NIPPOMANIA #8 : Mashle: Magic & Muscles (Anime, manga)

In a world of heroic fantasy freely inspired by the Harry Potter universe, Mashle takes place, a completely wild shonen manga of action and humor.





Fans of One Punch Man and Mob Psycho 100, don't leave just yet, this series is perfect for you!
Mash Burnedead is an ordinary young man sporting a Beatles-esque mushroom cut and living with his father in a small cabin deep in the woods. In this fantastic kingdom, everyone is born with an affinity for magic. From birth, each person is endowed with a scar on their face, signifying that they have the physical abilities to master the mystical arts. Mysteriously, Mash was born without a scar and is unable to use magic. To compensate for this lack, his father imposes a maximum intensity training program on him, making him abnormally muscular and powerful. Who needs magic when you can make use of hellish muscles?





Despite his deep desire to live a peaceful life with his family, the young man and his father are suddenly attacked in their home by a powerful mage who sees Mash as a heretic. In order to defend those he loves, the bowl-cut body-builder leaves his home to join the Easton Magic Academy, the manga equivalent of Hogwarts. The boy sets himself the mission of becoming the "Divine Visionary", the elite of the elite, the ultimate magician! But how will he achieve this goal without using magical powers, and without the possibility of developing them?





Mashle: Magic & Muscles is a series that charmed me even before I read a page of it. Like many others, I am a fan of stoic and even nonchalant main characters who use their blasé attitude to hide their great strength. In many ways, Mash reminds me of Saitama from One Punch Man and Shigeo from Mob Psycho 100, both creations of the genius mangaka ONE. The author of Mashle, Hajime Komoto, also demonstrates a great sense of humor between the pages of his manga. The inhuman strength of the main character creates a completely absurd narrative atmosphere that is hilarious and makes the series addictive to read. Not only that, but the premise in general is very relevant. A literal parody of Harry Potter with a Japanese twist, who wouldn't love that? Fans of the Wizarding World will love the analogies to their favorite epic, both in terms of magical spells and iconic characters from J.K. Rowling's literary universe.
For some reason, Mash is also addicted to cream puffs and seems to need them to express his strength, a bit like Popeye and his spinach. Believe it or not, this quirky characteristic is a big part of the protagonist's motivations, as he lives to savor this delicious dessert.
The internal and external narration also reminds me of Mob Psycho 100, in the way that the characters are situated in their respective environments due to their notable differences. The same comparison is possible in the artistic sphere of the work, which presents similarities in composition and character designs reminiscent of ONE.





At the moment, 15 French volumes are available on the shelves, published by Crunchyroll. Their American counterparts, Viz, have released 10 volumes so far. An anime adaptation is currently being streamed on Crunchyroll. True to the original work, the animation by A-1 Pictures is delightful and will please both young and old viewers.