MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES has released 2 episodes so far, and it’s basically what would happen if Saitama from One-Punch Man went to a Harry Potter-like wizard school like Hogwarts. The story follows Mash Burnedead, a boy who can’t use magic in a wizard world but is a physical training maniac (might also hit some strings for the Black Clover fans). Studio A-1 Pictures is animating, and the anime is streaming on Crunchyroll.
The MASHLE: MAGIC AND MUSCLES anime so far feels almost like a parody, with the MC, despite being unable to use magic in a wizard world, easily overcoming every challenge with ease much like Saitama. We got a relatively generic backstory – he got abandoned and picked up by a kind man who raised him. When his peaceful life got endangered, he showed off some of his training and ended up getting enrolled into the Easton Magic Academy. His goal is to become a Divine Visionary, which is a title given to an exceptional student once every year.
Mash is a beast and can accomplish insane feats with his strength. He also has some interesting quirks, such as being charmingly dense (breaking doors when he doesn’t know whether to push or pull), being addicted to cream puffs and sometimes just being too real with people. He really grew on me in the 2nd episode, and I can’t wait to see how he fares at the academy.
We also got introduced to Lemon, a girl Mash saved and who consequently fell in love with him, and Finn Ames, Mash’s room-mate who seems to be related to the latest Divine Visionary shown in the first episode, Rain Ames.
The animation hasn’t been anything special, but it also doesn’t need to be considering its focus isn’t really the action but just the sheer absurdity of Mash. The art-style is interesting and the humor delivery has been on-point for me, especially in the second episode.
As a fan of shonen, I look forward to seeing Mash show off more of his skills, as well as him finding opponents he won’t be able to one-shot and seeing what happens! If you enjoy the anime, don’t forget to vote for it in our weekly Spring 2023 polls!
Crunchyroll is streaming the anime, and they describe the story:
This is a world of magic. This is a world in which magic is casually used by everyone. In a deep, dark forest in this world of magic, there is a boy who is singlemindedly working out. His name is Mash Burnedead, and he has a secret. He can’t use magic. All he wanted was to live a quiet life with his family, but people suddenly start trying to kill him one day and he somehow finds himself enrolled in Magic School. There, he sets his sights on becoming a “Divine Visionary,” the elite of the elite. Will his ripped muscles work against the best and brightest of the wizarding world? The curtain rises on this off-kilter magical fantasy in which the power of being jacked crushes any spell!
Images via Crunchyroll
© Hajime Komoto / Shueisha/Mashle Production Committee