Black Clover is a very misunderstood series, and one that I think gets too much of a bad rap from the early parts of its anime adaptation. Let's get this out of the way before you assume I'm going to start claiming that this series is far deeper or more clever than people give it credit for; it's not. However if what you're looking for is a big, dumb battle-shonen, then you've come to the right place.

Black Clover is some cartoonish, pro-wresting level entertainment that seeks to do nothing but tickle that childish desire to see larger than life characters duke it out. The story and characters are there to facilitate fights and not the other way around. Some people may hear that and think that sounds stupid... and it is... which is why I adore it.

The series taps into that cave-person part of my brain that just wants to see big, cool, cathartic moments delivered by total goobers. A vast quantity of the characters in Black Clover (specifically the members of the Black Bulls) are goofy assholes who just beat the crap out of people and almost every single one of them gets something awesome to do. For me I equate the cast to that of a delinquent series. Just a bunch of idiots with attitude who like to throw fists and take names. There are very few characters who feel unfairly shafted or left to rot as weaklings who don't do anything, and it's very refreshing to see a series actually execute on team fights and not have every battle be some one on one duel of honor. Honor doesn't matter when the goal is to kick ass and win in Black Clover.

There is very little wasted time in this series. Exposition is kept to a minimum. Character backstories are kept to a chapter's length at most and read like character promos designed to sell the reader on them before they throw down in the ring. Fights aren't constantly cut away from, interrupting whatever momentum they had. When you think you understand the scope and stakes of an arc the author ramps them up out of nowhere just to keep things spicy.

If you're like me, and you've ever felt impatient, frustrated, or annoyed that stuff isn't as hype as it could be in a battle shonen, this series seeks to do nothing but give you the serotonin boost you desire. It is total junk food but it seems like the author both understands this fact and is absolutely down for it. This series reads like it is from someone who understands the genre and which of its tropes are fun and which are not, and it selectively chooses to lean into the fun ones and subvert the ones that aren't.

It is absolutely not without its flaws; the writing is not the best, the characters are far from deep, and it is laden with silly tropes. I'll also go as far as to say that it definitely blows its load during the mid-point of the series, and everything afterwards feels a little "new game+" if you will. However, if you approach it with a sense of humor and are willing to get all ape-brain and cheer on a bunch of goofy/edgy magic-using jerks who beat the snot out of baddies then you will inevitably have a grand old time.

I'll give Black Clover a strong 7 to a decent 8.