5/5 The Claymore Battle Royale
  by lain4ever (Los Angeles, CA)
From the first volume, "Claymore" hit the ground running with intense monster battles. Volume two heats up with flashy superhuman Dragonball Z-style sword battles.

Episode 6 opens with Claire actually speaking out her heart to Teresa, pleading to stay with her. There's even a scene where Claire strips off her clothes to show that Teresa means everything as her only mother. It's a saddening sight to watch Teresa leave Claire for her Claymore duties. However, when a band of thieves burns the town down, Teresa has no choice but to kill them.

A Claymore isn't allowed to kill humans, though. However, Teresa refuses to die this easily, slaying the Claymores who planned to execute her. But her Claymore buddies don't plan on letting her leave. The organization sends four of the top-ranked Claymores to fight her, leading to some ferocious, incredibly fast battles.

It's an understatement to say that "Claymore" is one of the craziest action anime series ever made. Each of the Claymores has a unique special power, and some of the Claymore powers are visual astounding. For example, Irene's quick sword technique cuts so quickly that no one can even see her arms. She can move her arms faster than the speed of light. This leads to an amazing sequence in which Teresa's arm is speedily blocking Irene's sword slashes at the speed of a Dragonball Z fight.

The fight turns to a fatal end in episode 8, with one of the Claymores, Priscilla, growing amazingly powerful as she slowly uses more and more of her Yoma powers. Many Claymores die in this volume, leaving the remaining survivor devastated. This tearjerking episode will tear viewers' hearts out with emotion.

Volume two sets the tone for Claymore as a godlike superhuman action anime. Although it is limited in its rather formulaic Dragonball Z-style plot, the true draw of the series is the visuals. The dark colors and fierce fighting make for one of the most sinister, violent anime ever seen. However, this is a wonderful anime for its expression of raw female power.

To say the least, the battles are stunning. There's nothing more astounding than watching Claymore jump to incredible heights, swinging their swords in a rapid-fire machine gun fashion and healing their wounds extremely quickly. Like any typical action series, it tends to rely too much on the same formulaic tearjerking action sequence, with one character dying off and another seeking revenge.

However, this series is even more earth-shattering for its horrific displays of violence, with characters getting their limbs and their heads chopped off. This series is definitely not for kids--the violence is very intense. However, it's a beautiful series which shows the violent power of women, even when one of them is getting attacked by disturbing tentacle monsters in episode 10.

Although I had my misgivings for the series when it began, "Claymore" is a definite keeper for anime fans. However, be prepared to get shocked with this second DVD.

5/5 Claymore, Chapter2: The Point of No Return
  by Saborne
The second DVD in the Claymore series. The first three episodes continue the Teresa and Clare flashback from the first DVD and give necessary background on the tragic history that bind the two together. These episodes are vital in understanding Clare's motivation in becoming a Claymore and her ultimate goal. The last two episodes are the 'Those Who Rend Asunder' episodes that conclude on DVD 3. These episodes introduce three Claymore who will appear again in later episodes and start to raise questions about the true nature of the Claymore 'organization'. The extras include an interview with the Japanese director and as with all the Claymore DVDs there is commentary by two of the voice actors/actresses. On DVD 2 the commentary is by the voice actresses that voice Priscilla and Ilena. The series itself is first rate with a very good story line and above average graphical look and the English voice cast does a superb job. Keep an ear peeled for Helen aka Jamie Marchi who is also the voice of Masane in the Witchblade series.

5/5 Claymore just keeps getting better!
  by Gene A. Robbins
I heard about the Claymore series in Otaku magazine. It was recommended for people who liked the anime Berserk (one of my favorites of all time, the re-mastered box set comes out in March :). The second volume tells the story of Theresa of the Faint Smile and how Claire met her. While the first volume of Claymore was action heavy, this volume, while still having incredible action sequences, really drew me into the story. Cannot wait until volume 3 hits stores in February.