki a lot, and the recent developments with him seemed really promising.

[rosehiptea.livejournal.com]

I have the first volume here. I should really read it, because it sounds great.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It's currently my favorite shounen. It does, though, take until Clare's origin story to get really good. Looking back, the main reason the first 3 volumes seemed so great to me is because (1) it was around when my extreme burnout with fiction and fandom always focusing on males was entering full swing, (2) I read them in one sitting.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I do think reading them in one sitting contributes a lot to mad, mad glee.

[jessicamee.livejournal.com]

wooo Claymore!! :D

[the-sun-is-up.livejournal.com]

A+ summary. Would definitely read it if I hadn't already read it. ;-D

At one point, you will see a blind nun rip her habit to the waist and go off to rescue the Big Strong Guardsmen from the huge, rampaging monster.

OMG YES. *FLAILS*

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I thinkthat if you've read that far, it's your favorite part.

[artillie.livejournal.com]

Teresa, why are you so cool? And awesome? And fantastic? The scene with her and wee!Clare where wee!Clare talks for the first time was amazing. I'm reading the Priscilla-Teresa fight right now. The other three are Epic.

Disappearing Mouth Syndrome (whereby all characters lose their mouths before moments of supreme badassitude) is disturbing me, though.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It's shounen. Either the mouths disappear, or they're always wide open.

[smillaraaq.livejournal.com]

Mmmm, I've been hearing good things about this one from multiple people for at least a year or so now. Finally grabbed a couple of the earlier volumes in the big manga sale Borders has been having all month, now I just need to make a little more progress through the TBR pile to get to them...

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

It's currently my favorite shounen, having replaced Fullmetal Alchemist. (Though we'll see how both end...)

I recommend, though, reading the first 3-4 volumes in one go. The first few volumes lay a bit of groundwork for future things and make for some pretty fun reading, but it doesn't really get going until Clare's origin.

[kyuuketsukirui.livejournal.com]

Claymore's been on the "to check out once I finish up/get caught up on some of the series I'm currently reading" list for a while.

[southerndave.livejournal.com]

This still sounds like fun and is still on my (comparatively extensive) mental "pick it up if I ever manage to find it" list...

[fairest1.livejournal.com]

Oh, man . . . Neeeeeed.

[lady-ganesh.livejournal.com]

I love Alison Bechdel, but had not heard of her test before now!

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I first heard of it a week or so ago, on one of my Bad Fandom/Fiction Days, in the context of writers being taught to make all fiction about the white, heterosexual male, and not allow the females to do anything outside of that.

[shadawyn.livejournal.com]

I picked up the first 2 volumes yesterday.

[swanjun.livejournal.com]

I've been sitting (not literally) on six volumes of this. Number 7 is what sold me on your list, I think. I need to priotize this somehow.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

If you aren't sold immediately, you will be by the time you get through vol 6. I've never met anyone, even if they didn't care for vol 1, make it through vol 5 or so and not be sold.

[swanjun.livejournal.com]

Do you know how close it is to being finished in Japan? Or is it still churning along? It seems Viz is about caught up to it, which'll mean long waits for volumes past 14.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

The Viz translations are still about 15 chapters and 3-4 important side stories behind, which should be at least 3 volumes. No idea how long it'll be in the long run, though.