Based on the Black Clover manga series by Yuki Tabata, “Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King” is the latest entry in the franchise, with a story that takes place between episodes 157 and 158 of the anime.
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Just as the battle tournament is about to begin, Conrad Leto, a wizard King of the past who eventually turned against the Clover Kingdom, makes his reappearance, wielding the Imperial Sword and seeking to destroy the status quo, bringing forth a new era where equality prevails by reviving those whom he considers deserving of a place in his envisioned society. He is not alone, however, as he has managed to bring back three Wizard Kings of the past, Edward Avalaché, Princia Funnybunny, and Jester Garandaros, who share the same vision as him, in order to achieve his goal. As their objective is total annihilation of everyone, all the wizards of the Kingdom come together to face this unprecedented threat.
Ayataka Tanemura directs a movie that seems to both include every favorite shonen element in the book and functions as a tribute to the series as a whole, since almost every central character that had appeared in the anime that far, gets some screen time. Furthermore, and although the movie starts with a tournament, the approach then moves far away from the norms of the concept, only to get back there close to the end, when the one-on-one battles take over the narrative. Essentially, the movie functions as a big battle, which is where its source of entertainment derives from, with the aforementioned aspect, of the presence of a plethora of characters, benefitting the action to the highest degree.
In that fashion, from the intro, the movie moves full on into action as it presents the way Conrad Leto was defeated in the past. The tournament provides another opportunity for action, with its interruption as the main foes appear essentially moving in the same direction. The powers of the four Wizard Kings are all worthy of their title, in another factor that adds to the intricacy of the fighting, with Princia Funnybunny's ability of creating and controlling legions of magical soldiers being the main medium that allows more wizards to get into battle. The way Tanemura establishes the power of the foes is also quite impressive, as we watch scores of the protagonists failing against them, until, of course, they don't. This aspect of the fighting, also brings us to the next one, as when the villains are eventually subdued, the powers of the ones who beat them are also exemplified. And if the main battle is easy to predict from the beginning, the one that eventually steals the show is the one between Princia and Mereoleona, with the way the upper hand changes a number of times being as impressive as possible. Edward Avalanche's freezing powers, on the other hand, provide the most outstanding images visually, with the way fire and ice clash with each other being truly astonishing.
In general, the animation by Studio Pierrot is of the highest level we have ever seen, with the number and the intricacy of the battles highlighting the fact in the most eloquent fashion. The scenes of destruction are excellent, as is the impact of Princia's legions, with the overall level of drawing of the background and the effort in the coloring, being equally top notch. Itsuko Takeda's character design is quite good in the overall presentation of the new and old characters, although the faces could benefit from some more detail, considering that occasionally they look quite similar and blunt. Bearing in mind the amount of individuals appearing throughout the movie, that is to be expected though.
In terms of context, there is not that much, since the focus leans overwhelmingly towards the action. Probably the most interesting aspect in that regard is the chaotic lawful mentality of Conrad, who wants to destroy the world in order to create one that is better, a notion that is based on equality. As such, one can actually sympathize with him, despite the fact that his method of achieving his goal makes him a genuine villain. Furthermore, the clash with Asta (who remains as loud as possible in one of the most annoying protagonists in anime history) is also imbued with depth, due to the aforementioned mentality. As the two continue to discuss among their battling, it is revealed that their way of thinking is not that different, and that Asta could easily follow the same path if he had made (or will make) a few different decisions down the line. This similarity and the basic difference add a level of drama to their battle, which works quite well for the entertainment the film offers.
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“Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King”” is a shonen fan's wet dream, an almost constant succession of impressive battles that are bound to leave all action enthusiasts utterly satisfied.
