The Rebel Claymores are closing in on the Organization, but the Organization may have a new more powerful group of warriors awaiting the Rebels!
Creative Staff
Story & Art: Norihiro Yagi
Translation/Adaptation: John Werry
What They Say
Rebel Claymores Deneve, Helen and Yuma return to the Holy City of Rabona and find it under attack by Yoma hordes. An all-out battle ensues, after which Galatea informs the recently returned Claymores about Miria’s solitary and likely doomed quest to bring down the Organization. As Helen and Deneve investigate in separate assays, it becomes clear that the Organization is creating novel and terrifying breeds of Yoma warriors.
Content: (please note that content portions of a review may contain spoilers):
Helen and Deneve managed to escape the battle between the two Creatures of the Abyss with the leftover hunk of an Awakened Being that had absorbed Clare. They can still sense Clare’s energy from within, but don’t know how to free her. So they travel to the Holy City of Rabona, where Galatea lives, in hopes that she may know something. What they find at the city is something thought to be impossible. The Holy City of Rabona is overrun with Yoma and Awakened Beings. Helen and Deneve quickly join Galatea and Tabitha, and the others, in their effort to protect the city and push back the demons.
Luckily, the Rebel Claymores (minus Clare and Miria) and Galatea are able to fend off the demons and save Rabona, even if it is a crumbling bunch of buildings now. It doesn’t take long for the Claymores to break down to bickering as the two groups reunite. One group lost Miria, who went to attack the Organization alone, and the other group lost Clare. For a moment, I thought the Rebel Claymores may cite differences of opinion and disband. However, their desire to confirm Miria’s death and destroy the Organization proves too powerful for them to give up now.
The author is killing me with his tactic of keeping the only reoccurring male character, Raki, mostly out of the picture. Raki was the reader’s initial sad character to cheer for, but after the first story arc of the series, he hasn’t made too many appearances during his search for Clare. In this volume, we get another quick glimpse of Raki, but the revelation that the Organization has him captive doesn’t bode well for him. Oh well, I guess we will have to wait another two or three volumes before we get another glimpse of poor Raki.
This volume reveals more of the Organizations inner workings than usual. Rubel has always been the most visual man since he was Clare’s handler before she rebelled. Rubel and the Organization has Raki, and plan to use him as a lab rat. They also hint at something new they are creating from the dead corpses of former number one ranked Claymores. So, we will have to see if the Rebel Claymores can destroy the Organization before they release an unstoppable weapon.
The remaining Rebel Claymores are en-route to the Organization when the find a small group of Claymores, including Number 7 Winged Anastasia, fighting a group of male Awakened Beings. The Rebel Claymores decide to join the battle, but claim they are only doing so to kill Awakened Beings and not to help the regular Claymores. The real question is whether or not the numbered Claymores will attack the Rebels after the battle with the Awakened Beings is over, assuming they survive. But beyond that, why are there so many male Awakened Beings in the middle of nowhere like this?
In Summary
With a story full of similar looking female characters, it is difficult to choose a favorite, especially when the can be killed off at any moment. For me, it is easier to cheer for Clare and the single male character, Raki. But Raki has gotten a raw deal since he was separated from Clare seven years ago. He spent those years growing into a man while traveling with Isley of the North and Priscilla, two Awakened Beings that Clare would love to kill. Despite all that, Clare and Raki never crossed paths. Now with Clare trapped inside an Awakened Being and Raki held by the Organization, it seems they may never be reunited. But I’m going to hold out hope.
Besides the brief appearance of Raki, this volume has a LOT of fighting against Awakened Beings. From the battle at the Holy City of Rabona, to fighting Awakened Beings on a remote mountain pass, there is a ton of carnage. It’s a good thing the Rebel Claymores have spent seven years becoming bad asses, every one of which could be considered a number one or two rank among the normal Claymores. Mix all this fighting with revelations about the Organization, and this is one heck of a good volume.
Highly recommended series!
Content Grade: A
Art Grade: B+
Packaging Grade: B
Text/Translation Grade: B+
Age Rating: 16+
Released By: Viz Media
Release Date: July 3rd, 2012
MSRP: $9.99
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