Review of Black Clover

as someone who dropped bc in the first 3 eps then came back years later to complete it - lemme say im so glad i picked it back up and gave it a chance. this is a show that really gatekeeps itself, especially given how good it is. terrible word of mouth and jarring first 3 episodes is enough to keep people away and discourage them from continuing. but if you do overlook/get past those, you’re in for a really fun ride with great storytelling, characters and world building. what makes bc really fun for me is that it really leans in to typical shonentropes but embraces the corniness as well as addresses some of the problems. ‘power of friendship’ isnt just some crap used to bail mc out of a situation. instead, power of friendship means the team training together and actually showing/explaining their strategy as to complement each others powers. it helps that all of the black bulls are well written, likeable with realistic flaws, fears and challenges to overcome.

lets talk about the mc. hes loud, obnoxious and in your face. this all also makes him so lovable and funny! hes really the type to grow on you. before i knew it i was laughing at the dumb shit he does while also rooting for him to grow stronger and stronger. hes the type to make friendships with everyone but the show doesnt rub that in your face. instead you can interpret how he would naturally do so based on his outgoing nature and kind personality.

romance - bc has some good ass romance and does not shy away from addressing the topic. they feed you with lots of ships and also give enough content to keep all the shippers happy. if you like asta x noelle, mimosa, nero, any one You will be given plenty of content. even side characters have good ships. yami x vanessa or charlotte, finral and the princess, grey x gauche. so much romantic intrigue without being cringey or having the mc randomly pop up with a girl he never interacted with (ahem naruto and bleach ahem hem)

but the biggest praise i have for bc is how it treats female characters. I never thought i’ll see the day a shonen anime properly writes female characters as more than just sex objects. Yes there is fan service of course, but that isnt what the women are reduced to (im looking you post time skip one piece). the women of black clover are strong, independent, free thinking and interesting. they struggle with societal issues like gender expectations, poverty, discrimination and more.

noelle as the female lead of the series is not a mere side character which exists to be rescued by the men around her. she is encouraged by those around her to step up to the plate and fight for what she believes in - and she does just that. she has tangible growth in both her powers and her personality, not just reduced to astas love interest (sakura and ochaco 😐). Its so refreshing how the women are free to have romantic interests and it doesnt take over their entire personality/reason for existing! Mimosa, noelle, and vanessa all have crushes whos crush doesnt become their character trait.

if i have to say something negative, i'd say the show is lacking a compelling villain. all the villains are so one note and uninteresting. either they are pure evil or secretly good - then they become the mc's friend. another thing that becomes super repetitive is the "backlash" or whatever from the people in the capital. they're like "youre just a COMMONER with NO MAGIC what could you possibly do? >:(" *cue cool ass move by asta* *cue asta/black bulls getting overlooked in favor of golden dawn*. really that shit gets so old. especially because golden dawn is not very likeable at all save for klaus and mimosa.

but what about yuno? if thats the question you had, then i'll respond that he did absolutely nothing for me. he didn't stand out in anyway except to outscale asta at every turn and just show the huge gap between them as rivals. bro is already the vice captain of golden dawn and he started out at the same time as asta! I mean for fucks sake on this track he should be wizard king in the next 2-3 years easily! he has NO personality except asta is my rival (btw theres really funny and cute scenes in petit clover which embrace this so ill kinda give them a pass for owning up to it). hes like a bad rip off sasuke if sasuke had no individualism. how much are you gonna milk that one flashback of asta saving your necklace?! get new flashbacks dawg.

overall though this series was such an enjoyable watch. the power scaling was easy to follow, the plot flowed naturally, hell even the fillers were so damn good! I didnt skip a single filler! They were literally all interesting and fun in their own way. im so glad i picked this back up and you can be damn sure i’ll be seated for future seasons.