Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.5

Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

A first-rate introduction to the world of Black Clover.

Black Clover is one of the most entertaining and action-packed anime series on television. The anime is adapted from the acclaimed manga written and illustrated by the great Yuuki Tabata. Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 is a perfect introduction to the world of magic that resides within the consistently entertaining long-form anime series. Produced by Maiko Isogai, Naomi Komatsu, and Masahiro Sugasawa, no action- anime fan should go without experiencing the adventure of Black Clover.

Asta (Gakuto Kajiwara) and Yuno (Nobunaga Shimazaki) grew up impoverished while living at a covenant. A local priest and nun help to raise the two young orphans, feeding them with daily hot potatoes and teaching them about the ways of life. As the pair become like brothers, their unique strengths become tested as they become young men. Both wish to join the magic knights – but who might become victorious?

As the set progresses, Black Clover establishes the concept. Asta – the lovable goofball – has no magic and yet he continues to wish to become The Wizard King. Yuno, on the other hand, quickly becomes skilled in the realm of magics. Despite Asta's inability to perform magic himself, he becomes strong and determined, and comes up with his own magic of “never giving up” along the way.

The action is intense right from the get-go. Black Clover is an enormously entertaining anime series. Part of the reason the series has managed to become such a huge hit is the quality action scenes. In exploring the first obstacles before him, Asta finds more strength inside than he ever expected. For anyone looking for a fun action series: Black Clover is it.

"Welcome to the family."

The animation is impressive and features striking character designs by Itsuko Takeda (Mirage of Blaze, The Galaxy Railways). The series retains a Gothic style tone throughout. The characters are often in a variety of dangerous situations (and the animation style reflects that). The art direction by Yuki Maeda (Twin Star Exorcists) certainly helps the series to find its own voice. Though the series utilizes a much darker color pallete than a typical anime might, the art style seems to be entirely suitable for the action and adventure of Black Clover. Perfect synchronicity.

An essential element is the original score by Minako Seki (Kingdom, The Silver Guardian). The animation is more engaging and intense with the background music helping to elevate the action. A otherwise ordinary scene can become more invigorating because of Seki's impressive scoring duties. The exciting background music makes a splash from the first episode and continues to be engaging throughout the set.

The scripts by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Fighting Spirit, Bleach) keep finding new ways to keep things fun and exhilarating. The first batch of episodes are some of the strongest in the first season – perfectly establishing the core characters and the concept of the anime. A great place to start. Part of the fun comes from the great characters. Fudeyasu manages to create compelling, unique, and fun characters for each of the lead parts in Black Clover. There is a sense of real magic in the scripts.

Directed by Tatsuya Yoshihara (Yatterman Night), Black Clover is an intense action-packed anime that never loses any steam during its first batch of episodes. The direction is high-octane and there is never a dull moment. Yoshihara strikes a good balance between focusing on the characters and the spectacle of the series. While the fight scenes keep audiences glued to the television, it is also the fun characters that keep viewers coming back. Black Clover is a success and the first set promises more adventures to come.

Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original television broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series looks altogether remarkable in high-definition on the Blu-ray format. The colors are impressive while retaining a specific color palette which reflects the dark, often Gothic, tones of the story. The background art work is crisp and well defined. The action scenes are superbly realized and the encoding never struggles with reproducing them. Funimation has done a rock-solid job with the presentation on set 1.

Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: Dolby TrueHD English 5.1 surround sound and Dolby TrueHD Japanese 2.0 (with English subtitles). The audio clarity is phenomenal and manages to be the perfect accompaniment to the video-presentation: enhancing the tone and style of the anime. There is significant depth and detail in the sound design. The music score is beautifully reproduced. Whether watching in English or Japanese, the lossless options help ensure a pleasant and smooth sounding presentation. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand throughout.

Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc 1:

Page 4: The Magic Knights Entrance Exam Audio Commentary

Disc 2:

Black Clover: Inside Studio J (HD, 16:44) features a discussion with production members from the English dub. Fans looking to see some of the inside-action and get a discussion about the process should check out this behind-the-scenes take as it includes a discussion with Cris George (ADR Director), Dallas Reid (voice of Asta), Jill Harris (voice of Noelle), and Ian Sinclair (voice of Magna).

Page 7: Another New Member Audio Commentary

Clover Clips: Special Edition (HD, 6:26) brings fans some extra chibi-style comedic fun. Fans of the series undoubtedly enjoy the mini- episodes vignettes featured at the tail-end of the each episode. The special edition includes extra footage.

Black Clover: Inside the Episode -

Black Clover Highlights – Episodes 1-3 (HD, 3:48)

Black Clover Highlights – Episodes 4-6 (HD, 3:02)

Black Clover Highlights – Episodes 7-9 (HD, 2:59)

Lastly, the release includes a selection of trailers (HD, 8:27) highlighting other releases available from Funimation Entertainment.

Black Clover: Season 1, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black Clover is one of the most entertaining action-fantasy anime series around. The first set includes some fantastic episodes and the perfect set-up for the characters and stories to follow. The animation impresses at every turn. The Blu-ray release from Funimation Entertainment features a strong video-audio presentation and a number of extras. Highly recommended.