………………… Hi guys. Man, it’s been a while since I made a post. Honestly, I haven’t even been checking on these sites; I usually give myself over to vanity and Google them, trying to see what images are associated with my sites- what images I make pop up. But I haven’t done that since I went on Hiatus. I usually still do just to see if there are any changes, but really I haven’t even been on my computer like that. Whenever I go into work and get an assignment, I end up working from around 7 AM to 3:30 pm; don’t get back home until around 4-4:30 or so, and don’t typically get back in the house until 4:30- 5 pm. I work at an Industrial Temp Service; they told me from the get-go that there’s no guarantee of an assignment day-to-day, and the pay varies based on the assignment, typically ending up around $80 or so. Some times the same job will ask for me to come back multiple times, meaning I get paid every day. I say all this to say: I haven’t been getting on my computer a lot. By the time I get back, it’s about time for dinner. And I watch anime and stuff with my brother’s at night so I try to keep my computer at full charge to maximize how much we get to watch.
That explanation………………… is no justification for ANYTHING. Honestly, watching all of that at night keeps me up til 12, which sucks ’cause if I want to make it in time for an assignment I have to get in the building by 5:30. I wake up at 4:30 in the morning to make it. Haven’t been making it recently, meaning I’m not getting paid. But that comes down to me being tired when I wake up, not wanting to get out of bed on time and taking an extra 12 minutes to get up. If I want to get there on time then I should probably go to sleep earlier, but…………………. eh. “Role With It.” Just gotta get myself out of bed on time!! Ah……………. I say all this as an explanation as to where I’ve been and why I haven’t been posting. But I figure- with this “dry-spell” I seem to be in, I figured “Might As Well” in regards to the 2 latest chapters of “Black Clover.”
I’m working on a GIANT post to cover all the other series I talk about, but- seeing as one of the series I’m watching with my brother’s- I figured making a post just for this series wouldn’t be too bad an idea. I think I’ll do one for Dead Rock, too. And maybe for “Boruto,” though I won’t commit to that one. Let’s just see how long it takes me to put this one out. Ah………….. I had a lot that I wanted to say about these 2 chapters. And sadly- not all of it positive. Well; more like an “observation” I and other fans are seeing with the new release format. Not saying I want Tabata Sensei to go back to the “Happy H#ll” that is the main magazine, but I do think a little more frequency in the release of new chapters will help with the problem. We’ll get into the details later. For now: The New Chapters.
Chapter 372: “Wretched“
One of the House of Silva’s servants- Paplo Espuma– rushes to heal Nozel after he fell in his fight with Paladin Acier. But the wounds are too deep for just his Bubbles to recover. And a Guardian Angel is looming over them as we speak. Thankfully, Kahano and Kiato came with Noelle to join in the battle; Kiato attacks the Guardian Angel with a boost from his sister, while also using her Song magic to help heal Nozel, allowing Noelle to focus all her energy on fighting Acier. The Valkyrie’s are more or less evenly matched, Noelle countering every move her Mother throws her way with the power of the Leviathan. But Acier hadn’t been giving her all in the fight; as a Paladin, she was granted a secondary Magic typing from the Devil that was purified for her: Water Magic as a compliment to her Steel attribute, showing herself to be just a proficient as her daughter- even sending a Water Eagle her way that she counters with a “Sea Dragon’s Roar.” But her usage of her magic– in addition to her Valkyrie Dress- she proves to be far more skilled than Noelle. But the Sea Dragon Goddess won’t back down.
Solid and Nebra look on, wallowing in their despair while their youngest sibling fights on. Nebra: Seeing her Mother once again- on the opposing side- was too much for Nebra to bare. But even more than that: She’s A Coward; bullied and toyed with every enemy who was weaker than herself, and cowering and crying whenever she’s faced with a foe more powerful than her. Solid was the same, more or less. But in seeing the sister who’s life they made miserable from the day she came home- they realize just how awful they actually are. Vs Noelle who struggled in the face of her own adversity to become as strong as she is now. But even that strength is not enough to topple that original “Battlefield Dancer.” It looks like Noelle’s reached the end of the ropes when Solid and Nebra dive in to save her.
Solid- recalling what Acier told them earlier- decides to make a change: Instead of “starting over” by letting himself be killed here, he’s going to “start from here” and become stronger alongside Noelle. And Nozel feels the exact same way, returning to the battlefield once again.
Chapter 373: “The Silva Siblings“
Nebra creates a Mist forest to buy time so they can think of a plan. Nozel already has an idea: Due to her lack of control, Noelle unconsciously put limits on herself, sealing off a ridiculous well of power that was always within her. Now’s not the time for all that; the plan is to have Noelle pour every last bit of her power into her next attack and obliterate Acier. Nozel will do his duty as the oldest and defend them, choosing to discard his Mercury Magic’s main ability of “adaptation” and coating his body in a solid mass of Mercury- the spell “Silver Guardian.” Or, as fans have dubbed him: The “Silva Surfer.” He takes up a close range battle with Acier, giving his siblings time to help Noelle charge and aim her next attack. However: Acier points out that Nozel- despite wield it so freely- is not immune to Mercury Poisoning; simply using his magic like this is taking its toll on him. And no Mother worth her weight in Baby pictures would EVER want to see one of her children suffer like that………………….
As for Nebra and Solid: “Karma’s A B!tch And A Half-” Noelle simply charging her magic next to them is hurting them; it’s starting to cut them up! But they continue to assure Noelle that this is nothing compared to what they put her through her entire life. It’s the same for Nozel: He pushed Noelle away rather than lifting her up, doing nothing to stop Nebra and Solid’s relentless abuse. This spell is his punishment, opening the path to atonement that will rebuild the bond of the Silva Siblings! But Noelle is still completely worried about hurting them like this. So Nebra and Solid tell her their “Truths:”
- Nebra’s adoration of their Mother was absolute. So seeing Noelle possessing both Acier’s beauty as well as her strength- she was completely jealous.
- Solid- was the same. Even though they were both users of Water Magic- even though she couldn’t control her magic- even though he was older than her- He Could See Noelle’s Vast Amount Of Mana. And he just couldn’t stand it. So he tormented her- scarred her for life so she would never realize how much stronger she was than him.
Both at once- in similar fashion to their older brother when the Elves invaded Clover Castle- apologize for everything. And that’s all she needed to hear; her attack finishes charging, taking on a Dragon’s head and Paladin Wings behind them- a huge blast of Water Magic shoots forward. Nozel takes Acier’s lance and dives out of the way. Acier tries to defend against the attack, but…………………… No. Acier Silva is destroyed- happy to have seen her children come together after all this time. The Silva Family Is Reborn. What they do NOW is anyone’s guess, though……………..
REVIEW
It’s been a while since I’ve written a post about manga chapters. I’m still working on other posts(one or 2 of which for this series in specific; one of them coming along better than the other), but those are just general discussions I wanted to have with you all. And I’m doing a Giant Mass Review for the other series, so I’ve had to “restrain” myself some. This is the first post I’ve written out in a while. Fittingly, I may be “rusty” when it comes to things like picking what images to use and where to use them. That picture of Bunny Girl Noelle above is from the colored cover page for chapter 370– a “filler” image I put there because the opening was 3 paragraphs long and I didn’t want you to go to long before seeing an image. Should all that still be up there: I was going to show you Paplo in the opening portion of chapter 372, but I didn’t think that was important enough to show you there. Might put him somewhere else towards the end of this post, but I wanted to focus on the “meat and potatoes” of the chapter. I think that’s how I used to do it. I might have ended up changing some of these images around by the time you see the post, so what I just said might not even matter. Not gonna delete it, though.
“Nothing like an old fashioned tangent to balloon the post out,” huh? I say all this to say: I wrote down A LOT that I wanted to discuss, and it’s not even all that relevant. Like; one of the first things I brought up as a talking point is the leap in power Kiato and Kahano made from where we left them last during the Seabed Temple and now. Some twitter user brought it up: The people of the Seabed temple are located in a Strong Magic Region- a place that is only barely accessible during the full moon. They don’t get a lot of “Invaders.” That’s not to say that they’re “weak,” because that entire arc showed that they are far from it. But them going from getting their @$$e$ kicked by Vetto to now being about to take on and stall/possibly even defeat one of Lucius Guardian Angels is a CRAZY leap. It’s been about 2 years since then, but still a vast leap for people who don’t even have to fight all that often.
Talking about that leads into the next point: The Leviathan. Okay: I’m glad that Tabata Sensei took a look at his life and assessed his priorities, choosing to change magazines so he’d have better health and more time to spend with his family. And I’m proud of Shonen Jump for allowing him to make that switch. But I can’t deny:
- The wait for new chapters is KILLER if this is your current favorite series. It’s overtaken “Edens Zero” for me as my current 3rd place. It would have to do something RIDICULOUS to surpass Dragon Ball and One Piece as my Top 2.
- The pacing and exposition are changed. On the one hand: The pacing can change between the last 3 chapters having enough “breathing room” for exposition- and this chapter which doesn’t have any. We can give these fights a full chapter or 2 to wrap up satisfactorily, but it doesn’t do the Leviathan- something that felt like a “last minute addition” as it stood- any favors.
The chapters of the Silva’s vs Acier- under a weekly format- had the potential to explain a little more about the nature of the Leviathan. It’s pure speculation, but there’s this idea that the Leviathan is a Devil, and that what Noelle did to gain its power was Devil Binding Ritual without her realizing it. Because she definitely would have had to fight it to prove herself worthy. That, plus the fact that it becomes a d@mn plushy just like Liebe and Nacht’s Devils when not in use lead people to think that it’s a Devil that was sealed within the vicinity of the Seabed Temple for some reason. And that’s the OTHER thing: Why was it sealed there, so close to the Clover Kingdom? There was a prophecy that came with it and everything? But the only 3 characters in the context of the history of the story who possess Time Magic, and thus the ability to see through time, are Astaroth; the one who stole his power, Lucius; and the one who shares a body with Lucius, Julius. Although there IS the Witch Queen, but who knows how her powers work. Heck; there’s a theory that she’s an ancestor of the Zogratis– one who gained precisely what Lucius is seeking: An Undying Body. I doubt I’ll ever find the tweet, but the evidence brought up comes from her Throne Room having patterns on it that invoke Megicula’s symbols we see at the tip of their tail and on Vanica’s Devil empowered state. That plus her divinations(however inaccurate they can be); it’s clear that she has some connection to Devils……………………
………………………….. Off topic. But still On Topic as well. I’m asking what the true nature of the Leviathan is and how someone knew it would be important in preventing the end of the World. Or- the prophecy only say “It’ll A Wake When The End Of The World Is Nigh;” not that it would stop it. It might not even be meant to be some Tsundere’s familiar- it could be the thing that’s meant to help END the world, and Noelle- being “under Asta’s influence-” changed that fate. THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT I AM THINKING ABOUT IN REGARDS TO THE LEVIATHAN’S EXISTENCE. And I think that- under a weekly serialization- we would have gotten a least an allusion to what’s going on with this thing. But a Quarterly release? We’re getting Character Development and Power Progression- both of which important for any Battle Shonen Story– but we’re not getting as much lore or worldbuilding as we were before. Which was always one of “Black Clover’s” strongest aspects: The way that it told its story- both the characters in it and the world itself- through the Battles featured. It was probably the most prevalent and relevant during Magna’s fight with Dante; we learned about the differences between how those loved by mana interact with the world, and how those hated by it interact. It was worldbuilding told through the lens of a battle between someone who never thought to use a power like that, and someone who can only use it that way. I’m working on a post talking about that fight, so I won’t go much further than that. He said thinking that would be out at some point in the near future……………..
But just looking at that fight, as well as something like Yuno vs Zenon 2 and 3 or Gaja vs Noelle, Mimosa, and Finral, show what this fight was lacking; we don’t learn anything more about the Leviathan beyond its introduction. And that’s what’s bugging me about it: The fact that we didn’t get ANYTHING about it in the 2 chapters we got. Say what you will about the weekly release, but it had way more “down time” for the characters to discuss these concepts. Maybe as a result of “padding” so each chapter can have a cool point to end on, but still.
But to play “Devil’s Advocate:” Someone did point out the comparison between the Leviathan’s wings when Noelle fired that last attack- and the wings of the Paladins. IF it leads down the path of worldbuilding, or just a detail we’re meant to connect on our own after he presents more lore behind it- this could show what I’m talking about, too. Going back to the idea of the Leviathan being a Devil, its appearance in that moment could imply that Noelle charging up her attack had a “purifying” effect on it similar to Lucius’ Soul Magic. Meaning that there are other paths to purifying Devil magic. Maybe Noelle’s Water magic is “special-” be it her own power or residual power left over from being the bearer of the Water Spirit and tapping into a “Divine Power” in the form of Saint Stage. Her regular Water Magic could have become “Holy Water,“ giving it a “purifying” effect on those touched by the power of the Underworld. In short: She may have made herself a Paladin without Lucius’ Magic. Though that’s just speculation on my part.
Another aspect of these chapters- as well as chapter 371, and just generally the Judgement Day portion of the story thus far- is the lack of an explanation on Morris and Acier’s Devil Powers. We assume that at least Acier- being a strong mage in her own right- was gifted the powers of one of the Devils of the Tree Of Qliphoth, just like Damnatio, but it’s thus far unconfirmed. And there were theories that Morris’ Devil power came from Megicula– both of them being the “Malicious Scientist” types that conduct experiments through their magic. Meanwhile, I thought Acier having Megicula’s power would have been a little more thematically appropriate: Her using the power of the Devil that took her away from her family against the kid’s she fought to protect. Thinking about it, both ideas are still possible; as Charmy showed with her Dwarf transformation, Magic is a subject of “the soul-” in changed to reflect her new body, just as Patry and William or Julius and Lucius appearances changed depending on who was in control of the body. SO it’s possible that- once purified, depending on how Lucius chooses to modify the Devil’s powers- either Acier’s new Water magic or Morris’ Earth magic could be the “purified” form of Megicula’s Curse Warding Magic. Though I doubt Tabata Sensei will go that deep with it, considering Sister Lily and Damnatio.
But that’s my point: We don’t know who their second attributes come from. We don’t need to know that for EVERY Paladin we see(Tabata Sensei doesn’t seem eager to just “get it over with” even with this release format, so it’s possible we see a few more Paladins before this is over), but for characters who like to talk like Morris, or important character’s such as Acier- feels kind of important. I actually came up with a joke idea that the Devil Acier got her Water magic from was from one of the “Bad Timelines” for Lolopechika– one plucked from the time stream who never had her curse undone, and thus remained a Devil with Devil Water Magic. It’s only a “Gag Idea” because the reality of it is Really F*ckin’ Stupid. Lucius will have had to have gone through time and plucked a random version of Devil Lolopechika for the sole purpose of giving her power to Acier. For what reason would he go all around the mulberry bush just to give Acier Water Magic? To f*ck with Noelle? How? She doesn’t know that Lolopechika- she wouldn’t care, anyway!! I would hope not, anyway; that’s kind of stupid trope for someone to care about an alternate version of someone else. “That’s not them- it just looks like them.” So it(hopefully) wouldn’t matter. And saying it at all would outright confirm that Lucius can travel through time- something that’s only theorized based on the fact that we don’t know the Dark Triads ages. It’s this whole thing coming from this volume extra of one of the Dark Disciples there the day they overthrew the Spade Kingdom: The Dark Triads take over was 17 years ago, around the same time Yuno was born. That guy was 26 when we met him. He would have been 9 years old during the coup.
That, plus the fact that we don’t know Dante or Zenon or Vanica’s ages, implies that there’s some time shenanigans at play. And I would believe that Lucius found a way to travel through time; combine the 2nd Supreme Rank– one of the Kings of the Underworld- Astaroth’s Time Magic with the Mana Method gimmick and compound it the same way the Magic Knights did to learn Ultimate Magic, and I’d believe that he could travel through time- given a similar amount of time that it took Magna to make “Soul Chain Death Match,” just to keep it from being overpowered and hopefully avoid time travel problems. Which is why I don’t think Tabata Sensei is going to go down that path; it just opens too many questions for the Final Arc of a series that- if volume sales are anything to go by- likely won’t get a continuation any time soon. “How’d Lucius Learn About Mana Method?” “Why Didn’t He Kill Asta The Moment Lucifero Was Defeated?” Yadda Yadda Yadda Yadda- I just don’t think he’s gonna touch it beyond “He Sent The Dark Triad And Dark Disciples Into The Future.”
A positive I mentioned in my notes is how Asta’s “Influence” on the world is felt even when he’s not on screen; seeing Noelle refuse to give up just like the man she loves, spurring her forward and rallying her 2 awful siblings to stand up to their Mother. It shows that he’s had a Genuine impact on everyone he’s met, and not just his “lack of fate” throwing everything off. And it’s not even just about Asta; Noelle is doing this for her family– for Nozel, Solid, Nebra, and Acier, so it also goes to show that her story is solely dependent on Asta. He’s a Motivator- not her goal.
I also noted that Acier seems to have a certain level of “joy” while fighting with Noelle; be that something implanted in her by Lucius, or just how she was in life- not entirely sure. He didn’t do anything to Sister Lily beyond making her “obedient” to him, so I think this is just how she is. Which makes her rivalry with Mereoleona all the more interesting to see. It’s that kind of character writing that makes you wish that they would have fought one last time just to give us a glimpse as to what their younger years were like. And- he still could if he wanted to. Lucius’ goal is to give Humanity “Undying Bodies,” so allowing Morris and Acier to just die here would be…………….. kind of odd, even if we’re done with their fights and characters(not sure what else we can gleam from more of Morris at this point, but I’ll admit that Acier might have more to her than we’ve seen). And we see through Sister Lily in the Land Of The Sun that the Paladins do indeed have regenerative abilities. So we may not have seen the last of them. Probably why the Black Bulls were given that “amp-” so that those who just finished their battle can go up and help Asta and Yuno fight Lucius, while also letting them put an end to the Paladins in a believable way. They use Anti magic to put the Paladins back in the dirt- Noelle, Mereoleona, and Yami go up to help the boys. Though seeing Acier again and being high on her evolution, I don’t doubt that Mereoleona would jump at the chance to send more Anti Magic wielders up instead.
And yet- doing that would have little purpose. Rushing or not– there likely ain’t a lot of time left in the story for something so- call a “spade” a “spade-“ “Fan Service-y.” And this isn’t weekly anymore, so it’s not even “Volume Padding-” it would serve literally nothing to the finale. And our time is better served trying to have the least amount of problems POSSIBLE going into the ending. I’m not asking for “Perfection-“ just something the vocal majority say “Alright” to.
I also like how Solid’s revelation ties back to what Fuegoleon told Noelle when the Eye Of The Midnight Sun invaded the Clover Kingdom: “Being Weak Is Nothing To Be Ashamed Of- Staying Weak Is.” Solid never grew beyond where we met him- he stagnated. This chapter reveals that Noelle’s Power Progression in the series is less her “getting stronger” and more her “tapping into the power that was always within her,” but at least she grew– both in power and as a person. Solid didn’t. What he does going forward is anyone’s guess, as the series is wrapping up sometime…………….. certainly not this year, and maybe not even next year, but………. sooner rather than later. But Tabata Sensei managed to pay off that random Sekke chapter we got, so………… we’ll see.
Closing Thoughts
I had more in my notes originally, but- looking at it- I don’t think I have much else to say. I thought about talking about Nozel’s “Silver Guardin” spell, but……………….. it’s kind of “self explanatory-“ him embracing the full potential of his Mother’s Metallic attribute, sacrificing “Adaptability” for “protection” to face the person who gifted this power to him. One of em, anyway. I’d say that one of the aspects of the story that could have been explored more was seeing Noelle’s dad, but I honestly can’t say I care. Probably just treated her like Nebra and Solid did, and that’s even if he was around. In all honesty, I think he died shortly before Noelle was born; maybe not necessarily killed by Vanica, but definitely killed in a battle. Possibly an arranged marriage, anyway. Though I would hope that he was every bit as kind as Acier. Where Nebra and Solid got their behavior from would be left up to you imaginations, in that case. Acier was a little saddened by it when she met with them again, so clearly it didn’t come from her, nor does she imply that it came from their father.
Ah……………….. I don’t think I’m back just yet. I still gotta go into to work, so I don’t think I can come back until I have my financials sorted. I also need to do some other “adult” things. UGH- just thinking about it makes my skin crawl. But I’ll at least do that Dead Rock post like I said, and then I’ll probably disappear again for a minute. But I’ll be back- I Will ALWAYS Come Back To This. Because I love what I do. And I wouldn’t trade it for the world. Which is what makes the endings of “Edens Zero” and “My Hero Academia” so…………. not “tragic,” because everything has to end at some point. And their endings are besides the point. It sucks that I never got to cover them weekly one last time before the end, considering how- In All Honesty- They Were What Got People To Read My Blog. Some of the first comments I got from people I still talk to to this day came from these 2 series, so seeing them leave like that just……………… it’s kind of sad. I don’t know if I’m necessarily gonna “replace” their slots in my weekly roster, because that implies that they’re “replaceable.” And they’re not; no matter what they became in the end- they’re still 2 important series in my life. And I’m sad to see them go.
And that’s how I feel about “Black Clover.” I’ve mentioned it before, but I was……………. one of those little sh!ts who would hop on the bandwagon and hate on a series without ever having read it. Very bad time in my life. But then I decided to give “Black Clover” a chance, and- after some time- it became one of my Top 3. Edens Zero was holding that spot for a while, but…………….. it just………… from Kaede War onward it felt like it was “missing” the thing that made me fall in love with it. And I’ve talked enough about what happened to “My Hero.” So this just shot up the list. My Current Top 5 Series(“My Hero” is #6 on the list):
- Dragon Ball
- One Piece
- “Black Clover”
- Kaguya Sama: Love Is War(My “Comfort” Series)
- Edens Zero
The reason these 3 have touched me in such a way is because they all represent something that I look for in a series: The way “Black Clover” tells its story and the power system; the way My Hero handles its Villains(up ’til the end there); and Eden Zero has really strong character writing and can deliver on the emotional moments when it needs to. They all have that something, and- from where I’m standing– they’ve all more-or-less lost that “charm” that made me love them. “Black Clover’s” still got time to turn it around, but as I mentioned: it feels like the Leviathan was made up at the 11th hour. Edens Zero just…………….. it just felt like Mashima was burnt out with that series- burnt out in general from all the projects he’s taken on. And Edens Zero was sadly the thing that suffered for it. My Hero‘s ending felt like it was a case of “burn out” as well, but it had problems since the “Final Act” started.
Ah……………………. I’m kind of looking forward to making that Dead Rock post, because I think that series is pretty good. Much like with Edens Zero, Chapter 1 of the series was STELLAR. And the following chapters up until the Library stuff all had a lot of me to talk about. Now that I’ve let 2 chapters build up, I think I have some things worth discussing. Because I think more people- more Mashima fans- should give that series a chance. It’s something “New” from him without being totally “alien” to what he usually writes. I want to see him do more series like this in the future once he’s had more experience.
Conclusion
I always make a whole section for my “Final Thoughts,” and it always ends up a lot shorter than I was anticipating. But it always leaves this portion of the post feeling……………. unnecessary. I do it like this because I want to get out just the general stuff that’s been on my mind as of late, and don’t want this section to go on for like 3 or 4 paragraphs- it feels like false advertising if you’ve read to the end and you’re ready to wrap this up. Plus it makes it hard to decide what images to use. I also always end up collecting a whole bunch of colorings for the chapters off of twitter, taking up space on both my phone and computer, thinking I’m going to be using all of them only to end up using like 2 or 3 out of the 9 or 10 in the entire post. And I don’t want to delete them all because I think I’m gonna use them at some point later on. And sometimes I do, like with that drawing someone made of Noelle and Nozel that I used to replace the Bunny Girl Noelle image I talked about. And that’s one been up here for about a year now, not to mention all the other images for post I was gonna make before sh!t hit the fan. Now I can finally delete this stuff.
Ah………….. This- this is what I was talking about. I don’t have all that much to say, but now I’m “stuck” with another whole paragraph to try and wrap this up correctly. Ah…………these were 2 more decent chapters building up to the finale, all things considered. I hope Tabata Sensei explains everything in regards to what we saw, but I kind of doubt it. Let me know what you guys thought about the chapters in the comments, and Until The Next Post, Everyone: Stay Safe- Stay Healthy- Stay Magic. Laters!!
Comments on “The Silva Family Feud- Concluded!! Black Clover Chapters 372 And 373 BREAKDOWN”