Black Clover: The Upcoming Hiatus Is A Good Thing
Black Clover will be taking some much needed time off as series creator Yuki Tabata gets ready for the final arc of the manga series, but while it's going to be a tough wait, the hiatus is ultimately a good idea for the better health of the manga and its creator. The Spade Kingdom Raid arc finally came to an end with the latest chapter of the series, and while many fans had been wondering why the arc seemed to go for as long as it did, it all makes sense now in retrospect as it was set up for the grand finale.
Shueisha had announced that they spoke with Yuki Tabata heading into the final arc of the series, and while the creator himself had noted that he wanted to just keep powering through, the editorial staff actually recommended he take an "about three month" break to properly ready for the final arc. Given the tough nature of manga creators' weekly production schedules, breaks in general are a good thing. Most of all is that it will allow Tabata further time to better craft the big picture of the final arc overall.
Following Black Clover week to week has been one of the most satisfying Shonen Jump manga experiences of the last few years, but one thing that has been noticeable in the last few years (especially in the Spade Kingdom Raid arc) is that chapters had been getting shorter. This made the Spade Kingdom Raid arc seem longer than it was as these 15 page entries became more common and edged each fight a little more forward every week. That's why it felt like taking down the Dark Triad took forever.
This hiatus is ultimately going to be great not only for Tabata's health as a creator needing to provide new weekly entries (and perhaps it'll mean far fewer of the 15 page chapter weeks), but also for the more noticeable reasons such as making sure the final arc hits the way it's supposed to. Taking a cursory glance at fellow action series like My Hero Academia proves that rushing to an ending is usually a bad idea, and with all of the characters needed to be balanced in a finale like this one perhaps needs more time to be better scheduled and planned out.
Basically, Tabata taking a break is going to be great for Black Clover overall. When the final arc finally begins, fans will be even more hungry for it than they are now and the series will be better prepared for an explosive ending. It's some tough medicine to take, but it'll be worth it in the end. What do you think? How do you feel about the manga taking a break for a few months before the final arc? Let us know all of your thoughts about it in the comments! You can even reach out to me directly about all things animated and other cool stuff @Valdezology on Twitter!
