MANGA REVIEW | "Mashle: Magic and Muscles" - Volume Thirteen

Maybe it’s not wise to rest an entire world’s survival on one person. Then again, if Avengers: Endgame taught me anything, it’s that even having an army of heroes can’t guarantee the safety of the planet. So I dunno. It sucks that Mash Burnedead is out of action, with him near death after his recent training, but maybe Mashle: Magic and Muscles can offer us some competent heroes in the thirteenth volume in the meanti—

Goddammit.

Okay, perhaps this one guy isn’t prime for heroism, but there is one that’s gleaming with the good stuff. A man with so much charisma, that he has every right to narrate his own adventures at the exact moment that they’re going on. I’m talking about Ryoh Grantz, a wizard whose light powers can vanquish monsters in one go. And with Innocent Zero ready to destroy the world in less than 24 hours, Ryoh’s got to give it his all to stop his nefarious deeds.

But Innocent Zero at least has an ultimatum under his sleeve. All the world has to do is give him Mash, and he may consider not committing human extinction. Of course, Meliadoul won’t just easily give Mash to anyone, at least not without a fight. So we should be glad that there’s barely anything that can stop her from protec—

Okay, that was taken out of context. But nevertheless, there’s so much riding on the human race right now, that Mashle is trying its earnest to bring the best out of everyone. Even as Mash is recovering, the rest of the heroes strive to save all of existence from being wiped out. And leave it to the one person you’d least expect — Finn Ames — to become the MVP of this volume!

Yes, he’s still a coward. And he may try to save his own tail if it means getting out of a fight. But when push comes to shove, even when the odds are against him, Finn will give it his all. Although he hasn’’t had many moments to shine in Mashle as a whole, his battle with Andie and Windie can be chalked up as a highlight in the character’s growth.

As for Innocent Zero and his comrades, just about everyone there is as loony as a Monty Python character. From a jester obsessed with his brother’s chair to a pudding connoisseur, these punks are as daft as a ditzy daisy. And speaking of daisies, how about them bugs? Poor Dot didn’t even see that threat coming.

While Mash is resting up, Volume Thirteen of Mashle winds up being a great place to showcase the other heroes. Magic takes the center stage, and while it’s the punches that make this manga great, the wizardry parts also are a marvel to look at. It‘ll take more than cream puffs to get our main attraction going again, so here’s hoping the magic-less muscle man can get back to decking villains ASAP. I mean, we know at least one person who’d be super sad if that didn’t happen…

FINAL GRADE:

Promotional consideration provided by Chantelle Sturt of VIZ Media.

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