Black Clover

Episode 25

We've had good ol' Fuegoleon Vermillion by our side helping us set Rades and his zombies ablaze, but this week he returns from his mysterious trip to the ether, spat back out with a bloody stump where his arm used to be. To make matters worse, Fuegoleon's grimoire is starting to crumble and fade, signaling his possible death if our heroes are unable to help him in time. Things are not going as smoothly as I had expected, as this Royal Capital arc tumbles along.

I'm pleasantly surprised at how far the show continues to push the Rades conversation in terms of our main characters' judgment of him. I would have accepted without question that the final note of this arc was Rades getting punked for his weak spirit, but as the conflict continues, he gets to retort, "A righteous heart?! I've always been true to myself!" which is a stronger choice in my opinion. Rades is still being petty, but a stern lecture from Asta or Fuegoleon isn't going to stir a change of heart any time soon, and now tragedy strikes our heroes at just the right time to take advantage of their arrogance.

On the more fortunate side, we have the conclusion to Yuno's fight with the witch woman, who finds her way over to Charmy of the Black Bulls (the girl who looks like a little kid and likes to eat a lot), only for Charmy to crush her with immense magic because she thought the villain was threatening her meal. This is our first time really getting to know Charmy in combat as she summons a big sheep monster, and while it seems like she has an above average level of power, perhaps it only comes out in bizarre circumstances? The only reason she got involved in the fight at all was because she thought her food was in danger. A super strong but not dependable girl sounds like a natural fit for the Black Bulls.

I honestly haven't been giving the production values much thought during this arc. I think the earthier aesthetic of the show has always helped the jankier art not to stand out so much (except in cases of obvious CGI), and I've stopped referencing the manga for comparison, so my bare minimum expectations have been easier to hit. Most of the Royal Capital has been fine by my standards, though I was starting to feel the strain more with the action scenes in this episode. Asta and Rades appear to be having a lot of difficulty wielding their attacks, going by the inelegant stiffness of the animation, and the episode's face game is noticeably rough. The art hasn't been much of a concern for me recently, but complaints about quality have been ramping up in my periphery lately, and after giving it some thought I can see where people are coming from.

The arc has reached a point of new twists and turns, but the action itself is starting to get pretty stale. We've gotten at least one good surprise this week with Fuegoleon's reappearance sends the intrigue of his subplot through the roof, but I'm not heavily invested in learning more about Rades's friends who have been rolling out onto the scene. Asta vs. Rades has been serviceable by this show's standards, but beyond a few good moments in this episode, I think this arc is going to wear me down if we don't start changing focus soon. Charmy and Fuegoleon are highlights, but everything else is starting to get a little boring for my tastes.

Rating: B-

Black Clover is currently streaming on Crunchyroll.

Sam Leach records about One Piece for The One Piece Podcast and you can find him on Twitter @LuckyChainsaw