Claymore

[Yukimura]

When has Clare ever done things the easy way? She's always shown some level of compassion and humanity when dealing with non Yoma (humans and Claymores).

Ophelia seemed genuinely shocked that she had awakened and everything that came out of her mouth hinted that she was fighting the urges imposed on her by awakening ("I want to east something soft and warm, like guts" and "They don't have to be human guts, but the closer the better") stuff like that made it understandable that she retained some of her senses, unlike the only other pre and post awakened person we've seen who was completely consumed by her Yoma side when she awakened.

My speculation based on these two different circumstances is that your state of mind as you awaken has some factor in how much of your human will stays with you across the change. Priscilla awakened while angry, frustrated, and in a fight she thought meant everything to her. Once she'd crossed over she maintained human cunning but became 'evil' in that she just wanted to win the fight and was willing to sink as far into her Yoma nature as she could in order to gain the power to do it. Ophelia awakened while angry, frustrated, injured and thinking about how she missed her brother who had saved her. Once she crossed over her thoughts weren't on something negative like killing an enemy they were on her brother and that may have lead to her humanity being able to resist the urge to sink further into her Yoma nature.

I'd agree that Clare didn't just kill her outright because she felt bad for her and wanted to give her some shred of human dignity in death. While it may be stupid of the warrior scale it was the more human thing to do, and one of the things they've stressed more than anything in this show is that Claymores being more human in the head is a good thing.

[Munsu]

EDIT - Still, I was amazed at how you said I was pissed off at surprises (wow how did you conclude that), since that is the farthest from the truth. Im not sure if its an attempt at taunting me, but really... LOL.

I realize now that all I was hoping for was for Clare to be a smart character, for I actually thought that she was from the previous episodes (with all the planning etc.), but it seems some prefer to think of her as stupid, and if that is so, this episode isnt so bad.

But the thing Im most pissed about is how Raki didnt appear in her head when she was remembering the things/people she would leave behind if she died, the poor guy.

Something was surely pissing you besides the quoted. I'm not taunting you, I just find your quirks about the episode unwarranted. I see them too minor to conclude that it wasn't a good episode (since you didn't like it). The episode had a lot more to offer, but as I mentioned people tend to focus on the negative portions (even though I disagree they are) of the episode instead on the positives that hugely overwhelm the former. Like the introduction of Rafela, ranked number 5 and Irene questions why she is ranked that low when she's that strong, that she probably would still lose if she had her two arms. But whatever, to each his own.

Flashbacks dont need to be long, just enough to show he is part of it, like a 1 second flash of his face? (this is no big deal really, I commented on this because I pitied Raki, not really because it was a bad thing in terms of story, but saying a 1-3 second showing of Raki's face will invite criticism for excessive flashbacks? LOL)

Yeah, but still using Raki in that moment would overshadow the importance of her actually being the one that survived Teresa. It was something that Clare and Irene talked plenty during the episode, so there had to be a direct link to what they talked about and what was suddenly said to Clare during the fight.

What I meant in the last part is that Clare couldnt have thought that Ophelia was giving up, but rather thought of it as a challenge that she needs to overcome to succeed her will. The first possibility which you proposed is preposterous, since Clare isnt that much of a fool (or any other character for that matter).

I was just throwing a possibility, not that it's actually her train of thought. But Ophelia certainly didn't like being Awakened and we know it because of her reaction when she saw her reflection, because we know how she hates them, and how she didn't really fight at full strength after that, so Clare should've picked up on Ophelia not putting up a real fight. And if you aknowledge that Clare is irrational and "stupid" then you can't deny this as a possibility.

[complich8]

I definitely like Ophelia's rejection of her own Awakened state. And how she didn't put it together until she saw herself while fighting Clare. She really didn't grasp her situation at all.

I also liked how Clare got a new arm. It's much less cheap than giving her something like a Picollo-style limb regeneration. Her difficulty with flash sword and her trouble controlling Irene's arm were both nice tools to re-ground her post-half-awakened state, underscoring that just because she can awaken and come back doesn't mean it's suddenly easy for her to do. Good times, that.

I think that for as long as we've been following Clare, she hasn't really been engaged in any sort of real training or practice, so she hasn't gotten significantly better. Meeting Irene and spending a couple days practicing with her and learning her technique, albeit imperfectly, definitely should have yielded a power and speed increase.

I'd like to see Clare engage in a lot more practice and training on her own, exploring her own power and its limits. She knows what her strengths and weaknesses are, so even without someone's yoki to read, I'd think she could spend time improving her weak points ... like the switch between defensively pushing her power down and flipping it into high-powered attack mode.

[BananaFob]

For a minute there, I thought that Rafaela was either Noel or Sophia because Priscilla had stabbed their eyes, but then the hair was different.

On another note, was Clare using any of her Yoma powers when she was shredding Orphelia's body up? Clare looked like she never used any Yoma powers because she didn't have her yellow eyes, but then again, her veins were sticking out violently. One more thing, how did get power-up when she was stopped by Orphelia? After having such a momentarily flashback, it made her endure the pain and continue (which I really doubt is the real reason for her sudden boost in energy). Last question, back in episode 8, or the awakening of Priscilla, she threw Irene's arm back to her after she cut it off. Why didn't Irene repair her arm at that time?

Anyway, the next episode looks very interesting. Based on the preview, it seems set in a dark place, just like the Organization place shown during the last several seconds of the episode. Maybe this episode will show how Claymores are born, or that maybe the Organization actually breeds and make the Yoma.

[Munsu]

The best answer I can come up with is that Irene suffered a nasty near fatal wound, she seemed to lose consciousness, also she probably needed all her youma energy to heal it, and there wasn't any left to use for her arm. Probably, by the time she came to, she couldn't attach her limb any longer because too much time had passed. You can see Clare urging Irene to attach it for a reason, maybe you need to attach it within a time frame or it becomes impossible.

[Assassin]

ugh so much discussion....i'll read it all later. For now i'll just say that, to me it seems like the way a claymore awakens (that is, the conditions surrounding the awakening) have a lot to do with the end result. That seems to be why the 'all awakened beings are inherently evil' theory doesn't hold. Ophelia awakened out of sheer emotion...she felt guilt, she felt lonely, she felt like a little girl who'd just lost her brother. Priscilla on the other hand awakened out of rage and yoki overload. she was angry at not being able to defeat teresa, and cuz in her eyes teresa wasn't following the rules while she was....she pusehd her self to the limit while being angry at teresa so that could explain why she was more 'evil' then ophelia, even though pre-awakening ophelia was way more messed up.

[Board of Command]

Good to see Clare got an arm back. It's a little pale, but better than nothing.

[oyabun]

Clare said that when things are over that she will return the arm to Irene.. Does things really ends for claymores? Unless they become a yoma or be dead. And if you run from your mission the organization will hunt you down. I guess Clare won't actually have any opportunity to give back the arm even if Irene is alive/

[Munsu]

She probably meant on her journey to avenge Teresa, killing Priscilla.

[shinta|hikari]

Something was surely pissing you besides the quoted. I'm not taunting you, I just find your quirks about the episode unwarranted. I see them too minor to conclude that it wasn't a good episode (since you didn't like it). The episode had a lot more to offer, but as I mentioned people tend to focus on the negative portions (even though I disagree they are) of the episode instead on the positives that hugely overwhelm the former. Like the introduction of Rafela, ranked number 5 and Irene questions why she is ranked that low when she's that strong, that she probably would still lose if she had her two arms. But whatever, to each his own.

No, thats pretty much it. I just didnt like some parts of the episode (especially her use of flash sword), and I found it to be not as good as the other episodes. I even gave the exact reasons why I didnt like it, so I dont know what makes you say different. But, to each his own. Still, there are good parts, which are the ones I didnt have to point out.

Yeah, but still using Raki in that moment would overshadow the importance of her actually being the one that survived Teresa. It was something that Clare and Irene talked plenty during the episode, so there had to be a direct link to what they talked about and what was suddenly said to Clare during the fight.

This is too much of a rationalization, but like I said, I was simply pitying Raki, and thus its my personal preference. It didnt ruin the episode in technical terms at all.

I was just throwing a possibility, not that it's actually her train of thought. But Ophelia certainly didn't like being Awakened and we know it because of her reaction when she saw her reflection, because we know how she hates them, and how she didn't really fight at full strength after that, so Clare should've picked up on Ophelia not putting up a real fight. And if you aknowledge that Clare is irrational and "stupid" then you can't deny this as a possibility.

Yes we can, and we should deny this possibility. Clare should never become so stupid. I said she was stupid, but this is of a completely different level, since it assumes something that has really no basis at all.

Also, Ophelia's actions initially werent to allow Clare to win. It was more of a strategy to ensure her victory (Clare was winning at that point even if she was tired, and she might just get the idea to slash off Ophelia's head and not everywhere else). But Clare's determination (and stupidity) is what swayed her to let herself get killed in the end.

I have to admit though, that Ophelia's change may have its reasons. I just wish they foreshadowed it by a glimpse or hints that awakened beings arent pure evil. Or maybe Ophelia is the first to resist it to this extent, I guess that would make more sense. I hope they follow it up with something like that.

When has Clare ever done things the easy way? She's always shown some level of compassion and humanity when dealing with non Yoma (humans and Claymores).

Its not just about taking the easy way. She might as well have died when she chose to battle the way she did, and she practically won just because Ophelia allowed her to. Her winning that battle in that manner was plain illogical, but this is anime, so I cant really complain.

Last question, back in episode 8, or the awakening of Priscilla, she threw Irene's arm back to her after she cut it off. Why didn't Irene repair her arm at that time?

It may seem strange since Irene actually transplanted her arm to Clare, but Im pretty sure that was possible because the arm was recently removed from the body. Even if the wounds are still open (since one can reopen them apparently), if the arm itself is dead, I guess it wont work.

[DarthEnderX]

The thing about this show, is that it reminds me alot of Bleach. In that, aside from a few monsters at the beginning, the main character spends more time fighting their own people than anyone else.

[Idealistic]

The thing about this show, is that it reminds me alot of Bleach. In that, aside from a few monsters at the beginning, the main character spends more time fighting their own people than anyone else.

At least Clare didn't magically become one of the strongest through a shortcut training session and because she magically had higher potential than others.

Bleach is garbage compared to Claymore.

At least in my opinion.

[kenren]

Well, boobies.
anyway, Clare could had used her left arm since she's not used to the right arm yet..although it's not the dominant arm. Just my opinion though

[masamuneehs]

i actually felt sorry for Ophelia... and I hated the bitch for the previous episode...

You'd think Irene is dead, since even she admitted she'd have needed both her arms to beat Rafaela... but maybe the fact that they didn't show it leaves that very open possibility that Irene somehow escapes death again...

I'm glad Clare has an arm again (though, since she started training with her off-hand, maybe there's the chance she'll be duel wielding in the future?),even if the way she got it wasn't my preferred way.

i'm enjoying this series to an almost unhealthy extent.

[Idealistic]

i actually felt sorry for Ophelia... and I hated the bitch for the previous episode...

You'd think Irene is dead, since even she admitted she'd have needed both her arms to beat Rafaela... but maybe the fact that they didn't show it leaves that very open possibility that Irene somehow escapes death again...

I'm glad Clare has an arm again (though, since she started training with her off-hand, maybe there's the chance she'll be duel wielding in the future?),even if the way she got it wasn't my preferred way.

i'm enjoying this series to an almost unhealthy extent.

OMG... Just the thought of Clare dual wielding would be hot. Flash Sword in both arms!

lol

[shinta|hikari]

Did Clare grow stronger by simply attaching Irene's arm to her body? I mean, there should be a significant difference between the dominant and non-dominant arm, but not to the extent that you would still use your dominant one despite it being injured like Clare did in the last episode (especially since we know she can use her left arm for the flash sword). Is Irene's arm fundamentally stronger than Clare's, thus making Clare's present right arm stronger than before?

[masamuneehs]

from when Irene said: "Your strength and speed are less than a tenth of mine" and when offering her arm, "Here, this should help" and how Clare's Flash Sword was nothing compared to Irene's, I got the impression that the new arm is probably the strongest part of Clare's body now.

She got stronger from training with Irene also. Also, she is right-handed, I believe... so she naturally held her sword in it, even if it's a foreign body part that's hard to control.

[shinta|hikari]

That makes her like frankenstein. Im not sure if I like the idea of having strong body parts compared to the body.

[complich8]

You could almost see the series going down a "parts-collector" path. Clare as the anime version of Syler?

That'd be trippy

[Buffalobiian]

Yeah, I can see the potential in that too (parts collecting)

But I don't think it'll happen, simply because Claymore has pulled it off so far without falling into the traps so many shounen action anime do. Irene and Teresa were also people (yes, I'm calling claymores people!!) from Clare's past, and have, in a sense, contributed to Clare's upbringing, so it makes sense to me that it's now Clare, successor of Teresa's flesh and blood, bearer of Irene's right arm. I don't think it's gonna get any longer.

This episode turns it all around for Ophelia. Changes my impression of her from "you F@#king bloodthirsty bitch" to "*sigh*, if only you weren't........." Kinda sad.