Clevatess is a new anime series that premiered today based off of the manga from Yuji Iwahara. It takes place in the isolated continent of Edthea. The people are unaware of the world around them because their borders are guarded by four Lords of Darkbeasts in each direction.
Legends say a hero will rise armed with a magical weapon that can vanquish all of the Lords. After a failed attack on the Lord Clevatess of Moonlight, he decides to set out to better understand the humanoids of Edthea. To help him out, he resurrects a warrior he killed and adopts an orphaned baby making a peculiar traveling trio.
The episode is structured well providing backstory of the realm and motivations for the main characters. It also moves at a good pace building up the more action oriented and dramatic moments while also slowing things down afterwards to collect your thoughts and process what has happened.
Clevatess is impressive that it can incorporate different genres from superhero to kaiju to something more grounded such as babysitting. You wouldn’t think it would be easy to switch from one to the next, yet the transitions are smooth and don’t upset the rhythm of the narrative. The series is so many things all at once.
The action is entertaining and intense. On the smaller scale it seems more quick and graphic with a red hue that makes it more pronounced and aesthetically cool, particularly when it comes to superpowers. When it comes to larger battles, they feel chaotic in a good way. Regardless of scale, they demonstrate the power that Clevatess possesses. The accompanying score creates an epic atmosphere as well.
The story itself is willing to take risks. It keeps you on your toes and doesn’t hesitate to swerve away from the expected. The opening episode teases several intriguing subplots without becoming too crowded. The lasting impression is the contrasts between the Lord of Darkbeasts and his adopted baby. For all the strength and power he has, he is clueless about raising a child. It’s a unique dynamic to explore.
If there is one complaint about the premiere, it is the humor. It can be inconsistent with not everything hitting. It could be lost in translation, but some of the dialog can be outright cringey. The joke goes on for too long and becomes a mood killer taking you out of the moment. Luckily, it’s not very prevalent.
Overall, “The Lord of Dark Beasts” does what a good premiere episode should. It draws you in with a catchy premise, great action, and interesting storylines to explore.
New episodes of Clevatess drop Wednesdays on Crunchyroll.
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