REVIEW: ‘Mashle: Magic and Muscles’ Episode 19 – “Mash Burnedead And the Magical Maestro”

The battle has begun. With Mash Burnedead (Chiaki Kobayashi) squaring off against Margarette Macron (Takehito Koyasu, Blade Runner: Black Lotus), the biggest fight yet is underway in Mashle: Magic and Muscles Episode 19 “Mash Burnedead And the Magical Maestro.”

What is a narrative to do when it paints itself into a corner? When it drives home an element of a character so hard that making the slightest move outside their core personality will be nothing but jarring? It is a problem that hampers the best action sequence we’ve gotten yet from this series. And unfortunately, the narrative has no good answer for it.

As Mashle Episode 19 progresses through its central battle, we see Mash facing off against his first genuine challenge. Macron’s attacks manage to stop Mash in his tracks several times. He can also counter the protagonist’s prodigious strength, allowing him to deny Mash another one-shot victory. In a vacuum, this back-and-forth crafts the best battle the series has seen. However, it doesn’t exist in a vacuum. And how these moments clash with Mash as a character severely undercut their validity.

The best example of this problem comes when Macron begins attacking Mash at the speed of sound. While Mash is initially powerless to predict his opponent’s attacks, he quickly comes up with a solution. Mash’s conclusion requires an intricate understanding of sound and physics. But this is Mash. This guy can’t consistently operate a standard door without ripping it off the hinges. Yet somehow, he grasps concepts of sound that no one ever interacts with daily. The series has gone so far out of its way to drive home how dumb Mash is that this sudden tactical genius feels beyond implausible.

While this complete disregard for Mash’s established character is a big hurdle for Mashle Episode 19 to overcome, it is the only notable one. The episode does a great job of crafting an exciting back-and-forth between the combatants throughout the episode. Macron’s brilliance with magic is played up wonderfully.

How they utilize sound is clever. Rather than simple sonic-based attacks, the character deploys a myriad of styles of maneuver to confound our hero. From speed augmentation to giant fists crafted from music paper, Macron has the deepest spellbook to pull from we’ve seen yet. The animation does a great job of bringing Macron’s plethora of attacks to life, helping to keep the proceedings exciting.

Like his opponent, Mash brings some unique moments to the episode-long brawl. Excluding the above complaint, each of Mash’s counters delivers an exciting quirk to the battle. Utilizing both raw strength and speed, Mash expands his approach to keep pace with his adversary.

The animation continues to deliver Mash’s overwhelming physical abilities well. His speed and raw power always feel realized within the visuals. The viewer can appreciate the shocking force of each punch thanks to how well the animation delivers them.

The only way Mashle Episode 19 could’ve improved upon this battle would be to let Mash suffer some damage. Despite being hit with sonic attacks that cause blood geysers to spurt from his ears, he never seems fazed by any of the hits Macron lands. If the series ever wants any of the battles to have significance, it must let Mash appear hurt. Otherwise, there will never be a sense of danger to the obstacles he overcomes.

While Mash eventually manages to subdue his foe, he doesn’t get long to bask in his victory. A portal opens as cracks form in the sky, and the enigmatic Innocent Zero appears. Accompanied by a flight of dragons, Innocent Zero’s arrival delivers a great sense of foreboding danger. This arrival does a great job of establishing the threat he poses, following through on the first ominous hints we got about him earlier in the season.

The villain casually freezes everyone at the stadium to further establish his power level. As he approaches Mash, we learn through a monologue that Mash is the villain’s son. Seeking to take Mash away, the villain prepares to depart, but not before he is approached by Wahlberg (Mugihito), who refuses to allow him to leave with Mash.

Ending on this note, Mashle Episode 19 ends in a suspenseful tone. What will come of our hero with Mash’s fate in someone else’s hands? Hopefully, the payoff in next week’s episode will be worthy of the setup.

Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season 2 is streaming now on Crunchyroll.