Webcomic artist ONE took the world by storm in 2009 with the crudely-drawn viral hit “One-Punch Man. This led to a redrawn comic with art by Yusuke Murata and an internationally successful TV series.
The high-concept of a superhero that comically invalidated all evildoers with a single blow was so accessible that inevitably, at least a few future works would seem like obvious derivatives.
With that being said, Hajime Komoto’s “Mashle: Magic and Muscles” is “One-Punch Man” by way of “Harry Potter.” The main character even resembles Mob from ONE’s second most famous work, the superlative “Mob Psycho 100.”
That’s probably all you need to know in order to tell you whether or not this sort of comic is worth your time, but perhaps a bit more explanation is in order.
Mash Burnedead, in addition to possessing one of the most comically cool names I’ve ever heard, has been sheltered all his life from a society wherein magic is commonplace and determinant of one’s standing in society.
The reason being that he is unable to use magic, which marks him for death by the powers that be. But when he is discovered by and attacked by the Bureau of Magic’s enforcers , they quickly find that what Mash lacks in magic is more than made up for by his muscles.
His feats are so unbelievable that they may as well be magic themselves.
As a result, Mash is offered a chance by the head enforcer to attend the prestigious Easton Magic Academy and become a Divine Scholar, a religious position that will grant Mash the power to upend the laws of his society. Mash accepts, and proceeds to utilize his inhuman physiology to fake his way to the top of his class.
Despite the world it presents being a eugenics-based dystopia, “Mashle” is very much a comedic story. Mash is even more deadpan than ONE’s heroes, but also far more easy to push into a tranquil fury.
The methods by which Mash uses his rippling bod to fake magic are so absurd from the get-go that one might think the comic loses steam as it goes on, but it only escalates. Mash begins the series by basketball dribbling spells and by Chapter 15 is punching house-sized monsters into orbit.
And that doesn’t even cover all of the other insane wizard aspirants he has to compete with. This gives “Mashle” a surprisingly engaging action element that syncs perfectly with the comedy.
If there is a flaw however, it primarily comes down to the aforementioned similarities “Mashle” has with other works. The execution of the tropes it borrows is good, often exemplary, but it leaves others feeling half-baked.
This is especially felt in the side cast, who don’t have much going for them compared to Mash. Though ultimately it’s a testament to how enjoyable Mash is as a character that he’s able to carry this series on his chiseled back.
In many ways it is unfair to any series to judge it relative to its potential influences, but Mashle’s similarities to ONE’s works and “Harry Potter” almost feel like overboard.
However, added details like exchanging the sorting hat for a unicorn’s skeleton ultimately mean that I prefer this wizarding world overall. It feels more idiosyncratic, which also opens up more freedom in absurd visuals for the comedy.
The art is a great help in this regard, though it may not look like it at first.
Many of Komoto’s early drawings are rather simple, even when they’re strikingly composed, but he improves rapidly. His grasp on action posing and comedic flow is some of the best I’ve seen from a recent comic.
In the end, Mashle could be called derivative, but what works about it works so perfectly that it still ends up being profoundly readable.
B, a marvelously magic mash up
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