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

The action-packed adventure continues...

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 2 continues the action-packed adventure that began in the introductory set of the third season outing. The season kicks it in to high gear with more exciting fun for fans. As produced by Naomi Komatsu, Maiko Isogai, and Masahiro Sugasawa, Black Clover remains must-see television. Anime fans won't want to miss out.

The series airs on TV Tokyo in Japan (while Cartoon Network's Toonami airs it stateside). The release is distributed in North America by Funimation Entertainment. The animation is produced by studio Pierrot (Hikaru no Go, Yu Yu Hakusho). The second set for Season 3 includes episodes #113-#120.

As the battle with the evil elves continues to unfold, the action ramps up with more dangerous battles at every turn of the page. The stakes are raised as the confrontation continues to heat up. At the Shadow Palace, can Asta and company defeat their enemies while defending the entire world?

A new and especially villainous bad-guy enters the equation – a threat to our heroes (and with a sinister complexion and puppet master style complex). Can Asta use his sword to defeat him? The action (and drama) continues! Don't miss an action-packed moment on Black Clover.

The battle is on.

The production continues to be noteworthy for the cool animation. The art direction is well done by Yuki Maeda (Your Lie in April, Meitantei Conan: Excalibur no Kiseki). The team of animators at studio Pierrot manage to imbue every episode with a sense of creativity that fits the production. A strong effort (as always), the animators handle all the usual components well: character designs, background art, and the detailed fight scenes. Kudos to those involved in the animation team.

The action packed excitement of Black Clover remains one of the key reasons to continue. The fight scenes are entertaining and can often bring audiences to the edge of their seat. The anime balances action scenes with character-based drama on most sets but Black Clover: Season 3, Part 2 continues the trend established by the previous collection by focusing on the battles and less on the character moments. Action fans will especially enjoy the latest installment.

The score by Minako Seki (The Silver Guardian, Masamune Datenicle) remains a fun element to the series. The music is creative and energetic. The score enhances the exciting battle scenes and gives a nice backdrop to the characters. The score never seems to run out of steam.

Screenwriter Kazuyuki Fudeyasu (Beyblade, Claymore) allowed the characters to take a back-seat to the action once more. Fudeyasu seems less inspired during the third season, allowing the animators behind-the-scenes to deliver on the action-goods while the scripts are more average this go around. Nonetheless, the series remains briskly paced and entertaining.

Tatsuya Yoshihara (Yatterman Night, Muromi-san) directs. Black Clover is a fun anime production and Yoshihara remembers to keep the stakes high. The battles are intense throughout. Episodes unfold with a rapid-fire pace. Established fans won't want to bow out.

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

Arriving on Blu-ray from Funimation Entertainment, Black Clover: Season 3, Part 2 is presented in 1080p MPEG-4 AVC encoded high definition in the original broadcast aspect ratio of 1.78:1 widescreen. The release manages to be every-bit as compelling as previous sets in the franchise. The efforts of the team of animators are well preserved with the encode.

The line art and background art are well encoded: showcasing every nuance of the animation. The action scenes are fluid and exciting without ever struggling with compression artifacts or the like. The release is generally rock-solid and only has a handful of moments with minor banding. A strong effort by Funimation.

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 2 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, high-resolution audio is superb and manage to convey every detail in the production. The action scenes are brought to roaring life with vitality and energy that is essential to the viewing experience.

The music score is well implemented also. Dialogue is consistently crisp and easy to understand. The surrounds are well utilized to expand the music soundstage and the occasional sound effects.

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

Clover Clips: Special Edition (HD, 3:10)

Textless Opening Song "Black Catcher" (HD, 1:32)

Textless Closing Song "New Page" (HD, 1:32)

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

Black Clover: Season 3, Part 2 continues to be an adrenaline-rush of action-packed anime fun. The set includes some intense battle scenes and adventures. The animation remains strong. A worthwhile package. The release includes episodes #113-#120. The Blu-ray release has a strong video and audio presentation. The set is light on supplemental features (as it was with the previous collection) and seems lackluster. Nonetheless, Black Clover fans who are collecting the series will want to pick up the release. Recommended.