Claymore. New Edition, Vol. 12

Claymore [クレイモア] #12

by Norihiro Yagi, Michela Riminucci (Translator)

Easley e Luciela si affrontano con i loro terrificanti poteri da Yoma! Nel bel mezzo della battaglia tra due dei tre risvegliati più forti di tutti, però, compare anche la Numero Cinque, Rafaela! Quali saranno le sue vere intenzioni...? E qual è stato il destino di Clare e delle altre guerriere della squadra incaricata di abbattere i risvegliati?

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2007

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

[Caro the Helmet Lady · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this world saying "could you give me a hand?" can become quite literal.

[Ray Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

[ Re-read in 2023. ]

Seven years have passed and only 7 Claymores were able to survive the battle in the North. They’ve trained all these years in order to avenge their fallen comrades and of course, to end the organization they once belonged to.

We also get to see a little bit of the past with Raphaela and Luciela, who were sisters in a project that didn’t go as planned (Luciela ended up being a Creature of the Abyss, and Raphaela was banned until they needed her once again).

Now, what I really liked about this volume was that the survivors have been training their skills and they’re stronger than before. And we also meet a whole new generation of Claymores who brag about being far more strong than the previous ones, but perhaps they lack experience.

What truly unnerves me is that Luciela was fighting against Isley and when she was about to get killed, she ran away only to meet Raphaela –who kind of killed her, though I’m not quite sure of the outcome.

A few questions remain: where is Raki? Wasn’t Isley and Priscilla planning on vanishing the world and all that people held dear to them?

PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4 | Volume 5 | Volume 6 | Volume 7 | Volume 8 | Volume 9 | Volume 10 | Volume 11

[Jesus Flores · Rating 3 out of 5]

Claymore 12
Este libro es más que nada setting para lo que sigue que parece se pondrá interesante, y que ya no salió en el anime

3 stars
SPOILERS

Vemos un poco mas sobre la organización, sus experimentos, y también que paso en la batllade Pieta y un poco de su repercusión

Que trágico lo de Raphaella y Luciella.

[Joni · Rating 2 out of 5]

Estoy perdiendo el interés en esta serie y apenas pasada la mitad puede ser un buen momento para dejarla.
Historia típica de enfrentamientos cada vez más brutales, rivales mas poderosos, habilidades increíbles que se superan a cada capítulo. El dibujo es irregular, algunos fondos son admirables, el tema es con las Claymore que son todas muy parecidas. Cuesta diferenciar los personajes que para colmo aparecen y mueren constantemente nuevas, complicando identificarlos.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Seven years have passed since the war in the North. Seven Claymore including Clare faked their own deaths to stay in hiding and train. Now they come out of hiding to find Raki and take on the Creatures of the Abyss.

The organization has new Claymore’s now. The first few we’re introduced to don’t seem particularly strong. But the next group appears to be running circles around Riful of the West. But we shall see.

Clare in Claymore Graveyard on the cover of volume 12.

Read 8/15/22

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

While there's still the staple action sequences, that takes a backseat in favor of filling in some backstory, tying up a couple plot threads, and setting things up for the second half of the series, as we end up skipping forward 7 years, but it's not jarring or anything, it feels pretty natural. Some of the odder characters the series has seen are introduced in these chapters, including Clarice, who while taking over Clare's number also seems to be her dark-haired doppelganger, and Miata, who...well, I'll let you experience her for yourself. One of my favorite villains of the story thus far returns by book's end as well.

[Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

WOW! They become really strong! I am so surprise, and thankful for that!!! Go Miria team!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Link · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good volume!
I enjoyed seeing the awakened one

[Tyrell ⚔️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking a break from Claymore - I honestly have no clue what's going on in the story.

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

Most of this volume was set up for the next arc and as such it was okay.

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woooooah. Seven years??? I did NOT see that time skip coming. This was one of the coolest volumes just off of shock value.

[♡ Piff ♡ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

[Ephelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un volume più tranquillo, scopriamo cosa è successo a Claire e le altre nell'ultima battaglia.
Se penso che tra una decina di volumi è finito, urlo per la disperazione

[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 12th installment 7 years have passed the 24 claymore perished in the battle against the awakened beings. Only seven survived but in doing so they had to fake their own deaths knowing the organization would be after them otherwise. They spent the seven years training together to be a lethal team but the time has come for Clare to find Raki and seek the revenge she very much deserves from Pricilla. While in hiding the abyssal beings have been fighting each other, new claymores had to be created to replace those they lost one young claymore who’s weak unlike the others has taken over Clare’s spot. Will she survive to become a powerful claymore or just another pray for Yoma. Will Clare find Raki?

I like Clare she’s a sword carrying slayer who isn’t afraid to die charging in risking her life. She may not survive every encounter but that doesn’t stop her from doing what has to be done protecting the humans. While most Claymore’s wouldn’t allow Raki to tag along she accepts him and maybe it’s partly because they are kindred but he needs her and she him to keep her humanity. I find Clare to be an intriguing character and can’t wait to see more about her back story as well as what’s going to happen next. We are given a little back story on Clare which introduces us to Teresa a Claymore whose life was changed by Clare.

I’ve seen all of the episodes on Netflix a few years ago actually binge watched them over a long weekend. I love the concept for the Claymore the hybrids created using parts from the monsters that they have been created to fight. While I am familiar with the story it’s interesting to see it play out as I read it. 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 go on but so far I’m super exited to read the series. Claymore is a fast paced loaded with action series that is captivating right from the start hard to put down till the last page. Can’t wait to start the next one in the series they just keep getting better. I feel like a voracious Reader because I can’t get enough.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Timeskip! I love that our heroes are now the black leather gang (their outfits are not only smoking hot but much more visually interesting designs than the original Claymore armor--a sign, I think, of Yagi's growth as an artist). My favorite scene is when Miria is like, "I could only save seven!" and Deneve and Clare make her look at the faces of the people she did save. I have no defenses against that sort of emotion.

[Álex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Obviamente las cosas no terminaron como en principio parecían. Pero el precio ha sido un salto de 7 años en el tiempo. Nuevas claymores, una nueva número 47 y la certeza de que será imposible vencer a las criaturas del abismo y más en concreto a una de ellas. Espero que a partir de este punto la historia no caiga en la repetición.

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the only one who us that crazy about this series!?! Probably not... One thing is sure, I'll cry like a baby when this will be over. What a ride! Loving every word and illustration of it! Amazing work!

[k.wing · Rating 2 out of 5]

The problem with a man writing a bunch of women is when he feels the need to add in sexual fetishes for his own amusement.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today's post is on Claymore volume 12: Souls of the Fallen by Norihiro Yagi. It is the twelfth the long running Claymore series, you need to have read the first eleven volumes to understand the story. It is 189 pages long and is published by Shonen Jump Advanced. The cover has Clare standing in a winter landscape surrounded by the graves of other Claymores. The intended reader is someone who likes dark plots, high action, and strong female characters. There is mild foul language, no sexuality, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told from third person close of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Seven years have passed since the devastating battle in Pieta, and now a new generation of warriors carries on the fight against the Awakened Ones. However, the mystery of Clare's fate, and that of her comrades, resurfaces after a surprising discovery made by a young Claymore.

Review- We get a time skip in this volume jumping seven years. Clare and seven other Claymores have been hiding and training in the far north. The Organization believes them to be dead and Isley has moved from the north to somewhere south. A small band of Claymores has been send north as a hunting party and they almost die but Clare and company save them. The Organization has rebuilt with new Claymores and they are starting to push against the Awakened Ones hard. But Clare is tired of waiting in the north. So she is going south to hunt for Raki and Priscilla but that means she might be discovered still alive by the Organization. I am about half way down this series and I am looking forward to seeing where Clare is going to end up and how she is going to bring Priscilla down.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

[47Time · Rating 5 out of 5]

Luciela of the South is defeated by Isley of the North. She barely survives and is badly weakened. Her sister Raphaela tracks her down. In their past the two were supposed to be a pair of nearly-invincible fighters - Luciela would use her full power while Raphaela kept them tethered to their human half. Raphaela failed on the first try and triggered an event that crippled the organization. Raphaela's sole purpose in life became to undo her mistake. She does so now by taking her sister's life.

Seven years later, a new number 47 named Clarice joins her Claymore colleagues in a hunt for Yoma in the North. The organization has a more active policy on Yoma - it attacks them even without being hired to do so. Unfortunately, they are defeated by a group of Awakened. Thankfully they get saved at the last second by the surviving Claymores who fought in the North seven years ago. Knowing they were betrayed by the organization, they have been hiding their auras all that time, while growing their strength. Even now they don't reveal themselves to the new Claymores.

Clare still wants to find Raki. He is somewhere in the South where the organization is to be found too. The other surviving Claymores also want revenge on the organization, so they remain together. The first thing they meet is Riful who is attacking a squad of Claymores from the new generation. The old Claymores jump to help, but the new ones are more than a match for Riful.

[OmniBen · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Zero spoiler review) 3.5/5
So, I guess this is about as good as its going to get. It would be too much now for me to hope this recent relative upswing will continue to improve I the volumes ahead, as I've been burnt like that before by this series, and more than once in fact. That being said, many of my complaints about this series had been addressed after the fact. The bloated, boring hard to follow fight scenes were drastically reduced. I think there were only two throughout this arc, and they were both fairly short. Dialogue too, saw a rather hefty upswing, with this volume taking around twice as long to read as many of the others, as I wasn't flicking quickly through said boring fight scenes. Now, it is still fairly rudimentary and exposition heavy, but I'll take what I can get, I guess.
Also falling into the category of worthy of praise is the art on one of the creatures in this volume. I would love to see this stuff oversized and printed on decent paper. small format paperbacks are not the format for reading comics of any sort, let alone something that can frequently look pretty damn cool. And the scene with the two Claymore's near the end *chefs kiss. Don't worry. If you read it you'll know the one I mean. 3.5/5


OmniBen.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

So if males are unstable with Yoma energy why is the organization made up of all males....

World: Fantastic art once again. The world building is better this time around with more bits of the past and also a time jump. But there is still a lack of context to the organization and all the different Abyssal Ones. Add to that the powers are still not clearly defined. Oh well.

Story: Yeah some quiet moments of character development! It's a bit janky and the jumping between time periods is not handled that well but it's good cause it gives characters some context and depth. The time jump was unexpected but I can see where that is gonna be for Clare and Raki (you know he's awakened now). The story is fun but the lack of depth is also starting to irk.

Characters: We get depth for Raphaela which is good but then we get 7 years of development for the group just brushed away. It makes no sense Clare would wait 7 years to find Raki.

Better but some logical leaps.

Onward to the next book!

[José Manuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Muchas cosas pasan en este tomo y es que aquí se crean nuevas tramas, mientras que las tramas originales plantean un nuevo rumbo. Podemos ver un poco más sobre Rafaela y Luciela, sin embargo, los personajes no están bien construidos y su arco dramático se vuelve sin emoción al no conectar con ninguna de ellas. Viene un nuevo personaje que se llama Clarice y que sería la nueva 47 de la Organización, desconozco el motivo de por qué el autor está utilizando de nuevo el mismo recurso de una guerrera del rango más bajo y que se llame muy parecido a Claire, espero que haya algo detrás de todo esto en los siguientes tomos.

Hay enfrentamientos con Riful, nos presentan a la nueva generación de guerreras de un solo dígito y vemos lo que sería el desenlace de lo que pasó hace mucho tiempo en el Norte cuando las 24 guerreras se enfrentaron a los Renacidos.

Es un tomo introductorio a lo que se irá hilando en las demás entregas, pero lo encontré un poco flojo, porque presentar tantas cosas en un volumen no permite que te de la oportunidad de adentrarte tanto en sus historias. Esperemos que todo esto de forma al tomo que viene.

[Peter Barr · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Claymore series is the story of humans versus monsters. The monsters are called Yomas and humans that have become Yomas which are called Awakened Ones. They are flesh eating monsters but they can't be seen by humans. Humans have combined humans with Yomas to make warriors called Claymores. These are all female. They can see the Yomas and use the Yoma side to battle the Yoma until the Yoma side takes over and they become monsters who must be killed. The Claymores are called Claymores because they use the large Scottish swords known as Claymores. To make matters more complicated, the Awakened Ones have started to get organized to fight the Claymore. That is this story. It is interesting and the art work is excellent.

[Tania · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pues pasaron 7 años, la guerra se perdió y el Norte ahora es tierra de nadie. El asunto es que solo 7 Claymores sobrevivieron gracias a la estrategia de Miria de suprimir sus poderes yoma y han entrenado para ser prácticamente indetectables a la vez que mejoraron sus habilidades.

Me intriga saber qué pasó con Raki, porque el muchacho andaba en la boca del lobo paseándose junto a Isley y Priscilla. Que, además, el compa este enfrentó a Luciella, quien es hermana de Raphaela, la número 5, porque ambas fueron parte del proyecto anterior a Alicia y Beth (las gemelas de una sola mente), pero fracasaron y eso terminó con Luciella despertando. Qué rollo.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume di transizione ma non per questo meno bello. Prima si fa un passo indietro nel passato per mostrarci gli esperimenti senza cuore dell'organizzazione ai danni delle claymore, poi si torna al presente con un salto temporale di ben sette anni. Tante cose sembrano essere cambiate in questi anni e non solo per le sette sopravvissute alla guerra nelle terre del Nord. La nuova generazione di claymore sembra molto più forte e spudorata della vecchia scuola di Clare e Miria. Sarà la fine per l'abissale Riful dell'ovest? È assurdo, ma mi ritrovo a provare pena per lei e vorrei quasi che venisse salvata...

[Jenny Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one goes back and forth in time. It gives us a bit of backstory on Rafaela and Luciela then jumps to the time of the battle in the north and then to seven years after that and then concludes the battle in the north with flashbacks.
The plot threads are growing, and are handled quite well, despite the fact that there is little dialogue. These are really fast reads due to that, but are really good.

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

[Timothy Pitkin · Rating 3 out of 5]

We do get a time skip which seemed kind of weird since nothing really happened that really warranted it as after the time skip they are still doing the same things they were doing before the time skip. I think the only reason the time skip happened is so they can introduce some new characters but I still feel the time skip was not really needed. But I do like the idea that Claire and her group are now just openly against the Organization but I do wish we would actually start learning more about the Organization as we do not even know who the leaders are or how it works.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Time skip! Let's see what's happening now... the organization is even more creepy and unstable, great. I think one of my bigger problems is how all the characters have the same uniform and all that changes is a little bit about their face/hair, sure that makes sense for an organization but it's hard to tell the characters apart. Am I supposed to go hunting for their tiny little symbols? We see a shot of some characters and I'm like oh I don't really know who is who or what their one little personality gimmick is that makes them different.

[Merlijn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I dislike time jumps in almost all books. For no apparent reason the seven decided to stay in the north. And it took Clare that much time to realize that raki isn’t in the north we’re no living soul lives… how dumb are you?
And the number system is just odd. No matter how many die, some just don’t move up.
Too much of nothing is happening in the books. I liked that start, but the story is going nowhere and taking its sweet time to get there.