Black Clover

Episode 131

Over the course of its run, Black Clover has featured a visit to Hague Village on a semi-regular basis, as if it feels a need to remind viewers of its protagonists' origins. Not counting flashbacks, the last time was episodes 102-103, and that time Asta and Yuno were so busy with the elf reincarnation threat that they didn't have time for pleasantries. Hence this episode features their first proper visit in quite a while. While at first this episode seemed to be just another opportunity to kill time before getting on with the business of the next arc, by its end it proves to ultimately be one of the most important episodes in the whole series to date. Because of that, I can mostly forgive the sometimes-silly antics the episode takes in getting there.

To be clear, when I call the episode “important” I don't mean in a plot sense, as what happens here makes essentially no impact on the overall plotlines of the story. (Or if it does make an impact then those impact won't be felt for a long time to come.) In that sense, perhaps the main outtake from the episode is that Noelle can now competently fly a broom – as long as she's not distracted, anyway, which means she's probably not up for using it in a fight yet. She just misses her opportunity to hear where Asta's heart actually lies, but what would she have to go tsundere over if she didn't still have fantasies about Asta being interested in her?

No, what's important about this episode is how it provides a landmark on the progression of Asta and Yuno, especially the former. Their successes at becoming Magic Knights and achievements while in those positions, despite having come from such humble backgrounds, have not just given the people of Hague Village something to cheer about; they have changed the very mindset of the village. People there can now hope that they can achieve something as great as becoming a Magic Knight, and it encouraged the locals to get passionate about creating a proper school. Children can now be educated both in general and about magic, and the two malcontents who were upset with Yuno upstaging them at the grimoire ceremony way back in episode 1 have been inspired by the two to become assistant magic teachers at the school. Just as importantly, people have changed their mindset about Asta as well. He's no longer looked down on for not having magic, as he's proved that such a thing doesn't matter. All of it happened because of their hard efforts, so the scene towards the end of the episode where they just contemplate that with smiles on their faces is a sublime one. They even duplicate the fist bump that sealed their pledge back at the end of episode 2.

They're not the only ones who have good moments. Nero also get her opportunity to honor her fallen master and, upon seeing the orphan that Asta has most completely inspired, reflect about how what's happening in Hague Village is exactly what Lumiere wanted to accomplish. Hence the episode ends with a sense of what all has been achieved beyond just the big events like saving the kingdom. Along with the harkening back to the series' beginning, this provides the resolution needed for the story to move forward with less baggage.

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Black Clover is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.