Mashle, the series of Komoto Hajime, has been much talked about in recent weeks, especially because the cover reminds us strangely of a magical world well known to the general public, that of Harry Potter. But what is it really?
Mashle T01
Mashle is a shonen by Komoto Hajime currently comprising 06 volumes in Japan. In France, the first two volumes are available since the beginning of April at Kazé. Volume 3 will be published on June 2nd .
In a world where magic is law, once upon a time there was Mash Burnedead!Raised deep in the forest, the young boy spends his days between bodybuilding sessions and tastings of cream puffs. But one day, a police officer discovers his secret: he was born without magical powers, which is punishable by death!To survive, he will have to apply to Easton, a prestigious magic academy, and become the best student… The magic just has to behave: with his sharp musculature and his extraordinary strength, Mash intends to pulverize all the spells and break the codes of this society!
To discover an excerpt from volume 1, it's here !
A tasty mix between Harry Potter and One Punch Man !
This first volume was very pleasant to discover. Indeed, the author plunges us into a magical world, where of course, not everything is wonderful. Our hero, Mash, unfortunately has no magical power. He therefore has only two options, to join the most prestigious school of magic, or to become a fugitive. As you can imagine, it is the school of magic that was chosen. And what was our surprise to discover a magnificent castle, looking like Hogwarts, the famous castle of the Harry Potter saga. And this reference is just one of many. Whether you are an absolute fan of the saga, or you just enjoy the universe, you will have the pleasure of discovering references in a number of pages. Whether by the resemblance of the main character to the famous wizard, a game referring to Quidditch, or the director of the school having traits in common with Dumbledore, the winks are not lacking and make the reading of this first volume very satisfying. These examples are only part of those present in the book. We leave you the pleasure of discovering all the references present. 
But that's not all. The author delights us even more by referring to other manga, including One Punch Man, by One and Murata Yusuke. Indeed, although the main character has no talent in magic, he nevertheless possesses extraordinary strength. Indeed, from an early age, his father concocted a training of the most intensive bodybuilding. This is reminiscent of Saitama's story. However, although many winks have crept in over the pages, the author has been able to dose them. Indeed, it does not bring any heaviness to the discovery of the series, quite the contrary.
A series mixing action, magic and comedy!
Although this series is not very original, the author combines with finesse passages full of seriousness, action, fights, but also comic scenes. Indeed, our hero will be confronted several times with the harsh reality of life. Many obstacles will stand in his way and sometimes the use of force will be necessary. However, let's not stay serious for too long. Indeed, it is always when the situation is least suitable that Mash surprises us with his reactions. Indeed, this series is meant to be parody and as the saying goes, ridicule does not kill. Well, in Mashle, sometimes ridicule is pushed to its climax. The author presents us with a story sometimes completely offbeat and this goes very well with the line of conduct that this first volume seems to follow. On the side of the graphics, nothing very extravagant, the characters are rather well represented and emotions or reactions are detectable on their faces. The mangaka has a rather fine line and has been able to adjust his pencil stroke according to the situation. Whether for a fight, a comic scene or a more serious action, the drawing is adapted and makes its discovery pleasant. However, the background is not very worked, except for a few boxes worth seeing. Still, it goes pretty well with the script. Although this series is not very original, we still invite you to discover it as soon as possible. Whether by its light tone, its many references to great universes, or by its quirky side, Mashle is a series that we enjoyed reading.
