…………… I wanted to talk about this chapter. I don’t know when you’re reading this, but I’m writing this Thursday, May 25th, 2023, and 5:53 pm- Day before my Grandfather’s Funeral. I needed something to calm me. So I started this, and then did a Dump post for the other chapters I didn’t get to talk about last week. But I don’t know when these will have come out. I don’t know how I’m feeling after the Funeral service, so I don’t know when I’ll be mentally able to put these posts out. All I know is that…….. I just needed something calming. And posts seem to do that for me. Especially with chapters like this, I guess. They get so full of Lore potential that my mind races a mile a minute- I can’t really control myself a lot of the time. I’ve even been forgetting to write out my notes, making some of my recent posts………… lacking in my opinion. But this is the only Jump chapter this week, so I was like “…………. F*ck It.” So we’re talking about it. Black Clover Chapter 360: “Unreadable World.” Let’s begin……..

Overview

Following the Last Chapter: Noelle unleashes her upgraded “Sea Dragons Roar” against Paladin Acier. But she pierces through it with her lance, and the Battle Maidens begins their fight in earnest. While off in the distance; Yuno continues his grudge match with Lucius- with Yuno on defense. He’s only able to keep up with Lucius’ speed through his Wind and Star Magic, and even that doesn’t blindside Lucius. He pins Yuno to a wall and prepares to Paladify Yuno, but the boy counters with “Spirit Of Notos-” a Wind Shield. Get it? 

But it’s that moment in which Lucius realizes: Something is Wrong. Like- WRONG WRONG. Yuno’s actually gotten faster(though he’s finally starting to feel the backlash of Neverland).  What’s more; this Yuno is actually Stronger than the Version of Yuno who was allowed to grow up in the Spade Kingdom- the Strongest Yuno Lucius had ever seen. But even that Yuno took years to Master Star Magic- this one had a Year and some change and might actually be STRONGER than that one!! He’s not the only one, either; he never saw a future in which Noelle was this strong; where Mereoleona survived Morris’ attack a few chapters ago; Fuegoleon is supposed to be DEAD- him AND his Magic Knights fighting right now!! As he continues to battle Yuno, he fails to wrap his head around what’s going on. 

And then; he gets the chance to look in Yuno’s eyes. And that’s when it hits him– The Reason this world is so different from the other’s he’s seen- the reason that he can’t see this World’s Future: 

This Is The World Asta Influenced.

True Enough: Yuno thinks back to the encounters with Revchi and Zagreb and Lucifero; it was always Asta who got in the Killing Blow. And it p!sses him off to no end. But that’s why he’s been able to push himself to this level. So it no longer matters who he’s up against- He Will Win. As he demonstrates by actually manages to Slash Lucius. Black Clover Chapter 360 END!!! Black Clover Will be Taking A Sudden Break. Tabata’s Author Comment This Week Mentions That- in the past 1 or 2 years- He’s Been getting Sick more and more often than he has in his entire life. So that’s why we’re having another break after a brief hiatus. Sucks, but if we want more PEAK, then we gotta let the man rest. “The Longer You Walk, The Further You Get- And The Better You Rest, The Longer You Can Keep Walking.” A Quote From The First Pokemon Games I Ever Played. 

REVIEW

Man, this chapter gave me more to talk about than I had ever thought I would have. I have quite a few things to talk about; things such as Yuno’s “Spirit Of Notus. “Zephyr” was the Greek God Of The West Wind; “Boreas” of the North; “Euros” of the East;” and now we have the God of the South Wind “Notus.” That’s all 4. If I were to pick which one I’d like the most………… Come on; you can’t beat the classics- Boreas may have come with the Full Transformation, but NOTHING will compare to that moment at the end of the Elf Saga. Seeing the boys bring out the best in each other- them leveling up in a similar way against Zagreb will always be iconic. That leads into my next point: Asta’s Influence In Everything. 

The story- the Central idea Of “Black Clover,” at its conception- has always been “Growth;” how a boy that no one thought was really worth their time becomes someone they look to for strength- Rising above the rank we were born into to become something better– someone who can become the change they want to see in the world. That’s always been the idea. And I know talked about how that theme has technically been resolved with Lucifero’s defeat, but there’s a point to it!! And it has to do with how Asta- a Commoner who wasn’t even born with the same innate abilities as LITERALLY everyone else in the world- has become someone that the God Kissed Golden Boy Yuno looks to as motivation. Asta inspires others to be Better; stronger, smarter, and just Generally better people. The Noelle we saw in chapter 5– that Outwardly Pompous brat who was really just a scared child- was not the one we saw in chapter 103. At her worst, she would have looked the looked the other way and made some remark about Commoners like her siblings, and at her best she wouldn’t have said or done anything. Because again- Timid Child. Her siblings killed any self esteem that would develop; I don’t think she would have stood up for that girl- be it because she couldn’t speak her mind around her siblings and thus lost ANY will to, or because someone would have pointed her out as “The House Of Silva’s Failure” and she loses heart. 

POINT IS: Asta helped her to Grow. And extending that to Fuegoleon; he called him a Rival shortly before going into that comma. So in the moment he was supposed to have died; he instead lived, and became the bearer of the Fire Spirit. Hasn’t really Done Much with it, but he has it. And because of Fuegoleon’s presence, his Magic Knight Squad was pushed further, becoming stronger than they were supposed to have. And it all goes back to ASTA. His influence is ever present in this fight, creating outcomes even Lucius and his “Almighty” Time Magic can’t see coming. But why can’t he see this sh!t coming his way? Once again: Asta. Or more likely– Liebe. No matter what power Lucius brings to the table- Anti Magic can cancel it. He can’t see the Future of this world because it’s been Tainted by Anti Magic; HIS MAGIC DOESN’T WORK ON IT. And that of course ties into to theme of “Fate And Choices” that the series also conveys. Lucius believes that the future is set in stone, but Asta and Liebe- the one’s who weren’t “Chosen By Mana-” are Free. And through their freedom; they’ve allowed for everyone to shape their own future- a future that Lucius can’t see because of their influence. 

And then when you stop to think about it; “Future Sight” is the reason that he’s about to lose. Because the Strongest Version of Yuno he knew of came from a timeline in which Yuno grew up as Prince of the Spade Kingdom, he had his siblings rebel and over through the Royal family. Lucius was probably hoping to have Yuno die in the Rebellion, but he ended up in the Clover Kingdom. He would have thought that growing up as a Commoner in Clover would have weakened him and made him easier to take out-but it instead gave him a reason to Reach HIGHER. Spade Prince Yuno didn’t have a Rival that pushed him to become stronger- didn’t have someone who pushed him as far as Asta pushed this Yuno. By sending Yuno to the Clover Kingdom, he ended up making a Stronger Version of Yuno. Much like Frieza in “Dragon Ball Z-“ something Tabata sights as an influence for “Black Clover(as many other Battle Shonen series do).” Just as Frieza ended up creating a Super Saiyan through his actions; Lucius has now made the one destined to oppose him stronger than he ever thought possible. 

Something else that I wrote down in regards to Lucius is how his Future Sight opposes Ryuya’s Tengetsu eye(which is why I used the newly revealed cover for Volume 35 as the featured; that’s TOTALLY the reason I did that). Lucius can see the future, and thus makes plans to counter any outcome that doesn’t put him on top of everything. While Ryuya has the specific ability to “see anything happening at any given moment,” or “see everything happening in the present.” It’s like; Lucius is too focused on the future- to focused on what might happen, and what will happen- that he’s completely missing what’s right in front of him. He was so focused on getting rid of the “Massive Flaw” that was Asta that he missed what Asta’s presence did to the present. And now what was “present” has affected his Future. As opposed to Ryuya who has to plan around what he has in the present to work with. It’s like; Lucius focusing on the future blinds him to what’s right in front of him, and because he’s so focused on what may be; he’s missing the point of living. Is what I think Tabata is trying to say. 

If you’re so worried about something 10/20/30/50 years down the line, then………… how will you enjoy the time before that. It goes back a little to what I think Lucius and the Theme of this Final Saga is meant to represent: “The Value Of Life.” “Death” is what teaches us to appreciate “Life-” it’s what makes the present worth living; makes us want to do as much as we can with every day we have. It’s fine to plan for the future, but you shouldn’t be so focused on it that you can’t enjoy what’s in front of you. Something to that effect.  

Conclusion

……………. I like it. I like what I had to say about this chapter- and I liked this chapter. I’m very glad I decided to talk about. I may have started rushing a little bit at the end because I have work a few hours from when I’m wrapping up this post(Saturday, May 27th, 2023, around 1:56pm). And I have to have a Very Serious Discussion with my Temporary Manager about my sh!t schedule. But I pretty much said all that I wanted to say. I had a whole Tangent about the lesson Asta learned from Yosuga, but the more I wrote; the more it felt out of place in the post. So rather than force it to go on longer than necessary; I’ll leave it on the theme that I think Tabata means to convey to us. This Final Arc should be one of the Best in Manga History. I truly hope that it will be. But until the next post, everyone; Have A Magically Wonderful Day, everyone. Later.