Mashle
| Industry | Manga, Anime, Entertainment |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 27, 2020 |
| Founder | Hajime Kōmoto |
| Headquarters | Tokyo , Japan |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | Hajime Kōmoto (creator) |
| Products | Manga, anime television series, novels, stage plays, video game |
| Owner | Shueisha (manga publisher) |
Mashle: Magic and Muscles is a Japanese manga series created by Hajime Kōmoto, who both wrote and illustrated the work. Its chapters were featured in Shueisha's shōnen manga publication Weekly Shōnen Jump from January 2020 until July 2023, and the story has been collected into 18 volumes.
The series received an anime television adaptation produced by A-1 Pictures, which aired between April and July 2023. A second season followed, broadcasting from January to March 2024. Additionally, a continuation of the anime has been officially announced.
Plot
In a world where magical ability dictates one's social rank, Mash Burnedead is born without any magic. His goal is to live harmoniously with his adoptive father, Regro, by becoming a , an honor reserved for the most outstanding students at Easton Magic Academy. Despite his lack of magical powers, Mash enrolls in the academy with the firm resolve to demonstrate that sheer physical strength can triumph over magic.
Manga
Mashle: Magic and Muscles, both written and illustrated by Hajime Kōmoto, was serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump starting January 27, 2020, and concluding on July 3, 2023. The series was compiled into 18 volumes by Shueisha, released between June 4, 2020, and October 4, 2023. A special one-shot chapter was issued on January 6, 2024, coinciding with the debut of the anime's second season.
The manga was made available digitally in English via Viz Media and Manga Plus. Viz Media announced plans for both print and digital editions in October 2020, with volumes distributed from July 6, 2021, through December 3, 2024.
Anime
An anime TV adaptation was revealed in July 2022. Produced by A-1 Pictures and directed by Tomonari Tanaka, the series featured scripts by Yōsuke Kuroda, character designs crafted by Hisashi Toshima, and music composed by Masaru Yokoyama. The official site described it as a "complete" adaptation of the manga. The inaugural season aired on Tokyo MX and other channels from April 8 to July 1, 2023. Its opening theme song was "Knock Out" performed by Taiiku Okazaki, while the ending theme was "Shū Cream Funk" by The Dance for Philosophy.
After the first season concluded, a second season entitled Mashle: Magic and Muscles - The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam was broadcast from January 6 to March 30, 2024. This season’s opening theme was "Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" by Creepy Nuts; the ending theme was "Tokyo's Way!" performed by Shiritsu Ebisu Chugaku. In May 2024, an announcement confirmed a sequel to the anime series.
At Anime Expo in July 2022, Aniplex of America unveiled an English announcement video. Crunchyroll acquired streaming rights in February 2023 and launched an English dub on May 26, 2023. Medialink obtained licensing for the Asia-Pacific region, with Ani-One Asia adding the series to its lineup as well. In October 2024, Aniplex of America announced that the English dub would be broadcast on Adult Swim’s Toonami block beginning November 10.
Novels
Three novels inspired by the series have been written by Kiyoko Hoshi. The first novel, Mashle: Mash Burnedead and the Book of Adventure 1, debuted on May 2, 2022. This was followed by Mashle: Mash Burnedead and the Resurrection Spell on April 4, 2023. The third installment, Mashle: Mash Burnedead and Going with a Bang, was published on October 4, 2023.
Stage plays
The initial stage play adaptation debuted in July 2023, with performances held at Tokyo International Forum Hall C and AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe. This production was directed by Imagine Ito, featuring a script written by Shinjirō Kameda, music composed by Shingo I, lyrics penned by Yūji Mitsuya, and choreography by Umebou. The cast included Ryotaro Akazawa in the role of Mash Burnedead, among others.
A follow-up stage play was announced in December 2023 and was performed from August 2 to 12, 2024 at Tennozu Galaxy Theater in Tokyo, followed by shows from August 17 to 19 at AiiA 2.5 Theater Kobe.
Video game
In March 2025, Poppin Games Japan collaborated with MuscleMagic Games to reveal a smartphone puzzle game entitled Mashle: Muscle Puzzle, inspired by the series. This free-to-play match-three puzzle game allows players to assemble teams featuring their favorite characters, includes newly created artwork, and offers optional in-app purchases. It is currently available for pre-registration on the App Store, with Google Play pre-registration expected soon.
Manga
By June 2020, the first volume had sold out due to high demand. The circulation rapidly expanded, surpassing 1.4 million copies by April 2021; reaching 2.1 million by August 2021; exceeding 3 million by March 2022; hitting 4 million by November 2022; climbing to 5 million by April 2023; growing to 6 million by November 2023; and ultimately surpassing 10 million copies globally by March 2024.
The manga earned a nomination for the sixth Next Manga Awards in 2020, ranking eleventh out of fifty contenders. It secured third place in the "Nationwide Bookstore Employees' Recommended Comics of 2021" and was also nominated for the shōnen category at the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2021.
Recognized by the Nippon Foundation as one of "5 Recommended Manga Available in English," it was praised for its engaging depiction of skill development overcoming challenges. Critics highlighted its humor and distinctive fusion of manga and fantasy elements reminiscent of Harry Potter. Anime News Network awarded the first volume a B+ grade, commending its comedic approach despite some shortcomings in character depth and artwork quality. Sequential Tart gave favorable reviews to volumes one and two, noting its appealing mix of action, comedy, and magic for readers.
Anime
| Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result | References |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Reiwa Anisong Awards | Arrangement Award | "Shū Cream Funk" by The Dance for Philosophy Kentaro credited as nominee | Template:Nom | [1] |
| 2024 | 8th Crunchyroll Anime Awards | Best Comedy | Mashle: Magic and Muscles | Template:Nom | [2] |
| Best Fantasy | Template:Nom | ||||
| Best Voice Artist Performance (Spanish) | Gerardo Ortega as Mash Burnedead | Template:Nom | |||
| Best Voice Artist Performance (Castilian) | David Flores as Dot Barrett | Template:Nom | |||
| 10th Anime Trending Awards | Best Soundtrack | Mashle: Magic and Muscles | Template:Nom | [3] [4] |
|- Ending Theme Song of the Year |"Shū Cream Funk" |
| |- Comedy Anime of the Year |'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' |
| |- Fantasy Anime of the Year |
| |- rowspan="2" align="center"| TikTok First Half Trend Awards | Special Award |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
| |- 'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' |
| |- align="center"| 46th Anime Grand Prix | Best Theme Song |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
| |- align="center"| U-Can New Words and Buzzwords Awards | New Words and Buzzwords Award |
| |- rowspan="2" align="center"| Yahoo! Japan Search Awards | Anime Category |'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' |
| |- Music Category |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
| |- align="center"| TikTok Awards Japan | Anime of the Year |'Mashle: Magic and Muscles' |
| |- rowspan="15" align="center"| Billboard Japan Music Awards | Hot 100 |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
| |- Most Streaming Songs |
| |- Most Downloaded Songs |
| |- Hot Animation Songs |
| |- Top User Generated Songs |
| |- Top Global Japan (Excl. Japan) Songs |
| |- Top Japan Songs (France) |
| |- Top Japan Songs (United Kingdom) |
| |- Top Japan Songs (South Africa) |
| |- Top Japan Songs (United States) |
| |- Top Japan Songs (Brazil) |
| |- align="center"| Abema Anime Trend Awards | Anime Song Award |
| |- rowspan="2" align="center"| 66th Japan Record Awards | Grand Prix Award |
| |- Excellent Work Award |
| |- rowspan="33" align="center"| 2025 | align="center"| Reiwa Anisong Awards | Best Work Award |
| |- rowspan="5" align="center"| 11th Anime Trending Awards | Best Soundtrack |'Mashle: Magic and Muscles - The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam' |
| |- Opening Theme Song of the Year |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
| |- Ending Theme Song of the Year |"Tokyo's Way!" |
| |- Action or Adventure Anime of the Year |'Mashle: Magic and Muscles - The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam' |
|, Comedy Anime of the Year |
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|- rowspan="4" align="center"| 39th Japan Gold Disc Awards |
Song of the Year by Download (Japan) |"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born" |
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Top Three Songs by Download
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Song of the Year by Streaming (Japan)
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Top Five Songs by Streaming
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align="center"| MTV Video Music Awards Japan
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Song of the Year
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align="center"| 30th AMD Awards
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Excellence Award
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align="center"| 43rd JASRAC Awards
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Silver Award
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rowspan="13" align="center"| Music Awards Japan
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Song of the Year
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Best Japanese Song
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Top Japanese Song in Europe
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Top Japanese Song in North America
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Top Japanese Song in Latin America
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Best Japanese Hip Hop/Rap Song
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Best Japanese Dance Pop Song
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Best Viral Song
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rowspan="4" align="center"| 9th Crunchyroll Anime Awards
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Best Comedy
|'Mashle: Magic and Muscles - The Divine Visionary Candidate Exam'
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Best Opening Sequence
|"Bling-Bang-Bang-Born"
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Best Anime Song
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Best Voice Artist Performance (Portuguese)
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Pedro Azevedo
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|}
External links
- ↑ https://www.anisong-taisho.jp/reiwa05/
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-03-02/all-the-winners-of-the-crunchyroll-anime-awards-2024/.208219
- ↑ https://www.anitrendz.com/ata/nominees/2024
- ↑ https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/interest/2024-03-09/heavenly-delusion-wins-10th-anime-trending-awards/.208516