Black Clover

Asta and Yuno were abandoned at the same church on the same day. Raised together as children, they came to know of the "Wizard King"—a title given to the strongest mage in the kingdom—and promised that they would compete against each other for the position of the next Wizard King. However, as they grew up, the stark difference between them became evident. While Yuno is able to wield magic with amazing power and control, Asta cannot use magic at all and desperately tries to awaken his powers by training physically.

When they reach the age of 15, Yuno is bestowed a spectacular Grimoire with a four-leaf clover, while Asta receives nothing. However, soon after, Yuno is attacked by a person named Lebuty, whose main purpose is to obtain Yuno's Grimoire. Asta tries to fight Lebuty, but he is outmatched. Though without hope and on the brink of defeat, he finds the strength to continue when he hears Yuno's voice. Unleashing his inner emotions in a rage, Asta receives a five-leaf clover Grimoire, a "Black Clover" giving him enough power to defeat Lebuty. A few days later, the two friends head out into the world, both seeking the same goal—to become the Wizard King!

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Asta Main

Kajiwara, Gakuto Japanese

Silva, Noelle Main

Yuuki, Kana Japanese

Yuno Main

Shimazaki, Nobunaga Japanese

Sukehiro, Yami Supporting

Suwabe, Junichi Japanese

Vermillion, Mereoleona Supporting

Minagawa, Junko Japanese

Voltia, Luck Supporting

Murase, Ayumu Japanese

Nero Supporting

Sasaki, Hitomi Japanese

Novachrono, Julius Supporting

Morikawa, Toshiyuki Japanese

Pappitson, Charmy Supporting

Yasuno, Kiyono Japanese

Ideale, Zora Supporting

Midorikawa, Hikaru Japanese

Cook, Justin Producer

Herek, Samantha Assistant Producer

Yoshihara, Tatsuya Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, In-Between Animation, Key Animation, Animation Director, 2nd Key Animation

Tanemura, Ayataka Director, Episode Director, Storyboard, Assistant Director

Reviews

Oct 20, 2024

Ofekatia

Recommended

Black Clover is a pretty good anime but lacks some things: 1. The animation and pacing are not very good. The animation is sometimes pretty mid and not well done in many episodes. This is probably because Black Clover is a weekly anime and not seasonal and the same goes for the pacing. The pacing is kinda bad because they didn't want to get close to the manga since the manga is still airing and the anime is weekly. Other than the animation and pacing there are some fillers or "Anime Canon" stuff but this is not really hurting the anime. Another thing that I ... have a problem with is Asta as an MC. Now don't get me wrong I love Asta but listen he is very similar to Naruto and much more annoying sometimes. At the start of the anime, his yells were unbearable and annoying but that was fixed with time. Until the time skip, I would give Black Clover a 7/10 but the time skip did good to this anime and made it much better. To conclude I recommend Black Clover to anyone who likes fantasy, shonen, and someone who likes the Naruto series because Black Clover is highly inspired by Naruto and has lots of similarities but it's not for everyone due to the bad pacing and animation, for example, some episodes are boring and kind of slice of life stuff that involves around comedy and romance although they aren't funny and boring and sometimes they show tons of repetitive flashbacks that were already been shown and all of this is just to make the anime slower so it won't pass the manga. This is a problem with almost every weekly anime such as One Piece Naruto Bleach and more so keep that in mind. I would still recommend you to try it and see if you like it or not.

Reviewer’s Rating: 8

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Jul 22, 2024

SG3

Mixed Feelings

Black Clover is a shounen anime that embraces familiar tropes and echoes many renowned series. While the main character, Asta, starts off as rather grating and annoying for much of the series, his growth and unwavering determination become evident, especially during the final arc. His steadfastness in upholding his morals while pursuing his goals is a highlight. However, the story does take its time to delve into the more engaging parts, requiring patience for around 50 episodes.

Despite the slow start, Black Clover excels in developing its side characters, integrating them deeply into the narrative. The viewer's journey isn't just with Asta but with the entire ... cast he encounters along the way. This enriches the viewing experience, offering a broader perspective on the story.

The dynamic between Asta and Yuno is particularly captivating, showcasing the contrast between a hardworking underdog and a naturally gifted prodigy. This rivalry keeps the audience invested, rooting for both characters despite their differences. The story successfully portrays the classic hard work versus talent theme, making it engaging to watch.

The series also shines in its portrayal of villains, especially the Devils. These antagonists are woven intricately into the plot, often evoking a sense of empathy despite their heinous actions. The battle between good and evil is depicted masterfully, adding depth to the narrative.

On the technical side, Black Clover's art style is relatively basic and unremarkable. However, the music, including opening and ending themes, frequently hits the mark, enhancing the overall experience and providing moments of pure enjoyment.

For fans of the classic rags-to-riches shounen story, Black Clover is a worthwhile watch. However, if you're weary of this overdone trope, you might find other series more satisfying.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

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Nov 12, 2024

Papitaa

Not Recommended

Black Clover has taken 2 years of my life. Was it worth it? Probably not, but it has yielded some interesting things to think about.

Its biggest crime is that the author can't write characters for shit. Stupid two-dimensional characterisation prevents it from being something greater. Cool moments occasionally make their way through hours of rubbish comedy and boring sequences led by paper-thin characters repeating their one personality trait over and over again. Let me share with you a drinking game I've come up with, where you take a shot everytime one of these things happen:

1. Asta is impressed by something
2. Noelle says a cartoonishly typical ... tsundere phrase
3. Noelle has family issues
4. Luck wants to fight
5. Gordon creepily talks about friendship
6. Vanessa drinks or talks about drinking
7. Charmy eats or talks about eating
8. Charmy is head over heels for Yuno
9. Yuno's fairy is head over heels for him
10. Mimosa is head over heels for Asta
11. Gauche is head over heels for his sister (...)
12. Finral hits on girls or talks about hitting on them
13. Charlotte is head over heels for Yami
14. Sol calls Charlotte "sister", which results in the latter getting annoyed
15. Sol hates men
16. Nero lands on Asta's head

With this, you can actually have some fun, as these things happen so often you can get hammered in the span of a single episode! Well, you get my point now.

While the plot itself does have some intense and fun-to-watch moments — such as the battle between Black Bulls and Vetto, Asta's special powers awakening (vague to avoid spoilers), the climax of the elves' scheme (same here), or Yami's poop jokes (funniest shit I've ever seen) — it is all incredibly infantile and lacks depth. The characters' motivations behind a plot point can be so shallow that at some point I legitimately viewed Black Clover as a collection of over-exaggerated parables, painfully mawkish to allegorically demonstrate the values beneath and make sure that no one misses them. And I almost accepted it because Black Clover's values are really positive and motivating, even if trite.

That's also why for a while I developed another theory that Black Clover's world is like a family - a family in which there are flaws you grow to accept and cherish the ensuing highs. For some time, I had somehow accepted the shitty things and started perceiving even the filler sequences as family time as a result of spending a lot of time with the characters.

But I think I got manipulated by Black Clover into refraining from criticising its repeated flaws, lmao. That's just bad writing. Good moments are placed within hours of either poor humour that oversimplifies the characters to the point of them seeming as caricatures, or tiresome fight scenes consisting of repetitive cant and a random clusterfuck of spells and attacks at which my brain turned off. You also can't accept lack of nuance as an intended measure — as is the case with the LOTR books, for example, where everything is set in stone and the story unfolds like fulfilling a destiny — just because it's long-running. I wonder if that's what the majority of shounen giants suffer from, baiting the audience into forgiving the flaws for an interspersed cool moment or two.

I also want to mention the last arc specifically because I think it needs individual treatment. The build-up to it is literally just one big filler that is justified by "training". Another thing are the plot twists. They have overall been quite random, forcing their way into a previously established landscape and flipping it on its head as a cheap solution to a problem. But the one with the emergence of a new character in the last few episodes is just taking the piss, you know what I'm talking about.

There were moments when I had fun, I can't lie. I also like the core ideas behind a lot of the stuff here. The poor writing is just inexcusable, though. It feels to me as if Black Clover was straight-up disrespectful towards its viewers, even if it with good heart all throughout.

Reviewer’s Rating: 4

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