Remember that time Claymore sucked? Neither do I. Claymore is the easily the best power-up driven action anime I've ever seen, if not the greatest action anime period. It avoids all the annoying mistakes that plague most other action series:
Unexplained Background Info & Terminology
I still don't know what this means
See: Simoun, Darker Than Black, Ergo Proxy
Unexplained terminology is a hallmark of the "classy" action shows. Too many fans come over how intellectual it makes the show seem, and too many writers play to that base. They should all be flogged.
Claymore, on the other hand, isn't full of itself. It's a show so down to earth that its characters step on twigs.
During the first four episodes of Claymore, you're exposed to almost all of the background info you'd ever need to know. This show never leaves you in the dark, and it accomplishes this without dumbing down the show through awkward explanations.
Awkward Explanations
I've been looking for an excuse to dub that line
See: Naruto, Hunter x Hunter
Whenever the viewer doesn't know something that a character probably should, what's the best way to explain it? By acting like the character is an idiot, that's how.
Useless (fighting) Characters
See: Naruto, Bleach, Hunter x Hunter
Regrettably, Claymore has one of the most useless characters in the history of the universe...
...but none of the Claymores are useless in battle.
Unreasonable/Inconsistent Power-ups
See: Naruto, Dragonball Z, Blood+, Yu Yu Hakusho
You start off as a wuss. The next day you're practically invincible. Two arcs later, you suck again. A lot of shows screw around with power levels, but not Claymore. Power is obtained gradually, and whenever it's not, there's a justifiable reason for it.
Fights Determined Solely by Power Level
See: Dragonball Z, Bleach
As stated above, it's just not plausible to have a weak character suddenly take over the show. However, that doesn't mean that style, tactics, and luck can't play some role in overcoming a power gap. I'm not saying that every show needs a Shikamaru...or am I?
Something to Protect
See: Inu Yasha, Naruto, One Piece
I hate this theme so much that it inspired one of the first posts. Fortunately, it never appears in Claymore. Clare isn't interested in protecting others. She's only motivated by hatred, suffering, and revenge.
Straying from the Manga
See: Naruto, Bleach, Saiyuki, Kenshin
Here's where things get controversial. The anime stayed about 99% loyal to the manga until it completely revamped the last couple of episodes. It didn't seem necessary, especially since there's potential to realign with the manga for a second season. However, before you criticize the move, consider Berserk's critical flaw.
A Crappy Endpoint
See: Berserk, Inu Yasha, Hajime no Ippo
"And then there was the ending�The ending was really bizarre, like WTF drugs was the storywriter on? It was rather unsatisfying as well. Not that I always want a nice Disney ending, far from it� but the final two episodes seemed so disconnected from the rest of the series, I can�t help but sigh." - obz"the highly disturbing ending fails to provide a sense of closure." - pegsyjcrawford
"The only thing I was dissapointed in was how the anime decides to leave you hanging in the end." - KonKorr
"Even though most of the anime is done very well, it feels very unfinished. Especially the last epsiode, which actually didn't end the story at all." - Chrythes
"The beginning sets up an expectation of how the ending is going to be like, but when it reaches the finale of the whole series, the writers completely destroy it like slamming a piece of ice into glass, shattering into a billion pieces." - Desai-kun
This is what could've happened if Claymore had pushed straight through the manga like Berserk. I'm not saying that Claymore's ending was perfect; I'm just saying it could've been a lot worse.
And now for the checklist:
| Well developed minor characters |  |
| Simultaneous subplots | |
| Unforeseeable plot twists | |
| Comical victimization |  |
| Regular victimization | |
| Recurring random character(s) | |
| Badass mid-episode transitions | |
| Soundtrack by Yuki Kajiura | |
| Themes of Hatred/Suffering/Revenge | |
| Lesbians | |
| Hilarious ambiguously gay dude | |
| Stylish visual effects | |
| Dinosaurs | |
| Rivalry | |
| Graphic violence | |
| A character vaguely resembling myself | |
| Failed confessions | |
| Misunderstandings | |
| Mangled English | |
| Pimp in a white suit | |
| List of progressively revealed elements | |
| Time Travel | |
| Supernatural Power | |
| Fight in a Cathedral | |
| Catch phrases | |
| Self-parody | |
Claymore didn't need comedy, but a little more might've been fun. There was really only one comedic moment in the entire show, which I shall now spoil.
At least that's one more joke than Lucky Star had.