On a world where humans are preyed upon by demonic beings called Yoma, the only source of protection comes from the Claymore sect: half-human, half-Yoma female warriors who use an evil power called yokai to overcome the Yoma. Controlled by a shadowy institution known only as The Organisation, the Claymores are assigned to anti-Yoma operations based on their skills and ranking. Unfortunately, the more a Claymore uses their yokai power against the Yoma, the more their human nature disappears, until they become wholly Yoma – at which time they are subject to execution by their fellow Claymores. Occasionally, however, a Claymore-turned-Yoma becomes an “Awakened Being”, an uber-powerful Yoma that can threaten the very existence of The Organisation itself.

Based on a hugely successful manga created by Norihiro Yagi, “Claymore” tells the story of Claire, a relative junior within The Organisation who is searching for the Awakened Being who killed her mentor and friend Teresa. Along the way, she unexpectedly rescues and befriends a young boy named Raki, and begins to experience a re-awakened sense of herself as more than just the ultimately doomed instrument that others have fashioned her to be. Complex, graphic, and rendered in an atmospheric gothic style, “Claymore” is a study of the loneliness that comes from being both despised and depended upon, and the way in which relationships can be manipulated for the convenience of others. It is also a meditation on the unexpectedly powerful “small moments” in life, and how the connection with others can make us more than the mere sum of our parts.

© Text Copyright Brendan E Byrne 2020. All rights reserved.