Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.0
Overall		3.5

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie Review

A journey of action-packed fun for established fans.

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 is another action-packed set of episodes in the hit anime franchise. The series is produced by Maiko Isogai, Naomi Komatsu, and Masahiro Sugasawa. The anime airs on TV Tokyo in Japan and is broadcast on Cartoon Network's beloved action-anime block Toonami within North America.

Released by Funimation, Black Clover continues to be an exciting show with plenty-of-action to excite fans. The series comes from animation studio Pierrot (Polar Bear Cafe, Yu Yu Hakusho, Hikaru no Go). The third season of the set begins a new epic adventure. Season 3, Part 1 includes episodes #103-#112.

Season three ramps up the action as dangerous elves begin to face-off against those with magic. As the confrontation begins to unfold, the action is full of non-stop excitement. Asta has a new sword and his special blade seems to yield secret powers he didn't know existed – and could be the key to saving the entire kingdom from the evil elves! Can the day be saved? Or will everyone lose to the elves and enter in to the underworld forever? The stakes are high as a new battle begins.

The third season is full of action-packed anime fun to keep things entertaining. The first installment in the season is somewhat light on character development and the like but these episodes have plenty of fast-paced action scenes for anime enthusiasts to stay glued to their television sets. The battle against the elves unfolds rapidly and the exploration of Asta and his new blade leads to some cool fight sequences.

A new battle begins.

The animation remains one of the strong points of the series. The art direction by Yuki Maeda (Meitantei Conan: Excalibur no Kiseki, Your Lie in April) imbues the series with a unique aesthetic. The background art continues to be well explored and the dark and Gothic undertones of the series are well conveyed. The series is often bleak and altogether dark aesthetically (especially during fight scenes). Season 3, Part 1 is another example of this component to the production. The results fit the tone of the series perfectly.

The score composed by Minako Seki (Masamune Datenicle, The Silver Guardian) imbues the action scenes with a sense of non-stop adrenaline. The fast-paced music is a joy and gives the production a fantastic energy. Seki never fails to entertain with a solid background score to the fight scenes. This batch of episodes is no exception to the rule.

If there is one area of the beginning to Black Clover: Season 3 that seemed less impressive than usual it is found in the screenwriting by Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Claymore, Beyblade). The storytelling seems to take a back-seat to the action scenes in the set. Some fans might prefer this element but those who are bigger fans of the character-centric episodes will find the set a little less compelling. The storytelling simply isn't that great this go-around (even though the action is).

Tatsuya Yoshihara (Muromi-san, Yatterman Night) continues to be a strong director with a great sense of style throughout the epic battles. Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 is entertaining and has plenty of adventure for series fans. Yoshihara makes sure that the series is never dull. As a new beginning to a new season unfolds, Black Clover sets off on another action-packed journey which fans won't want to miss.

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation, Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The series showcases the efforts of the team of animators nicely. The encode never struggles to convey the art (with action scenes and dramatic moments successfully presenting the animation).

The series has an undeniably dark color palette (which is well reproduced on the set). The level of clarity is superb and strongly benefits from the high-definition encoding. If there is any drawback to report, it is that some occasional minor banding can be seen during a few scenes. These are small detriments to an otherwise strong presentation.

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The release is presented in English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 surround sound and Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 stereo (with English subtitles). The lossless audio presentation on the release manages to satisfy. Dialogue reproduction is exceptional and manages to be crisp throughout the entire set.

An excellent effort by Funimation, the English dub sounds fantastic in surround sound and the surround channels are well utilized for the occasional sound effects and to expand the music score in to the rear channels. The track has average LFE and is never too bombastic sounding but the clarity present on the release is top-notch.

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The release is surprisingly light on supplemental features. The previous season sets came jam-packed with extras and this set is light on bonuses. Some fans might consider this to be a drawback (and it is worth noting). On disc supplements are as follows:

Clover Clips: Special Edition (HD, 2:42)

Textless Opening Song "RiGHT NOW" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "Life is a Battlefield" (HD, 1:32)

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 1 is a fun start to the season (at least as far as the action sequences are concerned). The set packs a mighty punch with plenty of fight scenes and adrenaline-rush energy to spare. The set is light on character development and new dimensions to the storytelling but fans are going to want to hang out for the wild ride (and some may even prefer the high-octane direction of the season). The Blu-ray release from Funimation Entertainment is light on bonus features (compared to previous sets in the series). The presentation is solid with strong video and audio throughout. Recommended.