Review Black Clover Chapter Reviews

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 217 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: The Scales of Justice

The chapter begins with Asta and Secre standing outside of the Magic Parliament Court House. It appears that they were invited there to give their testimony about what happened in the war. Asta is nervous because he remembers what Julius said about him possibly dying, but he thinks he can make them understand if he just talks to them. He plans on explaining about the elves, the devil and how the reincarnations got undone but Secre warns him that his position is shaky and tells him not to get careless. As the two enter the courthouse, shackles are placed on them much to Asta's shock. Members of the parliament surround them from the stands murmuring about the two. Damnatio appears and introduces himself as the chairman of the magic Parliament and as such intends to pass judgment on Asta of the Black Bulls. Asta accuses them of treating him like a criminal and realizes that him and Secre have been set up.

King Augustus proclaims that he knew Asta was no good even though he made him a Royal Knight. Damnatio introduces Asta as being from the church in the village of Hage at the edge of the Forsaken Realm, a peasant without parents and has no detectable magic. The nobles are disgusted by this and begin calling him names. Damnatio moves on to Secre, saying the Kingdom has no record of her birth and that her horns are proof that she used forbidden magic. He tells those assembled that they claim the cause of the disturbance was a devil who ensnared the Magic Knights. Asta tries to jump in and explain what the devil did but he's ignored amidst the murmuring of the nobles who don't think they can trust the word of a vulgar peasant despite him being Black Bull, a group they still seem to hold in disdain. Secre looks on at the spectacle and realizes that despite all of Julius's hard work there is still prejudice and discrimination, and even worse, the parliament is filled with the judgmental persons instead of those willing to listen and understand.

Damnatio approaches Asta and tells him that from the beginning the trial only had two possible outcomes, either Asta would be convicted as a devil or the possessed Magic Knights would pay for their sins. He goes on to outline Asta's character stating he knows Asta won't abandon anyone, that he's simple, impulsive and easily dealt with. He puts forth the options on the scale, a single peasant (Asta) or the cornerstone of the kingdom's defense (Magic Knights), and states that it's obvious which way the scales would tip. He asks Asta where the Devil is and Asta tries once again to explain that they defeated it and that Nero worked a long time to help achieve this, but Damnatio cuts him off and claims everyone there suspects them of being the ones truly in communication with the devil. Asta denies this and begins to tell them that the devil in his grimoire is different but Secre quickly silences him before he can make things worse for himself. Damnatio tells them if there is no Devil then they would just have to pass judgement on everyone, in order, and tells the guards to bring "her" in. This person turns out to be Marie in shackles, much to Asta and Secre's shock.

Damnatio introduces Marie Adlai as a ruined noble who now lives in a church for orphans. Her older brother is an exconvict. During the war her eye magic caused harm to both Magic Knights and citizens, a feat no doubt motivated by the grudge she's held against the nobility. Asta angrily tells Damnatio to stop making things up and defends Marie saying she didn't do any of those things on purpose. Damnatio surprisingly agrees with Asta and says that if a devil does exist then no doubt she was manipulated, but without proof of that, all that exists is her undeniable crime so she must be judged in the name of justice. Marie makes a terrified attempt to defend herself but Damnatio cuts her off and calls her evil. She's found guilty and the guards prepare to execute her. Asta furiously transforms into his half devil form and blocks Marie from their attacks. He angrily tells Damnatio that he now understands how he operates and Asta will not acknowledge his justice. Damnatio, unlike the disgusted nobles looking at Asta in fear, calmly tells Asta that they won't even attempt to reach an understanding with a devil.

Chapter Rating: 8/10

I had mixed feelings about this chapter. First let's be clear that this whole "trial" was nothing but a circus with Damnatio as the ringmaster. I don't think he even cared about the other nobles in the courthouse, in fact, I don't even know why they were there other than to volunteer a random irrelevant opinion. The whole thing was a farce. Damnatio even admitted that it was all formality because he expected Asta to give himself up when it came down to him or the Magic Knights formerly possessed. Asta would never choose himself.

Damnatio claims to have been starting in order when he brought out Marie, but I doubt it. He chose her because she was a sweet, young, scared girl, not to mention the sister of Asta's Black Bull comrade. All the elements to trigger Asta's protective streak. That being said, it was well played. Part of the reason I had mixed feelings about the chapter was because of the obvious emotional manipulation taking place in what's supposed to be the highest level of justice. I was annoyed, angry and disgusted while reading the chapter and I honestly think that's what Tabata was going for. The fact that Asta kept mentioning "the" devil but Damnatio says "a" devil just showed he didn't care about the one that was defeated, any devil would do, but preferably Asta's. Now he's gotten what he wanted, Asta revealing himself to the nobles who already hate him and defying them by rejecting their shambles of a justice system. He might as well have declared war.

I can't predict where this will go. Other royals like House Silva and House Vermilion can back up what Asta was saying but now that Asta has revealed himself I doubt it will help since these nobles of House Kira are a hive mind of prejudice. Damnatio's grudge seems to be personal so there might be a backstory there. I'm looking forward to seeing how he handles Asta in this form since he showed no fear.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 218 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: The Worst of the Worst.

This Week's Chapter of Black Clover starts at the Church of Clover Kingdom where we can see Sister Theresa wonder about what kind of business the Magic Congress might have with Marie who barely managed to escape the horrors of War safely,her question is quickly answered as Rebecca rushes towards her announcing that there's terrible news in today's paper. But it's not just her who is seeing these terrible news,back at Hage Villages Church we can see Father Orsi and Sister Lily checking out the Newspaper as well,their expressions displaying nothing but disbelief and shock as they look at a drawing of Asta in Black Form. Thanks to Sister Lily reading out the article we learn that it has been publicly announced that Asta is accused of having committed treason against the Kingdom of Clover and a user of Devil Powers, the scene goes back to Clover Capital where Gueldre and Revchi as well as Sally are seen reading the Newspaper as well. While the Former 2 make fun of Asta for becoming a Criminal we can see Sally wonder if he will get sentenced to community service/s as well like they have,yes,the former members of the Eye of the Midnight Sun as well as the Traitors to the Kingdom of Clover have been sentenced to clean and rebuild select areas of the Capital with or without use of their Magic. We can also see Rades and Valtos carry rubble around but constantly complaining about their work, the Criminals are being overseen by Captain Jack the Ripper of the Green Mantis. For better or worse hehe...

We can also see Mimosa and Klaus worrying about Asta who is being hold responsible for all the destruction and pain caused to the Kingdom,Mimosa says that it's something she'd expect Damnatio of the Magic Congress to do as he has coldly judged his own Father in the past and wouldn't back down from threatening one's entire family if they don't follow their sentences. The scene changes again and this time back inside the Magic Congress where Asta has entered his Black Form in front of the entire Court in order to protect Marie, while the present nobles express shock and disgust at Asta's form Damnatio appears to be unfazed by this display and claims that Asta has finally shown his true colors. Asta noticed this and calls out to the Nobles,reassuring them that he has mastered his powers and that no harm will befall them but his words are immediatly brushed off by the Nobles who now ask for this filthy and soiled Commoner to be executed immediatly, Damnatio adds that whatever it will be Asta should just accept his Fate. He continues by trying to make Asta despair and give up by threatening him,even if Asta defeated Damnatio and the guards the only fate awaiting him would be that of a wanted man throughout the Country and his Orphanage would be judged for his crimes instead. If he just accepts his sentence here and now then all the suspects and young Marie will be spared from death,besides,nobody would want to be saved by someone like him anymore. He is Evil,so claims Damnatio.

A sudden explosion occurs that busts open the walls of the Congress,and to everyone present's shock it is the Black Bulls lead by Captain Yami Sukehiro! All of the Black Bulls are angry with Damnatio and the Congress,Yami doesn't care if Asta is evil or guilty he is his subordinate and his trial is happening 2 days before the to him promised time. Magna won't let them judge Asta because he is a Man among Men,his crazy little junior. Finral as well is determined to save his precious comrade,while Gordon is asking the Congress if they want to be cursed. Grey claims that after transforming into Asta and seeing him train and work so hard she just knows that his intentions and actions are nothing but pure and noble, while Henry inside the Black Bulls Hideout calls Asta a good boy. Gauche knows that Marie would want him to help Asta,especially after everything he's done for them, Vanessa acknowledges Asta as a strong and dependable man that no matter what hand fate deals him always comes out on Top. Luck thinks that Asta is the best partner for a hopeless senior like him while Charmy wants Asta to keep living in order to be fed more food of hers. Zora and Noelle are of the opinion that while Asta may be a bit crazy and stupid from time to time he is still the closest thing to a True Magic Knight as well as someone that the Kingdom can always rely on,Noelle as royalty acknowledges him and so should the congress! The Black Bulls are taking Asta back and that's final.

Spoiler: The Black Bulls invade the Congress

Damnatio questions Yami if he is aware of the consequences such behaviour holds with the Black Bulls Captain calmly answering that they don't have anything to lose,no matter their standing in rankings or the Kingdom they'll always be the worst Squad of Magic Knights. He also announces that both Asta and Secre are his comrades and that he won't sit by and let them suffer for something they didn't even do,contrary to Damnatio's wishes. The Black Bulls don't care if he committed treason or some other crime the congress won't get away with this and they'll make sure of that right now!

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter an 8.5 out of 10.

Full Nakama Power from the Black Bulls in this Chapter,and i didn't dislike it!, an interference from them was among the things to expect for this Chapter but how much good this will do all of them is not for now. I don't think that a Battle will erupt in the Congress with the Black Bulls taking on some Nobles and Damnatio but rather a short clash between Damnatio and maybe Asta or Yami,and as they are about to get serious someone else will interfere and stop the escalation. I'm not sure who that is yet but i still believe so,since i just can't see a big battle happening here where the Black Bulls dismantle the entire Congress with the King and all the Nobility present. Not that some of them would be a fear factor but still,while the loudest voices are against Asta and the Black Bulls there might be some silent supporters we've yet to see/meet. Fingers crossed for that. All the Members,new and old,gathered together. Ready to take back their friend Asta,each of them coming in with respect lines dedicated to Asta. If anyone knows that he isn't guilty then it's his Squad. I liked how Damnatio was keeping up his arrogant and tiresome "You're Evil you must be judged"-speech while Yami was just like "I don't care,he's one of us. Guilty or not,we're the worst Squad anyway so see ya!". Noelle made a nice statement,that she as Royalty acknowledges Asta and knows exactly how important the Kingdom is to him and how important he is to said Kingdom. Zora and Henry are with us here as well that's also a nice touch i found even though bringing the entire HQ of them was a bit insane haha. I'm really looking forward to what is going to happen next,if a battle happens and gets indeed stopped then the Black Bulls will receive a sentence as well and will be judged like Asta. I don't think they'll be exiled for now but it's a possibility. It really depends on what happens next and i'm looking forward to it! Till next time everybody!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 219 Review by Emperor Spriggan
Very good chapter, with one particularly outstanding moment.

Alright so, this chapter kicks off from where the previous one ended, where the Black Bulls appeared to save Asta from Central Room 46. Gauche tells Asta that he should be judged for touching Marie (This reaction was a bit weird to me. He didn't realize Marie was there the whole time? For someone who actively keeps tabs on his sister. Also, shouldn't he say something to that Damnatio guy?)

Yami addresses Damnatio, sarcastically thanking him for taking care of Nero and Asta. Nero insists on the group taking Asta and escaping, leaving her behind. Her captain tells her that she has no authority to make that call. Magna and Finral, along with the other BB members are all excited about Nero, and bear no grudges even though she seemingly used them. Just then, Yami hands her a robe, officially welcoming her to the guild.

Damnatio tells Yami and his group that their actions are meaningless, and are only further implicating Asta even more. He then uses his Scale Magic to nullify the magic of all the Black Bulls members, but Rouge is unaffected by this. Which means that the odds aren't all that stacked against them. Just then, Asta uses his Black form to nullify the effects of Damnatio's magic, which gives Yami an opening to attack the noble.

His attack is then blocked by the 6th Squad Captain (Which is epic and both disappointing, at the same time.I really wish that Yami had at least landed a blow on Damnatio. Also, epic because the best captain FINALLY shows up to steal the show). Fuego is also there.

That's it. That's where the chapter ends. So, what will happen next week? Nozel tells Yami to stand down, or else things will get messy. Yami says that he will not back down, since his nakama were threatened. Oh no, so they actually will fight? The result is kinda obvious though, Nozel wipes the floor clean with Yami. Man isn't even fit to polish his boots.

......

Damnatio is heavily unimpressed by all this, asking what the two captains plan on doing. Fuego has a scroll in his hand, and it is a mission from the Captain Commander. The ryoka are supposed to leave Soul Society, and go exterminate the Arrancar. Yami is impressed by this, since he realizes that with both Byakuya and Fuegoleon there, it makes a stronger case for Asta. Considering both of them are royalty, aside from their captain titles. Damnatio also realizes this, alongside King Augustus, but of course both of them aren't happy about all this.

The chapter ends with Yami telling Asta they are taking a road trip to prove his innocence.

Alright, so on to the finer details:

Pros
-Byakuya showing up and stealing the show by blocking Yami's attack .Panel of the chapter. Highlight of the chapter. Moment of the chapter, quite possibly the WSJ week.
-Damnatio getting egg on his face and his dastardly plans coming to a halt. Though it would be nice to see that stupid expression on his face getting wiped off.
-Build up towards the new arc, much like almost the whole fandom had expected.

Cons
-How did Gauche not realize Mary had been taken? Its a small thing but, that just seems off to me.
-Yami not being allowed to land a hit on Damnatio. Would have been completely satisfactory.
-No Nozel/Yami fight Tabata throw us a bone sometimes, please

Chapter rating:
-Without Nozel in it:3.5/10
-With Nozel in it:8.5/10.

 

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 220 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: Visits

This week’s chapter was basically wrapping up the farce of a trial Damnatio tried to instigate against Asta and Nero/Secre. With Fuegoleon’s decree from Julius that the Black Bulls venture out of the kingdom, the Nobles feel safer knowing Asta will be going into exile. The fact that it’s Julius who made the judgment and two Royal Captains endorse it seems to have eased their fears. Damnatio admits to Asta that he underestimated the trust placed in Asta, but warns him that if he proves to be of no use to the kingdom he will be executed.

Later that day, Damnatio visits Julius and scolds him for trying to shoulder the burden of everything that happened with the possessed Magic Knights and the Devil despite his smaller form. Julius is pleased with himself for coming up with the mission for the Black Bulls, especially since it means no one had to be punished since it wasn’t their fault. He attempts to appease Damnatio by claiming the Black Bulls would bring back clues about the Devils, or at least power that will benefit the kingdom. Damnatio isn’t impressed and tells Julius that granting forgiveness means taking responsibility and neither the Kingdom nor Julius can bear that responsibility. Julius counters by telling Damnatio that he did not forgive them but left it in their hands, it isn’t about responsibility but trust. He finishes by telling Damnatio that one day his scales would tip in Asta’s favor. Damnatio is relieved Julius hasn’t changed but he gives Julius a warning telling him that the crisis the Kingdom is facing is not a light one and if at any time it seems the Kingdom is about to go under he will not hesitate to render judgment on Asta or even Julius himself. With that Damnatio leaves.

At the same moment, Marx rushes into the room calling for Julius. He’s torn between the fact that Julius is alive and that Julius is a child. Marx is overwhelmed with emotion and doesn’t give Julius a chance to explain, alternating between shock at the childlike form and how Julius intends to be of any use like that and explaining everything that’s happening with the Kingdom. He finally breaks down and hugs Julius, telling him he’s glad he’s alive. Julius apologizes for always making Marx worry, but Marx refuses to forgive him and tells him there’s a lot of work to be done despite Julius’s protests.

Elsewhere, Charlotte apologizes to Sol for allowing her body to be stolen by Charla, claiming she was useless in the fight, but Sol assures her it wasn’t her fault and that she wasn’t useful either. She admits to Charlotte that Yami saved them, and that for a man he wasn’t so bad. Charlotte realizes that the memories she has of Charla and Yami weren’t dreams after all and panics that Yami now realizes her feelings. Just then, Yami enters the room saying he’s come to visit Charlotte since she’s laid up in bed. Charlotte reverts back to her tsundere ways and tries to act superior, but when Yami says he wants to ask her something she panics thinking he wanted to ask something romantic and runs out of the room, and maybe even out of the kingdom itself since it’s most likely she’s still running. The chapter ends with Yami clarifying that he was referring to Forbidden Magic, while he and Sol watch Charlotte go.

Chapter Rating: 7/10

Nothing much happened this chapter. The talk Damnatio had with Julius shows that Damnatio might not be all that bad, in fact Julius seems to respect him. Whatever is happening in the shadows of the Kingdom seem to involve a Devil since Damnatio has promised to execute Asta if the Kingdom sinks deeper into trouble. That’s a storyline to look out for. The Yami/Charlotte moment was cute, I prefer Charla’s attitude with Yami though, so hopefully Charlotte can drop the tsundere act and be a bit more confident in her feelings, especially since if his attitude with Charla was anything to go by, Yami would be interested. I'm looking forward to the upcoming arc, but that's still a few weeks off I think. Hopefully the chapters in between can be entertaining while we wait.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 221 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: The Rose's Confession

This Week's Chapter of Black Clover deals with matters of the heart,a tender woman's heart to be exact and i'm talking about noone but the Captain of the Blue Rose: Charlotte Roselei. After having run away from Yami in the last chapter,due to a misunderstanding,we can see her sit on top of a Roof reflecting on what happened and her behaviour. She laments that she isn't able to be upfront about her feelings for Yami despite the tough front she always tries to put up in front of everyone,she wonders if Yami considers her a weird woman by now because of her reactions towards him. Charlotte had already given up faith in the men that were nothing but talk,all the while training her body and magic in order to resist and control the curse placed onto her but when Yami came into her Life and saved her from the curse overtaking her body she began to change. She fell in Love with him. She doesn't want to be afraid of her feelings nor who she has them for,she needs to change something now. Later that day,Charlotte gathered all the Members available of the Blue Rose at their headquarters because she had an important announcement to make. The Members around Sol wonder what exactly this announcement may be but they're quickly met by a response from their Captain,while it is true that the Blue Rose has continued to grow stronger while being completely void of any male influence she wants her whole squad to know something about her and she is ready to accept any punishment such as resigning from her Captain's position.

"I'm in Love with Yami!!!",she shouts out while blushing madly,she can't help herself anymore. No matter how much and how hard she tries to forget about Yami she is hopelessly in love with the Captain of the Black Bulls,something which seems to shock and surprise her entire Squad and even Charlotte believes the situation is about to get serious only to be met by a really cheerful response. All the members wish her the best and assure her full support in anything she might try to gain her Dream-guy's attention,some even reveal that they have already been dating and seeing men themselves but in secret to honor the Squads credo. The Blue Rose Members begin to pressure Charlotte into confessing to Yami, with success because that's been her intention from the start, and with incredibly perfect timing Yami and Asta show up at the Blue Rose Headquarters...is this Charlotte's chance? As her Squad Members shove her right in front of Yami to have her confess our "Queen of Thorns" is already starting to stutter again,barely managing to utter Yami's name, she is interrupted by her cupid who claims that he already knows Charlotte's feelings and has done so for a long time by now. It comes as things had to come,misinterpreting Charlotte's previous reactions towards him Yami asks Charlotte if she dislikes him so much that she has to run away from him to not hurt his feelings, the Blue Rose Captain is dumbfounded by this and even moreso when Yami asks her to explain why she hates him so much.

Charlotte wants to resolve the misunderstanding but her shyness isn't allowing her to do that,she keeps blushing and stuttering trying to form a response only for Asta to cut in and claim that Yami might be wrong because what he senses from Charlotte is the same feeling that he senses from Noelle. He says that it might be trust as both have fought together for so long and looked death into the eye together but while that strengthens their bond it makes it hard for the ladies to be open and honest towards the men they've fought with. Our Hero ends his speech by saying that it's okay to have things that are hard to say to another but that shouldn't change who you are,while smirking about the fact that Noelle just can't be honest with herself and Asta. Charlotte sighs in relief, she apologizes to Asta for his circumstances that she feels responsible for but also praises how wonderful the Magic Knights in both her and Yami's squad are. Charlotte goes a big step and musters the courage to ask Yami to have dinner with her under the ruse of discussing the previous matter he wanted to get Information about. As they both take a seat Charlotte is bummed out to learn that Yami only wanted information about her Rose-Curse which she goes on to reveal wasn't placed onto her physical self but her soul and grimoire which is why she needs to keep her Mana in control as well as her powers as the curse can take direct control if allowed to.

As the Curse isn't anything known in Clover Kingdom or the rest of the world she isn't able to dispel or learn anything about this otherwordly magic other than what she has experienced herself,Charlotte tells Yami that he should know as much himself since he too has someone stricken with a Curse on his Squad that has suffered far more from it than herself. Which seems to surprise Yami,and as the scene changes to the Capital we can see that it might've referred to Noelle who is on her way to have a conversation with the Captain of the Coral Peacock: Dorothy Unsworth about her Mother,Devils and Curses because her Brother Nozel adviced her to.

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter an 8 out of 10.

A nice build-up Chapter for next Week i'd say,Charlotte was hilarious and cute in this Chapter i found. I always think it's a nice touch when she goes and sheds off her serious and distanced facade to show that she really is pretty fun to have around,thinking of the guy she's in Love with and what he might think of her. And this Chapter she went the full mile and confessed to her Squad Members as a first step,perhaps to get their approval? It seemed like it,but thankfully her Squad is already aware of her feelings,and some of them are already leading lives with a significant other by their side. She needed this boost in confidence,unfortunately Yami thinks she dislikes him haha. but he'll come around soon enough i'm sure. Asta did make it clearer for her in that regard,now what i'm excited for is this conversation between Noelle and Dorothy because we haven't seen much of the latter as of yet besides her performance while possessed and this time she's awake as well. Noelle was stricken with some sort of curse too? Perhaps that's what kept making her power go out of control at the start? Although with control that'd be a pretty convenient power amplifying curse then,looking forward to this conversation for sure.

Till next time everybody!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 222 Review by Emperor Spriggan

Very spectacular color cover this week. Mixed feelings towards the chapter, however.

Dorothy: Yay! Finally my turn to shine. Lol seriously though, how did I last all those years without even a dialogue and somehow, SOMEHOW have a fanbase?

Yuno: Again, no screen time for me? No wonder this manga has been boring as nails recently

Noelle: Oh as expected of my royal self, my fanbase only continues to grow by the chapter.

Nozel: Screen time.....means absolutely nothing to me.

--
So, kicking off immediately from last week, Dorothy (No Bleach reference for her ;( ) and the Coral Peacocks are helping to rebuild the city. She dismisses the members of her team, before going towards Noelle. Noelle is about to bring up what happened to her mother, but Dorothy hushes her and tells her to never mention that matter out in the open. The reason being, she could get cursed as well.

Just then, Noelle ends up being thrust in the captain's dream world. Feels a bit like Tobi's world within the Kamui. Asta shows up, and Noelle is flustered by his sudden appearance. He then compliments her, and Noelle gets heavily embarassed. Dorothy appears behind her, quite aware of Noelle's feelings for Asta (Lmao). Noelle uses a water attack to fire Asta away.

Next, Captain Kuchiki shows up. Man of the moment. Dorothy then brings up how Byakuya has not told anyone at all, about how the Silvas mother died from a curse. If anyone else spoke about the curse, they would get afflicted. To bypass this, Nozel told Dorothy about this, all in the dream world. Though, that is a bit of a surprise because of two things. First, why Dorothy? Out of all the captains, why did he confide in her? Unless Dorothy and Acier were friends. Second, Nozel never struck me as the type of person to open up about things like that to anyone, much less Dorothy. Though I suppose this can be explained better by explaining that Nozel puts on a tough exterior while inside he's just a bit softie.

Byakuya starts doting on his little sister, which is....a bit awkward. Noelle dishes out the same judgement she did to Asta before, sending her brother flying. Dorothy explains that demons cannot exist in the world, at least naturally like the other magical races. Someone would have to sacrifice something, to enable the demons to maintain a physical form. The really interesting thing though, is that the demon which killed Noelle's mother is still around.

She vows to avenge her mother, while also finding a way to save Asta.

The Death Eater' name is Megicula. An obvious play with the words Dracula and Magic. Which would mean, a demon that feeds of magic? Like the one in Asta's sword.

Pros:
-Dorothy getting screentime, tbh Im not a fan of Charlotte. Then again, I'm also not a fan of Dorothy, but I think she is the most interesting between the two females.
-Nozel cameo. For obvious reasons;P
-Noelle screentime. Glad to see the lead female not getting forgotten amidst all the new arc shenanigans.

Cons:
-Nozel getting justified, again, for his erratic treatment of Noelle. Like seriously, I don't think there is anything that justifies abusing a young child, at all. Not to mention he already apologized, there was no reason to regurgitate the matter again.
-This stuff about the demon killing Noelle's mother. It's.....decent, I guess? My one worry is that previous bad things in the manga will now all be blamed on demons. Not a fan of that, honestly. They did this already in the previous chapter, when they explained about how Charlotte's thorn curse was brought about by a demon (The previous explanation was fine, really -.-)

Final Chapter rating:7/10

 

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 223 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: The Agrippa Family

This week in Black Clover we meet Gordon’s family. For those of us not familiar with the name, Gordon is the Black Bulls member that resembles a mime with his face all made up, and mumbles when he talks. Yami sends Asta with Nero, Grey and Gauche with Gordon to learn about Curse Magic from his family since it’s something they’re famous for. Gordon agrees to do this for Asta’s sake and hopes things will be different this time, since the last time he went to them for help when Asta was Cursed by the Third Eye, they didn’t help him. It would mean a lot to Gordon if he was able to help Asta, since Asta is his friend and as a descendant of a family that dabbles in Cursed Magic it was near impossible for him to make friends. So now, accompanied by his teammates, he feels more confident and thinks things will be different this time.

At the first sight of the Agrippa house, everyone is ready to leave. It’s a creepy castle-like house surrounded by, and covered in, vines. The door opens to reveal Gordon’s family and we meet his parents, grandmother and sister who all welcome him home. They also happen to all have the exact same face. It’s really weird and shocks Asta, Gauche and Grey. Even the dog that suddenly appears and bites Asta has the same face. Gordon’s parents invite them to stay for dinner, but Gauche still wonders why they look so much alike considering they’re married and not genetically related.

Dinner is a strange affair with most of the discussion happening in mumble form. It’s not easy to make Gauche feel awkward but they’re managing it. He asks the other three to say something since they’re there about curses, but Grey is too scared and Asta is busy eating the very gross looking but tasty food. Roxanne, Gordon’s sister, gives Grey a round ball full of eyeballs and a mouth that laughs as a gift, which of course terrifies the always terrified Grey. Nilenia, Gordon’s Grandmother, mistakes Gauche for Nathan, Gordon’s father, and after complimenting how big he’s gotten, asks him to protect the family. Jonna, Gordon’s mother, interrupts and ushers her off to bed, but before the old lady is gone she mentions she expects great things from Nathan for the sake of the ancestor who made the contract. She also starts to talk about the curse of Megicula, but is gone before finishing the sentence. No one really paid attention to this as Gordon finally approaches his father and asks to talk.

Gordon first acknowledges the fact that he practically abandoned the family, but despite that he has a friend now and that friend needs help so they need to know about Forbidden Curse Magic and about Devils. Everyone waits with bated breath, as if waiting for things to go wrong, but Nathan just casually agrees and leads them to his research room filled with information on secret arts that deal with poison, plague and death. It all sounds very ominous. He opens the door and the group is shocked to see blood, human and animal skulls, plants in jars, and other voodoo looking instruments all over. Nathan calls it beautiful and tells them he's researching every kind of pain there is. Gordon is angry and accuses his father of doing wicked research. Nathan tells him he’s been waiting for him to come home since his Poison Magic talent is worthy of inheriting his research. Gordon isn’t impressed and tells him he only wants to know about Forbidden Curses and no way was he coming home. Nathan appeals to him, telling him he’d teach him all about death by curses, poison, drugs, all of it, but Gordon is disgusted and asks him what he thinks life is. Nathan tells him humans die quickly and that life is fleeting, something Gordon doesn’t seem to understand so Nathan prepares to show him firsthand. Nathan casts Black Oil Creation Magic: Curse Filled Nails at Asta, Grey and Gauche but Asta moves to defend his friends. The nails seemingly hit Asta’s neck but he’s unharmed. Nathan suddenly reads out Asta’s temperature stating he sees no physical abnormalities. He laughs and boasts that he rechanneled everything he knows about drugs and poisons that harm the human body and used the family’s expertise in curse killing into health management and medical treatment. This is something Nathan started in his generation and he admits he can only cure normal diseases, which is why he could not help Asta the first time he was cursed.

After clarifying that Nathan was in fact a Recovery Mage, something Gordon himself didn’t know, Gauche tells him he needs to make himself clearer to people because the look of the room will give them the wrong idea. He agrees and offers to help them search for and gather curses using a relic from their ancestor; I’m guessing this ancestor was the same one Nilenia was talking about before she was forced to leave. He casts Black Oil Creation Magic: Curse Candle Ritual Disk and brings up a map of the country. The flames on the map are curses and the flame intensity shows the depth of the curses. Grey points to a very bright flame which is located where the Black Bulls Base is and the group realizes it’s representing the curse Henry is afflicted with. Nathan stretches the map further, beyond the borders of Clover into the other kingdoms, and a huge flame erupts from the Heart Kingdom, possibly an indication of a Devil’s Curse.

Chapter Rating: 7/10.

This chapter was mostly Gordon’s family dynamic and the misunderstanding between him and his father whom he thought was conducting evil research and using curses to kill. It turns out his father is a Recovery Mage, something like a doctor, and is actually helping people, something that could have been cleared up with a little communication. This seems to be a theme with families in Black Clover. They make assumptions about each other and treat them as facts which then cause rifts and misunderstandings.

In regards to the family resemblance I’d like to think it’s just makeup. Something like a uniform for the family. I mean even the dog looks like them and that’s just not natural.

The Devil theme is being a bit overused. I mean now that the Word Devil has been defeated we find suddenly a lot of mages are connected to a Devil in some way. Nilenia was about to reveal some sort of connection the Agrippa family has to Megicula, the same Devil that’s responsible for Noelle’s mother’s death. Is it possible Megicula is the Devil in Asta’s Grimoire? I doubt this because Asta’s Devil called the Word Devil “senpai” and Megicula seems to be an ancient big bad and possible final villain. But it is something to keep an eye on, if for nothing else than the possible conflict that would arise between Asta and Noelle.

The first stop outside Clover Kingdom looks likely to be Heart Kingdom and this huge curse. I’m ready for the new arc to begin. I think we’ve got enough set up to start.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 224 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: You are cursed

This Week's Chapter of Black Clover starts with Yami educating us on Heart Kingdom's security at their borders after his members that went to collect information have returned,most of them anyway,and reported their newly gained knowledge to him. Apparently Heart Kingdom cannot be entered at one's leisure as the Country has unique Trap Spells set out around their borders,if any of the traps are set off then the Country is immediatly aware of it's trespassers and will brand them as criminals to hunt down. If the Black Bulls try to invade,which is impossible even with Rouge's Power according to Vanessa,they could potentially cause an international incident between Clover and Heart. Just as he finishes his lecture Noelle mentions that she remembers Mimosa telling her that she has been to Heart Kingdom before due to Nobels being allowed into the country for abroad studies,as Yami hears this he immediatly orders Noelle and Finral to head over to Golden Dawn Headquarters which is convenient for Finral since he appears to have some business over there and because he can finally escape the "Eat and recover Mana"-Hell that Charmy and the others put him through during Yami's lecture. The scene switches to Golden Dawn Headquarters where Vice Captain Langris is being informed by Finesse about what happened while he was possessed,she also tells him that it was Finral who saved him. Something that angers him as he still doesn't appear to be fond of Finral,and speak of the devil,said Finral is now entering the room.

As Langris see's his brother for the first time since the battle again,his doubts and regrets just flood out of him,he pities himself for attacking their King,the destruction he's caused,losing to Asta and most importantly: Almost killing Finral,his flesh and blood brother but that's not all. He also feels ashamed for being saved by that very brother he constantly mocked,despite Finral trying to console him Langris keeps on venting his frustration,he heard of Asta's Trial and he just can't believe how someone like Asta nor Finral can always take on such heavy burdens when they're constantly doubted by everyone. He won't let Finral get ahead of him,never,Finral accepts his challenge because he too only came to make it clear to Langris that he will not let himself get surpassed over and over by him but that he will begin to work and improve as much as he can in order for their Father to acknowledge him as the next head of the Vaude Family and also...because he wants to become a man that can make Finesse happy. Hearing this makes his bride to be blush as Finral asks her to wait just a little longer while he becomes someone to be proud of,she accepts and tells him to hurry it up with that while smiling brightly at him. As Langris witnesses this he asks Finral for a man to man talk,they tell Finesse to wait in the room for their return with the former reassuring her that he isn't planning to murder his brother now. As Finral wonders what might be going on he is told by Langris that he can't make Finesse happy the way he is at the moment because...

As he is about to reveal why they're interrupted by 2 arriving Female Golden Dawn Members that seemed to worry about their Vice Captains condition,as Finral lays eyes on them he immediatly tries to ask them out but as they respond with silence Langris lashes out at him,he has to be cursed otherwise he wouldn't become such a playboy everytime when he just met a new girl. Shocking for Finral who just realizes that he can't go and marry Finesse and then try to hit it off with other random girls at his leisure,he needs to stop flirting otherwise he won't be able to just focus onto Finesse as the Woman in his Life. Langris walks away while telling Finral to break this bad habit otherwise he'll marry Finesse before him,he won't let his Brother find happiness that easily.
Meanwhile Asta and Noelle are engaged in a conversation with Mimosa who confirms to them that she has been to Heart Kingdom alongside her Brother Kirsch when she was 13,they were only allowed to move within a restricted area but she found it very educational as they have Magics and Techniques in Heart that you won't find anywhere in Clover. That paired with it's beautiful Nature makes Heart Kingdom a rather peaceful place which makes it hard to believe for Mimosa that a curse and possibly a devil may lie at it's very roots,Noelle wonders if this could lead them to the devil her mother had to face once before,meanwhile Mimosa continues telling them of her trip.

Apparently the leader of Heart Kingdom is an all knowing Mage,powerful enough to take Clover's entire Magic Knight Military on by herself and to top it off she is a Princess. Something that impresses and scares Asta since she reminds him of the Witch Queen and remember his last encounter with her wasn't,bar her healing his arms,not too good. But they won't go there to fight,they'll go there to investigate and nothing more,Mimosa will take care of the application to enter Heart Kingdom for education purposes while the others will go to prepare for the journey. Said and done,a bit later(seemingly),the group of Asta,Finral,Mimosa,Noelle and Secre who transformed into her bird form heads off to Heart Kingdom per boat and is already close to approach their destination. While Asta is celebrating their new adventure,Noelle reminds him that they're not going there for the fun but to work while Mimosa apologizes for not being able to register more visitors than the 5 of them. Next to them Finral is having a mental struggle as he realizes that besides Asta there are only girls with him,all girls that's previously tried to hit on before no less,he makes up his mind: From now on he will only have eyes for Finesse and will not give in to anothers temptation anymore. As the mist around them thickens Mimosa eases their worries as this is nothing but the Princesses national defense line as a figure of speech,the mist will only allow to enter who has been given permission to by her.

As it clears up our heroes are in awe as a beautiful landscape reminiscent of a jungle,a watefall and a mayan settlement mixed together appears in front of them. So this is Heart Kingdom!. Meanwhile at another place we can see a mysterious figure sitting on a throne watching our heroes enter per unknown means,appears to be female(You guessed it right most likely,this is the mentioned Princess of Heart Kingdom...),she mentions how she has waited for Clovers Devil to enter her Kingdom and that she'd love to aquire his powers soon. Behind her we can see a mysterious,apparently magical,being watching over her...

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter an 8 out of 10.

I'm glad that we're getting to see Asta alongside both Noelle and Mimosa for this trip. They're a fun trio,nice chemistry i think and they're sure to make for some interesting developments although i believe Mimosa is only there to let her keep some relevance and have her stay in the race for a ship with Asta(Even if we know it won't happen...) But it was nice to have her be the one to organise it all. Did not expect Finral to be there too but it makes sense,now he can try and make his promises a reality that he gave Langris and Finesse. A pretty strong moment for his character i found,he's also convenient to have in case something goes south over there due to his Spatial Magic so he can escape and get help or alert Julius. This Princess is probably the source of the curse,or rather,the being behind her that is most likely possessing her. But damn is she powerful if she can take on the entire Clover Magic Knight Military,not even sure if Julius at his peak could've done that to be honest. I'm looking forward to the next chapters,they'll be exciting for sure. Till next time everybody!!!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 225 Review by Hermit

Semi decent chapter this week. Pacing is something I was iffy on due to the world building, but I'm hoping that world building will be focused on later. Also, fingers crossed that this arc isn't a rehash of the Witch Forest Arc (Has a few things in common with that arc already)

Yuno: Still waiting for something. Anything will do at this point, I'm starting to forget the last meaningful thing I did in this series.

Zora: Speak for yourself, I know I'm going to end up getting a mega awesome rescue scene in a while, Personally can't wait for that.

Kirsch: MIMOSAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!! DON'T LEAVE MY BEAUTIFUL SELF BEHIND *insert dramatic crying here*

Mimosa: Just drop dead already, nii-sama.

--
Mimosa, Finral, Noelle and Asta arrive at the border of Heart Kingdom, where they are immediately greeted by an emissary. He introduces himself as Gaja, and Mimosa recognizes him as someone she had run into before. He then offers them crimson orange juice, adding that its sweetness is enhanced by running mana through it. We get a funny panel of Asta begging Noelle to run her mana through his.

A series of steps appears in front of the boat, and Asta plus his group immediately get on it. Gaja explains that those are a result of the Queen, who uses her Mana Zone to cover the whole kingdom. A pretty impressive feat. For context, it's the same thing Julius did when he used Last Ages to counter Licht's spell that was about to level all of Clover Kingdom. A bunch of butterflies begin to fly around Asta, I'm assuming this is like those crows from the inauguration ceremony? So it's another indicator of the fact that Asta lacks magic.

Gaja explains that even if the Queen(s) have been able to protect and watch over the kingdom so far, but it isn't something that can be reassured in the future. Just then, Asta is engulfed in a Water Prison, and Gaja reveals himself to be the Akatsuki member, Hoshigaki Kisame.

Both Asta and Mimosa are shocked, and Kisame reveals that they need the Jinchuuriki for the future of the Hidden Artery Village. The two cousins immediately set out to save Asta, Finral in tow. He uses a spell, Spatial Magic:Fallen Angel's Flapping, and the girls in front of him gain a foothold in mid air. Just then, Kisame shows up behind Finral, having caught up with him.

Immediately, Noelle launches a water attack of her own, but Kisame dodges it effortlessly and begins to float in mid air, shocking the three tourists. The Silva Princess immediately dons her Bankai. Both Finral and Kisame are impressed, the latter readying himself for battle.

Asta is still inside the water bottle, before being thrust into an abyss. Will he run into Reg and the others? Sadly, no. He does run into Undine, and just behind her you can see the silhouette of a woman. Who should be the Queen? This is a bit interesting, I don't think we've ever seen a Spirit act this way before, free from the owner. Makes you wonder what kind of a person the Queen really is.

The chapter caps off with Undine challenging Asta to a fight.

Pros:
-Valkyrie Dress making a comeback
-Undine looks really menacing up close.

Cons:
-Noelle equipping the dress this early gives me the impression she's about to get bodied, solely to hype Gaja up. Can already tell how pissed off this is going to make me.
-Mimosa potentially not participating in the upcoming battle. Seriously =_=
-No Reg or Riko in the Abyss Asta was thrown into Bit of a shame, untapped potential right there

Final Chapter rating: 6.5/10
-Mimosa might not be able to participate in

 

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 226 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: The Spirit Guardian’s Magic

The Chapter begins with Gaja casting Lightning Magic: Tenjiolia. He casts with letters circling his hands which surprises Noelle who’s never seen something like that. Noelle manages to dodge the attack which doesn’t surprise Gaja, who expects no less from a first stage mage. Gaja surprises Noelle further by telling her he’s commanded his magic to pursue her until it strikes her, which makes Mimosa wonder if it’s a Heart Kingdom technique. Finral and Mimosa intervene, with Mimosa pleading with Gaja to return Asta. He warns him that if he doesn’t they’ll have to fight him. Gaja is surprised Mimosa launched an attacking spell and places her at third stage. He also deduces that Finral can make passages if it’s to a place he can see. While Gaja seems a bit impressed, but he tells them he’ll give them a glimpse of the difference in the power. Gaja casts a rune on the sky to everyone’s shock. He tells them humans cannot match the vast mana of nature as black clouds start swirling around the rune.

Elsewhere, Asta has his hands full with Undine, who’s replicated herself and is attacking from all directions. He negates the magic she uses to do this and she’s pleased to learn his Devil power. She calls it abominable, but still politely introduces herself to Asta as one of the four Great Spirits and contracted to the Queen of the Heart Kingdom. She further tells him his Devil power looks useful and while Asta himself is incredible, he’s no match for her especially since he strangely has no magic at all and that makes him less than a ninth stage, which I guess is the lowest stage of a mage. Asta doesn’t know what ninth stage means and Undine explains to him that it is in fact the lowest stage of a mage in their system, followed by eight, seven and so on. She does this while attacking him and reveals that the highest stage is Zero.

We switch back to Gaja, who is implied to be a zero stage, as he attacks Noelle, Mimosa and Finral with True Lightning Magic: Irial Astrauza. This is a huge lightning strike that illuminates everything in the vicinity. Gaja realizes that he doesn’t sense any of their mana and deduces that they used Finral’s Spatial Magic to flee. He considers this a wise decision but futile, when suddenly one of Finral’s portals opens directly behind him. This shocks Gaja who realizes that Finral accurately manipulated space in a place he couldn’t see. Finral casts Spatial Magic: Fallen Angel Gate, Mimosa casts Plant Creation Magic: Magic Flower Guide Post, which I guess is how they managed to find Gaja without seeing him, and Noelle casts Water Creation Magic: Sea Dragon’s Roar. She apologizes to Gaja as she attacks him and tells him that after all his showing off they can’t back down.

Back to Asta’s fight, Nero transforms into Secre and saves Asta by casting Sealing Magic: Inverse Release. She tells Undine that ability alone isn’t a true measure of their power and Undine is surprised by the type of magic Secre casts. While this is going on Asta, who’s having trouble breathing and is keeping his anti magic in reserve so Undine can’t pull him in, aims for a circular wall of water that he senses holds a human presence. If there is someone in there then it means there is air in there and he’ll be able to breathe. Asta charges straight through the wall much to Undine’s shock, and heads straight for the person inside.

Chapter Rating: 8/10

I liked this chapter. We got a glimpse of the Heart Kingdom’s power as well as Undine, who’s contracted to the Princess. She wants Asta’s Devil that’s a fact, but we don’t know why as yet. Will Asta be able to hold her off? What about the person in the water, will they prove to be the lesser of two evils or is he about to be in bigger trouble? What about Noelle and the others fighting Gaja? Will their three way team up bring them victory against a Stage Zero Mage? I guess we’ll see soon.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 227 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: The All-Knowing Priestess

This Week's chapter of Black Clover picks up where we left off last time with Asta flying straight through the Water Wall only to find a doll sitting on a majestic chair,which confuses him considering that he sensed a person's KI behind the wall,his doubts are soon to be cleared as the doll disappears and he spots a young woman lying on a beaver pelt. As Asta tries to talk with the woman he is immediatly headbutted by her out of surprise,she apologizes for her rudeness by just lying around but the beaver pelt felt so good on her skin she couldn't help herself. Asta leaves his Black Form and is immedialy engulfed in another pillar of water by Undine who goes over to the mysterious woman to tell her that she should change out of her pajamas already while also revealing her actual name to us: Loropechika,and she is the Princess of Heart Kingdom!. Asta and Secre look at her in awe just as the scene cuts back to Gaja vs Noelle,Finral and Mimosa. Gaja could barely defend against Noelle's Sea Dragon's Roar that she fired off against him in the previous chapter,and it is revealed now that he did so by using a Defensive "Technique" on himself,we see a Magic Circle appear on his torso that seems to have warded off the attack. Gaja praises Noelle's power and talent in being able to use such high calibre techniques on the fly while also amplifying the Mana Output in the middle of the attack,however he needs to catch up to them now,thanks to his Lightning Magic that is no problem at all and within moments he appears in front of Noelle and the others who are more than surprised by his speed. Gaja suddenly kneels down to apologize to the group because he did not want to fight to the death but only assess their "Magic Stages",and as the group looks at him in surprise the scene cuts back to Asta and the Princess who educates him on what exactly these Magic Stages are. They're apparently a form of power measurement system used to determine a country's military might as it's Mages Magics get ranked from Stage 9 up to Stage 0.

The closer you are to Stage 0 the stronger you are,when measuring a Country's military might you go by the amount of mages they have close to or at Stage 0 and when facing off with a Devil then nobody below Stage 0 and Stage 1 will be able to keep up in the battle,As the princess mentions the word "Devil" Asta begins to remember their original reason to visit the Heart Kingdom which is to track down the huge curse signal that Gordon's Dad spotted for them. Undine is surprised to hear this as only the Guardian Spirits are supposed to know about the Curse locations,she pities Asta as he won't learn anything from anybody here,only for the Princess to tell them that she is the curse signal as she reveals a big black mark on her lower torso. Undine,Asta and Secre show surprise at this not just because the Princess is cursed but because she openly revealed this to foreigners. Loropechika asks Asta and Secre if they aren't interested to team up with Heart Kingdom to hunt down and defeat Megicula but before she goes into detail she remembers that she has to water her plants and still needs to observe the Kingdom a little more. Secre and Asta are surprised as they enter a room full with Water made screens showing everything happening all over the Country while also feeling impressed by the Princesses delicate and precise control over the Water and Mana,we also see that she carries a huge grimoire with her. While Secre still can't believe what she's witnessing here the Princess comments on some Events she's watching like some children playing or an old man recovering from his illness. Undine picks Loropechika up and tells her to change and she actually does this time,some water begins to engulf her body and she changes into a mix of what appears to be her Royal Garments as well as a Priestess robe,Undine compliments her looks and that she can be really beautiful if she puts in some effort from time to time. Talking wardrobe only. Even though Asta seems to be flustered at her appearance she still remains as clumsy as before,making Asta wonder if this is part of the curse which the Princess reveals is not the curse but how she has always been.

Undine reveals that Megicula resides within "that" country and as she does the scene cuts over to Magna,Luck and Vanessa who have gone to scout out Diamond Kingdom but appear to be in a state of fear and shock as the only thing they found was a single Mage of Spade Kingdom taking down an entire battalion of Mages and Generals as told by Magna. It's hard to say if the defeated soldiers are all dead or just unconscious but the battlefield is filled with blood,bodies and destruction with the Spade Mage on top of a rock nearby looking at Diamond Kingdom. Vanessa tells Luck to standby until he disappears but for the first time in his Life Luck does not want to fight someone whose strength he's witnessed first hand. Something he does not even fear to try and say to Yami,their Captain...

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter an 8 out of 10.

Interesting,i did not think that Spade Kingdom would find relevance in this arc already and even less that they would casually invade Diamond Kingdom with a One Man Army. Some of the Generals must've been taken out along with their aides and foot soldiers it seems given that Magna said there were Captain Class combatants involved,with even Luck fearing the mysterious guy's power. Now i'm curious what kind of Magic he used against them...ah dang it,gonna have to wait and see i guess.No surprise about Megicula residing within Spade Kingdom given that it is known for using Forbidden Magics and was said to harbor a great hidden power,perhaps he is the ruler of Spade Kingdom even. They may not all be Demons but their high ranked Officers i can definitely see having similar powers to the Word Demon or Asta,as in, Demon Powers being sealed into their Grimoires by Megicula. Just a guess though,for now at least. I'm surprised when and most importantly why all those people were cursed by Megicula,the Princess of Heart Kingdom,Acier Silva etc. Though i can make sense of the Princess since she claimed that she'll die in a year if nothing's done so perhaps Megicula did it because he fears the Undine's powers combined with her omniscience? She's also the ruler of a Big Country with interesting uses of and for Magic so taking her out would leave Heart without a "Head" so to say,again,more information here. As for the Magic Levels,i'd like to think of them as "Threat" Levels rather than an actual PL measurement system for now,it seems to only be used for War Situations to gauge a foreign nations Military Might after all and it had/has zero mentionings over in Clover Kingdom as far as we know too. So unless their policy is "Full Peace" they should at the very least inform their Knights of this little bit of info since Julius and the Captains are aware of the other Countries stance towards Clover. Now i only wonder if the Black Bulls also sent a Team to spy on Spade Kingdom,after seeing what this single guy was capable of i can't help but be hyped for what the rest of their country is like now to be honest...till next time everybody!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 228 Review by the Hermit Crab

The chapter title is really really good. Though it also gives out the impression of a villain group as well. Would be a fitting name for an antagonist group I suppose.

Since all my favorites appeared in this chapter (Or were referenced in some way or another), no commentary before the big reveal. Think the chapter did a good enough job of showing all the major players as well.

That said,

--

Morgianna, Mimosa and Finral all reunite with Asta in the castle. Kogyoku appears, and both the Fanalis and Finral are visibly impressed with her beauty. Just as she requests the Black Bulls for their help, she trips over herself. Her Djinn scolds her, telling her she needs to act more like royalty.

Asta asks why she needs their help, and she reiterates what she had told them earlier. To conquer a dungeon, one needs to be level one or above. A level zero is incapable of finishing off a demon. The leader of the Kou Empire is able to draw energy from the terrain, but even that isn't enough to stop a devil in its tracks. Kogyoku states that even though Clover Kingdom is incapable of drawing mana from their surroundings, they compensated for this by discovering non elemental magic such as steel and mercury. Among those diversified magic types, there are some which can defeat devils. Perfect examples of this would be Time Magic and Darkness Magic.

Nero is a Level 6, but her magic has been sealed off. As per the recent arc. Asta himself is unable to wield a Djinn Equip, but he can control the Black Rukh. The two mages can't be classified by the power levels of the country, which makes them Dark Level mages. Due to this dark attribute, it makes them perfectly capable of being able to defeat devils.

Morgianna is unsure about heeding this request, so they decide to call Yami. Who (as expected), is spending his time in the lavatory. He hangs up without offering them a reply. Mimosa decides to assist, using a device to contact Marcus. Once contact is established, Julius geeks out over Kogyoku's potential Djinn powers. Julius gives them his permission to intervene in the country's affairs. Kogyoku is relieved to hear this, but admits at their current levels they can't defeat Al Thamen and his lackeys. She adds on that Al Thamen is stronger than the devil Asta plus his group fought before.

Her retainer's scar was also as a result of the devil, and Morgianna is surprised. Julius says that he had a duel with the Spirit Director back in the day, so his abilities are the real deal. Al Thamen has established its headquarters in Spade Kingdom, and is amassing man power from the residents. Since Kogyoku will be dead within a year, they need to get stronger within half the timespan.

The princess asks the Black Bulls to gather as many fighting forces as they can, reassuring them that their 5 generals will help train them. Just then, we get snippets of most of the important characters. Leopold, Captain Hitsugaya, Soi Fon, Luck, Alibaba, and the last and most important of them all.......Yuno. Along with his familiar.

6 months later..........


Pros:
-Yuno making an appearance, FINALLY. Been forever since we've seen him D:
-The Kou Empire getting more world building
-More of an explanation about the power levels. Dark Level is a pretty interesting concept.
-Kogyoku is a pretty likeable character, but....

Cons:
-Bah, she'll die within a year ;( Bit of a shame. Wonder if they'll be able to defeat the devil before then and save her life.

Chapter rating: 7.5/10

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 229&230 Review by Seraph

Chapter Titles: The Dawn of Hope and Despair / Crush 'em all!

Six Months have passed since our Heroes decided to prepare and train themselves for the incoming but also unavoidable War with Spade Kingdom,half a year which some spent in Heart Kingdom while their comrades remained in Clover to continue protecting it and grow stronger themselves for when the time comes that they'll have to put everything onto the line. Princess Loropechika discovered that Spade Kingdom is already mobilizing some of their forces and sending them towards Clover and Heart Kingdom through the Power Magic Belt,as he heard of this our hero Asta immediatly set off using his newfound Skill and Power to track down a massive moving Fortress empowered by several People's Mana being constantly absorbed by it's engine. Naturally the Guys in charge of the Fortress are cruel,heartless and evil men who aren't afraid of putting their hands onto their female slaves in order to satisfy themselves in the most despicable ways befitting of the villains they really are. As one such incident is about to occur once more,our Hero Asta arrives just in time after having flown all the way from Heart Kingdom into the Power Magic Belt on his Demon Slayer-Sword to stop them. Before they can even learn who or what Asta exactly is they're already defeated by our incredibly powerful main character,who goes on to quickly defeat all of the guards present in the room with one slash each. As he uses his breather to speak to the hurt and enslaved people of Spade Kingdom he learns that there is at least an Army's worth of Soldiers present as well as a Captain that possesses incredible yet very grotesque Mana and uses terrifying and really disgusting Magic. As he hears this Asta makes up his mind,he is going to defeat each and every last one of the bad guys present in the Fortress and then he'll see about the Slaves.

Just as he finishes he is already under attack by multiple Spade-Soldiers firing off several kinds of Elemental Magics such as Wind,Diamond and Water Magic but Asta can't be bothered with any of that,he calls upon his Demon Dweller-Sword and quickly defeats all of them by firing of multiple Black Slashes that not only cut through their Magics but also defeats each of them with a single hit. Since Asta now knows that there are more Soldiers hiding inside the Fortress he begins to fire off more Black Slashes at the ceiling this time,not only do the Slashes create a perfect diversion they also defeat several soldiers while at it. Making use of the distraction is Asta by going onto the offense personally again by slashing some of the Soldiers with his Demon Slayer again,as he continues to fight off the enemies he is being aimed at from behind by 3 Soldiers but that too proves to be futile as our hero has learned to use his Black Divider even outside of his Black Form to hit back all of their spells at once. Asta continues to defeat one Soldier after the other and makes his way through the entire fortress,switching back and forth with his blades while continuing to search for their Captain. After having slain countless of Spade Soldiers our hero closes in on a guarded door,but those guards prove to be mere weaklings in front of our MCs might as they get defeated with one slash each again. Just as Asta arrives inside the room he is greeted by a bald man with a really cold look in his eyes,after Asta confronts him about his crimes he simply shrugs them off by claiming that low level garbage such as their slaves could find no better meaning in Life than serve the likes of him and his Ruler. Just as he finishes we notice that Asta is suddenly attacked by some sort of Poison that begins to spread all over his body,and we quickly learn why.

It is because of the Spade-Captain's Poison Magic,which he used to spread poisonous spores through the air in order to attack Asta,as our hero begins feeling the pain from his invisible attack the Spade-Captain ridicules Asta because despite a Devil lending him his power he still has no Mana which makes him useless to Spade even as a Slave. Those without Mana can only evade the things they see,but that that they cannot will ultimately be their downfall,Asta pushed his luck when he challenged a higher level mage like he is. He uses Poison Creation Magic: Basilisk Breath! as a giant Snake forms out of venomous particles behind him,while he still continues to ridicule Asta,but he didn't expect our hero's Demon Destroyer-Sword!. The blade instantly neutralizes the poison in and outside of his body,shocking the Spade-Captain who questions how Asta was able to do all of this,but he is ignored as Asta tells him that he could crush him without his devils power aiding him as he is a nobody. Someone who claims prosperity and glory for his country is good and well but not at the cost of another's life or misfortune,that's just's wrong,Asta enters his Black Form and charges more and more Anti-Mana around his Demon Slayer to prepare a massive Black Divider! If Spade Kingdom wants a fight that badly then he'll give it to them,he'll crush all of them and everything they stand for,as he finishes we only see: a scared Spade-Captain,a Massive Black Slash and a half destroyed Fortress. With a giant ominous shadow of a devil looming over it in the background...

Personal Thought's

I rate these chapters together an 8.5 out of 10.

Classic Post Timeskip Chapters i suppose,Asta showed off some more of his newly attained power and skills by casually one shotting this Captain and his entire Brigade in quick succession. I was surprised how many people are being housed inside such a moving fortress but i guess that's what makes it a fortress hehe...I didn't think we'd cut back to Asta immediatly after the cliffhanger with the beaten man infront of the Church in Hage Village but i guess that's the focus once Asta has finished his business here and reunited with Noelle and Co. I wanna see how much she has grown and improved too,no fair that we're only watching Asta do impressive stuff all the time. Or maybe go back to Yuno and the other Black Bulls please? Fingers crossed.

Asta's display wasn't too bad,not too over the top for my taste either since he did not show of something too incredible here other than his previously shown skills in base form instead of Black Form. Like the parallel between his method of travelling and Lumiere's Light Spear since both hold onto a weapon when they're flying somewhere at extreme speeds. I'm not sure if the beaten up guy at the end of the chapter is necessarily going to add something to/for Yuno's background but we may as well get surprised here and learn that he wanted to get help at the church because Yuno is battling close by and he was injured so badly there. It's quite likely that Spade Kingdom is launching attacks all over the country at this point,seems like they predicted what Loropechika was up to? Or they are just a step ahead of her here,let's see where it leads us,but i'm gonna stay excited for it! Till next time everybody!!!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 231 Review by Hermit

Apologies for the late review, my mind played tricks on me.

Aside from that, wasn't so big on the chapter personally. Bleh, the most interesting bits from last week didn't carry on into this week. There was a bit too much Asta for my liking.

Overview:
Morgianna and her cousin, Mimosa (Ha) kick off the chapter. She laments that Asta is still an idiot like before. Asta himself has just managed to defeat all the slave drivers, saving the people of the Spade Empire. Just then, Morgianna and Mimosa both show up. Morgianna used her Djinn Equip to carry both her cousin and herself to where Asta was. We get a funny exchange where both Morgianna and Mimosa are arguing over her usage of magic. Morgianna tells her cousin not to talk down to her since she is Fanalis, and Mimosa says she is also Fanalis.

Finral tagged along with the two girls, but sadly his training for Finesse hasn't worked at all. He spots a nearby girl, and moves to tend to her, but he manages to restrain himself by thinking of Finesse. Bit of a pointless scene honestly -.- Asta is impressed by Finral, but Noelle points out that there is nothing incredible about what Finral did.

Mimosa activates her magic and heals up everyone who had their magoi extracted. Didn't even need to use her Djinn Equip for that, what a boss. The slaves are grateful, but one of them says that they have nowhere to go to. Noelle realizes it's because their homes have been occupied by the military. She adds on that it won't be a problem.

We get a small cameo of Luck and Leopold headed to the residential areas. Both of them dispatch the enemy easily. Luck calls Asta, informing him the threat has been taken care of. The chibi seems impressed, moreso at how tall Leopold is now. I didn't quite notice any difference in his height. Despite all these heroics though, the townspeople still remain unconvinced of their saviors intentions. Asta reassures them that they can go back home. Additionally, they don't have to worry about having their magoi extracted anymore. A mother and daughter seem extremely grateful for this notion.

The duo proceed to inform Asta that Al Thamen is currently under the rule of evil mages called 'The Dark Triad.' Yep, you guessed it right people. The Dark Triad use black rukh to perform their spells. The thought of it just....makes my skin crawl D: The scene changes to a snowy terrain. Someone called Xenon, CLEARLY from Kingdom Hearts, is asked if they have gotten accustomed to using devil power. Xenon affirms to this. We then have the second member of the group, Dante. That one is from Devil May Cry. He's asked why Xeno gets to have all the fun, and he explains that it's because Kingdom Hearts does so much better in sales. The third member of the group is called Vanika. Sadly, she's not from any popular franchise. Though props to her, her character design looks impressive.

Al Thamen comes to a consensus that it's about time they start making their move. The chapter caps off with them wondering which place to attack first.

Pros:
-Morgianna being back.
-Mimosa using her magic. Imo, it is the most aesthetic magic in the series. One of my favorites too. Currently its a toss up between her and Morgianna for my favorite females in the show.
-Dark Triad have presence. The most important thing for a villain group, is presence. How menacing they are the first time they appear onscreen. Noticed that Tabata made them have three members as well (Like the Third Eye). I do hope that they are more menacing than the Third Eye though.

Cons:
-Finral and that running gag of his. Sigh. it stopped being funny the 10th time. They base so much of his personality around that it gets tiresome.
-No Yuno plot this chapter ;(

Chapter rating: 7/10

 

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 232 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: Quiet Lakes and Forest Shadows

The chapter begins with Loropechika commending Asta, Finral, Luck, Leo, Mimosa and Noelle for a job well done. Thanks to them Heart kingdom has managed to occupy the town of Tolon, one of the Spade Kingdom’s bases. A copy of Undine, through Noelle’s Water Magic, made the same sort of barrier around the town as the one around Heart Kingdom. The Devil Curse will allow Loropechika to sense Devil Magic quickly and the plan is to expand their territory and drive the Spade Kingdom’s Devil into a corner. Noelle thinks it’s an absurd task yet the Princess talks as if it’s easy. She then acknowledges that with Loropechika’s power they just might be able to do it since she’s an absurd Princess. High praise from Noelle here, and it’s quite obvious she admires Loropechika.

Luck is still fired up after the meeting and asks Gaja to fight him. This sets off Leo and Asta who also challenge the Lightning Mage. Gaja urges them to rest since they just came back from battle but the three are still adamant about fighting him. Loropechika thinks it sounds like fun and also challenges Gaja to the surprise and annoyance of Undine and Noelle. Mimosa and Noelle decide to go take a bath instead and Undine insists Loropechika forego the fight and go with the girls. Finral fights his usual urge to be a pervert at hearing the Royal Clover beauties and the gorgeous Heart Princess will be taking a bath together. Noelle threatens to kill him for his perverted fantasies but he assures her he’s trying to fight it.

One of the Heart Kingdom’s servants suddenly appears and declares an emergency in the Polnfrume Forest. This emergency turns out to be Charmy, something everyone seems resigned to. Asta tells Finral to rest since he moved all the people who had been captured. Finral resists, telling Asta he must be tired too, but Asta reminds him that he doesn’t use magic so he’s fine. Finral actually meant he must be tired physically but just then Asta calls forth his Demon Slaying Sword and, controlling his anti Magic, uses the sword as a hoverboard and flies off. Finral watches him go and reminisces on the Asta of before, the one who couldn’t even ride a broom, and at how he’s now incredible.

At the Elmora Lake, the girls take a fun bath while teasing Mimosa. Loropechika admits that she’s glad people from Clover are good people and that she was afraid they would be scary and she wouldn’t know what to do. She confesses that while she tries to act like a proper princess in front of her people, she’s glad she was able to make friends she can be herself with. Noelle breaks the sweet moment by telling her they’re royalty so of course they would be equal, this makes Loropechika laugh and they relax even more under the watchful eye of a happy Undine.

In the Polnfrume Forest, Asta reaches Charmy who’s grown fat from eating everything in sight. He’s shocked at her appearance and tells her she shouldn’t eat any more. Charmy blames the fruit for being so yummy and Asta asks if she can’t do anything else but eat. She calls him rude and says she thinks of other things besides eating, one of them being Yuno. She dreamily wonders how he’s doing and how she misses him.

Back at the Golden Dawn base, one of the Magic Knights calls out to Yuno for a moment and addresses him as Vice Captain. Yuno asks if it’s urgent since he’s heading out on a mission, and the Magic Knight tells him about the message they received from the Church in Hage. Hearing the message is from his childhood home; Yuno demands the Knight tell him everything now.

Chapter Rating: 7/10.

Most of the chapter centered around the recovery from the previous battle with the Spade Knights. It was nice seeing Charmy, although she doesn’t seem to have changed much at all, despite the additional weight that’s most likely just a gag. Yuno going to Hage to meet the mysterious stranger is something to look forward to. Maybe we’ll get to know more about his origins since the Elf Arc was a disappointment in the aspect.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 233 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: Fate begins to move

This Week's Chapter of Black Clover picks up where we left off with last week's chapter as we see Charmy preparing for battle because Asta told her to stop eating all of the locals fruits and vegetables inside Polnfrume Forest,a magic circle appears on the ground and after a brief rumbling we can see a gigantic Cotton Creation Magic made Sheep emerge from the Forest. Charmy claims that anyone that interrupts a meal should just get run over by this Sheep and die,no worries this isn't an evil Charmy this is just a very very hungry Charmy hehe...,however our very gluttonous dwarf-hybrid isn't on her own anymore as various animals from within the forest have joined her atop the Sheep's head and are eating some of the gathered fruits as well. Suddenly a rather stoky man of average height appears and seems to regret having trained Charmy,it turns out that this man is one of the Spirit Guardians from Heart Kingdom: Master Potrof!. He seems to be using Wood Magic as he instantly creates several thick Tree vines in order to stop the Giant Sheep from moving but unfortunately they only pass through the cotton of Charmy making it impossible for them to keep it still, as Potrof already gives up any hope of stopping Charmy we see Rill for the very first time since the battle against the Elves stepping up in order to stop her as his Magic is a lot more efficient for this job. Rill wants to stop Charmy as they became friends during their Special Training under Master Potrof and as such he cannot overlook this display of violence,she needs to be stopped!. He casts Picture Magic: Invasion of Heat infused Ice! and a huge line of mildly heated ice cuts across the sheeps torso in an instant,suddenly Asta emerges from within the frozen chest portion of the Sheep while thanking Rill for his help,the Magic Knights team up now in order to stop Charmy and together with Asta's Anti Magic this is a piece of cake now. As the gigantic Sheep disintegrates after being hit by Asta's blade we see Rill scolding Charmy for her rude behaviour and that over-eating isn't good for her,as he does Asta is totally amazed by the Captain's progress who only tells him that it is because he has a certain someone's image etched into his heart that he can always think of that his magic was able to become so incredible.

As Asta wonders who this certain someone could be we learn that it is Charmy,but in her human-form,who rescued him half a year ago when he was possessed by an Elf. His magic forms a portrait of her as Rill remembered her and Asta instantly notices that it is infact Charmy and not a random woman,however as he struggles to properly explain how it is possible for it to be her Rill simply moves on from the interruption and claims that he'll become the most perfect and strongest man she can wish for,and he'll become a really strong Captain at that too. The scene suddenly cuts to Clover Kingdom where we see Yuno who is currently travelling to Hage Church but also reminiscing about his times at the Church and making his oath to Asta about becoming Magic Emperor as he passes by the Grimoire Tower. As Yuno remembers a conversation he recently had with Captain Vengeance where the latter told him that his Magic Stone that had been stolen by the Word Devil has been recovered by Revchi and Gueldre who were taking treasure and tools with them from the Shadow Palace it is revealed that Yuno has gotten his Magic-Stone necklace back. Just as he arrives at Hage Church he is already greeted by Sister Lily who tells him to come inside quickly,as Yuno enters the church he comes face to face with the man that was discovered beaten up at the Church in Chapter 229. The man seems to recognize him by his necklace and his looks,Yuno apparently mirrors someone who the man knows as "Lord Ciel",to top it off Sister Lily introduces him as a Citizen of Spade Kingdom something that picks Yuno and Bell's attention as they're both aware of the nations invasion in Diamond Kingdom as well as their mentality towards other Kingdoms. The man clears the suspicion that he might be an enemy quickly though as he informs Yuno that Spade Kingdom used to be a peaceful nation under the command of their original Royal family: The House of Grinberryall,but as the Dark Triad took over control the Grinberryalls were exiled from their Kingdom while the Triad began to rule the people with fear and power.

The mysterious man raises his head to Yuno and tells him that there is only one final hope remaining to save Spade Kingdom and that is Yuno himself as he is a Member of the House of Grinberryall and with that the rightful heir to the Throne of Spade Kingdom,he is the Prince of Spade Kingdom!

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter a 7.5 out of 10.

This Chapter was also short but at the very least it confirmed something many of us already thought about many many times before,that being Yuno being of Royal heritage. We remember that Licht confirmed previously that Yuno was not his and Tetia's child but reminded him of their child in some way,so no Elf heritage for the Rival. I was relieved about that back then but remained curious on his actual heritage,now learning that he is the Prince of Spade Kingdom from the Grinberryall Family surprised me only for the fact that his parents came into possession of a Magic Stone(An elf magic artifact as we remember) and gave it to their child. It also still doesn't answer the question about how and why Asta was left right next to a Royal baby but we'll get that soon enough i'm sure. As for the fate of Yuno's parents and other relatives, there's 3 possibilities that i could see being the case here. The first would be that they were killed back when the Dark Triad and Megicula wanted to take the Throne for themselves and one of the servants fled with baby Yuno to Clover and left him at Hage Church,the second would be that they've enslaved and now empower one of those Magic Fortresses,and lastly they got captured and cursed unable to use any of their magic powers and with their death penalty dealt to them that can only be lifted by beating the Triad and Megicula which has to be done anyway. At least that would make the most sense to me. Yuno being of Spade Royalty also clears up how Asta is going to become the Magic Emperor in the end(Which he will anyway-),there won't be some final rival match between the 2 á la Naruto vs Sasuke but Yuno can simply lose the election process(However that works-) and leave for Spade to be their next Ruler and take his Father Ciel's place. At least that's how i expect it to go in the end,we'll see. I'm looking forward to the next Chapter for sure. Till next time everybody!!!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 234 Review by E

Yuno arc means I get to hog most of the reviews about this arc ))) Genuinely happy he finally has an arc explaining his origins. Giving him more depth and nuance. Was a long time coming.

Noelle: You know what?

Hermit:What?

Noelle: I won't even get mad about you fanboying over Yuno.

Hermit: Oho, why is that?

Noelle: Ever since we teamed up together in the Grand Magic Games, I always thought him a more fascinating character than that dumb Asta anyway.

Hermit: *Stroking beard* Excellent taste, little girl.

Asta: YUNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yuno: Wrong anime. We don't do that here.


--
Kick off starts at Sabertooth, where one of his juniors is looking for him. Another one reports that he received a message from his hometown so he ended up going there. Yuno's home village pops up into the conversation, and the trio of mages are surprised that Canute is from such a desolate area. The female mage is told off about her admiration of Yuno, a notion which she denies.

We switch perspectives back to Hage Village. The priest and Belle are both shocked at the revelation about Canute being a prince. The bearded man who had delivered the bombshell asks what Belle is, and she introduces herself as a Sylph. He realizes what she is, adding more to his bewilderment of the prince. Canute is skeptical about this news, asking why he grew up in Magnolia then.

The ragged man introduces himself as Askeladd. He then reveals his Grimoire, telling Canute that the truth he seeks is within it. He then uses a Memory Make spell, much akin to Marx's memory magic. A flurry of images then cross Yuno's mind. In one of them he sees his mother. In the other he sees his father, who turned out to be a commoner. His father's name is Ciel btw. Guess we know who Ciel and Lizzie's child will be;P

Canute's magic stone turns out to be a memento from his father. Askeladd's father, on the other hand was assigned to be his bodyguard. The castle where Canute was born was attacked by the Fog Troupe, so Yuno was smuggled out of the castle by Olaf. Olaf dropped him off at the church where he and Asta were found, then cast one last spell.

Canute states that he is a mage of Magnolia, despite all that. Just then, he receives a distress call from Sabertooth HQ. Turns out the guild is under attack. The leader of the assault? Chrollo Lucifer and three members of the Phantom Troupe. Chrollo states that they are there for the Arcane Mage, but everyone else is disposable.

Pros:
-Those last two pages of the attack. Just.....very good hype.
-Learning more about Yuno's past (Even though I still think this is a weak plot point)

Cons:
-Chapter was far too short for my boy to flex ;(((

Chapter rating:7/10

--- Double Post Merged, Jan 9, 2020, Original Post Date: Jan 9, 2020 ---

Black Clover Chapter 235 Review by R

Hello ^.^

It's me again, your resident Yuno fanboy. We got TWO straight chapters with Yuno at the turn of the New Year, so I took time out of my schedule to do special coverage of both chapters. I don't think we've had two chapters of Yuno in a while. Monumental occasion this Sniffles

Asta: YUNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yuno: Crickets

Asta: FIGHT ME NOW!!!!!

Yuno: Derp face

Leopold: Asta, I'm your rival too!!!!!

Asta: Crying LEOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Yuno: I'm leaving.

--

Responding to the distress call, Yuno immediately leaves the church and storms to the Guild. Ralph tries to call him back, but he simply responds that he is the Vice Captain of the Golden Dawn.

Back at the Guild, we see the members rally to fight Chrollo and his men. They recognize them as members of the Spade Kingdom from their outfits, which immediately classifies them as enemies. The guild members combine their magic and release it towards the Phantom Troupe members, but as expected it has no effect.

The assailants identify themselves as Zero Level mages, citing that there was no way normal magic would work on them.

Uvogin starts to go berserk within the base, stating that the Heichou (I dont know who this is referring to) can only release 5% of his Nen. Him on the other hand, can release 40%. Chrollo has been possessed by a Devil, so he can release up to 80% of his Nen.

Chrollo walks up to William, recognizing him as the Guild Master. William doesn't have his usual mask on (A sign of character development? Maybe he came to love and appreciate himself more after all the Elf business). Sandler (Who was this again?) steps in to defend William, but his Captain dissuades him from the act.

Ignoring this, he equips his armor, but Chrollo easily destroys it and one shots Sandler in the process. William unleashes his Yggdrasil Nen, shielding Sandler's body and also capturing the attention of Chrollo. The Phantom Troupe leader uses his Nen, which contains the properties of Bone, and both his and William's Nen's clash.

A few moments later, Yuno arrives at the scene. He finds his entire platoon decimated, and Uvogin standing amidst all the destruction. Uvogin dully notes the prince's presence, and the Vice Captain flies into a seething rage. He activates his Spirit Awakening and the chapter caps off with that.

Pros:
-Seeing William again. Have to admit, rewatching some of this content recently has made me appreciate his character more. Not to mention his character design is genuinely one of the best in the series.
-Chrollo vs William, despite it only lasting a panel.
-Chrollo's power level seems the real deal. Also love the Bone Magic, it's dreary and gloomy enough to give the whole invasion a much needed sense of danger.
-Yuno's rage at the end. Aside from the time he fought the Word Devil, think this is the first time we've seen him get this emotional over his guild mates.

Cons:
-Yuno going all out from the start is a sign he will lose easily -.- Shonen 101, ugh.
-The Golden Dawn possibly being dead. Or not. The latter especially, since you'll realize that it's a bit of a waste in regards to emotional investment.

Chapter rating:8/10

 

[Belserion]

Black Clover Chapter 236 Review by Belserion

Chapter Title: There’s No Way We’re the Same

Will Yuno make it in time to save his comrades? Is he strong enough to take on the Spade Knight empowered by a Devil? Let’s find out.

The chapter begins with flashbacks. First we see Yuno and Asta as kids. They acknowledge the fact that they have no blood family and promise to treat the friends they make like family. Next flashback we see the members of the Golden Dawn finally accepting Yuno as one of their own. If we recall, the majority of them were elitists who detested Yuno because he was a peasant upstart. I guess rescuing them from Elf possession and becoming Vice Captain in little over a year goes a long way in changing opinions.

Back in the present, Yuno arrives in time to see the carnage done by the Spade Knight. He angrily asks what he’s doing to his comrades and the Spade Knight, who’s having a lot of fun, points out the obvious where he tells Yuno half his comrades are dead and the other half are pretty close to dying. That’s what they get for going up against a strong opponent according to him. Yuno launches Wind Spirit Magic: Spirit Storm. The Spade Knight is surprised he was chosen by the Wind Spirit and sees it as a challenge. He claims his Stone Magic is amped up by the Devil’s power which makes it harder than iron or steel and launches a barrage at Yuno. Yuno answers the challenge with Mana Zone: Spirit’s Hushed Dance, and with this does two things. One, he’s rescuing the Golden Dawn members who are still alive and two, he’s blocking the Stone Mage’s attack. Seeing this, the Stone Mage realizes that there was another Arcane Stage Mage besides William, who is currently fighting Zeno.

The Stone Mage seems even more excited by this revelation and finally tells Yuno his name is Gaderois and asks Yuno to reciprocate. Yuno angrily tells him he has no name to give to scum like Gaderois, but the stone mage is not phased and asks Yuno to be friendly while they kill each other. Yuno asks Gaderois why he attacked the Golden Dawn, and this is where he goes from decent opponent to plain annoying. He admits he doesn’t know exactly why they attacked them and doesn’t even care, all he knows is the Dark Triad needs Arcane stage mages and as long as he gets to cut loose with his magic then he’s good. He goes on to tell Yuno that the previous King, who I think was Yuno’s father, was a “peace loving idiot” who was butchered by the Dark Triad, and Gaderois and others like him wanted to fight so were given power by the Dark Triad. He finishes by telling Yuno that the former King was a moron, the strong are the big shots and they get to do whatever they want. That’s the most basic and childish reasoning I’ve heard in a while. Even the Word Devil wasn’t this dumb. Anyway, Yuno continues the mini therapy session by asking Gaderois how he feels when he hurts and kills people. Gaderois says it makes him feel electrified, it’s the greatest feeling ever and that’s why he can’t quit. He even tries to find common ground with Yuno by stating he’s also strong so he must feel the same. Yuno stops him right there and says he could never be a scumbag like Gaderois. He casts Wind Spirit Creation Magic: Spirit of Zephyr and uses the sword to slice at Gaderois. At first Gaderois feels vindicated because Yuno’s attack was having no effect, but Yuno tells him that the world gets warped with people like him in it and that’s why the chain of curses never ends. Gaderois asks what he’s muttering about, but then realizes his rock is being eroded at an astronomical rate. Yuno resolves that whether it’s as a Knight of Clover or a Prince of Spade, he will be the one to shut this down.

Chapter Rating: 8/10.

I have to admit Yuno impressed me this chapter. I’ve never really been a big fan of his, because what most people call “cool” I call boring. I wanted him to show more emotion and that’s exactly what I got this chapter. Now I’m looking forward to William’s end of things and how he’s faring against Zeno.

 

[Seraph]

Black Clover - Chapter 237 Review by Seraph

Chapter Title: Sheer Obstinacy

This Week's Chapter of Black Clover continues with the attack of Spade on the Golden Dawn Headquarters,but you can hardly see anything as everything is being hidden by Mist Magic,in the Middle of a big hall(I say "Middle" because that's usually where the good guys end up struggling for their lives in situations like these-) we see several lifeless bodies as well as Klaus along with 2 nameless Golden Dawn Members breathing heavily from exhaustion. Klaus expresses frustration over the fact that he cannot see anything at all through the thick mist because otherwise it becomes borderline impossible to pinpoint their enemies location,suddenly,an unknown voice praises Klaus Steel Magic and it's defensive capabilities but ridicules him as that makes it impossible to hit him ever(!). As Klaus hears this he instantly attacks the man that he believes to be in front of his shield with his Steel Magic: Blazing Spiral Lance!,however,that proves to be futile as he only destroyed a Fake created with Mist. The Spade Mage continues to ridicule Klaus and announces that his next attack will be a "little" harder,said and done,a dozen Magic orbs begin raining down on Klaus and his comrades instantly destroying their defenses as well as knocking his fellow Magic Knights unconcious. He reveals that he is a Stage Zero Genius chosen by the Dark Triad,no matter how many peons gang up on him he will always win. Not too far away from them we spot Letoile trying to figure out the enemies true location with her Compass Magic but to no avail as her Useless North is not working inside the powerful Mist Magic,we get a brief flashback here to presumably right after William had taken command over the Golden Dawn again,where he announced that it's okay to train and master the power left behind by the Elves as once it is their own they will not use it for destroying but protecting the Kingdom they hold so dear.

We cut back to the present where Letoile reveals that while the previous Elf-Hosts managed to control and master the power of the Elves within their 6 Months of training they still didn't get to the Elves Level in terms of versatility and mastery of Mana and Magic,frustrating as their enemy is even more powerful than what they faced back then. The Mist Mage continues to look down on Klaus in the meantime,he can't believe how Klaus can expect to put up any sort of fight when his body is a mess and his Magic is useless against the Mist Magic but the only response Klaus can muster is that while this may all be true it is still too early to give up as his will is still intact. The Invader wants to finish things now but as he tries to kill Klaus Yuno interferes by blowing his Mist away with Tornadoes created with his Wind Magic, concluding that Yuno is his natural enemy in this battle he needs to act fast so the Spade Mage uses Mist Creation Magic Sealing Spectral Hands! resulting in several mist hands forming and restraining Yuno to prevent him from using any magic. Yuno realizes that despite his attempts of breaking free that he cannot due to the strain from the earlier battle he fought, however,thanks to his brief interference Letoile now knows where the original is and uses her Compass Magic: Another Atlas! on him which enables her to disperse and dispel any Magic that her target has used thus far including all his illusions and the mist covering the area. Klaus takes his chance and strikes the Spade Mage with another Blazing Spiral Lance and succeeds in instantly defeating the villain with a single strike. Klaus tells him that while it's true that he has been taking damage and loss of Mana throughout he still has enough stamina left to move and defeat someone like him. After Yuno and Klaus have a brief comedic exchange where Letoile has to remind both of them of the situation they're in the Magic Knights feel a strong Magic Power above them.

The strong magic power they felt is quickly revealed to be Zeno's as the ceiling comes crashing down on them with dozens of Bone Spears impaling Roots from William's Yggdrasil Magic as well as William himself while Zeno is entirely unscathed. He looks at Yuno,Klaus and Letoile while lamenting that his pawns were unable to kill every last one of their opponents.

Personal Thought's

I rate this Chapter an 8 out of 10.

Well that went by quickly...,while the Spade Elites around Zeno appear to be legit(to an extent at least-) it's hard to really gauge their power since they've all been defeated relatively quick and only took down nameless soldiers,bar Klaus. He had a bad match-up here with this Mist Magic-User but i'd say he isn't all too strong now either,if not for Yuno's help he had lost. Yuno took more fatigue from the earlier battle than expected from me, but even if he had one-shot that guy and took Zeno on at full health he would not be able to win here. He's being setup for a harsh loss here,not only will Spade have taken out the strongest Magic Knight Squad in Clover but they'll also take William with them which should nurture his frustration all the more. Guess training in Clover Kingdom didn't pay off too much for him,i feel like Asta is way stronger than he is now due to the Teachings from Heart Kingdom. But we'll see about that,either Yuno tries to save William and loses to Zeno here or someone comes in to help the Golden Dawn. Either way,i'll be fine with it,Till next time everybody!!!

 

[Hermit]

Black Clover Chapter 238 Review by Mistress 9

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO Yuno arc meant I was supposed to wank him throughout the arc more (( Alas, his time has come to an end. Rest well, young King :crownemoji:

Song for the chapter: My Immortal.

So, picking up from last week, we immediately get back to the heart of things. Yuno, Klaus and Letoille are all confronting Archer in the light of him taking down their Captain William. Yuno recognizes Archer immediately as the Usurper who came after his family back in Winterfell. Archer duly notices that his subordinates were taken down, but that doesn't faze him. Much.

Belle appears before Yuno, telling him to invoke his Spirit Form. She seems tense, nervous, obviously recognizing just how powerful Archer is. Without warning, the adversary immediately releases a wide area bone attack. Yuno and the two with him are barely able to evade. Combining their attacks, the three launch their magicks at Archer. Which have no effect on him, as expected.

Charging through the myriad of bones, Yuno uses his Spirit of Zephyr to cut through but Archer uses that moment to attack the helpless Klaus and Letoile behind him. The two are impaled all over with bones (Can't lie, that looks nasty). An enraged Yuno then squares up to Archer, but his sword is unable to cut through the bones. After a while, he realizes that Archer is regenerating his bones faster than Yuno's sword can cut through.

Archer recognizes Yuno as a Stage Zero Master, so he deigns to show him a little of his Servant Power. Just then, Berserker appears behind Archer, scaring Yuno. Archer states that when Berserker appears, he's using 55% of his power. He also adds on that Yuno isn't weak, on the contrary, he is just far too strong. Archer then uses his Noble Phantasm to grow a pair of horns and....the rest is history.

Later on, Theon Greyjoy shows up at the headquarters, to find Yuno, half dead and with a projectile impaling him.

Pros:
- Archer continues to impress, even if he is probably not the main villain of the arc

Cons:
- All the Yuno haters in the chapter comments -.- You got your just deserts, hope you are happy with that now.
- Klaus and Letoile not being dead. Idk why but I am heavily skeptical that those two are dead. If they are, all well and good. If not, all is not well and bad.

Chapter rating: 7/10