Spotlight#152: Mashle 

Have you ever wondered what the love child of Harry Potter, One Punch Man, and Black Clover would look like? Well, wonder no more cause under the spotlight today, we've got Hajime Kōmoto's manga debut: Mashle: Muscles and Magic.

Summary

In a world where one's worth is determined by their ability to learn and cast magic, Mashle Burnedead is an anomaly. Cast aside as a baby, Mash was born without the ability to cast spells until he fell into the arms of his adoptive father, Regreo, who hid him away in the forest to prevent Mash's secret from getting discovered. However, as the boy grew up, it became increasingly clear that Mash had a god-like physique in exchange for his supernatural aptitude.

A fact once found out by Brad Coleman, a corrupt police officer who blackmails Mash into trying to become a Divine Visionary, effectively the magical version of a valedictorian. Or else his existence as a non-magical being will have him and his father put down like a dog. So armed with no other options, Mash does what any reasonable person would do and proceeds to Easton Academy, where he'll prove cream puffs are the best! Oh, and save his family or something.

Characters

Mashle: You know, I would say that Mash is a gym rat, but that feels like the understatement of the century. If you aren't a cream-filled pastry, you're never getting inside this man's head. Mash is a fitness nut who always speaks and acts in the most blunt manner possible while being very dim. Still, Mash's simplicity guides him to be a vital source of compassion and determination.

Finn: Mash's first friend in Easton, Finn often serves as the straight man to Mashle's madness. He's incredibly average across the board and very cowardly. Yet his kindness carries him to be Mashle's most ardent ally.

Lemon: Often in the background, Lemon is incredibly kind yet eccentric. After being saved, my Mash Lemon became his unofficial finance.

Lance: Serving as Mash's main rival, Lance is obsessed with one thing only, his darling little sister Anna. When he's not being an obsessive little creep, Lance is a cool and honorable man who wishes to live up to his family's standards. His specialty magic is Gravity.

Dot: Rounding out the friend group we have, Dot. He's a volcanic-laden redhead who tries to be the "main character" in his life. His prevalent envy often fuels his explosive magic and violent outbursts toward anyone he sees as better than himself. After meeting Mashle, though, he becomes a lot nicer.

Overview

I had no idea what I was expecting when I got into Mashle. I saw a lot of conflicting opinions on it during its run, but its recent end is what turned my interest to fully blast it. If I had only one sentence to describe Muscles and Magic, it's a fun gag series that moonlights as a fun yet simple battle shonen manga.

Every character in this joint is incredibly barebones and armed with a singular goofy trait, so we get some cheap laughs from it (Ex: Lance's sister complex rebounding off a villain's mother complex). This is a good thing since Mashle still has lots of funny moments. The shockingly creative ways Kōmoto can shock the audience through Mash's speed is endlessly entertaining.

This Creativity extends well into the fight scenes. Kōmoto may rely on cartoonish expressions a lot, but the thin, sketchy style of Mashle's some excellent art and paneling (except for those skinny ass chicken legs) that can produce some fire ass fight scenes. From sound manipulation, puppet creation, and even space control, there is a wide variety of magical mayhem here.

Our characters often have to rely on outthinking and resolving their opponent. Even if it leads to some of the most "my sword can cause infinity plus one damage" ass conclusions I've ever seen. Mash can fly by kicking his feet in the air or being so fast he can inertia drift like a car will live rent-free in my head for a while.

Like I said before, though, Mashle has a simple yet strong depth that can be underappreciated. The world of this series is far from a happy one. Since inherent worth is tied to magic, characters are either pushed to rip apart their fellow man or remain in utter solitude. Meaning it's up to Mash to knock some sense into them.

And as his power, allies, and notoriety goes, we get time to see how his positive effect on the world prospers. Former enemies turn into harsh partners who bring their development within time. However, the short length of Mashle combined with its jokey nature makes the development of said characters laughably easy or thrown to the side (looking at you, Lemon).

Like for a system that relies heavily on characters being prodigies of magic, these first years sure can put up a good fight. A way to circumvent this was to focus on the magic school aspect or have more slice-of-life adventures. The short time also hurts the villains. Outside of a couple of fringe examples, almost all of them can be described as big jerks who command a lot of magical power. They at least do their job as hard punching bags well, though.

Epilogue

All in all, for what it is, Mashle is fine. It's a story that doesn't reinvent the wheel, nor is it a multi-layered masterpiece. However, I will always prefer a narrative that knows what it is at its core, then try and fail to overextend itself. If you're looking for a short but entertaining romp, I can't recommend Mashle enough. In regards to who's next on the Shonen Jump chopping block, though, only time will tell. Only the spotlight will tell.