A very loud MC

This is the anime that I binge-watched during the 2020 lockdown. Back at home from university. Nothing much to do other than wait it out. And I started this anime.

And I fell in love with it - Black Clover.

Let's dive in…

Black Clover is a popular Japanese manga and anime series written and illustrated by Yūki Tabata.

Asta, our MC (main character), and his friend/rival Yuno were found abandoned at a church when they were babies. They grew up together with other orphans at the church in Hage village, which is way out in the countryside.

In this country, the Clover kingdom, magic is everything. Mana is the source of a mage's magic power. Those with more mana have more magic power. And this decides how much a person can climb up the social ladder.

Obviously, the nobility has more mana and magic power. (Maybe they became nobility because they had more mana? Who knows?). Most of them like to throw their weight around. Even among the commoners, those with more magic tend to show off their power.

Here in this world, Asta is an abnormality. Because he doesn't have even a drop of magic. Not even a shred. He is devoid of any mana and cannot even cast simple spells that are possible for children.

But his friend Yuno is blessed with powerful wind magic. He turns out to be a prodigy. And he has tremendous amounts of mana. Talk about the hand that fate dealt…

Does Asta give up? Nyet. That is not in his nature. So he trains physically. He trains hard. He becomes an ideal gym rat.

He declares that he will become the Wizard King - the title bestowed to the strongest mage in the country. Yuno also makes an announcement to work towards the same goal.

At the age of 15, both Asta and Yuno go to the Grimoire Acceptance Ceremony. It is an event where 15-year-olds from Hage village and the surrounding area receive their grimoire for the first time.

Grimoires are special books made of mana that greatly enhance the owners' magical capabilities, enabling them to use more complex magic. Most of a grimoire's pages are empty at first. As a grimoire owner grows and develops as a person, the grimoire grows and develops with them, and new magic spells are inscribed into the book, filling the blank pages.

Almost everyone receives their grimoire during the ceremony. Almost everyone...

Poor Asta is left without a grimoire. To top it all off, Yuno receives a four-leaf grimoire - the rarest kind. Normally everyone receives a three-leaf grimoire.

Asta breaks down. How can he become the strongest mage if he doesn't even have a grimoire? And then something eerie happens - a shabby-looking grimoire shows up before Asta. A five-leaf grimoire!!

With that, he gains the power of anti-magic. To nullify any and all magic. Seems kind of a broken ability, don’t you think? Because now, in front of Asta, all magic is meaningless.

Now begins the second part of Asta and Yuno's journey. They travel to the capital to join the magic knights. Magic Knights are an elite squad of soldiers who defend the Clover kingdom. There are nine squads, each of which is headed by a powerful captain. Guess who the boss of these captains is? Yes. The Wizard king.

So joining a magic knight squad is the first step toward their dream of becoming the Wizard King. The Wizard king is second in authority only to the actual king of the Clover kingdom. (Now, you may be able to guess the other three kingdoms on this continent).

After the selection process, Yuno joins the Golden Dawn - the best squad in the kingdom. It was obvious, right? Which captain would pass up an opportunity to have a guy with a four-leaf grimoire in his/her squad? What about Asta?

Well. About that. He joins the Black Bulls (more like forced to join). A squad with the most notorious reputation in the kingdom. A squad of hooligans and delinquents. Undeniably the worst squad in the kingdom.

He is being dealt a bad hand yet again. But guess what. Asta still doesn't give up. He works his butt off towards the dream. While competing with Yuno and making new friends along the way.

It is the classic tale of an underdog becoming the strongest person there is.

The show is really heartfelt, with many comedic moments as well. It will make you laugh. At the same time, it will make you feel motivated. Because seeing Asta struggling against fate itself is inspiring.

The supporting cast has their moments as well. Especially the Black Bulls squad members.

One of the other aspects that I like about this show is the rivalry between Asta and Yuno. They compete for the same spot. They train their hardest to become stronger than the other. But they have immense respect and trust for each other. They don't belittle each other or do underhanded tricks. In fact, they have each other's backs and help out each other occasionally. A very healthy rivalry.

The fight scenes are amazingly choreographed. There are goosebumps moments. And each fight is won with grit and passion. Because what else can mana-less Asta do to opponents who wield the mighty magic.

On March 28, 2021, it was announced that the series would receive an anime film titled Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King. The film is set to premiere simultaneously in Japanese theaters and on Netflix on March 31, 2023.

So do catch up on this amazing series before that. Just 170 episodes. Trust me. It will go by in a flash. This anime is worth your time.

It also has two of my favorite anime openings of all time. Black Catcher by Vickeblanka (the chorus has my head bopping) and Everlasting Shine by Tomorrow X Together. (Rejoice, K-pop fans! For those who don’t know, Tomorrow X Together is a South Korean boy band)

Here is my collection of Black Clover pins on Pinterest to motivate you further. Do watch the anime. It's worth your time. Black Clover is an exciting and action-packed series that will keep you entertained.

Check out the anime on Crunchyroll…

So that's it for this week.
Have a good week ahead.
Itadakimasu!