Clevatess

Episode 11

A show like Clevatess just makes it that much harder to swallow the lame, shallow fantasy writing that contaminates so many of the slop timefillers that premiere each season. How is someone supposed to just sit there and be force-fed the same old generic mush again and again when something with this much texture and flavor is right there, begging to be savored? Even if “Fake Hero” didn't showcase a thrilling climactic battle between our outmatched heroes and a vengeful demigod, I still would have been on the edge of my seat the entire episode, because Clevatess' lore and worldbuilding is just that good.

Klen and Luna's half of “Fake Hero” is literally nothing but information dump after information dump, to the point where the Dark Lord of the Beasts has to constantly soliloquize his thoughts in order to fill what little space that hasn't already been taken up by his back-and-forth with the Headless Hiden King. Anyone that has been around the anime block even just once can tell you how tortuous such a scenario can be when you're stuck with a mediocre anime, but Clevatess makes you crave even more. While the Headless King was explaining the ins-and-outs of the Hiden naming ceremonies, and the dark ritual of burning and rebirth that tethers the souls of Hiden kings to the will of the Forge, I found myself growing anxious, knowing that we would inevitably cut away to catch up with Alicia, Rhode, and their big, bloody battle with Drel.

It's not like the battle isn't a damned fine slice of anime action in its own right, either. I still think that the show could have developed both Rhode and Drel a little more to make their presence in this penultimate conflict hit a bit harder, but we're still dealing with Grade-A spectacle, here. Clevatess has even managed that very precarious trick of utilizing its old-school aesthetic to its advantage. This isn't the most sakuga-heavy fight scene that we've seen in recent memory, but its plethora of cinematically framed wide-shots and dramatic storyboarding gives the scene a distinct flavor that feels perfectly in keeping with the classic OVAs from the 80s and 90s. Some of the season's middle chapters relied too much on the artificial film-grain filter and the show's naturally cool character designs to carry the visuals, but “Fake Hero” captures some of the grungy magic that made Clevatess' premiere such a standout hit.

Just about the only other complaint I have about this episode is that it ends right when things are getting exceptionally compelling. Discovering the Book of Toah and role that the “true humans” have played in manipulating the events of Clevatess' world is just such juicy storytelling that I practically cried out “No!” myself when Klen decided to cut his losses and walk away from the nonsense he'd been dragged into. I was feeling just like poor Luna/Hidelius VI/Toth right there, crying on the floor while the Dark Lord of the Beasts skulked off into the shadows. I need more Clevatess in my life, ASAP. Next week can't come soon enough.

Rating:

Clevatess is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

James is a writer with many thoughts and feelings about anime and other pop-culture, which can also be found on BlueSky, his blog, and his podcast.