That title was DIFFICULT to come up with. I REALLY didn’t want to celebrate the return of 1 of my favorite manga by saying “1001 Ways To Say The Series Is Back-” he says like the review for “One Piece” review from last week wasn’t exactly that. I wanted the title to be special to the chapter, like any other title I would use. And I chose this because this chapter is mainly to show us how Asta has grown in the last………………….

1 YEAR AND 3 MONTHS?!?!?!?!!!!!!!!

Okay, didn’t see THAT coming. Not that I’m complaining or anything!!! I’m kind of curious to see what’s changed since then. Not that I think we’ll be getting a lot of that; this series doesn’t tend to do those “Reverberation effects” to its society- at least in comparison to its sister series. But where are my manners? Welcome back, Yuki Tabata and “Black Clover.” Black Clover Chapter 332: “Final Declaration.” Did I mention that Tabata’s good at coming up with chapter titles? Let’s begin!!

REVIEW

I said that, but we instead open not long after the events of chapter 331(based on the fact that it’s time related; it could be happening at the same time Adrammelech took the heart in 330)- in the 7th Layer Of The Underworld, where the Former Devil King resides. Half of his power was still locked away, and, well- that half took all the same damage as the half that was topside. As such; he’s left vulnerable to a sneak attack from someone such as…………..Lucius.

Lucifero lies on the ground after being chopped up by True Devil Union Asta. He lies carved up on the ground, spouting about how his magic was “the greatest in the world.” And Lucius agrees with this point; you can’t deny that Lucifero has a powerful magic type, and the most power of any creature alive. Or, well- he was.

Lucius takes out this one’s heart, and tells him “In this world; we are the one’s with the most Brilliant magic- We Humans.” He takes the heart, puts it up to his face, and………. we hear the “munch” sound effect. We don’t see it out right, but……….. he bit into that heart. He is eating that thing and taking Lucifero’s power. Or so we believe………………..

Cut To 1 Year And 3 Months Later: We’re in the Clover Kingdom Captial, where a Special Ceremony is being held- For Asta!! As of today; he becomes a First Class Senior Magic Knight!! Everyone from the Church in Hage, to members of the Black Bulls(Vanessa, Secre, Finral, and Noelle), Best Girl Mimosa O-Hime Sama, watch as he accepts his award from the Magic Knight Captains, who tell him that he’s only “one step away” from becoming the Wizard King!!

We also learn a few things, however:

1. Damnatio has gone missing.
   • This in turn prolonged the Devil Trial, and put a halt on this ceremony.
   • Asta and Secre have both been acquitted, but there are some who are still mistrustful of them.
2. Yuno has already received the title of Grand Magic Knight, and is off on a mission witht eh Golden Dawn and rest of the Black Bulls investigating Devil activity around the borders of the Clover Kingdom.

Nevertheless; Asta is happy just being acknowledged by all of the Magic Knight Captains and those around him. Though Fuegoleon admits he’s more than worthy of the title of “Grand Magic Knight.” Rill’s just upset that his record as “Youngest Grand Magic Knight” was broken.

It’s time for the Afterparty! Asta asks Fuegoleon about the decision on the next Wizard King- he heard it would be between Nozel, Fuegoleon himself, and Mereleona. That WAS the case- but they all declined, and the matter was put on hold. Nozel and Fuego realized over a year ago that they aren’t strong enough to hold that position, and Mereo………. Is Mereo; she’s not looking to sit at a desk, do paperwork, and lead in battle- she’d rather do her own thing.

There’s that, and the Devil activity around the borders. The Heart and Spade Kingdoms are almost done with their reparations, so they’re trying to keep things peaceful. Cut away to Yami’s segment: He and Finral walk up to Jack and Charolette. But as soon as he starts talking she runs off in the opposite direction. Yami asks why she’s been acting weirder than usual since the Spade Invasion, to which Final tells him that Charolette Confessed To Him As He Was Dying. So he goes to the potty to think over what was just revealed to him.

All the while he tries to come to terms with his new reality; Asta realizes that he has put something to rest today: It’s Time To Confess. Secre overhears this, and comes up with a………. Sinister, Sinister idea. Ever since the Spade Invasion; Noelle and Mimosa have been feeling awkward and weird around Asta. It’s to the point where Noelle can’t even hold a conversation with him! And Mimosa Hime’s only thought has been how she can support Asta better. Secre sees them freaking out, and tells them Asta’s plan for the day. Evil, EVIL Woman right here; this was done for her amusement!

Outside the castle; Asta takes Sister Lily to the balcony. Noelle, Mimosa sama, and Secre watch from the doorway, as he makes his goal known:

Now that he’s 18- that he’s a step away from his goal; he feels that this is the time to ask Sister Lily again. But this will be the Last Time he does so. It shocks the h#ll out of the girls, but what’s even more shocking to them is what happens next. Sister Lily:

Thank you, Asta. However- I’m sorry. You’re like family to me; my dashing, cute little brother. I really can’t marry you.

Sister Lily vs The Final Confession

After everything that’s happened; she still said “No.” And no matter how much he wants this; it’ll never happen. So the boy “takes it on the chin,” and accepts that there’s nothing that he can do to change the way she feels. So he instead asks her to watch over his “unchanging vow:” “I WILL Become The Wizard King!!” Hearing this vow, and knowing that he’s finally accepted this truth; she feels that she can say things like “I Know You Can Do It.”

But then…………. with timing so perfect you’d think he’d done this a thousand times over; Lucius appears, and congratulates Asta for making it to this point. But he tells him that this- is “The End.” Black Clover Chapter 332 END!! Writing this post; I’m thinking everything is going to come WAY LATER in the week than I would have liked. But whatever; we won’t be confined to time!!

Analysis

It feels good to be back. I missed these characters; the comedy; the art and character designs; the emotions; I’ve missed it all!! It’s why I had to scream like that at the beginning of the post. Just letting you guys know: It’s 8:58 pm on Saturday, July 30th, 2022 when I began this section of the post. I had work Friday, you see, and wasn’t really talk about anything yesterday. Crazy. I’m saying all this to explain why all these posts took so long to come out! I HAD to do all 5, man- I just had to!! Black Clover, One Piece, My Hero Academia, Edens Zero, and Four Knights Of The Apocalypse– I almost never get to do all of them!!!

Now that I’ve said that; I feel I can talk about the Highlights of the chapter. My Personal Favorite Moment: Secre telling Noelle and Mimosa that Asta would confess to someone!! She intentionally didn’t say to whom. It’s a small moment, certainly, but it shows 1)That she’s hyper aware of people’s feelings and the social dynamic of those around her and 2) She’s more willing to…….. “play around” like the rest of her squad. She’s becoming more “open,” guys; it’s a sign of character progression.

I think we all know what the BIG Big things to take away from the chapter are. That said; I don’t think we can ignore all the romantic drama going on right now. This is important, I swear it is. Because of the role that “Love” played in the Spade Invasion- and how prevalent it’s been in the story. 1)Noelle and Mimosa sama now know that Asta was in love with someone else- for a long time. And they just saw him get rejected- for the LAST time. I don’t think they’d feel right being “rebounds” after something like that- for themselves, and for Asta……..

And then you have Yami and Charlotte. Come on now; were you expecting Yami’s face to change much after hearing that? The inner monologue kind of threw me off, but seeing him contemplate it on the toilet reminded me that it was still “Yami” thinking about the situation. So I guess the only question on how this plotline is resolved comes down to “How would a ‘Graduate Protagonist’ handle the confession?” A main character who’s reached the end of their story, and it’s now time for the “Next Generation” series?…………… He’s a former thug with a heart of gold, so I’ll say that he’ll give her an answer soon so as to let her, you know, just…… “sit on that forever.” What it’ll be, though? He’s gonna say yes. Though he may not have long to decide…….

There are………… probably many more theories than just the one I saw on Twitter. It was a theory that Lucius fed Lucifero’s heart to Astaroth to fulfill his end of their contract. But…….. come on. He ate that sh!t. Like an……… Apple. Could Tabata be bringing back an element of from his previous manga, Hungry Joker? In that series; Heidi- the main character- had to eat this thing called the “Newton Apple” to gain the power to manipulate Gravity. Lucius just took a chomp out of Lucifero’s heart. He now has Gravity magic– or at the very least more magic power than he did before, which was nothing to sneeze at considering he was using Time Magic at Wizard King level all while maintaining a disguise. Point is: He just got a boost. But is this a permanent thing, or is there a limit to what he can do after taking a bite?

This answer would seem obvious at first glance, but as the theory pointed out to deny this idea- the idea that Lucius ate it- is that Lucius didn’t transform from what we see here. The only thing on his that’s changed is that mark on his forehead 4 less lines than he did when we saw him in chapter 331. That’s a separate problem on its own, but I do agree that he’d look a little more “Devilish” after he ate it. Though………….. he could have also eaten Astaroth’s heart, gaining Time Magic without the need of a contract. And he isn’t displaying the “Weg” curse or any other Devil traits, so……………… he, uh…….. he probably most definitely ate it.

2) Yuno is A “Grand Magic Knight.” That is LITTERALLY a step away from “Wizard King.” He is now the same rank as a Captain! But…….. does that mean that he is a Captain? If he did, then he would be patrolling the border with his own Magic Knight squad, right? Although the official has Fuego say that the people he’s with right now have experience in those certain areas. So…….. it’s kind of hard to tell. I don’t think he, like, took members from other squads, and I don’t think he’s ready for that level of responsibility. That last ones debatable, but I think he needs a little more time and experience before they let him lead a squad. I’ve never been quite clear on if “Grand Magic Knight” meant the same as “Captain.”

Conclusion

……………………. Was that all I had to say? I felt like there was more, but some of it was pure speculation, while the rest was probably just padding. As such; I suppose I’ll end it here. Man is it good to have this series back. I wonder if it’s going to be an actual Fight next time, or if Lucius is going to dump exposition, tease some sh!t, and leave. Probably……. Probably that 2nd one, right? Whatever the case may be; we’re getting answers to some BIG question- in the Final Arc Of “Black Clover!!!”

That’s all I got for the lot of you today, duckies. Until the next post; be sure to like and follow, and share this around with your friends. It’s gonna be great, I just know it. By~~~e!!!