Mashle: Shinkakusha Kouho Senbatsu Shiken-hen

Season 2 of Mashle was quite disappointing, even though it didn't differ from the first season that much. That is the problem though. Mashle is supposed to be a parody of fantasy tropes and specifically Harry Potter but it fell into the trap most parodies fall into. Instead of actively making fun of the tropes in fantasy media, it exaggerates them as an excuse for the lazy writing. The writing itself is very simple which isn't a problem as long as there is something else keeping the story interesting. Watching Mash come up with crazy methods to beat his opponents was hilarious in season 1, butnow it's already been 24 episodes of the same repeating formula. The formula has also gotten more simplistic from the first season, where the motivations of characters played an important role. Now the characters have been reduced to generic anime trope characters. Lemon is the love interest, Dot is the generic hothead and Finn is the cowardly self insert and voice of reason. As a parody, having generic characters and then subverting the viewers expectations is fine, but it feels like these characters get barely any time to develop or show how they parody the tropes. Instead of parodying generic characters, Mashle simply repeats those tropes with no added flavor. All in all the story is extremely generic and is filled with tropes. The fight scenes are great, but a little repetitive. As a parody anime Mashle repeated the same mistakes as others and has turned into what it set out to parody in the first place.

Mashle Season 2 - We are making non-stop bangers to the Divine Visionary with this one! "Yeah...boy... Cheating, gifted, rough techniques, wanted, Contraindications, prohibitions, clearly a blind spot, Violation, different dimension, it's totally out-of-this-world, Impossible game; I never signed up for this with my name... Ay, my rivals are all telling me, Wow, my rivals are all telling me,Error struck, pure luck, never gonna admit, Seriously? You're doing all of this...all brawn?" In the vein of Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump catalogue, mangaka Hajime Komoto's Mashle: Magic and Muscles is one of those Shonen series that does decently well since its beginnings from January 2020 to its eventual end in July 2023, and don't expect this to be in the same standing as say, Koyoharu Gotouge's Kimetsu no Yaiba a.k.a Demon Slayer. With the manga reaching a total of over 5 million copies before entering Season 1 last Spring, both Aniplex and Shueisha were betting on the show to bring the manga sensation to the small screen...and yet, it failed to do so with abysmal profit that the anime is not pushing manga sales (over 5 to 6 million from April to November) alongside a few hundred BD/DVD sales. Plus, a lukewarm reception over in the West, where people are not buying the conception of a "One Punch Man meets Harry Potter" parody show that'll do wonders, it's just not feasible enough. That is, until the next chapter of Mashle arrives...the Shinkakusha Kouho Senbatsu Shiken-hen a.k.a The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc, and that's where the anime blew up into insanity of the hopes to revive dead sales and viewership, to the max. And in all cases, it really succeeds on that forefront. Seriously? You're doing all of this...all muscularity? "It's brawn, it's brawn, yeah yeah yeah yeah... Bling, Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang Born, Bling, Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang Born." With Season 2 covering from the continuation of Volume 5 to the beginning of Volume 9 of the manga, the Magia Lupus arc of House Lang's elite group led by its House leader Abel Walker having been dealt with by Mash (that stands for Mob, Asta, Saitama, Harry Potter) and Co., from which victory is celebrated and cream puffs in full attendance. Mash Burnedead must now set his sights and Brawn on continuing towards his main objective at the Hogwarts-imitation of Easton Magic Academy: to become a Divine Visionary, to save his old Gramps Regro from getting killed by the hands of corrupt police officer Brad Coleman. Mash's Bling has a Bang Bang, but hasn't truly manifested into a Bling Bang Bang Born yet. "Before I show them my true ability, My enemies run away without using their capability. Raising the bar makes me vеry happy, Cause I'm outstanding, absolutely at No. 1. As always, I upgrade mysеlf every day... (Bling, bling, bling) Don’t need anyone’s support cause I'm icier than your ice. (Icy)" However, the Icy road to become a Divine Visionary is never easy, especially in a magic-stressed academy like Easton. Headmaster Dumbledore...erm, Wahlberg Baigan may have acknowledged Mash after his decimation on Magia Lupus, but the hurdle is just around the corner: the Divine Visionaries who are the best of the best of Easton Magic Academy, right behind Wahlberg himself. They are: - Ryoh Grantz, the Light Cane and captain of the Magic Security Forces. He is very conceited, one who shines attention on himself being the most handsome man and the greatest magic user. In truth however, he is incredibly skilled, kind and supportive towards citizens and anyone he deems "hot stuff", like Mash. His personal magic allows him to manipulate incredibly fast and powerful beams of light, which can slice through anything. - Orter Mádl, the Desert Cane and a member of the Magical Power Administration. The elder brother of Wirth Mádl, the third Fang of Lang's Magia Lupus, he is a cruel and ruthless person, often willing to resort to extreme measures to maintain the current world order, setting his targets on Mash. His personal magic allows him to manipulate sand, granting him incredible versatility in both offense and defense. - Kaldo Gehenna, the Flame Cane and head of the Magic Talent Administration. The man may look cheerful on the outside, but don't mistake it for kindness, for he's harsh and cunning, yet has a fondness for honey and adds ludicrous amounts to anything he eats, even sashimi. His personal magic allows him to manipulate fire, and he wields a sword enchanted with black flames that eternally burn anything the blade touches. - Renatus Revol, the Immortal Cane and a member of the Magical Cemetery Administration. A lazy, whiny, and forgetful man, but is considered incredibly powerful even amongst the Visionaries, with his personal magic allowing him to summon undead body parts and renders him immortal. He's also able to regenerate from any possible injury. - Tsurara Halestone, the Ice Cane and a member of the Magic Research Administration. A timid, clumsy, and always cold girl, her personal magic allows her to freeze anything, though she resents it and wishes her magic were something warm instead. - Agito Tyrone, the Dragon Cane and a member of the Magical Creatures Administration. A rather quiet and emotional young man, he believes that life itself is inherently selfish, sinful, and painful, and suffers from an existential crisis as a result. His personal magic allows him to control his pet dragon and transform it into a larger form. - Sophina Biblia, the Knowledge Cane and a member of the Forbidden Magical Texts Administration. She is calm, polite, and logical, with her personal magic that allows her to manipulate the words, and consequently, the actions of her targets. Given the magnitude of the Divine Visionaries, one would easily crumble at the sight of just one person, let alone the entire team of 7 authoritarian figures. This, however, does not faze Mash, even in the slightest on his way to become part of them, which breaks the group's taboo of having someone without magic becoming a Divine Visionary. "Might seem useless at first, but still, I'm very happy. I’m crazed...my crew is fed up, Blessed with great family and friends. (Happy) I'm illegally invincible, so guys, let me be in charge. (Bang, Bang, bang...) You won't find them in any textbooks or drill books, My words are a curse with truly BAD looks. LISTEN:" Sure, Mash and Co. are still great friends, but in the road towards the Divine Visionary exam, it's not exactly going to be a walk in the park. Pitting against each other and prominent characters that Mash has to deal with in the classic Shonen tournament-arc style, every single one of the candidates, be it friend or foe, Mash must put them down in order to rise up and be the No. 1 worthy candidate of all. Above all, the two candidates of which Mash faces the strongest and BADDEST resistance during the test: Orca House's Margarette Macaron and Carpaccio Luo-Yang. The former being the House prefect and a double-liner, Macaron has two sides of appearance: a presentation as a tall buff man with a buzzcut, or the true form of a petite girl with wavy hair through metamorphosis when battling against Mash. She is obsessed with tartar sauce and strong opponents, believing that "boredom is death", with personal magic allowing her to manipulate sound. The latter, like Mash and Co., is a first-year student with the precedence from a Divine Visionary's Master Cane that grants him the inability to feel pain as the damage is absorbed by a goddess statue, which is then transferred to his enemies. Combined together, Carpaccio can inflict damage on himself without sustaining any pain or injury to damage his opponents off-guard. If that danger's not apparent enough, then the "Big BAD Wolves" group of Innocent Zero will come to rock Mash's world the same, for someone who is seeking to become the ultimate human being. That, and its revelations in relation to Mash, will be kept secret (just for the review). So if you want to know, get back into Mashle, there's no better time than this to be reinvigorated back to the series. LISTEN: "Mirror, mirror, on the wall, just answer me: Who's the best? I'm the best! Oh yeah~~~ I’m gonna go with just brawn To the next, to the top of the world!" With the same staff team over at A-1 Pictures, Mashle hits peak popularity in Volume 7 of the manga, which is exactly where the anime is at right now. And needless to say, Season 2 is so much greater than Season 1 with better production and much improved animation, considering that the same studio helms both this and the much-hyped adaptation of the King of all Korean Manhwas, Solo Leveling. To see the studio finally paying montage to their credibility, A-1 Pictures has amplified their positions this Winter, most certainly...to the next, to the Ichi'ban Ue. "Now singin' Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang Born (Now singin') Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang Born (Now singin') Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang, Bling Bang Bang Born To the next, to the top of the world!" It's a no brainer to say that the hip-hop rap group Creepy Nuts has done it again, but this time, on a global scale of popularity unprecedented in the history of anime. Next to YOASOBI's "Idol" for Oshi no Ko, Mashle's 2nd OP song "Bling Bang Bang Born" is more than just Jersey club track music and the feeling of Mash without magic in a magical world, fighting against a dark magical organization. The rap duo of R-Shitei and DJ Matsunaga personally finding Mash's predicament relatable to their careers, and created a mega hell of a banger song that has inflicted the entire world by storm. It's Japanese rap music at its finest, made by rap champions, for the current time millennia where social media (i.e. TikTok) is very much relevant nowadays, dancing to the comical chorus in groups through viral dance challenges, no matter the different languages. You cannot go one second without hearing the song blasting throughout Japan, which finally brings the name of Creepy Nuts to worldwide fame sensation and recognition. After Yokafushi no Uta a.k.a Call of the Night's OST of both "Daten" and "Yokafushi no Uta", "Bling Bang Bang Born" is without a hinge of a doubt, Creepy Nuts's standout masterpiece song of all time. While not as impressive, Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku's ED song "Tokyo's Way!" is still a funky song that I initially was skeptical of its song quality from the beginning. But as time passes, I can acknowledge that it's a good ED, alongside the pseudo-real life depiction of Mash and Co., as well as the other characters driving in slick cars, while Mash pushes a car with all his muscle might. This is truly Mashle at its comedic finest. All in all, Mashle's sequel season is a much-needed improvement from its premiere season last Spring, and it DESPERATELY needs that to elevate the source material to greater heights, which in my opinion, does the work and much more. I'm hoping that the sales will pick up and warrant for Season 3 and beyond, since we're already almost halfway through the complete adaptation of the series. But for now...let us finish the review with the refrain to sing this: "Ey-day, just staying the way I am, extremely flex~ Ey-day, no one in this world can interrupt me! (Don't test) Ey-day, just staying the way I am, extremely flex~ Ey-day, no one in this world can interrupt me! (Don't test)" *squeaky (naughty) bed noises to the beat* *blows candle flame*

Mashle started better in the first 12 episodes than it ends after the other 12. It's a decent show that can go both ways later, but this half of the season feels lacking in pace, humor and anything to keep me occupied while watching the show. Sure, there were some fights, the main secret got out of the box now and there was set up for the antagonist and the meta plot. However it doesn't feel all that impressive at this point. Mashle felt fun when MC was fooling around with his fake magic, but now they don't really bother anymore with that and it starts feeling onepunch man without everything that made one punch man good. The story takes itself too seriously for the overall level absurdity and I would prefer it be more chill. It took me like 4 days going back and forth at it to finish these 12 episodes and it was borderline passable for me. I hope they pick up the pace next season, otherwise I will probably drop it at this rate. Gimmick can't keep me for too long.

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