Read Time7 Minute, 54 Second

Via: Pierrot

Year: 2017-2021

Genre: Action, Fantasy

Episodes: 170

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

How awesome would it be for you to live in a world split up into different kingdoms based on the suits of playing cards? Within those kingdoms, people have the ability to control mana, which turns into a specific type of magical ability when you get a grimoire. How awesome would it be to live and have abilities like that? Black Clover is an anime where a young orphan named Asta has no magical abilities in the magical world, but his goal is to become the most powerful wizard in the kingdom called the Wizard King. Asta’s life changes when he receives a powerful grimoire. Get ready to dive into the fantastic world of Black Clover.

Overview

Welcome to the world of Black Clover. A world where individuals receive grimoires to display their magical abilities. The series follows Asta, a young orphan who was left with another orphan named Yuno. While everyone is born with the ability to use mana, aka magic, Asta was born without any mana. This has made Asta somewhat of an outcast, but Asta doesn’t let that hold him back as he trains his body and physical strength. Yuno, on the other hand, was born as a prodigy with mana levels to rival the top mages in the kingdom and the ability to control the wind.

Asta is motivated by one thing and one thing only: to become the next Wizard King. The Wizard King is the most powerful mage in the Clover Kingdom and is second only to the king with authoritative powers. Asta and Yuno develop a friendly rivalry to become the next Wizard King. When the ceremony to retrieve their grimoire, Yuno obtains the legendary and rare four-leaf grimoire held by the kingdom’s first Wizard King. Yuno is considered the next Wizard King, as the grimoire is only given to the mages with immense powers. Asta obtains the five-leaf grimoire that is mysterious and one of anti-magic. When both join the Magic Knights, they begin their quest to become the Wizard King.

Review:

The story of Black Clover will significantly remind you of Naruto. The way it does is having a kid, as in Asta, lacking powers in a magical world. His goal is to work his ass off to become the top Mage in the kingdom who is the Wizard King. This doesn’t take away from the anime and story because those are the only similarities. Well, maybe his rival in Yuno is the same, but that is it. What I like about this story is that we have four kingdoms based on the suits of playing cards, and each kingdom is vastly different in how they do things with their magic.

Even though Asta and Yuno are the main characters, the anime really focuses on Asta and his quest to become the Wizard King. We see him trying out for the magical knights. Even though he is strong and without magical abilities, the other captains don’t want him besides Captain Yami, who is captain of the Black Bulls and the misfits of the entire kingdom of magical knights. Captain Yami and the Black Bulls are perfect for Asta, as Captain Yami’s motto is to surpass their limits for each mission they go on. Through the series, we see Asta’s growth as he is the only person with anti-magic abilities. Then, we see him as having gained demon powers, which is insane. Each season builds on the previous, and it draws you in because it is funny, doesn’t take itself seriously, and has a bunch of action.

The first season is all about Asta learning his group and gaining his powers. The two seasons or arcs you need to watch are the Eye of the Midnight Sun Encounter Arc and the Spade Kingdom Raid Arc. The Eye of the Midnight Sun arc is INSANE and brings the anime to a whole new level. The anime was fun to watch, but the action increased tenfold during this arc. Asta fighting that Despair dude was INSANE, and it made me fully invested in this anime. The Spade Kingdom Arc went to another level with action, and it made you want to watch the anime even more.

The action of this anime increases with each arc. At the start, it was meh. As this anime progresses, the action and fighting get more intense and insane. You know what? I LOVE IT. When Asta fights Mars, it was a simple taste of things to come. When Asta and the Black Bulls fight Despair, the action goes from 0 to about 65 real quick. It was intense and fun to watch. The fighting scene with Julius and Licht is incredible as Julius shows his immense powers. I love all the scenes where Asta turns into devil mode because you know it is going to be insane to watch. The fight with Yami and Asta against Dante is AMAZING. It has it all: Asta asks for power, slow-motion action, epic explosions, and body parts flying everywhere. It is definitely a must-watch action scene.

The animation for Black Clover improves with each season. The first season was standard animation. Nothing too special or spectacular. When the Eye of the Midnight Sun season started, that’s when the animation improved significantly. When Asta goes demon mode, I love how he is all black with one red eye. After that point, the animation goes into overdrive, improving with almost every episode. The animation went a little too hard in season four. It is crisp, clean, and great to look at, but some of the characters are way too buff. Asta had ripped abs and looked more muscular than Goku.

With an anime this big, there are only so many characters one person can talk about. You get a long anime like this and are bound to have a kingdom of characters. I will talk about the main ones and my favorite. If you have watched the Naruto series, many characters have similarities to that series, but I will not hold it against it because it was entertaining. Okay, sorry, went on a slight tangent. Let’s start off with the two main characters. First up is Asta. I don’t know how you can’t love this character. He is an orphan who was left in the care of the church. Asta has ZERO magical abilities, but Homeboy has the dream of being the next Wizard King. That’s why I love Asta. He works hard every day to achieve his dream. No matter what obstacle is in his way, his determination and drive make you root for him. He always has a smile on his face and a positive attitude. I love watching his growth through the series and the family he makes along the way. The second character I must talk about is Yuno Grinberryall. Yuno is the rival and complete opposite of Asta. Yuno has extreme magical powers that come naturally to him. Even though he grew up an orphan, he is a prince from the Spade Kingdom. Yuno has a serious demeanor and rises through the ranks quickly. He will remind you of Sasuke but without the significant trauma.

I want to talk about my two favorite characters. The first one is Captain Yami Sukehiro. I love Yami because he keeps it real but also his message. He recruits the misfits, or the ones people think have no hope. He lets them be themselves and has them find their way through being a family. I love how he formed the Black Bulls, but what I really love about him is his message. He tells them to push past their limits and always reach new heights. Even though he tells them to surpass their limits, he does the same and equally trains hard. Now, he likes taking dumps, smoking, and spending his money. The other character I love is Mereoleona Vermillion. Mereoleona is the most feared character in the Clover Kingdom. She is the sister of Fuegoleon and Leopold, and she plays no games. She is aggressive and loves violence. She trains in a freakin volcano like it was a nice dip in a bath. She is honestly the best out of everyone, and people will cry or be scolded when she is on screen.

Black Clover is a great starter anime series that everyone should watch. The story is a copy and paste of Naruto with the person with no magic wanting to become the kingdom’s top mage. Some characters are copied and pasted, with Yuno being like Sasuke and Asta being like Naruto, but it doesn’t take away from them or the anime. The action in this anime is top-notch as the anime progresses. Watching every character’s ability against their opponents is incredible to watch. Watch this anime because you will definitely enjoy it.