Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie Review

Black Clover continues a blend of fantasy, magic, and adventure that thrills fans.

One of the most action-packed anime series on air, Black Clover continues to find ways to impress fans with Season 2, Part 3. The third set in the second season offers plenty of action and adventure. Boradcast on TV Tokyo in Japan – and on Cartoon Network's Toonami action-anime block in North America, Black Clover is a fun saga that offers plenty of compelling elements to genre enthusiasts hoping for some more magic-action glee. The series remains produced by Maiko Isogai, Naomi Komatsu, and Masahiro Sugasawa and comes from the critically acclaimed animation studio Pierrot (Hikaru no Go, Polar Bear Cafe, Yu Yu Hakusho). The saga is just beginning.

Now that Asta's arms are fully healed and the dangers of the Witches Forrest have been overcome, the Black Bulls are ready for some rest and relaxation. Yet The Wizard King has different plans – as the guild is put to a challenge when a new tournament is held to determine which Magic Knights can become a part of the new squad overseen by the Wizard King himself.

Battles rage on as a massive tournament goes underway to determine the new rankings within the magic realms. Will Asta be able to overcome his one true weakness – lacking actual “magic” – and prove to be the frontrunner? Asta's unique brand of magic known as “never giving up” is put to the test. Asta's journey continues.

The battle rages on.

The original music composed by Minako Seki (The Silver Guardian, Masamune Datenicle) manages to be one of the most consistent elements of the series. The score provides a nice blend of action-packed tunes and character-themed drama. The heart of the series is more complex and dimensional through the music compositions. The scores by Seki continue to offer new ways of exploring the Black Clover characters and the magic-infused universe. There is a sense of continuity to the orchestrations and to the experience. The end results are simply magical and will pull audiences in to the art work with ease.

The animation is another reason to tune in to the series on a regular basis. The art work is extremely rich and fluid. There is a sense of depth to the art work and the background designs. For a series revolving around magic and wizardry, the animators have fun with the magical concepts. The impeccable character designs by Itsuko Takeda (Mirage Blaze, Boys Be...) are also stunning. The consistency of the main character aesthetics continues to hold true throughout the set and the cast of villains are given creative designs that make the action more intense. All of this is brought to life under the fantastic art direction by Yuki Maeda (Your Lie in April, Meitantei Conan: Excalibur no Kiseki). An impressive effort that continues to be worth-a-watch.

The screenplays by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Beyblade, Claymore) continue to adapt the original manga written and illustrated by Yuki Tabata. While Black Clover is marketed as a Shonen production, the series feels written in a such a way that men and women can equally enjoy in the action-packed fun. During the third set of Season 2, Black Clover finds more ways to explore the themes of magic. The saga might not be perfect episode-to-episode (and sometimes it finds moments where it falters) but the overarching storyline remains compelling enough to keep watching.

Tatsuya Yoshihara (Muromi-san) doesn't disappoint as the creative director overseeing the production. Black Clover is an engaging and action-packed adventure. Though the third set might not be quite as exhilrating at times as the first two sets in the second season, Black Clover continues to be rewarding nonetheless. The direction focuses on action in this set – and die-hard action enthusiasts will likely feel rewarded. Black Clover is worth a look (for newcomers and established fans alike).

Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 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 superbly detailed in high-definition: every subtle nuance of the animation appears well rounded throughout the presentation of the episodes. Character designs look splendid and background art work seems crisp and vibrant. The color reproduction is top-notch, too.

Though this is a series with a decidedly darker color palette in comparison to many series, the colors seem accurate to the creative intent and are well preserved by the encoding. The encoding remains strong throughout: action sequences never suffer from an overly-compressed image. There are no significant issues to report in regards to compression artifacts. Outside of a few problematic snippets with regards to banding, the series remains a joy to watch in high-definition from start to finish. Fans will be enormously pleased.

Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release includes two lossless audio options: English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 and Japanese Dolby TrueHD 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio provides fans of the series with a enjoyable and engaging experience. Either option will satisfy series enthusiasts with a rock-solid presentation that showcases the crisp details in the recordings. Dialogue remains crisp, clear, and easy to understand throughout. Action scenes feature a decent amount of LFE and will pull viewers in to the excitement with ease. There are never any moments where the presentation sounds overly harsh. This is another top-notch audio encode and one that satisfies on all fronts. There are no issues with regards to pops, clicks, hiss, and other such detriments.

Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Disc One:

Episode 76 Audio Commentary

Episode 77 Audio Commentary

Disc Two:

Black Clover: Cris George & Clifford Chapin Discuss the Royal Knights Exam (HD, 12:08)

Black Clover: Inside the Episode -

Black Clover: Inside the Episode: Episode 75 (HD, 6:07)

Black Clover: Inside the Episode: Episode 78 (HD, 5:44)

Black Clover: Inside the Episode: Episode 81 (HD, 6:30)

Clover Clips: Special Edition (HD, 1:49)

Textless Opening Song "JUSTadICE" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Hanaga Saku Michi" (HD, 1:32)

Black Clover: Season 2, Part 3 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The second season of Black Clover continues on. The third set in the second season offers more action, charm, and adventure to keep fans of the franchise entertained. The animation remains just as beautiful and delightful. The storytelling continues to keep fans guessing. The third set might not seem quite as entertaining as the first two sets in season two of Black Clover but the series still manages to muster some magic. The Blu-ray release features a strong video-audio presentation and a nice selection of supplemental materials. Recommended.