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EP. REVIEW: Black Clover


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GoldCrusader



Joined: 25 Apr 2017
Posts: 1021
PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:34 pm Reply with quote
That Yami introduction was absolute perfection. I was laughing way too much. Kudos Pierrot you nailed it.

AND then that Pierrot Sakuga...dear lord! I want more!!!!

Also I gotta mention this. These post-credit Petit Clover sketch are really done comedy. Its cute and it plays really well with the episode's content. Yuno saying bye bye as Asta was taken away was hilarious.
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Tuor_of_Gondolin



Joined: 20 Apr 2009
Posts: 3524
Location: Bellevue, WA
PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 8:50 pm Reply with quote
Key wrote:
I'm actually now anticipating the next episode, as I'm curious to see how the squad captains react to what Asta did.

At first, there'll probably be some WTF moments among the captains, but I suspect that they're powerful enough and experienced enough to recognize anti-magic when they see it. OTOH, they probably won't realize what sort of grimoire Asta's got until later. Some of the Captains have already noted that Asta didn't just have little magic, but that he had *no* magic at all.

Next episode should be pretty fun. I still don't expect a *lot* out of this series, but it been pretty entertaining so far (as long as Asta isn't talking excitedly). This will probably be a keeper for me this season.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 11:01 pm Reply with quote
I guess the most interesting thing about this for me is just seeing what they blatantly crib from other shows. This episode we got Gaara showing up in Guts' squad with Griffith as the main captain of all the Knights, and T&B's Blue Rose with the demeanor of Dungeon's Ais on the side. Plus the can't-fly-on-a-broom bit from Little Witch Academia and other common tropes from series too numerous to pin to one source. Not sure about Jack yet - if he turns out to be a good guy despite his name and appearance, then I guess he's Soul Eater's Frankenstein with a different starting reference. The inspirations for the rest of the Knights haven't leapt out at me yet.

But I agree that it was a nice surprise that they went straight for the decisive battle. It seems odd though that no one else wanted to fight him, even those struggling, since he appeared to be such an easy win. Likewise why Bronzeass would pick him to show off with, since he seemed to have some actual skillz.
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Funimation
Company Representative


Joined: 11 Dec 2012
Posts: 26
PostPosted: Fri Oct 27, 2017 5:27 pm Reply with quote




Hey all!

If you're not busy Sunday night, hop on the ol' Funimation Discord (funi.to/FunimationDiscord) and join us as we que up our streams together, watch and chat about episodes 1 and 2 of Black Clover SimulDub on FunimationNow.

Show up a little early, bring some drinks or snacks! We will do a countdown at 7:00pm (CT) to start your streams! Hang out and have some fun talking about the episodes with Funimation staff and other fans!

Hope to see you all online!

Jay Hairston | Funimation Community Manager | @JayHairston
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jr240483



Joined: 24 Dec 2005
Posts: 4369
Location: New York City,New York,USA
PostPosted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 9:53 pm Reply with quote
Funimation wrote:




Hey all!

If you're not busy Sunday night, hop on the ol' Funimation Discord (funi.to/FunimationDiscord) and join us as we que up our streams together, watch and chat about episodes 1 and 2 of Black Clover SimulDub on FunimationNow.

Show up a little early, bring some drinks or snacks! We will do a countdown at 7:00pm (CT) to start your streams! Hang out and have some fun talking about the episodes with Funimation staff and other fans!

Hope to see you all online!

Jay Hairston | Funimation Community Manager | @JayHairston


well the dub is definitely intriguing and the cast is while predictable, is one i'm looking forward too. though it would have been more so if this series as well as boku no hero academia could have gotten an AS release as well considering that both of them are shonen jump titles and they really tend to do well in that block.

not to mention that space dandy got that unprecedented release and succeeded very well and its wasn't an shonen jump series.

after all, the block cant depend on DB Super forever!
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23667
PostPosted: Tue Oct 31, 2017 8:41 pm Reply with quote
Okay, Black Clover, it's official: I'm a fan. And despite my status as a poor orphan from the boonies, I shall be the Lizard King one day!
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Snakebit1995



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 842
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 10:15 am Reply with quote
Quote:
the amount that this show hammers home how impossible becoming the Wizard King is for the magic-less Asta is potent


I just wanted to point out this isn't just a shot people take at Asta, no one thinks being Wizard King is that achievable, even for the best of the best it's still just a twinkle in the eye of a dream.

It's kinda like the scene in Mock Town in One Piece where Luffy gets harassed for even thinking about Sky Island and wanting to be the Pirate King, It wouldn't have mattered how strong Luffy was Bellemy and his gang would have thought the same thing because that's a dream of a dream that only the greatest most known legends ever would even hope to get close too.

As the show goes on it hammers this in more, if on a scale of one to ten the Captains were a ten the Wizard King would be like a 100, even for impossibly strong people like the Captain's the Wizard King position is still nearly impossible to get.

Also on pacing with the manga, the manga has a faster pacing tempo because the author has admitted that he wanted to keep moving and keep things fresh because he was worried if he'd took to long people wouldn't receive it well and he'd get canceled.
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Pierrot.





PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:19 am Reply with quote
Quote:
As for the show itself, I've been trying to keep an arm's length from the manga to leave my perspective fresh, though I have been checking in with the corresponding chapters after watching each episode and discovering that I vastly prefer the anime so far. Asta's win last episode was payoff after some proper build-up, and it's nowhere near as satisfying when the story zips right past you like it does in the manga. Maybe that's just for now, but at this point having more time to soak in this world has been working for me.

Finally someone points this out. Everywhere I see people and even some of the mangareaders complain about "filler this or filler that" "Anime is too slow yada yada" but they don't realize the anime adds the anime original material to supplement the source material. The manga does a poor job in setting up with world, establish the character or not even show the characters train with their powers like we did in episode 3. We only see the results since the author was rushing the story in the early parts of the manga.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:26 am Reply with quote
Snakebit1995 wrote:
I just wanted to point out this isn't just a shot people take at Asta, no one thinks being Wizard King is that achievable, even for the best of the best it's still just a twinkle in the eye of a dream.

But the Wizard King thing aside, everyone takes shots at Asta (and even Yuno for a bit) for being from the country, being poor, not being a noble, and having no magic, which is the worst.

Mother's Basement recently pointed out that these are terrible people, all of them, from the people who raised him, his village, all the Knight hopefuls and the Knights themselves. This is a world where being born without magic is tantamount to a physical disability. No matter what he does, everyone makes fun of him for having no magic. These are people who would ridicule someone born with no legs for trying to come up with a way to walk. Yuna and the Bull Knight guy are the only ones who don't laugh at him and jeer when he fails. Even the nun used her magic to beat the crap out of him when he was just a small, defenseless (albeit utterly obnoxious) child, the very first time they met!

Asta is annoying as hell, but the people around him are much, much worse.


Last edited by Gina Szanboti on Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:28 am; edited 1 time in total
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Animechic420



Joined: 25 Sep 2012
Posts: 1724
Location: A Cave Filled With Riches
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:27 am Reply with quote
I'm having a really hard time figuring out how someone like Asta is gonna become something as significant as a Wizard King. He has no mana. Is he gonna do it with just brute strength? I mean, what even is the Black Five Leaf Clover? So far, all it does is brings out a big sword. Not much else. Confused
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Chubi Lu



Joined: 01 Nov 2017
Posts: 2
Location: Chile
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:40 am Reply with quote
Reading some comments I'm impressed of the frequent comparison given to any newly made Anime/manga to Naruto.
I mean, I'm sure Naruto isn't the first creation using some cliches (specially stereotypes) nor the most original thing on earth to begin with. That's why I don't find the Yuno/Sasuke comparison valid.

The typical skilfull and smart guy who is apparently the best on everything in opposition to the no powerful and kind of goofy protagonist is not naruto's invention, It became highly known thanks to naruto but I daresay that's rather something guys reeeeeaaaaally like to see and that's it. //the fact that is being used too much until becoming anoying for some is another issue//
Something similar to the "I want to become a wizard king/Hokage/Pirate king/a Hero" thing that everyone is making fun of on internet.

So kind of harsh using Naruto to compare everything that could be a bit similar to it, even if the author stated he took inspiration from it. EVERYONE took inspiration from something old to create new. The difference is how well you develop something new from that. Something that the viewer could get hooked on.

Personally, Black clover it's not a big thing for me, but I am grateful, its not like there were such a variety of entertaining animes to watch.
xD so I thoroughly enjoy each episode, despite Asta's voice, despite the unimpressive character's design and sometimes generic secondary ones, I'm grateful of what comes out lately. <3
people should stop complaining about everything, "too slow, too fast", c'mon.


Last edited by Chubi Lu on Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:47 am; edited 1 time in total
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Niello



Joined: 22 Dec 2013
Posts: 302
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 11:43 am Reply with quote
This week's Black Clover got a B+ and Juuni Taisen got a B, interesting.

the series really is much nicer when it's doesn't try to drag the story with too much unnecessary filler like in the first 3 episodes. That still doesn't mean that my annoyance didn't go through the roof after seeing the recap at the beginning of this episode. 5 episodes in and it's only slightly better than One Piece at not dragging.
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Snakebit1995



Joined: 25 Apr 2015
Posts: 842
PostPosted: Wed Nov 01, 2017 12:29 pm Reply with quote
Gina Szanboti wrote:
Snakebit1995 wrote:
I just wanted to point out this isn't just a shot people take at Asta, no one thinks being Wizard King is that achievable, even for the best of the best it's still just a twinkle in the eye of a dream.

But the Wizard King thing aside, everyone takes shots at Asta (and even Yuno for a bit) for being from the country, being poor, not being a noble, and having no magic, which is the worst.

Mother's Basement recently pointed out that these are terrible people, all of them, from the people who raised him, his village, all the Knight hopefuls and the Knights themselves. This is a world where being born without magic is tantamount to a physical disability. No matter what he does, everyone makes fun of him for having no magic. These are people who would ridicule someone born with no legs for trying to come up with a way to walk. Yuna and the Bull Knight guy are the only ones who don't laugh at him and jeer when he fails. Even the nun used her magic to beat the crap out of him when he was just a small, defenseless (albeit utterly obnoxious) child, the very first time they met!

Asta is annoying as hell, but the people around him are much, much worse.


It hasn't been established quite yet in the anime but the central social theme of the show is that, right or wrong, no matter what people will judge you by where you're from, where you grew up, how you were raised, etc.

Most Shounen have that central social point they look at, for One Piece it's the nature of what it means to be Free and Independent, for My Hero Academia it's what does it mean to be Good and Just as well as the idea that anyone can be special in their own way, and for Black Clover the driving Social force is ignoring what others think and surpassing your limitations both physically and socially. Most characters in this show will have a prejudice, whether that be one they cast on another or one cast on them, but for a lot of people becoming Wizard King is the goal because it's a place you can make change, specifically an overhaul of the Social Status Quo that has hampered Asta and Yuno.

Also remember that Black Clover is taking place in a more medival like society and in those times social status played a huge role in peoples lived, pesants like Asta wouldn't even think of speaking to a member of the noble class like the Magic Knights.
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Gina Szanboti



Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 11306
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:28 am Reply with quote
I get all that, but it's not exactly what I was talking about. Sure most people will judge you, discriminate against you, and/or reject you, in pretty much every world, medieval or not. But mostly they're civilized enough not to openly laugh at you and mock you en masse. The ones that do are usually cast as bullies and jerks we'd expect such boorish behavior from, exceptions to the generally civil rule. But in BC it's the default behavior.

Even in Naruto, when the entire village disliked or feared him, they didn't all laugh at him openly (except the kids in his class, but they're kids, already in a mob, aka a class), they mostly just awkwardly turned away and muttered or shook their heads at his attempts to succeed, sometimes yelling at him when he acted out too much to get their attention.

When Asta fails to get a grimoire, everyone in the hall besides Yuna bursts out laughing at his crushing disappointment like it's the funniest thing they've seen all week. There's just a level of uniformly awful behavior in this I can't recall seeing in any anime.
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Blood-
Bargain Hunter



Joined: 07 Mar 2009
Posts: 23667
PostPosted: Thu Nov 02, 2017 8:35 am Reply with quote
@ Gina Szanboti - I agree with your point, but I have to say that the dynamic is a crudely effective one for me. As much as the show gilds the lily when it comes to pushing Asta's face into a steaming pile of horsedung every two seconds due to his lack of magic and humble origins, it actually does make it all the more satisfying when Asta triumphs. Now, you aren't an immature man-child like me, so the charm may be somewhat blunted... Wink
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