I never would have thought that this would be my first entry for an anime review. I remember watching its first episode way back 2017 and decided not to follow its animated series since I am up to date to its manga chapter releases. Anyway, last weekend, I got stuck at home mainly because ‘my pay’ did not come in last Friday. This unfortunate incident lead me to just go ahead and continue with the anime series.
The Con: Asta’s Voice and Nothing Else
To start off, one of the reason I stopped watching this anime after its first episode is because of the annoying voice of Asta. For some reason, they chose to voice Asta as someone who is shouting and loud all the time despite of his small physique. This high-pitched eardrum breaker voice of Asta annoyed me and is the deciding factor why I was not religious to see its update week by week. I guess, I was not kind enough to give it a try in its next couple of episodes. Other than the unmatched voice of Asta, I could not think of any other bad stuff Black Clover offers. The opening and ending song are great and Pierrot did an amazing job putting the manga into an anime.
The Story: Shonen-like
The story of Black Clover is very typical in most shonen manga out there. It has its own foundation on what to look forward to like how Luffy of One Piece would like to become the next Pirate King or Naruto in his dream to be the Hidden Leaf Village next Hokage. This kind of dream is the driving force of our main characters growth amidst adversities. For Black Clover, the 2 main characters are Asta and Yuno though the story will mainly revolve on Asta’s character growth. On the other hand, Yuno is the equivalent of Sasuke in terms of natural talent and physical appeal. One good thing about this anime that I like is that so far, there is no hint of jealousy on each others growth. Their friendship has a strong base of trust and in a level that they take pride on what the other has/had accomplished.
The Hindrances: Status Quo
In the Black Clover universe, those who are living in the boonies and orphan are being disregarded as lowly and has no right to live on equal footing with those considered elite, noble and/or royalty. Basically, Asta and Yuno’s first problem is the acceptance by the same society that scrutinised their status in life as they are both an orphaned and lived in the slums. The above screengrab showed Vice Captain Langris unwelcoming behaviour to Yuno’s acceptance in the current number one Magic Knights guild, the Golden Dawn. This shows that not even Asta has to face the kind of unfair treatment but also the talented Yuno.
The Characters: Lovable
Initially, I let my emotions got the better of me when I ditched this anime because of Asta’s annoying voice and then I realized that I deprived them of the chance to prove themselves as the show progresses. Luckily, they succeeded and have my full attention for their background stories some time in the future. Asta, Yuno and paired with other Black Bulls members, they managed to capture my heart as their characters showcased a diversed yet very relatable band of magic knights. The rivalry of the Asta and Yuno aiming for the position of Wizard King is something that is worth watching for as well. One is well-loved by magic and has the talent and potential of becoming a Wizard King while the other one is fuelled by his unwavering resolve not minding his mana-less body.
Summary:
Black Clover is nothing but a concept of a good shonen manga. It has good character development both for the main heroes and villains. You will laugh on their crazy antics yet you will also find yourself crying over crushed dreams. On the other hand, Black Clover’s pacing has its own equilibrium. It will not bore you to death and it will not leave you hanging in the wind. In the entirety, the anime did not walk far away from how the story is being depicted in the manga.
