Black Clover: Mahou Tei no Ken

I don't write reviews but I felt compelled this time. As a fan of the anime and manga , I feel underwhelmed. The animation was a significant improvement from the anime and......that's it! The music and sound are nothing to write home about. The movie starts with a battle and ends with one. The battles are the movie's plot and the movie's plot is its battles. Even a parody anime like One Punch Man has a deeper and more complicated plot. All 4 of the villains have the same motivation, goals and pretty much the same backstory. There is no depth to them. Coming ... to the fights, they were all over the place with characters shooting huge spells left and right ,more like a brawl than actually thrilling fights which I love the anime for. Not a single memorable moment among all the flashy battles which I would want to replay. Nothing was at stake and as usual nobody died. In the end if you just simply want to turn your brain off and enjoy some cool fireworks then go ahead but don't expect much storytelling.

Eh, it was OK.

I did find the high quality, 144 FPS (had to change my monitor refresh rate from 120 to 144 Hz) visuals to be.. interesting. Honestly, didn't see the point, since it looked like a low quality JRPG with 3D visuals than a anime show, but whatever, not a big deal.

The issue is with the whole premise, and the fact that after episode 170 of the series, like thousand years ago, they released a movie that doesn't reference the series and is disjointed completely to the point that it makes no sense watching it after the series ended (at-least after EP170).

Characters are pre-170, ... with nothing new happening with them. They are doing what they were doing before, no development, no improvement. You can say Asta did better, but did he? His fight in last few episodes of the actual series against demons is far more exciting than his generic combat against a freaking ex-Wizard King (who even the current one can't defeat, apparently, cause the plot needs him to be stronger).

Rest of the cast is just there to do random fights which serve no purpose, especially in their character/skills development as well. I would've rather seen how the NPC's were dealing with the aftermath of series last episode with Asta training to get stronger. A movie dedicated to characters getting stronger would've made more sense than this.

Overall, no idea why this movie exists. They could've made a movie to build upon the series plot, but instead they went with a whole lot of nothing.

6/10 - It felt like a filler episode.

No spoilers!
O boy, this was one hot mess. I loved the TV series but just like a lot of other anime movies, I was considering stopping midway. Let me explain.

Let's start with the positive things. The animation was great! The creators seem to have put a lot of work into this movie and it's sure to say that it payed off. Of course it can't be compared to something like the Demon Slayer animation but it is great compared to the fights and the dialog scenes in the TV series. There is a lot less still animated scenes and alot more movement, special effects and ... contrast. This is the reason I rated this movie a 6 and not a 5.

The TV series didn't have great animation but it did have some good points that seemed to be missing in the movie. As a viewer, I couldn't care less about the random antagonists that didn't get any kind of story and were just thrown in there with the excuse of, let's destroy the kingdom for no reason at all.

Next to that, the entire movie was just one big fight scene, with little to no interesting dialog. Because of that, the amazing looking fight scenes became boring. The dialog was a lot more cringe than the dialog in the TV series, because of the repeating lines and power of friendship kind of vibe.

To conclude this review on a positive note, I have to admit that the voice acting, and pacing within the fight scenes was great!

(PS. Sorry for my bad grammar. This is not a personal attack, just my opinion)

Imagine taking a proper expensive shoe, and a cheap chinese knockoff.. They look identical, but just by the sensation of it you know something's not right with the knockoff.
This movie is that cheap shoe. All the characters and stuff seem to be there, and there's some enjoyable experiences because of the familiarity, but overall it just mediocre at best. Some of the animations look like they're AI generated, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were, it feels very unnerving and weird. This whole movie doesn't feel like a high budget production that went all out with animations, but just mediocrity shoved in some AI ... crap with prompt "Make this look high budget". (probably Netflix's fault as they're seemingly allergic to doing anything properly and just can't wait to go bankrupt under the weight of their self infatuation).

Voice acting was mostly alright.. the gangsta wizard king doesn't really match the voice, and Asta seemed to be way more obnoxious as he was in the earlier seasons of the show, but it wasn't as bad..

Thinking about it further.. This Black Clover movie is essentially a crappy imitation of a Marvel multiverse movie with the Black clover cast.

A feast for the eyes, that reminds me of the old Dragonball movies that just throw fight after fight at you, but leaves you knowing that it was all a bit pointless since none of it makes any sense next to the canon series. It is more or less exactly what you should be expecting of a Black Clover non-canon anime movie.

It's definitely a spectacle of high production Black Clover which is awesome to see since Black Clover has a great and colorful art style that was just begging for this kind of movie treatment, and the movie doesn't slack off in giving you almost ... two hours of nonstop action scenes.

It gets to a point where it actually feels like it's too much because the fights just keep going to ridiculous lengths to prolong themselves as power spike after power spike keeps the action going until the credits roll. You get all kinds of the team ups that you've grown to love from Black Clover, including a few you might not expect, as well as all of the ones you knew going into the movie you were going to get.

The story is very shallow, and the movie does not spend a lot of time trying to develop it, or explain it. If you're up to date on the anime's story you know that there's no way any of this makes any sense knowing where all of the characters are in the timeline. This complete detachment makes it seem like all of the stakes the movie tries to make feel important, are all a sham because you know at the end of the day the events in this movie can't ever have happened and nothing serious can actually happen because we have to return to the status quo by the end of the movie because the anime is still ongoing and we have another season to get to eventually. Again, it just reminds me a lot of the way the old Dragonball movies used to be.

Overall, the movie itself is nice visually, if a bit too long considering how shallow it is. But it does give you some fun reasons to be hyped for a new season of Black Clover whenever Pierrot decides to start adapting more of the manga. If this is what Black Clover can look like when it goes all out then we can just hope that we will see something close to this when it has more of the manga to back it up.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

"Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" is an anime movie that will undoubtedly captivate fans of the original Black Clover series. With its stunning animation and familiar characters, it successfully delivers an engaging visual experience. However, while the movie has its merits, it falls short when it comes to the depth of its plot, drawing some unavoidable comparisons to "My Hero Academia."

The animation quality in "Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" is unquestionably impressive. Every frame is meticulously crafted, with vibrant colors, fluid action sequences, and detailed character designs. The visual appeal enhances the overall experience, allowing viewers to immerse themselves ... in the fantastical world of Black Clover.

For dedicated fans of the Black Clover series, this movie will undoubtedly be a treat. It reunites beloved characters and showcases their signature magical abilities, offering ample fan service. The action scenes are intense and adrenaline-pumping, making it an enjoyable watch for those seeking thrilling battles.

Unfortunately, where "Sword of the Wizard King" falls short is in its plot execution. While it attempts to introduce new elements and expand upon the lore of the Black Clover universe, the storyline feels lacking and thin. The narrative fails to provide a sense of depth or progression, relying on familiar tropes and predictable outcomes. This reliance on well-worn storylines is where the comparisons to "My Hero Academia" become apparent.

Another downside is the lack of character development. While existing fans will already have a connection with the characters, newcomers might find it challenging to emotionally invest in their journeys. The movie focuses more on showcasing flashy powers and exciting battles, leaving little room for significant character growth or exploration.

Despite its flaws, "Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" still manages to entertain with its visual prowess and nostalgic appeal to fans. It serves as a testament to the beloved Black Clover franchise, offering a thrilling experience, especially for those who appreciate the series' aesthetics and magic system. However, for those seeking a fresh and intricate storyline, this movie might leave them wanting more.

In conclusion, "Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King" is an anime movie that delivers stunning animation and caters well to dedicated fans of the series. It may fall short in terms of plot depth and originality, drawing parallels to "My Hero Academia." Nevertheless, if you're a fan of Black Clover and value beautiful animation, you're likely to find enjoyment in this visually enchanting adventure.

For something that got so much hype around its release, it is surprisingly... boring.

Now, please don't attack me on my opinion/views (or do, whatever), this is a review that is pretty objective to me. I just think that the story and characters have so much more potential than it was given, but it eventually just becomes a regurgitation of every cliche and cheap characterization that the Black Clover anime has used on the regular. With way better animation than the anime, that is.

The introduction of the main antagonists of the story, the four wizard kings, made a deep impression when it was first ... promoted, so there was a high expectation of the lore and story of each of the wizard kings. Unfortunately, Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King does not escape the shallow, surface-level characterization of its characters, something that is deeply disappointing as one can easily see how far they can go with these badass antagonist characters (especially Princia Funnybunny). As I have said, a classic Black Clover flaw.

Another bone to pick with this movie is the plot. Although the execution of the plot itself is satisfactory, I could not find it in myself to be entertained by the story and how it moves. This seems to be a recurring problem in the Black Clover franchise, and it is disappointing to see them repeat this in the movie. This should have been their opportunity to do something that is completely out of the ballpark to experiment with the kind of writing they can play with in the Black Clover world, but alas.

The final 20 minutes of the movie, though, almost made me tip the rating to a 6, but a 5.5 is the most I could give it. The animation is its saving grace, along with the beloved characters (especially the Black Bulls) coming in to save the day as a team.

Animation - 8/10
Plot - 4/10
Sound & VA - 5/10

Honestly it was meh at best. The animation was good, there was just a lot lacking I found when it came to other stuff. The main villains don’t have a clear backstory, which is made even more obvious when the big bad guy’s story is given to the viewer at the very end in a piece of small dialogue. The villain with the most known backstory still somehow has less revealed in the movie then a random substitute teacher I had once 5 years ago. Also may I just add that for a movie that has itself listed as a comedy on MAL, there is ... very little humour. Really the only joke I can recall hearing after seeing it is just a part of Yami’s normal “taking a crap” bit and even that joke couldn’t make me even think about giving a small smirk. They also tried a whole “I, the protagonist, see’s a bit of myself in this villain” plot line but had too little of Asta seemingly being conflicted for it to be useful at all. And don’t even get me started on the pacing, it went way too quick. I feel it might’ve been better paced if it were a few episodes instead. You know it’s bad when I would confidently say I am more hyped for the Miraculous Ladybug Movie than I ever was of this film.

First let's discuss about the VFX and SFX. They are perfectly good and smooth there is not even a single reason for us to blindfold the facts. This movie did a great effort in them. But if we come to the point that it lacks so many other things that needs the most.
We anime fans really were waiting for this movie since 2 years. And if the question comes that "DID THIS MOVIE SATISFIES YOU?", Hell no.
Asta keep on shouting, he keep shout good words like he is the most conscious person in the world. It's so irritating to listen the same words form the ... main character.
I have so much to say but it's really tiring so I'll just close this of with just last statement, "It is so bad to the point I even thought why did I crave for this movie?"

Animation: 8/10 ( much better than the anime, but as a movie, it could be better)
New characters: 7/10 (all are very interesting, especially Princia, Edward and Conrad. But due to having zero background developed, it left a frustration, like in the final moment of conrad, where we see an image, and we don't have the context of it, it was kind of empty)
Soundtrack: 8/10 ( when i hear in the background Break together - kankaku piero, I liked the music, but something was missing, it left me with a little disappointment. BUT in the end, she came, the best ost of the new BIG 3, ... Haruka Mirai embracing the final battle... 10/10)
Fighting scenes : 9/10 ( we have Haruka mirai Asta, Yuno team up with captains, Black bulls fighting together, and the best of all - Combo Spell Dimension Slash - Scorching Light)
Story: 6/10 ( as i say before, it lacked showing more of the new characters and their motivations, thanks to that we are just dragged into things that happen without knowing the reasons. the price of 2 hours of fighting. considering that the series is always very straightforward on these points, it still lacked development. Of course, if there had been Scorching light + Haruka Mirai, just like there was Jigen Giri Equinox against the demon in the series, it would have been 9/10 easy xD)

Overall:
if you have already seen or read the work, I recommend it easily. if you fell for netflix, just see if you like legal fights without a clear reason. On a Dragon Ball scale, I'd say it's better than Frieza's Resurrection, worse than Super Brolly

This Black Clover movie had great potential to be something much better. The idea of showcasing different wizard kings from different eras really sparked my interest. However, they didn't develop the characters that much. You can't connect with them or even develop genuine feelings about the characters. There comes a point in the movie where they simply stop caring about the other villains besides the main one. One of the scenes that shows this is Yuno's battle. Just when it was about to get interesting, they simply discard the villain

The main villain's ability, along with the fight scenes and that amazing animation, were the strong ... points of the movie. But that was it. The story is quite generic and follows the standard shonen formula. Around 15 minutes into the movie, you can already predict the direction it will take. Not to mention, they dragged this movie out for too long. After watching it, I felt like the story didn't lead me anywhere

If you're a big fan of shonen and enjoy well-animated fights, you'll probably like this movie. But don't expect anything beyond that

I think the Movie was okay, the animation was really good LIKE amazing, however a massive issue which I had was IT was waaaaaay to fast paced, the pacing is absoutely fucked. I can understand why the fight scenes might be. But there was no room for a breather. Constant battles, and there wasn't a moment where there wasn't a subtitle for a massive piece of information for the plot and if you were to miss that, for the next couple scenes you can find yourself very confused. Some of the time i was clueless even though i stayed watching the whole time, and i ... have watched the whole anime and read further in the manga. This movie was a massive pill to swallow, and there was no time for me to obsorb the crazyness i was watching which i felt annoyed with, because if i tried to remember what just happened there is no chance.

Whether or not it was canon, it was nonetheless impressive to watch. However, I watch far too many television series and films where the antagonists seek to end the world or establish a just society. In that sense, it was monotonous, but in terms of animation, it had obviously improved, despite some dubious moments. Without a doubt or rivalry, Mereoleona's fight remained the best . For some reason, it kept me lit in my room.


I found the music to be somewhat forgettable. One doesn't really need to watch this movie to be catch up, in my opinion, It felt a little like filler.

Those who've watched the anime will have necessary context for the characters and story thus far. Those who're fans of the anime may or may not find this satisfying. As a fan, I enjoyed it.

So, yeah, it's not great that the movie can't exactly stand on its own without the context of the rest of the anime. Only glimpses of the core character backgrounds and motivations are provided. For the new characters, who are the antagonists, this is a significant weak point in the movie's story. It's unfortunate because these glimpses genuinely hold good reason for these characters and add relatability to them, but they're ... not given nearly enough time. What the movie devotes its time to is action and fights. That's probably the thing I'd make sure people considering watching this movie should know: this movie focuses everything on action and fights. With the reasons and motivation behind the characters engaging in the fights being secondary, the fights are largely running on the fumes of grand philosophical dilemmas that are typical of shounen. That is, the dilemmas are incredibly simplified and pretty explicitly shouted out by the characters voicing them in an overly ambitious nature (e.g., "I will become the best!"), an overly naive (but well-meaning) nature (e.g., "I fight for my friends!"), an overly just nature (e.g., "This is for the good of the world!"), and/or an overly destructive nature (e.g., "My life sucked, so everyone should suffer!"). It can feel pretty flimsy and trite.

Even though the story is a major weak point, the fights themselves are enjoyable and for the most part nicely animated. There certainly are animated bits of action that simply look beautiful. Given the majority of the movie delivers fights, this makes for an overall enjoyable experience, at least for me. I believe the music also did a fine job. I can completely understand people who'd think this wasn't good due to the above reasons regarding the story and characters.

It's like a lot of other anime movies, not canon, but has a high budget.
TLDR.: If you can go in with that in mind, with low expectations and can turn off your brain... Then you'll have a good time.

The animation looks amazing. Which is the biggest, and almost only, reason to watch this movie. (And why it got 6/10 from me and not lower)

However, it also, doesn't fit into the timeline at all, doesn't make much sense, and a lot is hand waved away for the sake of the plot to go the way it does.
There is pretty much no substance to the story and ... I don't think a single character got a decent moment that would be worth remembering or mentioning.

The overall quality of this movie is INSANE. The animation team did a good job and also the CGI is not bad. The art too is so nice.
The Intro starting is great however, it fall off really quickly in the mid part till the end. It started to feel goofy.
Don't get me wrong, the only thing that is great about this movie is the art and the animation. Onto the VA part, it's good but i expect more.
The story is typical Shonen and just straight up to the point.
Fighting scene is great.
If you just wanna turn off your brain and enjoy action scene, yeah ... sure I'll recommend it but if you're more into story, I don't recommend it.

I don't know if it's just because I develop my maturity as I age but the whole point behind Asta's motivation and aspiration to be the Wizard King makes no sense. Asta's desiree for the kingdom to reach a state of equality wherein people would look at each other without prejudices and he is gonna do so by proving to anyone that even as a plebian with little magical powers or in his case (no magic at all) can be the strongest magic knight with excessive grit to work on it. When he is a one-in-a-million case to his world where he does not have ... magic yet possesses a demon that grants him the ability to negate pretty much everything that the highest order of power stands for which portrays the fact that he is not eligible of proving a point. HE IS SPECIAL that is why he will become the Wizard King. Also, everything is shallow.

One of the highlights of the film was the impressive visual effects and animation. The battle scenes were dynamic, and the depiction of magical powers was visually captivating.

The character development was also strong in the film. The determination and resolve shown by the main character, Asta, made him more likable and intriguing. Similarly, the side characters had their own stories and interesting magical abilities, adding depth to the overall experience.

However, I felt that the storytelling in the film lacked in certain aspects. It could have benefited from more depth and detail to ensure a smoother progression of events. Additionally, providing further explanation for the motivations ... or intentions of certain characters could have made the film more comprehensible.

Overall, Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King offers an enjoyable viewing experience. It impresses visually and presents interesting character development. However, there were some shortcomings in the storytelling. Nonetheless, this fantasy action film is worth to watching for Black Clover fans and anime enthusiasts in general.