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Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Reviews

Somehow, this movie makes sense when all is said and done, despite all the chaos unleashed in the first half hour.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 29, 2023

It's basically one long battle...If you haven't been following [Black Clover] you will probably be lost, but for anime fans, this pulls out all the stops.

Full Review | Jun 28, 2023

The film does feel generic at times, but it’s the animation that stands out above the rest. It is good if you are a fan of the television series and the manga.

Full Review | Original Score: 3/5 | Jun 25, 2023

There’s little here for a non-fan, and almost nothing to invite non-fans to become fans.

Full Review | Original Score: 1.5/4 | Jun 22, 2023

Black Clover exists to deliver hyperbole with relentless ratatat, and fans of it wouldn’t have it any other way.

Full Review | Jun 21, 2023

“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.

Full Review | Original Score: 7.5 | Jun 19, 2023

After nearly two years since the end of the anime series, Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King successfully delivers everything fans love about Black Clover with its stunning visuals and fantastical action sequences.

Full Review | Jun 18, 2023

Home » Movies » Movie Reviews

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Review – a beautifully animated extension of the manga

A beautifully animated and well-written extension of the original television series and manga of the same name.

Here is our review of the 2023 Netflix anime film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King, which does not contain spoilers.

Netflix has done wonders with the anime section on its streaming service. Black Clover   is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Yuki Tabata .

It premiered in 2017 and ran until 2021. The anime had 170 episodes, and funnily enough, the series ended in the middle of an important story arc. As of now, no one has commented about returning the series for one more season to close off the arc, which would benefit the long-running series.

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King   is a movie that Netflix wanted to bring to their platform to appease the fans. The animation is gorgeous, and it follows suit of the stories within the manga and television series. It makes sense for Netflix to take on an anime that made an impact and has a fanbase to drive more people to watch it.

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Review and Plot Summary

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King has a world where magic is everything. Asta is a boy who was born with no magic. He aims to become the “Wizard King”,” which is a pretty big feat if he doesn’t have any magic. He wants to overcome adversity, prove his power, and keep his oath to his friends.

Like any other hero’s journey, Asta ventures out of the Clover Kingdom and plans to battle Yuno, his long-time foe. On this journey, he faces obstacles, which almost play out like demons from his past life. In this very Charles Dickens-esque story, Asta faces the ghosts of his past in the form of Conrad Leto, a former Wizard King.

With him, Leto brings the most feared Wizard Kings. By doing this, the former Wizard Kings prepare Asta for his journey ahead and what would become of him if he took on the mantle.

The more Asta learns about the Wizard Kings and what they have done in their past, the more he understands what the role entails. He is conflicted about what he wants for his kingdom and what has been done in the past. He doesn’t understand why former kings governed the way they did and became destroyers of the realm. Asta is a strong lead character, as audiences can connect with his struggles and what he wants to do for his kingdom.

Now as Asta is dealing with all of this, Conrad Leto has become quite powerful. He is an advanced wizard who is wise beyond Asta’s grade. He is a compelling villain and counters Asta nicely in this film.

Is Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King good or bad?

The film does feel generic at times, but it’s the animation that stands out above the rest. It is good if you are a fan of the television series and the manga.

It does it justice while crafting a fairly interesting good versus evil storyline with morally grey ideologies that float about.

Is Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King worth watching?

If you’ve been a fan of the anime series, then this film is a treat. The animation continues to stun and get better over time, and that’s exactly what happens here.

Netflix did a great job with the story, visually showing the characters at their peak power.

What did you think of the 2023 Netflix anime film Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King? Comment below.

More Stories

• Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King Ending Explained

Article by Amanda Guarragi

Amanda Guarragi joined Ready Steady Cut as an Entertainment Writer in June 2022. She is a Toronto-based film critic who has covered TIFF, Sundance Film Festival, Austin Film Festival, and HorrorFest International. Amanda is also a growing YouTuber, with her channel Candid Cinema growing in popularity.

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Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ on Netflix, the Hyper-Hyperbolic Feature-Length Continuation of the Anime Saga

Where to stream:.

• Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King

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Anime overload overboard overkill extravaganza Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King (now on Netflix) is a feature-length film continuing the Black Clover saga (currently streaming on Crunchyroll ) that ran for four years and 170 episodes, ending in 2021. The same creative team behind the series tackles the movie, which opens with the Triumph, the Clover Kingdom’s once-a-decade festival of powerful mages battling each other – but any hopes of an epic “tournament arc” are quashed with the arrival of a genocidal villain who disrupts the fest and initiates a plot that’s essentially a “tournament arc” without the tournament. In other words, it’s nearly two hours of psychedelic battles, not for bragging rights or to determine whose magic powers are greater, but for the lives of everyone in the kingdom. So, stakes! This one has lots of stakes!

BLACK CLOVER: SWORD OF THE WIZARD KING : STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: There’s this guy, Conrad Leto (Toshihiko Seki). He once earned the title of Wizard King of the Clover Kingdom, but after he revealed his evil ways, he was imprisoned by current king Julius Novachrono (Toshiyuki Morikawa), who told the citizenry that Conrad was dead. Well, that comes back to bite him in the ass when Conrad returns from the Phantom Zone or wherever with renewed interest in creating a fair and equal society by killing everyone and then resurrecting the souls worthy of upholding his ideology. That’s apparently an efficient way to promote fealty to his rule – enforcing his power via fear is easier than interviewing every single Clover Kingdom citizen individually before killing them, one presumes. Conrad is more powerful than ever now, having acquired the Sword of the Wizard King, and resurrected three fellow ex-Wizard Kings to help him. Trouble brews.

Meanwhile, at the local coliseum, the first two Triumph competitors stare each other down in the arena: Yuno (Nobunaga Shimazaki) vs. “the masked one.” And who is this mysterious masked fellow? Asta (Gakuto Kajiwara), of course, the hero of this franchise, who, unlike all other Clover folk, was born without magic powers, but now famously wields “anti-magic,” which involves canceling out others’ magic spells by whipping around a comically gigantic black-bladed sword and, to the layperson, seems pretty much indistinguishable from regular magic. “Never giving up is my magic!” is Asta’s catchphrase. Yuno and Asta still engage in friendly rivalry, but before they can start casting spells and, um, anti-spells at each other, Conrad and his trio of cronies – Edward Avalache (Hochu Otsuka), Jester Garandaros (Fumiya Takahashi) and the terrifically named Princia Funnybunny (Miyuki Sawashiro) – disrupt the competition and whup everybody’s asses. Turns out, Conrad can use the Sword of the Wizard King to steal others’ magic power, which makes him extra dangerous, but more crucially, exponentially exacerbates his unbearable smugness.

What with one thing and another, our protagonists – Asta, Yuno and a collection of their compadres too numerous to mention – escape the fray and regroup to lick their wounds and figure out what they might do to thwart Conrad’s apocalyptic endeavor. We all know by now that Asta hopes to someday be Wizard King, and he shows his predilection for leadership by bellowing his revelatory idea (note: he bellows everything he ever says; he’s quite the gregarious sort) – all the Magic Knights Squads should set aside their rivalries and join forces in order to counter Conrad’s “gargantuan compound magic.” It’s a plan that’s as good as any; “gargantuan compound magic” is surely not to be taken lightly. And so begin the battling seizure ideologies, as the good guys and bad guys exchange heaping mounds of exposition about how killing millions of people is and isn’t great, in between exchanges of maniacal magic spells that require them to string together a series of nearly random words such as “WEDGE MAGIC: WORLD END CHURCH!” or “DEATH SCYTHE: LUNATIC SLASH!”, which are accompanied by images of post-hyperbolic destruction. 

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: The likes of Dragon Ball , Naruto and My Hero Academia boast their share of “tournament arcs” alongside Black Clover ; the last time I experienced characters who screamed their power moves before executing them was Seven Deadly Sins .

Performance Worth Watching: There’s not a lot of nuance to Asta, but I have to say, the guy really delivers in clutch situations. 

Memorable Dialogue: Funnybunny gets one of the funnybunniest lines: “Don’t make me yawn, you nearly dead idiots.”

Sex and Skin: Just a few stereotypical skimpy anime costumes.

Our Take: “Amateurs won’t be able to breathe in this space!” exclaims Asta at one point, a rare  instance when the dialogue reveals a second layer: self-description. Sword of the Wizard King is not for dabblers in anime; it’s for Black Clover diehards who’ll relish this conglomerative mixatorium of characters, many of them teaming up so they may combine their magic powers in an unprecedented fashion in order to defeat a ruinous fartknocker of a villain. The first act is chock-full of battles, and the second act takes a breath before the third act delivers multiple concurrent battles that are edited together like a tornado and feature characters improbably pausing amid lunatic melees so they may utter amusing bons mot such as “Being foolish is… pitiful.” 

That line can be interpreted as a bit of ironic self-commentary, because you have to be just a little bit foolish to enjoy this type of OTT anime – and yes, I’m implying that being “a little bit foolish” means being “high as hell.” Speaking from a state of sobriety in which six cups of coffee is an exemptive asterisk, I can report that the animation here is frequently unbridled in its eye-popping creativity and the outcome of this minimalist plot is hardly in question despite one of the bons mot being, “Fate can be manipulated!” (“And destiny can be fed to worms on a cracker!” I shrieked in reply.) Perhaps the more fully committed can squeeze a political metaphor out of this scenario, but I found it too ludicrous and simple in its mega-ultra-uber-overstatement to suss out anything beyond an excuse to make our eyes bug out at the onslaught of colorful, bloodless carnage. When everything is hyperbolic, things like dramatic tension and consequence wash out to sea to drown and be devoured by roving packs of ravenous barracuda. But stuff like Black Clover exists to deliver hyperbole with relentless ratatat, and fans of it wouldn’t have it any other way.

Our Call: Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King is classic FFO (For Fans Only) fodder, just feeding the beast without averting the expected spectacle. Go ahead and STREAM IT if that’s your thing; me, I’m gonna decompress from all the overwhelmingness with Kiki’s Delivery Service .

John Serba is a freelance writer and film critic based in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

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Black clover: sword of the wizard king, common sense media reviewers.

Thoughtful but complicated fantasy has violence, language.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Explores idea of whether it's better to try to cre

Female characters reveal that they are just as cap

A lot of fantasy violence: fighting with swords, l

One female character is scantily clad in lingerie

Mild language throughout, including "crap," damn,"

Parents need to know that Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King is a 2023 anime fantasy in which a boy leads the fight against a banished wizard king trying to destroy the Clover Kingdom. Expect a lot of fantasy violence in the form of fighting with swords, spells, lightning, fire, explosions, etc.,…

Positive Messages

Explores idea of whether it's better to try to create an ideal society where issues like poverty and inequality are eliminated by a somewhat benevolent dictatorship, even if that means many people will have to die to get to that point, or if it's better to have an imperfect democracy in which there's poverty and inequality in spite of the freedoms afforded to those who live there. Positive messages about teamwork and perseverance.

Diverse Representations

Female characters reveal that they are just as capable of fighting and winning battles as the male characters.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Violence & Scariness

A lot of fantasy violence: fighting with swords, lightning, fire, explosions, etc. Demonic and monster imagery. Dead bodies.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

One female character is scantily clad in lingerie that barely hides her ample breasts.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Mild language throughout, including "crap," damn," "hell," and "bastard." Also, a character talks about how he was just "takin' a dump."

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King is a 2023 anime fantasy in which a boy leads the fight against a banished wizard king trying to destroy the Clover Kingdom. Expect a lot of fantasy violence in the form of fighting with swords, spells, lightning, fire, explosions, etc., as well as some monster and demonic imagery. Some mild language includes "crap," damn," "hell," "bastard," and "takin' a dump." One of the female characters is scantily clad in lingerie that barely hides her ample breasts. There are positive messages about perseverance and teamwork . The proverbial "cast of thousands" thrown at the audience in the first half-hour is likely to overwhelm and confuse younger viewers. Older viewers will note the movie's thoughtful messages on dictatorships vs. democracies. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

In BLACK CLOVER: SWORD OF THE WIZARD KING, all of Clover Kingdom is on hand for "The Triumph," a magic battle tournament held every 10 years. However, these festivities, and the kingdom itself, are thrown into turmoil when Conrad ( Toshihiko Seki ), the former Wizard King of Clover Kingdom, returns after being banished and locked in a portal for the past 10 years. Conrad has three other banished former wizard kings to back him up, and they seek to create a utopian society in which poverty is eliminated and all the citizens are equal, no matter how many they must kill in order to achieve this ideal. As all the groups of Magic Knights try to unite to take on Conrad, a teen boy named Asta (Gakuto Kajiwara), through grit and determination, emerges as a leader in the battle, despite his apparent lack of magic in a world where magic is everything. Asta and the many magicians must find a way to stop the all-powerful Conrad and restore peace, order, and tranquility to the Clover Kingdom.

Is It Any Good?

Somehow, this movie makes sense when all is said and done, despite all the chaos unleashed in the first half-hour. Indeed, Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King throws the proverbial "cast of thousands" at the viewer, with lots of backstory, and it's initially difficult to understand what's happening. Eventually, the movie settles down into a thoughtful story that's basically about good versus evil, but, on a deeper level, also about a former king who wants to destroy Clover Kingdom in order to save it from its shortcomings by leading a "benevolent dictatorship," no matter how many must die in order for that to happen.

It's a heady message, and it strikes an effective balance with all the intricate battle scenes, in which all the many characters have different magical abilities and use them to maximum animated effect. It's a very disorienting movie at first between the introduction to so many characters (and their spells) and the world-building introductions to the history and people of Clover Kingdom, but, somehow, it all makes sense, and it even works as an exciting and thoughtful story.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about fantasy movies like Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King . How is this similar to and different from other movies in this genre you've seen?

Was this story easy or difficult to understand? Why?

How does Asta embody character strengths like perseverance and teamwork ?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : June 16, 2023
• Cast : Gakuto Kajiwara , Toshihiko Seki , Toshiyuki Morikawa
• Director : Ayataka Tanemura
• Inclusion Information : Asian actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Fantasy
• Run time : 110 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : June 21, 2023

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

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Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King

In a world where magic is everything, Asta, a boy who was born with no magic, aims to become the "Wizard King" to overcome adversity, prove his power, and keep his oath with his friends. In a world where magic is everything, Asta, a boy who was born with no magic, aims to become the "Wizard King" to overcome adversity, prove his power, and keep his oath with his friends. In a world where magic is everything, Asta, a boy who was born with no magic, aims to become the "Wizard King" to overcome adversity, prove his power, and keep his oath with his friends.

• Ayataka Tanemura
• Johnny Onda
• Yuuki Tabata
• Bryn Apprill
• Tia Lynn Ballard
• 47 User reviews
• 14 Critic reviews
• 1 nomination

• Mimosa Vermillion
• (English version)

• Milly Maxwell
• (as Tia Ballard)

• Zora Ideale
• Cob Portaport
• Luck Voltia

• Charlotte Roselei

• Jack the Ripper

• Marx Francois

• Nozel Silva
• Henry Legolant

• William Vangeance
• (as Josh Grelle)
• Noelle Silva

• Princia Funnybunny
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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• Jun 15, 2023
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• June 16, 2023 (United States)
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• Runtime 1 hour 50 minutes
• Dolby Digital

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REVIEW: ‘Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King’ is Well Worth the Wait

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  has made its long awaited world premiere on Netflix . The film was initially set to be released on March 2023, but was postponed due to production delays caused by a coronavirus outbreak. The film marks the first animated feature film in Yūki Tabata’s  fantasy action series . Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  is directed by Ayataka Tanemura, screenplay written by Johnny Onda and Ai Orii, and produced by Studio Pierrot . The voice cast includes Gakuto Kajiwara, Toshihiko Seki, Fumiya Takahashi, Miyuki Sawashiro and other returning cast members.

In Black  Clove r: Sword of the Wizard King, t he Clover Kingdom celebrates with a fighting tournament held every ten years. Just as Yuno and a poorly disguised Asta are about to start the first fight, their match is cut short by the return of Conrad Leto, the 27th Wizard King who was sealed away by the current Wizard King, Julius Novachrono, for rebelling against the kingdom. Conrad uses the power of the legendary sword, Elsdocia, to revive three dead Wizard Kings, Princia Funnybunny, Jester Garandros, and Edward Avalaché, to help him enact his plan to recreate the world. Asta and the other Magic Knights must find a way to stop the Wizard Kings from destroying the Clover Kingdom.

The animation in  Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  does not disappoint and sets a high bar for animated combat sequences, delivering a visual spectacle that captivates viewers. From the swift and precise movements to the awe-inspiring magical abilities, every punch, slash, and spell is beautifully animated.

In every clash between the heroes and their adversaries, the audience is treated to a breathtaking display of power, skill, and sheer excitement. Although Asta and Conrad’s final battle is visually stunning, I was blown away by Mereoleona and Prince Funnybunny’s fight.

Outside of the fighting and action scenes, the film has beautiful visuals. The film’s artistic direction extends beyond the environments, magic, and character designs. The magical spells and abilities showcased throughout the movie are visually stunning, featuring dazzling and elaborate effects. The combination of fluid animation, imaginative visual designs, and meticulous attention to detail ensures that each frame is visually striking.

Newcomers to the Black Clover franchise can dive into the film without worrying about fully catching up with the manga or  anime  series. While knowing the series does offer a slightly different perspective on certain aspects of the film, it is not a prerequisite for enjoyment. The movie seamlessly follows the established lore of the series and takes place toward the end of the anime, providing a familiar setting for fans.

Moreover, the film includes concise expositions that help newcomers understand and follow the characters and story. It is worth noting that the film is not considered canon, as its story and new characters do not impact the ongoing manga series. Thus, fans and newcomers alike can appreciate this self-contained story without worrying about its implications on the larger Black Clover narrative.

Conrad Leto makes for an excellent main villain and offers an interesting parallel to Asta’s protagonist in the film. Asta’s beliefs and ideals of what a Wizard King is supposed to be is challenged by former Wizard King Conrad’s ideals and crimes. Asta briefly struggles to understand how the person believed to be the realm’s protector turns out to be its destroyer, leaving him with conflicting emotions.

Asta’s unwavering principles, ability to never give up, and desire to change the world for a better place are just a few characteristics and ideals he shares with Conrad. Originally Conrad’s ideals and goals were just as altruistic as Asta’s, but something happened that made him choose a path of betrayal which caused him to lose sight of what it truly means to be the Wizard King. The clash of Asta and Conrad’s ideals and parallel traits captures the heart of this series by chasing after one’s dreams and never giving up on

Black Clover’s  first film,  Sword of the Wizard King , is nearly perfect. However, there’s room for improvement in the development of Conrad and the other Wizard Kings’ characters and backstories. While the film provides fleeting references and flashbacks to their pasts, hinting at pivotal events that shaped and changed their ideals, it would have been even more satisfying to witness a more comprehensive exploration of their backstories, particularly Conrad’s. Understandably, with a runtime of 112 minutes, the film may have been constrained in its ability to delve deeper into these additional details without compromising the pacing and overall narrative. 

After nearly two years since the end of the anime series,  Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  successfully delivers everything fans love about  Black Clover  with its stunning visuals and fantastical action sequences. The film is great for newcomers and existing fans alike as it seamlessly builds upon established lore but still takes the time to provide the necessary information. I can honestly say this film was well worth the wait and a must-watch for any fans of  Black Clover  or action fantasy anime in general.

Black  Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  is now available on Netflix. 

Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King

• 9/10 Rating - 9/10

After nearly two years since the end of the anime series,  Black Clover: Sword of the Wizard King  successfully delivers everything fans love about  Black Clover  with its stunning visuals and fantastical action sequences.

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Just a blerdy girl trying to get through my ever-growing list of anime, TV shows, books, and movies.

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