Step aside Naruto and One Piece! Black Clover has been dubbed the new king of Shonen! Black Clover is a fantasy Shonen manga written and illustrated by Y?ki Tabata, which began in 2015. With the manga in full swing studio Xebec began to produce an original video animation, and the first trailer was released in November of 2016. Under director Takashi Noto Xebec released the original video animation of Black Clover on May 2, 2017. Five months later an anime adaption of the series, by studio Pierrot, premiered on October 3, 2017, focusing on Asta, a kid who has no magic powers, and Yuno, a magical prodigy. They become rivals hoping to become the Wizard King, the greatest wizard in the Clover Kingdom.
Summary:
The anime takes place in a land called the Clover Kingdom where everyone has the natural ability to perform a kind of magic. 15 years before the anime begins Asta and Yuno were abandoned at a church orphanage shortly after their birth. As they both are growing up Yuno discovers that he is a prodigy when it comes to his abilities to control his magic. Conversely, Asta was born without any magical powers and has dedicated himself to physical training as a means to compensate for the lack of his abilities. In the Kingdom of Clover, at the age of 15, all citizens receive a magical book known as a grimoire, which enhances that person’s magical ability. Yuno receives a rare 4-leafed clover wind-based grimoire, which was held by the kingdom’s first Wizard King. Asta does not receive any grimoire, due to the lack of magic within him. Yet, events have a different plan as Yuno is incapacitated by a thief attempting to get his rare grimoire. Asta chooses to rescue Yuno by summoning his own grimoire a rare 5-leafed black clover, known as the Anti-Magic grimoire, which enables him to cancel out all magical effects and easily defeat the thief. Following this incident both boys decided to enlist in the Magic Knights in order to improve their skills. While part of the Magic Knights they are separated into different squads as they explore and develop their magic skills while engaging in a friendly rivalry with one another as they each try to become the Wizard King.
What to Expect:
The anime has a clear trajectory as to what will occur with Asta and Yuno. Both boys have decided that they want to become the next Wizard King and have enlisted in the Magic Knights to improve their skills. Once they enlist they are separated into different squads, which opens up a variety of possibilities that can occur for both of them. Since he was young Yuno was a prodigy with magic, which has led to him to develop and hone his skills in that area. He joined the Magic Knights and his magic skills only develop further with him being exposed to other wizards/mages while on missions. Furthermore, due to missions, Yuno will develop the most from combat experiences as his squad comes into contact with demons and other magic users. This in turn will teach him how to use magic in a tactical situation. Conversely, Asta is the opposite of Yuno, as he has just gained his magic powers. With his recent gain, he has to go through a learning curve of what his powers are, how to use them, and their abilities as they apply to various situations. With each mission, it is expected that Asta will gain more mastery over his power. Asta, due to the lack of magic abilities for most of his life, has had to endure physical training and as a result understands how to fight and what combat is. Joining the Magic Knights, he will use his combat skills and improve upon them through various missions. In many ways, he will be an asset to his squad due to his understanding of combat and the endurance he has built up over the years of training. Both Asta and Yuno are different and have faced different challenges, despite growing up next to one another. They have the same goal of becoming the next Wizard King, but are taking different paths to achieve their goal.
You can pick up the first volume of Black Clover here.
