black clover recent chapters: my thoughts, a post 🍀🍁
Spoilers ahead, so read at your own risk. I first posted this at Twitter, so it might be more organized there 🥺
I want to view these chapters more of a show rather than tell, hence probably why there's not much lore.
It depicts the responsibility eldest siblings bear and how they decide to act on it depending on their situation.
Honorable mention: Nozel.
I don't know if it's common in other cultures, but the eldest being the first one to leave their toxic household is quite a trend in Asian families.
Granted, Yami's circumstances were a special case caused by a massacre but even he follows this pattern.
He harbors this subconscious guilt for not being strong enough to protect his defenseless sister.
He may have started anew in a foreign land but this silent regret was reflected with the way he treated the Black Bulls, from helping Gauche to adopting Noelle and so on.
The path he took were indicative of the past he'd once run away from, the promise he kept. Hence, this further proves Morgen's statement.
He understood the mistakes Nacht took as the oldest, that he was young and there was nothing he could do esp when toxic parents get involved.
Which is why this panel holds so much value, the build up was there since the beginning.
He got to live the life he wanted, meeting all sorts of people, and he owed it to Ryu, his friend who readily supported him and Ichika.
All of these buried emotions boiled down right to this moment.
As if poetically embracing change and maturity.
His instinctive reaction to protect Ichika at the sudden sign of danger and his admission to finally having the strength to do so flowed naturally in the narrative.
Assuming that he indeed told no one of his past, the fact that he hallucinated his only family member and still remembered what her ki felt like in his almost-dying state reinforced the regret he silently carried all along.
Yami is the eldest sibling who left not just to protect his sister but to better himself to be able to repay those who helped him (especially Ryu) and make it up to Ichika whom he left behind to another person.
He is that brother who breaks the cycle of abuse, pain, and trauma.
Yami's situation contrasted with Nacht's. The latter opted to live behind the light of his twin and sank deeper into the shadows he and his family led him to believe he belonged to.
While Nacht's choice parallels Yami's decision to leave, it would also be his greatest mistake.
Even without Yami's extremely detailed backstory, it is implied that his crime was born out of desperation to save Ichika from the malice of their father and the judgment of others.
Nacht, however, sinned for the sense of belongingness while not intending to drag Morgen down.
Nacht felt his responsibility was to at least preserve Morgen's innocence & reputation by staying away AND indulging in his malice.
Like Yami's responsibility to protect Ichika from their father & whatever laws may incur upon her berserk by leaving AND killing their father.
Their differences in how they acted as the eldest highlighted the brief yet pivotal moment Nacht had with Ichika.
If Morgen's sin was being a bystander, Ichika's was definitely ignorance. And by all means, ignorance exempts no one.
While Ichika didn't outright called out Nacht, her resolution to fight and make amends hits deep.
Yami was right. Nacht should be the one to end Morgen from doing things he'd regret.
The other Yami was correct as well. Nacht isn't the victim here. Morgen is and so many others.
He still got the Black Bulls but most importantly, he still have his bestfriend and partner in crime–𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙫𝙚.
He'd be a fool to commit another mistake twice. It is now his responsibility to finish Morgen, to put an end to his suffering, and to free him from Lucius' control.
Notice that Ichika was holding back her tears. Whatever reason was that, be it pride, lack of time, or inappropriate location, Ichika didn't waste the opportunity to apologize and jump right into action.
Afterall, the battlefield is a place where hesitance costs lives.
Her resolve parallels Nacht's realization.
Tears don't mark the end of a sin.
The past cannot be undone by mere words or mourning. What matters is the actions one takes in the present.
At the end of these chapters, it is indeed time to reap what they sow even after growing apart from one another.
