REVIEW: ‘Mashle: Magic And Muscles’ Episode 9 — “Mash Burnedead And The Accelerated Battle”

With new enemies appearing to challenge Mash and his friends at the end of the last episode, Mashle: Magic And Muscles Episode 9 picks right up with Lance facing off against his chosen foe. These opponents are taking their magic to a new level that hasn’t been seen before in the series. Amidst all the spell-slinging, we even get some great character moments from the heroes and villains alike.

The opening battle wonderfully sets the tone for the episode. As Lance and his opponent, Wirth, clash, we see the magical powers present in their function in ways magic hasn’t been able to before, crafting new possibilities for the show moving forward. The bar raises as Mashle: Magic And Muscles Episode 9‘s visuals do a great job of bringing the increased level of power to the pitched battle with resounding visual force.

While the sheer power of the combatants’ magic lends plenty of energy to the fight, it is the ideological conflict that persists between the two that makes it so the confrontation has heightened gravitas. Wirth and Lance verbally spar as the magic flies with Wirth’s claims about worth and strength challenging Lance’s worldviews. This running verbal exchange during the battle offers insights at how each of the combatants feels, the significant differences between them, as well as further expanding the show’s world and how deeply magical skill is prized and valued.

These themes are given greater depth when Mashle: Magic And Muscles Episode 9 moves past the initial confrontation to join Mash as he faces his opponent. Again, we get the magical, as well as physical, abilities of the participants taken to the next level, all while another deep philosophical moment plays out.

Mash’s opponent introduces a new wrinkle into the magical world, The Eye of the Devil, which is an ability that manifested in the boy at a young age. Whoever the wielder of The Eye looks at with this bloodshot left eye cannot wield their magical powers till he looks away. Viewed as an affront to the magical gifts that God bestows upon the people of the world, his parents locked him away, lest people know of his shameful secret. How this upbringing has caused the young man to become twisted in his views on the value of human life is understandable. Because of this the character plays as a perfect foil for Mash, who could’ve easily ended up the same way in his world outlook, had he not been taken in by someone as kind-hearted as Pops. Mash’s foe even tells him that he is clearly blessed, as he assumes the protagonist’s ability to be so kind must stem from a fair gentler upbringing than the one he knew.

All of the emotionally charged verbal exposition helps build up the tension of this second confrontation until it explodes in Mash’s physical victory over his foe. While flawed on a conceptual level, the results are impressive enough that, combined with the earlier emotional tension, it’s easy to get caught up in the energy and hype of the final clash between the two.

Mashle: Magic And Muscles Episode 9 demonstrates just how great the series can be when it brings all of its greatest strengths together without relying too much on its often underwhelming humor. A bit here and there is all it needs, as the rest of the show carries far more promise that the humor does.

Mashle: Magic And Muscles Episode 9 is streaming on Crunchyroll.