Black Clover: Volume 10 manga review

Black Clover Graphic Novel Volume 10 cover image

In the Clover Kingdom, specifically the village of Hage, there was a young boy named Asta, who, along with his friend, Yuno, was found abandoned as a small child.  Asta dreams of one day being the “Wizard King,” the greatest mage in the land.  He has one big problem; he can't use magic.  When he is 15-years-old, Asta receives the rare “five-leaf-clover grimoire” (a book of magic), which gives him the power of anti-magic.  Can Asta become the Wizard King without being able to use magic, and can he be worthy of being in the “Magic Knights” squad, “the Black Bulls?”

As Black Clover, Vol. 10 (Chapters 81 to 90; entitled “Battlefield Decision”) opens, everyone is dealing with the aftermath of the battle at Kiten.  The top healing mage in the Clover Kingdom has examined Asta's wounded arms and has informed him that because of an ancient curse, his arms cannot be healed; they are damaged beyond repair.  The other members of the Black Bulls will not accept that diagnosis and search the kingdom high and low for a cure.

In fact, Vanessa Enotcca has returned to her home in “the Forest of Witches” where she is sure that there is a cure.  However, when she left the forest, Vanessa earned the ire of the formidable Witch Queen, and her asking price of Vanessa for healing Asta is unbelievably high.  Meanwhile, the forces of the Diamond Kingdom approach the forest...

[This volume includes bonus art and text.]

THE LOWDOWN:  It has been quite a while since I last read the Black Clover manga.  This exciting battle manga, however, is hard to forget, as it is a really enjoyable read.

Black Clover Graphic Novel Volume 10 is as intense a read as was Vol. 9.  The fury of combat magic rages throughout most of its 180 pages of narrative, but there is more, as well.  Back story and character interplay abound, as creator Yuki Tabata once again emphasizes how much the characters matter.  In fact, in that regard, Black Clover reminds me of Naruto.

Taylor Engel's translation conveys the words of fury and declarations of love, friendship and concern with equal fervor.  In a way, reading Vol. 10 is like reading a courtly romance.  Letterer Annaliese Christman goes fast and furious on the fonts and sound effects, and her efforts assure that you, dear reader, won't be able to stop reading Vol. 10 once you start.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of everything from Naruto to Harry Potter will definitely want to try the Shonen Jump series, Black Clover.

A
9 out of 10