REVIEW: ‘Mashle: Magic And Muscles’ Episode 23 — “Mash Burnedead And The Origin Of The Greatest Magic User”

With Wahlberg (Mugihito) failing to defeat Innocent Zero (Shin’ichirô Miki), it seems his time is up. But before the villain can deliver the death blow, Mash (Chiaki Kobayashi) arrives to save the day. But even his prodigious might may not be enough to stop the villain’s plans in Mashle: Magic and Muscles Episode 22, “Mash Burnedead and the Origin of the Greatest Magic User” from A-1 pictures.

After casually evading Wahlberg’s ultimate attack at the crux of the last episode, it felt like we had found the peak of Zero’s powers. However, the villain shows he has even more tricks up his sleeve when he duplicates his old compatriot’s spells. Now armed with his time magic, Wahlberg’s spacial magic, and their master’s dark magic, it feels like nothing should be able to slow him down. As it turns out, nothing external can, at least. Even Mash’s vaunted strength fails to put a dent in the villain. With no defense against the final attacks, it feels like all hope is lost. Until Zero’s body begins to rebel. His new powers overwhelm him, forcing the villain to retreat until he can adapt.

While it was obvious something was going to stop the battle prematurely, how Mashle Episode 23 ends the moment is perhaps the worst. It feels lazy. It goes for the easiest cliche possible to escape its own narrative trap. This non-conclusion leaves all the fighting and drama the series was laboring to produce dead. It doesn’t feel like a win.

As Zero departs he gifts the heroes with one last challenge. He gathers all the monsters defeated at the coliseum and merges them into one, gigantic creature. Setting it loose on the school, he then rescinds his time freeze, ensuring a panic as the students discover their imminent peril.

Some of the cooler heads at the stadium attempt to halt the monster’s progress. However, a magical barrier protects the creature. Believing it to be the work of whoever spirited Cell away, several people search for the caster. They hope to drop the shield before the monster can kill the students.

Moments before the monster begins its gruesome work, Mash appears. Grasping a giant chain dangling from the creature, Mash enters a tug-of-war with the monster. With the fate of the entire school resting on his shoulders, Mashle Episode 23 enters its critical moment.

As the students witness Mash’s valiant struggle on his behalf, a change takes place. Those who once mocked Mash’s very existence begin to cheer for him. They encourage the young man’s struggle with all their hearts. The show presents this as the moment when the school’s students overcome their social prejudices to accept Mash. The most obvious problem with this moment is self-interest. People will cheer for anything that benefits them. Zero could be out there fighting and they’d hoot and holla for him. This would be true even if they knew all the horrors he’d unleashed. As long as he’s saving them now, that’s all that counts. This makes the moment feel like a miss in its attempt to depict a widespread change of heart.

Further tarnishing the moment is the limited scope of what’s happening. Let’s assume they accept Mash even after the imminent threat has passed. Does that mean they will accept all non-magical individuals as equals? Only if they can win a game of tug-of-war with a 100-foot-tall monster. The narrative pushes Mash to such heights of strength that it’s impossible to believe that any acceptance he wins will be extended to others. And if the moral “win” of the series is only intended for Mash, is that really enough?

Mashle Episode 23‘s big moment also hampers itself with obvious practical problems. Mash’s test of strength with the monster shouldn’t happen. As the hero digs in to stop his opponent, we see him being dragged through the dirt, his heels leaving trenches behind him. But his opponent is pulling from nearly 100 feet higher than him. Why isn’t he simply lifted off the ground, rendering all of his strength moot? Because that doesn’t work for the story. As always, even the most basic rules of physics are ignored for the convenience of the plot.

The visual presentation does its best to build the drama of the growing crisis. Mash’s struggle and the student’s panic are brought to life well. The camera work does its job skillfully, putting the viewer in the middle of the fear, panic, and eventual triumph.

Mashle Episode 23 continues down the same road the series has been on. Plagued by obvious plot holes and morality moments that fall short, the series continues trying to be far more than it is capable of being.

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