English Dub Review: Black Clover “Three-Leaf Sprouts”

Gauche and Asta fight on against Baro and Neige, but snow magic and mud men are the least of their worries.

Overview (Spoilers Below)

Sekke tries to get help from the Black Bulls at their hideout but finds himself a bit unprepared for their eccentric nature. Meanwhile, Asta and Gauche continue their battle to save the children. While the two put on an excellent display of combat prowess, they run into some unexpected company when Sally, the deviant mad scientist working for the Eye of the Midnight Sun turns out to be the mastermind behind this whole incident.

Our Take:

This week’s entry of Black Clover is a refreshing pickup from the dull and mostly pointless filler episodes that have been plaguing the series as of late. Here is an episode remarkably void of filler, where the pacing is kept at a nice jog, and a few good moments lie in wait for the patient viewer. It was nice to see this arc connected back to The Eye of the Midnight Sun instead of just being its own little side arc. Furthermore, Sally is one of the more fun villains we’ve had so far, and while I’m not terribly fond of fanservice characters, her unhinged tendencies serve the villain role rather well. Gauche, meanwhile, is actually a competent magic user that earns this episode a little bit of cool factor with the calculated use of his precise mirror magic.

Gauche as a character has been something of a problem for me in this arc, but I find myself fairly okay with how things have turned out with him being here. The big issue with his character (And, I don’t mind saying, most of the Black Bulls) is that he’s defined by one kinda funny, kinda weird character trait that makes him feel like a cardboard cut-out. While that’s still the case, his selfish and single-minded behavior actually works for the betterment of the story when contrasted with the noble intentions of the other characters. I would still prefer that the show didn’t have such flat characters, to begin with, but barring that, I’ll take what i can get.

There are still some problems with comic relief derailing the story, but the show manages to remain focused on the plot better than it has in the past. I also found Sekke’s time with the Black Bulls to be fairly enjoyable; his antics elicited a chuckle even from my cold and cynical soul.  Also, though I think this shouldn’t even be something I have to talk about when reviewing an anime, I’m happy to say that I couldn’t spot a single animation error. There were even moments during Gauche and Asta’s fights that bordered on something I might watch for fun.

Of course, this is still Black Clover, so if you want good dialogue and meaningful theming, you’re going to be disappointed. But, my own patrician arrogance aside, this is one of the better episodes I’ve seen so far. I imagine if you’re already into the show, watching this would be a good time for you. Enjoy.