CLAYMORE N.21

Claymore [クレイモア] #21

by Norihiro Yagi

Deneve y las demás siguen los pasos de Miria y se ponen en marcha para destruir la “Organización”, en el camino se les unen las guerreras de la nueva generación, y juntas atacan un laboratorio de creación de yoma. Mientras tanto, la “Organización” se prepara para desplegar nuevas fuerzas en su contra… Entonces, en medio de ellas, ¡aparece Miria, quien se suponía había sido eliminada!

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Horror, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Dark Fantasy

200 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 2, 2011

About the author

Norihiro Yagi (八木教広 Yagi Norihiro) is a Japanese manga writer and artist from Okinawa Prefecture. He started making manga in 1990.

Norihiro Yagi is a successful manga artist, having won the 32nd Akatsuka Award for his very first work, Undeadman. Undeadman appeared in Monthly Shōnen Jump and has had two sequels. Yagi's first serialized manga was his comedy-genre Angel Densetsu, which appeared in Monthly Shōnen Jump from 1992 to 2000. His most recent work, Claymore, has been running in the magazine since 2001.

Reviews

[Ivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF@50%

This volume isn't worse than last tow it might be slightly better and it seems weird to give up on the series I gotten so far into but I only went this far because I already got far but from this point on I say "no more". This series was good and had it's great moments but that was all up to volume 15. After that it ranged from mediocre to just dull with some good moments.

I might return to finish this series at some point but not until I recharge my will with some better manga.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The organization is really full of craps and lots of shits! I am impress about MIRIA but the formers no.1 are just annoying AF! Though Raki is doing good, and this revolution is doing good ,too. I need to see Clare omg,,,,

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I missed Clare, but at the same time glad Raki is back in force. Let's hope they will encounter soon! Great one again, good story evolution, lot of action, new level of villain strength. Awesome!

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
Pretty much more of the same, this series has turned into a mediocre mid-level read.

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge battle in this volume, and we see more of the trainees as well as Raki.
I wonder what will become of a reanimated number one awakening....
Good action, and some decent character backstory, but I really want to know what is going on with Claire and Priscilla, and in the outside world.

Check out my YouTube channel for bookish videos and monthly wrap ups!

[Rockito · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great back stories for the "new" Claymores.

[Roxana Chirilă · Rating 4 out of 5]

Complete rebellion from the Claymores! I wasn't expecting this particular twist, but it's nice to see that we don't get our favorite warriors fighting against their comrades in arms.

And full-on pandemonium with resurrected warriors is fun.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Clare and Priscilla. As well as Deneve and the rest are not even mentioned in this volume. This is solely about Miriam’s revolt at The Organization.

A mysterious Scientist has revived 3 of the former #1s. Miria and all of the other revolting Claymore’s try to stop them as well as an onslaught of Abyss Feeders.

Raki who was also imprisoned there is also freed and he joins the assault helping the young Claymore Trainees.

More fast action and battles. I’m curious what’s going on with Clare and Priscilla but honestly this is more interesting anyway and less convoluted.

Miria on the cover of Volume 21.

Read 8/23/22

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three back stories and new pieces on the board.

World: Solid art with the wide shots of all the claymore looking pretty awesome. The world building is strong this arc with a lot of emphasis on the characters and the organization.

Story: a lot of build for the finale. New characters and monsters come and we get back story for them which is always great. The organization and the pieces we get with Miria and also what happens to the other claymore swelled my heart and it was pretty great.

Characters: Roxanne, Cassandra and the other one (forgot name) gets back stories and it's pretty great. The Cassandra one was pretty awesome. Miria is also amazing as usual.

Building towards the finale.

Onward to the next book!

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memory of an injury can be almost as detrimental as the injury itself.

[Melissa C · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmmm...Clare I miss you 😂 But Miria is also great!

I don’t know how I feel when I see those inexperienced warriors hold tight together and fight against the organisation. I’m kinda moved by them but felt a bit inconsistency or confusion...

See how it goes in the next volume...

[Casper Paaske · Rating 3 out of 5]

I didn’t realise the last ending meant Miria had become the new protagonist! She is certainly in here more than Clare! Anyway, great volume with a great ending again!

[MissAnnThrope · Rating 5 out of 5]

09 July 2013

With Miria gracing its cover, you just know Claymore, Vol. 21: Corpse of the Witch is going to be all kinds of awesome. This volume is filled with intense battles, gut-wrenching moments, and former Number 1 Claymores resurrected from the dead. That's right. Shit is about to hit the fan.

Desperate to defend themselves against the Claymore uprising, the Organization releases the Abyss Feeders upon the warriors. At first, it seems the Claymores don't have a fighting chance against these monsters but with Miria taking charge they are able to hold their own. Impatient with the Abyss Feeders' competence, mad-scientist Dae unleashes the resurrected Number 1s: Hysteria the Elegant, Roxanne of Love and Hate, and Cassandra the Dusteater.

The fighting that ensues are probably some of the best battle scenes in this series. The amazingly skilled Miria looks to be outmatched by Hysteria the Elegant's powers. Cassandra fights off Audrey, Rachel, and Nina as if she were batting away annoying flies. Roxanne easily takes down the awakened twins, and even gives them a chance to regenerate so she can toy with them again. Roxanne creeps me out. She is evil incarnate. Seeing Raki kick butt is also pretty damn cool.

The beginning of this volume took me on a roller-coaster of emotions. The fact that Miria is actually alive and now leading the Claymores in the rebellion against the Organization gives me so much joy. Add to that the touching reasons the warriors rally behind her, and it's almost too much for my itty bitty heart. I must be getting soft in my old age.

The other bittersweet moment in this volume involves Rafutera. I have to admit that I harbored a bit of resentment towards Rafutera in previous volumes because of her role in what I believed to be Miria's death. However, now that Miria is alive and well, I really don't want any harm to come to her. When the Claymore trainees put their arms around her it just turns me to mush.

I am torn about reading the next volume. I'm super excited to find out what happens next, especially with the ending revealing the truth about Cassandra's cruel death and Roxanne's involvement. On the other hand, after I read the next volume I will be all caught up with the series and will have to bide my time impatiently waiting for the penultimate volume. I'll just have to slowly savor Volume 22. . . or re-start the series all over.

This volume has it all. It's full of surprises, thrilling action, and tough emotional moments that make it impossible to peel your eyes away from the page. The only way it could have been any more perfect is if Dietrich, Yuma, Helen, and Deneve arrived for the battle. Although this volume has standout fighting scenes, it's the camaraderie between all of the warriors that leaves its mark. You can tell that the series is near its end because the rising tensions are almost palpable. I'm really going to miss Claymore when it comes to an end.

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Claymore is a manga about Yoma who pretend to be human in order to kill and eat the humans. The Claymore are the hybrid of the two stronger faster but still human with the ability to slay the Yoma which they do for a price. They travel from village to village slaying Yoma with nothing but the sword on their back using the Yoma abilities but slowly turning into a monster that they hunt. When the time comes a Claymore will send a black card to another claymore to be slain before the Yoma takes over and so they die as a human.

In the 21st installment the rebel Claymore warriors have arrived at the organization and things look like they may just have what it takes to succeed in stopping them for good this time. Only something that’s been locked inside of the organization has been released the last chance they will get to destroy the rebels. They have released three revived former #1 claymores that will change the balance of power in the world if they should be successful in destroying the rebel claymore attack. Will the Miria and her newly joined rebel warriors have what it takes to destroy the three new warriors who have joined the fight? Will the rest of her rebel comrades arrive in time to stop them?

I like Clare she’s a sword carrying slayer who isn’t afraid to die charging in risking her life. She's grown a lot in the last several volumes leading up to the battle in the north. After faking her death along with her fellow claymore's she's returned after seven years to battle the Organization. While she may not be the strongest she's determined and unwilling to give up. She's one of those underdog characters you can't help liking. We've seen a little of Raki having grown up into a man who fights yoma he’s been captured by the organization. Clare and Priscilla have been trapped in a ball of flesh locking them both away from the others.

I’ve seen all of the episodes on Netflix a few years ago actually binge watched them over a long weekend. While it’s been a while I don’t think the anime has gone this far in the series. I don’t remember the girls taking on the organization which is where the story has turned. It’s interesting learning that the organization which has been creating claymores for a long time may not be the good guys after all. I love the concept for the Claymore the hybrids created using parts from the monsters that they have been created to fight against the Yoma that they created. The art is great it gives me just enough to create the story in my head as I read each detailed page. This is only my 2nd manga so I don’t have a lot to base on but I’m super addicted to them. They are perfect for when I have some downtime or when I feel like reading back to back. I already know that the ending is close as I’m about halfway done. I’m anxious to see how it’s all going to play out.

[Karissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 21st volume and the Claymore series. This book didn’t jump around as much as previous books and was a much more comprehensive story than the last couple have been. Things really come together in this book and I enjoyed it a lot.

This volume of Claymore is mostly a giant battle between Miria and the rebel Claymore who have chosen to follow her and the Organization. The Organization unleashes some new Abyss Feeders on Miria and her cohorts. However the Organization’s truly terrifying weapon are the three Claymores that they have brought back from the dead: Cassandra the Dusteater, Roxanne of Love and Hate, and Hysteria the Elegant.

Additionally Raki finally frees himself from the Organization’s dungeon and we get to see him fight quite a bit as well. This was incredibly awesome and it is fun to see the fighter he has grown into since we last saw him.

The story was very cohesive and pretty much covered the same battle the whole time. We do jump between the fight in Miria’s part of the battle and the fight in the dungeon with Raki. The action scenes were very well done and the illustration was detailed and easy to follow.

I am curious to see where the storyline involving Cassandra, Roxanne, and Hysteria goes. Clare wasn’t in this book at all and that whole storyline was set aside for now.

Overall this was much better than the last couple Claymore volumes have been and I enjoyed it a lot. This series remains action packed and has a very interesting storyline. I would recommend to those who love action-packed fantasy manga.

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Almost all of the Organization's fighters are quitting on them, but they have three new protectors. It's three dead fighters, resurrected and enhanced - but the Organization is betrayed from within, and nobody can guarantee what's going to happen next.

I loved the twist - never hoped that they would go this far, and the creators of Claymore are really pushing the envelope here. Also it's nice to see Raki again, protecting a group of inexperienced fighters.

Second reading: underwhelmed by the new antagonists - the resurrected no. 1s. Their stories and their evolution feels like filler - dragging in a nonsensical manner, when compared with what was already established for the universe. Now awakened ones are a dime a dozen, and the super-abilities of the warriors reach impossible limits. I think the authors lost control of the narrative, and they just +1.

[Nico · Rating 1 out of 5]

Even the art has become horrible as the author spends more and more time drawing mook army battles that mean nothing with characters that were introduced a chapter ago. (Not horrible, just bland and lacking all the creativity it once had).

I don't understand why someone would do this to their own story. It's almost self-sabotage, honestly. I don't remember the last time something meaningful happened in this series. From one sloppily drawn fight scene to the next... It's almost as if there was never any planned ending at all, just "Naked women with swords are cool! More!" I'm at a point where I miss Priscilla. That's how boring this has become.

This is why the anime cut the story short. I regret coming back to this manga to finish the story.

[Álex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tras el final del volumen anterior la historia daba un giro muy interesante. Como siempre continúan apareciendo nuevos rivales a batir a más invencible cada uno, pero de nuevo, vuelve a anclar emocionalmente el relato en las historias individuales de las nuevas Claymore que nos presentan. La naturaleza de las mismas es tan trágica, que el autor tiene material de sobra para contarnos historias interesantes a través de flashbacks que apoyen y den más fuerza a los enfrentamientos a los que asistimos. Por ahora, el universo de Claymore no da síntomas de agotamiento y ya llevamos 21 volúmenes.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vale, se ha vuelto una costumbre para mí releer este manga, lo cual es curioso porque de hecho no me agrada para nada el manga. Creo que eso dice mucho de por sí sobre Claymore.

Este particularmente es mi volumen favorito, el giro que da el argumento llegados a este punto es abismal y es cuando nos encontramos con unos personajes, que si bien nos acompañan desde hace 20 volúmenes, no es hasta este punto que los vemos tan maravillosamente desarrollados.

[Matias Maldonado · Rating 4 out of 5]

si bien estoy de acuerdo que desde el volumen 15, por ahí, el manga perdió algo de fuerza (después de ESE evento), no creo que llegue a ser mediocre o malo. quedan buenos personajes, giros de trama y acción a raudales. lo dije antes y lo recalco: a veces se siente apurado, que ciertos eventos deberían haber tenido más peso, como lo de los abisales, pero no llega a ser malo sino que torpe.

y bueno en el tomo anterior comentaba que lo de la hermandad era obvio, en base a como nos iban mostrando su lado oscuros, ahora agrego que también es trágico comprobar que esa ética oscura también caló en varias Claymore. No es la primera vez que hay compañeras crueles, por lo que refuerza mi punto de que la institución las rompe más que ayudarlas en varias ocasiones. Aún así, es triste ver que, viniendo de situaciones tan trágicas, sean usadas en contra de si mismas y de sus hermanas.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

All of the organization's Claymores now follow Miria. In desperation, the organization releases its Abyss Feeders and three resurrected number ones chosen by the organization's trusted scientist Dae. It is already too late to stop them when he announces that they weren't chosen for their obedience, only for their strength. This fact may prove dangerous for the organization as well if they Awaken. Their abilities are more than a match for the rebel Claymores, but when one of them starts to Awaken upon remembering the way she died, nothing is certain any more.

[honey · Rating 1 out of 5]

Claymore is a dark fantasy manga series set up in a world similar to medieval Europe. Claymores are half-human, half-youma; created to slay youma that feeds on humans. 

This was highly praised, and I do understand why, since very few manga marketed for teenage boys (and maybe to female readers as well) have an all-female badass main characters. 

The problem is, they all meld into just one being. If you read a manga with numerous characters, you have to be able to differentiate them from one another, or you end up confused.

Personality-wise, you also can't differentiate them. It doesn't help that the Claymores all have blonde hair and silver eyes. Even their faces are expressionless. They all wear the same battle garb which is understandable since they all belong to the same organization. The only difference for each are their hairstyles. Even that is not enough to differentiate one from another—some Claymores' hairstyles are quite similar to another's hairstyle, too. The ones with distinguishable character designs are the Awakened Beings—former Claymores who awakened when they reached their youki's limit.

The expositions were long and boring. The dialogue was dry and awkward. (But then, I only read the English-translated version, so take this part with a grain of salt.)

Some readers say that certain events make them cry, like when a character dies. I never had that moment. I never felt any connection to any of the characters. The mangaka failed to set it up—the tone, mood, and atmosphere didn't elicit any gloominess for me. The story's premise sure is gloomy, but premise alone is not enough to elicit such emotion. 


TLDR: 

DNF (the next 6 volumes from this series)

I've come this far still with high hopes for this manga, but time and time again, it failed me. Read it still, though, if you're intrigued. A lot of people liked this manga anyway; you might like it too, just like they did.


P.S.

This is just a quick review. I might come back to edit this.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inizia una sofferta battaglia dopo l'insubordinazione di tutte le claymore, ma l'organizzazione non si smentisce, tirando fuori dal loro armadio degli orrori degli scheletri terrificanti. Per quanto ancora hanno intenzione di continuare a giocare, infierendo con i loro esperimenti sui corpi delle guerriere? Spero che tutte le loro teste saltino il prima possibile. Comunque, che felicità indescrivibile rivedere Raki in azione in questo volume! Clare, raggiungilo presto!

[Ephelia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ma quanto è bella questa copertina con questa Miria rediviva? Finalmente tutte le guerriere fanno fronte comune contro l'organizzazione e finalmente rivediamo anche Raki che viene liberato dalla prigionia. Ma una nuova minaccia attacca le guerriere che cercano di entrare nella base principale dell'organizzazione: le tre resuscitate, nuova terribile arma (ed esperimento) dell'inquietante Dae.
Questo manga si attesta come miglior recupero degli ultimi anni, peccato non averlo scoperto prima.

[Fluffy_Pomeroy · Rating 4 out of 5]

In some ways a return to form.

Feels like the series is getting back to basics and honing in on smaller stories and characters while the plot kinda happens as a tertiary mechanism. Fight sequences that go by the way of "surpassing limit" faster than the bad guys.

The volumes sometime feel out of sync. These stories feel incomplete or to be concluded in a following arc so the grouping is a bit challenging to me when assessing the merit.

But on balance, really good B story.

[Brandon · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's like this series wants to be somewhat realistic, that the characters don't just throw out massive energy beams or manipulate gravity or something. But instead they have the dumbest fucking special abilities. This one lady moves her head left and right to generate momentum and destroy enemies. What? That's not how that works??? But yeah same old same old, someone shows up and goes I AM SO MUCH STRONGER and starts ripping people apart.

[Peter Barr · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this episode, the rebel Claymores have outnumbered the Claymores that protect the Organization and begin to take it on. The Organization develops a new means of defending itself. Volume 21 goes into the battle and the characters that make it up. It's a terrific series and holds my interest each time.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little bit of a mixed volume. The Sadist is an archetype that's getting a bit old, but I must admit, there's something very intriguing about Roxanne's Joker-esque "Watch the World Burn" mentality. On the other end of the spectrum, the Dusteater technique is by far the dumbest thing in this manga so far, though I do like Cassandra's character.

[Reichis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The loyalty to Miria is so odd. I can't get over that part.
Raki seems to be written in a way, where we are supposed to like him, but I don't. :D I just wish we were shown him actually becoming strong, and the family feeling Isely was talking about.
I really like Roxanne's and Cassandra's backstory, it's fucked up but interesting.

[Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafuterra made the ultimate speech. Never underestimate the power of the human heart! Words to live by, honestly.

I’m digging the latest turn of events. Our attention has turned back towards Claymores and the series is the better for it. About time. Hell, I even think Raki's cool. What is happening? lol.