Claymore Manga - Japanese Version

[Gooral]

After reading for the third time first 5 volumes of Claymore manga to my attention came more or less stupid observations/doubts (I wanted to have a round number so some of the points are really forced). I've numbered my observations so if anyone wants to respond to them please DO NOT quote them but write a number to which you're referring to and want to discuss or ridicule (I'm talking especially to you Awakened, you like to quote a lot even though you're referring to one sentence). Most of them are stupid (or really stupid) and can be easily countered. If nobody will want to discuss I''ll counter my own arguments myself (;P) but I don't want to do that yet hoping that maybe someone will respond. I have the most to say about point #3 but I'll wait a while.

1) Youma/Zaki knows a lot about claymores even though he's never met one (if he met we wouldn't see him because he would be killed unless HUMAN Zaki traveled). Is it common knowledge that claymores are being produced by mixing youma blood and flesh into human bodies and that only woman can become claymores? Or did it have to do with the org being the source of youma (so youma knew this and that naturally)?

2) I'm curious if there was a case when someone pretended to be a man in black and took the money after youma were slain. Why didn't claymore take the money? Why did they even wait for the payment? It wouldn't do them any good if some impersonator took advantage of that (unless they wanted to have a pretext to eradicate the village).

3) Everyone blindly believed Miria who said that the metal from which claymores are being made doesn't exist on the island. However, even Raki's village had a mine (a coal mine but still...). I'm not saying that where there is coal there is metal, I'm only saying that if even in such backwoods like Raki's village there was a mine then Miria couldn't have been sure that there wasn't a mine she didn't know about. The organization didn't need that much of this metal (one deposit would do), they needed like 2-4 swords/year (since Teresa was 182 warrior and it took about 100 years to have these warriors).

4) How did Clare come in when she was saving Raki from Zaki? Through the roof? Wouldn't it be easier and as sudden to go through the door? (yeah, yeah, I know, it's shounen so it had to be flashy)

5) At least two times Clare saved a hostage that was used as a shield by a perpetrator (Raki and Galatea). She was also saved from the same spot by Teresa.

6) Youma without half of his head could still talk (chapter 2). I wonder if Deneve could do that. Heck, maybe Teresa would be alive if Priscilla didn't severe her head from neck but chipped only a piece of her brain (in case anyone wonders, I'm not serious here, I'm emphasizing it here especially).

7) What was it about with "They're incomplete" (ch. 02, p.17). Did she mant the wings?

8) Clare liked to chop a hand before she made the final strike. Zaki, one of the youma in the group she encountered (chapter 2), the "female" youma, voracious eater from Rabona (she cut his two hands even), Agatha... Maybe someone remembers other examples. Teresa also used this combo (and Priscilla too). Do you think that it was easier that way or did it have to do with the way Teresa was killed?

9) Clare had to practice sword-throwing to have such bull's eye (moving target in 3 dimensions and from such distance).

10) Raki is a giant when compared to his brother (usually between brothers there is not a big difference in height). What was Isley feeding him?

11) How did Clare know where and when Rubel was waiting on her (chapter 4)? Did he have some sort of beacon with him? Did they emit some characteristic smell (for example Rubel never washed or sth)? Or did they arrange they would meet on 69°24'07"N, 177°33'59"W or maybe 4th tree on the left of the waterfall near XXX village when it's that time of the month.

12)

Don't you think that this tavern's sign looks familiar? To me these letters resemble symbols that are on claymore swords.

13) AFAIK efficient sunglasses weren't made before 20th century and the first sunglasses were made like in 18th-19th century. So how come does Rubel have them (unless they're just glasses painted black which would be possible much earlier)? Is he from the future or what?

14) 10 million Beras - is that a cost of a claymore (the statue wasn't worth that much of course)

15) In one place Rubel said "That includes us Claymores" (chapter 5), i.e. he called himself a claymore and what's more it's been said they don't call themselves that.

16) I wonder if MiB told Irene that Teresa didn't kill the previous death squad.

17) Youma eat once a week/two and there was only one case where youma used a weapon (in Rabona, chapter 9)

18) Sid said "You have an aura of a monster", one of the villagers that was observing Teresa and Priscilla fighting said he felt a chill and village's elder pissed his pants, i.e. human can sense sth

19) Miria-bitch-sama wanted to report that Clare disobeyed orders and went ahead to slay youma

20) Teresa was so skilled that she could massacre all bandits and not a single drop of blood was where she was standing

[MisterJB]

Originally Posted by Gooral

7) What was it about with "They're incomplete" (ch. 02, p.17). Did she mant the wings?

The Yoma said that, not Clare.

The kanji used is 半端 【はんぱ】 <read HANPA> remnant; fragment; incomplete set; fraction; odd sum; incompleteness; (P)

So they don't really say half breed, but more of a derogatory word to indicate they are real youma and she is not.

[Ryus]

@Gooral

1) Actually I got the exact opposite impression. Zaki seemed to me to be making wild speculation based on knowledge that villagers knew, unlike the Yoma in extra chapter 4 who seemed to understand quite a bit about yoki suppression. However him being in the training grounds seemed to imply he was very expendable... a bit of a contradiction based on his knowledge of yoki suppression. Kinda implying he only got enough training to be a challenge to the trainees and not being able to dominate them. I suspect the organization has even more animosity against yoma then half-breed warriors. They likely see the yoma as tools, at best, and the Claymores as research experiments.

Zaki only knew enough to that it's better to flee then fight, that Clare only looked frail, and that they used giant swords. He connected the frail looks and her half breed status as signs of weakness... rather than a "Claymore" still being in the process of transforming into a full blown man eater and that they had more then enough strength and speed to beat him even with a giant sword. It was common knowledge that "Claymores" where half breeds and part yoma... a villager in the crowd gathered at Clare's arrival called her such. Also it was common knowledge of them being women and having huge swords... this was all the knowledge Zaki knew of them as well and the knowledge he based Clare's status as weaker then him upon.

2) I would love to know the answer to this myself...

3) Um... How do I state my beliefs on this best... First off no metal has the properties of a Claymore in the real world nor any alloy I know of either. Speaking of alloys steel was almost impossible to make until the industrial revolution even as much steel for a "Claymore" would be prohibitively expensive and time consuming (which makes leaving the Claymores as Grave markers a rather uneconomical practice, thus making it unlikely to be implemented by the organization). Steel requires massive plants to make it which would easily be spotted.

Next of Titanium is a metal and not an alloy (but it can be made into an alloy to change it's properties a bit) but the temperatures required to are extreme and far beyond what a medieval society should be able to achieve... Titanium burns at 1,200 C (2,180 F). This also requires massive planets to make it. So even if Titanium is the metal used Miria wouldn't know of it because Titanium in its base form just doesn't appear to have the properties of the sword.

In short I believe Miria has no way of knowing the material the Claymore is made from but it would require a large manufacturing facility that isn't on the island... or hidden super well. So Miria's statement is factual but she should be ignorant of what exactly she's looking for even if she was helped by a blacksmith on the island. I believe Miria's logic is correct though and Claymores are made on the main land, also that the others aren't blindly following Miria but understood her as being correct.

4) That one gets me every time too... I always laugh at the idea of a film crew trying to do that scene exactly like the manga... The through the ceiling entrance via sword. I mean how could they pull that off... Clare would have had to have gone through the roof and the second floor just to get to them on the main floor. So how come no one heard her until she busted through the second floor? and How come Zaki didn't sense her Yoki usage busting through the roof? Did she sneak into the second floor first with her giant metal boots on and not make any creaking sounds on the wooden floor until she got right above them? Or did she jump SO hing that she smashed though both floors really quickly?

5) I fail to see the point.... Are you just stating a fact or making an interpretation of a character (for example: Clare only saves people since that what she believed Teresa did...)

6) I'd prefer if Deneve wasn't put in a position like that... especially if it's just to test the brain as a weak point theory. But your right most of his brain was in his detached head yet his body was talking... Very odd considering the head is the weak point. Wild guess... but maybe he was left brain dominate with some yoki usage keeping him alive for a bit? Riful did survive part of her head being eaten...

Spoiler for A bit morbid... skip if you don't want to read about the possibility of consciousness after being beheaded:

As to beheadings... there not instant death (quick but not instant, in most cases though going into shock should prevent one from suffering too much. Some claim you black out instantly as your brain dies and others say you last a few moments until you lose consciousness. Still all agree death isn't instant.). Many heads, just severed from there bodies, during the French revolution did show movement (according to accounts)... Mary Queen of Scott's servants said she mouthed "Sweet Jesus"after her head was half severed (it took two strikes to fully behead her). Many say Antoine Lavoisier (A french chemist during the French Revolution) said he'd blink as long as he could after his beheading to prove the guillotine wasn't the painless death as advertised but torture... it's said he blinked for 15-20 seconds (slowing as time passed). I will state his blinking is a disputed fact and is unprovable but still who really knows since how do we prove these verbal accounts of old. So add in yoki and minor regenerative powers... it may still be a stretch but... just maybe possible in the "claymore world".

There are 3 camps on the consciousness of one who had been beheaded in the real world... instant loss of consciousness with death soon following, ~5 seconds, and 15 seconds (that's how long cardiac arrest victims last before blacking out). They all stem not from morbid curiosity but from the French Revolution and a debate of the guillotine being a horrible form of torture since victims might feel there bodies removal. I bring it up since it relates to Chapter 2 and it being very odd. I agree that the half head should have been dead much quicker then it did in chapter 2 and not able to give a monologue but if your looking for an explanation that's what I came up with other then Yagi just f***ing up here.

I'm personally in the ~5 second camp but believe that in most cases shock should prevent interaction of the heads part with the world... though believe the head can still observe, with limited ability (due to being in shock and blood loss), for those few moments. So for a few seconds I believe it is pure torture for the victim, but thankfully (for what it's worth) quick without much ability/time to comprehend their predicament. I really empathize for Teresa, Alicia, and Beth (who was likely linked to her sister and felt her decapitation), not to mention real life victims of decapitation.

7) MisterJB is right on this issue. Likely the translator of what you read just didn't realize the Claymore lingo yet since it was only Chapter 2 at the time... Almost every translation I've seen uses "Half-Breed" here...

8) I'm going with easier... I've taken martial arts and used long blade swords before and limb attacks were common in all the practice matches I was in. Add into that equation opponents who don't die right away and then any moves that aren't conservative or downright kills (via out matching an opponent) are just risky. Limb removal attacks allow one to keep more distance between them and their opponent, thus lowering risk by getting too close to the opponent and yet still cripple them allowing for an easier kill in the followup move. Also when fighting multiple opponents wounding them gives you a moment to move to next threat with minimal risk to yourself. After all once they're wounded you can more likely easily beat them latter in the battle.

Put another way attacking an opponents limbs is the most often the way to expend the least amount of energy and gain the best chances of victory/survival.

9) Likely... I wasn't good at throwing blades for quite a while. Then again I saw many who it seemed second nature to. With Yoki throwing a Claymore shouldn't be too hard... the question is how much power do you need to get the sword the required distance with speed...

10) Apples! More likely Raki was feeding himself though... I'd hate to see what Isley brought home from the grocery store (market)... I guess whatever employee he liked the least. Priscilla you need to eat something and Raki would you like to try some? This one is extra juicy...

Now to be more serious... we don't know how old Zaki was. He seemed kinda young compared the the rest of the town... I'd put him at 15ish (give or take a year). That's old enough to be included in talks (in medieval societies), not to mention him being the victim of Yoma giving him right to be there and hear the Village Chiefs plans. Also he didn't seem to be a mine worker, which would have beefed him up a bit... but who really knows. Point is, since were not sure he was fully grown how can we say he was that much smaller then Raki...

11) I'd like to know this myself... I have many guesses my self...

12) There is similar writing in Chapter Chapter 67... I've noticed the similarities too. As such I've always wondered if a Claymores symbol meant something too. Yet the odds of each person having a unique symbol that meant something over 77 plus generations... I doubt Yagi though will make up a language (Like Tolkin's elvish)

13) Well if you tie this into point 3 then it could imply the mainland is more technology advanced then the vision of battle Miria gave us... I fear this possible plot angle though. Too fearful that it could become a tech battle rather then a yoki battle... Also if they have cannons or something Yagi will need to show us why they aren't the dominate weapons and why both sides need monsters for battle.

14) Yes, that was Clare's clam of the cost of the statue. Makes me wonder how much each bar of gold is worth...

15) I think he was just stating the villagers of the holy cities perspective of them... though I can't translate the RAW. It's still a good point... this part needs clarification from someone who can translate.

16) I think "Cut Down" was meant as injure but not kill. Priscilla didn't claim she killed there kind, only humans. Though this is only a guess on my part, I'd ask someone who can read the RAW for there interpretation too.

17) Are you implying something or just stating a few facts? I will state that you did get me to recheck out the Yoma in Chapters 2, 3, and 42. None had any blades on them... even if just a small short blade on their hip. Very odd in Chapter 3 since that yoma was trying to pass itself off as a Claymore, kinda odd for the yoma in Chapter 2 since any blade extends your reach and they didn't care about maintaining there identities any more (surrey they could get a hold of a blade, even it was a farming tool), the Yoma in 42 were trying to look like poor villagers though so it wasn't too odd for them.

18) I agree humans are capable of sensing yoki. I kinda like the idea of the village chief in chapter 1 sensing Clare and that's why he got so scared... I mean a small women with silver eyes and a detached attitude can't be that imposing to a big guy like him. Unless he was just panicking due to legends surrounding them...

19) Don't blame Miria. She was trying to maintain a loyal image and if she failed to report it and they found out then she'd likely be in big trouble and she knew Rubel was trying to remove her and just waiting for an excuse. Miria was maintaining her image for the opportunity to get rid of the organization for the good of the whole island. That Miria's loyalty lies with society as a whole, sure the death of a friend was a catalyst for this but she's to calm and collected for her true motivation being a simple as revenge.

20) Interesting point of view... I'll just say there are many times in Claymore where someone would have a ton more blood on them after stabbing someone in such a fashion. Did you see Rigardo's blood on Clare? She wasn't skilled but berserking... Yet, no blood even on her sword or limbs... I mean was Rigardo's blood too good for Clare or something?

[revan5]

Originally Posted by Ryus

@Gooral

18) I agree humans are capable of sensing yoki. I kinda like the idea of the village chief in chapter 1 sensing Clare and that's why he got so scared... I mean a small woman with silver eyes and a detached attitude can't be that imposing to a big guy like him. Unless he was just panicking due to legends surrounding them...

Small? Ryus, come on now, have you checked how tall these ladies are? Claire is considered a below-average height Claymore, and she's 170 cm tall (5'7")! Looks like I've got to bring in the heavy research to counter this claim of "smallness". The average height of medieval women was roughly 155 cm (5'1/2"), not the towering 175 cm that the Ghosts and all Claymores averaged! (No, Camilla, for the last time, I'm not going with your anecdotal evidence on this) For Claymores, their heights suggests besides Yoki being bigger and stronger were two ideal physiques to have, and as such smaller warriors like Dietrich were constantly having to compensate for their petite physiques. When you consider that there is not a Claymore shorter than their 150 cm swords, something begins to click. Even if you compensate for an improved diet and height from modern times, they're still much taller than average modern women. The question you ought to be asking, "is it because these traits are advantageous or because hybridization increases their growth of physical stature?"

http://forums.animesuki.com/showthre...38#post2796138
http://forums.animesuki.com/showpost...&postcount=844

Let's take a look at the highlights of that post:

1.) Camilla, HegemonKhan and I noticed an interesting phenomenon when it comes to female Claymores' physiology (physiques). It's all based around one interesting quote I noticed when Deneve complimented Dietrich.

"To compensate for a lack of weight and strength, jumping down from above to cut that thing in two...seems like she's had some experience with Awakened Beings."-Deneve in Chapter 86 page 01

Then it occurred to me, Deneve was noting that Dietrich was having to "compensate" for her small physique as a warrior. How many other warriors were there like Dietrich? Not many. Why? Determined to discover the answer, I pressed on until I noticed the "Extra Chapter" where Claire dislocates her shoulder with her heavy Claymore.


2.)

No. 8 Dietrich 1.6 meters (5'3")
No. 2 Priscilla 1.65 meters (5'5") (something of an outlier with her yoki)
No. 47 Claire, No. 2 Rigardo, No. 3 Irene: 1.7 meters (5'7"),
No. 4 Ophelia, No. 6 Miria, No. 2 Raphaela, No. 1 Luciella, No. 14 Cynthia, No. 15 Deneve, No. 22 Helen, No. 31 Tabitha: 1.75 meters (5'9")
No. 40 Yuma, No. 1 Alicia, No. 2 Beth, No. 1 Teresa: 1.8 meters (5'11")
No. 3 Galatea, No. 1 Isley: 1.85 meters (6'1"-these two qualify as the tallest known male and female Claymores at present time)

3.)
All Body Mass Index calibrated for females in 40% weight range (about right for skinny Claymores who still have considerable muscle on their bodies-and yes, that's a standard weight range for healthy body weights for women 20-29 years of age). The standard weight is for Claymores who are of average warrior physique and 160 centimeters tall:

160 centimeters (5'3"): 55.38 Kilograms (122 lbs) (100% of Standard Weight (SW))
165 centimeters (5'5"): 58.513 (129 lbs) (105.73% of SW)
170 centimeters (5'7"): 61.689KG (136 lbs) (111.47% of SW)
175 centimeters (5'9"): 64.864KG (143 lbs) (117.21% of SW)
180 centimeters (5'11"): 68.039KG (150 lbs) (122.95% of SW)
185 centimeters (6'1"): 71.214 KG (157 lbs) (128.68% of SW)

4.) Now imagine that the Claymore they are wielding is 5 Kilos (11 pounds), and you'll quickly realize why it is female Claymore ARE MOSTLY NOT SMALL.



Weight of 5KG sword as percentage of 40% BMI female warrior:

160 cm/5'3": 9%
165 cm/5'5": 8.52%
170 cm/5'7": 8.08%
175 cm/5'9": 7.69%
180 cm/5'11": 7.33%
185 cm/6'1": 7%

What this suggests to me is that for Claymores it pays to be above average in both weight and height.


-----------------------------------------------------------------

So then, what was the average height for a woman of the medieval era Ryus?

Read the following: http://www.plimoth.org/discover/myth/4-ft-2.php

"The average height for an early 17th-century English man was approximately 5’ 6". For 17th-century English women, it was about 5’ ½". While average heights in England remained virtually unchanged in the 17th and 18th centuries, American colonists grew taller. Averages for modern Americans are just over 5’ 9" for men, and about 5’ 3 ¾" for women. The main reasons for this difference are improved nutrition, notably increased consumption of meat and milk, and antibiotics.

Modern Americans are measured, or give their height, for many documents; people in the early 17th century did not. The one exception was the military musters, where the height of a man determined what weapon he was fit to use. The "Men and Armour for Gloucestershire in 1608, " for example, divided the men both by age groups and height. The four catagories were "tallest stature fitt to make a pykeman," "middle stature fitt to make a musketyer," "lower stature fitt to serve with a Calyver" and "meanest stature either fit for a pyoner [foot soldier, laborer], or of little other use.""

You see, the smallest were of little use! The same seems to apply to Claymores, and the smaller and thinner they are, the worse it is for them.

In contrast, here's the 30th percentile weight female warrior. You'll notice the less Claymores weigh the ever harder it is to properly balance their bodies, as the weight begins throwing them around. Think of it as the difference in towing around a 10,000Kg wagon with a 3,000Kg tractor and that same weight with a less powerful 8,000Kg truck. Despite the tractor being more powerful, the weight will actually push it around more because its weight acts as a limiting factor compared to the truck's. This becomes obvious when you start comparing 30th percentile weight warriors of all heights with their heavier contemporaries (up to a point).

160 centimeters (5'3"): 51.710 Kg (114 lbs)
165 centimeters (5'5"): 54.885 Kg (121 lbs)
170 centimeters (5'7"): 58.060 Kg (128 lbs)
175 centimeters (5'9"): 61.235 Kg (135 lbs)
180 centimeters (5'11"): 64.410 Kg (142 lbs)
185 centimeters (6'1"): 67.585 Kg (149 lbs)

Weight of 5KG (11 lbs) sword as percentage of 30% BMI female warrior:

160 cm/5'3": 9.67%
165 cm/5'5": 9.11%
170 cm/5'7": 8.61%
175 cm/5'9": 8.16%
180 cm/5'11": 7.76%
185 cm/6'1": 7.40%

[Gooral]

As for #14 I was thinking that the number Clare gave wasn't random and that it was cost of a claymore that was hidden in the statue.
And yes, in some cases I was just stating the obvious .

I should write some more some other time.

[Bikerider]

I'm going to put my non chapter musing and thoughts in this thread from now on. It seems to be the best thread to post them. For my first manga, non chapter musing, I'll repost one I put in the images thread.

Here's Gally from the time She, Jean and Clare played with Riful and Dauf.



and here's an unnamed Warrior from the first attempt to purge Teresa



Twins ? Obviously they are not both Gally because the symbols are different. So... Twins ? Could Gally be that old ? Old as Teresa maybe ?

[lightsenshi]

I'll comment on two things that jump to mind. First off, the skill level for the average Claymore would be somewhere between exceptional and remarkable. Let's put aside the fact that they're wielding a sword nearly as long as they are tall. We see repeatedly that each individual is capable of strikes so precise that they can actually choose the precise point of a target moving in three dimensions. If memory serves, the flying yoma we see somewhere near the beginning of the series is struck through the heart.

Irregardless of what the sword is made of, you're going to be talking at the minimum of 15 pounds. The average two handed sword seems to run in the 10 pound range but lacks both the width and length of a Claymore's sword. I recall reading somewhere that the sword wasn't supposed to be wieldable by a normal human, which certainly suggests that it'd be heavier than that. I'd also lean toward titanium as the primary metal because a steel sword wouldn't be dense enough to stand up to the kind of punishment that the sword would have to withstand. (My hunch is that we're taking about the sword weighing roughly 25 pounds and made of titanium.)

[Bikerider]

The sword is a weight for a 12 year old boy to carry it while it's encased in plaster or concrete or whatever that statue Raki was carrying in Labona.

[Bikerider]

Just where are the ghosts keeping all their stuff ? They don't appear to be packing it around with them Where do they keep it. Did Miria secretly hide a full uniform in Labona with the thought of using it some day ? Wouldn't the other ghosts notice she had a full uniform in her dufflebag ?

[Cyclone]

Easy. Ever see Doraemon? 4D pockets.

[Bikerider]

So.. you're saying they're keeping their stuff in another comic ?

[Falcor]

No, just another dimension... LMAO! Good one, Cyclone.

[Shiek927]

Last night, I asked Gooral if he could do me a favor and ask Gernot if he can explicitly translate where exactly Raki's home is. Initiallly, we all believed it was in the deep South, but Cyclone later on told us that it was actually in the Southern part of the West.

This confused me on several levels, primarily because of one issue.

Aside from certain obvious things, like the desert environment which we attributed more to the deep South (unlike the cool northern, apparently border-region bits like where Luciella was) (we haven't seen an area in the West thus far that was forest-y, hilly and mountainous), my confusion stems more with Priscilla actually, then him.

Apparently, it was his scent that she liked because it reminded her of her home...this doesn't make sense to me because, if she really were born in the South, why would he, a Westerner, remind her? She can't be actually from the West herself because Isley really did set out to conquer Luciella's south; now, while I personally believe he was out for his own personal gain on that ground, at least his victory could also doubly appease her. I doubt he lied to her, to this degree, that he intentionally went for the South instead of the West and promised to go to where her home was later. It's for this that I'm not asking to translate that bit as well.

Unfortunately, the only thing that made this bit from not making sense is Cyclone's own translations; while I do remember one of those maps at the end of the chapter also pointing to, when adult Raki returned to his hometown, that he was in the West, not the South, I wasn't totally satisfied. Now, while I trust Cyclone and his translations, my curiosity wouldn't drop the matter; here's what I got back from Gooral and Gernot.

Originally Posted by gernot

西の地のドガの村出身です
I'm guessing that Doga is the name of the village:
I'm from the village Doga in the lands of the West.
Or maybe Doga is the name of the area where the village is:
I'm from a village in Doga in the lands of the West.
In either case it's definitely "West", and there is no mention of "plains".

To my displeasure, it's true, and now undeniable; Raki is indeed born in the West, not in the South. The bit that Raki was born in the southern part of that region wasn't in Gernot's words, but it doesn't matter.

So unfortunately, their's no easy way out to untangle this particular bit; at the same time, it was all but expected: the maps, again, showed adult Raki and Priscilla in the West when he revisited his hometown and the early chapters as a whole take place in the West, culminating in the introduction of Riful; the manga doesn't move from the West as a matter of fact until Claire and Raki split up and Claire enters Pieta.

My thanks to Gernot and Gooral for their help on this matter

[Gooral]

Main thanks should go to Cyclone. He was the one who noticed 10sigh's mistake after all. And thanks for posting this here. We should have a thread for this kind of thing so that it would be easier to direct people to specific posts. This thread isn't active anymore so it might serve as such but a thread dedicated specifically to such questions would be preferable. We could add "Zema" -> "Zemu" to this, some of the Priscilla vs. Teresa dialogues and more.

[Cyclone]

Actually, there seems to be a little revisionist history going on here.

First, I wasn't the one who actually noticed either the Raki being from the west or the Zemu issues.

Raki being from the West I was told on IRC by Gangsta (who heard from someone else - Ryus from gernot maybe?), and I verified it for him (much to my surprise). In that scene talk had been going on about the south (smell of the south, or something like that), and the translator still had south on the brain when Raki said he was from the west. At that point I might have speculated it may have been from somewhere on the southern bit of the western continent due to the smell. The japanese was pretty clear though - he said "west" not "south" nor "southern part of west" or anything like that. Sorry if there was any misunderstanding.

As for Zemu, it went un-noticed until the someone posted here in, I believe, the US manga thread why Viz translated them as Zem (or Zemu - forget which). This was sometime back during around the time of the Agatha fight. I went back to check and verified that Viz had gotten it right for once (the characters ma and mu are upside-down versions of the same character (and neither character used too often in katakana). Brain fart I guess...).

[lightsenshi]

Originally Posted by Cyclone

Actually, there seems to be a little revisionist history going on here.

Not really surprising as most universes are rarely that well thought out in the beginning.

[Bikerider]

Poor Dee-Dee wasn't given much of a team to go AB hunting with. #28, 35, 42... Not even a teen digit in her team. Sheesh... Nina probably had better team support in the north... even if she did get #47 to fill it out. Or maybe she was hoping to get a teen digit.

[Bikerider]

That 14 that Yuma took out in the town in the west. I wonder if pre time skip Deneve could have clocked her out.

[Bikerider]

Yuma has been the fastest maturing among the ghosts

She realised her strengths against the Warriors in the town in the west.
Clare called on her for her sword throwing without hesitation.
She rescued Cynthia
She helped Deneve regain control of her yoki.
She jumped into the Fray in Rabona without hesitating.
She has made a place among the ghosts now. She's not just the throw away, tag along, meek #41 she used to be.

[Bikerider]

SOmething has been bothering me about the way the Warriors are drawn since the beginning. I finally see it. Maybe this is on purpose, I don't know. It's the Warrior's legs. They are not women's legs. They are straight. Men's legs are straight. Women's legs are a bit knock kneed to compensate for their wider hips. Maybe this is done on purpose because the warriors would require stronger legs for fighting. So I don't know if it's a style of drawing or a character design.