Black Clover Episode 26 Review: Wounded Beasts

Black Clover‘s new episode had me screaming yet again! How many weeks has this show been making me continuously yell…? But, whatever it is you think that got me screaming this time, it’s none of those, I’m sure! (Unless you have read the manga.) You’ll definitely be surprised and be in awe at the same time!

Japanese Original Episode Title: 逆境

Plot

Five new challengers were out to give Asta, Leopold, and Noelle a bad time, and unfortunately, they truly did. Before they could deliver the finishing blow on the trio, however, the Magic Knights that were previously whisked away from the battlefield came back out of nowhere at just the right moment! Then, it all went south again because the enemies abducted Asta when they escaped! Someone save him!

Episode Highlights

On the defensive: I was so proud of Asta and Leopold for holding out their own, while they were injured and tired, against five opponents! Asta was especially incredible, spinning so fast like a tornado in order to deflect the attacks! Imagine his already exhausted body, and yet he swung around his very heavy swords like they were nothing! I was also happy that he wasn’t proud, like normal shonen genre characters; he kept Fuegoleon’s advice in his mind, gladly accepted Leopold’s back-up, and worked pretty well with him too! Noelle was also admirable! Despite having to look after the gravely wounded captain, she still kept a close eye on the boys that she put a barrier on them in time! It was just too bad that the trio had no means to negate the roots that sucked the water, and the boys were caught off guard by that wind attack!

Reinforcements: Another thing to be amazed at was the Magic Knights’ re-entrance! They came just in the nick of time in such a showy fashion! I’m just not sure if I should be proud of them for working together to quickly get back…That’s supposed to be a given. Then again, they’re all THAT competitive with each other so, it’s a start, I guess. In any case, I thought everything was finally going to be okay and the enemies will be subjugated, but for some reason, only Nozel acted promptly to stop them! What were the rest, dead trees? I know it’s important to keep calm and analyze the situation first, or maybe they also got shocked by the sudden appearance of a magic item. But I think Asta did a better job of quickly retaliating than those experienced knights! They even just let him get abducted!

Coping with losses: For once, Nozel acted properly as a captain should, don’t you agree? He didn’t insult Noelle for being too frantic about Asta’s abduction, but level-headedly told her what their priority was as knights, even if his remark ‘someone like him’ sounded condescending. I also applaud that he didn’t chime into Solid debasing Fuegoleon for ending up that way! He could’ve taken the chance to make him and his family look better like what his brother did. He could’ve also just let his rival die there in shame. Yet instead, he rebuked Solid and admitted that they were no better than he who lost! I hope this ‘nobler’ attitude of his isn’t just a one-time thing! Maybe the sneak attack softened him up?

Surprise appearance: I thought Asta was going to either get recruited or killed! But HOT DIGGITY DANG, the Wizard King’s surprise appearance completely caught me off-guard!! And it was just the BEST!! At first, I thought he was in league with the enemy because how could he have found out about their secret lair and be there all by himself, right? But the enemies were also surprised! Then he just suddenly vaporized two of them, and captured the rest with minor effort! I yelled so loud!! Finally, seeing THE Wizard King in action, it was so cool, but also super scary!!! The way he looked at them all, his smile never leaving his face, I didn’t want to be in the opposing side’s shoes!! You could really see why he’s the best of the best!

Information: Aha! I had a feeling the enemies who attacked Saussy Village and the ones who ravaged the royal capital were connected! So, which one of them was the Golden Dawn knight we saw back then? And who was the new baddie that appeared? Could he be their big boss? Or maybe even the one who attacked Fuegoleon? It’s a good thing Julius is the one facing this problem now, though we still can’t be too sure!

Themes & Trivia

Time Master: No wonder his surname had the word time in it, as Julius’ magic really is connected with time! I have to wonder though, what does time magic have to do with incinerating your opponents, or switching appearances? I guess we just have to see his coolness some more!

Playing with Syringes: Well, aside from the fact that Sally really did have a huge syringe magic item, her obsession with experimenting on Asta and dissecting him afterward fits this trope quite well! Add to that her looking like a mad scientist, or maybe a crazy sorceress to be more specific?

Comments

Man, I thought it couldn’t get any more exciting than the ones we’ve been seeing before. To be honest, my attention was starting to drop during the first half. Then Asta got abducted, making me so scared, and then Julius. Julius happened, and I just went out of my mind! His fight scene wasn’t even much, but they still made it look so badass!! It’s definitely one of the most memorable scenes in this show for me. With that, he just gained a lot more points on my favorites list.

Also, they ended the episode in yet another cliffhanger, but it feels like the most important cliffhanger of all! It just got me even more excited for what’s to come, especially the revelation of who that mysterious new guy is!

Saved by your role model!

A completely new and unknown foe, making sure the minions don’t get away, and keeping your wounded subordinate safe – Julius has a lot on his hands! Let’s hope all these are nothing for the Wizard King!

Thoughts? Reactions? Yelling? They’re all welcome in the comments section! We’re already starting on our Spring 2018 anime reviews too, so keep an eye out for them!

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