Blade of the Immortal (Manga, Anime Series)

. Of course I can't read japanese if it bit me in the nose so I got my hands on some english translations from Dark Horse Comics and later on begun to hang on scanlation pages. Now, quality of translation may vary (depending on source) but the storyline and drawing was always great.

And how does the story go? You'll excuse me if I simply plunder the quote from Wikipedia:

Blade of the Immortal follows the deeds of Manji, a skilled samurai who has a decisive advantage: no wound can kill him, except for a rare poison. In the past, his criminal actions led to the death of 100 other samurai (including his sister's husband). He becomes immortal at the hand of a 800-year-old nun named Yaobikuni, and is compelled by the death of his sister to accept the quest that will end his agelessness. He has vowed to make amends by killing 1000 evil men, and until he does Manji will be kept alive by kessen-chū, remarkable creatures that allow him to survive nearly any injury and reattach severed limbs even after hours of separation. They work by sacrificing themselves to seal the wound - they're worms that were bred to be as close in their chemical and physical make-up to humans as you can get without being human. They cannot handle regrowth on a large scale, but, for example, can reattach a severed limb or seal a hole in the brain.

Of course the overall picture is more complicated. This quote denotes just the general idea, to get more you'll have to go back to the source. Now, some months ago everything went quiet. After the shakes of the withdrawal passed :) I started the stoical wait for some news; and lo and behold, the wait bore fruit - "Blade of the Immortal" is now an anime series, and here's the trailer I found on YouTube:

Anime has just started (the first episode premiered on July 13, 2008) so I can't really say if it's any good. You can find that out easily for yourself... as I intend to do. And as far as mangas go, I'm sure I'm gonna buy them (eventually), prohibitive prices or not.
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~Blindman~

Claymore (anime series) and the new Indiana Jones movie trailer

Claymore is a 2007 anime series, comprising of 26 episodes, with average length of 20 minutes per one episode. Anime's setting is clearly Western European and medieval, with a few fantastical elements. Foremost of them being "Yoma" - evil monsters which feed on human intestines, and "Yoki" - monster's life energy (similar to chi in Eastern Philosophies and/or Religions). Our main protagonist is a claymore named Claire. Claymores are half-human half-yoma beings, equipped with giant swords (hence the name), with a sole purpose to their existence - seek and destroy all Yoma life. Their half-yoma nature gives them preternatural abilities enabling them to fight Yoma, whose strength, speed and overall fighting abilities are far superior to humans. Yomas and Awakened Beings (something like advanced gen Yoma) may camouflage as humans, but their true forms vary considerably - from giant godzilla-like creatures to many limbed arachnids, winged demons and insectoids. Their repulsiveness (evil) is in stark contrast with the beauty of Claymores (good), who just happen to be blonde women, one and all of them, without exception.

The story picks up fast and I held to my seat well past after the middle episodes were behind me. The story of Claire and her personal vendetta against a particular Awakened Being is quite compelling as her power progresses in a similar fashion to roleplaying games. The plot is not as pedestrian as the setting might lead one to believe, but its not as complex or depressing as is the deal with some of the more philosophical animes on the market (Neo Genesis Evangelion, Akira, Ergo Proxy, Gilgamesh etc.).

Claymore is not spotless thought. There are a few notable plot holes and some unnecessary filler content when the series crawls towards its conclusion. The Claymores are quite indistinguishable between each other, even with the different hairdos. The different fighting techniques become too numerous with progression of the series, making them lose some of their initial uniqueness. There are also a lot of unbearable cheesy moments, and that includes the ending itself. Nevertheless, all of the complaints I might have had with Claymore, I still have to admit that I absolutely loved the series and cannot remember the last anime I've enjoyed as much as this one. Highly recommended 4/5

As an aside - the new trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is awesome. Check out the link to watch it in HD.

- Thrinidir -