Mashle
Mashle: Magic and Muscles (Japanese: -MASHLE-, Hepburn: Masshuru) is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Kōmoto. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine since January 2020, with its chapters collected in nine tankōbon volumes as of December 2021.
| Mashle: Magic and Muscles | |
![]() First tankōbon volume cover, featuring Mash Burnedead | |
| -MASHLE- (Masshuru) | |
|---|---|
| Genre | |
| Manga | |
| Written by | Hajime Kōmoto |
| Published by | Shueisha |
| English publisher | |
| Imprint | Jump Comics |
| Magazine | Weekly Shōnen Jump |
| Demographic | Shōnen |
| Original run | January 27, 2020 – present |
| Volumes | 9 |
Plot
Set in a magic world, Mash Burnedead is a young man who was born without magic. In order to live a peaceful life with his adoptive grandfather, he needs to become a Divine Visionary (神覚者, Shinkakusha), a title given to exceptional students from the Easton Magic Academy. Mash goes to the magic school, despite not having any magic, and must survive by only relying on his muscles.
Characters
Main characters
- Mash Burnedead (マッシュ・バーンデッド, Masshu Bāndeddo)
- A young man born without magic, but makes up for it with physical ability and his strange ways to defy logic. He loves cream puffs and is often seen eating them. He is very blunt and deadpan, but is kind and selfless to his friends.
- Finn Ames (フィン・エイムズ, Fin Eimuzu)
- Mash's roommate in the academy. He usually plays the straight man to the other characters' antics. His older brother is Rayne Ames, a current Divine Visionary. His personal magic allows him to swap places of people.
- Lance Crown (ランス・クラウン, Ransu Kuraun)
- Mash's rival. After his sister caught a disease that would take away her magic, he vowed to become a Divine Visionary so she would not be killed by the law of the country. He has a sister complex. His personal magic is allows him to manipulate gravity.
- Dot Barret (ドット・バレット, Dōto Baretto)
- Mash's self-proclaimed rival. He is hot-blooded and easy to irritate, but is a good person. His personal magic allows him to create explosions.
- Lemon Irvine (レモン・アーヴィン, Remon Āvin)
- Mash's self-proclaimed fiancé. She is soft-spoken and somewhat kooky.
Alder House
- Rayne Ames (レイン・エイムズ, Rein Eimuzu)
- Rayne is a current divine visionary and the older brother of Finn. He has a serious personality, but he has a soft spot for bunnies. His personal magic allows him to create and manipulate swords. His nickname is "The Sword Cane".
- Tom Knowles (トム・ノエルズ, Tomu Noeruzu)
- Tom is a senior at the Alder House. He is hot-blooded and compares people to bamboo.
- Max Land (マックス・ランド, Makkusu Rando)
- Max is a senior at Alder House. He is very caring about his junior's and is friends with Rayne. His magic allows him to manipulate size.
Lang House
- Abel (アベル・ウォーカー, Aberu Wōkā)
- Leader of the Magia Lupus. A noble who believes humans are beasts, including himself. His personal magic allows him to turn people into dolls.
- Abyss Razor (アビス・レイザー, Abisu Reizā)
- The 2nd Fang of the Magia Lupus. He was born with the evil eye, which can temporarily nullify magic. His personal magic allows him to increase his speed.
- Wirth Mádl (ワース・マドル, Wāsu Madoru)
- The 3rd Fang of the Magia Lupus. His older brother is a divine visionary. His personal magic allows him to manipulate mud.
- Love (ラブ・キュート, Rabu Kyūto)
- The 5th Fang of the Magia Lupus. She is arrogant and believes that everyone exist to serve her. Her personal magic allows her to summon tornados.
- Olore (オロル・アンドリュー, Ororu Andoryū)
- The 6th Fang of the Magia Lupus. His personal magic allows him to create a underwater pocket dimension and transform him into a shark.
Orca House
- Margarette Macaron (マーガレット・マカロン, Māgaretto Makaron)
- The house prefect. She is obsessed with tartar sauce and strong opponents. Her personal magic allows her to manipulate sound.
- Carpaccio Luo-Yang (カルパッチョ・ローヤン, Karupaccho Rōyan)
- A student who was chosen by a Master Cane. His magic allows him to transfer damage to his enemies.
Innocent Zero
- Innocent Zero (イノセントゼロ, Inosento Zero)
- The leader of the criminal organization of the same name. He has the power to change his appearance, and usually takes the form of a featureless human. His personal magic allows him to manipulate time.
- Cell War
- A clone human created by Innocent Zero. His personal magic allows him to create and manipulate carbon, and by extension, diamonds.
Publication
Mashle: Magic and Muscles, written and illustrated by Hajime Kōmoto, started in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump on January 27, 2020.[3][4] Shueisha has collected is chapters into individual tankōbon volumes. The first volume was released on June 4, 2020.[5] A promotional video for the 4th volume was launched on January 4, 2021, featuring Natsuki Hanae voicing Mash Burnedead, Dot Barrett, Finn Ames and Lance Crown.[2] As of December 3, 2021, nine volumes have been released.[6]
The manga is digitally serialized by Viz Media and Manga Plus in English.[7] In October 2020, Viz Media announced the print and digital publication of the manga and the first volume was published on July 6, 2021.[8][9]
Volume list
| No. | Original release date | Original ISBN | English release date | English ISBN | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June 4, 2020[5] | 978-4-08-882329-4 | July 20, 2021[9] | 978-1-9747-1929-7 | ||
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| 2 | August 4, 2020[10] | 978-4-08-882377-5 | September 7, 2021[11] | 978-1-9747-2351-5 | ||
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| 3 | October 2, 2020[12] | 978-4-08-882425-3 | November 2, 2021[13] | 978-1-9747-2511-3 | ||
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| 4 | January 4, 2021[14] | 978-4-08-882526-7 | January 4, 2022[15] | 978-1-9747-2537-3 | ||
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| 5 | March 4, 2021[16] | 978-4-08-882575-5 | March 1, 2022[17] | 978-1-9747-2713-1 | ||
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| 6 | April 30, 2021[18] | 978-4-08-882639-4 | May 17, 2022 | 978-1-9747-2902-9 | ||
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| 7 | August 4, 2021[19] | 978-4-08-882728-5 | July 19, 2022 | 978-1-9747-3205-0 | ||
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| 8 | October 4, 2021[20] | 978-4-08-882787-2 | — | — | ||
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| 9 | December 3, 2021[6] | 978-4-08-882844-2 | — | — | ||
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Chapters not yet in tankōbon format
These chapters have yet to be published in a tankōbon volume. They were originally serialized in Japanese in issues of Shueisha's magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump and its English digital version published by Viz Media and in Manga Plus by Shueisha.
- "Mash Burnedead and the Shadow Eater" (マッシュバーンデッドと影喰者, Masshu Bāndeddo to Shadou Ītā)
- "Mash Burnedead and the Bugged-Out Magic User" (マッシュバーンデッドと昆虫の魔法使い, Masshu Bāndeddo to Konchū no Mahō Tsukai)
- "Mash Burnedead and the Malicious Magnet-User" (マッシュバーンデッドと磁石の魔法使い, Masshu Bāndeddo to Jishaku no Mahō Tsukai)
- "Lance Crown and the Wicked Whack-A-Mole" (ランス・クラウンと暴れるモグラ叩き, Ransu Kuraun to Abareru Mogura Tataki)
- "Dot Barrett and the Two Foes Too Many" (ドット・バレットと2人の敵, Dotto Baretto to Futari no Teki)
- "Dot Barrett and the Will to Succeed" (ドット・バレットと押し通す意地, Dotto Baretto to Oshitōsu Iji)
- "Mash Burnedead and the Two Wands" (マッシュバーンデッドと2本目の杖, Masshu Bāndeddo to Nihon-me no Tsue)
Reception
In June 2020, it was reported that the first volume of the series performed well enough to be sold out.[21] As of April 2021, the manga had over 1.4 million copies in circulation.[22] As of August 2021, the manga had over 2.1 million copies in circulation.[23]
In 2020, the manga was nominated for the 6th Next Manga Awards and placed 11th out of the 50 nominees with 12,894 votes.[24][25] The series ranked 3rd on the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" by the Honya Club website.[26][27]
The Nippon Foundation included the manga on their list of "5 Recommended Manga Available in English" and wrote: "Comic scenes of characters tormenting each other are fun to read, with no sense of distaste. In an amusing way, the story shows how cultivating special skills can overcome adversity".[28] Writing for Le Figaro, Clémence Ballandras made a positive review about the series and wrote that it "combines the very specific universe of manga, with that of Harry Potter, while infusing a good dose of humor".[29] Rebecca Silverman of Anime News Network gave the first volume a B+. Silverman praised the series for its humor, calling it a "Harry Potter parody with overtones of One-Punch Man". Silverman, however, wrote that apart from Mash, the rest of characters are "forgettable" and said that the art is "fairly unattractive", comparing it to Mob Psycho 100. Nevertheless, she concluded: "It doesn't look pretty, but it also doesn't need to, making this a good addition to the library of humor manga".[30]
References
- "The Official Website for Mashle: Magic and Muscles". Viz Media. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- Chapman, Paul (January 4, 2021). "Natsuki Hanae Gets Pumped for Mashle: Magic and Muscles Manga PV". Crunchyroll. Retrieved January 5, 2021.
- Sherman, Jennifer (January 3, 2020). "3 New Manga Launch in Shonen Jump in Early 2020". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- 魔法がすべての世界で頼りになるのは筋肉?ジャンプのファンタジー新連載. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 27, 2020. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 1 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 9 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved November 12, 2021.
- Sherman, Jennifer (January 27, 2020). "Viz Media, Manga Plus Publish Mashle: Magic and Muscles Manga in English". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- Mateo, Alex (October 16, 2020). "Viz to Release Fist of the North Star, No. 5, Sensor, Mashle, Undead Unluck, Yakuza Lover Manga in Summer 2021". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 16, 2020.
- "Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 1". Viz Media. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 2 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- "Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 2". Viz Media. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 3 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
- "Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 3". Viz Media. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 4 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved November 24, 2020.
- "Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 4". Viz Media. Retrieved October 1, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 5 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- "Mashle: Magic and Muscles, Vol. 5". Viz Media. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 6 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 7 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved June 25, 2021.
- マッシュル―MASHLE― 8 (in Japanese). Shueisha. Retrieved August 14, 2021.
- @mashle_official (June 13, 2020). #マッシュル 1巻まさかの売り切れ続出!ありがとうございます!(驚いております) 購入を迷っているみなさま!今も一縷の望みをかけて絶賛拡散中の第1話はこちらから読めます💪💪 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved June 14, 2020 – via Twitter.
- @mashle_official (April 26, 2021). 【#マッシュル 140万部突破‼️】 (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved April 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
- Weekly Shōnen Jump Editorial Department [@jump_henshubu] (August 23, 2021). /フォロー&RTで当たる🎉\ 『#マッシュル-MASHLE-』発売中の少年ジャンプ38号表紙イラストを B2サイズのポスターに✨3名様にプレゼントします‼️ (Tweet) (in Japanese). Retrieved September 27, 2021 – via Twitter.
- Loveridge, Lynzee (June 19, 2020). "Nominees Announced For Reader-Chosen Tsugi ni Kuru Manga 2020 Awards". Anime News Network. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- コミックス部門 結果発表 - 次にくるマンガ大賞 2020. Tsugi Manga (in Japanese). Archived from the original on November 1, 2020. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- 全国書店員が選んだおすすめコミック2021. Honya Club com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 14, 2021.
- 全国書店員が選んだおすすめマンガ、今年の1位は「わたしの幸せな結婚」. Natalie (in Japanese). Natasha, Inc. January 29, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- "Stimulating a Sense of Curiosity". Nippon Foundation. March 19, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2020.
- Ballandras, Clémence (May 6, 2021). "Mashle, le manga inspiré par l'univers de Harry Potter, bat des records de ventes en France". Le Figaro (in French). Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- Silverman, Rebecca (July 7, 2021). "Mashle: Magic and Muscles GN 1 - Review". Anime News Network. Retrieved July 7, 2021.
