Yagi Norihiro - Claymore, vol. 14-15 + ch. 84-85

[oyceter]

Um, yes, my inherent privileging of narrative over pretty much everything else has won over my flailing and pathetic attempts to get enough sleep. I fear this is the story of the life.

But, continuity! Story structure! Reveals! I have to say, Yagi's worldbuilding is pretty good... I now have to reread to see what's been set up and what hasn't.

I was totally spoiled for the nun-habit-ripping-off and the saving-of-men-from-tentacle-monsters, and yet, it was still TOTALLY AWESOME. It helps that Galatea doesn't just pose for three seconds in her torn habit and instead goes off fighting and OMG her eyes! And of course she blinded herself! I love how this series has single-handedly increased the number of women with traumatic and angsty eye injuries by 200% or so.

I am still disturbed by the overt sexualization of the female Awakened Beings. The other Awakened Beings don't keep their vulnerable bits in a human shell, right? I wonder how the forms of Awakened Beings get decided. Also, I am totally pretending that the naked and seductive female body on Agatha acts as a lure to men with tasty guts, much like that lantern fish in the deep ocean. I mean, I am sure it does in the world of the manga; I am just not sure that is the main purpose Yagi has for giving her a naked and seductive female body. (Also, bathing self in showers of blood = EWWWWWW)

I cheered when Clare and the Northern Warriors appeared. They are so awesome! Also, I love that Rabona remembers what Clare did for them seven years ago and that there are bits of continuity!

Miata is still creepy like a creepy thing, although I'm particularly interested in all the adult/child pairs that there have been in the series—Clare-Raki, Teresa-Clare, and now Raki-Priscilla and Clarice-Miata. And there's Galatea and all the children of Rabona. And possibly Isley-Priscilla? I find it interesting that the pairs with fathers/brothers/whatnot are on the side of Evil. Well, we are not yet certain that Raki is on the side of evil, and I am sure he is not intentionally so, but really, being trained by Isley and dragging Priscilla around from town to town cannot possibly be a good thing. And of course there's the semi-paternal stance of the Organization, who takes young girls and ostensibly raises them. It's particularly refreshing that the older women paired with younger people aren't generally given a typically maternal role, Clarice aside; though the older person is more emotionally open thanks to the younger person, there's a general lack of the romanticization of parenthood and specifically self-sacrificial motherhood.

Oh! I have not even gotten to the Big Reveals! A larger war! The Claymores' island as a laboratory for breeding monsters for war! Although I have to say, if they are trying to get good Awakened Beings, I am not sure they are doing it the best way possible. Plus, why don't they just take the trained Claymores and pit them against the monsters from the other side? Or are they already doing that? Or are they not because of the fear of awakening them? But even if they were afraid of awakening them, it seems like the black card system could work on the mainland as well.

Plus, I'm not even entirely sure that there is a larger war going on, or that all Miria's information is correct, given the source. Still, I heart Miria so much, especially when she's all "Yeah, we're going to bring down the Organization. If you're not with me, you can leave, and I'll just do it by myself." She is SO AWESOME.

And Clare's handler possibly being a spy for the other side!

Also, if the island is isolated, wouldn't the villagers at least know this? Unless the Organization has somehow managed to construct the entire island society from scratch?

My current theory is that the war may be a lie, but the island as a lab/testing ground is not. I also think the Organization creating yoma and siccing them on the island is totally true. I also think the members of the Organization are not human themselves; they look off, and I swear some of them have pointy teeth.

Oh! And Rafaela/Luciela, OMG so disturbing! And poor Renee, ow ow ow. I am slightly more inured to limb-loss now, given all the regeneration, but it still squicks me out, especially when used as torture like Riful does.

Also also, I am still not sure why Isley concluded that Priscilla was more powerful than him just from her regeneration, but I am assuming we did not see everything that happened there. And! Priscilla's regression to childhood does not bode well for Miata.

Also x 3, did we ever get backstory for Galatea or Ilena? Also x 4, where are the billionty femslashy stories starring Miria angsting about Hilda and kicking ass? I feel this should be a large portion of the fandom. And was Ilena actually killed by Rafaela? I feel since she was not chopped to bits and we did not see it, there is the potential for a dramatic and awesome return. And OMG, where are the billionty stories about the backstories of all the Claymores who were in the battle at Pieta and awesome flashbacks to training days and the workings of the Organization? I am glad I have caught up in time to read any Yuletide stories that come out for the series, although it really sucks because its inclusion in Yuletide means there is not a plethora of stories out there. Fandom! You are failing me! Especially given how popular the series seems to be online!

Comments

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

NOW DO YOU SEE WHY I REQUESTED THIS FOR YULETIDE?

There is nothing. NOTHING. Believe me, I looked. meganbmoore has looked. woodburner has looked. We've found some Clare/Ophelia fics and, er, that does nothing for us. We want what you want! Anything! Everything! This is the canon that's so OPEN to anything and yet there's NOTHING.

PS - No, we have not gotten backstory for Galatea or Ilena/Irene yet.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

Maybe Yagi is worried the sheer awesome of the backstories will kill half his fanbase?

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

A distinct possibility.

[oyceter]

Yes! There should be so much backstory fic out there in general! And things about the first generations of the Claymores and the Awakened Beings and just... mmmm backstory.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

It never fails to crack me up that the manga implies that the reason why claymores are female and not male is because men like the feeling of Awakening too much. But yes! I can only imagine what Riful's generation (2nd) was like, especially after the first gen (all men) was epic fail. They probably would have been like, "Uh... I dun wanna."

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

hwhere are the billionty femslashy stories starring Miria angsting about Hilda and kicking ass? I feel this should be a large portion of the fandom

Yup. And where's all my Helen/Deneve?

ASKDGFL CLAIRE HAS FANBOYS! I will neverstop loving that. And i kinda want to have Miria's babies. Maybe Galatea's, too. Yagi, why aren't we getting montages of them just playing chess?

Too much fangasming. Cannot be cogerent once we reach this point.

[oyceter]

Hee! Yes, I love Miria so much! She is so awesome!

[desdenova.livejournal.com]

I can't believe I'd totally forgotten about the female tentacle monster!

[oyceter]

Hee! Oh manga, I love you so.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

I love how this series has single-handedly increased the number of women with traumatic and angsty eye injuries by 200% or so.

As far as I know, it's only by 2/3s since a main character in Venus Versus Virus wears an eye patch that comes with an angsty backstory.

I am still disturbed by the overt sexualization of the female Awakened Beings.

Yeah, it is disturbing that female Awakened Beings are accompanied with T&A, but this series hits so many of my narrative buttons that I'm distracted from it. Especially when Yagi took the potentially gender squicky paternalistic organization and turned it into the Claymores forming alliances to overthrow it.

[oyceter]

Excellent! I cheer on more women with traumatic and angsty eye injuries.

[parallactic.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just remembered that Ray, a medical thriller manga, is about a girl who loses her eyes as a kid, gets X-Ray eyes, and then becomes a maverick doctor. The manga is on the ecchi side with panty shots, and shots of scantily clad girls for no reason.

So that makes 4 women with angsty eye trauma.

[the-willow.insanejournal.com (from livejournal.com)]

I can speak! At least!

Ok, I think part of the reason there might not be backstory about training (not that I've looked for fanfic on Claymores oddly enough. It was my wonderful, beautiful little thing I found and hugged and then blogged about in my comic blog about how you can draw women with similar features: blonde hair, silver eyes - but make them obviously different and distinct from face shape to body type)

*breathes*

Training days - My take was that training was depressing as hell and friendships weren't supposed to happen at all. And that part of what makes 'The Northen Warriors' unique is that they allowed themselves to bond with one another. Their lack of isolation brought them strength, which led to the subterfuge and the seven years training.

I mean even Claire had bonding with Theresa and then she picked up Raki and she was also capable of bonding well with the Claymore whose arm she now has. And thus I seriously believe the bonding of the twins to one another might be part of what will make them dangerous when Awakened.

But then I like the theory that these women were being treated as weapons and pawns and not was people, individuals or warriors. Warriors bond with one another. The need to protect a shieldmate can lead to determination for more endurance and stamina. And we've actually seen that with Claire herself.

On another note, a thing I've wanted to talk about with someone for ages is how much it made me think of Buffy and the Watcher's Council of Men, who sent women out (the slayers) to fight their battles for them, while attempting to micromanage them and deny them the agency that came innate with being a Slayer.

I found it incredibly creepy and suspicious that this group of men, rounds up young girls who've been traumatized and transforms them in a process that is painful - then trains them, which is also near debilitating, then sends them out in the world to fight and die and ALWAYS with one of those men watching them carefully.

If she should stray but a little...

Then again I've been biased against them since Theresa. And only more so since learning of the Twins.

[meganbmoore.livejournal.com]

I've thought that they deliberately target traumatized young girls because they're easier to push in that direction. Actually, since we know they took one set of twins by force, I have to wonder if they've arranged for youkai to attack villages and homes of girls likely to be good candidates for being Claymores.

[magicnoire.livejournal.com]

I've thought that they deliberately target traumatized young girls because they're easier to push in that direction.

Example: Ophelia.

Actually, it makes me wonder about Miata.

[oyceter]

Yes, the Organization is creepy beyond belief! As is the Watcher's Council, and I love that the manga has the Claymores working to overthrow them. My current guess is that they're not quite human themselves, but that's only based on some creepy smiles of Organization people. I swear they have pointy teeth!

[grimorie.livejournal.com]

I just recently got into this series and I am loving it a lot! I inhaled all chapters. I can't believe the amount of awesome stuffed in this series.

In fact, I think its joined FMA in the ranks of manga of awesome for me!

In my mind, this is what BTVS would have been if The Watcher's Council could create more than one slayer!

[oyceter]

It is awesome! I should catch up on chapters soon; I have been very behind. But I am excited the US releases are catching up to the cool storylines.