2007 was a good year for anime, with hits likeGurren Lagann,Lucky Star,Afro Samurai, andHayate the Combat Butler.Streaming services hadn’t popularized anime bingingyet, but that couldn’t stop fans from hitting the web for their favorite shows wherever they could. Still, there’s a shonen series that may have been trampled in the crowd for many viewers.
MentionClaymoreto any anime fan of the past two decades, and it’s a real toss-up of whether they’ll respond with a blank stare of confusion. As promising as the series was, it couldn’t stand up against others of its time and failed to leave a lasting impact. After a closer look, it’s easy to see that the show deserves a reboot, but let’s explore why.
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What IsClaymore?
Claymorefirst debuted as a manga series in 2001, spanning 159 chapters before finishing its run in 2014. The anime adaptation was released in April 2007 and ran until September 2007. The story takes place in a medieval world split into different regions on one huge continent. In this world, humans are constantlypreyed on by demonic monsterscalled “yoma”. Whenever the humans suspect a yoma has invaded a town, they pay a mysterious organization for protection from human-yoma hybrids that the organization creates and the humans have come to call these hybrid warriors claymores.
Claymorefollows Clare, a claymore, who hunts yoma while searching for the target of her revenge along the way. Clare meets Raki, a young human boy, early on in the story and they become a likely duo.
Was It Any Good?
Yes and no. There are a few things thatClaymoredoes well, bothas a Shonen seriesand an anime series in general. In only 26 episodes, certain characters experience impressive character growth. Clare starts the story as a brick wall: pretty stubborn, closed off, emotionally flat, and focused on nothing but revenge. By the end of the anime, she has become a kinder, more open person who embraces forgiveness. There are other characters whose traits also develop or improve after first being introduced to viewers.
The world ofClaymorealso deserves some credit. Where the world shines is in the concept behind “the organization”, as they’re so lovingly referred to. The organization is very mysterious, in its intentions, its origins, and what it knows about the world itself. At different points of the story, viewers get a glimpse behind the curtain when Clare or her closest allies find themselves privy to secrets the organization hoped to keep hidden.
Of course,this is a shonen, so the fights have to hit hard.Claymoredoesn’t have the most astonishing fights in anime, but there are still several fights to really enjoy, and the characters have some interesting abilities. There’s even a good 1v4 fight where a character gets ambushed and still comes out on top.
The Criticisms
For all the best parts,Claymoresure does have some parts that reek to the high heavens. Fans who have seen the series can agree on the worst thing about the series: Raki. Raki is one of the worst characters because for most of his time in the series he’s whiny, immature, overconfident at the worst times, and just a burden to the main protagonist. This could be forgiven if he changed throughout the series, but he stays the same from beginning to end.
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The second-worst thing about the seriesis the disappointing ending. It’s common to see an anime series make changes from the source material, even going so far as to make an original ending in the worst cases.Claymore’s ending falls on the lower end of that spectrum, somewhere between a garbage fire and the lacklusterSoul Eateranime ending.Claymore’s ending managed to follow up one of the most interesting battle sequences of the show with a rushed and underwhelming final battle with the main antagonist of the series. Then there was an unnecessary death and an open-ended resolution that tried way too hard to be positive and vague.
Why Does It Deserve a Reboot?
Claymorehad the potential to be something spectacular. Fans who have read the manga would surely agree that the anime failed because of how poorly itadapted the original source material. The original manga series currently ranks above themanga forDemon Slayer,Beastars,Detective Conan: Case Closed, and other popular fan favorites on MyAnimeList, the world’s largest anime and manga database.Claymore’s manga series explores far more characters than the anime series but does it in a thorough and satisfying way. It also reveals more of the origins behind the organization, the yoma, and the world of the story.
Since the story ended with Clare facing defeating the main antagonist, the series would be unable to come back with a second season, but a new reboot wouldn’t be out of the question. Anew reboot could start overfrom the beginning and stick more closely to the source material until its conclusion. AClaymoreanime series reboot would now have hundreds more chapters to pull from and the original series only rushed the ending because it had caught up to the manga at that point.
Why Could It Do Well Now?
The show had some cool fight concepts, but the animation was lacking for the most part.With how CGI animation has flourishedin current times, the fights could look far better. CGI animation is cheaper and quicker to produce than the 2D animation used at the time ofClaymore’s original run, so it could potentially be more cost-effective to produce it now. Traditionally, CGI animation had a poor reputation in the anime crowd, but more recently fans have seen it balanced seamlessly with 2D animation. Imagine CGI animation to rival the likes ofDemon SlayerorAttack on Titanmixed well with 2D like in those series.
Current Forerunners in the shonen genre, likeJujutsu Kaisen,Attack on Titan, andBlack Cloverhavepresented strong female characterson the front line, who have gone on to become fan faves. TheClaymoreroster boasts an almost entirely female cast, with little to no fan service to be found. With the positive reception that solid, well-developed female protagonists have seen more recently, this would be the perfect time for a series likeClaymoreto come out.
Where Have We Seen This Before?
Which is more popular?Full Metal Alchemistor the subsequent series,Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood. Here’s a hint: It’s the one that remained true to the manga it was adapted from.
BothFull Metal Alchemist(FMA) andFull Metal Alchemist Brotherhood(FMAB) were adapted from the manga seriesFull Metal Alchemist, which debuted in 2001 and ran until 2010. FMA was released in 2003 and FMAB was released in 2009. FMA followed the manga series for about 30 episodes before creating an entirely new story. FMAB followed the manga series from start to end andremains beloved by fans. After seeing how well it turned out forFull Metal Alchemist Brotherhood, that’s a pretty good indicator that it’s time forClaymoreto return.
