Shonen Jump has released “Mashle: Magic and Muscles,” the second of three new series for the first quarter of the year.
“Mashle” is a comedy fantasy written by manga artist Hajime Komoto that follows a youngster named Mash Vandead who has well-defined muscles but no magical skill. This is, of course, a problem. In this universe, magical ability affects your social standing. So, since his birth, he’s been living in the woods under his father’s care, cautioned not to enter the city.
There are a few important aspects of this first chapter that define it and, realistically, whether or not it will be successful.
“Mashle” is heavily influenced by three series: “One Punch Man” and “Mob Psycho 100” by an artist going by the pen name One, and “Black Clover” by Yuki Tabata.
This is where character design and concept come into play. Mash possesses the tremendous power and callous personality of Saitama from “One Punch Man,” the character design of Mob from “Mob Psycho 100,” and the idea and backstory of Asta from “Black Clover.”
There are some panels in this episode that may have come straight from the original “One Punch Man” webcomic, or even the more refined style One acquired by the time he got “Mob Psycho 100” published in Weekly Shonen Sunday Magazine.
And I’m serious about the character resemblance here. It’s not just that he’s influenced by those characters in the same way that Naruto or Luffy are influenced by Goku. Rather, it appears that Hajime Komoto is seeking to satirize the shared characteristics of these popular series, maybe filling the hole left by the conclusion of the legendary satire manga “Gintama” last year.
But that is where my problem with this comic lies. “One Punch Man” and “Mob Psycho 100” are already comedy series, with the former also serving as satire. The resulting impact is the appearance of just being a derivative by skimming the niche notions of those shows and attempting to ridicule what are already comedies.
When the first chapter of “Black Clover” was released in February 2015, it was criticized for being an apparent “Naruto” clone due to the evident concept parallels between the two, as well as the fact that “Naruto” had just concluded around four months prior. Despite the fact that “Black Clover” is still being published by the same company, “Mashle’s” plot concept does the same thing same magazine.
Despite the fact that the entire chapter feels like it’s just ripping off other manga, “Mashle” was still really funny. Despite the lack of innovation, there were plenty of panels that made me laugh out loud.