Hello! I truly really apologize for the late post! Without further ado, I present the final impression of Mashle Season 1 finale.
The mage henchman of the notorious criminal Innocent Zero finally confronted Mash and Abel, whose name was revealed to be Cell War. Okay, lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of weird-sounding names, and Cell War was included in the list. I’m not saying it’s a bad name that I hate, I just found it strange but befitting of equally weird-looking guy.
But rather than about Cell War or Innocent Zero, I was thoroughly entertained by Mash and his friends as usual. The victory dance by Mash and his friends still continued rather than ending it in the previous episode was as funny as always. Watching Lemon, Finn, and Dot together with Mash, it showcased their strong friendship true to the Shonen Jump troupe. Thinking more about it, all of Mash’s friends were kindred spirits in a sense. Lemon must rely on herself to help her family and has no one else to seek help, Finn and Dot had no true friend and faced bullying. Everything changed for them when they met Mash.
Just like how to Mash they are his first friends, to them Mash is their first friend. It matters not to them that Mash is magic-less, Mash was the very first person who was willing to stand up for them and knew he would never give up on them. Even though there’ll be punishment for those who hides magic-less person, Finn and the others didn’t think twice to keep Mash’s true nature a secret to keep him safe just like how he have saved them. Though the cat is out of the bag now, Mash won’t be alone and will have his friends by his side to face the prejudice that’ll surely come to him.
Now, in regards to Cell War, I am glad that he came. Not because he provide a good fight for the closing of the first season, but because he gave Mash the opportunity to prove that inborn magic is irrelevant in society. Mash has shown again and again in all his fights that he could achieve victory by brute strength alone without having any need of magic. Mash capable of fighting on the same ground against Cell War, a criminal that was said to be on the same level as Divine Visionary, further disapproving the foolish notion that inborn magic is everything. This would be the first step for Mash to show to people that those born without magic are no different from those who born with it.
Cell War’s arrival also gave a hint about Mash’s background. Mash was apparently the person that Cell War was ordered to look for by Innocent Zero. This hinted that Mash has some sort of connection with Innocent Zero. But why would Innocent Zero ordered for Mash to be found now of all times after he was abandoned? Or perhaps someone else abandoned Mash as a baby without Innocent Zero knowing? If it’s the latter, it kinda reminded me of Kuja and Zidane’s past from FFIX. XD
Final Impression
Mashle is a fun ride. The main characters have loveable quirks. The comedy mixed with parody always made me laugh that my cheeks hurt from too much smiling. And the fight scenes, though short, didn’t feel rushed and each of them were well-paced and visually an eye-candy. Perhaps it’s not in the same level as the ones from famous studio like Production I.G or Ufotable, but I’ll give an applause with how they presented Mashle’s animation as a whole.
Mash is a Shonen Jump protagonist that I rarely see. Sure, he has similar characteristics such as not good at school studying like many other Shonen Jump protagonists and has a goal of becoming someone in a high position, but what Mash different from them is how he humorously deadpan he is. I also like how Mash was not the type to give a long preach like some protagonists. Mash never tried to change nor making people around him to understand what he believes. When someone told him what their beliefs, even though Mash disagrees, he didn’t give any long-winded explanation why he think it was wrong and simply said what was on his mind in simple words but strike at the right places for his opponents to understand what he’s trying to tell them. Plus, he’s not so naive that he’ll let those who did wrong things go free without giving them their retribution, be it man or woman.
That said, it doesn’t mean I hate the protagonists who explains their reasoning and try to reach out to people through words. I just found Mash to be a refreshing protagonist compared to the Shonen Jump protagonists that I’ve seen.
However, so far, Mashle also fell into the common problem in shonen manga, which is how they treated the female characters. Lemon, despite being part of the main cast, was pushed to the side role as a cheerleader and damsel-in-distress that needed to be saved. I was hoping for Lemon to have more actions, but watching her so far, I don’t think she’ll be the type of character who’ll get the spotlight the same way as Mash, Dot, and Lance. Speaking about those who didn’t get the spotlight, Fynn also has yet to show any moment to shine. Most of what he did was only screaming in distress and shouting for help while clinging to others like the main trio in fear. But unlike Lemon, I can still see a chance for Fynn to get some of the actions in the future.
Announcement of Retirement
Last but not the least, I am sad to say that this would be the last time I am posting in Angry Anime Bitches. Due to real life circumstances, I have no choice but to retire from writing for this blog. When I finally became a writer for this blog, I had wished I could post and shared many series that I love. Though it hasn’t been that long since I joined this blog, I hope you all enjoy my posts.
But fret not, even though I will no longer write for this blog, I’ll still read and comment as regularly as I can in my free time, so I won’t be saying goodbye because you’ll see my comments in other posts! (^w^)
Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to write for this blog! I wish Angry Anime Bitches best of luck!
