Manga It Just Works...Somehow
I don't know why, but I could never get into many shonen series despite having far better animation than Black Clover. Demon Slayer, Hx H, Jujutsu Kaisen, even My Hero Academia I gave up on after a while, but I've stuck with Black Clover, for some reason.
This series is the definition of a Cliche Storm for shonen, yet, I still find that I'm enjoying the series, Asta despite being so uninspired is so goddamn likable and funny that he keeps my attention. Noelle is probably the only female shonen character to not be a plain Mary Sue or a Faux Action Girl, she actually has flaws, and a coherent character arc. What's more shocking is that she's a tsundere, and I HATE tsunderes, but for some reason, I like Noelle.
One of the more fascinating aspects is the series demonstrates a level of graying morality within the series, the nobles of the Clover Kingdom are not good people, and the antagonists are more misguided and tragic then your typical cowardly For the Evulz villains.
Does it have a detailed magic system? Nope, fuck that, the author doesn't even bother to explain it and I LOVE it. I hate complex power systems, I don't watch anime for power systems, so if you do, you're gonna hate this
The story also has self-awareness, the author clearly knows his series is a cliche and uses it to his advantage with the pacing. Yet, you would think this would make the fights have a lack of tension due to little to no setting up, right? Somehow, that's not the case, and I don't know why. Asta's screaming may be annoying at first but it grew on me, I loved it, him screaming "NOT YET" is the epitome of Narm Charm. I wouldn't say it's So Bad It's Good, because I do think it's better than most shonen series, I mean, it has to be to keep my attention for over 100 episodes. I couldn't even get past episode 7 with Demon Slayer.
I wish I could tell you why I like Black Clover, but I can't; I don't know why I like it, I just do. Maybe it's because almost nobody hypes it up as being the next masterpiece, like Demon Slayer and Jujutsu Kaisen.
Black Clover: it's cheesy, it's predictable, but it's fun and keeps my attention.
Manga Black ☘
As a long-time manga reader, I've come to regard Black Clover as one of my favorite series.
The plot starts out as a mishmash of shonen, paying homage to its predecessors, and forms its own identity over time. The story takes a lot of inspiration from European mythologies, so myth geeks will have a great time watching/reading Black Clover. There is phenomenal art (some of the best-looking spreads I have ever seen in manga), top-tier foreshadowing, entertaining characters, and a solid female cast (a rarity for its genre). The female characters in the story have their own arcs, active roles, and never feel left out. The MC Asta is one of the best examples of the "coming from nothing" as he works hard to overcome his social status in society. Noelle is a fantastic heroine, probably the closest to being the main character after Asta himself, who gets plenty of character development and it's great to watch her overcome her childhood trauma and grow as a person and fighter throughout the story. And the Black Bulls as a whole are a fun, lovable bunch who each get many moments to shine as side characters.
Thanks to the story's length, it has the benefit of having high pay-offs in the long run with build up, the Reincarnation Arc being one of my favorite arcs in shonen for its ties to the central themes of the story and well-foreshadowed plot twists. Black Clover takes advantage of simplicity, whether it be in its characters or themes, in the execution of its story. If you're a fan of shonen, you should give Black Clover a chance. It's not a genre-defying story, but it doesn't need to be.