Claymore #5: Ejecutoras

Claymore [クレイモア] #5

by Norihiro Yagi

Teresa, a powerful Claymore, saves a young girl from her bandit captors and leaves the child in the care of some villagers. But triumph quickly gives way to despair when the situation takes a tragic turn, and Teresa is forced to kill a human--an act that will condemn her to death at the hands of her own kind.

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

192 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2003

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

[Igel :) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is this series so good ? 🥹😭

[Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

[Slight spoilers ahead for those still reading before this volume]

This was the volume that really sucked me into Claymore and left the mangaka tugging at my tongue as if leading me to the impending doom of reading this series instead of studying or working on my thesis.

The relationship between Teresa of the Faint Smile and Clare appears at surface value to appeal to a done-to-death trope - callous, unforgiving warrior meets vulnerable and orphaned child and slowly begins to bond with her when she could not bond with others.

This trope is turned on its head and given a concussion. The relationship that blooms between them is beautiful but ethereal. There is a strong emotional investment that you as the reader forms in a relationship that only covers a fraction of the story, but forms the foundation for so much of its appeal and subsequent conclusion (Note: I am writing this review after finishing the series so I have that hindsight).

Who would I recommend this series to?

• Fans of Seinen manga who need a break from harsher stories like Berserk and Homunculus.

• Anyone who enjoys dark high fantasy but doesn't necessarily read manga and is not quite comfortable yet with "anime-type" culture, jokes and references or feels that those things are distracting to the story.

• People who enjoys a female-studded cast that doesn't use pop feminism as its hook but instead looks at women through a natural lens using intersectional feminism.



Side note: Teresa of the Faint Smile is the coolest name ever.

[Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

مانگا بالاخره داره جون میگیره

[Shi2chi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just hate this organization and all their lies and their code and their laws and everything related to them (except for Teresa and Clare)
Good writing, good amount of information revealed, clare's character makes much more sense now

[Sarah ~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

مجلد دموي.

[Ray Flores · Rating 4 out of 5]

[ Re-read in 2023. ]

Four Claymores are chasing Teresa, but since she’s #1, she doesn’t even need to call for her yoma power, that is until Priscilla, the young and unexperienced #2, decides to go after her head by using more yoma power than she can handle.

In this volume we learn that the more yoma power they use, they’re more likely to become a monster, and so, they can never change back to being half-breeds. Despite knowing this, Priscilla decides to strike Teresa, and not even then, she can make her sweat.

Unfortunately, she deceives her and gets close to her, so with a swift move, she chops both of Teresa’s arms off, and then beheads her. The mix of emotions Priscilla’s feeling turn her into a whole new creature that is powerful enough to beat the remaining claymores down.

After Teresa’s death, Clare searches for the man in black robes that collects the money from missions, and she willingly joins the organization.

Now, back in the present, she gets called into a new mission: the organization sends a group of claymores to finish what they call a “voracious eater”. People commonly mistake them for older, wiser yoma, but the truth is that these creatures, these monsters are the result of failed Claymores that couldn’t shift back, just like Priscilla.

We also learn that Clare has the lowest rank, being the #47, but I have a theory that the reason of this is because she only had Teresa’s remaining parts inside her, instead of a full yoma, like the others.

Either way, the group faces a new challenge, because the voracious eater is not a female claymore, but a male one. His abilities are on a complete different level and he practically beats them all down as if they were flies.

How will they defeat him? I can’t wait to read the next volume to find out!

PREVIOUS REVIEWS:
Volume 1 | Volume 2 | Volume 3 | Volume 4

[Hosein · Rating 5 out of 5]

به نظرم توی این قسمت تازه قدرت داستان مشخص شد، توی چهار والیوم قبلی من کاملا حس می‌کنم کلایمور ورژن ملایم‌تر برزرکه، اما اینجا شخصیت‌پردازی‌ها بهتر شدن، حتی تغییر کردن تا خودشون رو از منطق داستانی برزرک جدا کنن. یکی از ایراد‌هایی که خیلی از مانگاها (مثلا اتک) داشتن، تکرار کردن اطلاعات به صورت خیلی مسخره بود، اما اینجا هر چیزی رو واقعا یکبار می‌گه و رد می‌شه.

تا والیوم پنج، مشکل اصلی من طراحی‌ها بوده. بخش‌های جنگ و درگیری خوبن، حتی ریتم سریع و جالبی دارن. اما شخصیت‌ها خیلی شبیه به هم دیگه‌س قیافه‌شون. یکسری جاها طراح کاراکتر که توی والیوم قبل بوده رو دوباره میاره و نهایتا یکم موها و لباسشو تغییر میده. حتی به طور کلی طراحی اونقدر قوی و تحسین‌برانگیز نیست، صرفا خوبه و برای روایت داستان کافیه.

[♡︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

i did not sign up for this level of heartbreak wth😭

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Te pasas, Teresa. Hasta yo lo vi venir 😂 aunque me gustó mucho más este tomo, siento que le falta más tragedia a la infancia de Clare.

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a great and emotional volume!

Teresa continues to fight the 4 Claymores but then we see the difference in their power as she subdues them all but then Priscilla loses it all and gives into 100% of the Yona inside her and unleashes it all and what follows is an emotional and shocking moment with big consequences of the future and thus is born Clare. Her new mission to hunt down a Voracious eater/Awakened being with other Claymores named Helen, Deneve and Miria goes on but when they find him its gonna be shocking battle!

This was a great volume and just shows the world of the Claymores is different and deadly and not all that roses and sunshine and what they face is not only deadly but dangerous and this volume does a good job at showing new thing and giving expositions and I love the dark origin that Clare has and how she became a Claymore and the art just gets better especially the terrifying Yona monsters drawn here. Another ball out of the park by Yagi-sensei.

[MarinaLawliett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Se acabaron las tonterías, se lía ya

[Mandy Sickle · Rating 4 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 fifth installment Teresa has battled her fellow Claymore’s but left them alive with plans to leave the village with Clare. However that’s not going to happen because Priscilla who’s #2 can’t get over the fact that she broke the rules and uses her inner Yoma to attack Teresa. After a fierce battle Priscilla is successful in taking Teresa’s life but not at the cost of her own. Unable to control the Yoma inside she turns into an awakened which is like a super Yoma stronger and more powerful. Poor Clare has been left alone again but even though short her time with Teresa has changed her life forever. Now she’s a claymore on the hunt for a male Voracious Eater with her fellow claymores.

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.

[Wing Kee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Expected gut wrench.

World: The art is superb with the amazing action and kinetic art. The world building is also solid with little more info on the organizations and the nature of Yoma.

Story: The end of the Teresa arc was an Expected gut wrench but it still was sad to read but it was also well done. The next story is also strong as we come back to the present to see Clare and Raki and their further adventures. The action is brisk and the dialog little but the art does pack an emotional punch.

Characters: Depth for Clare is good and context. I also liked how Teresa was handled giving a nice emotional punch for readers. New pieces were well don't and tied to world building which I enjoyed.

Gut punch.

Onward to the next book!

[Etienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect Saturday night read!! Awesome and action packed!

[library ghost (farheen) · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me quedé así 👁👄👁 cuando vi lo que pasó entre Teresa y Priscilla. No me lo esperaba, la vdd. Buenísima trama, pero a qué precio.

Este manga me ha sorprendido gratamente y estoy siempre emocionada por saber qué va a pasar.

Además, acá dieron mucha información, como la existencia de los awakened y quiénes son en realidad. También el hecho de que al parecer Clare es la Claymore más débil (cosa que yo no creo, eh, pero bueno).

[Cassia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Claire is not exactly the best fighter among the Claymore ... she was not born strong either but she will become strong and that takes time ... And this organization has its principles dubious...

[C. Varn · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of the Theresa arc and the beginning of the hints that both the mythology and the corporation are more mysterious than has been let on. The addition of "awakened beings" gives so real diversity to the monsters as Yoma were much more one note. The art remains clear and clean lined, although sometimes the characters are only differentiated by small details and can be a little confusing in battle scenes although the character design is consistent. The integration of the flashback with the main storyline begins in earnest here.

[Greg · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5 Another solid quick volume. We finish up the last arc involving Clare's past. We also learn what Awakened Being's AKA Voracious Eaters actually are. Claymore's that surpass their limits and don't black card or kill themselves in time. We learn this in quite a brutal way. This also leads us to how Clare became a Claymore.

We then return the normal timeline where we learn that Clare is actually the weakest of the Claymores at rank #47. Clare then joins up with a team to take on an Awakened Being and a male one at that.

Teresa on the cover of Volume 5.

Read 8/5/2022

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clare’s past is really interesting! And I wonder how will she turn out in the future??? I definitely can’t wait to find out!

[Riddhish Bhalodia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is pretty great! We are starting to see some real building of the world and getting little pieces of information about it.

[MajesticalLion · Rating 5 out of 5]

This volume brought some big revelations with it. It gave a good idea of who the main antagonist will be, and it solidified that Clare is... The weakest Claymore?? THAT'S a plot twist, for sure. 😂

[MC · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume Five of Claymore delves even deeper into the mythology of the manga series than the last volume I reviewed, the third one. Now, we are closer to exploring who some of the heavy hitters among the villains are, and what is more, this is connected to the back-story of the main character Claire.

It seems that when the half-human/half-Yoma hybrids that Claymores are take on most of the supernatural Yoma powers within themselves, they turn entirely into a hybrid that is even more powerful than either a Claymore or a Yoma. This process is called "awakening" and the person fully emerges as a sort of new species. These creatures are incredibly powerful and even several high-ranked Claymores don't stand a chance against them.

We also find out that most of the early members of these Awakened beings are males. Early on, most of the Claymores were male, as opposed to the current entirely female membership of the warrior group. This is supposedly because Awakening is extremely pleasurable and males gave into it more likely. I don't remember if it is explicitly said so, but it seems strongly implied the "pleasure" involved is sexual in nature.

I don't really have much of an issue here with this story other than that the transition to the origin story a few volumes ago, and back to the main plot now, seemed kind of disjointed. It could have been done more smoothly and fluidly, methinks.

The art was quite good as far as manga art goes. It wasn't the most beautiful I've seen, but it did have it was pleasing to look at. Norihiro Yagi did a very good job on the visuals.

A solid addition to the series. I'm looking forward to more in the future.

[Dorin Lazăr · Rating 5 out of 5]

The creation of Priscilla, the main antagonist of the series, is really an emotional point. Teresa is beaten through trickery, not fair fight.

The series go back to the present day, where Clare has to join three other Claymores to slay a „voracious eater” which is really an awakened being. It's the moment when the organization turns slightly creepy, but that's only for a few moments - their inside fight for hierarchy pales when they end up facing a more difficult monster to slay. And the group is at a disadvantage.

The series still keeps a good pace, and the reading of the volume flies by you. It's pure entertainment, with an occasional informational dump where the writers look like they try to rewrite some ideas from the past (they re-rank the mummy in the cathedral as not being a voracious eater so that the voracious eater could be an awakened being). But the rewrite is subtle, and it works quite well.

[Daken Howlett · Rating 5 out of 5]

Si conclude la storia di Teresa e inizia la nuova saga di Claire, che questa volta si ritroverà a dover affrontare uno dei segreti meglio custoditi e più letali dell'organizzazione...
Il volume 5 è un passaggio straordinario nell'ottica dell'evoluzione della serie, non solo offre la storia completa di come Claire sia entrata nell'ordine Claymore e perché, ma ci offre due notevoli colpi di scena che arricchiscono notevolmente il mondo in cui è ambientata la storia e offrono risposte a due quesiti rimasti sospesa dal primo volume, senza contare che rifinisce e muta completamente la natura e il ruolo della nostra protagonista semplicemente mettendola per la prima volta a confronto con altre claymore, e non semplici umani o yoma, ed il risultato è assolutamente sorprendente.

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, we see how the dynamic between Clare and Teresa started a chain of events- which leads to Clare's birth.

Now, jump forward to current events, and Clare is part of a group hunting an 'Awakened Being,' or a Claymore that has turned into a monster. We end with another cliffhanger and our monster has pretty much taken out much of our group.

Gosh, I love these badass warrior women!!

[Sharareh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love the story so far, it's action packed, but the faces all look the same, and it's getting hard to differentiate between different characters, also all those information dumping in the middle of a fight didn't make sense...

[Shahad · Rating 5 out of 5]

The battle gets epic.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Max · Rating 3 out of 5]

This volume wraps up the flashback and then launches the story into a new adventure for Clare. The flashback is definitely the strong part in my opinion. It’s much more focused on the combat and action, but it manages to do some new interesting things. We’re finally shown what happens when a Claymore loses control of her powers, as Priscilla is driven mad by her defeat at Teresa’s hands and turns into some sort of horrible monster beyond a Claymore or a Yoma. Clare is at ground zero of the transformation and survives only because as a human she’s so far beneath the ascended Priscilla’s notice that she’s not worth bothering with. The story finally explains how Clare came to be a Claymore, with the fascinating note that she actively sought out the transformation and the organization. I’m a little sad that all the non-Clare characters who were developed won’t be showing up again, but I hope that this flashback will resonate through the rest of the story, and I can’t help wondering how things would feel if it had started the series.

The second half of the volume starts a new storyline, now in the present. Now that we know that Claymores who give into their Yoma energy become ascended monsters, it’s time for Clare to fight one. I will give the author points for going all out with the designs for the ascended, as the two in this volume are pretty unique and nicely different from the Yoma, who were starting to get a little boring. In general it feels like this story is designed to up the stakes now that Clare has been shown taking out Yoma so easily. In addition to revealing the ascended, it turns out Clare is actually the lowest ranked Claymore, though frankly the higher ranked ones here don’t make the best showing so far. There’s also some more details on why men aren’t turned into Claymores, and in general it feels like this volume is heavy on building the lore.

I’m a little torn on revealing Clare as the weakest Claymore, but it does at least give her character more of a hook. On the other hand, the problem of samey character designs for the Claymores persists and continues to make the fights more difficult to follow than they should be. It’s funny - it was the fight scenes that drew me in so much in the first volume, and now my reviews seem to be fluctuating some based on how much non-fight stuff there is, as I discover how well the author can do character moments as seen in the third volume and feel that that’s where I really like this series the most.