Black Clover

Black Clover

Monday, January 31, 2022

MSR January 2022

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy this monthly blog, I also put out bi-weekly animated film reviews among other content. Check out my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/kyoukasuigetsu) and Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/kyoukasuigetsu) to support my endeavors. Any contribution is appreciated, even sharing to friends.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Scanlations and official sources both have a place in the community, but buy official manga volumes to support the author. If you can, also subscribe to Crunchyroll and/or Shonen Jump through Viz Media to read chapters nearly simultaneous with Japan. Most of the series covered can be found through legal means, so please encourage the industry that gives us what we love


 

 Like December, 1 week less of chapters, but things should return to standard by February

 

World Trigger is on break this month

 

 

Doron Dororon c5-8

 

Ginchiyo invites Dora and Kusanagi to her house, trying to gain more trust, the initiates agreeing to help because they always intended to make the world safer. Kusanagi even explains how he had no choice but to fight mononoke, not really listening to reason. They head off on a mission, teaming up to defeat a mononoke who appears to be working with another to capture humans

 



While we see Ginchiyo talking with one of the lab techs (who seems obsessed with her and not subtle about her lesbian attraction), Dora and Kusanagi stop a Koma Nezumi from harming a civilian. But it was intending to sacrifice it to Hanya Gyuuki, the master that’s been collaborating with other mononoke and seemingly the one that killed Dora’s mother, enraging him.

 

Dora tries to fight Hanya Gyuuki, still in a rage as it reminds him about his mother’s death implicitly. Kusanagi can’t cut it and Dora is stabbed with a paralyzing needle, narrowly avoiding death with the mononoke’s help as Hanya Gyuuki slaps him away. It takes Kusanagi expressing how he wants to keep Dora safe especially to rein his temper in, remembering how his mother wanted him to live a long life and the two ready themselves to fight again.

 

Ginchiyo meets up with Dora and she agrees to support him, since she still is wounded. She draws Hanya Gyuuki’s attention and Dora slashes his stinger area with Kusanagi, supposedly more vulnerable after shooting the needles. They persist when it only cuts in slightly, the pair’s bond letting them push further, seemingly dealing great damage

 

 

Ayashimon 7-10

 

The war that Enma Syndicate started is spreading throughout Kabukicho and while it seems Urara’s group is safe, Doppo confronts them directly. With Hashihime being threatened, Urara can’t play innocent, but Maruo attacks Doppo, who blocks easily and moves to kill Maruo, who’s excited for a real fight

 



Doppo’s attacks drain heat, able to even create ice and he beats Maruo down mercilessly, trying to get Urara to remember the fear he inflicted by torturing her subordinate. But before she can utilize a dagger that has her sealed power in it, Doppo recognizes she’s Kioh’s daughter, telling his men to shoot her. Maruo intervenes, saying this is the best fight he’s had and he won’t give up just yet.

 

Maruo is beaten senseless by Doppo, not wanting to give up, truly emulating shounen manga protagonists. Ten manages to grab the knife storing Urara’s power and unsheathes it, showing her true form as she plans to retreat with them and get Hashihime as well.

 

Doppo moves to kill Urara, not caring if he draws the Onmyou Bureau’s attention. Hashihime holds him off, insisting Urara leave. She remembers when Kioh’s assistant told her how important she was as his sole daughter, explaining why he never saw her as a security measure. And Hashihime is killed, disappearing into money, as Urara gets away, her guardian standing to the last moment

 

 

4 Knights of the Apocalypse 45-48

 

Anne and Donny face off against Burgie and Doronach respectively, though Doronach’s Impact magic has a larger range than Donny’s Float. Sin suggests Anne take out Burgie’s staff of Four Elements, but even when she does that (thanks to Donny provoking Doronach’s Impact that sends Anne crashing into Burgie), the Mirage magic seems to turn things in Burgie’s favor. However, Anne’s ability to discern truth lets her easily see the true Burgie and defeat her in one stroke

 

Donny seems to have an advantage, his knife techniques slowly wearing Doronach down, but his Impact pushes Donny back again. Sin advises Donny to view his magic more broadly and the Float turns out to be Telekinesis, throwing Doronach into a tree. But even that doesn’t beat him and Fiddich appears, having grabbed the piece of the Coffin of Darkness at some point, ready to finish off everyone

 


Fiddich wounds Donny, realizing he has to see what he moves with Telekinesis and then heals the other Dark Talismans, including Elgin with an incantation orb. And Percival manages to encourage everyone to not give up, his magic empowered enough to fight back. But when the group splits up, the Dark Talismans all target Sin, seen as the commander by Fiddich. ‘

It seems like Sin accepts his fate, but when he’s attacked by Fiddich, he speedily takes out Elgin, Burgie and Doronach, the last beaten with sheer hand to hand combat prowess rather than precise arrows (the same that took out a familiar many chapters ago). And we see that it was merely a disguise, his true form and identity Lancelot, the child of Ban and Elaine.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Stone 224-227

Senkuu is given some time to reminisce, awakening earlier than Stanley or Kohaku, Xeno understanding that Senkuu might want to savor getting to space like his father had before. The other two are depetrified soon after, enjoying space ramen and then moving to combine the parts for the advanced spacecraft for their eventual moon mission

 



Things go sideways as a petrified hair from Yoh that got into the circuitry makes navigating for the docking process near impossible. Thankfully there’s only a few parts left and Ryusui, who somehow snuck into the lunar lander portion, guides it into place by using himself as a sort of gyroscope to pilot it

 

Ryusui gives the replacement part, having apparently seen this eventuality as possible, the group arriving at the moon, where Senkuu walks first, Ryusui staying behind as captain

 

The group moves towards the dark spot on the moon, but Kohaku accidentally opens the capsule with the Medusa, a fake transmission sounding like Senkuu tricking her. The Medusa then activates, but Ryusui and others seem to have pieced together who Why Man is

 

 

 

 

 

My Hero Academia 339-341

 

It seems like Hatsume isn’t even aware of things, but she reveals her focus has been on improving the evacuation mechanisms that have been installed, offering her assistance to repair Deku and Iida’s equipment as best she can. While Deku and Class 1-A start a search party, over in Kansai, All Might and other Heroes discuss info for a separate battle that could change the course of the overall war

 



 

We learn that the core goal is keeping Shigaraki and All For One’s bodies apart (not aware that they’re melding, dramatic irony!), as well as take out the other collaborators, like Dabi and Himiko. Elsewhere, Aoyama, also part of the plan to deal with All For One, is told by Aizawa that they will technically use him, but unlike All For One, will guarantee his safety. And Shinsou is also likely to be tasked with a mission in this final battle.

 

Himiko and Dabi stop by her childhood home, Dabi wondering if she really will stick with the League of Villains’ goals as they are. And the promise of being able to use Twice’s blood tells us that, like with Ochako’s Quirk, she can use Twice’s Double because of their deep bond. And elsewhere, Shigaraki is still recovering, Spinner told by All For One to utilize the influence he has on the common people to push Mutant types to start a new revolution against society

 

 

Fire Force 296-299

 

Shinra endures the attacks of Haumea, saying hope is stronger than despair. Any attempts to sway him don’t work, Haumea eventually merging with the Evangelist to become her own new form to emphasize humanity’s consensus of despair will win out, especially with the devastation of Adolla around them

 



Even with Haumea trying to attack with black flames and make Shinra surrender to despair, he overpowers her, manifesting fire flowers, even the whale from Vulcan’s workshop that was a reflection of his desire to bring back extinct wildlife. And after a massive blast is fired by Haumea, Shinra blocks it and the resulting explosion after tossing the ball of energy creates an atmosphere, dispersing the black flames

 

The earth is beginning to become blue again, but Haumea lashes out, claiming Shinra is a devil and that he doesn’t understand how weak people have to struggle with despair, while he’s strong and managed to push past it (accused of killing his family). But moreso than that, she says he is a god, being able to reform the world as he sees fit, but doesn’t see how this is not solving the despair itself

 

Shinra still persists and recreates the entire world and everyone, even those who were dead for a time, like Benimaru’s father and the nuns who died in the fire, even the first Infernal we saw, reunited with his daughter along with his wife who became an Infernal as well.

 

 

 

 

 

One Piece 1036-1038

 

We see Zoro is victorious, while the others struggle to stop Onigashima from crashing into the capital or exploding in midair. Usopp can’t take the Wano culture seriously with their fixation on death as honorable for pursuit of a greater purpose, assisted by Izo. Yamato bursts into the storage area to try and get the gunpowder away, while Cipher Pol 0 is taking out opponents it can to try and let Kaido and Big Mom win. But Luffy’s fight with Kaidou is reaching a peak, uncertain who could win at the moment.

 

Luffy and Kaidou continue trading blows, Kaidou getting drunk actually a boon to his strength, but Luffy still managing to match him well. And the Five Elders of the World Government are planning to use the fight in Wano to eliminate anything inconvenient to their plot.

 

Izo briefly runs into CP0, who says they’ll let them go for now, focusing on the Straw Hats. Zolo is near death, seeing a vision of the Grim Reaper due to the backlash from Chopper’s revival medicine..  And Law, along with Kid, both persist in spite of Big Mom’s power, to stop her from getting to the roof, while we see Yamato desperately trying to stop the fire from getting to the explosives.

 

 

 

Black Clover 318-321

 

Asta tries to attack Lucifero, but all he manages to do is slightly cut the supreme devil’s finger. Lucifero punches Asta away and he can barely stand back up, but Mereoleona, Fuegoleon, Roselei, Rill, Nozel, Jack and Dorothy all stand alongside him, inspired by his endurance and persistence 

 




Lucifero’s power is overwhelming and he’s disgusted at the attempts to even fight someone of his strength. But they persist and Asta moves to attack the Devil King from behind

 

Asta manages to slash off a horn, infuriating Lucifero, who not only beats him senseless, but defeats the other Magic Knight captains easily. But before he can finish off Asta, Yuno saves him, Mimosa healing him in the meantime as the Spade Kingdom prince prepares to fight

 

While Yuno fights Lucifero, unable to pierce his armor like skin, Mereoleona comes back to assist. Mimosa continues to heal Asta, but he gets up, still determined to fight, while Sekke realizes how far Asta’s come and that he should’ve followed his example

Monday, January 3, 2022

MSR December 2021

 

 

 

 

 

If you enjoy this monthly blog, I also put out bi-weekly animated film reviews among other content. Check out my Patreon (https://www.patreon.com/kyoukasuigetsu) and Ko-Fi (https://ko-fi.com/kyoukasuigetsu) to support my endeavors. Any contribution is appreciated, even sharing to friends.

 

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Scanlations and official sources both have a place in the community, but buy official manga volumes to support the author. If you can, also subscribe to Crunchyroll and/or Shonen Jump through Viz Media to read chapters nearly simultaneous with Japan. Most of the series covered can be found through legal means, so please encourage the industry that gives us what we love


 

World Trigger 216-217

 

The first match begins, the group having to account for their limits by playing more cautiously, but they’re still unfortunately wiped out, Mizukami having an advantage in not having to utilize the teamwork and communication required for that to be effective in strategizing

 




 

 

The long range combo ability used by Mizukami seems more effective, Katori convincing the others to use it in their second match, the melee combo ability not working in their favor before (but having advantages if they could manage to get into close range). The other squads only do slightly better, Mizukami the only consistently good one. Osamu suggests a strategic element so communication between the about unit targeting can improve and a special assignment suddenly comes in asking about why the B rank wars were between more than 2 squads, pushing more time crunch on the group

 

Doron Dororon c1-4

 

Dora Sasaki wants to be a samurai and fight mononoke, but finds he’s unqualified, lacking any supernatural energy. But he discovers a friendly mononoke trying to stop others from eating humans, Dora pairing up with Kusanagi, the mononoke’s ability to transform into weapons combining well with his immense strength

 

While the two discuss what to do, another mononoke attacks samurai that warn Dora about mononoke in the area. It’s unavoidable, but the pair defeats the mononoke and emphasize that Kusanagi is a good mononoke, deciding to be “stray leek samurai” and protect people even if they don’t get recognition, though a samurai seems to recognize them from another incident

 

The samurai, Ginchiyo Yagyu, is a middle tier samurai, finding Dora and Kusanagi, though they clash. It turns out to have been a test of his aptitude and she offers him a chance to cooperate with the samurai, which will help her chances at advancement (seemingly with a rival samurai)

 

Ginchiyo explains to Dora and Kusanagi they need to be ready at any time, calling them to a location in the middle of the night. A Yamakujira mononoke appears and Kusanagi is eaten, though Dora keeps Ginchiyo safe in the meantime. Kusanagi manages to get out and Dora slashes the Yamakujira down, Ginchiyo thinking she found a diamond in the rough

 

 

Ayashimon 4-6

 

We get an important piece of lore as to ayashimon’s physical existence being tied to money they use as a medium and if it’s destroyed, they must wait 99 years to form another, so business is essential to maintaining power overall. The weak ayashimon from before is indeed an underling in a gang, offering them the opportunity to take it over, since his boss is abusive. A ritual duel is set up, Maruo still excited even when it seems like the fight could be tougher, and with higher stakes if he loses and Ten, the underling from before, is pushed by Urara to encourage Maruo. 

 




 

 

The duel ends in Maruo’s favor when the floor collapses and happens to kill the boss and the ayashimon gang recognizes Urara and Maruo as the new leaders. Urara speculates Maruo may be a marebito, a human that potentially has supernatural influence. But she’s approached by the Onmyou Group, the Public Safety division that deals with the supernatural and they let her off with a warning this time, thinking to potentially leak the info to the Enma Syndicate, which Urara plans to take down, having gained some info on their present leader

 

We see Doppo, the present head of the Enma Syndicate, who threatens Hashihime with becoming one of his twisted works of art, since killing an ayashimon doesn’t deal with them directly. The Onmyou Bureau member from before gives some images of Maruo and Urara (after avoiding death when an ayashimon attacks him, a shikigami substituting the damage). But while Doppo acts like he doesn’t care, having Hashihime moved elsewhere (since she likely knows more about the Syndicate), he tells his underlings to find and kill Maruo and Urara, to send a message to fear the Enma Syndicate and gain new respect and prestige.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4 Knights of the Apocalypse 41-44

 

As the group heads to Liones, Anne and Sin bicker, since the fox thinks she’s being too emotional and not considering the danger Ardd could have posed. And Anne accuses Sin of being a coward and only helping them after the fact in all their past conflicts. They reconcile, Sin admitting he was wrong, though he confides in Percival and the others he was provoking Anne because he knows anger can motivate more than sadness. Finding the Entangled Forest, Anne “steals” Sin’s idea to lure the enemies in, since it’s supposedly like a labyrinth.





 

 

The Dark Talismans, a group of 5 (now 4) continue pursuing Percival’s group, Arthur telling Pellegarde to just provide him results (still seeking a wife for himself as the King of Chaos). In the Entangled Forest, the knights split up. Percival’s magical “clones” are used to draw them away and Elgin, the Carrion Eater, is the first to encounter them, a quartet attack used to try and take him out with the element of surprise

 

It seems Elgin is stronger than the group, complimenting some of their tactics in spite of mocking their weakness. But Nasiens notices that Elgin’s magic’s nature as degeneration, which the knight confirms as Wither. With the Cernunnos Horn mixed as a “venom”, Nasiens strengthens himself, along with the Wither poison that Elgin uses, Percival landing a final blow as the knight falls to his doom

 

Afterwards, Nasiens suffers the side effects of the venom, too weak to keep fighting, Elgin actually saved by Percival’s magic from a fatal fall. And Percival is similarly fatigued after flying them through the forest to avoid the other knights, including one riding a magical beast called Sleipnir. And they plan to kill the children, not taking them as lightly as Elgin did, Fiddich, their leader, warning them to not underestimate their power.

 

 

 

 

Dr. Stone 221-223

Ryusui and the others discuss that Stanley is indeed the better choice, Xeno used as a sort of “hostage” for motivation, Stanley more than willing to do the mission. And while it seems that Ryusui is accepting of the substitution, his desire to go into space remains

 




 

 

With vinyl acquired, space suits are produced, as well as LCD screens, ostensibly for a smartphone (which is only portable in one aspect, the computer still over 60 pounds itself), but really intended for use on the spaceship so it’s as lightweight as possible for the round trip

 

The launch is initiated, mild concerns about a 5% chance of death on the mission, but everyone standing together as Senkuu, Kohaku and Stanley are prepared to face Why Man

 


 

 

My Hero Academia 335-337

 

 As Deku and the others train, we see Hagakure eavesdropping elsewhere, learning that Aoyama (suspected to be the traitor since a chapter that teased it probably 2 years ago) is the mole for All For One, his parents indebted because Aoyama was originally Quirkless, given one by the Villain. Deku is told this by Hagakure, having noticed that he seemed off, but Aoyama still insists he’s a villain for what he’s done

 




 

 

Hagakure blocks Aoyama’s blast with her powers (briefly showing her face) and Aoyama is taken in, along with his parents. They insist All For One just keeps them around to use, not knowing anything more to help them find the villain. In spite of Aoyama continuing to claim he’s a villain for his continued betrayal, Deku says that, like Nagant, Aoyama was manipulated by All For One and can still be a hero.

 

While Aoyama and his family are taken into police custody, Aizawa and Class 1-A agree to a plan that must be kept secret from Aoyama and his parents (so they can possibly deceive All for One). Deku and Iida go to repair their equipment, meeting up with Hatsume again

 

 

Fire Force 294-296

 

Mari seems to be in her right mind (thankfully), but Shinra still can’t manage to land a blow on Haumea, the Evangelist’s connection letting her utilize more of the Pillars’ abilities, like Iris’ divine protection along with Inca’s precognition of disaster. But Shinra realizes that he needs to unite with Sho and Mari, to utilize the miracle that happens when a family is united 

 



 

 

Shinra realizes that Haumea is shouldering the Evangelist’s despair, suggesting that he, Sho and Mari align their souls to bear hope against the despair. And with a fantastic Soul Eater motif, they resonate together and Shinra changes forms to face off against the Evangelist and Haumea

 

 

One Piece 1034-1035

 

While Momonosuke keeps trying to keep Onigashima from crashing into the Flower Capital, Queen and Sanji clash. A courtesan that the Tobi Roppo wanted to pay but rejected him tries to get her pet mouse to safety and Queen attacks, Sanji utilizing his enhancements to create even hotter flames and unleashes a combo to deal massive damage. 

 



 

 

King and Zolo clash after we determine Sanji is the winner in his fight against Queen. The mystery man’s mask comes off, his white hair and brown skin visual information that supposedly could be given to the World Government for a reward. Having figured out that the flames are a major factor in King’s defense, Zolo uses the points where it isn’t manifesting to attack and they have a major stand-off, Zolo seemingly having defeated the Lunarian

 

 

 

 

 

 

Black Clover 316-317

 

Asta and Liebe, utilizing their Devil Union form again, cut through Lucifero’s massive body with the Demon Slasher blade, able to choose what it cuts. Thus, Yami and William are safe

 



 

 

Unfortunately, even as things seem to be getting better, we see that Lucifero has half manifested, Megicula saying as much via their weakened form (or another devil entirely). Asta arrives, the others affected by Lucifero’s gravity and the supreme devil planning to take down the Spade Kingdom