Review of Black Clover

"My magic is never giving up!" Protagonist Asta's catchphrase sums-up not only his journey but also mine as a viewer. From the beginning: - the writing is shallow to the point of insulting the audience's intelligence - the characters are one-dimensional to the point of caricature - and the audio is a full-frontal assault on one's ears that leaves you feeling as fatigued and beaten-up as the fight combatants. Kara no Kyoukai, this is not. And yet I have devoted 80 hours of my life to this. Why? Whilst it does peak tremendously about 100 eps in, I would not have stayed that far if not for two factors: - the one-dimensionalcharacters - I love 'em. They're like family: charming, funny, memorable. A show may be original with a superb soundtrack and animation; but if the characters don't find their way into your heart, you can only applaud the show, but never love it. In particular, Captain Yami Sukehiro is one of the most bad-ass characters ever. If Han Solo was an anime character, he'd be Captain Yami.
- as annoying as "that little brat" Asta is, his relentless spirit is inspirational. He has no extravagant philosophies or systems, just a pure nature that will never quit. Even stalwart pessimists will be uplifted (eventually).

That is perhaps the show's magic - its simplicity. It stutters when it tries to be deep and intricate, but shines when it exalts the childish naivité of its main character.