Clevatess

I recently watched this dark fantasy-action anime on 12th-13th October 2025, and honestly, I didn't expect it to turn out this dark after just the first episode. The moment Neru's backstory was revealed, I was shocked.

Without giving away spoilers - the story revolves around a Demonic Beast, an insanely powerful being who once wanted to wipe out all humans (and trust me, the reason behind that is something you'll only understand after watching). But after killing so many people, this same being suddenly decides to protect someone special, and that's where the real journey begins. Along the way, a few other characters join in, and the adventure kicks off from there.

Even though the main character is overpowered, his full potential hasn't really been explored yet. In some scenes, it even feels like the creators intentionally made him look weak or inexperienced in combat, which honestly felt a bit inconsistent to me.

That said, the anime is good overall - it carries a minimalist story, but when the dark moments hit... they really hit. Some scenes were so intense that I literally sat there speechless.

Still, something about the story feels incomplete - like it's missing a layer of emotional or narrative depth. That's why I couldn't rate it 8 or 9. But if you enjoy dark, serious fantasy, then this one is definitely worth a watch.

I'd rate it 7 out of 10.

And a small tip - watch it alone 😅. There aren't really any bold scenes, but some moments are so dark and disturbing that you probably won't want to watch them in front of others. Also, don't expect comedy or fan service - there's none of that here. It's pure, grim storytelling done right.

"Clevatess" genuinely surprised me. This dark, ambitious anime is a much-needed departure from the usual "heroic" fantasy formula. The ruthless drive of Clevatess, the intense atmosphere, and the compelling storyline kept me hooked. Despite minor pacing issues, it's a memorable series that dark fantasy fans should absolutely check out.

After a decade flooded with generic isekai, "Clevatess" is the antidote. It brings back a real sense of hope, proving that dark fantasy might be the last bastion of meaningful, high-quality anime.

I can't wait for S2! It truly deserves a full 24 episodes to properly explore the other demon lords and their individual goals, which would make the series even better.

This series really deviates from the current norm of a lot of anime series. It really doesn't follow any set guidelines that a lot of its other predecessors follow. I literally have no clue what will happen next, or where the series is going. And I am typically, yet annoyingly, accurate in my predictions at how stories will end. This one is kind of a hit.

It's been quite some time since I've enjoyed a dark fantasy anime. It's rare to find a dark fantasy writer who respects the intellect of those who love the genre, and Yuji Iwahara is certainly one of them. The writing style reminds me a bit of Togashi's writing style, the author of Hunter x Hunter. He builds each character as if they were the main character of the story, giving them everything he has and enriching them little by little, as if he is saying, "You are all my children, I love you all equally, no matter how good or evil you are." . After watching three episodes, I think this anime has a strong chance of becoming a masterpiece in the future. I had a lot of fun and I'm very excited to see what happens next.

It's pretty hard for me to get into shows now a days because a lot of writing and plots are pretty meh. After watching the trailer I didn't think much of it, just thought it'd be a cool violent fantasy anime but I've been pretty stoked every time a new episode comes out. The action is pretty good, some fights could use a little more fleshing out, the plot is actually pretty interesting, characters are actually kinda unique and not just one dimensional. Even the villains aren't just evil to be evil, most of them feel like they have some kind of will driving what they do.

What I'm mostly enjoying is how good and bad isn't just black and white. There's a gray zone with our protagonists and antagonists.

Was initially shocked at the 8/10 rating when I looked up this show but the more I think about it, I think it is one of the better shows that'vd come out this year.