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This movie is supplemental to the anime that has no real impact on the plot. However, some of the events that take place in this movie are completely at odds with some of the main themes & story, resulting in a few head-scratching moments for fans of the series. Despite its flaws, you may still enjoy this film if you’re a huge fan of ZB & grew up with the series (like I did), so long as you don’t take it seriously. In this review, I’m just going to cover what I thought was good and bad about the series.

Spoilers Below:

Note: I’m going to ... be using the English version names (Zatch instead of Gash, etc) since I’m more familiar with them.

Basic Summary:

I won’t go too into depth here, but basically there is a Mamodo named Wiseman who is a genius. Wiseman was not selected for the 100 mamodo battle. He is not only upset he got snubbed, but also upset at Zatch because apparently, Zatch has “cheated” to get into the battle. Wiseman steals the “101st book” and uses his powers to essentially lure Zatch back into the mamodo world, trapping him there and taking his place. Trapped in the mamodo world, Zatch/Kiyo now have 24 hours to return, or else their spot in the battle is forfeit to Wiseman. While Wiseman runs amok in the human world, Zatch/Kiyo explore the mamodo world for a way to return.

The Bad:

Principal Dozer:
This is the worst of my gripes with this movie. In the story, Zatch/Kiyo come across Zatch’s old mamodo school which is run by Principal Dozer; a million year old mamodo who has direct control over who is allowed to participate in the 100 mamodo battle. But when asked about why Wiseman thinks Zatch cheated him out of his spot, Principal Dozer explains how when he was approving who goes to the human world (literally stamping approval on what looks like mamodo application forms), he was about to approve Wiseman. However, just before Dozer approves Wiseman, (you can’t make this up) a gust of wind blows Wiseman’s application out of the window. When Principal Dozer looks down at the next application, it is Zatch Bell. Dozer then says, and I quote: “Oh well, he’ll do.” and stamps Zatch’s application. Seriously?! This is how Zatch was chosen? Absolutely laughable. It makes even less sense considering Zatch’s real origin. Then Dozer claims that he was already hesitant to send Wiseman to the battle because of his dangerous beliefs about humans. Wiseman doesn’t believe that Mamodo need a human connection, instead relying on his own heart power. Dozer’s concerns were made into reality when Wiseman completely takes control of a kind hearted Human girl to read his spells for him; very akin to Zofis. While this isn’t addressed in the movie, why would he be concerned about Wiseman when many of the other antagonists in the main series exist? Was Dozer concerned about Zoifs? Wiseman is essentially just another Zofis, mind controlling his partner to do his bidding. Zofis placed no value on the actual bond between human and Mamodo yet apparently Dozer gave him a stamp of approval. Since Dozer is apparently judging Mamodo, this sentiment can be said about so many of the nasty hearted individuals that Zatch/Kiyo encounter. Heart power/bonds between Mamodo and humans is kinda the whole point of the series. It’s the power of the heart that creates strength. Even Reycom, the very first Mamodo that Zatch/Kiyo fought, loses because Reycom and his partner are not connected via the heart. It was a one-way relationship. This same sentiment is echoed through Zofis, but with the roles reversed (Reycom = human led duo, Zofis = Mamodo led duo). This whole section about how Mamodo were chosen doesn’t make sense and was frustrating to watch.

Zatch’s spirit:
After it’s revealed that Zatch didn’t earn his place and was chosen by a gust of wind, Zatch loses all faith in himself instantly and insists that he did indeed cheat Wiseman out of battle. Zatch then immediately decides that he is no longer worthy of participating and says that he will not return to the human world, abandoning the battle. I’m sorry, but who is this character?? This isn’t Zatch at all! While I haven’t found an official confirmation of where this movie takes place in the timeline, Sunbeam and Ponygon are in this movie and Zatch/Kiyo have the 6th spell of Rauzaruk; meaning it is fair to assume that the Zofis/Ancient Mamodo arc has already happened. With that in mind, Zatch has already: 1) Met Kolulu 2) Decided to become king king no matter what 3) made friends with the whole gang of Tia, Kanchome, Ponygon, and many more 4) Witnessed/fought Zofis and all the other ancient Mamodo enslaved to him 5) already spent 100+ episodes fighting and forming a bond with Kiyo. 6) Earned the respect and made promises to several mamodo like Bari, Danny, Wonrei, Kido, & Rops. Yet I am meant to believe that Zatch and all his strong will just…gives up? Just like that? Sorry but that’s crazy. There’s no way Zatch would give up, abandoning Kiyo & the rest of the gang so easily. It’s lazy writing meant to fabricate drama in order to increase the intensity about the whole ‘24 hours to return to the human world’ thing.

Black Knight:
Lastly, there’s this character of the Black Knight. Apparently, he is the Mamodo world’s “strongest warrior” who is also the original possessor of the white notebook. The white notebook is capable of absorbing opposition spells and is stolen by Wiseman before the events of the movie. However, this character is beyond stupid. For no explainable reason, he blames Zatch for taking his white notebook (even though Kiyo is right there with Zatch’s notebook) and nearly kills Zatch. He has Zatch dead to rights, trapped and about to die…but then he gets hungry. Since he’s hungry, he goes and fetches food, leaving time for Zatch/Kiyo to escape! Very convenient! That is already stupid, but it gets worse. Kiyo eventually convinces Zatch to keep fighting and to return to the human world to stop Wiseman. That is exactly when the Black Knight suddenly reappears! And with zero explanation, the Black Knight just somehow knows that Zatch didn’t actually take the notebook and is eager to help Zatch return to the human world. Huh? It is never explained as to how the Black Knight knew Zatch was innocent. It makes zero sense at all.

The Good:

Okay, with all the bad, let’s talk about the good.
Like I said in the intro, if you’re a longtime fan who holds this series near & dear to your heart, you’ll find some enjoyment from this movie. Despite its many flaws, I enjoyed watching the antics of Zatch/Kiyo, Tia/Megmumi, Ponygon/Sunbeam & of course Kanchome/Falgore. You even get a rare (albeit brief) Suzy cameo! No matter how stupid the story, there is such a soft spot in my heart for these characters and I couldn’t help but smile watching them interact with one another.

Another good thing is the battles. The animations are pretty good! There aren’t many battles in this, but the whole final 3rd of this movie is filled with Wiseman vs the world. There are some pretty fun clashes of spells (especially towards the end) that made the fights quite enjoyable.

In conclusion:

I feel this movie was created as nothing more than a supplemental cash grab to try and capitalize on the early popularity of Zatch Bell. When compared to the overarching series, it has various fundamental problems that make it difficult to take it seriously…so don’t. This is a movie for Zatch Bell fans who are in love with the series and will watch anything so long as they get to see their favorite heroes on screen again. I don’t think this is or should be considered a canon movie, and more so viewed as the individual act of fan service that it is. Still, the assertions that it presents as fact are too much for me to ignore. To the source material, it is short sighted and disrespectful. For that reason, I give it a 3/10.