Review of Black Clover

So the infamous and trash anime that everyone hates! Honestly though, it's fine. Plot: the plot is simple enough. A guy wants to become the Wizard King in order to combat the extreme classism and have everyone live in harmony. In order to do so, he'll need to become a magic knight, join a squad, and rank up. The anime: so a lot of the bad reputation is on the anime. I've watched the anime and read the manga, and I'm up to date on the manga. The manga is a lot better for art, and the anime isn't thebest, except for key moments. If it weren't for my brother watching with me, I likely would've dropped this early on, because the main character was very annoying. Though I'm glad I stuck with it, despite the tall hurdles.

Characters: at the beginning, the characters are like cardboard cutouts. You have the drunk, you have the pervert, the tsundere, the optimistic and loud MC, the mentor, the shy girl, the one that wants to fight, the delinquent, etc. What makes them different is the development that they get and the backstories to explain why they are the way they are. The main character changes the people around him for the better, and they actually improve as a squad and people.

Fights and the system: so the fighting system is pretty standard. Magic and grimoires, people can use an element, yadadada. You learn various spells that are written into your grimoire. There are other ways to learn spells and use magic that makes this fighting system a lot better for those 'at the bottom'. Unlike Dragon Ball where the powerscaling is more like a ladder, this one functions more like an rpg. Counters and strategy are what wins battles, which is why this anime/manga has a lot of team battles. It can be standard like water countering fire, but it can also be more philosophical such as a person who consumes countering a person who creates. People who are weak on their own, becoming unstoppable when they work together, because they have the right combination to beat their foe(s).

I think the characters and how they fight are the best things about this manga. The struggles that they overcome as a group, the growth of their character, it's all brillaint.

Then you have the double edged sword and their flaws, the villains. For every great villain in this anime/manga, you have 5 other fodder villains that don't do much. The villains seem like punching bags that are there to show the progress of the main characters, not really to challenge them.

Overall, I do recommend this. Please, get pass the screaming because this anime is worth it. If the bad animation bothers you, read the manga. For as bad as the anime is about art and animation, the manga has gorgeous art.