English Dub Review: Black Clover “Battlefield Dancer”

(Possible Spoilers Below)

We learn that Acier Silva the mother of Solid, Nebra and Nozel and matriarch of the Silva royal family died after giving birth to her 4th child Noelle. Consequently, Noelle grows up mercilessly treated like shit by Solid and Nebra while Nozel without Noelle’s knowledge or consent forced her to join the worst school branch within the magic world, the Black Bulls. When we then cut to present when Noelle begins to stand her ground using the “think outside the box” approach that the Black Bulls often use and intentionally casts the spell that almost drowned her after first meeting Asta which almost serves as a call-back to remind us how far she’s come. Kivn the Compass Magic Elf is engulfed in water, forcing her to cancel her spell, which buys Nozel enough time to seal her in mercury.

Nozel impressed by such unpredictable tactics then surprises everybody by admitting he always cared deeply for Noelle but due to her strong resemblance to their mother, and was always terrified she would one day die, so he placed her with the Bulls hoping to keep her out of the battlefield. But after witnessing the how strong she’s become he admits he was wrong and apologizes, It’s kinda shocking that he’s so damn apprehensive to even say sorry with the way he stutters about it, but the scene almost feels like emotional manipulation because seconds after this tender moment, Nozel is suddenly injured as Kivn breaks free and recasts her magic distortion spell.

Noelle, desperate to protect her family, unlocks a new spell, Valkyrie Armor, covering her in water armor identical to the steel armor worn by Acier. Kivn is finally knocked out by Noelle but before she can help her piece of shit siblings, she is surrounded by six other elves. And just in the nick of time, Zora arrives with a servant to the of House Silva who starts healing Noelle’s siblings. During the long and epic battle, Zora’s trap magic easily catches some of the Elve’s off guard. and a final flashback involving Nozel having promised his mother Acier that he would protect his siblings, especially Noelle, so he seals his wounds with mercury and rejoins the battle. Zora realizes the elves, having been dead for centuries, have never experienced or used complicated modern spells like trap magic, and they are easily overwhelmed.

Our Take

I feel kinda bad for Noelle, the way her siblings have treated her. It’s often an overused cliche that royal families are usually unrepentant, duplicitous scum, but at least Nozel acknowledges her which is nice. While the opening of this current season kinda spoiled the transformation scene of her Water Valkyrie Armor, it was still pretty cool.

I mean good on Nozel for apologizing but it can’t be sugar-coated, in regards to his past behavior towards his sister, as he never did anything to stop the other siblings from their excessive bullying. Still, It remains unclear if Noelle has actually forgiven him. What was easily the best line that Noelle says during her ass-kicking moment was “I never had a good memory with them but they’re still my siblings”. Now that’s a level of emotional maturity and compassion rarely seen in characters today. Zora also had some equally great moments through his keen observation and hatred for the royals through his semi-motivational speech felt like he was giving their siblings some equally hurtful words, but he was smart to figure out that the more modern & complex spells are something the Elves lack.

Who knows what the other characters are doing at this very moment against the Elf Crisis, but I’m sure we’ll find out as the plot progresses.