Mashle: Magic and Muscles – Season 1 Episode 4 Recap & Review

Mash Burnedead and the Challenging Magic User

Episode 4 of Mashle: Magic and Muscles begins where we left off, with Mash staring blankly at the sky while participating in the Duelo competition. Tom approaches Mash and gives him a rundown of Duelo. He tells Mash that magic’s forbidden, so he must rely on his broom technique.

An opposing team’s player knocks Tom to the ground and scolds him. The opposing team has a 40-point lead over Tom’s and even worse, his arm is now broken. He tells Mash that it’s important for him to give it his all regardless if they lose this match. Mash uses his strength to leap into the air and kicks his legs fast enough to keep himself airborne, baffling everyone.

Mash starts throwing the ball into the goal countless times until they have a score of 999. After winning the competition, Mash and his teammates win silver coins. A blue-haired student reads a newspaper about Mash’s victory overnight and claims Mash is on his hit list.

Tom gives Mash more advice; Lemon wants him to study with her. Mash is disinterested in what both have to say and asks Finn for help, but he’s fallen asleep. The blue-haired student, Lance Crown, wants to join in on Mash’s conversation with Lemon and Tom.

Lance pulls out an ancient bottle and traps Finn, Lemon, and Tom inside. Lance tells him if he wants to free his friends, Mash must come to the forest next to the owl hut. Lance challenges Mash to a duel and wages two silver coins. Tom realizes Lance has two lines on his face, and the narrator breaks down what the marks represent.

He explains everyone is born as a single-line magic user, but some will adopt multiple marks. Double-line magic users, like Lance, are considered chosen by magic itself. Lance tells Mash they’ll each wage one silver coin in a match. Other duels involving magic are considered taboo in this school, according to Lance.

Lance belittles Mash for being too soft and claims he’ll win the competition. Somewhere in the forest, Regro and Brad discuss their worries and overhear Lance casting his graviole spell to make things easier. Mash and Lance fight.

Lance thinks he has the upper hand on Mash with his gravity spells, but Mash proves him wrong. He throws a punch toward Lance, causing him to drop his locket. Mash opens it up, sees a little girl’s photo, and accuses Lance of being a predator. Lance tells Mash that it’s his sister, so Mash returns his locket. Lance dangles the bottle containing Lemon, Tom, and Finn over a cliff and explains how this will lead to his victory.

We then receive a glimpse into Lance’s past with his sister, Anna. Lance was a clumsy kid who liked sticking up for others. Unfortunately, Anna’s enduring an incurable disease that’ll strip her mark and magical power. Lance’s father tells Lance if Anna loses her powers, they’ll have to hand her over to the government.

Lance is determined to become a Divine Visionary to save his sister and he drops the bottle to use his magic. However, Mash unleashes his Hamstring Magic, allowing him to retrieve the bottle. Lance realizes Mash is capable of physical enhancement magic and in retaliation, Mash tells Lance he knows he’s not a terrible guy since the bottle he dropped didn’t have Tom, Lemon, or Finn in it.

Mash rushes toward Lance, grabs the bottle with his friends in, and tells Lance he’s not interested in continuing this battle. Lance asks Mash why he doesn’t grab his silver coins, but Mash retorts tht he’s too clumsy to make rational decisions about everything. Lance gives Mash a silver coin to uphold the bet and leaves. The episode closes with Lemon, Finn, and Tom thanking Mash for saving them.

The Episode Review

This episode introduced us to a new character and possible ally for Mash in the future. Lance feels more defined than his other companions too, as we get to peer into his backstory instead of being told why he wants to become a Divine Visionary. Although it would have been great if the episode dived further into his relationship with his sister, it gives fans a reason to root for him down the line.

His battle with Mash had a decent mix of humor and action. I was baffled by Mash’s physical enhancement magic and other viewers may find themselves wondering what other tricks Mash has lying under his coat. While it didn’t offer anything too intense, the battle offers enough content to whet any action enthusiast’s palette. And it also had some compelling deadpan humor too!

Mash’s victory in the Duelo match felt too easy for my taste. His competitors could’ve easily tried doing something to stop Mash from scoring instead of staring at him blankly in awe. Although this was a funny scene and it was obvious Mash was going to win in the end, his opponents could have at least tried to thwart Mash in some way.

This was an all-around interesting chapter of the series that introduces a character with a little more depth. It contained some funny and exhilarating scenes to get fans pumped for future antics involving Mash and his allies. I’m looking forward to seeing what else lies ahead for our characters in the coming weeks.