Alicia finds herself in a difficult position. For one, she is practically dependent on the Lord of Dark Beasts, and she needs to find a way to save humanity from utter annihilation. Her only option is to help raise the royal child, who will decide the fate of all. I don’t envy her position, but I do look forward to the comedic situations that will inevitably happen.
Clevatess is a fantasy anime set in the world of Earl-something. The show centers around Alicia, a chosen hero who wishes humanity to be free from the oppression of Dark Beasts and Clevatess, the Lord of the Dark Beasts, who will decide whether humanity deserves to continue living. Together, they raise the future hero Luna, and through many trials and tribulations, ultimately decide the fate of all.
Before we get on with this review, I would like to thank Crunchyroll for this opportunity to watch the first episode of Clevatess early.
Alicia is one of the heroes chosen by the king of Hiden to go on an expedition to eliminate the ruler of the far south end of Edthea, Clevatess of Moonlight. The group of 13 bantered with each other while riding the carriage deep into Dark Beast territory. Their slight repose was interrupted when the coachmen reported that the carriage could no longer move and the troop must disembark to continue their quest. It was in that moment that the Dark Beasts descended upon them.
The coachmen and the horses were the first to die on screen. Let me just say that it’s been my policy that if I see death and gore in the first episode of an action anime, I instantly have higher hopes for it. (That’s the standard I held when Goblin Slayer first aired, and I haven’t been disappointed yet.) Seeing on-screen deaths in the first minutes of the show is a good sign. It sets up expectations early that the show won’t self-censor and gives us a taste of the dark, unforgiving world.
You can consider the deaths a sign of things to come, considering what happens when the group fights their way to the lair of the Dark Beast lord.
It didn’t take long for the group to come face to face with the Dark Lord himself. They had fought valiantly so far, wielding legendary weapons crafted using secret arts known only to the Hidean royal family. With their target within striking distance, the heroes raised their weapons high and rushed towards their target, battle cry and all.
This is where the proverbial ‘shit’ hits the fans.
Clevatess took the initiative and made the first move. An attack so fast from an unknown angle drew first blood. The hero Steffan was the first to die. His broken body was thrown several meters behind the rearguard. Stunned and confused, the group struggles to maintain cohesion as subsequent attacks begin to take out the remaining heroes one by one.
In the end, Clevatess proved to be overwhelmingly powerful. As clever as she was in Clevatess’s eyes, Alicia could not hope to do any actual damage to him. In a final, desperate move, Alicia throws herself at Clevatess. Futile didn’t begin to cover it. Alicia loses her left leg, her eye, and lastly, her life in the attempt.
Clevatess was annoyed that the humanoids were brazen enough to launch an attack on his territory. Furious, he decided to go to the Capital to get answers and see what else the humans are capable of before deciding to destroy all of them.
Clevatess’s siege of the Hidean Kingdom was all too one-sided. The Hidean threw everything they had, and it amounted to little more than insect bites in the Dark Lord’s mind. The siege ended shortly after, with Clevatess decapitating the king after he gave an unwanted response to his question.
This is the point where a little CG was applied during the fight scenes. So far, the show is all beautifully hand-animated in a style I haven’t seen so much in years, something close to the style of late 90s and early 2000s anime. Of course, background soldiers don’t warrant much attention, so the soldiers look like generic NPCs in a video game. It didn’t distract too much from the awesome destruction on display. But you do notice such things after seeing the technique used in countless shows.
Anyways, back to the show.
As Clevatess was preparing to leave the castle ruins. A faint voice called out to him. A dying woman begs Clevatess to save the baby under her care. The Dark Beast Lord asks her why he would do that. She can’t give a direct answer. But she tells him that this child deserves to live.
Intrigued, Clevatess agrees to raise the child. He doesn’t really know why he agreed to her pleas. He deduces that maybe this child can give him the clarity needed to decide whether or not to annihilate humanity.
Some time passes, and Clevatess is starting to show frustration. He had underestimated the time it would take for the child to grow up. Additionally, he doesn’t understand the ways of mortal men, much less parenthood. So he decides to bring in help.
He resurrects Alicia for the sole task of helping him raise the child. Of course, the formerly dead hero is hesitant to aid the being who killed her and her allies. But it’s not as if she has many options. She can’t go against Clevatess’s commands, and she can’t die as long as his power runs through her veins. What she needs is time to formulate a plan. Also, she feels sorry for the child.
This is where we start seeing some comedy making its way into the show. Clevatess’s assumption that all women produce milk to breastfeed babies definitely got me laughing slightly. The scene where he acts like an in-law to Alicia as she gives Luna a bath in the river was also good. If we get more scenes like these in later episodes, the show will at least be good enough to binge-watch.
The last part of the 45-minute premiere focuses on their next steps. Clevatess and Alicia agree to go to the nearest town in the hope of hiring a wetnurse for the baby. During their conversation, Alicia lets slip that the baby is of royal blood, and that’s where the gears in Clevaress’s head start to turn. If he can control the royals from the shadows, he can see the human world from a higher perch. I actually like this devious idea. I actually didn’t think that the child was anything of significance. But looking back, if the royals are the only ones who can forge weapons that can harm Clevatess, what does it mean to the humanoids if he is privy to that knowledge?
The episode ends with the group being ambushed by some bandits. One of them strikes Klen in the head. Alicia expects that Klen will slaughter the attackers. But she (and I as well) were shocked to find out that Klen went down like a sack of potatoes. This sudden twist ending took me aback. After all that posturing, the Dark Lord is seemingly knocked out by a single bandit. It looks as if the all-powerful lord of the dark beasts can be vulnerable at times.
How will the trio get out of this sticky situation? We’ll have to wait for next week’s episode.
So… Yes, this show is quite literally the Demon Lord and Hero raising the next generation hero. Honestly, it reminds me of ‘The Devil is a Part-Timer Season 2′, if Maou weren’t the lovable bum we all know. But then again, Klen strikes me as a perfect fit for a fast food kitchen, given his eye for small details. Clevatess is off to a flying start. Only time will tell if it holds watchers’ interest for a whole season. I really hope so. In any case, in a sea of familiar isekai and fantasy anime tropes, this one stands out for all the right reasons.
Clevatess (Episode 1)
If Clevatess's first episode surprise last second twist is any indication, we might be in for a fun ride filled with misunderstandings and genuine growth moments. I'm still not sold on the world just yet but I'm willing to give it a chance. In any case, in a sea of familiar isekai and fantasy anime tropes, this one stands out for all the right reasons.
