English Dub Review: Mashle: Magic and Muscles “Mash Burnedead and the Body of the Gods”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

This is the Magic Realm. Naturally, all who reside in this world can use magic. Magic is a normal part of everyday life. But deep within a certain forest lives a boy named Mash and his father figure, Regro. Mash was frequently told to avoid going into town. The reason being, the mark that is ever present on everyone’s face does not exist on Mash—for he cannot use magic. One day, while Regro is away, Mash ventures into town to buy his favorite cream puffs…

Our Take:

“The Wizarding World” hit a snag last year when the latest Fantastic Beasts film, “The Secrets of Dumbledore”, underperformed at the box office. Long story short, it struggled to capture the magic of the iconic Harry Potter films that inspired many book-turned-movies in the genre. So until we know when we’ll see this magical realm again, we have another “Wizarding World” to visit from the anime department. After debuting in 2020, this peculiar fantasy series has made its way to the screen to compete with the cinematic money-making franchise from Warner Brothers.

The first episode of Mashle introduces viewers to the Magic Realm, where people can use their magical abilities if they have black marks on their faces. Unfortunately, the only exception is our protagonist, Mash Burnedead. Mash lives in the forest under the protection of Regro and gains superhuman strength and athleticism to compensate for his lack of magic. This makes Mash an outsider to the public since “Unmarked” beings are considered a threat to society. While visiting the city to buy cream puffs, Mash has his physical abilities tested when he encounters two police officers, Terry and his boss Brad.

Here, we have an anime version of Harry Potter with subtle pieces of One Punch Man and religious undertones sprinkled on it. The reason for the latter is that the episode portrays people’s beliefs that God gave them black marks as gifts so they can use magic in this world. However, they also believe that God hates those who are Unmarked for bringing imbalance to the realm. As a result, the police are brought into this realm to eradicate the Unmarked before they threaten society. That is until Brad offers Mash a deal that’ll keep him and his father figure safe from danger.  

The One Punch Man reference comes from Mash, who almost resembles Saitama if he still has hair. Another difference between the characters is that Mash has a blunt and dimwitted personality and is seen with a deadpan expression, similar to Raido Matsuboshi from Aharen-san wa Hakarenai. He can’t even fix the door without breaking it further. That’s how dumb this guy is. But, of course, amid his stupidity, he also has a good heart whenever Regro is in danger. This is showcased at the end of the episode, where Mash accepts the deal of enrolling in the magic academy to keep Regro safe from harm. I also got a sudden reminder that Mash is reminiscent of Atsuko Kagari from Little Witch Academia regarding their lack of magical backgrounds.

Overall, the first episode started on the right foot with its concept and humor, even though some elements are far from original. Aside from specific moments involving the black outlines being too massive in the character designs, the animation by A-1 Pictures looked pretty decent so far regarding its magic sequences. Additionally, Aleks Le was solid in portraying Mash’s deadpan and dumb personality, serving as part of the show’s comedy. The question now is whether Mash’s nature can carry the rest of the series without slowly becoming excruciatingly irritating. Only time will tell as the outsider is about to test his muscles at the magic academy.