English Dub Season Review: Mashle: Magic and Muscles Season Two

The second season of Mashle: Magic and Muscles, titled “The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam Arc”, occurs immediately after the season one finale.  Following his triumph over the members of the Magia Lupus, Mash Burnedead, a young man born without magic, has completed his first year at the Easton Magic Academy.  Unfortunately, it also resulted in his secret being exposed in front of every member of the academy, including his friends.  To avoid expulsion or worse, Mash must complete the Divine Visionary Candidate Exam and become the new Divine Visionary.  In addition to surviving another year at the academy, Mash also has his strength tested by a new set of adversaries seeking to disrupt the world’s magical balance, including the mysterious Innocent Zero (Jalen K. Cassell), who targets Mash in his attempt to gain immortality.

Mashle was another anime I didn’t expect to enjoy as much as I should.  With a concept that combines its magical school tropes with parodic humor, this anime adaptation would’ve been dead on arrival.  However, to my surprise, it became one of the more enjoyable adaptations I’ve seen last year.  The dim-witted main character was lovable, the animation was solid, and the parodic humor hit most, if not all, of the right notes to accompany its magic-based action scenes.  It’s another example of the phrase “Don’t judge a book by its concept”, especially when referring to anime with bizarre concepts.

So, there wasn’t any doubt that I would be excited for its sophomore season, which promises more magic, more muscles, and more hilarious reactions in between.  Also, with the candidate exam being the season’s primary focus, the show gained the opportunity to raise the stakes for the characters while maintaining its goofy tone.  In addition to Mash hoping to gain acceptance from his classmates, the titular protagonist also faces revelations from his past that would play a role in the series’s future, mainly Innocent Zero, who reveals himself as his father near the season’s conclusion.  The second season of an anime is typically when the show’s plot ramps up, delving into character development and high-stakes conflicts, particularly action-packed ones. It maintains the qualities of the first season but intensifies the depth to keep viewers engaged and excited for what’s to come.

After watching the second season of Mashle, I will gladly say that the fantasy comedy is another sublime example of this trend.  Providing the usual elements that made the first season a delightfully hilarious parody, Mashle continues to up the ante and the laughs to deliver an entertaining, non-filler continuation of the muscular mushroom head’s quest for acceptance and equality.  If you enjoyed the first season for its characters, action, and humor, there’s no doubt you’ll enjoy season two for similar reasons, especially the latter.  Even though some of the comical moments felt a bit out-of-place, the rest never failed to put a smile on my face and even make me laugh my butt off.  The best examples that made me laugh the most were the second episode, “Mash Burnedead and the Home Visit”, with Mash and his friends hanging out, and the end of the fourth episode, “Mash Burnedead and the Brawny Balloon”, with Mash and Dot accidentally smashing their own crystals before the match started.

The comedy also continued to benefit from its animation style by A-1 Pictures, emphasizing the characters’ foolish charm and surprising reactions.  Of course, outside the comedy, the animation was also great in displaying its fantasy action scenes, mainly when Mash performs his “muscular magic” on his opponents.  However, since this season offers more of the same with its parodic comedy, the show can still be a tough sell to those unsatisfied with the previous season for that reason.  While the second season improved the series through its character moments, its comical charm may depend on people’s tolerance towards the humor undermining the dramatic moments, whether from Mash’s deadpan personality or the series’s energetic essence.

To sum it all up, the elements in Mashle: Magic and Muscles remain present in “The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam” season, resulting in a highly humorous and consistently entertaining continuation of the Harry Potter/One-Punch Man hybrid.  While it may not convince the detractors who aren’t fond of the first season regarding its tone, the second season highlights Mashle as a worthy, refreshing, and white-knuckled addition to the “magical school fantasy” category.  As of now, we received an announcement that a sequel to the series is in development, indicating that Mash’s journey isn’t over.  Unfortunately, whether this “sequel” is the show’s third season or a movie is unclear.  Either way, I’m down for another round of magic and muscles in the near future when that time comes.