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A review by rereader33
Black Clover, Vol. 5 by Yûki Tabata
4.0
This honestly would have been a five star volume if not for Gauche. HOLY FUCK, I HATE THIS GUY.
I want to get my gripes with this character out of the way now so I can gush about the rest of the volume, so just bare with me for a bit, kay?
There are three main reasons why I hate Gauche so much and why he is, in my opinion, one of the worst characters in this series. Worse than Noelle's siblings, worse than the snobby royals, fuck worse than most of the VILLAINS. And they are as follows:
1. His "character trait" is meant to be funny or odd, but just comes across as HORRIBLY CREEPY. Guys, siblings being in love with their siblings is a bizarre, creepy, and frankly disgusting thing that occurs in a lot of anime, and it's no different here. Gauche gets a nosebleed EVERY TIME he thinks of his sister. WHO IS SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER THAN HIM. Please enlighten me as to WHY I should find that FUNNY.
2. This characteristic, like the ones every member of the Black Bulls have, is the biggest part of his personality. Now, you may be thinking, "but Jenny, you just said the other Black Bulls members have one too! Why is his so much worse than theirs?!" Simple. None of the other members' characteristics make them want to ACTIVELY HARM OR KILL THEIR TEAMMATES. I'm specifically mentioning teammates because obviously this crew will go all out against an enemy, but act differently around each other. Yes, Charmy will get violent if anyone tries to take her food, but if you happen to be around food, she's not gonna try to kill you. Yes, Luck likes to fight, but despite his recklessness he knows when to apply the brakes so he doesn't kill his teammates. If ANYONE is around Marie, GAUCHE WILL EITHER THREATEN OR TRY TO KILL THEM. JUST FOR BEING NEAR HIS SISTER. And that's what puts me over the edge with him; if he was just overly protective, I'd be cool with that, but the fact that he actually tried to kill Asta IN HIS SLEEP makes me hate him that much more. He reminds me of a worse version of Maika from Magikano, and I didn't think that was humanly possible.
3. Finally, Tabata tries to redeem him with backstory and I hate that. No amount of backstory is going to make up for a guy TRYING TO KILL HIS TEAMMATE BECAUSE HIS SISTER WANTS TO MARRY HIM.
Okay, that's done. Time to gush!
1. I have a lot more respect for Nozel thanks to him not only shutting down Solid's insults, but implying that he will avenge Fuegoleon. Nice to know he's not a completely heartless asshole.
2. We got to see Julius in action! YES, MORE PLEASE!!!
3. Leopold is so over the top, but he's such a great guy and has such a strong spirit you can't help rooting for him. Also, him proclaiming Asta as his rival was fucking hilarious.
4. Omg, Yuno writing that short message to Asta through his magic was the best. I fucking LOVE their friendship!
5. While Sally is easily one of the most stereotypically sadistic, quirky, and obnoxious scientist, I do like her design and her magic. I'd actually like to see her develop more as a villain and see where her character goes.
6. Asta is fucking adorable at the mixer! Listening to him talk about his siblings from the orphanage with Rebecca was really sweet and shows what an awesome person he is.
7. Sister Theresa is such an awesome woman! Not only is she a total badass, but her healing magic is so gentle and warm. Seriously, I could feel the warmth coming through the pages.
8. Speaking of the mixer, that whole chapter was fucking hilarious. I don't know what Finral was thinking, but he chose some of the worst people to join him.
9. I actually liked the dynamic between the brothers who kidnapped the children. Not an original dynamic, but kind of worked with the whole discussion on familial bonds in this series and specifically this volume.
10. The fights were so fucking dope, as per usual, and I loved every second of it.
Okay, that's all I've got for now. Loving this series!
I want to get my gripes with this character out of the way now so I can gush about the rest of the volume, so just bare with me for a bit, kay?
There are three main reasons why I hate Gauche so much and why he is, in my opinion, one of the worst characters in this series. Worse than Noelle's siblings, worse than the snobby royals, fuck worse than most of the VILLAINS. And they are as follows:
1. His "character trait" is meant to be funny or odd, but just comes across as HORRIBLY CREEPY. Guys, siblings being in love with their siblings is a bizarre, creepy, and frankly disgusting thing that occurs in a lot of anime, and it's no different here. Gauche gets a nosebleed EVERY TIME he thinks of his sister. WHO IS SIGNIFICANTLY YOUNGER THAN HIM. Please enlighten me as to WHY I should find that FUNNY.
2. This characteristic, like the ones every member of the Black Bulls have, is the biggest part of his personality. Now, you may be thinking, "but Jenny, you just said the other Black Bulls members have one too! Why is his so much worse than theirs?!" Simple. None of the other members' characteristics make them want to ACTIVELY HARM OR KILL THEIR TEAMMATES. I'm specifically mentioning teammates because obviously this crew will go all out against an enemy, but act differently around each other. Yes, Charmy will get violent if anyone tries to take her food, but if you happen to be around food, she's not gonna try to kill you. Yes, Luck likes to fight, but despite his recklessness he knows when to apply the brakes so he doesn't kill his teammates. If ANYONE is around Marie, GAUCHE WILL EITHER THREATEN OR TRY TO KILL THEM. JUST FOR BEING NEAR HIS SISTER. And that's what puts me over the edge with him; if he was just overly protective, I'd be cool with that, but the fact that he actually tried to kill Asta IN HIS SLEEP makes me hate him that much more. He reminds me of a worse version of Maika from Magikano, and I didn't think that was humanly possible.
3. Finally, Tabata tries to redeem him with backstory and I hate that. No amount of backstory is going to make up for a guy TRYING TO KILL HIS TEAMMATE BECAUSE HIS SISTER WANTS TO MARRY HIM.
Okay, that's done. Time to gush!
1. I have a lot more respect for Nozel thanks to him not only shutting down Solid's insults, but implying that he will avenge Fuegoleon. Nice to know he's not a completely heartless asshole.
2. We got to see Julius in action! YES, MORE PLEASE!!!
3. Leopold is so over the top, but he's such a great guy and has such a strong spirit you can't help rooting for him. Also, him proclaiming Asta as his rival was fucking hilarious.
4. Omg, Yuno writing that short message to Asta through his magic was the best. I fucking LOVE their friendship!
5. While Sally is easily one of the most stereotypically sadistic, quirky, and obnoxious scientist, I do like her design and her magic. I'd actually like to see her develop more as a villain and see where her character goes.
6. Asta is fucking adorable at the mixer! Listening to him talk about his siblings from the orphanage with Rebecca was really sweet and shows what an awesome person he is.
7. Sister Theresa is such an awesome woman! Not only is she a total badass, but her healing magic is so gentle and warm. Seriously, I could feel the warmth coming through the pages.
8. Speaking of the mixer, that whole chapter was fucking hilarious. I don't know what Finral was thinking, but he chose some of the worst people to join him.
9. I actually liked the dynamic between the brothers who kidnapped the children. Not an original dynamic, but kind of worked with the whole discussion on familial bonds in this series and specifically this volume.
10. The fights were so fucking dope, as per usual, and I loved every second of it.
Okay, that's all I've got for now. Loving this series!