Claymore – The End
26 September 2007
Well, Claymore is probably the first series I’ve blogged start to finish, even if the first thirteen episodes were condensed into a massive summary post way back when on my first blog.
I have to say, for a series that I picked up on a whim and because I was bored, it sure turned out to be one helluva show. Granted, I thought the first half of episode twenty six to be seriously, almost criminally, cheesy and melodramatic. C’mon, Raki crying, naked Priscilla on the floor, all that hugging, I was ready to gorge my eyes out. I guess they went for the dramatic ending instead of the action-packed, big kaboom ending I was hoping for.
But, I have to admit, it made the latter part of the episode all the more enjoyable. The last ten minutes really did it for me. The show definitely ends here, but at the same time, nothing ends here. Easley (the ever so elegant sportscaster) runs off with Priscilla. Helen, Deneve and Miria desert the organization, going off on their separate ways, vowing to meet again. Clare pays her respects to Jeane, more hugging and crying from Raki, one last smile from Teresa and off they go as well. Even Galatea gets two seconds of screen time before the final closing shot.
This post is not complete without at least mentioning the whole “Don’t Kill Priscilla!” bit. Honestly, I wanted Clare to slice that damn bitch’s head off. Christ, so what if it’s a weeping, naked girl? She killed Teresa, about two seconds ago she was a big, purple demon! It was just so irritating, just so darn irritating. I wanted to see her head go flying! But no, no, of course not, you can’t kill weeping, naked girls no matter what genre you’re in. And poof, appears Raki, brave Raki to save Clare from being a youma. Ugh, I hated and loved Raki at the same time.
And, Jeane, I don’t even know what to say about Jeane. She basically saved everything. I was so certain Raki was going to be the emotional catalyst that salvages Clare from eternal damnation, but that switch-a-roo they pulled the last second was a good one. That’s where the episode started getting better. It was emotional, but it was good. Hearing Clare’s voice crack when she finally turns back, weeping for Jeane was so much better and way beyond anything the whole Priscilla thing did for me.
Side note: Galatea’s two second role felt a bit pointless, but the stain glass window scene looked amazing, so I’m not complaining. Just the colors from the sunlight melting into the background, gave me such a serene feeling, went along nicely with Galatea’s character.
I also loved the part where Raki hugs Clare and the fog clears, the sky opens up, all the colors come back and you just get such a sense of relief, contentment, it’s almost as if you were carrying a ten ton boulder that suddenly disappeared. All that tension, gathering and collecting ever since the first episode just went away with the fog. It’s like holding your breath for a really long time and feeling the ridiculous rush when you breathe in again.
My only complaint is that Claymore didn’t feel the least bit emotionally captivating. Some things just felt kind of flat, like the War in the North arc, where everyone was dying very abrupt deaths. What am I supposed to feel? Hello and good bye, off you go, diced into tiny pieces. Things like Teresa, on the other hand, felt genuinely heartbreaking. Somewhere along the way, Claymore lost a little bit of that heartbreak.
Aside from that, I really have nothing much left to say. The Teresa arc was a high point in Claymore, for me anyway. Ophelia’s arc had me hook, line and sinker. The Pieta arc felt slightly strange and just a bit random, but the gore and action was enjoyable. The ending was two seconds away from pitching itself off a cliff, but managed to save itself in time.
I’ve really come to love Claymore. It’s one of those things you just walk away from feeling so damn good. When it’s all over, you can just get up, stretch and grin saying that it was just damn good. Claymore has a very elusive, unexplainable attraction. It’s not too blatant and not too subtle, but enough of both to get your attention and enough lack thereof to keep it there.
What else am I supposed to say besides that Claymore was just, so, goddamn, good!?