WEBVTT 00:00:05.129 --> 00:00:08.750 You're listening to the After Hours Arc, your 00:00:08.750 --> 00:00:13.789 new anime podcast. My name is Antae, and I'll 00:00:13.789 --> 00:00:18.949 be your host. Join me as I review, recap, and 00:00:18.949 --> 00:00:23.350 relive anime, one arc at a time. And as always, 00:00:23.629 --> 00:00:26.570 these are all from a manga -free point of view. 00:00:27.589 --> 00:00:32.700 For today's episode, I am really excited. to 00:00:32.700 --> 00:00:37.920 be diving into mashal, magic, and muscles. This 00:00:37.920 --> 00:00:46.320 was an anime I passed on so many times. I did 00:00:46.320 --> 00:00:49.259 not think that this looked interesting at all. 00:00:50.200 --> 00:00:53.859 I figured it was just some Harry Potter spoof 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:57.000 and that it would get old in a couple of episodes. 00:00:57.420 --> 00:01:02.469 What I wasn't expecting was just how well They 00:01:02.469 --> 00:01:07.549 commit to the running gags in the show. It made 00:01:07.549 --> 00:01:12.569 me laugh so much. There's nothing too deep within 00:01:12.569 --> 00:01:16.489 the series, which is something I enjoyed a lot. 00:01:17.310 --> 00:01:22.030 It was very easy to digest, and compared to a 00:01:22.030 --> 00:01:26.189 lot of the heavier shows that I watch, this was 00:01:26.189 --> 00:01:30.049 almost a breath of fresh air. So to understand 00:01:30.049 --> 00:01:35.730 more about why Mashal is so ridiculous, we have 00:01:35.730 --> 00:01:39.989 to get into the world he lives in. This is a 00:01:39.989 --> 00:01:45.709 magic -dominated world where your magic determines 00:01:45.709 --> 00:01:49.810 everything. People are judged by how strong their 00:01:49.810 --> 00:01:53.510 magic is, and the number of lines on their face 00:01:53.510 --> 00:01:58.349 shows their magical potential. One line is considered 00:01:58.349 --> 00:02:03.269 normal. Two lines is exceptional. Three lines 00:02:03.269 --> 00:02:10.629 is just top tier elite. It's very rare. Anyone 00:02:10.629 --> 00:02:14.330 born without magic, they are considered to be 00:02:14.330 --> 00:02:17.449 a mistake and they get removed from society. 00:02:18.150 --> 00:02:21.849 Which is where we get into our main character, 00:02:22.090 --> 00:02:27.620 Mash. Mash was found as a baby. By this man Regrow. 00:02:27.819 --> 00:02:32.099 And he could tell immediately. Mash had no marks 00:02:32.099 --> 00:02:36.620 on his face. And instead of turning him in. He 00:02:36.620 --> 00:02:39.680 becomes his adopted father. And raises him in 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:43.939 secret in the forest. Because Mash has no magic. 00:02:44.360 --> 00:02:47.560 If the government found out. They would kill 00:02:47.560 --> 00:02:53.000 him. Mash grows up. Training his body. He lifts. 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:58.250 Runs. And he's pushing himself far beyond normal 00:02:58.250 --> 00:03:04.110 limits. This story makes it clear that Mash didn't 00:03:04.110 --> 00:03:08.569 get strong by accident. He worked for it. And 00:03:08.569 --> 00:03:12.330 this is important because his strength is the 00:03:12.330 --> 00:03:18.050 literal foundation of everything that's going 00:03:18.050 --> 00:03:22.580 to happen. The story really starts to move when 00:03:22.580 --> 00:03:26.300 an officer from the Bureau of Magic discovers 00:03:26.300 --> 00:03:30.800 Mash's existence. He ends up making him a deal 00:03:30.800 --> 00:03:34.699 instead of taking him in. And the deal is that 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:39.520 Mash has to enroll in Easton Magic Academy and 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:45.000 become a divine visionary. If he succeeds, then 00:03:45.000 --> 00:03:48.099 the government will have no choice but to let 00:03:48.099 --> 00:03:52.259 him live. If he fails though, then Mash dies. 00:03:52.879 --> 00:03:58.319 This sets the main goal for the entire series. 00:03:58.919 --> 00:04:02.780 When Mash arrives at the academy, the story shows 00:04:02.780 --> 00:04:06.400 just how different he is from everyone else. 00:04:06.759 --> 00:04:10.759 All the other students are nervous and preparing 00:04:10.759 --> 00:04:15.500 their magic. But Mash is over here doing a full 00:04:15.500 --> 00:04:18.750 workout routine in the courtyard. He is lifting 00:04:18.750 --> 00:04:23.610 weights, stretching, warming up like he is about 00:04:23.610 --> 00:04:27.430 to run a marathon. The students just stare at 00:04:27.430 --> 00:04:31.949 him and are so confused. And this moment really 00:04:31.949 --> 00:04:36.129 sets the tone that Mash doesn't act like anybody 00:04:36.129 --> 00:04:40.029 from this world. The examiner ends up summoning 00:04:40.029 --> 00:04:44.670 desks and papers with magic. The test is enchanted, 00:04:44.670 --> 00:04:47.430 so the questions are moving all around the page. 00:04:48.050 --> 00:04:52.569 They're supposed to use magic to stop them. Well, 00:04:52.790 --> 00:04:57.470 Mash can't use magic, so he just tells the questions 00:04:57.470 --> 00:05:02.589 to stop, and they freeze. Again, it was so ridiculous. 00:05:02.750 --> 00:05:08.370 The show is so stupid that it really made me 00:05:08.370 --> 00:05:11.810 laugh until I hurt. The main part of the exam 00:05:11.810 --> 00:05:16.149 though is this large magic maze. You have to 00:05:16.149 --> 00:05:20.230 reach the end while avoiding traps and magical 00:05:20.230 --> 00:05:24.509 beasts. We do get introduced to Lemon though, 00:05:24.709 --> 00:05:29.410 who originally was supposed to slow him down 00:05:29.410 --> 00:05:33.529 so that he failed. That was going to guarantee 00:05:33.529 --> 00:05:38.670 her acceptance into the academy. He ends up saving 00:05:38.670 --> 00:05:43.360 her. And she now thinks she is destined to marry 00:05:43.360 --> 00:05:47.379 this boy. Her obsession is one of the running 00:05:47.379 --> 00:05:51.259 jokes within the show. It does get a little bit 00:05:51.259 --> 00:05:54.439 old. But MASH ends up punching through all the 00:05:54.439 --> 00:05:58.500 walls, which not only shocked everybody, but 00:05:58.500 --> 00:06:00.579 it also got him accepted because he completed 00:06:00.579 --> 00:06:03.939 the exam, even though he cheated. The show does 00:06:03.939 --> 00:06:07.959 a really good job immediately letting us know. 00:06:08.639 --> 00:06:13.779 just how strong and unstoppable Mash is. After 00:06:13.779 --> 00:06:17.339 Mash gets accepted, this is where we meet the 00:06:17.339 --> 00:06:20.540 rest of the main group. We have Finn, who is 00:06:20.540 --> 00:06:24.240 Mash's roommate. His reactions to Mash are so 00:06:24.240 --> 00:06:29.220 legit. He is definitely the audience. His presence 00:06:29.220 --> 00:06:34.800 helps us understand just how bizarre Mash actually 00:06:34.800 --> 00:06:39.050 is in this world. Then we have Lemon, who we 00:06:39.050 --> 00:06:43.129 just got into. Dot is the next one I'll bring 00:06:43.129 --> 00:06:47.170 up, although he's not my favorite. He does bring 00:06:47.170 --> 00:06:51.709 this chaotic energy though, and that works really 00:06:51.709 --> 00:06:55.970 well. It sort of balances out the group. Last, 00:06:56.050 --> 00:06:59.810 we have Lance, who is by far my favorite. He 00:06:59.810 --> 00:07:04.120 is a double liner. He has blue hair. And his 00:07:04.120 --> 00:07:07.120 only con is that he has this weird obsession 00:07:07.120 --> 00:07:10.439 with his sister. I mean, he is trying to save 00:07:10.439 --> 00:07:16.879 her, but still. It gets weird. So the first major 00:07:16.879 --> 00:07:22.060 conflict we run into is the Magia Lupus. They 00:07:22.060 --> 00:07:25.379 are a group of elite students from one of the 00:07:25.379 --> 00:07:29.620 dorms within the academy. And they are led by 00:07:29.620 --> 00:07:33.879 this character, Abel. Abel believes that people 00:07:33.879 --> 00:07:38.579 with weak magic are inferior. His magic has to 00:07:38.579 --> 00:07:41.240 do with puppets and being able to control them. 00:07:41.660 --> 00:07:46.240 This is a great representation of how the elite 00:07:46.240 --> 00:07:51.740 uses their power to manipulate the weak. Abel's 00:07:51.740 --> 00:07:55.620 using his strongest puppet magic. He is trying 00:07:55.620 --> 00:07:59.060 to overwhelm Mash, but Mash just breaks through 00:07:59.060 --> 00:08:03.189 everything. He tears apart the dolls. He snaps 00:08:03.189 --> 00:08:06.850 the strings. He just keeps going towards Abel 00:08:06.850 --> 00:08:11.589 with no fear. And this arc is important for three 00:08:11.589 --> 00:08:16.889 reasons. The first reason is that it shows Mash's 00:08:16.889 --> 00:08:22.350 moral center and how he protects people who can't 00:08:22.350 --> 00:08:26.990 protect themselves. It's also challenging the 00:08:26.990 --> 00:08:31.879 school's pecking order. Abel's defeat proves 00:08:31.879 --> 00:08:36.799 that magic status isn't everything. And lastly, 00:08:37.080 --> 00:08:40.100 it brings Mash's group together, which I really 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:45.059 enjoyed. I liked seeing some unity and I was 00:08:45.059 --> 00:08:48.919 really here for it. This arc feels like the moment 00:08:48.919 --> 00:08:54.559 where Mash stops being just a strange new student. 00:08:55.279 --> 00:08:59.259 and becomes someone the academy has to take seriously. 00:08:59.779 --> 00:09:03.240 The story shifts its focus to something much 00:09:03.240 --> 00:09:06.720 bigger, which is the divine visionary exams. 00:09:07.639 --> 00:09:14.259 These exams are a major event. Every year, the 00:09:14.259 --> 00:09:17.019 school selects students who show exceptional 00:09:17.019 --> 00:09:22.240 ability, and those students compete for the title 00:09:22.240 --> 00:09:26.029 of divine visionary. This is one of the highest 00:09:26.029 --> 00:09:30.990 honors in the whole magic world. They are seen 00:09:30.990 --> 00:09:37.210 as leaders, protectors, and essentially, they 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:42.070 are symbols of magical excellence. Throughout 00:09:42.070 --> 00:09:45.590 all of his challenges, this dude just punches 00:09:45.590 --> 00:09:48.350 his way to the top, which should be impossible. 00:09:48.710 --> 00:09:53.370 He is completely shattering that ceiling. Quite 00:09:53.370 --> 00:09:58.230 literally. As he continues to succeed, more people 00:09:58.230 --> 00:10:01.629 start to question how he's actually doing this. 00:10:01.990 --> 00:10:05.669 His lack of magic is becoming much harder to 00:10:05.669 --> 00:10:09.629 hide. By the time we get into Season 2, they 00:10:09.629 --> 00:10:13.649 start expanding the story even further. Beyond 00:10:13.649 --> 00:10:18.129 just the Academy. Mash's existence affects the 00:10:18.129 --> 00:10:21.960 Magic Society as a whole. We get to meet the 00:10:21.960 --> 00:10:24.220 divine visionaries through all of this though, 00:10:24.419 --> 00:10:28.000 and I really enjoyed all of their character designs. 00:10:28.600 --> 00:10:32.860 The one I love the most is actually Finn's older 00:10:32.860 --> 00:10:36.620 brother, Rain. He is known for his sword magic. 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:42.860 He's quiet and serious, extremely skilled with 00:10:42.860 --> 00:10:47.879 magic. Rain really becomes one of the first high 00:10:47.879 --> 00:10:51.700 -ranking figures. to openly stand up for Mash. 00:10:53.019 --> 00:10:56.340 Them showing up was really important though, 00:10:56.580 --> 00:11:00.720 because it shows that the higher ups within this 00:11:00.720 --> 00:11:04.980 magic world, they've got their eyes on him. And 00:11:04.980 --> 00:11:07.340 this boy is just trying to keep things simple. 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:11.220 He's training diligently, drinking his protein 00:11:11.220 --> 00:11:14.840 shakes, and of course, eating his cream puffs. 00:11:15.039 --> 00:11:18.059 But the world won't let him stay hidden anymore. 00:11:18.889 --> 00:11:23.590 This tension is what becomes the main theme of 00:11:23.590 --> 00:11:28.429 season two. Mash just wants a normal life, but 00:11:28.429 --> 00:11:31.629 the world won't allow it. Which I mean, what 00:11:31.629 --> 00:11:36.009 did he expect going to a magical school with 00:11:36.009 --> 00:11:40.330 zero magic? What that did though, is it built 00:11:40.330 --> 00:11:43.970 toward one specific moment, which is Mash getting 00:11:43.970 --> 00:11:46.690 found out. We knew it was going to happen eventually. 00:11:47.480 --> 00:11:51.500 Up until now, Mash has been hiding the fact that 00:11:51.500 --> 00:11:55.240 he has no magic. His friends know, but the rest 00:11:55.240 --> 00:11:59.500 of the world, the government, the visionaries, 00:11:59.500 --> 00:12:05.759 the Bureau of Magic, they had no idea. That changes 00:12:05.759 --> 00:12:10.039 here though. Mash is taken to this massive courtroom. 00:12:10.899 --> 00:12:14.120 This is where we meet one of the divine visionaries, 00:12:14.139 --> 00:12:18.840 Orta. who is one of the strictest visionaries. 00:12:19.440 --> 00:12:25.919 He believes in absolute order. To him, someone 00:12:25.919 --> 00:12:30.980 without magic is a flaw in the system. In his 00:12:30.980 --> 00:12:34.740 mind, Mash is breaking the biggest rule of them 00:12:34.740 --> 00:12:39.460 all, existing without magic. Mash stands in the 00:12:39.460 --> 00:12:43.360 center of the courtroom. The charges are simple. 00:12:44.009 --> 00:12:48.909 MASH has no magic, therefore he should not exist. 00:12:49.850 --> 00:12:53.470 This whole scene felt really important because 00:12:53.470 --> 00:12:57.970 it changed the vibe completely. It got much colder, 00:12:58.169 --> 00:13:03.909 more formal, and it's filled with people who 00:13:03.909 --> 00:13:07.190 have already decided that he is guilty before 00:13:07.190 --> 00:13:10.629 he's even gotten to make his case. So he's standing 00:13:10.629 --> 00:13:14.830 there while they're listing off his crimes. And 00:13:14.830 --> 00:13:17.889 it's honestly rough. They are not judging him 00:13:17.889 --> 00:13:22.190 for anything he did. They're judging him for 00:13:22.190 --> 00:13:27.389 what he is. Or more importantly, what he is not. 00:13:28.610 --> 00:13:32.129 But our man doesn't give some dramatic speech. 00:13:32.490 --> 00:13:35.269 He doesn't even really try to win them over. 00:13:35.929 --> 00:13:39.149 He just tells them the truth. That he wants to 00:13:39.149 --> 00:13:42.350 live a normal life, he wants to protect the people 00:13:42.350 --> 00:13:45.669 he cares about, and he doesn't want to hurt anyone. 00:13:46.009 --> 00:13:51.070 It was very on brand for MASH. Right when the 00:13:51.070 --> 00:13:54.370 court is about to decide his fate, which again 00:13:54.370 --> 00:13:58.690 was still not looking good, everything shifts 00:13:58.690 --> 00:14:03.570 even further. In the middle of sentencing, the 00:14:03.570 --> 00:14:06.789 judge's voice shifts and his posture is all messed 00:14:06.789 --> 00:14:10.230 up. He ends up getting possessed by one of the 00:14:10.230 --> 00:14:13.909 most dangerous conflicts we are going to run 00:14:13.909 --> 00:14:18.350 into, which is Innocent Zero. He never shows 00:14:18.350 --> 00:14:21.889 up in person. He only possesses the Judge with 00:14:21.889 --> 00:14:25.029 this magic parasite, and he speaks through him 00:14:25.029 --> 00:14:29.210 like a puppet. It was super creepy. It was way 00:14:29.210 --> 00:14:31.610 more unsettling than if he had just walked in. 00:14:32.350 --> 00:14:35.629 He basically tells them, though, to not touch 00:14:35.629 --> 00:14:39.429 Mash. Not because he cares about him or anything, 00:14:39.730 --> 00:14:43.850 but because Mash belongs to him. He considers 00:14:43.850 --> 00:14:47.929 Mash to be his property. For me, this was the 00:14:47.929 --> 00:14:53.090 first time that the show made it clear that Mash 00:14:53.090 --> 00:14:58.509 isn't just some anomaly. He's a target. And not 00:14:58.509 --> 00:15:02.629 just any target. He's a part of Innocent Zero's 00:15:02.629 --> 00:15:07.059 plan to become something. Now the entire courtroom 00:15:07.059 --> 00:15:12.059 flips. The wild part is the divine visionaries 00:15:12.059 --> 00:15:17.519 who were just ready to execute Mash. They hesitate 00:15:17.519 --> 00:15:21.399 because now killing Mash might mean interfering 00:15:21.399 --> 00:15:25.480 with something way bigger than they even understand. 00:15:26.220 --> 00:15:29.879 And in the middle of this tension, Mash does 00:15:29.879 --> 00:15:34.440 the most Mash thing possible. He literally grabs 00:15:34.440 --> 00:15:38.799 the parasite and rips it off the judge. It tried 00:15:38.799 --> 00:15:41.659 to take Mash as a host, but since he doesn't 00:15:41.659 --> 00:15:45.639 have magic, he wasn't able to. And this boy ties 00:15:45.639 --> 00:15:48.559 this parasite like a cherry stem with his tongue. 00:15:48.799 --> 00:15:53.139 Even with the heavy tones, this is what I mean 00:15:53.139 --> 00:15:57.440 by them fully committing to this joke. And I 00:15:57.440 --> 00:16:00.740 loved it so much, it did not get old for me. 00:16:01.480 --> 00:16:05.120 From here, we start to see a shift and a divide 00:16:05.120 --> 00:16:09.279 within the visionaries. Some of them still want 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:12.639 him dead, but others start realizing something 00:16:12.639 --> 00:16:17.299 important. If someone like Innocent Zero is targeting 00:16:17.299 --> 00:16:21.080 M .A .S .H., then M .A .S .H. might actually 00:16:21.080 --> 00:16:25.620 be the key to stopping him. And that's ultimately 00:16:25.620 --> 00:16:29.600 why M .A .S .H. doesn't get executed. Not because 00:16:29.600 --> 00:16:34.139 his innocence was proved, or because the system 00:16:34.139 --> 00:16:38.820 changed, but because he became too important 00:16:38.820 --> 00:16:43.960 to kill. For me, this scene did three massive 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:50.259 things for the story. First, it exposed how broken 00:16:50.259 --> 00:16:54.240 the magic society is. They were ready to kill 00:16:54.240 --> 00:16:59.000 Mash instantly. Second, it introduces Innocent 00:16:59.000 --> 00:17:04.599 Zero as this top -level threat who can literally 00:17:04.599 --> 00:17:07.839 control people from a distance and manipulate 00:17:07.839 --> 00:17:11.519 the situation without having to be there. And 00:17:11.519 --> 00:17:14.700 lastly, and I think this is the most important, 00:17:15.059 --> 00:17:19.200 it establishes M .A .S .H. as the center of everything. 00:17:20.039 --> 00:17:23.740 From this point forward, the story isn't just 00:17:23.740 --> 00:17:27.349 about M .A .S .H. surviving school. It's about 00:17:27.349 --> 00:17:31.430 why he exists. Why someone like Innocent Zero 00:17:31.430 --> 00:17:36.869 wants him so badly. He's officially been spared, 00:17:36.950 --> 00:17:39.890 but this isn't because they accept him. This 00:17:39.890 --> 00:17:43.569 is strictly conditional. He's basically put on 00:17:43.569 --> 00:17:47.210 a leash. They allow him to stay at the academy, 00:17:47.410 --> 00:17:51.470 but now there's an exception. Mash has to prove 00:17:51.470 --> 00:17:54.970 his worth within their system. The way he does 00:17:54.970 --> 00:17:59.170 that... is by aiming to become a divine visionary 00:17:59.170 --> 00:18:05.009 which we already were planning on doing so it 00:18:05.009 --> 00:18:08.369 kind of threw me off that they made this another 00:18:08.369 --> 00:18:13.390 goal but the real goal is that mash needs to 00:18:13.390 --> 00:18:18.369 rise through a system that literally rejects 00:18:18.369 --> 00:18:23.410 him that alone raises the stakes because now 00:18:24.140 --> 00:18:29.099 Every step forward is not just about school rankings. 00:18:29.799 --> 00:18:34.079 It's about survival. And at the same time, we 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:38.539 have this looming presence of Innocent Zero hanging 00:18:38.539 --> 00:18:42.279 over everything. Because even though he disappeared 00:18:42.279 --> 00:18:45.960 after that whole possession deal, the damage 00:18:45.960 --> 00:18:50.039 is already done. So now, when we shift back into 00:18:50.039 --> 00:18:53.509 the school setting... Everything feels different. 00:18:53.869 --> 00:18:57.829 The tone is still funny, but there's pressure 00:18:57.829 --> 00:19:02.009 underneath it now. Mash is still doing his usual 00:19:02.009 --> 00:19:09.150 things, training, cream puffing, but now all 00:19:09.150 --> 00:19:12.650 of his actions carry a weight because it's all 00:19:12.650 --> 00:19:18.009 building toward that divine visionary exam. And 00:19:18.009 --> 00:19:22.240 what I like here... is that the show still doesn't 00:19:22.240 --> 00:19:27.519 abandon its identity. We still get these ridiculous 00:19:27.519 --> 00:19:31.819 moments with Mash solving problems with pure 00:19:31.819 --> 00:19:36.759 muscle, completely ignoring how magic is supposed 00:19:36.759 --> 00:19:41.119 to work. But this exam isn't going to be anything 00:19:41.119 --> 00:19:44.160 like the entrance exam was. This is the real 00:19:44.160 --> 00:19:48.630 deal. The strongest students show up. The rules 00:19:48.630 --> 00:19:53.490 are harsher, the stakes are higher, and now everyone 00:19:53.490 --> 00:19:57.569 is watching Mash. The early rounds of this exam 00:19:57.569 --> 00:20:02.009 are survival based. There's mazes and traps, 00:20:02.450 --> 00:20:06.789 monsters. These are all designed to test your 00:20:06.789 --> 00:20:10.170 magic skill. Mash handles everything the only 00:20:10.170 --> 00:20:12.869 way he knows how though, which is just by breaking 00:20:12.869 --> 00:20:15.990 everything in front of him. But this exam is 00:20:15.990 --> 00:20:20.170 not just about strength. It's about teamwork. 00:20:20.549 --> 00:20:25.289 And this is where Finn, Dot, and Lance really 00:20:25.289 --> 00:20:29.089 step up. They stop being these side characters 00:20:29.089 --> 00:20:34.430 and really become MASH's support. We do have 00:20:34.430 --> 00:20:38.710 to talk about Margaret Macaron though because 00:20:38.710 --> 00:20:43.410 their fight with MASH was so good. They were 00:20:43.410 --> 00:20:47.890 so calm and elegant. They're a bit terrifying. 00:20:48.650 --> 00:20:53.309 Their magic is sound based. And they treat this 00:20:53.309 --> 00:20:58.569 exam like a full on stage performance. It was 00:20:58.569 --> 00:21:04.549 visually so much fun to watch. I was a huge Margaret 00:21:04.549 --> 00:21:09.549 fan. This is the first opponent that really feels 00:21:09.549 --> 00:21:13.720 like a true rival for him. Because this isn't 00:21:13.720 --> 00:21:17.339 someone who's just strong, but they're composed. 00:21:18.259 --> 00:21:22.160 Little music pun for you. But really, they are 00:21:22.160 --> 00:21:27.859 someone who sees M .A .S .H. not as a joke, but 00:21:27.859 --> 00:21:32.380 as a fun challenge. Margaret's magic is beautiful 00:21:32.380 --> 00:21:37.200 and deadly. They're sound waves that can cut, 00:21:37.299 --> 00:21:42.369 crush, and overwhelm any opponent. Mash doesn't 00:21:42.369 --> 00:21:45.529 understand any of it, and he is getting a little 00:21:45.529 --> 00:21:50.369 overwhelmed. Margaret plays this symphony of 00:21:50.369 --> 00:21:54.470 destruction, but after an intense battle of attrition, 00:21:54.829 --> 00:21:59.589 Mash finally lands a hit, and it's game over. 00:22:00.109 --> 00:22:05.430 What I enjoyed though is Margaret doesn't walk 00:22:05.430 --> 00:22:10.579 away angry. They are impressed. They consider 00:22:10.579 --> 00:22:14.940 Mash to be their little darling. Mash didn't 00:22:14.940 --> 00:22:19.420 just earn a win, but respect, which I really 00:22:19.420 --> 00:22:23.200 enjoyed. I couldn't celebrate long though because 00:22:23.200 --> 00:22:26.220 Innocent Zero decides to take action and just 00:22:26.220 --> 00:22:29.559 comfort Mash himself now. He appears in the sky 00:22:29.559 --> 00:22:36.480 and freezes time. His plan is to basically absorb 00:22:36.480 --> 00:22:42.660 Mash to complete himself. But Wahlberg, the headmaster, 00:22:42.819 --> 00:22:46.599 our Dumbledore, I just realized I didn't really 00:22:46.599 --> 00:22:50.700 get into him and I apologize for that. But he 00:22:50.700 --> 00:22:53.680 shows up because he is obviously not about to 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.140 let this happen. During his fight with Wahlberg 00:22:57.140 --> 00:23:01.559 though, Innocent Zero spawns a bunch of monsters 00:23:01.559 --> 00:23:05.470 to take out all the frozen students. Wahlberg 00:23:05.470 --> 00:23:10.089 was able to dispel some of the students. He was 00:23:10.089 --> 00:23:16.230 able to release Mash, Margaret, Dot, Lance, and 00:23:16.230 --> 00:23:18.369 a couple of the other divine visionaries as well. 00:23:18.450 --> 00:23:21.890 I can't remember exactly who, but it was really 00:23:21.890 --> 00:23:25.630 amazing getting to watch these divine visionaries 00:23:25.630 --> 00:23:29.190 in action. I was really excited for that moment. 00:23:29.799 --> 00:23:33.500 Innocent Zero and Wahlberg take to the skies 00:23:33.500 --> 00:23:37.460 for their fight. Dot becomes this leader type 00:23:37.460 --> 00:23:40.480 and he's telling Mash to head into the tower 00:23:40.480 --> 00:23:43.400 to take care of the real heavy hitter, which 00:23:43.400 --> 00:23:46.940 is this member Cell, who we had fought earlier 00:23:46.940 --> 00:23:51.140 in season one. I'm sorry I've been all over the 00:23:51.140 --> 00:23:55.440 place. But their interactions are really funny. 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:59.519 Because Mash forgets who this guy was entirely. 00:24:00.799 --> 00:24:05.359 And this dude cannot believe this. It was just 00:24:05.359 --> 00:24:10.480 so funny. But their fight went really hard. And 00:24:10.480 --> 00:24:13.480 Mash does remember after getting hit with one 00:24:13.480 --> 00:24:17.319 of his spells. But he ends up running on their 00:24:17.319 --> 00:24:21.859 magic to close the gap and land his typical punch. 00:24:22.819 --> 00:24:27.009 Apparently... Mash considers Cell this one -trick 00:24:27.009 --> 00:24:30.769 pony. If he has seen magic before, he remembers 00:24:30.769 --> 00:24:35.210 it, allegedly. He ends up getting mashed, though, 00:24:35.410 --> 00:24:40.869 and I thought he really got him. Instead, his 00:24:40.869 --> 00:24:44.490 head was this giant cream puff, and he starts 00:24:44.490 --> 00:24:49.029 shoving them into his mouth. It was so ridiculous. 00:24:49.609 --> 00:24:53.630 But it turns out that Cell was just hallucinating. 00:24:54.250 --> 00:24:57.730 Mash was choking him out and they continued to 00:24:57.730 --> 00:25:01.789 keep this humor with such a dark and heavy conflict 00:25:01.789 --> 00:25:06.390 currently happening. The comedy of this show 00:25:06.390 --> 00:25:10.750 really hit a sweet spot for me. Speaking of heavy 00:25:10.750 --> 00:25:14.289 though, getting back into the Innocent Zero and 00:25:14.289 --> 00:25:18.650 Wahlberg fight, Innocent Zero summons this coffin 00:25:18.650 --> 00:25:23.029 that is apparently a forbidden spell. Turns out... 00:25:23.519 --> 00:25:26.559 That him and Wahlberg's old master is inside 00:25:26.559 --> 00:25:30.299 of that. And is basically his puppet. It was 00:25:30.299 --> 00:25:33.960 this Necron character actually. But moving on. 00:25:34.200 --> 00:25:37.900 It was really fun to watch. Wahlberg's magic 00:25:37.900 --> 00:25:44.019 is all about time. And I enjoyed his win against 00:25:44.019 --> 00:25:47.059 his old master. But we still had Innocent Zero 00:25:47.059 --> 00:25:50.500 to deal with. He keeps attacking Wahlberg with 00:25:50.500 --> 00:25:54.049 these time spells. His whole left side ended 00:25:54.049 --> 00:25:57.250 up looking super burnt or aged. I wasn't really 00:25:57.250 --> 00:26:00.589 sure which it was, but then it didn't matter 00:26:00.589 --> 00:26:03.750 because he blew off his arm completely. We do 00:26:03.750 --> 00:26:07.009 get this flashback scene though of Wahlberg and 00:26:07.009 --> 00:26:11.029 his master. It was honestly a really sweet and 00:26:11.029 --> 00:26:15.769 a little bit sad of a montage. But we really 00:26:15.769 --> 00:26:18.609 got more of the backstory. And I am a sucker 00:26:18.609 --> 00:26:22.710 for backstories. I thought it was really great 00:26:22.710 --> 00:26:27.609 to see. But he plans to sacrifice himself. And 00:26:27.609 --> 00:26:31.130 we have this magic space robot. I don't even 00:26:31.130 --> 00:26:34.670 know what it was. But I definitely thought that 00:26:34.670 --> 00:26:38.950 he had a serious advantage. Innocent Zero lets 00:26:38.950 --> 00:26:42.710 him go all out. He lets him burn through everything 00:26:42.710 --> 00:26:47.019 he has. And then just casually resets the fight. 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:52.339 This is when it clicks that Wahlberg is not winning 00:26:52.339 --> 00:26:56.440 in this. He never was. He can manipulate time 00:26:56.440 --> 00:27:02.980 itself. Rewind damage. Undo attacks. He is completely 00:27:02.980 --> 00:27:07.759 controlling and dominating the entire pace of 00:27:07.759 --> 00:27:11.980 this fight. And Wahlberg realizes it too. That 00:27:11.980 --> 00:27:15.450 no matter what he does. He is not beating him 00:27:15.450 --> 00:27:18.589 here. But just when I thought our headmaster 00:27:18.589 --> 00:27:22.930 was done for, in comes Mash out of nowhere with 00:27:22.930 --> 00:27:27.369 a knee to Innocent Zero's face. And he was literally 00:27:27.369 --> 00:27:30.750 just kicking his feet to stay in the air with 00:27:30.750 --> 00:27:34.869 them. This is that typical ridiculousness that 00:27:34.869 --> 00:27:37.869 I cannot get enough of. This was such a serious 00:27:37.869 --> 00:27:41.250 fight and they just completely changed the tone 00:27:41.250 --> 00:27:45.349 so seamlessly. By the time everything settles, 00:27:45.410 --> 00:27:49.049 we finally understand what's really going on. 00:27:49.970 --> 00:27:53.869 Mash isn't just this random kid with no magic 00:27:53.869 --> 00:27:58.549 who got strong. He is directly tied to Innocent 00:27:58.549 --> 00:28:03.529 Zero and was created as part of something way 00:28:03.529 --> 00:28:07.250 bigger. But with all of this, Mash hasn't changed 00:28:07.250 --> 00:28:11.730 at all. He is still training, still eating cream 00:28:11.730 --> 00:28:17.200 puffs, still solving impossible problems by just 00:28:17.200 --> 00:28:21.420 doing the most direct thing possible. And I think 00:28:21.420 --> 00:28:25.599 that is what made this ending work so well. Because 00:28:25.599 --> 00:28:29.700 while the story gets bigger, MASH stays simple. 00:28:30.279 --> 00:28:35.599 That contrast is what carries the entire show. 00:28:36.039 --> 00:28:39.700 So even though season two doesn't give us this 00:28:39.700 --> 00:28:43.960 clean final victory, It gives us a cliffhanger, 00:28:44.039 --> 00:28:49.759 but it also gives us a complete shift. The world 00:28:49.759 --> 00:28:53.339 has finally caught up to Mash. The stakes are 00:28:53.339 --> 00:28:57.599 higher. The enemies are definitely more dangerous. 00:28:58.220 --> 00:29:02.079 And everything moving forward actually matters 00:29:02.079 --> 00:29:06.640 now. And honestly, that is probably why I ended 00:29:06.640 --> 00:29:10.700 up loving Mashle as much as I did. and definitely 00:29:10.700 --> 00:29:14.980 more than I expected to. I went into this thinking 00:29:14.980 --> 00:29:17.980 it was just going to be one big joke that would 00:29:17.980 --> 00:29:21.180 get old after a couple episodes, which it is 00:29:21.180 --> 00:29:25.740 one big joke, but the way that they fully commit 00:29:25.740 --> 00:29:30.680 to its comedy is just so amazing. But what I 00:29:30.680 --> 00:29:34.099 like even more is that even with all this comedy, 00:29:34.359 --> 00:29:40.109 they still continue to build a story that actually 00:29:40.109 --> 00:29:43.430 has some weight behind it, which I was not expecting. 00:29:43.789 --> 00:29:48.650 It knows exactly what it is, it never over complicates 00:29:48.650 --> 00:29:52.630 itself, and it never stopped being entertaining 00:29:52.630 --> 00:29:58.849 for me. The character designs, the rival dorms, 00:29:58.849 --> 00:30:04.630 the innocent zero arc, they were all so entertaining 00:30:04.630 --> 00:30:09.380 for me. If I had to pick a top three for my favorite 00:30:09.380 --> 00:30:14.000 characters, I would definitely pick Lance, Mash, 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:17.660 and Margaret. I don't think I have a bottom three. 00:30:18.059 --> 00:30:21.079 There's only two that I didn't like. They were 00:30:21.079 --> 00:30:24.400 Dot, which I actually preferred him more when 00:30:24.400 --> 00:30:27.480 he got turned into a baby. This was during that 00:30:27.480 --> 00:30:30.339 Divine Visionary exam when they were fighting 00:30:30.339 --> 00:30:35.119 the monsters. But the other one was Lemon. I 00:30:35.119 --> 00:30:38.059 did find her obsession with Mash to be a little 00:30:38.059 --> 00:30:41.059 funny in the beginning, but she was a one -trick 00:30:41.059 --> 00:30:44.079 pony. It would have been really nice to see a 00:30:44.079 --> 00:30:48.140 little more versatility. She literally was just 00:30:48.140 --> 00:30:52.420 useless in season two. I cannot wait to find 00:30:52.420 --> 00:30:56.380 out more about this Innocent Zero backstory and 00:30:56.380 --> 00:31:01.279 origin. He is ridiculously dangerous, and I can't 00:31:01.279 --> 00:31:04.809 wait to see What he will bring to the table for 00:31:04.809 --> 00:31:08.930 season 3. I'm pretty sure I saw it was confirmed 00:31:08.930 --> 00:31:13.569 for season 3 in 2027. I believe. I am not 100 00:31:13.569 --> 00:31:17.950 % sure. But I am hoping that that is true. The 00:31:17.950 --> 00:31:21.609 next episode I plan to record is actually going 00:31:21.609 --> 00:31:26.369 to be a winter 2026 roundup. I plan to go over 00:31:26.369 --> 00:31:29.049 the shows from this winter season that I watched. 00:31:29.470 --> 00:31:34.339 Some were absolute hits. Some were continuations 00:31:34.339 --> 00:31:38.779 for me, a couple were brand new, and some were 00:31:38.779 --> 00:31:42.859 so bad that I had to stop completely. I'll also 00:31:42.859 --> 00:31:46.680 get into which shows I'm excited and looking 00:31:46.680 --> 00:31:50.039 forward to for the spring season. Don't forget, 00:31:50.220 --> 00:31:53.359 every Friday I upload recap videos going over 00:31:53.359 --> 00:31:56.539 the current Jujutsu Kaisen season, although the 00:31:56.539 --> 00:31:59.180 break is about to happen. So we will be switching 00:31:59.180 --> 00:32:02.559 gears to another recap. It'll still be on Friday. 00:32:03.259 --> 00:32:07.140 If you enjoyed this podcast or you are a fan 00:32:07.140 --> 00:32:10.579 of Mashal, leave me a comment or review. Let 00:32:10.579 --> 00:32:13.779 me know what's up. Until next time, I'll see 00:32:13.779 --> 00:32:14.119 you then.