Black Clover, Vol. 1 (1)

Black Clover, Vol. 1 (1)

In a world of magic, Asta, a boy with anti-magic powers, will do whatever it takes to become the Wizard King!Asta is a young boy who dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the kingdom. Only one problem-he can't use any magic! Luckily for Asta, he receives the incredibly rare five-leaf clover grimoire that gives him the power of anti-magic. Can someone who can't use magic really become the Wizard King? One thing's for sure-Asta will never give up!Young Asta was born with no magic ability in a world where magic is everything. In order to prove his strength and keep a promise with his friend, Asta dreams of becoming the greatest mage in the land, the Wizard King!From School Library JournalGr 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, CTAbout the AuthorY?ki Tabata was born in Fukuoka prefecture and got his big break in the 2011 Shonen Jump Golden Future Cup with his winning entry,Hungry Joker. He started the magical fantasy seriesBlack Clover in 2015.