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Jen - The Tolkien Gal's Reviews > Claymore, Vol. 5: The Slashers
Claymore, Vol. 5: The Slashers (Claymore, #5)
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[Slight spoilers ahead for those still reading before this volume]
This was the volume that really sucked me into Claymore and left the mangaka tugging at my tongue as if leading me to the impending doom of reading this series instead of studying or working on my thesis.
The relationship between Teresa of the Faint Smile and Clare appears at surface value to appeal to a done-to-death trope - callous, unforgiving warrior meets vulnerable and orphaned child and slowly begins to bond with her when she could not bond with others.
This trope is turned on its head and given a concussion. The relationship that blooms between them is beautiful but ethereal. There is a strong emotional investment that you as the reader forms in a relationship that only covers a fraction of the story, but forms the foundation for so much of its appeal and subsequent conclusion (Note: I am writing this review after finishing the series so I have that hindsight).
Who would I recommend this series to?
• Fans of Seinen manga who need a break from harsher stories like Berserk and Homunculus.
• Anyone who enjoys dark high fantasy but doesn't necessarily read manga and is not quite comfortable yet with "anime-type" culture, jokes and references or feels that those things are distracting to the story.
• People who enjoys a female-studded cast that doesn't use pop feminism as its hook but instead looks at women through a natural lens using intersectional feminism.
Side note: Teresa of the Faint Smile is the coolest name ever.
This was the volume that really sucked me into Claymore and left the mangaka tugging at my tongue as if leading me to the impending doom of reading this series instead of studying or working on my thesis.
The relationship between Teresa of the Faint Smile and Clare appears at surface value to appeal to a done-to-death trope - callous, unforgiving warrior meets vulnerable and orphaned child and slowly begins to bond with her when she could not bond with others.
This trope is turned on its head and given a concussion. The relationship that blooms between them is beautiful but ethereal. There is a strong emotional investment that you as the reader forms in a relationship that only covers a fraction of the story, but forms the foundation for so much of its appeal and subsequent conclusion (Note: I am writing this review after finishing the series so I have that hindsight).
Who would I recommend this series to?
• Fans of Seinen manga who need a break from harsher stories like Berserk and Homunculus.
• Anyone who enjoys dark high fantasy but doesn't necessarily read manga and is not quite comfortable yet with "anime-type" culture, jokes and references or feels that those things are distracting to the story.
• People who enjoys a female-studded cast that doesn't use pop feminism as its hook but instead looks at women through a natural lens using intersectional feminism.
Side note: Teresa of the Faint Smile is the coolest name ever.
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