An anime adaptation of Mashle: Magic and Muscles has been confirmed to be in production.
A Mashle anime series will be released in 2023. The statement was made via Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump, with Mashle Official releasing new art for the series on Twitter. A trailer was released in tandem with the Twitter announcement, which shows the series' protagonist Mash as he develops his signature "muscle magic".
Mashle: Magic and Muscles is a manga series written and illustrated by Hajime Komoto. It has been serialized in Shueisha's Weekly Shonen Jump magazine since the beginning of 2020. It currently consists of 114 chapters collected into eleven volumes, with a twelfth volume in the works. The manga's first volume was sold out upon its release, and it currently has over three million copies in circulation. It was nominated for the 67th Shogakukan Manga Award in 2021 and the 6th Next Manga Award, where it placed eleventh out of fifty nominees. It was also included in the Nippon Foundation's list of "5 Recommended Manga Available in English" and has been praised by fans and critics for its sharp humor.
Mashle is set in a world where magic is everything, and one's place in society is determined by his powers—or lack thereof. Mash Burnedead has no magic to speak of. Born without the special mark that indicates a magic-wielder, Mash is abandoned by his family and taken in by Regro Burnedead, a man who begins to teach him self-defense. If Mash wants to provide a better life for himself and his adoptive father, he'll have to earn top marks from the Easton Magic Academy in order to become a Divine Visionary. To do so, Mash will have to master "muscles magic"—a control of his own muscles so complete that it allows him to carry out incredible feats.
The story of someone without special powers in a world full of magic isn't new to many anime fans, with characters like Izuku Midoriya from My Hero Academia and Rock Lee from Naruto being famous examples of this trope. However, Mashle puts a new spin on the trope, parodying elements of these shows instead of simply copying a tired formula. In particular, Mashle has been compared to One Punch Man due to their similar storylines and comedic tone. The series also parodies Harry Potter, with Easton Magic Academy satirizing Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
The Mashle: Magic and Muscles manga is currently available through VIZ Media and Manga Plus.
Source: YouTube, Twitter