Anime Reviews (2010-2019) Black Clover: Season 1, Part 3 (A Neo-Tokyo 2099 Anime on Blu-ray review) (2018)

If you love action, humor and and an anime series that features a good number of characters (similar to “Shonen Jump” titles such as “Bleach”, “Naruto”, “Dragon Ball Z” and “One Piece”), “Black Clover” is highly recommended! In Part 3, Clover Kingdom’s capital city has been attacked by zombies? Can Asta and others defend the city and its people?

TITLE: Black Clover: Season 1, Part 3

ANIME RELEASE DATE IN JAPAN: 2018

DURATION: Episodes 20-29 (250 Minutes)

BLU-RAY INFORMATION: 1080p High Definition, 4×3, English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0, Subtitles: English

COMPANY: Funimation

RATED: TV 14

Release Date: January 15, 2019

Originally Created by Tabata Yuki

Directed by Yoshihara Tatsuya

Series Composition: Fudeyasu Kazuyuki

Music by Seki Minako

Character Design by Takeda Itsuko

Anime Production: Pierrot

Featuring the following voice talent:

Kajiwara Gakuto/Dallas Reid as Asta

Yūki Kana/Jill Harris as Noelle Silva

Shimazaki Nobunaga/Micah Solusod as Yuno

Nishi Asuka/Bryn Apprill as Mimosa Vermilion

Uchida Aya/Tia Ballard as Sylph

Murase Ayumu/Justin Briner as Luck Voltia

Hamano Daiki/Chris Guerrero as Valtos

Namikawa Daisuke/Justin Cook as Jack the Ripper

Ono Daisuke/Josh Grelle as William Vangeance

Genki Muro as Baro/Magna Swing

Okawa Genki/Matt Shipman as Alecdora Sandler

Kakiage Haruna/Morgan Garrett as Sol Marron

Hirofumi Arai/Brandon Potter as Rhya

Hitomi Sasaki/Monica Rial as Nero

Jun Fukuyama/Brandon McInnis as Finral Roulacase

Jun Miyamoto as Augustus Kira Clover XIII/Geork

Junichi Suwabe/Christopher R. Sabat as Yami Sukehiro

Konishi Katsuyuki/J. Michael Tatum as Fuegoreon Vermilion

Matsuda Kenichirou/Mike McFarland as Gordon Agrippa

Kenn/Austin Tindle as Leopold Vermillion

Horiuchi Kenyuu/Brad Hawkins as Lotus Whomalt

Jitsukawa Kimiko/Caitlinn as Catherine

Yasuno Kiyono/Sarah Wiedenheft as Charmy Pappitson

Amasaki Kōhei as Neige

Toriumi Kousuke/Ricco Fajardo as Nozel Silva

M.A.O/Jeannie Tirado as Fana

Takatsuka Masaya/David Wald as Vetto

After a close call against Mars and the Diamond Kingdom knights, Asta and his friends are honored by the Wizard King. But the celebratory event is more jeers than cheers as the other Magic Knights show their true colors. Before things get too heated inside, they learn there’s a more serious problem happening outside. The rising dead, an energy-sapping witch, and other horrors plague the capitol!

In 2015, Tabata Yuki made his debut with the manga series “Black Clover”.

Serialized in Shueisha’s “Weekly Shonen Jump”, with a total of seven volumes published in Japan (as of August 2016), the manga series was released in the US in 2016. And an anime series began airing. in Japan, the anime series began airing in October 2017 and is currently is at 69 episodes which have been broadcasted.

“Black Clover” revolves around two orphans, Asta and Yuno. Yuno is the wielder of the four-leaf grimoire and has the power of wind-based magic and has great potential.

Meanwhile, no one sees Asta as one with potential as he has no magic powers at all and he talks about one day becoming the Wizard King, which makes many people laugh.

But Asta uses his fighting prowess and physical strength in order to make him stronger and he is determined. One day, a grimoire shows up for Asta during a battle and he immediately becomes the wielder of the five-leaf clover grimoire.

But because he is not a magic wielder, he is seen as the lowest of the magic knights.

As Yuno becomes a member of the Golden Dawn Squad, Asta is assigned to Sukehiro Yami’s Black Bull Squad, known as the worst squad of the Magic Knights.

And so far, Asta has proven himself to be a reliable teammate but also making others believe in him through his actions that he will one day become the Wizard King.

In Part 3, Asta and Noelle are summoned to the Magic Knight Headquarters to meet the Wizard King Julius Novachrono. Immediately, other arrogant knights and nobles start mocking Asta and other “non-nobles”.

But as the knights air out their differences, the capital city in the Clover Kingdom is being attacked by Rades Spirito, a former Magic Knight and others who hide behind the shadows.

As other Knights fight and try to protect people in the city from killer zombies, Rades and the evil mages have kidnapped Asta. But why are they after him?

While watching “Black Clover”, you can’t help but make comparisons to Kishimoto Masashi’s “Naruto”.

As “Naruto” revolves around ninja, Black Clover revolves around magicians and its main character, an orphan named Asta who is a hot-headed individual, who doesn’t have any magical powers, but is determined to show people that he will one day become the “Magic Wizard”.

While everyone looks down on Asta, only his good friend Yuno knows his true potential and Yuno wants Asta to succeed and because they push each other to become better.

As Yuno becomes a member of the Golden Dawn Squad, Asta is assigned to Yami Sukehiro’s Black Bull Squad, known as the worst squad of the Magic Knights.

Part 3 now goes into the introduction of other Knights in the Clover Kingdom but also we see the hostility brought against Asta and Noelle.

The story arc focuses on the attack on Clover City and Asta and others trying to protect citizens from evil zombies unleashed in the city but also what happens when the evil mages show that they wanted Asta all along and have kidnapped him?

The Blu-ray release looks great for an anime series on Blu-ray and the voice acting is well-done for both Japanese and English soundtracks.

As for special features, included are episodes 20 commentary with English voice dub actors Micah Solusod (voice of Yuno), Bryn Apprill (voice of Mimosa Vermillion), Jill Harris (voice of Noele) and episode 23 commentary with English dub voice actors Brian Massey (voice of Rades), Austin Tindle (voice of Leopold Vermillion) and J. Michael Tatum (voice of Fuegoreon Vermillion).

Also, included are the special features “Inside Studio J: The Technical Team” (9:05) with Funimation’s ADR Director Cris George, writer Bonny Clinkenbeard, Lead Mixer Engineer Nathanael Harrison and Brand Manager Chris Han; “Clover Clips Special Edition” (6:44) featuring a collection of all omakase clips usually shown after an episode, “Inside the Episode: Black Clover Highlights 19-27” (featuring the English sub voice actors behind the scenes during the recording of the episodes) and textless opening and closing songs.

With this latest part 3 (featuring episodes 20-29) of “Black Clover”, the series kind of has that similarity to “Naruto” where a lot of people don’t have that much confidence on the protagonist, but his good heart, determination and will prove to show how much of an awesome teammate he is, but also not to be discounted as the character Asta is seen as inferior because he has no magic ability. But also Asta having to learn from his seniors of how to behave in battle and to know not to jump ahead. It’s a learning process for him and now that he’s met elite nobles who think they are better, it no doubt makes him want to show why he will one day be the Wizard King to be his drive, along for fighting for his friends.

This is another action-packed episode with Clover Kingdom’s capital city being attacked by hordes of zombies and in the process, Asta being kidnapped for a certain reason? What could it be?

Overall, if you love action, humor and and an anime series that features a good number of characters (similar to “Shonen Jump” titles such as “Bleach”, “Naruto”, “Dragon Ball Z” and “One Piece”), “Black Clover” is highly recommended!

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