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Casshern Sins or Claymore?


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APPLE 01 DOJ



Joined: 31 Mar 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:14 pm Reply with quote
I just got paid and would like to purchase a new anime series. Both of these seem like they might interest me but I have seen neither.

I like pretty much all types of anime. (save DBZ style stuff and extreme non-harem type romance)

I can't buy both...
Just bought Okami-San, plus getting Infinite Stratos & Madoka Vol.02. So my anime budget is pretty much spent for this month.

So to those who have seen both, which one did you like better? I know when it comes to anime every one has different tastes, so please just share your opinion.
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Xanas



Joined: 27 Aug 2007
Posts: 2058
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:26 pm Reply with quote
I haven't finished Casshern Sins, but I am pretty sure that Claymore is the better series between the 2.

Casshern (at least at the early parts) lacked any really compelling characters that remained with the somewhat sullen lead and with Claymore Raki was always around to kind of provide some balance to the show. I also have to say if you liked IS at all for the fanservice, you'll get more on that angle with Claymore as well, although the character designs are perhaps not quite as cute as IS I still found them to be nice.

My only irritation with Claymore is that they made the ending more conclusive and thus kind of broke it for adding future additions to the series. I don't even think that's potentially in play with Casshern, which is a remake of prior material.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
Posts: 3264
Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:29 pm Reply with quote
I think that this might more appropriately asked in the Anime Hunting thread or even the What Are You Considering Buying thread.

That said, both Casshern Sins and Claymore can be watched through Hulu, if you're in the United States, which would allow you to at least sample them.

For my part, I suggest Claymore. Casshern Sins has some cool concepts, a distinctive look and a few interesting ideas, but it can feel overwrought and ponderous. The series tries very hard to have troubled characters and some message, but ends up digging in sand. Claymore is drug down by some shōnen nonsense and has a somewhat lamentable gecko ending, but succeeds by being humbler about its aspirations its characters felt more accessible to me. Both are laudably free, or at least mostly free, of intrusive fanservice, which is impressive given Claymore's premise.
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APPLE 01 DOJ



Joined: 31 Mar 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Fri Apr 06, 2012 11:41 pm Reply with quote
In response to the above two posts.

I haven't actually seen IS yet. I just happen to really like mecha museum, and know that show has that. I'm excited to see it.

I don't have hulu. (or TV for that matter, I assume this is some type of streaming thing like netflix?) I could easily torrent both shows for free but I kind of like to just buy new things every once in a while and sometimes find a gem.

It seems Claymore is the clear choice.

Which show is more violent? (as in shows violence, not implied)
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One-Eye



Joined: 08 Mar 2011
Posts: 2267
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:03 am Reply with quote
I only got about 6 or so eps into Casshern. I liked some of the character designs and some of the ideas, but frankly I got really bored with it. I think Claymore is a pretty good show and would easily recommend it with one caveat. The dub is okay, but has one significantly weak performance. If you are the kind of person that isn't picky about their dubs, then it may not bother you. On the other hand, if you prefer dubs to be better than average then you might want to watch it with subs. But yea, for some excitement, action and a bit of emotional drama Claymore is a decent choice.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
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Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:06 am Reply with quote
APPLE 01 DOJ wrote:
I don't have hulu. (or TV for that matter, I assume this is some type of streaming thing like netflix?) I could easily torrent both shows for free but I kind of like to just buy new things every once in a while and sometimes find a gem.


Hulu is a free, legal online streaming video website. If you're in the United States and have a respectable internet connection, you should be able to use it. You have to put up with a few thirty-second advertisements with every episode and anything better than standard definition is available only with their premium service, but for just sampling things, it should be tolerable.

APPLE 01 DOJ wrote:
Which show is more violent? (as in shows violence, not implied)


I can't quite remember as it's been a long time since I saw either, but most of the things what get killed in Casshern Sins are robots, whereas the victims in Claymore are organic. As such, while both can be pretty violent, I expect that Claymore is the more satisfyingly gory. I think that both resort to the occasional 'discretion shot', but do deliver some real carnage from time to time.


Last edited by Surrender Artist on Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:28 am; edited 1 time in total
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APPLE 01 DOJ



Joined: 31 Mar 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:07 am Reply with quote
I usually don't mind dubs (unless they're porno voice bad) but it doesn't bother me if sub only is my only option either.
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yamata no orochi



Joined: 23 Jan 2009
Posts: 137
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:14 am Reply with quote
I haven't seen Claymore, but Casshern Sins is probably one of the most underrated anime titles I've seen in years.

I think a lot of people approach it as an action title, and get turned off by all the talking; others approach it as a philosophical series a la Kino's Journey and get turned off by all the fighting. Approach it at both angles and you might find it to be pretty fantastic.

I've only seen about half of it--supposedly the second half is inferior but there are enough brilliant episodes in the first half to be worth the buy. It reminds me a lot of Kaiba, which is probably better but also isn't licensed. It's also one of the most visually stunning series of the past decade or so.

Then again, it certainly isn't for everybody, so I'd check out the first four episodes on Hulu first. It takes a couple of episodes to get rolling, but once you get into the stand-alones around episode three it becomes powerful stuff.
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APPLE 01 DOJ



Joined: 31 Mar 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:16 am Reply with quote
Surrender Artist wrote:
APPLE 01 DOJ wrote:
I don't have hulu. (or TV for that matter, I assume this is some type of streaming thing like netflix?) I could easily torrent both shows for free but I kind of like to just buy new things every once in a while and sometimes find a gem.


Hulu is a free, legal online streaming video website. If you're in the United States and have a respectable internet connection, you should be able to use it. You have to put up with a few thirty-second advertisements with every episode and anything better than standard definition is available only with their premium service, but for just sampling things, it should be tolerable.

APPLE 01 DOJ wrote:
Which show is more violent? (as in shows violence, not implied)


I can't quite remember as it's been a long time since I saw either, but most of the things what get killed in Casshern Sins are robots, where the victims in Claymore are organic. As such, while both can be pretty violent, I expect that Claymore is the more satisfyingly gory. I think that both resort to the occasional 'discretion shot', but do deliver some real carnage from time to time.


Oh, Hulu is deff out of the question for me (Verizon aircard, even trying to watch a 4 minute vid on youtube can take up to 2 hours)

This thread is pretty one sided in it's votes, so I would be foolish not to listen. I do hope to eventually get both but it seems the ANN has spoken!
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nobahn
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Joined: 14 Dec 2006
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:21 am Reply with quote
Surrender Artist wrote:
I think that both resort to the occasional 'discretion shot', but do deliver some real carnage from time to time.

I cannot speak to Cashern Sins, but I do not recall any fanservice in Claymore.*


*Yes, there is some nudity, but it isn't for arousal.
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Surrender Artist



Joined: 01 May 2011
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Location: Pennsylvania, USA
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 12:43 am Reply with quote
The English dub of Claymore is imperfect, but serviceable on the whole and I think that Stephanie Young plays the protagonist, Claire, very well and Luci Christian made a great Ophelia. Todd Haberkorn's Raki is sometimes annoying, but it would be hard for that character not to be annoying. Big Claymore fan Theron Martin's reviews, especially his review of volume two, suggest that a greater problem is unwise changes in the English script. I enjoyed the series in English all the same, but you're better of knowing than not.

nbahn wrote:
Surrender Artist wrote:
I think that both resort to the occasional 'discretion shot', but do deliver some real carnage from time to time.

I cannot speak to Cashern Sins, but I do not recall any fanservice in Claymore.*


*Yes, there is some nudity, but it isn't for arousal.


Oh, quite, I was referring to the 'gore discretion shot' and just on a hunch. I can't remember if either ever blinked away from a head being aslpoded or something, but it seems plausible. One of my favorite things about Claymore is that it never sexualizes its characters. I avoided it for a long time because the, "female warriors," premise my my long percolating cynicism led me toe expect something more like Queen's Blade, so I was delighted when quite the opposite was the case.
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:32 am Reply with quote
I'm halfway through Casshern Sins and already find it way better than Claymore. Claymore is faster-paced, more action-packed, and has some pretty cool fantasy/supernatural aspects to it, (and fairly violent) but the ending dimmed down its overall value for me a bit.

On the other hand, I find Casshern to be an amazing series so far. The plot isn't as cookie-cutter as Claymore where you learn something and just move on to the next arc. Instead, it puts you in this post-Apocalyptic world and leaves you to wonder just what the heck happened to make everything like it is. Who or what is Casshern, really? Why is he the cause of The Ruin? Who are these other cyborgs after him (which is about where I've stopped in the series, so I can't tell you much more beyond that). And in-between it all (so far), there's even a little slice-of-life to it.

Comparatively, I would say both are fairly stylish in their own way (both produced by Mad House studios, go figure), but I personally think Casshern has a lot more going for it. It's really dark (both in mood and aesthetics), mysterious, and I still have half the series to go. However, I'd say it's more of an acquired taste. So if you like Tatsunoko stuff, go with Casshern. If actiony stuff is more up your alley, go with Claymore.

EDIT: Grammar goofs.


Last edited by Tony K. on Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:47 am; edited 2 times in total
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APPLE 01 DOJ



Joined: 31 Mar 2011
Posts: 33
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:37 am Reply with quote
well you make it sound ergo proxy-ish (which I loved)

So now I'm having second thoughts lol
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Tony K.
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Joined: 18 Nov 2003
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PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 1:46 am Reply with quote
I love Ergo Proxy, too. I wouldn't say Casshern is as complex as EP (again, still only halfway through), but the vibe of the world it takes place in is about as dark. The planet is all dingy, people are wandering all over the place and fighting for or living off of scraps, and you've got the main character trying to make sense of it all through the people he meets/saves/kills. The cyborg and robotic nature of a lot of the characters make it feel less "grounded" and empathetic because they're artificial lifeforms, but I think it makes the story cooler because they often have a lot of humanity written into them.

By the way, are these Blu-ray or DVD sets you're getting?

EDIT: More grammar goofs.


Last edited by Tony K. on Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:16 am; edited 1 time in total
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Unicorn_Blade



Joined: 18 Jul 2010
Posts: 1153
Location: UK
PostPosted: Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:10 am Reply with quote
I have not seem Claymore yet, but I would not recommend Casshern, unless you are in a special mood for it.
The first half is very monotonous and repeats the same scenario, the second half is a lot more interesting, but still, the characters except for one or two to me remained indifferent. The whole setting is great, but I think the series could do with few episodes to avoid the feeling of dragging it on for too long. It is worth watching, but if you have a choice to perhaps buy something different in its place, I'd go for it.
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