Review: Claymore, Vol. 17

Claymore Volume 17
by Norihiro Yagi

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Claymore, Vol. 17 / 978-1421537962

I'm a very devoted fan of both the Claymore anime and the manga. I love the crisp black-and-white artwork, and while I realize it's not for everyone I personally think it's a perfect style for graphic novels. I find the action easy to follow, and the faces and body language to be surprisingly emotive. The story is complex and compelling, and I'm all in until the series finally finishes. I own this volume as a Nook Book e-book, and I assume it will shortly be ported to other online stores for sale.

Volume 17 provides the following scenes:

Scene 90: The Claws of Memory, Part 1
Scene 91: The Claws of Memory, Part 2
Scene 92: The Claws of Memory, Part 3
Scene 93: The Claws of Memory, Part 4
Scene 94: The Claws of Memory, Part 5
Scene 95: The Claws of Memory, Part 6

Spoilers ahead!

This volume opens with Alicia and Beth deployed against Abyssal Creature Riful. Miria, Tabitha, and Galatea sense this from their hideout in Rabona, as well as the defeat of Isley in the south. Number 8 Dietrich arrives to give Miria a message from Helen and Deneve: they have traveled to the west to rejoin Clare, Yuma, and Cynthia in the hopes that Cynthia will help heal the wounds that Helen sustained in the battle with Isley.

In the west, Clare and the others are sniffed out by Dauf while he patrols the area; Clare senses the consciousness of Rafaela/Luciela and feels strangely drawn to the area. When Riful travels above-ground to hunt Clare and the others, Number 6 Renee makes a break for it, realizing that the awakening of the Rafaela/Luciela creature will destroy everything in the area.

Clare is drawn into a dream of Rafaela, and the deceased woman gifts Clare with her emotions and memories. The consciousness awakens into a being of mindless pain and destruction that resembles a grotesque parody of the Teresa/Clare winged goddess statue: The Destroyer. Things begin to happen very quickly now: Riful and Dauf are attacked by Alicia, Beth, and the Abyss Feeders. The Destroyer shoots a large number of parasitic rods from her body; these rods either take over the consciousness of the person they penetrate, or they morph into large yoma and terrorize the area. Clare, Helen, and Deneve have their hands full fighting the parasitic yoma, while Cynthia and Yuma flee to safety.

Riful is nearly defeated by Alicia and Beth, but the tables are suddenly turned when Beth is taken over by the parasites and Alicia is forced to flee the battle and rush to her sister's side.

~ Ana Mardoll