Black Clover, Volume 1

October 1, 2016

Gr 8 Up-Asta is a boy who dreams of becoming the most powerful magic user in his kingdom. After training his mind and body extensively, he discovers that he possesses absolutely no magical ability at all. Rather than giving up, Asta perseveres and acquires a power called "anti-magic," which may turn out to be the most effective ability of all in a world where "magic is everything." This title is the work of a relatively inexperienced author-and it shows. Tabata has clearly taken his inspiration from popular shonen manga, and elements from series such as "Bleach," "Naruto," "Fairy Tail," and "One Piece" will be instantly recognizable to veteran manga readers. The art is solid: the characters are well-defined and expressive, the panels flow well together and are easy to follow, and the depictions of magic are whimsical. Though Tabata relies heavily on ideas from other series, there is potential here. If the series improves, it could well become the "Naruto" replacement die-hard fans have been longing for. VERDICT Though experienced readers won't find anything new here, this volume is a good introduction to shonen for manga neophytes.-Kelley Gile, Cheshire Public Library, CT

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