Mashle
Mashle: Magic and Muscles

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"One Punch Man meets Harry Potter".

You've got an indifferent OP protagonist (similar to Saitama or Mob) and a premise like Black Clover where the protagonist has no magic at all, but trains hard and uses brute muscle strength to outdo powerful magic. It is obvious that the author takes a lot of inspiration from Harry Potter, but a lot of the art and humor seems heavily inspired by ONE, and just like One Punch Man, it blurs the lines of being a gag manga and being a serious fantasy shounen.

If you're a big fan of OPM or Mob Psycho, I think you'll absolutely love Mashle.

Do not drop this manga after reading the first chapter~~!!! Don’t be like my past self!!!

Concerns:
-The art style of this manga isn’t top tier like some others.
-The beginning of the manga is boring.
-Why should I keep on reading?
If you have those thoughts in mind, you are just like my past self.

Answers:
-Indeed, the art isn’t top tier; however, the art will be a lot cleaner.
-Yes. Art is important. But… the strongest suit of this manga is its creativity in the STORYLINE. Even though it does contain a lot of elements from other stories/manga style, the plot of the manga is hella unique since the plot ... is unpredictable and original~
-You want to read this because this is a manga that sparks smiles, boiling blood from veins, and even a lil “warmth” inside your heart.


Story & Character: 10
Art: 7
Enjoyment: 10
Overall: 9

P.S. Just like someone else mentioned in the review, if you still dislike this manga after reading past chapter 3, then it is safe to say that this manga isn’t for you :) Happy reading!

At the moment of this review Mashle stands at 18 chapters, Mashle for me started out slow and seemingly like it would be axed but Mashle really picked up at Chapter 3 and has since been getting better and better with some of the best action and fights in recent Jump. The story follows Mash Vandead, a young teen with no magical powers of his own and is sent off to magic school to become a Divine Visionary. The series heavily mogs on Harry Potter which is personally really great for me as I'm not a fan of Potter at all. Mash himself is hilarious ... and such a great character to see in action. Characters like Lance and Duat are great and their reactions to Mash are hysterical. Artwise the series has heavily improved, objects of importance and spells have such cool and unique designs. The series is so funny and really knows how to build up hype during a battle and I'm hoping this series is here to stay.

The new hit anime starts up, and the manga ends. Worked for Demon Slayer, why not for Mashle?

As everyone has noted, it's Harry Potter with One-Punch Man as the main character, but while Saitama in that is shaped primarily by boredom, Mash is driven by absolute simple-minded goofery. He's an absolute dumbass in a way you see from Goku or Luffy, but multiplied by 3. If you can get behind that, then you'll have a lot of fun with Mashle.

The art starts off a little rough, but the action scenes shine throughout with beautiful spreads of the incredible feats of power as Mash fights overpowered ... foe after overpowered foe. The characters are all fairly flat, but there are enough of them to keep jokes circulating! You'll not find amazing character development here, but what little there is does feel nice. It's not a particularly deep series but it made me smile throughout, and has enough imagination to elevate it juuuuuuuuuust above a cheap parody of other, more developed franchises.

Definitely worth a read for a fan of action or comedy manga!

As of writing this review, Mashle is still in it's very early infancy, so this is by no means a complete opinion, simply a work in progress.

I think so far this is an enjoyable manga, it's funny in a very One type of way, the main character being clearly inspired by the likes of Saitama and Mob, however, the depth of Mash as well as the other characters in the story feel a little flat to me, and definitely lack the nuance it takes to completely pull off a One Punch Man type manga.

Mashle wears its influences very clearly on its sleeve, from the aforementioned ... One Punch Man/Mob-Psycho connection, to Harry Potter, to modern shonen like My Hero and Black Clover, which is not a bad thing, but it does seem hard to find an original idea among-st the influences, which detracts a little from the story.

It also lacks stakes so far, in stories like One Punch Man, it doesn't matter that no antagonist presents a threat to our heroes, because it's a seinen manga, the point of the story is to witness Saitama battle with his own mind, it's about mental growth as opposed to physical. On the other hand, Mash's goal is to get to the top in a physical sense, so the fact that up until now he has steamrolled through everyone that has stepped in his way, even after the manga tries to tell us that he's about to encounter a challenge only for him to one punch the supposed challenge, makes the consequences feel completely null. I hope a real challenge is introduced to him in the near future.

It's pretty much a by the numbers shonen with a One comedy style, it's enjoyable but didn't leave a mark on me.

I really tried to give this a fair shot but it really falls flat. Mashle wants so hard to be One Punch Man but it doesn't have the creative character designs or the absurdity of One's writing.

On a positive note, I did laugh at a lot of the jokes. Even as the joke got old, there was a giant grin on my face.

The problem comes from its place as a parody of the guy outside of the world's power system. It's one joke of a really dense guy who punches his way through weak wizards while eating cream puffs does eventually run dry. The ... art is okay and the character designs are awful with most characters just being a male with a line down their face. Every joke's punchline is a deadpan low detailed face.

This story really feels like someone who thought they could make an OPM version of Harry Potter to cash in to make some money. If you are looking for round 2 of OPM or the underdog story of something like Chivalry of a Failed Knight be ready for a letdown or look elsewhere.

Throws out any speck of consistence in favour of a cheap laugh...

It is basically the absurd humor, but with the author inserting 2D characters showing their amazed reactions which is a big bummer ,considering it is not too original.

I mean if they didn't try to force the jokes on every scene it would be better, but they don't (all the chances of showing continuity and a slight development are ruined for an easy joke).

Most of the jokes wouldn't even have sense if they just left the MC alone. And the "development" si just an excuse to create the next scene. It is just ... a better drawn version of reverse Mob Psycho 100 (with all the things that ruin manga mixed together). They completely ruin good fights with either, over-explanations of irrelevant and inconsistent powers or having the MC repeat the same jokes over and over.

At least it does give you some laughs and doesn't have echi...

Take the least interesting elements of OPM and plop them into a magical world (suspiciously like Harry Potter) and you get this.

In all seriousness, I'm only about 17 chapters in and I'm still hoping there's some sort of interesting factor for me to look forward to. It tries to be tongue-in-cheek/satirical about the Harry Potter world but it's mostly surface level.

The biggest problem I have is with the main protagonist, Mash. If you're gonna write a jokey character like him, why should I care when things get serious? At least with Saitama, we get a lot of his inner thoughts and feelings. His motivation is ... force-fed to us in the early chapters and we never get anything deeper.

Otherwise, this doesn't capture the charm like OPM and just rehashes things that we've seen before.

If you want to read something that's funny and has substance, go read OPM or Mob Psycho. If you already have, just read them again, it's not like you can't have enough.

Much like most comparisons, it's Mob Psycho 100/One Punch Man in a fantasy world, focused on mostly comedy and at times, becomes more serious. The problem is that when it does become serious, it becomes a generic and boring manga.


Story: 4/10
The manga's story in itself isn't much of interest. It's the typical "defeat the big bad" kind of deal, and you'll see some parts that are intentionally and outright taken from popular media. Some are from pure laziness, while others are for comedic effect.

Now, to the huge problems the manga faces, which only really happens later on. The story suddenly becomes more down-to-earth and serious, ... which would be fine, if it wasn't so incredibly boring. You can predict every single fight, every plot point, and every single twist. It's not because it's decently written, it's because of how generic the manga becomes.
The only thing that's keeping interest is the comedy aspect. Remove that, and it's a typical shounen you've read hundreds of times before, the same and frequent; "teamwork is important" (which, in this manga does SO FREQUENTLY!), "power/status isn't everything", and the obvious "oh, I'm losing? Here, a power-up." You'll never really feel like the 'important' characters would die, except for other obvious ones. Heck, most side characters won't die, even during serious moments. They'll get injured for sure, but what the hell's the point if you're bleeding like a fountain and wake up a few chapters after, completely fine?

While there are definitely highlights even during a few serious moments, it's outdone by most stories that can mix comedy and seriousness. What makes things interesting is our protagonist. The story fails when it does become serious because you have the protagonist poking fun at it, which is actually a good thing because the serious-toned story is incredibly boring. But even so, the protagonist is the highlight of the manga, and if you dislike him, you'll hate this manga. This comes to my next point.


Characters: 6.5/10
It starts off great, you're introduced to an overpowered character with zero "talent", forced upon a school full of them. What differentiates between OPM and Mob Psycho is, as you continue to read, the hilarity of how the protagonist uses his own power to pretty much cartoonishly make a mockery of everything other characters. It's not just "oh, overpower and win". They're not often badass fights with the protagonist, but the protagonist's fights are very creative and just downright hilarious. The way he treats the villains as well as degrading, poking fun (unintentionally) at the serious tone.

This brings me to the second point, the only reason it's a 6/10 is the protagonist holding the 5 points up. The other side characters and villains are incredibly tropey, along with their intentions. The reasons for the characters fighting are so incredibly overdone tropes, that it actually feels like you're reading stolen characters. Some are actually just straight rip-offs.
As an example, there is a character that is obsessed with their sister in a creepy way and uses magic. He's also incredibly selfish and mostly believes in himself, but at times acts to help others when the story demands it. Does it sound like anyone? Maybe from something in Black Clover?
Another character is an old headmaster of a school with a white beard and hat, considered to be one of the strongest mages before losing to the big bad villain. That's f***ing Dumbledore.

Probably intentional. It's a gag manga. But if you're going to use these tropes or steal characters outright, there needs to be something different. Unless the joke is "Oh, look at this character, now he's in our funny world!", these stolen characters do not add anything. There are definitely a few characters that aren't just taken from other manga and media, some that are actually decent. But even most of the original characters are uninteresting. Not just from how they write the characters, but how they develop and become so incredibly generic.
The only thing redeeming about the side characters is when they interact with our protagonist. I've never read a villain character that I care about in this manga, due to most of their plain and a few serious personalities. Most of them will probably read off the same as others. Everything is just bland in comparison to our great protagonist.


Art: 6.5/10
It's not bad, completely serviceable and the artstyle compliments the tone during comedic moments. The facial expressions especially are done well and help with the jokes a lot, even during serious ones, the artstyle adds more. They don't make it confusing with the paneling, albeit at times a bit uninteresting. The protagonist does keep it interesting, as his artstyle changes from a goofy, less serious one to a much more serious tone. It does happen to our other characters which is fun, but for our protagonist especially, is usually the highlight. All in all, the artstyle isn't grand or horrible, but it's not in the middle, either.


Overall: 6
The manga tries to shift it into a serious tone, but that I think is the downfall of this manga. What initially was a hilarious manga about an overpowered protagonist and his funny sidekicks just becomes a worse Black Clover, Fairy Tail, and Harry Potter of a story.
I recommend, if you do decide to read this, to only focus on the comedic parts. You can actually skip most of the dialogues when it becomes too serious, except the ones where our protagonist is involved.

This manga is the first manga I have read weekly from beginning to the end and although I enjoy it, it isn't that great. I love the main character mashle thoroughly but the side characters definitely leave a lot to be desired. While the main side characters are pretty cool and I do get hyped for them when they battle I don't really care as much as I would with other series. I wouldn't say the plot is bland but it definitely isn't all that great. The plot is pretty straight forward which I like but it doesn't give the chance to really explore the ... world. I like that it didn't stretch that long and that it ended at a decent high note. In the end it is a good read but don't expect a revolutionary or insanely intricate story. Just a good read for a fun time.

While it does have a neat concept going for it, it has a lot of problems that hold it back pretty bad for me.

The characters don't feel like they have much depth, feeling like they exist as a small handful of character traits and not much else.

It's very reliant on tropes and running gags for its humor, so it doesn't really stand out there either.

And the worldbuilding is a little bit interesting with the way the big bads are being slowly established. But the manga also seems to contradict its own worldbuilding with saying how rare 2 line magic users are despite ... them being really common within the story.

It does have pretty nice art, especially on the backgrounds and during fight scenes, so it's got that going for it, but without a really good story and characters to back that up I can't really recommend this manga to anyone.

Mashle is a really fun series going on in shonen jump and it seems to be a jumble of fun different story elements. Think about if One Punch Man was mixed with the Harry Potter franchise and you have Mashle.

Story: 7 The story is basic but works quite well. Mash Vandead is a non magic user in a world of magic and yet, he has to attend a school for magic users using his enormous strength to get by. While there is much more to the story but thats the basic synopsis. This story helps create a lot of comedy similar to ... the way one punch man does with its overpowered protaganist.

Art: 8 I've heard a lot of people say the art in Mashle isn't as good as a lot of art in shonen jump I highly disagree. The art is unique and helps with comedic effect. A lot of physical comedy is present in the series and the art helps make it even. The art works well in action scenes and the character designs are very fun and unique.

Characters: 7 The characters in this series are pretty good. While characters on the atagonist side of the story aren't very interesting the main cast is fun and a joy to read. The main character, Mash isn't the smartest person out there but he uses his tremendous strength to overcome most obstacles he has even when they seem completely impossible. The rest of the cast is fun including Mash's energetic friend/rival Dot Barret and his timid but nice friend Finn.

Enjoyement: 8 This series is fun is you're just looking for some laughs. The fun characters and fun physical comedy help make the otherwise kind of generic story very fun to read and keep up with

Overall: If you feel like keeping up with a series similar to One Punch Man, Mashle is the series for you and I reccomend it.

Can't say it's not entertaining at all but it doesn't have an ounce of original thought in it.

It's a mishmash of ideas from many different authors that goes beyond simply being inspired to straight up monkeying. You could say it's a weird Lego of a manga.

Even bigger problem is that the author is trying to mimic ONE's style of writing but he fails to live up to both the comedy of OPM and the more serious subjects of Mob Psycho 100.

That said, it's a decent read if you just want some light entertainment and aren't bothered by recycled ideas.

Here's hoping the author manages to find ... his own identity.

I mean it literally is One-Punch Man in harry potter. The only difference is that the one punch man (mash burnstead here) is a total goofball instead of depressed. There-in lies the strength of Mashle, its comedy and over-the-top-ness.

GOOD BITS: It can be quite funny. You'll find out if the humour is for you in the first chapter, but I think for the most part it's quite funny. The other thing I previously mentioned is how over the top it is. Seemingly impossible situations are created yet are thwarted with incredible ease. Again, this might not be for everyone, but it works very well and ... is far more fitting in the comedy-action Mashle than the action-comedy One-Punch Man. (spoiler for opm but yes this is in reference to the lava squrit gun that replaced a great fight) Back to Mashle, the artwork really improves. At first it's very simplistic, often without backgrounds but as the story progresses the artwork improves greatly while still staying consistently simple and effective.

BAD BITS: The story isn't paced Well. It's quite often just a slew of fights without much room for the characters. If you're only reading for the fights (which are really stellar) this won't be a problem but otherwise it can be quite noticable. This is especially noticable in Lemon and Finn, who are vastly underutilised. The main trio get a lot of focus and the other characters do have some moments, but for the most part the characters are pretty black and white. The story and themes are quite simplistic. This isn't necesarilly bad but it is noticable how much the story is "fight him. Ok fight this guy who is the last guys boss now." This again isn't that bad if the fights and comedy are the main things you're after, but it's something to look out for.

OVERALL: Pretty good. Great fun. It's paced quite fast and doesnt leave enough room for the characters or story, but the fights and humour are exceptional. If you like One-Punch Man you will probably like this. If you dont like the first chapter, it probably won't be for you, but give it a shot anyway and find out.

The story is quite simple to understand and not complex. The fight might be predictable but still enjoyment. All of Mashle characters likable. Maybe you hate/didn't like them in the beginning but later you will like them. For example, I'm pretty sure anime watchers hate Finn Ames and Dot Barrett, and I didn't like Finn too and annoyed with Dot in the beginning, but later I realised that I quite relates to his character and that make me like him. About Dot, I like his character development in manga.

These are rules reading Masle manga👇:


1st rule:Never get serious with this manga. If you read seriously, ... you will lost a lot of enjoyment of this manga.

2nd rule:Enjoy read the manga

If you hate ecchi like me, this manga is for you😎

p/s:Sorry for my bad english. English is not my first language😅

It's not fair to compare this to One Punch Man OR Harry Potter. Mashle comes into its one very quickly and while it may have started righting the coattails of Harry Potter it's far away from that now.

I have made a few different points on why the manga is good and why it's not so good in my video so you can check that if you want. Just to the link in the profile.

Now to direct this:

Story - 5 (Jokes - 9)
While yeah the plot leaves the whole parody part in the dust after a few chapters what takes that place is just a ... standard shonen "now we battle" type deal. Don't get me wrong I like that deal but in this case, it's not executed that great...so it's kinda just there to move things along.

JOKES are what everything revolves around. That's why the story is so lackluster because it only exists as a vehicle for the jokes. Lucky the jokes are actually funny. The manga doesn't rely on funny faces or wacky situations to be funny... there are actual jokes... like setup punchline-type stuff which is something that lacks in most comedy manga. The faces and situations pop up from time to time but since they are kinda rare it catches you by surprise when it happens.

Art - 7
When the manga started it was clear that the art was made by someone that's not that experienced and that showed in panels however when you get good 30 chapters in you can clearly see that the mangaka has improved and the whole experience is much more stylized. The 2-page art is on point too but apart from that very normal, standard.

Characters - 5
Well just like the story characters are kind of not that well-executed and plain. Now when it comes to the main cast that is good since all of them are very flexible and can become the straight man to a joke right away buuut the villains and everyone else basically just suffers from being so simple and samey.

Enjoyment - 9
In every chapter there is an audible laugh to be had this is some standard well-executed comedy stuff. I wanted some simple fun and I got it, is it a fair tradeoff for all the characters, plot, power systems, etc? No, not really... still had a good time tho.

Overall - 7
Since only the comedy is well executed the whole thing is very bite-sized and able to be consumed weekly just like how I have since chapter 6 or so. Now that kinda influences my score since I am a bit of a "long-time fan" so if I try to take personal feeling out of this it's probably a 6 like most of the fellas here are suggesting.

Turn your brain off and have a good time.

In todays modern mainstream and even "not so well known" mangas and anime at that, this series just feels like a breath of fresh air.
It doesn't take itself too seriously and that's a lot of fun, because that's how you can see the creativity in the absurdity that mashle brings to the table.
It doesn't try to be super long with complicated and oversaturated twists and turns, it takes you from point A to point B in a super fun way. Be it the character designs, be it the story arcs, be it the "out of nowhere" jokes, be it the power-system, be it the the ... niche aspects that it has sometimes.
I started first with watching the anime and just about when things take a turn, I switched to the manga because I simply could not have enough of the story and of mashle.
Don't go in to read this with a serious critic's mind, just let loose, lay back in your chair, and have fun while reading (or watching!)
Oh and of course I have to give a spotlight for the second op of the anime, fresh, interesting and in my opinion captures exactly the essence of the series, I think its the best op that they could given it!

The New One Punch Man.

The story of Mashle Muscles and Magic takes you to a World Similar to Harry potter and Black Clover, and gives it a new flavor. Combining the magic world of Black Clover, and the heavily inspired magic academy from Harry potter, it is easy to dismiss it as a copy of these two. There are many references, and clear comparisons between the stories. A non-magic protagonist, A magic academy that it almost Hogwarts, magic spells that are for each individual, and a dense protagonist. But like One Punch Man, it made an amazing Narrative in a generic world with its comical, ... and overpowered Protagonist. And in this story Its about Mash striving to be in the top of the Academy to protect his family from the department of Magical bureau, with some amazing comedy.

As the series is part comedy, the comedy is there in the existence of Mash. As someone without magic in a Magic school, he is forced to fake all these spells in hilarious ways, his pure strength saving hum. He needs to ride a broom for a test? He chucks the broom at superspeed and jumps on as it flies, creating a world record. Again and again showcased is his pure physical strength applied in different ways, each more creative and funnier than the last, the highlights the stunned expressions of the onlookers. And unlike One punch man, where the same joke is set up, and if you aren’t invested it may seem a bit repetitive, Mashle constantly creates different setups with a similar and yet so different punchline.

The Comedy by itself works great, but what enhances it is the art. While it isn’t on the level of Murata’s One Punch Man, it works well, using a somewhat niche art style. Their hands are larger than normal, and their calfs thin, however they hardly have any impact on your eyes, still looking normal. With physically impossible feats drawn center and clear, it showcases the insane amount of physical exercise he went through, and simple things we do, that could be twisted to magic, if we level it high enough. The fights are nicely choreographed, the better fights belonging to Mash. Without Magic it creates some interesting fights, as he either makes up magic, or finds insane ways to combat the other powers.

The Characters for the most part are generic, but contain enough character to be enjoyed on screen. They are each different and unique in many aspects, creating a great group dynamic and are fun to watch screen. And while there are no arcs dedicated to particular characters, the character writing for the protagonists remains small but effective, showing the characters personalities through interaction rather than backstory. The Antagonists on the other hand, get the short end of the stick, having personality, but not enough, making some rather bland opposing characters. They receive very little development as a whole, but there are a couple who receive the odd development, and it works out for them. Comedy is the main focus of the story so don’t go expecting the deepest and most relatable villains.

The narrative isn’t perfect however. Like many shonen, the power escalates faster than expected, and yet still fails to bring tension to the mix, creating some battles that are boring for the most part. The narrative also seems to change rather fast the three arcs having very little to no connection, and seeming to end to quick, despite spanning past 25 chapters each. Currently the Narrative has made a compete turn, and depending on how it is handled can harm the series quite a bit, as it currently has little connection the plot. However, the story is only in its beginning stages, and for all we know it can be explained later on.

Mashle is the only story in which your Objective POV and Subjective POV will differ in such degrees. Enjoyment of the series would be 9/10, having amazing comedy mixed with some boring chapters. But Objectively the story doesn’t stand out, as it almost copies its contemporaries as apparent in my review. I have referenced many other media as a way of describing it, as it has very few original ideas. However each chapter will leave you laughing(more so as the story progresses) and is a very light read, taking at most 3 minutes to complete each chapter.

I highly suggest you check out this hidden gem.

Story 6/10
Art 8/10
Character 6/10
Enjoyment 9/10
Overall 7.5/10

Currently not up to date with Mashle. Just my current opinions

Story:5/10
Starts as a 9 but then just becomes a Harry Potter knockoff.

Art:7/10
Compared to some Manhua and other manga it isn't the best but it certainly is quite good

Characters:6/10
The characters are very weird. The characters basically all have just 1 or 2 traits.
...
Overall:6/10
Decent but it's way too similar to Harry Potter and the characters aren't as interesting. If you want to read it, you can but it isn't the best manga nor the the worst. IF your on the fence just give it 10 ch or so. you may like it.

I will continue to update this review as the manga continues.

Maybe its just the shounen formula but I feel like this story is missing that page-turner spice. Like, I don't know how many more absolutely deplorable people I can handle being redeemed with the most basic sob story. Like as a made up example; "I'm a serial killer who hates woman because in preschool a girl who I was playing house with divorced me". The main character collecting friends like pokemon is kind of a staple of shounen I guess. You can really see all of the influences on this story which isn't a bad thing but it would be nice if there was something ... that couldn't be traced back to some of the most popular franchises of the last 2 decades.
The style is great but the story is a little lackluster and predictable.
If you really want more harry potter and one punch man then this is definitely for you.