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REVIEW: Claymore DVD 6


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nechronius



Joined: 23 Nov 2005
Posts: 275
Location: So Cal, USA
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:13 am Reply with quote
Well stated, Mr. Martin. Your views reflect my own quite closely and I think do a fine job of covering the major points regarding the divergent ending. Had I written something similar in a post though I think I would have come off as somewhat pedantic however, since I tend to dwell on the details (therein lie the devils, right?).

Anyway a fine review. I will say no more lest I start looking like a complete sycophant. Laughing
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nightjuan



Joined: 22 Jan 2008
Posts: 1473
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:32 am Reply with quote
On the other hand, while I do happen to disagree -at least for now since I haven't actually tried to look back and watch the series again yet- with several of the statements involved, the review is certainly well-written and presents an alternative argument in a compelling manner. Too bad I can't agree with it though.

Look at it this way: if people always agreed with reviews, reading them would be boring or almost pointless. Laughing

I've already gone over my point of view the last time this subject came up, but suffice to say that I wouldn't have minded if Madhouse had followed the Berserk example, at least as much as the material allowed them to. For some that would have been worse, for me it would have been better.

Claymore is certainly not a bad series, not at all, even if I didn't entirely buy the way the anime chose to end the story, and it's certainly something I plan to rewatch at some point in the future. It's worth buying, if you have to ask.
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bluegreen



Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:54 am Reply with quote
Good show, terrible terrible ending. As I mentioned in the past it felt choppy and rushed and most importantly it felt tacked on. When I was watching the show I had not yet read the manga and even then the ending just felt wrong. I didn't know how to explain it and I couldn't point out how it felt wrong but it just didn't seem right. As such, when I finally read the manga it became clear to me how and why it felt wrong. It felt that way because it was the typical anime divergence from the manga, and they did it in such an unnatural way that it was jarring.

I liked the show, i will probably buy it when the box set comes out, but I will never watch those crap final episodes again.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
Posts: 18188
Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:42 am Reply with quote
bluegreen wrote:
Good show, terrible terrible ending. As I mentioned in the past it felt choppy and rushed and most importantly it felt tacked on. When I was watching the show I had not yet read the manga and even then the ending just felt wrong. I didn't know how to explain it and I couldn't point out how it felt wrong but it just didn't seem right. As such, when I finally read the manga it became clear to me how and why it felt wrong. It felt that way because it was the typical anime divergence from the manga, and they did it in such an unnatural way that it was jarring.


So clearly you didn't pay attention at all to my explanation about why the ending wasn't "tacked on," then? How can you say that when the entire series very specifically built and tweaked itself towards that ending from the beginning?

I'll agree to disagree with others on most other points about the ending, but I won't budge on this one. Anyone who thinks the ending was "tacked on" was either not paying attention to the earlier clues or is using a broader definition of "tacked on" than I am.
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bluegreen



Joined: 18 Mar 2007
Posts: 29
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:55 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
bluegreen wrote:
Good show, terrible terrible ending. As I mentioned in the past it felt choppy and rushed and most importantly it felt tacked on. When I was watching the show I had not yet read the manga and even then the ending just felt wrong. I didn't know how to explain it and I couldn't point out how it felt wrong but it just didn't seem right. As such, when I finally read the manga it became clear to me how and why it felt wrong. It felt that way because it was the typical anime divergence from the manga, and they did it in such an unnatural way that it was jarring.


So clearly you didn't pay attention at all to my explanation about why the ending wasn't "tacked on," then? How can you say that when the entire series very specifically built and tweaked itself towards that ending from the beginning?
I read you're review. I think you're dead wrong, but I still read it. the show was not tailored to that ending from the very beginning. The show was faithful to the manga until they headed north. That's when they started tweaking things

Quote:
I'll agree to disagree with others on most other points about the ending, but I won't budge on this one. Anyone who thinks the ending was "tacked on" was either not paying attention to the earlier clues or is using a broader definition of "tacked on" than I am.
Whether you budge or not doesn't have any impact whatsoever on what I think about the ending. People's opinions on things vary. That's the way the world works.
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v1cious



Joined: 31 Dec 2002
Posts: 6202
Location: Houston, TX
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 3:59 am Reply with quote
at the end of day, that ending was horrible. i know, you can say it's all profound and deep and i respect that... i'm just not buying it. if there was some deep meaning to be found, then they would've given us at least some sense of resolution. i mean come on spoiler[Isley just interrupts the battle out of nowhere? what the hell is that? not to mention they mention they made it pretty clear that Priscilla may be more powerful than Isley] seriously this isn't Eva we're talking about here, it's a Jump series. this was poor planning, pure and simple.

Last edited by v1cious on Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:01 pm; edited 1 time in total
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pachy_boy



Joined: 09 Mar 2006
Posts: 1323
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:07 am Reply with quote
Hmm, Theron has made me reconsider watching Claymore. It reminds me of 'Jinki Extend,' which had anything but a real closure kind of ending, but I still thoroughly enjoyed that. So I think I'll check Claymore out On Demand if it's still there.
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dtm42



Joined: 05 Feb 2008
Posts: 14084
Location: currently stalking my waifu
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 6:46 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
Some complain vociferously about how it diverges markedly from the anime


I bloody well hope not. If the Anime diverges from the Anime, then does one equal one anymore?

Not a bad review, I read it even though I haven't quite finished the Anime yet. Having not read any of the Anime Manga, I don't really mind the differences between the two.
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LordPrometheus





PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 7:26 am Reply with quote
I just want to chime in here and say that I agree completely with Mr. Martin's take on Claymore. That was a very well written review, and it summed up my thoughts on the series perfectly. Yes, there were flaws in this anime adaptation, but they are certainly not critical flaws. Overall, Claymore is a kick-butt anime series with a positive ending, and considering they had to reach some kind of resolution at SOME point, I think they did a great job. I am hoping desperately for a second season.
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Generic Member



Joined: 07 Jul 2009
Posts: 8
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:08 am Reply with quote
Good review. I always liked this series, and have always felt it somewhat underappreciated.

Considering the manga is ongoing, they did the right thing in altering the plot as they did, taking into account no definite green-lighting of a second season in place. It gave the series a sense of conclusion, even if it is certainly unfinished. If you look at other adaptations of ongoing manga's (Gantz is a good example) you see how it can go much, much worse.

The ending was satisfying but definitely left me wanting more. I don't think I'll be completely happy if this never gets a second series.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:00 am Reply with quote
Let's get two things out of the way first:

1) I had not read the manga when I watched the anime (in fansubs, I didn't keep my copies, nor have I distributed them). I did not even start it until after I watched the anime. I assumed at the time that the ending of the anime was the ending of one arc of the manga. I was surprised to find out otherwise. (And btw, I've stopped reading the manga, it's been completely disappointing since... the anime covered the good stuff.)
2) I 100% agree that ending it where the manga ends its first arc would have been absolutely disastrous. True, it might have allowed more easily for a second season; but without a second season (and who knows whether there will ever be one?) it would be one of the worst endings to an anime ever. It would have been a "kill-'em-all" depressing end completely at odds with the spirit of the series to that point.

That said... I was disappointed with the ending the first time through, for a reason already touched upon earlier. The appearance of spoiler[Raki, Isley, and Priscilla] at the end felt very strange, very deus ex machina. As a result, it did feel "tacked on" in that it had little connection to the plot (though not, as Mr. Martin pointed out, the themes) of the story at that point. The Pieta arc suddenly stops, and we have a final battle only loosely connected to it. It could have been done better.

I also never really liked Raki. He was a whiny little tag-along whose purpose as her tie to humanity never felt believable, largely because their time together was so brief. Had he spent a longer time with Clare, his role in the ending would have felt stronger. As is... like I said, it felt like a bit of a deus ex machina. Could've been done better.

Would I ever buy Claymore? No. Will I probably rent it in the future to give it another once-through for everything else about it that is so great? Absolutely. And I respect anyone who doesn't mind the ending and wants to watch the very best parts of the manga brought to life with exquisite animation and music.
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Key
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Joined: 03 Nov 2003
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Location: Indianapolis, IN (formerly Mimiho Valley)
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:17 am Reply with quote
dtm42 wrote:
Key wrote:
Some complain vociferously about how it diverges markedly from the anime


I bloody well hope not. If the Anime diverges from the Anime, then does one equal one anymore?

Corrected. Ugh. Rolling Eyes

vashfanatic wrote:
The appearance of spoiler[Raki, Isley, and Priscilla] at the end felt very strange, very deus ex machina. As a result, it did feel "tacked on" in that it had little connection to the plot (though not, as Mr. Martin pointed out, the themes) of the story at that point.


This argument I can more buy, and leaving the Pieta situation hanging is one of the problem points. However, after multiple rewatches (I've probably watched this series through more often than any other series I've seen in the past two years) I'm convinced that there's plenty enough early indications of even the plot heading towards the reunion and climactic confrontation. Those arguments I've posited both in this and in earlier-volume reviews.
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vashfanatic



Joined: 16 Jun 2005
Posts: 3489
Location: Back stateside
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:47 am Reply with quote
Key wrote:
This argument I can more buy, and leaving the Pieta situation hanging is one of the problem points. However, after multiple rewatches (I've probably watched this series through more often than any other series I've seen in the past two years) I'm convinced that there's plenty enough early indications of even the plot heading towards the reunion and climactic confrontation. Those arguments I've posited both in this and in earlier-volume reviews.


It's possible that on a second time watching this I'll agree with you; however, the first time through it did feel jarring - and frankly, you shouldn't need multiple viewings to feel that an ending fits. It should feel right the first time through. Like I said, I don't think it's anywhere near as terrible an ending as people make it out to be, but it could have been better executed. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
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belindabird
Subscriber



Joined: 23 Dec 2007
Posts: 134
Location: Minneapolis
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:20 am Reply with quote
Thank goodness, I thought that I was the only person defending the anime's construction to others. Yes, it's different than the manga, and yes it has its flaws, but it fits and struck the right balance between closure of major elements and character conclusions. The realities of anime production as opposed to manga creation don't always make the anime a perfect copy of the manga, and it shouldn't be. And in a lot of cases, timing between when the manga is popular and how much there is available to animate just doesn't work out well.

Anyway, thanks for the great, well-thought-out review. I hope the debate doesn't turn too angry Wink
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Maciste



Joined: 27 Jan 2008
Posts: 151
PostPosted: Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:55 pm Reply with quote
I don't want to "rub it in" anymore, since this discussion became quite a bit "touchy" , but I do agree with some of the previous commentators here, regarding the dissappointing ending.
I've only seen the anime once (never read the manga nor picked it up afterwards) and to me, the ending was unsatisfying. It had more of a "We only have 26 eps and have to end it somehow now" feel to it. Therefore, I was (or still, am?) expecting a 2nd season, since it became quite a common habit in recent times, to split animes into 2 seasons. Up to now, there hasn't been any announcements.
Don't get me wrong, the first 22 episodes have been a really, really fantastic ride and I was totally hooked. Hands down. But the last 4 eps have been a disappointment. It's not that I can't live with such a type of ending, definitely not, but here, it was just "too much" of an open ending, with so/too many (essential) things not concluded. Just my 2 cents.
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