Black Clover

It's my first review, I've never done one before, sorry for my bad English, with that explained, let's go to the review.
Story: 10/8, the story is about Asta and Yuno who were abandoned in the same church on the same day. Raised together as children, they came to know the "Wizard King", a title bestowed upon the strongest wizard in the kingdom, and promised that they would compete with each other for the position of the next Wizard King. However, as they got older, the vast difference between them became apparent. While Yuno is capable of wielding magic with amazing power and control, Asta cannot use magic at all and desperately tries to awaken his powers by training physically.
Art: 7/10, the only thing I can say about art here is normal and attractive.
Characters: 6/10, nothing to say, normal characters, fine and that's it.
Enjoy: 7/10, it really is not boring at any time and it is not heavy.
Overall: 7.5 / 10, between good and very good.
One thing I want to clarify is that this is not a "deep" review but I guess you noticed a while ago, I hope this review has helped you.

Before I say anything, I am probably biased to this kind of manga. I loved the Naruto Anime, so that probably says something, not to mention liking bleach. What I can say, is if you disliked those anime/manga, this is probably not for you, but it is different so give it a try. If you had any interest in either of the prior series, or any similar ones, I would earnestly suggest this Manga (though the anime not so much, but that is a different story). Many dislike this manga for its cliche nature, etc; however, as someone who enjoys this type of "cliche" it is generally enjoyable for me. All in all, read it (past a few chapters), and you can discern if you will like it, it is pretty enjoyable as something to read in small bits of free time you may have during the day.

Breakdown:

Story: 7
The story is a pretty run of the mill shounen story. Kid is in a town and wants to become the Sorcerer Emperor(Hokage, King of the Pirates, etc.). He starts weak, but we discover he has a latent ability which makes him viable. He has a dark haired rival who is like a brother to him (sounds familiar) who also wants to be the Magic king. If you like Naruto-esque stories, like I have mentioned before-- go for it.

Art: 6
The art is what you would expect from a series like this, good enough to get the point across. It isn't amazing, but you won't have any bleeding eyes either. Not much else to say in this regard, if art in manga you read doesn't need to be perfection, read it.

Character: 6
The characters in this manga are decent, they aren't too deep, shallow even, but, again, that is how characters in this genre are. They aren't like cardboard cutouts that talk and fight; however, I wouldn't expect a masterfully crafted character either. There is a lot of backstory, and that is one major thing going for this manga, though. Most characters, even minor ones, are given backstories, which are better than in some stories with flat personality-based characters. (again, nothing mind blowing, but better than some manga)

Enjoyment: 9
This is entirely subjective, but for me I really enjoy this manga. It is good to read as a passenger in the car, or when you are lying about at home. If you have some free time and want a manga to read, I can recommend this manga. It is engaging enough that I have read up to to the current point in the story, so that says something to me. As I said in my opening, I like this kind of manga, so I am probably a bit biased, so keep that in mind.

Overall: 8
I enjoyed what I have read so far, and you might too. It isn't mind blowing, and you won't transcend by reading it, but it is a good read nonetheless. Go for it of you have some time on your hands, or want a new manga. That is about all I can say. I like Black Clover.

-Shidooooooooooo

I am writing this cause people people been writing how this is a Naruto rip/off

First of all, it's not. There are similar premises but Black Clover stands on its own

Asta is not Naruto, he is a louder Kamijou Touma from To Aru no Index. Wielding the same anti magic power, however Asta actually has motivation and clear goal he wants to achieve instead of a hero complex.
He wants to become the Magic King because there is a huge racism issue in his world toward lower class citizens which he is a part of

Characters : Tabata chose to hide each character personality underneath gimmicks that may be hard to understand if we just read it without thinking (and yeah BC is a great story to just turn off your brain and watch them fight) however if you are someone like me who thinks about random things and find pleasure in "wow Vegeta is actually a better father and husband unlike Goku" revelations you will find many fun personalities in this story, like Finral, Noelle, Asta, Yami

Power scaling : This is where BC shines, instead of using "the power of friendship and flashbacks" to make MC power up. BC actually has more logical solutions especially further in the series. Asta himself although wielding the most OP magic in their universe is not OP and can be killed/injured

Enjoyment : You can binge 100+ chapters without getting bored
Overall, a great enjoyable story and a welcome addition to my reading list

So this is my opinion of Black Clover of how much I've read so far.. Black Clover takes place in a world where people use magic and kingdoms are ruled by the strongest magic user, The Wizard King or something, it changes in a lot of translations. And of course the MC(Asta) wants to become the wizard king. This brings up my first problem. This manga isnt very original. They take ideas from alot of other stuff. His goals to be the King is just like Naruto and his goal to be Hokage. And in the 17 chapters ive read he does the same thing with announcing it every five seconds. But back to the plot. He has no magic power at all. He didnt know this so he trained his body trying to make it be able to use magic (appears to be the only person with a trained body in the series so far). And then when he comes of age (15 i think), everyone who wants to be magic knights get given Grimoires, books or tomes that amplify your magic abilities. But of course our MC gets no Grimoire. Now your introduced more to his rival that in the beginning is just an asshole. He gets a four leaf Grimoire, which is really rare because all the other Grimoires are three leafed (there is a clover on the front showing this). His name is Yuno and he has a really high magic power. After the ceremony (im sorry my paragraph doesnt flow well) while Asta is pissed of a previous Magic Knight attacks Yuno and tries to take his book. Yuno is captured in the guys magic (chains) and is helpless then our MC tries to save him and gets captured to where the guy tells him he has no magic power. Then out of no where a burnt Grimoire flies out of the tower and is given to Asta. The Grimoire is a 5 leaf one and instead of helping his magic it makes a sword that nullifies magic. He then beats the guy. Yuno accepts how strong Asta is and agrees to be his rival again. This is taken from another shonen Manga, My Hero Academia. Where if you havent read that (i suggest it) the main character is one of the 5% or so who dont have a power and his dream was to be the strongest power and his best friend/rival has a really strong power (sounds familiar) then while his rival is getting attacked by a monster who wants to take his body and use his power (hmmm heard this before) the mc,with no power, runs in and tries to save him. This is where its different because he doesn't gain a power instead the strongest hero saves them both and then notices how the boy would be a great hero and gave him a power. These situations are too similar to ignore. But besides these two there hasn't been any other obvious things. They still do the shonen stuff with he gets a team, has a girl in it, she hates him then grows to like him, and go against bad guys who say "hahahaha you can never beat me" and then lose. Only other connection is their attack names sound like Naruto jutsu's and say "Wind Form or Water Form" before each attack and some of the attacks look like a Fairy Tail attack. This all being said I Still enjoy this manga quite a bit and I would recommend it to any fan of shonen because its not bad and I can defiantly see it becoming more original as I read more.

This going to be a quick review as I'm about to go to bed the series is actually very interesting it's got a great premise and it's well-executed but some the words any action get horribly jump in the artwork. Not to say that the artwork is bad it's actually really good sometimes the attention to detail is too much and like I said words and some of the action get muddled in the lines of what's Happening. Characters are good but a little trophy fish so there's nothing new there. I feel my score does positive review of the series like I said it took me a few days to read and 179 chapters took me about 2 weeks I don't really remember. It's worth multiple reads actually really good especially if you like the Shonen type of manga like you've seen any of my other reviews I do. Not really much bad about this series and I do like the fact that he doesn't have any magic on like almost everybody else in the world like very few exceptions of other people don't and he's able to stand up to them literally by his physical strength and of course he's slightly Enchanted on Enchanted weapon that's all I'm going to say about that.

As someone who has seen most of Naruto and some of Fairy Tail, the two anime/manga that Black Clover is heavily compared to, I can say that I do see the many complaints about this manga. However, I'm actually enjoying it quite a bit.

Story: The premise itself isn't the most intriguing what with being unoriginal, but the proceeding arcs is what always draws me to continue reading. The pacing is quick, but is exactly what makes it fun. The mythology and world-lore is simple to grasp as well.

Art: Not lazy and filled with massive detail in every panel. It's especially apparent in the Seabed Temple arc.

Character: Mains are generic, but the side characters, and especially the antagonists are what interests me. Their motivations are understandable which doesn't make them complete villains.

Enjoyment/Overall: The manga is a fun, fast-paced, easy read, and while there are many tropes that we see in other Shonen manga present here, there's always a twist to it. So while it's not completely original ideas, it's also not complete rip offs like people claim it to be. Even with its' fast pace, it does a good job with slowly revealing character development for everyone.

It's a typical manga shonen if you like to call it cliché well, but it's very entertaining, the stories are very good, if it looks a lot like other mangas like naruto, one piece, bleach, fairy tail, but that's why it's great.

As a typical manga shonen has many battles, a goal in particular and many enemies and rivals, which leads us to make it extremely entertaining.

The artwork is very detailed with the buildings, landscapes and characters.

The story is easy to follow and not complicated at all and has the perfect time to make jokes when necessary, they are never forced, although the story feels that it advances very fast and that takes a little bit of depth from the characters because it does not get into them.

The bad news is that if you've already read other popular mangas, at first you're going to find it predictable and that it looks a lot like the others, it may be true but it's an original story full of shonen elements.

Hey everyone, I'm here with my first ever review for ANYTHING on Mal, and my first open review on Black Clover - the 102 chapters that I've read of it so far that is.

I gave this an overall rating of 7, but if I could I would probably give it a 7.5/10. Okay so let's get to the review!

Story - 7
Okay, so the story of Black Clover really isn't that special to be completely honest with you. And I'm not going to go over it again, considering most people that have written reviews have already given a synopsis + it's right there for you to read above my review.
The thing that I like though about Black Clover's story, is not really the main story line but the setting in which it takes place. There is so much potential for so many fantastic stories to take place in this world. I don't think Tabata-san is the best writer in the world, but I think he has managed to do a good job in setting up an interesting world and history, now he just needs to build upon that. I feel he is improving on that with every chapter that goes by.

Art - 8
It's pretty darn great. I think in general this manga has some of the cleanest artwork - in a shounen manga currently. It reminds me of Bleach in a way, but for the most part Tabata has a unique art style, which I fell in love with when he started with his previous series Hungry Joker. And with Black Clover, I feel he's improved upon it even more. Tabata is a very gifted artist, he just needs to work on his storytelling.

Character - 7
Most people will probably give this a 5 or a 6, because to b completely honest with you, most of the characters in Black Clover, especially the villains, don't really have very memorable backstories (except for a character named Marth/Mars) But the reason I gave this aspect a 7 is because...I just love all the characters! I love their unique personalities and quirks, and the thing is, they may not be the best in terms of character development (something I think Tabata is working on) but I think they make this story so enjoyable. And it's one of the reasons I read this series + the setting and + art and the action.

Enjoyment - 8
It's a very enjoyable series, and even though it's not in my Top 10, I still really enjoy it. It's fun, and laid back at times, it gets me hyped in very intense battles, and makes me laugh out loud. Any manga that I can enjoy I will continue to read. It doesn't mean that every arc is brilliant or even good, in fact there are times where I get completely let down by Tabata's lack of effort in the story and villains. So yeah, there are highs and lows, but I really like the manga in general.

Overall - 7.5
Seeing as this was kind of split even between 7 and 8, I gave it a 7.5.
Yeah Black Clover is an enjoyable and fun series to read and talk about, and in general I look forward to reading it every week whether it be through raws or on Viz's app. I also pick it up physically which should show you that it is good enough to pick up in physical format. The current arc is more slice-of-life-ish, and I'm very much enjoying it! Next chapter (103/104?? Not too sure) should be out tomorrow/today, depending where you are.

Anyway guys, hope this review was some what helpful in you maybe deciding to read this series. Peace!

NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS *SOME* SPOILERS

TL;DR at the bottom if you don't want to read this wall

I've read a few of the other reviews of Black Clover and I'm a little disappointed to see that a lot of the negative (sub-5 star) reviews were written by people who have read 30 or less chapters of the manga. Of course, people who dislike the series would tend to drop it quickly but I don't think it does Black Clover (or any manga, really) justice to review it after less than 50 chapters/1 year of publication.

With that short bit out of the way I'll start my review:


Story: 6/10 (minor manga spoilers)

Admittedly, Black Clover does start out like a very standard Shonen manga. However, I think any Shonen battle manga that will come out in the future is going to be very similar to its predecessors - so much has been done at this point that it is very difficult to be truly unique nowadays. Honestly, it's accurate to say that the first 10 or so chapters greatly resemble what I think I'd get if I smashed Fairy Tail and Naruto's first few arcs together, so I understand where many other posters are coming from.

Luckily, the manga does begin to differentiate itself from those two reasonably quickly, which is the reason I'm a little annoyed that some people reviewed it after just the first "large" arc of the series, or chapter ~20. I'd certainly agree that the first few arcs of the series are not all that great, however after roughly the first 40 chapters they really take a step up in both their overall quality and uniqueness. This series is one that seems to be getting more well done as time goes on, and although the basic premise of the story and some characters' core motivations won't change, the circumstances they're in (and consequently, the story arcs) can and will be different and perhaps more interesting.

One portion of the story that I think many people will overlook is the pace. A few of the manga I've read weekly fall into the trap of dragging things out, or stretching arcs until readers start to get impatient (looking at you, One Piece). Though this is reasonable to do for some manga, Black Clover doesn't do that to the degree others do. Every chapter that I've read after being caught up has felt like story progression is being made, and at a brisk enough pace to keep me really interested in what happens in the next chapter. Very few arcs in this story last more than 30 or so chapters too, so if you're beginning to dislike an arc you can just stop reading for a few months and then binge the rest of the arc in an hour or so. This brisk pacing is a major bonus in my eyes and one of the reasons I decided to give the story section a 6 instead of a 5.


Art: 8/10

By far the strongest point of Black Clover, I find the art to be really fantastic. The level of detail is usually quite high, and many of the larger panels are exceptional. There are certainly points where the art is a little muddled (some fight scenes spring to mind) but that's not typical for the manga. I'd give it a higher score if the times when a concept is being explained there weren't some panels that are just a gray background with text or very low detail, but to be fair the chapters where that happens are usually a bit longer or more detailed elsewhere to make up for it.


Character: 4/10 (spoilers here, obviously)

As opposed to the above category, this is by far the weakest point of the series. Both Asta and Yuno (the main characters) are exceptionally bland. Asta hasn't had much character development, if any, for the entirety of the series up until this point. He's stayed the same, cut and dry stereotype of a Shonen protagonist. Outspoken, stubborn and most importantly never giving up, make up the entirety of Asta's character. Yuno is one of the most neglected "main character" types in a series, and I'm hesitant to call him a main character at all because of it. He's been in about half the arcs in the series though, and since he functions as the rival to Asta, I suppose he is a main character. Very much the same as Asta, Yuno has basically undergone no character development as well and is effectively a kinder, friendly Sasuke (the Naruto comparison is merited in this case). Asta and Yuno are the most basic version of a comparison between hard work and natural talent that two main characters can be. Their backstory is significantly more bland than Naruto/Sasuke's though, which does muddy the comparison significantly. Personally I'd say these two characters are worthy of about 2/10 on their own, for being so straightforward and cookie-cutter in terms of protagonists.

Now, onto the other extremely weak point of the characters in this manga: the villains. I think I like maybe 2 or 3 of the antagonists of any of the arcs so far, and that's about it. They're really very similar, with 2 of the main antagonists apparently being so single minded that they only focus on literally one single thing. Most of these villains, especially the ones in the first 30 or so chapters in the series, feel incredibly bland and forced. This hasn't gotten a whole lot better as the series has progressed either - it's seemingly a perpetual weak point of Tabata's. Like many of the antagonistic side characters in the series, the villains are mostly 1 dimensional "I hate you, die" or "You got in my way, die" type characters whose purpose seems to just be there because arcs need villains.

Now after all that ranting, why do I give this section a 4 and not something worse, like a 1/2? Because there are some very good, well developed characters in Black Clover. Character development seems to be a thing that can't be done right by Tabata every time. For example, I'd consider the side character Luck to have an incredibly well done backstory considering his role in the story. It was about as much as any side character needs and was done, in my opinion, very well. There are other characters in the story who I think are extremely well done characters but since they appear in later arcs in the story I'll stay away from any major spoilers. It's a shame that that's not the usual for characters (especially main characters) in Black Clover, or else I'd be able to give this section a much higher score in line with the others.


Enjoyment: 7/10

I'll shamelessly admit that I'm one of the people often referred to as "shonen trash" and greatly enjoy the typical shonen battle manga. I've read/watched One Piece, Bleach, Naruto, HxH, and many others of this style and very rarely have they even gotten close to boring me. Black Clover isn't as enjoyable as most of the manga I listed but it is still a really enjoyable read, particularly because of the pacing and often entertaining interactions between some of the characters. It may not be a revolutionary story, but it doesn't have to be for me to enjoy it.


Overall: 6.25/10, rounded to 6/10 (alright, conditionally worth a read)

One thing I feel the need to mention that doesn't fit very well into the other sections is how interesting I think the approach that Tabata takes towards fights in the series can be. It feels as though he's trying to fill the "teamwork in fights" niche that other manga haven't covered well if at all, and this is done extremely well in my opinion. Most of the battles in this series are a team effort, usually including Asta since he's the main character (and is very OP) but the ways in which this is done can be quite interesting and this makes the story unique in and of itself.


TL;DR: If you enjoy other shonen battle manga, chances are pretty good that you'll get something out of Black Clover. Many portions are reminiscent of other manga series, but Black Clover does take a few interesting steps to separate itself from the rest of the crowd.

e1 (6.75 -> 6.25): Checked back after about 2 months and a reread, felt I needed to update since my opinion changed slightly. Will probably update at the end of each arc.

If you enjoy Shounen for what it is, then this will not disappoint. If you came here looking for another Boku no Hero, you may find your patience tested.

To compare it with the other Shounen titles it strives to place itself among, I would rank it above average (slightly) despite it borrowing a lot of concepts and plot devices from it's peers (a clear fingerprint of the editors if you ask me).

I enjoy it and already consider it leagues above titles such as Bleach and FairyTail, in my opinion, for 2 distinct reasons: Overall Plot and Characterization.

-While the author isn't a master story weaver, there is a apparent ending in mind that the story is progressing towards that's being alluded to by the lore and the plot. As long as it never reaches and passes that point it'll stay away from what I fear most happening to a story... the author just starts making s**t up as they go along. Although I will admit that this is my lowest rated aspect of the series as of right now, because while it hasn't yet committed any storytelling taboos, it also hasn't presented anything special.

-Then there's the characters. The 2 above mentioned series had a issue that I couldn't ignore as they progressed. The personalities of the cast were superficial and beyond the point of their introduction became 2-dimensional and stale. Here, many of the side characters continue to get growth and screen time aside from just being a backdrop for the main character.

Many Shounen series like to scream things like TEAMWORK! and FRIENDSHIP! and then fail to follow up with many examples. This series has gone the extra step to actually show these things happening. In fact, the main character, Asta, often has to depend on others. This leads to many connections and bonding moments that build upon previous layers of characterization.

A few other noteworthy features of the series that make it entertaining are the humor and the pacing, which both are born from it's self awareness. It knows it's a Shounen with a lot of overused tropes, so it doesn't insult the audience by lingering too long on exposition and explanations, while also not being afraid to take jabs at itself with 4th wall breaking comments and jokes. Several characters have very amusing dialogue (Yami in particular is hilarious).

On a final note, the artwork is fantastic. Highly detailed (to the point where looking at lower quality scans might prove messy) but also laid out in a way that makes the panels roll by smoothly.