Don't give up on your dreams.
Black Clover is off to a somewhat solid start with "Asta and Yuno," providing a heartfelt but flawed introduction to the Clover Kingdom and the series' underdog protagonist. While the series premiere sets up a premise that isn’t entirely novel, it lays the groundwork for what will hopefully be an empowering story about never giving up on your dreams.
For those unfamiliar with Yuki Tabata's fantasy manga on which it’s based, the story of Black Clover centers around two orphan boys named Asta an Yuno, both of whom dream of one day becoming the Wizard King. While Yuno possess incredible magical abilities, Asta doesn’t appear to have any of his own, which is unheard of this this world.
With a concise and effective flashback scene that opens the premiere, we immediately get a clear sense of Asta and Yuno's contrasting personalities, as the calm and sedate Yuno rests peacefully while the spunky Asta delivers a hilariously powerful kick to his caretaker's face. Unfortunately, the way this stark difference is conveyed shortly thereafter is handled quite clumsily, portraying Asta as an overly obnoxious and unbelievably unintelligent 15-year-old boy whose relentless attempts at winning a girl’s favor are quite off-putting.
Asta's constant yelling can be quite annoying—not only to the viewer but also the other characters in his presence—I still found myself sympathizing with him because of his orphan origins and underdog status as someone without magical abilities where it’s otherwise the norm. His profound disappointment during the grimoire ceremony while he’s laughed at by his peers was quite heartbreaking.
Even though Yuno is naturally gifted with magical talent, Asta doesn’t look at him with resentment or jealousy. Instead, he puts his own life on the line to help his friend, culminating in a triumphant moment for Asta when it appears all of his hard work in hopes of one day becoming the Wizard King may not have been entirely in vain. It's in this moment that we see Yuno's respect for Asta break through his otherwise harsh and critical disposition. While everyone else seems to find Asta's ambitions laughable, Yuno, having grown up with him ever since they were both orphaned infants, views him as a worthy rival.
Visually, "Asta and Yuno" isn’t entirely consistent. I love the diverse and expressive character designs, and some of the backgrounds are absolutely stunning, but the blatant incorporation of CGI to animate magic used during the battle at the end of the episode was a bit jarring. There is, however, some interesting camera work that provides a dynamism to the action, and some of the other effects, including Yuno's wind ability, are quite impressive.
Black Clover's premise (at least so far) is hardly a novel one. Asta's situation—being a magic-less kid in a world where magic is commonplace, whose fortunes suddenly change—is incredibly similar to that of Deku's at the start of My Hero Academia. Still, I’m holding out hope that the rivalry between Yuno and Asta creates a unique dynamic that helps to distinguish this tale from other popular shonen series the have come before.
The Verdict
The dynamic between Asta and his fellow orphan friend Yuno sets up an interesting rivalry built on fifteen years of friendship and the desire to support one another. While it's not the most novel premise and Asta’s obnoxious personality can be a bit grating at times, his diligent and heartfelt pursuit to achieve his dreams is something that I can get behind. Some distracting CGI mars its otherwise beautiful art, but "Asta and Yuno" is ultimately a solid introduction to the Clover Kingdom, and lays the groundwork for what will hopefully be an empowering story about the importance of never giving up.
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