Black Clover Episode 20 Review: Assembly at the Royal Capital

As soon as the opening movie started playing, and I noticed the subtle and obvious differences in the sequence, I became super hyped! Not only did it mean that Black Clover was entering a new arc, but all of the previews they showed looked truly interesting! I kid you not, the opening made me feel so grateful that we’re getting more of this show this year. More exciting adventures await us!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 王都集結

Plot

The peaceful days are back again after the havoc in the dungeon, or so our protagonists thought. They were summoned to report directly to the Wizard King, and it was such a privilege for Asta and Yuno, more so since they both got new skills to show off to him! However, instead of sending them off, Julius invited them to watch the Decoration Ceremony for some Magic Knights who’ve proved themselves! Unfortunately, they’re all nobles. Discrimination is here again!

Episode Highlights

A week later: Even with Mimosa’s healing, Asta still needed a week to recover from his injuries, and he was even unconscious! It was that bad! No wonder Noelle was so worried about him! It’s a good thing he woke up, and kept on being energetic as ever! He even kept on eating a lot! Ahh, typical Asta! In other news, did you guys miss the other Black Bulls members? Cause I sure did! The previous episodes were so stressfully serious that seeing their silly antics was such a breath of fresh air! I laughed so loud when Yami, the captain himself, just up and broke the door of their headquarters when he came in! Though, remembering Asta’s first day at the squad, that’s not really anything new, huh? It was still hilarious to see anyway! Also, I liked how Luck’s change was made evident to their team! Magna found it creepy that the guy who’s always looking for a fight was suddenly cordial! (I know, I’m biased but very proud!)

Love rivals?: Oh no, Noelle’s not the only one secretly admiring Asta anymore! To make things harder, her love rival is her cousin! To think they were already starting to get along… Well, at least Noelle still hasn’t completely admitted it to herself, yet. As long as that doesn’t happen anytime soon or they don’t let it get in between them, I don’t think it’ll be a problem. Seeing them fussing over their crush was so amusing, though! We’ve been seeing them so brave and badass lately, so only now did I remember that they’re still teenage girls!

Meeting: THE WIZARD KING IS A HUGE NERD!! I like him a lot more now! (That’s another character on my favorites list.) He didn’t even try to keep on acting like a cool leader in front of them. His excitement was so easy to read! He looked so derpy with those beady eyes! However, going by how the conversation went, his curiosity for magic isn’t just a silly hobby. From what info he had on Yuno’s magic, one can see that he’s really knowledgeable. Not only that, but he’s also not prideful, judging from how he welcomed Asta’s boasting of his new spell. Lastly, I feel like he really cares for the kingdom, first and foremost. What can you expect from the person who believes one can become the next Wizard King through merits?

Decoration ceremony fiasco: This was super infuriating!! To think that Klaus already redeemed himself by accepting Asta and Yuno, but there were far more radical elitists around! Don’t you think the ‘peasants’ were far more deserving of being called nobles than the actual ones? Klaus defended his friends; Yuno, Mimosa, and Noelle didn’t try to fight back, especially when the latter got ridiculed and had water dumped on her by her own siblings! Only Asta fought against them, but it was because he defended Noelle’s honor, despite just ignoring them earlier when he was getting insulted. It really was a good call that Luck didn’t come with them, huh? He would’ve caused an even bigger mess! But, the reception banquet of these snob jerks was already ruined by their own doing. I can’t believe that they were awarded and promoted for their achievements, but their characters were so appalling! I wonder what the Wizard King had in mind back then. Did he expect this to happen?

Themes & Trivia

Ranks: Asta and Yuno have a long way to go to reach the Wizard King’s level! No wonder he said they need merits! In real life, you also have a long road ahead of you if you want to reach the top brass of the military.

Military decoration: The Decoration Ceremony that Julius held for certain Magic Knights resembles that of some awarding ceremonies for the military in real life. The awards, usually medals, are badges of honor, so you’ll see most high ranking officers wearing them on their uniforms at times.

Comments

What a way to start a new arc directly from the previous one! Even though part of me thinks this is still only a preparation for the upcoming events, it was already full of commotion! It also made me look forward to the many things being foreshadowed bit by bit, like Yuno’s once-in-an-era magic, and the curious nature of Asta’s magic! The new characters that appeared in the opening are also very intriguing! I’m starting to have higher hopes for this show, story-wise!

A declaration of war?

You really can’t help but be in awe of Asta’s boldness! That, or be embarrassed. He basically declared war on the nobles who got promoted, because surely they’re also aiming to become the next Wizard King! What riot will ensue next?

I hope you share your thoughts on this episode in the comments section! Also, please do check out our other Winter 2018 reviews!

NEXT TIME: Capital Riot (王都騒乱)