Claymore – Episode 25
19 September 2007
I’m not sure where to start when it comes to episode twenty five. You have your expected epic battle scenes, the villain totally overpowering the hero. You have the friends coming to save the hero just in time, delaying the inevitable battle and getting slaughtered by the villain who suddenly reveals her true form. You have the hero who also suddenly unleashes her powers, regaining her reason to live and will to fight. And, of course, there’s the minor characters emotionally attached to the hero who also manage to make the party.
Looking at it now, it reminds me a whole lot of Dragon Ball Z, the Frieza bit where Krillin dies and Goku snaps and goes Super Saiyan and precedes to exterminate Frieza. There’s almost a certain formula one can use to create the perfect, cliched shonen ending. (Super Villain) + (Righteous Hero) + (Sacrificial Character that triggers Hero) + (Flashy battle scenes and grunting) = Epic shonen ending. Of course, there are shows like Gurren Lagann that break this mold completely, cmon, who the hell do you think they are?!
Anyways, back to Claymore. Episode twenty five felt just a little bit slow. I mean, there’s a huge battle going on and suddenly it cuts to Miria, Helen and Deneve chatting about how Clare is actually part Teresa of the Faint Smile. Cut again to Raki and Jean, trudging along just barely and how you have to fight for what you’ve lost and to keep what you have, or something. Honestly, its like they’re taunting me with the fight scenes. And what’s up with Easley? He’s just on the sidelines, making little comments, like an announcer at a sports game, Claymore Epic Battle presented to you by E(a)S(ley)PN.
Strange as it may seem, I was a bit gleeful when Priscilla showed her true form and so listlessly and dispassionately destroys Miria, Helen and Deneve. She grabs Miria out of the air like a fly, catches the sword Deneve flings at her like a toothpick and slices and dices all three of them like some stereotypical sushi chef from a bad movie. Stuff like that is just good. I want to see pain, I want to see despair, I want to see flying body parts and blood and gore and screaming and dying and all hell break loose. I’m not expecting Claymore to go any deeper than a whimpering Priscilla, crying “Mama, Papa” while consuming human guts.
Speaking of the whole “Mama, Papa” thing, it’s getting really, indecently annoying. All right, so Priscilla’s lost her memories, all right, she can cry for her dead parents. Priscilla turns psycho awakened being still pining for her dead parents? Every other line she has, it’s about Mama and Papa and youma and how she’s going to kill everyone. What is she? One of those lead paint covered Barbies that can only say two things? “Mama, Papa.” “I kill youma.”
With that said, I’m actually quite partial to the cliche-ness of it all. I’m still a sucker for good versus evil fight, I’m still a sucker for the last minute come of a hero. Growing up with Sailor Moon and DBZ prepares you for shows like Claymore, which is a greater and far superior synthesis of both. You’ve got female warriors in skin tight body suits on steroids with flashy, shiny power boosts and transformations fighting to rid the world of evil and for personal revenge. What’s not to love?
And yes, Clare finally awakens. I’m anticipating the final epic battle in episode twenty six to be non-stop action. Less talk, more kill. Less talk, more kill! We’re past the point where internal monologues and inspiration speeches are necessary, give me action, kill, kill, kill!
Man.. the image of a barbie saying `Mama, Papa, I kill youma` just made my day
“He’s just on the sidelines, making little comments, like an announcer at a sports game, Claymore Epic Battle presented to you by E(a)S(ley)PN.”
*Laugh my head off*
Apt, very apt. He’s like this vase. You know, Claymore would is so shounen on one hand, and so shoujo on the other. The formulaic battles and storyline is very shounen (except the flashback with Teresa which I thought was shoujo-style), but the heroes are all heroines and the guys are mostly bishounens.
Not to mention mostly ornamental, which is a contrast to the usually ornamental females in this genre.
It’s like a gender reversed stereotypical shounen, which makes it not so cliche after all.
@Boulayman – When I thought of that, I snorted and couldn’t stop giggling. They need to make toys like that. “I kill youma.”
@Briar – XD Claymore is like everything backwards. You’ve seen it all happen a hundred billion times, but never backwards. It’s like a shojo shonen, if that made any sense. It’s like an action series for girls, or guys that like girls. It’s like putting the two genres together. It’s weird, because, you’re right, they’re all heroines and the decoration characters are all male. Take Raki and Easly for example. What have they really done…Oh, just nothing at all.
And, I do agree with the fact that maybe because it’s a new, gender reversed spin on a cliched plot line that makes Claymore so darn interesting. XD
so im going to torture myself and wait till its over so i can watch the 2 final eps of darker than black back to back. i dont think i would be able to stand the suspense btw 24 and 25. id go insane. As for claymore i stopped watching at ep 8. i knew it was one of those shows better watched marathoned. same with gurren lagann. my marathone for both shows will begin next week?