Title: Claymore Volume(s): 9+ Creator(s): Norihiro Yagi Format: Unflipped; Right-to-Left Publisher: Viz Media MSRP: $7.99 Genre(s): Action Rated: Older Teen (16+)

"Claymore" is a strange title to come from the "Shonen Jump" label, but that should be applauded on some level. As everyone knows, ever since it's premier, "Shonen Jump" has been a male dominated franchise, where powerful men fight the bad guys and save the damsels in distress. Rurouni Kenshin, Yoh Asakura, and Yusuke Urashima are practically Japanese superhero responses to Batman, He-Man, and Superman. While there is nothing wrong with most of the "Shonen Jump" series, and a good portion of the series have great appeal for both men and women, there is a bit of a slant that the men tend to do much more useful things then the women. In fact, I'm going to go on a limb and say that out of all the series released under the "Shonen Jump" banner, only "Rurouni Kenshin," "Shaman King," "One Piece," and "Bleach" feature strong female characters that you can really sink your teeth into. Yeah, that sounds like a lot, but there are over ten series being produced under the "Shonen Jump" label right now.

Meet "Shonen Jump's" first female protagonist.

Meanwhile, when "Shojo Beat" launched, there were at least two series that revolved around male protagonists. So if a "Shojo Beat" series can have a male protagonist, why can't a "Shonen Jump" series have a female protagonist? Well, that answer has come in the form of Ms. Clare of "Claymore," a strong woman with a big sword and lots of monster killing skills. The fact that a woman is a main character in an American "Shonen Jump" series is progress in itself. While I understand "Shonen Jump" is a brand that Viz markets towards adolescent boys, I have found it kind of strange that some potentially good shounen series that feature women as the protagonists don't make it in the magazine. "Claymore" may not be in the magazine, but being under the banner itself is a good first step. The problem that makes this noteworthy gesture a little less special is the fact that "Claymore" isn't really that good of a series. The story revolves around Clare, a professional Claymore. A Claymore is kind of like a bounty hunter that hunts monsters called Yoma. Clare is tough, skilled with a sword, and she gets the job done. The problem is, Claymores are feared by everyone, and so Clare leads a very lonely life.

This is what she does to men who ask her out on dates.

However, from the way she acts, it appears this is not an issue for her. One day, after Clare disposes of a Yoma for a village, she gains a traveling companion in the form of a young boy named Raki, who appears to be the only person who doesn't fear her. At the moment it's not completely clear why Raki is following Clare, but Clare doesn't seem to mind the company, and he IS pretty cute (in a local town boy sort of way). The only other person Clare seems to talk to is a man named Rubel, who wears a black hat and jacket, sunglasses, and is completely bald. He brings Clare her money, gives her assignments, and heals her wounds whenever she gets hurt (which normally involves Clare stripping naked for some reason). The problem with "Claymore" is that the story isn't satisfying on any emotional level. These characters are all pretty one sided, with Clare being the cold-hearted Yoma killer with a dark past, Raki being the naive teenager who doesn't understand why Clare does the things she does, and Rubel being the boss to the whole operation. It's a decent set up, but nothing satisfying really comes from this whole set up. There are several action scenes that are brutal, violent, and extremely cool to read, but once the fight stops the series seems lost, like a teenage boy who can't think of anything interesting to say on a date.

This is the love interest. Boy do those eyes bother me for some reason.

The artwork itself is both good and bad. The action is fluid, the backgrounds are stylistic, and the angels are pure genius. However the characters look pretty bad in their designs, particularly their eyes. I don't know if it's just me, but these people look like zombies to me. It doesn't matter what they are doing, all the characters have these wide eyes that just look creepy, and I don't like them one bit. The only character who doesn't have this eye problem is Rubel, and the only reason he doesn't have the eye problem is because he wears sunglasses. I also must express disappointment in one chapter near the end of the book, where Clare is forced to do something horrible, and after she does the horrible thing seems totally indifferent towards what she was just forced to do. I don't want to spoil what she did, but I will say it's these kinds of rifts that make it hard to get connected to the story. When all is said and done, it's nice to finally have a "Shonen Jump" series that has a female protagonist, it's just a shame that it's not a better one. "Claymore" has some great action scenes and monster fights, but there is no emotional connection with the characters or story.

This guy is cool because he wears sun glasses.

There are probably worst things you can read, but the fact that the author doesn't even seem to be TRYING to give us a little meat to the story is discouraging! "Claymore" is most likely something you'll want to check out at the library then buy with your own money.

- -Review By Kevin T. Rodriguez- -