MASHLE: Magic and Muscles is a popular manga series published in Shonen Jump that follows the story of Mash Burnedead, a magicless protagonist in a world full of magic. The manga is a comedy with a vibe akin to a mashup of One Punch Man and Harry Potter. The story is set in a world where magic is everything, and those who don’t possess it are considered weak. Mash, however, is an exception to this rule. He has no magical abilities but makes up for it with his incredible physical strength. The series is known for its unique blend of humor, action, and fantasy elements, making it a must-read for fans of the genre. The series has been praised for its engaging storyline, well-developed characters, and stunning artwork. It has also been adapted into an anime series, which has been well-received by fans.
Mash and his friends continue their battle against the forces of evil, facing off against a powerful enemy in Mash's brother, Domina.
MASHLE: Magic and Muscles is a hilarious and action-packed manga that is sure to delight fans of shonen manga. The series features a lovable cast of characters, epic battles, and plenty of humor. If you're looking for fun and entertaining read, MASHLE is worth checking out!
Really loved this fight! Visually cool, and there was emotional weight as well as the trademark Mash humor. Mash is like if Rock Lee stumbled into Hogwarts.
Mashle is an odd duck of a series. On one hand, the events of the series are very cool, and the ideas it presents are often very unique, but I have to work that much harder to care about the characters when the series is framed as a parody. I have the same problem with One Punch Man. The only difference is that in OPM, Saitama is the only parody character and the rest of the cast are written like actually Shonen protags. In Mashle, the entire main cast are written like a bunch of meta goofballs thrown into a Shonen plot with serious villains. So I'm left in a precarious position where the thing I care most about in the series are the antagonists, Innocent Zero and his children. Domina and Doom have been great in recent chapters. I look forward to meeting the rest of the Devil's Quintuplets.
I think at this point it's fair to say the series is less "parody of Harry Potter" and more "One-Punch Man style book set in a Harry Potter parody." The early chapters of this book were funny because it was taking a bunch of recognized conventions and poking fun of them in that school setting. Now, it's a ton of giant fights with named moves and it feels like One-Punch Man in more than just the spirit of Mash being a good person trying to do the right thing. - I don't hate this, but it is certainly a different type of book than where it started.
Mash is basically having to fight his way through all the Innocent Zero's sons now. Domina is most of this book, but we meet Doom at the end and he's even more powerful. Mash had bracelets limiting his power and speed at his father's request, but when he really cuts loose here we see he's even stronger than we knew. This series is rounding the bend towards its conclusion and it's not skimping on anything along the way there.
Che dire...quando il tuo nemico genera continuamente liquidi e te come "potere" hai i muscoli, ti metti a correre talmente forte da creare un'immagine residua mentre svuoti con un secchio il tuo nemico, non dico altro
If I ever need a pick-me-up book, this story is my go to. Never fails to put me in a good mood and like always, I can't wait for the next volume to drop.
“If you keep tricking people and using them, you’re going to end up alone, you know?”
It’s hard jumping back into a series after a long break, and Volume 11 didn’t make the landing easy. The action kicks off right away, and there’s zero hand-holding or recap to help you get your bearings. The usual formula is back in full force—ridiculously overpowered fights, absurd solutions to impossible problems, and Mash brushing off godlike enemies like he's late for a dentist appointment. Some moments land with the usual punchy humor, especially when things get so exaggerated they almost break the page, but there’s a growing sense of déjà vu that’s hard to ignore.
The biggest issue is how predictable the rhythm has become. A smug villain shows up, gets some development halfway through, then ends up humiliated or sobbing by the end. It was fun the first few times, but now it’s wearing thin. You can feel the series running through familiar beats without fresh angles. There are emotional threads trying to weave in—especially around parental approval and self-worth—but they get lost beneath all the spectacle. It’s like watching a magician perform the same trick over and over, hoping the flash will distract you from the repetition.
Still, there's something undeniably fun about how absurd this series gets. One fight turns into a full-on physics-defying comedy routine, and Mash somehow keeps topping his own nonsense. If you’re here for wild punches and wilder punchlines, this volume delivers. But if you’re hoping for the story to move somewhere new or surprise you emotionally, don’t hold your breath.
Toujours une masterclass ce manga, tout devient sérieux, il y a de l’avancée dans le plot et même si l’édition est pas dingue, très contente d’avoir le collector.
After everything that he has gone through, Mash is finally at the crux of his journey to becoming Divine Visionary. He is at the end and has beaten most of the competitors from Waklis, including Lévis Rosequartz, thanks to the help of his friends and allies. Now Mash is up against Domina Blowelive, his toughest competitor yet, and one of Innocent Zero's children. I suppose the two of them are brothers? Half-brothers? The family dynamic surrounding Innocent Zero's children hasn't really been explained yet, and the whole ordeal is rather mysterious. Cell War was a clone, but it's never explained how that works or who he really is a clone of, although I think he's supposed to be a clone of Mash. Regardless, this is the time when Mash finally faces one of his legit siblings, and I'm sure in due time we weill see all of them, with each one getting tougher.
This volume has a very similar structure to the last one with its straightforward story, most of which revolves around just one fight. Domina is just like every single other antagonist with his monologues, big talk about being more powerful than the rest, and eventual defeat where they gripe about "failing" and how their entire purpose has been destroyed. There really wasn't aything else to it with Domina, and I wish he had been a stronger antagonist. As I've mentioned before, it gets boring when all the antagonists act the same, and they don't feel threatening when time and time again they are sqaushed with no issue. I do appreciate what Komoto tries to do to keep stakes high, and we saw an example of this at the end of this volume, and we also saw something very similar when Mash was facing Carpaccio at the end of volume 6. But still, it's hard to find any of these threats believable when they come from characters who act exactly the same as everyone else. These villains have a lot of potential, but they feel stunted and underbaked in execution.
One line of thought that quite a few of them seem to have is this idea that the people above them aren't just using them. Lévis is candid about this to one of the other Walkis competitors about this, but I can't believe that anyone wouldn't think that those above them wouldn't just squash them to become Divinie Visionary. I suppose I can at least understand that for Innocent Zero's children they know they're just a pawn and have been conditioned into willingly giving themselves up for the greater goal.
Going back to Domina, even if he as a character isn't particularly special, I still did really like his fight against Mash in this book. Water powers in and of themselves have been used a million different times in other series, but for something so simple the book did a good job of showing it in interesting and unique ways. I really liked the touch of how Domina turned into water and the way there would be holes in him after each attack. It was a pretty cool touch, and visually it made the fight more dynamic by showing the actual damage he went through. The use of the trident and the giant Poseidon form was an exciting touch as well, but I wish we had gotten some more art that focused on Poseidon so we could have seen him in his full glory. Although my favorite thing from Domina in this fight was the way he completely crashed out and was in this slightly demonic haze the whole time. He certainly looked very threatening and deranged, which was nice because in his normal form he's visually unassuming.
However, the best part of this volume was the humor in it by far. All of the volumes are really funny, of course, but I personally really liked what Mash did in this volume. Even from the beginning Mash was absolutely AURA FARMING with the way he walked up the wall, which completley took me by surprise despite being very on brand for Mash. The one-man bucket brigade was also a highlight, but neither of those had anything against the squared punches. I think the only other time in the series I laughed more than with this part was in volume 2 when Mash calls Lance a pedo. The way it took up two pages was so dumb, but it was perfect. Absolutely no notes.
I love that even eleven books into this series I'm still getting whiplash.
This volume was quite the improvement from the last, and the humor on it's own was so good I actually considered giving it five stars. I don't know if Domina is now Divine Visionary because he got the wand or what, but not I'm really curious. I assume we're going to get the big "reveal" of who becomes the visionary in the next volume and finish up with this arc so that we can get into the third and final act of the series. It's crazy to think I'm almsot two thirds of the way through this whole thing and I only JUST started the series. But it's even crazier that I've written so much about these books. But I'm too far in to quit, and I havent been quite this invested in a book series in a long time.
Mash Burnedead is back at it again. While wrapping up his fight with Levis, Mash says "I do respect how much you wanted to win." I love how Mash is a pretty shallow guy and how it isn't inherently a bad thing. Mash is able to not get emotionally drained yet be a source of comfort for his enemies who start to look at things a little differently ever since a person came into their life who is the definition of not what they expected. I am in love with the bonus story of Mash and the Ghost. I would love to see how that progresses. :) Mash's next opponent is Domina and you guessed it... it is a sibling rivalry. Though only from Domina's perspective as Mash probably couldn't care less. How does everyone not fawn over Mash? He literally walks up walls like he is walking down a fashion runway! The flashback to when Mash was a baby was so cute and I want more! Can we take a moment to appreciate how it was just volumes ago when Mash didn't know how to swim, and here our boy is using the butterfly stroke to overcome his brother's water magic?!? One of my top favorite things about Mashle: Magic and Muscles, is when Mash's opponent starts to gloat about their superiority over Mash, to then stop midsentence as horror/confusion/disbelief shower their facial expressions. It never gets old and it is even better when the "sidelines" are just there with the antagonist, not knowing what is going on. Seriously tho, Mash's finger jabs and dramatic poses with underwhelming short one-liners are my cup of tea. You know Mash is best bro when even the dad can't control Domina when he loses his temper. FINALLY! Our man takes off his wrist weights and begins to fight without handicaps. I have been wondering about those bracelets for so long and it is so rewarding! I am a major fan of how it isn't until someone uses their Thirds Ultimate Magic (which is 1 in several 1,000,000) that he doesn't hold himself back. Okay... unlimited biceps magic punch squared?!? Was this a real thing before he tried to act like could use magic? To me, the most surprising thing about it is how he can do the math of 2, 4, 16, 256, 65,536, and so on. Like, I can't do that math, and this is the guy whose brain shuts down when overheated from trying to process too much information! I think that Domina also didn't think that Mash could do math after 256 and that is why he was so surprised by the next onslaught. Honest moment: When Domina started getting teary-eyed about wanting to just be loved for who he was... I wanted to give him a hug. Their sperm donor is the literal worst. I hope older brother Doom gets a slice of humble pie from little bro Mash. *Let it be known that I approve of Doom's drip*
Reading Mashle makes me want to take my resistance training and nutrition more seriously, haha. Forget Saitama and 성진우, I wanna be like Mash Burnedead when I bulk/level up!
Faves: - "Top bad guy spotted." (Mash, Chapter 92) - "Can we start the fight already Daddy's boy?" (Mash, Chapter 93) - "I'm sorry. All I can do to help... is stop myself. I may be weak, but please allow me to remain your friend until the end." (Abyss, Chapter 93) *Sheesh! Pulling at the heartstrings* - "If you lose to me, what are you gonna tell Daddy?" (Mash, Chapter 94) *AH! I KID YOU NOT WHEN I SAY I SPENT SEVERAL MINUTES REREADING THIS LINE WHILE SMIRKING, LAUGHING, AND CRYING BECAUSE THIS WAS JUST TOO GOOD* - "I'm starting to get tired of your whining." (Mash, Chapter 98) *That is such a sibling tift thing to say, haha* - "Let's make up." (Mash) "Your hand is so warm." (Domina) *No one can tell me that isn't on par AND cute*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
COMMENTO PERSONALE: Siamo ormai agli sgoccioli della battaglia per divenire illuminato divino. Mashle riesce a battere con molta facilità il primo avversario ma ora il secondo gli darà parecchio filo da torcere: sto parlando di Domina, che nel corso della lettura si scopre essere il fratello di Mashle o meglio uno dei cinque (l'ultimo e ne consegue che sia quello più debole). Lui desidera solamente fare felice suo padre e far sì che quest'ultimo possa conquistare il mondo. Sin da bambino gli aveva inculcato l'idea che dovesse vivere per il suo soddisfacimento e la sua venerazione. È davvero brutto che riesca ad asserire che il suo scopo di vita sia la realizzazione del padre e non la propria. Mashle rimane piuttosto attonito anche se ha capito che il suo compagno non ha mai provato che cosa volesse dire amore da parte della famiglia e men che meno l'amor proprio. Domina cerca di annientarlo in qualsiasi modo e il suo ego fa un crescendo man mano che le sue mosse aumentano di intensità. Ma Mashle in un modo o nell'altro riesce a dargli filo da torcere e a fargli usare la sua mossa più potente e vedere Poseidone reincarnato per mezzo della magia stessa. Ma nonostante tutto il suo impegno e tutta la sua forza viene sconfitto. Mash cerca di perdonarlo ma un attimo prima che possano salutarsi ecco che sopraggiunge questo padre e si disfá di Domina con un semplice colpo delle dita. Ed ecco allora che una nuova sfida ha inizio: Mashle contro il primo dei cinque fratelli. Questo è uno sbruffone che si vanta e che lo paragona, come tutti i suoi avversari incontrati sino a ora, a un moscerino che un alito di vento avrebbe spazzato via con molta facilità. Ma non appena comincia il corpo a corpo e i vari colpi si ricrede e capisce di aver trovato dopo tempo un avversario che possa essere degno. Non vedo assolutamente l'ora di proseguire andando avanti con questa battaglia.
In this volume the author again stated that the wind down is beginning…I have to say that I will believe it when I see it. With that said, this book continues to be both actions packed and entertaining. This story reminds me of a great summer blockbuster movie. The premise is simple enough, but the ride has your jaw on the floor and recounting your favorite moments with friends. The thing that truly reminds me of Dragon Ball Z (but moving at a WAYYYYY faster clip) is that each opponent is tougher than the last and helps Mashle grow stronger even in the same day (if you think about a lot of his battles, they are all happening in the same story arc which seems to occur mostly over the span of a day). The humor that is sprinkled into this book is comedic gold and lightens the mood no matter if the world is at stake or not. The battles continue to amaze me with the heighted attacks but the pages flow like water on a waterfall and you cannot stop reading until the chapter comes to its conclusion….and then the waiting for the next volume begins the process anew.
It's interesting to see how different power-scaling works among various Jump manga. Mash shows something of a power-up, but it involves dropping weighted wristbands, not unlike what Son Goku and Piccolo do in the Tenkaichi Budokai, or what Rock Lee does against Gaara earlier in their manga. In fact, I think the Rock Lee thing actually happens before Volume 11 of Naruto...!
It's funny as well to read this on MangaPlus and see comments from ages ago. A user expresses nervousness at how Mash is fighting the strongest brother so soon, and how the bad guy goes from 20 to 50% power in one chapter, as if the manga is being rushed to its end. That comment was from sixteen months ago. (But I think it is true that this is the final arc...)
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Hay kinh khủng. Ngoài đánh đấm mãn nhãn thì tập này cũng đào sâu hơn vào tâm lý nhân vật Domina hay tương tác trong nội bộ gia đình của Innocent Zero. Mash thì ngầu khỏi chê rồi. Tập này anh ta cũng mở khóa 100% sức mạnh, hóa ra là trước nay anh bạn này giấu nghề, chỉ dùng vừa đủ sức để triệt hạ đối thủ thôi. Đến lượt Domina mới tung hết ngón nghề. Cái cảnh phân thân đi tát nước ta nói vừa hài vừa hợp với xây dựng của nhân vật này. Sau đó cũng có thể một chương đấu với Innocent Zero và con cả là Doom. Lại phải hóng tập mới dài cổ rồi :)).
I really love Domina, and I was moved by his story in this volume. Mashle always makes me end up loving these characters so much!! This might be one of my favorite volumes so far, just because Mash obviously doesn't pull any punches on Domina, and the resolution of their battle is so simple and moving. Also, the bonus story in this volume had me laughing so hard, it's literally so good!
To earn the Wand of Beginnings and become a Divine Visionary, Mash faces the final opponents of his trials - Domina, a fellow son of Innocent Zero who will do anything for their father, even if it means unleashing the full power of his elemental magic! Komoto brings another fast-paced entry, intense at every turn and brimming with nonstop action and quips. Who will come out on top as the strongest of the younger sons?
Volume 11 of Mashle is full of wizardly fights and a heart wrenching chapter (100). This is where I get to see Mash removing his wrist weights unleashing his full strength towards Domina and Innocent Zero. Plus I like the part where he makes the ghost less "scary" and two of his friends ran away from the sight of the ghost~hilarious as h*ll.
Se repite el mismo error que en el arco anterior. En un solo arco propone varios enfrentamientos, para que al final se centre solo en lo que hace el protagonista. Ilusiona con muchos choques y con la oportunidad de conocer más al resto de protagonistas, pero se vuelve a olvidar de ellos y cierra el arco sin saber qué hicieron. Al final aparecen tomando té como si nada hubiera pasado.
Another banger of a chapter that focuses mostly on action. We learn a little more about Innocent Zero and his sons. Also I can't believe the twist that this whole time we just saw a fraction of Mash's powers. I'm gonna hit the gym now.