English Dub Review: Mashle: Magic and Muscles “Wahlberg Baigan and the Greatest Danger”

Overview (Spoilers Below):

Although Cell used the true, summoned power of his wand, Mash decidedly defeated him.  At the same time, Wahlberg shows his ever-powerful abilities to face off with Criminal Cane’s Necromance and Adam’s dark magic, both of which Innocent Zero controls.  Finally, the peak showdown between Wahlberg and Innocent Zero begins!

Our Take:  

Thanks to Mash and his comrades, our mild distractions have been resolved, and we can now focus on the real meat of the battle. Like the previous episodes, this one further examines the characters’ backgrounds amid its fight sequences, mainly Wahlberg. We knew that the two profound magicians were Adam Jobs’ students long before the series’s events, but Wahlberg’s relationship with Adam is a different story that shaped him into who he is.  

Wahlberg is usually seen as a powerful and wise teacher who admires Mash’s muscular skills despite the student’s lack of magic.  However, he wasn’t always like that.  In Wahlberg’s childhood, he was initially a shy and fragile young boy, reluctant to make friends.  That is until he met Adam, who convinced the young Wahlberg about the good he’ll do by attending school.  This sequence offered a new perspective to the potent sorcerer, who initially viewed the world as boring or dreadful. His encounter with Adam inspired him to pursue his desire to bring peace and equality between those without magic and those who wield it.

Afterward, Wahlberg performs his type of God magic against Innocent, which unleashes the power of Uranus, God of the Skies, capable of deleting Innocent from existence. However, his powerful spell would also sacrifice his life to protect his students.  This should’ve been the end of the villain and an emotional farewell to Wahlberg, but Innocent just has to ruin it with his dumb time magic.  Now defenseless, Wahlberg will now have to rely on his favorite student, Mash, who jumps in to give his “father” a good kick in the face.

The episode provided more emotion than humor regarding Wahlberg’s past, which doesn’t seem too much of a bad thing.  Regarding the execution of its heartfelt moments, it served a purpose in representing Wahlberg’s background further and how much Adam meant to him in his goal to maintain tranquility in the magical world.  More importantly, it’s a solid set-up for the epic showdown between father and son.  Can Mash’s muscles overpower Innocent’s time magic?