Written by: Karlo Cervantes | Published on: January 13, 2021
YUNO IS WHAT?!
Episode 159 had a fitting title of “Quiet Lakes and Forest Shadows” as there were not a lot of noteworthy scenes to excite the audience - thus being quiet. Nevertheless, we’ll dive into what little highlights the episode had to offer, the deviations from the manga, and expectations for the next episode.
TS;JR (Too Short; Just Read)
Under normal circumstances, there would be a TL;DR (Too Long; Didn’t Read) section of the review but the episode had so little to offer given it only covered two chapters (232-233) of the manga. Despite that, however, a couple of stuff still stood out. That being said, we'll just go with TS;JR (Too Short; Just Read). Watch out for some minor spoilers ahead.
Redeeming Qualities
First off, the usual introduction spiel has been updated to reflect the current arc. In the review of Episode 158, it was highlighted how the anime adaptation made the landscape very clear in terms of traversing the Spade Kingdom Arc. It gave good introductions to the outcome of the Magic Knights’ 6-month training in the Heart Kingdom while also mentioning the antagonists.
Credit for this goes out to Studio Pierrot for providing an updated introduction befitting the current setting of the anime. Also probably because there was really not enough source material judging from the 2 chapters that were covered.
The other portion, and quite honestly, the only big highlight of this episode that’s worth mentioning is that plot twist at the end of the episode which revolves around Yuno’s true identity.
Missed Opportunities: Deviations from the manga
While it’s true that the episode only covered two chapters of the manga, it’s quite disappointing to know that there was something that could’ve excited the audience, even just a little bit, had it been adopted. It involved some serious pressing matters that transpired in the Heart Kingdom’s Elmora Lake. As a personal opinion, it would’ve been better if that were the scene shown instead of what the audience saw in the episode. Maybe Studio Pierrot decided to play it safe on this one.
Another deviation was also identified towards the ending. This was another missed opportunity for the production to further engage the audience during a rather unexciting episode. If the scenes from the manga had been adopted, the show would have been able to give the audience some sense of intrigue and small understanding that would’ve connected to the scene involving the plot twist.
As someone who prefers watching the anime over reading the manga, I have to admit that, in this case, the manga chapters were better compared to the episode that covered it.
Overall, the episode felt like a filler segment in the series of events. There were definitely some missed chances to further engage the audience in the anime that can be understood by people who read the manga. But for people who did not, it was just a buzz-kill jumping off of that previous episode that was filled with hype and excitement.
Nevertheless, here’s to hoping we all get those epic battle scenes in the episodes to come. Some possible scenarios we all hope to see would definitely involve some form of background story in relation to Yuno's identity, some form of advancement either from the Dark Triad or the Magic Knights, or any introduction to that Ciel fellow.
P.S.
If Asta does not have any mana in him and his abilities are in the form of anti-magic, how is he able to ride on his sword and use it to fly around? Sounds pretty magical to me.
Black Clover Episide 160: “The Messenger from the Spade Kingdom” comes out on January 19, 2021 at 6:25PM (JST).
Official Anime Website: Black Clover
Official Anime Twitter: @blackclover_PR
What did you think about this episode? Let us know in the comments below.
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