The first season of the anime 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' ended on July 1st. The story of a naive jock who loves cream puffs could be an ideal option for diving into the genre for those who prefer to brighten their evening with magical fantasy or abs...

The season of the show 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' ended on the same day as 'Hell's Paradise' — another top-tier spring title. And despite both projects being shonen, these are very different anime series. MAPPA's creation leans more towards seriousness and drama with character psychology development, while the manga adaptation by Hajime Komoto is a comedy that parodies almost all well-known fantasy works about wizards, particularly 'Harry Potter'.

The manga 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' was published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine from January 2020. The final chapter was released just this week, so we can expect the work to be fully adapted to the screen. In total, 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' includes 18 volumes, with a total circulation exceeding 3 million copies. This is the first [and so far only] work by Hajime Komoto as a mangaka. Studio A-1 Pictures Inc. ('Blue Exorcist', 'Fairy Tail', 'Sword Art Online', 'Black Butler') saw good potential in this debut and clearly didn't miss the mark.

What's the Story?

In the vastness of the Magical World, magic is an everyday routine. Dragons live here, people fly on broomsticks, and social status is determined by magic. Humanity considers its abilities a divine gift, but not everyone is lucky. In the wilderness of the forest lives a wizard named Regro Burnedead. The thing is, his son Mash doesn't possess magic, so they are forced to live in seclusion so no one finds out.

But this couldn't go on forever, so one day, when Regro left home on business and as usual ordered his son not to go into town under any circumstances, something terrible happened. Mash disobeyed his father's warning and, driven by an important goal, went to where he clearly wouldn't be welcome — that very town. The hero absolutely had to buy some goblin cream puffs!

That's when fate played a cruel trick. When Mash was about to buy the coveted treat, a gust of wind blew off his hood and revealed his face without a birthmark to the world. All wizards are marked with such a mark, and it is how they determine whether a person is endowed with magic or not. The hero attracts the attention of the police, whose duty is to get rid of such people. Having found out where Regro and Mash live, police chief Brad Coleman breaks into the criminals' house hoping for an easy promotion, but no such luck. The mushroom-headed guy repelled all the spells with his bare hands. The fact is that the young man's incredibly impressive physical form helped him resist magic.

Impressed by such abilities, Brad decides to make a deal with Mash. The guy must go to the Easton School of Sorcery and become a Divine Visionary there, that is, the most outstanding student, giving all the honors of the title (power and money) to Coleman. If he succeeds, then the police will leave Mushroom Head and his father alone, but if the jock refuses, then his unfortunate family will be pursued by the authorities for the rest of their lives, wherever they go. Nothing to be done, Mash agrees, and so begins his adventure in the vastness of a mysterious and interesting magical world.

How's It Going in the Gym, Guys?

Right off the bat, it's easy to call the series 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' a mix of 'One-Punch Man' and 'Harry Potter'. Mash shares the same vibe as Saitama. Both are goofy and very unserious slackers endowed with incredible physical strength (though everyone understands that the Bald Cape would clearly beat Mushroom Head). But on top of that, Burnedead is also very naive and constantly thinks about cream puffs. Of course, he has a kind heart and will always help his family and friends, but afterwards he'll still stuff himself with cream puffs or go work out again.

As for the similarities with 'Harry Potter', listing all the parallels would require a separate article, but it's understandable since it's still a parody. Coleman even conjured a birthmark in the shape of a lightning bolt for Mash, reminiscent of the Boy Who Lived's scar. Some elements of the world are no different from the original source. For example, mandrakes were always screaming plants used in potion-making, and they remain so. Or the school director in both cases is an old and powerful good-natured man who values courage, kindness, and the willingness to protect others at the cost of one's own life. Plus, at the most crucial moment, he's, as per the classic, not at school. Such busy people, these directors.

In many moments, of course, the situations mocking the magical world are very exaggerated, so most of the humor is built on absurdity and cumulative effects. Jokes run through the entire season with the viewer, and while they might seem a bit cringey at first, over time they are refined, and in the end, you still can't resist, because laughter just bursts out.

Even the main plot setup of the anime 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' is very comical. It turns out that if Mash hadn't gone to town for cream puffs and just asked Regro to buy them, they would have continued living peacefully in their wilderness. It's like if one rubber idiot got sucked into a whirlpool in a barrel, the entire plot for a thousand episodes would collapse. Or if a certain rat hadn't freed an insect-like superhero from the quantum realm, we wouldn't have gotten the magnificent 'Quantumania'. In short, I think the point is clear.

Goodness Must Come with Fists

Of course, 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' can't boast a multi-layered and intricate plot, but that's not needed here. Most viewers already know what will happen, because it's a typical shonen with all its inherent tropes. There's the power of friendship, being an outsider, rivalry, and so on down the list, only most of it is humorously played out. That's the whole point — first and foremost, it's a parody aimed at making you laugh, because it's not for nothing that every enemy eventually becomes a friend.

However, 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' doesn't forget about a coherent plot beyond the jokes. True, there's no strong drama here, but there are other titles for that (like 'Hell's Paradise'). And it's hard to complain about the world-building. The universe, though painfully familiar, is still just as interesting. Especially since with each episode, the authors add new details, proving that there will be surprises.

For example, each wizard here has their own specific powers: some wield gravity magic, some fire magic, some doll magic. And it also turns out that the number of birth lines determines the strength and mana of wizards. And these aren't the last innovations in the fantasy universe. Moreover, it seems that the main potential of the world hasn't been revealed to us yet, and there will be things to see and be surprised by in the future. After all, the first season, like the 'Philosopher's Stone', is a teaser and an introduction to the main characters.

As for these very characters, Mash has gathered around him quite different people in terms of personality. In total, Mushroom Head gains four close friends — Finn Ames, Lance Crown, Dot Barrett, and Lemon Irvine. Honestly, almost all the guys are recognizable anime archetypes. They can easily be compared to the Straw Hat crew formed back in East Blue. They are all so different, but they are united by one thing — behind each one is a heartfelt story showing why their lives intersected at one point. And no matter how you look at it, they are good wizards striving to at least slightly fix the far-from-perfect Magical World.

Yes! Behind all the giggles and laughs of the series 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles', serious themes are still hidden, addressing the pressing problems of any society. As everywhere else, in the Magical World, money and power play a far from minor role, which is why corruption is so rampant and connections and social standing are so important. The poor and weak are oppressed, while the rich and powerful live it up, taking all the main positions in the Bureau of Magic (the main legal body). That's why the director sees a potential Divine Visionary in the kind Mash, because he understands that the Magical World now needs people like this cream puff lover.

What's the Verdict?

The dark horse of the spring season named 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' outran many competitors and finished neck and neck with top-tier titles. The anime is definitely worth attention, especially if you want to relax while watching a show with a simple plot and a great soundtrack, and also have a good laugh. The second season, scheduled for January, promises new fun adventures for Mushroom Head and his friends, so we hope for A-1 Pictures Inc. and keep our fingers crossed for them, and if necessary, we can not only keep them crossed but also use them (though we think it won't come to that and only Mash will be doing such things).