Claymore, Vol. 12: The Souls of the Fallen

as a continue reading fro Vol 11 where normally the anime should have ended this volume expands more on the story after the bloody battle of the north and its result this chapter of the story introduces us to a new cast of characters . enter the new blood a rising generation of battle hardened claymore that tries to prove that they are better then ones of old as the story now interestingly shifts after quite a long time from the last big battle that things are looking differently from those like me who followed the anime . also first time i see the 47 of the new generation as she is the new face of the story that was at the same rank as Claire and her quest with the organisation as they try to assess the conditions and heavy blows after the last grand battle . for those who saw the anime first i highly recommend following up with the manga as i was totally enjoying the new things im discovering in this volume . amazing art and spectacular panels as always .

And it just keeps getting better. Knows how to leave you wanting more for the next one and it still able to keep you coming back for more.

This is the twelfth book in the Claymore series. It was well done and starts 7 years after volume 11 ended; dealing with a whole new generation of Claymore. In this book we follow Rafaela as she travels to battle her sister Luciela of the South. Then we follow the new 47, Clarice as she travels to the far north with some other Claymore to battle a pack of Awakened Ones. There we find out what happened to Clare and her fellow warriors and get a flashback into the last moments of that battle 7 years ago. As normal there is a lot of fighting Awakened Ones. We are introduced to new Claymore and their special fighting abilities. I was a bit distressed to find Clare and her fellow warriors completely absent from the story, but fear not they come into play later in the book. I thought the battle between Rafaela and Luciela was a bit anti-climatic and that is all I will say about that. We meet the new number 47 Claymore and her name is Clarice. She is surprisingly inciteful, but weak in the fighting arena (as expected of a number 47). We also meet a very unstable single digit Claymore named Miata that Clarice is charged with working with. Riful of the West makes another appearance as well. The storyline has started to get a bit complicated for this series; with multiple storylines and different groups of characters that we follow. However that being said there is always a little blurb about the story so far at the beginning of each book which is a big help. There is also a blurb at the end reminding the reader of unanswered questions and events to be covered in the next volume. The only downside to this series has been that sometimes I have trouble keeping all of the different Claymore straight. They all look very similar and now that we are jumping between different groups I am struggling a bit to keep all the names, faces, and events straight. It would be awesome if they had a grid of faces/names of Claymore at the beginning of the book so that I could cross reference when I get confused (this is something the Fables series does and it really helps to keep everyone straight). Overall an excellent installment in this series. I like where the storyline is going and enjoy the complexity of it. I do have some trouble keeping all of the different Claymore straight since they look so similar, but I am still able to pick out the important characters. I am eager to see where this story goes next. I definitely recommend this series to all the lovers of fantasy manga out there.

This is a great series that my husband and I both love. I had to return some because he already had some but these came in great condition and were exactly what I expected. I can't wait for the next book to come out!

I really hate the fact that the anime series ended where it did I think this could have at least been 2 more seasons

Claymore is a manga about Yoma who pretend to be human in order to kill and eat the humans. The Claymore are the hybrid of the two stronger faster but still human with the ability to slay the Yoma which they do for a price. They travel from village to village slaying Yoma with nothing but the sword on their back using the Yoma abilities but slowly turning into a monster that they hunt. When the time comes a Claymore will send a black card to another claymore to be slain before the Yoma takes over and so they die as a human. In the 12th installment 7 years have passed the 24 claymore perished in the battle against the awakened beings. Only seven survived but in doing so they had to fake their own deaths knowing the organization would be after them otherwise. They spent the seven years training together to be a lethal team but the time has come for Clare to find Raki and seek the revenge she very much deserves from Pricilla. While in hiding the abyssal beings have been fighting each other, new claymores had to be created to replace those they lost one young claymore who’s weak unlike the others has taken over Clare’s spot. Will she survive to become a powerful claymore or just another pray for Yoma. Will Clare find Raki? I like Clare she’s a sword carrying slayer who isn’t afraid to die charging in risking her life. She may not survive every encounter but that doesn’t stop her from doing what has to be done protecting the humans. While most Claymore’s wouldn’t allow Raki to tag along she accepts him and maybe it’s partly because they are kindred but he needs her and she him to keep her humanity. I find Clare to be an intriguing character and can’t wait to see more about her back story as well as what’s going to happen next. We are given a little back story on Clare which introduces us to Teresa a Claymore whose life was changed by Clare. I’ve seen all of the episodes on Netflix a few years ago actually binge watched them over a long weekend. I love the concept for the Claymore the hybrids created using parts from the monsters that they have been created to fight. While I am familiar with the story it’s interesting to see it play out as I read it. The art is great it gives me just enough to create the story in my head as I read each detailed page. This is only my 2nd manga so I don’t have a lot to go on but so far I’m super exited to read the series. Claymore is a fast paced loaded with action series that is captivating right from the start hard to put down till the last page. Can’t wait to start the next one in the series they just keep getting better. I feel like a voracious Reader because I can’t get enough.

Claymore, Vol. 12 / 978-1421519364 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 12 provides the following scenes: Scene 64: Kindred of Paradise, Part 3 Scene 65: The Souls of the Fallen, Part 1 Scene 66: The Souls of the Fallen, Part 2 Scene 67: The Souls of the Fallen, Part 3 Scene 68: The Defiant Ones, Part 1 Scene 69: The Defiant Ones, Part 2 Spoilers ahead! This volume starts with background on Luciela and Rafaela, and how the two sisters were cultivated by the Organization to have a soul bond. The idea was that one sister would fight in an awakened form, while the other sister held her awareness and humanity back from the brink so that the awakening would not be permanent. However, the bond between the two sisters didn't hold and Luciela was left permanently awakened and Rafaela was left scarred, both emotionally and physically. After the flashback, we return to the battle between Isley and Luciela -- Luciela flees, badly wounded, and Rafaela catches up with her and stops her for good. After this, we get a time skip of 7 years. We follow the new Number 47, Clarice, as she travels to a rendezvous in the ruined north, in search of an Awakened Being. It is revealed that the Organization has revised their policy towards Awakened Beings and now hunts them aggressively, in light of the devastation caused 7 years ago when they moved in a coordinated attack. Clarice's group is overpowered, but they are saved at the last minute by seven mysterious warriors: survivors of the Northern Campaign. It is revealed that Miria, Deneve, Helen, Tabitha, Cynthia, Clare, and Yuma/Uma (her name varies depending on the volume) survived the campaign seven years ago. Prior to the battle, Miria revealed a plan where all the warriors would take half a yoma-suppressant beforehand, ensuring that if they were knocked unconscious they would appear dead to their attackers. The plan hinged entirely on chance: there was no way of knowing who would be knocked unconscious and who would be so severely wounded that death was unavoidable. The seven who survived -- the Seven Ghosts of Pieta -- have been hiding in the north, suppressing their aura and training for the day when they moved south to take vengeance on the Organization. Clare finds evidence that Raki was in the north but that he may have moved south to safety. She decides it is time to move south, and the rest of the Ghosts accompany her. Almost as soon as they leave the northern region, the Ghosts sense a hunting party of Claymore about to clash with the Abyssal Being Riful of the West; the Ghosts hurry to intervene. In an unrelated development, Number 47 Clarice is assigned to assist the extremely young and worryingly unstable Number 4 Miata, who warms to Clarice once she unilaterally decides that Clarice is her new surrogate mother. ~ Ana Mardoll

Warning: some spoilers ahead! If you're worried, skip to the next paragraph after the following. The story opens up with a flashback of the organizations failed project that involved two claymore sisters. One of them being Luciella, one of the four great awakened beings. The story then returns to the time line we were left off in vol. 11 and Lueciella is killed by her long lost sister who is still a claymore and hates herself for what happened. We learn that Clare and co. are still alive because of the suppression pills that reduce their aura. Clare is still on a hunt to find Raki a human she befriended in the earlier chapters. Raki is with one of the great awakened beings, Isley, thus Clare's quest is to travel back down south. The manga ends with Clare and co. fighting against Riful of the West to help fellow Claymores. It is risky for them however because they risk the organization finding out about their deaths being fake which may lead to the organization taking action against them. All in all, this is a great manga that ties in many of the stories from earlier chapters, mostly book 10 and 11. Although this one is more of a bridge from one story arc to the next, and may not have as much action as the other books, it still gives way to interesting character developments and new plot lines. The 13th book, which comes out this holiday, is one to look forward to as the developments brought about in this book, will be advanced even further. If you are new to the series however, it would be wise to start with book 1, or if you're familiar with the story but don't own all the mangas, this book would be great to start with as it begins a new chapter on the world of Claymore. Also, book 3, 6 and 9 all introduce new story arcs, however, some of the new arcs may have been introduced in the books before.