Written By: Julian Veley (’25)
In my experience, people are quick to hate anime, and honestly, it makes sense. The majority of the fanbase is cringe-worthy children or weirdly obsessive adults. The plotlines can be corny, the characters are over-the-top in expressing everything, and the English voiceovers are laughably hard to take seriously. However, when you give anime a chance, you have to put those qualms aside and approach it similarly to how you would approach a newly released movie. If you’re watching an action movie you can typically expect cool special effects with plenty of deus ex machina– a cheap writing trick used to ensure the main character survives. In a romantic film, you can usually expect to watch the protagonist’s relationship grow during the first half, just for things to temporarily break apart, before the finale when everything gets fixed. When you approach anime, you have to embrace the breathy, exaggerated lines, and characters that come with it and appreciate the unique art and storytelling styles it has to offer.
In this review, I will be discussing a show I am currently in the process of watching called Black Clover. The show is the animated adaptation of the manga, released on TV Tokyo in October 2017. This series follows two young boys named Asta and Yuno as they compete against one another to become the wizard king of the Clover Kingdom. The world in which they live runs on magic. Mana is “the force” in this world, and some people are given more of it while some have weaker connections, and your level of mana determines your strength as a magic user. Yuno is born with an abnormally strong connection to the mana of the world and demonstrates incredible potential in his youth. Asta is born unlike any other, with no connection to magic whatsoever. Without any magic, he trains from his childhood up to the day we meet him, making himself physically stronger than any magic user since there is no need for physical strength. In every village in the kingdom, there is an annual ceremony for those who have turned 15 to receive their Grimoire (Grim-Wahr). This Grimoire is the spellbook that they will have for the rest of their lives. During this ceremony, Yuno receives the “Four-Leaf Grimoire,” the very same that was used by the first and most powerful wizard king. Asta is the only one who never receives his book, leaving him crestfallen as he is sure his magic will develop once he receives it. After the ceremony, Yuno is jumped by someone seeking the four-leaf grimoire for themselves. Asta comes in, fighting to save Yuno with nothing but his raw strength, and is defeated. When all seemed lost, a Grimoire like no other appeared before Asta, one containing anti-magic: “The Five-leaf Grimoire.”
The show has a balance of comedy while also taking itself seriously when necessary. The majority of the humor in this show is simple but amusing and goes back and forth between being childish and mature. It has, so far, been entertaining and one I recommend to anyone interested in starting an anime.
